Swaveda

Translation

Mrichchakatika (The Little Clay Cart)मृच्छकटिकम्

By Śūdraka (attributed). Translated by Arthur W. Ryder, 1905. Public domain.

A ten-act prakaraṇa drama, considered the most acclaimed Sanskrit play in the social-realist register. The impoverished Brahmin Charudatta and the courtesan Vasantasena's love story unfolds against political intrigue, a violent rival, and a wrongful trial. Ryder's translation is published in the Harvard Oriental Series.

Source scan →

Chapters

  1. Chapter 1

    Act I — The Gems Are Left Behind

  2. Chapter 2

    Act II — The Shampooer Who Gambled

  3. Chapter 3

    Act III — The Hole in the Wall

  4. Chapter 4

    Act IV — Madanika and Sharvilaka

  5. Chapter 5

    Act V — The Storm

  6. Chapter 6

    Act VI — The Swapping of the Bullock-Carts

  7. Chapter 7

    Act VII — Aryaka's Escape

  8. Chapter 8

    Act VIII — The Strangling of Vasantasena

  9. Chapter 9

    Act IX — The Trial

  10. Chapter 10

    Act X — The End