Rama's Last Act

"Rama's Last Act" by Bhavabhuti is counted among the greatest Sanskrit dramas. The work at once dramatizes the "Ramayana" -- it is one of the earliest theatrical adaptations of Valmiki's epic masterpiece -- and revises its most intractable episode, the hero's rejection of his beloved wife. Human agency in the face of destiny, the power of love, and the capacity of art to make sense of such mysteries are the themes explored in this singular literary achievement of the Indian stage.Co-published by New York University Press and the JJC FoundationFor more on this title and other titles in the Clay Sanskrit series, please visit http://www.claysanskritlibrary.org

Sheldon Pollock is William B. Ransford Professor of Sanskrit and Indian Studies, Columbia University.