Malatimadhava is a play composed by Bhavabhuti (early 8th century), a Sanskrit playwright known for his ability to articulate and communicate the play of emotions via words.
The play's main narrative is on Malati's victorious love for
Madhava (a deity Krishna epithet), despite several impediments in their path.
The play is recognized for its fine poetry writing, as well
as the fact that the main antagonist is a wicked ascetic who is commonly
thought to be a member of the defunct ascetic sect known as the Kapalikas.
The Kapalikas were Shiva followers who wore their hair long
and matted, smeared their bodies with ash (ideally from the cremation site),
and carried a club and a skull-bowl to resemble Shiva in his wrathful aspect as
Bhairava (kapala).
The Kapilikas were dreaded because they indulged in illegal
behaviors such as drinking wine, eating meat, using cannabis and other
narcotics, executing human sacrifices, and orgiastic sexuality.
Bhavabhuti's depiction is historically noteworthy since it
is one of the first references to Shaiva asceticism.
Michael Coulson translated the play into English and
released it in the collection Three Sanskrit Plays in 1981.
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