Mālavikāgnimitram

The Mālavikāgnimitram (Sanskrit, meaning Mālavikā and Agnimitra) is a Sanskrit play by Kālidāsa. Based on some events of the reign of Pushyamitra Shunga, it is his first play. Mālavikāgnimitram tells the story of the love of Agnimitra, the Shunga Emperor at Vidisha, for the beautiful handmaiden of his chief queen. He falls in love with the picture of an exiled servant girl named Mālavikā. He must resort to the help of his jester and play a game of subterfuge merely to look at the new girl. When the queen discovers her husband's passion for this girl, she becomes infuriated and has Mālavikā imprisoned, but as fate would have it, in the end she is discovered to be of royal birth and is accepted as one of his queens. The play contains an account of the Rajasuya sacrifice performed by Pushyamitra Shunga and an elaborate exposition of a theory on music and acting. The Mālavikāgnimitra is a drama in five Acts based on a love-intrigue set on foot by King Agnimitra of Vidisa who is the Hero of the play, Mālavikā, a princess in the service of Dharini, the chief Queen, being the Heroine. The scene is laid in Vidisa and in its vicinity. Prelude: After an invocation of the Deity (Siva) as an auspicious act, the stage-manager and his Assistant, in their conversation state that the play shortly to be performed is Kalidasa's Mālavikāgnimitra. Scene: Two Queen's maid servants Vakulãvalikã and Kaumudikã meet and converse about the King Mayank's discovery of Mālavikā by the King Mayank in a group portrait, how he was struck by her charms and thus, the Queen has kept her away from King. Dancing-master Gan̩adãsa praises the intelligence and skill of his pupil Mālavikā in Vakulãvalikã’s inquiry. Vakulãvalikã tells that Mālavikā was gifted by Queen's brother Virasena. Scene: The minister reads the letter send by King Vidarbha for the exchange of prisoners (Vidarbha's brother-in-law with Mayank's cousin). King Mayank denies the request and instead sends for an expedition against him, under the command of Virasena, the Queen's brother.