Murdarakshas by Vishakdutt

Mudrarakshasa is a historical Sanskrit play written by Vishakhadatta that narrates the rise of Chandragupta Maurya in Northern India.

Summary Of The Book

Mudrarakshasa is a purely political drama unlike other popular Sanskrit plays. Dated variously from the late 4th century to the 8th century, it discusses Chandragupta Maurya’s elevation to power in Northern India as the emperor of Magdha.

A king of Punjab Parvateshwar challenged Alexander but got defeated. Chanakya sought help from Dhan Nanda, the ruler of Nanda Empire to fight against Alexander. However, he is also denied any kind of help and then he makes a pact with Parvateshwar from the Northwest that leads to his victory over Nanda.

Post-victory, Chandragupta and Parvateshwar plan to divide up Nanda’s old possessions. A twist takes place when Nanda's daughter causes the death of Parvateshwara by poisoning him. His son Malayaketu takes over the throne and with the help of the last minister of Nanda Rakshasa asks for the rights over all the old territories of the Nanda Empire.

Mudrarakshasa takes another interesting turn when Malayaketu along with his allies (the kings of Sindh, Persia, and Kashmir) plans to attack the capital of Chandragupta - Pataliputra. However, the shrewd politician Chanakya manages to attract Rakshasa to the Maurya side. This leads to the breakup of Malayaketu’s alliance.

The main themes of Mudrarakshasa include not just the ascent of Chandragupta to power but also the winning over of Rakshasa by Chanakya, and the execution of Chanakya’s methods to strengthen the rule. It also sheds light on the character of one of the most renowned politicians ever.

This Sanskrit play has been adapted into a Tamil play and also a Sanskrit film created by Manish K. Mokshagundam. Even the later episodes of the television series of Chanakya were founded on this play.

About Vishakhadatta

Vishakhadatta was an Indian Sanskrit playwright and poet.

He is famously known for his two plays Devichandraguptam and Mudrarakshasa.

Very little is known about Vishakhadatta. In Mudrarakshasa, he mentions the names of his grandfather and father as Maharaja Vateshvaradatta and Maharaja Bhaskaradatta.