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•theirs and even his verse misses the simple .'grace-characteristic of Kalidasa and Sudraka. He evidently belongs to a school, to which Ojas is the soulof elegant style;
His works.
Three dramas of Bhavabhuti have come down to us. Some stray stanzas not traceable in any of these but found in the anthologies, attributed to him, suggest some lost works, dramas or poems.
The Mahaviracharita, a drama in seven acts of the sentiment of heroism, handles a continuous history of the heroic part of Rama's life. Rama as a warrior is considered, so that every other incident of his life not contributing to this stern passion • , finds no place in the drama. The poet deviates from some o±
ff ', the minute details of the Ramayana with a view to giving
"j ' prominence to the Vira-rasa and so stirring and martial des-
!: \. criptians are brought out in full relief.
| ' The Malati-madhava is a pmkarava in ten acts. The-
4 ! plot has been spun out purely from the' imagination _of.our
I 'I' poet. «• The scene is laid inUjjain, and the subject ,s the love-
j ,' Ly of Malati, daughter of a minister of the country ancfe
'I Madhava a young scholar of the city and son of *e»«»^-f
I another state. Skilfully interwoven with this mam story are
f: the fortunes of Makaranda, a friend. <*™*™^*£^~
•; tika, a sister of the king's favourite. Malati and Madhava meet
!! and fall in love, but the king has determined that the herome
H shall marry his favourite, whom she detests. This plan is-
!' frustrated by Makaranda, who personating Malati goes through
,!' the wedding ceremony with the bride-groom. The lovers,
j aided £ their project! by two amiable Buddhist nuns, ar
, j; -finally united."s have fallen into the great error