The Sanskrit Drama in its Origin, Development, Theory & Practice c10.s8.14

c10.s8.14

Other traces of Bhāsa's influence are also to be found. The motif of the curse of Durvāsas which in the Çakuntalā explains the sufferings of the heroine suggests the curse of Caṇḍabhārgava in the *Avimāraka* which reduces the hero to a humble rank, and in the *Çakuntalā* the lovers are reunited at the hermitage of the sage Mārīca, as in the *Avimāraka* they meet at the home of Nārada. There is a vague similarity also as regards many expressions in the two poets, but it would be unwise to lay any special stress on such testimony. But the more specific evidence given above of dependence is undeniable, and it is surprising to find it questioned by Professor Hillebrandt,¹ especially when we have Kālidāsa’s own recognition of Bhāsa’s fame, and Bāṇa’s reiteration of it.