An unintelligible tale of love: Charudatta and Vasantasena

Would you fancy reading a love story? Of course, you will. We all happen to enjoy a love story even if we might find it boring at the same time. We hopelessly end up rooting for the protagonists to come to a happy ending. The story of Charudatta and Vasantasena, although 2000 years old, is one of the best that history has provided us with so far.

A still enacted from the drama. Image Source: WordPress.

Assumed to be set in the era before Christ, ‘Mrichhachakatika’ is a political satire. Commonly known by its translated name "The little clay cart", this is a unique love story. It has a hero, a heroine, a villain, and several moral values. This drama, probably penned by Sudraka and divided into 10 chapters, has been staged nationally and internationally. It is a beautiful tale of selfless love garnished with pure honesty and integrity.

Vasantasena, our female protagonist, is a courtesan by profession. She is a beauty to behold. She lives independently in a beautiful palace and always has servants following her. She is sought by men from far and near who wish to marry her. She is also a witty lady. She is after kindness and love, and not seeking money and comfort.

Charudatta, on the other hand, is a poor Brahmin. He is portrayed as a 'dhirodatta nayaka' or, in layman's terms, a brave and generous hero. But he is not like our usual protagonist. He is aware of his poverty and lives in a melancholic state. He is a married man and a father too.

The story as it goes by:

Charudatta, our gloomy male protagonist meets the lady with almost divine beauty, Vasantasena, at a carnival. At that very moment, he had that love-at-first-sight kind of feeling. But he assumed Vasantasena to be a married woman only to be later corrected by one of her attendants. Later, Vasantasena seeks his help with some unruly matters and hands him her gold ornaments.

As days pass by, she enquires about Charudatta and gets impressed by his stories of being just, selfless, and generous to the extent of turning his life into a mere poverty state. She realises then that it will not be possible for Charudatta to come forward and accept his desires for her. Therefore, she decides to take up this task and approach her lover for a beautiful future together.

The death proclamation of Charudatta, the kind, and poor Brahmin, became a widely discussed talk of the day. Soon enough, the news reached Vasantasena. She ran towards the royal execution ground only to save her lover's life in the nick of time. Her mere presence was enough to stop the execution and spill the truth.

The love birds run home to save Charudatta's wife Dhuta. She is a diligent wife, who could not bear to hear the death knell of her husband's life and decides to choose death by immolation. But, luckily, in the end, both Dhuta and her husband were breathing. After learning how Vasantasena saved them both, Dhuta welcomed her into the family. This was the beginning of the love-filled life of Vasantasena and Charudatta. Later, Charudatta is offered the throne in the kingdom of Kusavati. Vasantasena is recognised to be his wedded wife. And they lived happily ever after.

While the early Indian texts and epics mention and promote the idea of love, stories like that of Mrichhachakatika are rare to find. The story of Charudatta and Vasantasena can be considered to be way ahead of time. This was not the usual story of a king falling in love or a princess finding her prince charming, but a story of mature understanding, sacrifice, and kindness.

She sets out one evening to ask him out. She assumes her lover to be waiting for her in a cart. But, to her horror, she ends up in the cart of a man called Sakara. This person is our antagonist. You can dread him. He is a rich and powerful man. He has a history with Vasantasena and has always been interested in her. And somewhere luck favoured him that evening. The Vasantasena who usually would ignore him and loathe him has walked into his cart.

Soon, she realises her mistake and tries to escape. But Sakara didn't want to lose his chance to have her. He strangles her and runs away leaving her behind.

Sakara knows what to do next: blame Charudatta for Vasantasena's death. He has the reason sorted as well: Charudatta's economic condition. A long courtroom scene follows. It is supplemented with various planning and plotting. Sakara proves to be an effluent manipulator. Soon the verdict came out. Charudatta is to be hanged till death.

In the meantime, Vasantasena is treated by a physician. He feels delighted to help her recover from the wounds. This is because there was a time when Vasantasena helped him with her generous nature.

The play was turned into a movie titled ‘Utsav’. The movie was termed to be way ahead of its time. Image Source: My Good Times.

Vasantasena was painted by Raja Ravi Verma. Image Source: Wikipedia.