Bhasa (3rd-4th CE) was a Sanskrit playwright, considered to have preceded Kalidasa, and is believed to have lived in the city of Ujjain.
His works came to light in 1909 when the play Swapnavasavadatta (Vision of Vasavadatta) was discovered by Pandit Anandalvar of the Archaeological Survey of Mysore.
In 1913, thirteen of his plays were found in an old library in Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) by T. Ganapati Shastri.
Bhasa drew inspiration from epics like the Mahabharata, the Ramayana, the Puranas, as well as semi-historical legends and figures.
His plays do not always adhere strictly to the Natyashastra, often breaking dramatic conventions.
Some critics have suggested that Bhasa’s works predate Bharata’s Natyashastra, while others interpret these deviations as signs of Bhasa’s poetic innovation and disregard for dramatic norms.
Swapnavasavadatta is perhaps his most renowned play, telling the story of King Udayana, who must choose between marrying his beloved Vasavadatta for love or Princess Padmavati, the daughter of a neighboring king, for political advantage.
In this play, Bhasa blends romance with political intrigue, creating a unique form of drama. Besides traditional plays, he also wrote short plays, one-act plays, and monologues.
Bhasa was known for breaking several dramatic conventions, such as presenting tragic endings in his works.
Both Uru-bhanga (The Breaking of the Thighs) and Karnabhara (Karna's Task), which explore the stories of Duryodhana and Karna, respectively, conclude on tragic notes, but unlike others, Bhasa portrays these characters with empathy.
Additionally, Bhasa was unafraid to depict violent acts on stage, defying another Natyashastra convention.
