Bhasa's Treatment of the Krsna Legend

Bhasa’s play Balacarita—one of the earliest surviving Sanskrit dramas—dramatizes the childhood of Krishna. G. K. Bhat’s article examines how Bhasa adapts the popular Krsna legend for the stage. Bhat notes that the Balacarita compresses Krishna’s life from his divine birth to the slaying of Kamsa and omits or modifies incidents in order to create theatrical unity. According to the Harivamsha and Bhagavata Purana, Krishna was the eighth child born to Devaki and Vasudeva, but Bhasa portrays him as their seventh son, shifting the chronology to heighten dramatic suspense. This alteration allows the play to avoid the repetition of earlier births and focuses the audience’s attention on Krishna’s miraculous arrival. Another major deviation is Bhasa’s treatment of the famous exchange of infants. In the Purāṇic tradition, Vasudeva stealthily swaps his newborn Krishna with the stillborn daughter of Yashoda, leaving the girl in Devaki’s bed; when the tyrant Kamsa tries to kill her, she transforms into the goddess Yogamāyā and escapes. Bhasa retains the divine intervention but reimagines the event as a chance encounter: Vasudeva carries the infant Krishna to Nandagopa’s village in search of safety; Yashoda’s stillborn daughter suddenly comes to life and the exchange occurs not through subterfuge but because the goddess reveals herself. This dramatic choice emphasises human emotion and the unpredictability of divine play. Kamsa’s attempt to kill the child is still thwarted, but the circumstances elicit more sympathy for Vasudeva and Devaki. Bhat also observes that Bhasa adds scenes and characters to enrich the narrative. The play expands the interactions between Krishna and his foster parents Nanda and Yashoda, portraying their parental devotion and the joy of the cowherd community. Some episodes, such as the slaying of the demoness Putana or the lifting of Govardhana, are omitted, while others are condensed. Bhat argues that these omissions are deliberate: staging the slaying of Putana would be difficult, and the Govardhana episode may have been unknown to Bhasa’s audience or reserved for another play. Bhasa’s depiction of Kamsa is similarly nuanced; the tyrant vacillates between fear of the prophecy and arrogance, thereby building tension before his final confrontation with Krishna. The article concludes that Bhasa’s creative alterations serve dramatic ends: he humanizes mythic figures, heightens emotional stakes, and ensures a coherent stage narrative. By comparing the Balacarita to its source materials, the article illustrates how early playwrights adapted epic tales to suit theatrical conventions, bridging myth and performance.

Summary reviewed by a volunteer editor.