ESTIMATE OF THE PLAY.
Most of the early plays in Sanskrit literature owe their sources to the Vedic dialogues and the Pauranik stories adapted skilfully by the dramatist to the justice of his poetical sense and accepted conventions. A few of them weave some account in the life of a certain historical personage who is characterised as a man of exemplary conduct. ór a super-man. Two of Kalidasa's plays fall under the first category and the one probably the earliest of his dramatic works, viz. Mālavikāgnimitra belongs to the latter. In point of time, Vikrmorvashiam is said to follow this quasi-historical play of Malavikagninitra and to precede the world famous drama of Shākuntalam, which is supposed to be the specimen of the finest dramatic skill of our poet of poets.
Though the episode of the union of Vikrama and Urvashi is found in the Vājasanéya Aranyak and several other Puranas (Vide Introd. P. 29 et. seq.) the closest approach to the plot of this drama is the story narrated in the Padma Purana. The plot of Shakuntalam also is borrowed from the story of Dushyanta and Shakuntalä in the Padma Purana. It is, therefore, clear that Kalidasa has mainly relied on the Padmapurana for two of his important dramatic compositions.
It is a common feature with Kalidasa to open his dramas with the Invocation of blessings of god Shiva, and Vikramorvasham is no exception to it (Cf. Mal. एकैश्वर्ये स्थितोऽपि प्रणतबहुफलो यः. स्वयं कृत्तिवासाः Vikr. वेदान्तेषु यमाहुरेकपुरुषं व्याप्य स्थितं रोदसी Shak. या सृष्टिः स्रष्टुराद्या वहति विधिहुतं.......) Then next to that, Kalidas has his prologue to introduce the topic of his play, which is done by the Stage-manager, as usual, attended either by Marisha or the actress. (Cf. Mal. and Vikra. in respect of the attendence of Marisha and contrast Sutradhara being attended by actress in Shak.) The type of the prologue which he adopts, is either Avalagitā or Prayôgatişhaya out of fire principal kinds of prologues familiar to the Indian playwrights. Vikramorvashi has got the Prayôgātișhaya type of prologue unlike the prologue in Shak. or in Malavikāgnimitra, where it is of Avalagitā kind. The prologue in Vikramorvashiam introduces within itself the entrance of the shouting celestial damsels behind the screen which is tantamount to the introduction of the theme of the play in course of the prologue itself, whereas in Shakuntalam
