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'Malatimadhava', 'Mahaviracharita' and 'Uttararamacharita' were written by:
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Answer: Option D — Bhavabhuti
Detailed Solution
"Malatimadhava", "Mahaviracharita" and "Uttararamacharita" are Sanskrit plays by Bhavabhuti, one of the greatest Sanskrit dramatists after Kalidasa. He lived in the 8th century CE and is believed to have been a court poet of King Yashovarman of Kannauj.
About his three plays:
"Mahaviracharita" ("The Deeds of the Great Hero"): covers the early life of Rama, from his marriage to Sita up to his coronation after defeating Ravana.
"Uttararamacharita" ("The Later Story of Rama"): describes Rama's life after his return to Ayodhya, his abandonment of Sita because of public gossip, and their final reunion. Unlike Valmiki's Ramayana, the play ends happily. It is considered his masterpiece and is famous for its expression of "karuna rasa" (the emotion of compassion or pathos). A famous saying is "Eko rasah karuna eva" ("Compassion is the only rasa").
"Malatimadhava": a romantic drama about the love of Malati and Madhava, two young people in the city of Padmavati, full of adventure, suspense and even scenes of a cremation ground.
About Bhavabhuti:
- He was born in Padmapura, in Vidarbha (now in Maharashtra), into a learned Brahmin family.
- He is known for deep emotion, rich language and his skill in describing nature and human feelings.
- Later critics compared him favourably with Kalidasa, especially for the expression of pathos.
Other Sanskrit dramatists and their works:
- Kalidasa: "Abhijnanashakuntalam", "Vikramorvashiyam", "Malavikagnimitram".
- Bhasa: "Svapnavasavadattam", "Urubhanga".
- Shudraka: "Mrichchhakatika".
- Vishakhadatta: "Mudrarakshasa".
- Harsha: "Ratnavali", "Nagananda".
- Banabhatta (prose writer): "Harshacharita" and "Kadambari".
Why not the other options?
- ✗Kalidasa wrote "Abhijnanashakuntalam".
- ✗Bhasa wrote "Svapnavasavadattam".
- ✗Banabhatta wrote "Harshacharita" and "Kadambari".
Quick tip
Remember: Bhavabhuti (8th century, court of Yashovarman of Kannauj) = "Mahaviracharita", "Uttararamacharita" (karuna rasa) and "Malatimadhava"; "Mrichchhakatika" = Shudraka.
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Books & Authors — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Books & Authors, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers famous books and their authors, including ancient Indian texts, works of the freedom struggle, classic and modern literature, autobiographies of famous people, and recently published books by well-known personalities. Questions usually name a book and ask for its author, or the other way round. Ancient and historical books, such as Arthashastra (Kautilya), Indica (Megasthenes) and Gitanjali (Rabindranath Tagore), are tested most often. Autobiographies are another favourite, so learn titles such as 'My Experiments with Truth' (Mahatma Gandhi) and 'Wings of Fire' (A. P. J. Abdul Kalam). Practise the books and authors questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.