The Daśakumāracarita (The Tale of the Ten Princes), translated into English as "The Adventures of the Ten Princes", is a Sanskrit Katha (story), written in the 6th or 7th century by a renowned Sanskrit writer Daṇḍin. Most of the extant manuscripts of this text comprise two parts: the Pūrvapīṭhikā and the Uttarapīṭhikā, the proper Daśakumāracarita (though a few manuscripts do not consist the Pūrvapīṭhikā). A number of manuscripts also have three parts: the Pūrvapīṭhikā, the Daśakumāracarita (proper) and a small separate Uttarapīṭhikā.

Contents 1 Contents 2 Bibliography 2.1 Sanskrit text 2.2 Translations 3 External links

[edit] Contents

The story describes the adventures of ten princes, who have been disinherited: Somadatta, Puspodbhava, Rajavahana, Apaharavarman, Upaharavarman, Arthapala, Pramati, Mitragupta, Mantragupta and Visruta and their pursuits of love and power.

The Pūrvapīṭhikā, an introductory text, probably added later, comprises five ucchvāsaḥs. The first ucchvāsaḥ describes the birth of the ten princes. The second deals with the digvijaya (campaign) of Rajavahana. The third deals with the adventures of Somadattta and his marriage with Princes Vamalocana. The fourth ucchvāsa narrates the adventures of Puspodbhava and his marriage with Balacandrika. The fifth ucchvāsaḥ narrates the marriage of Rajavahana with Avantisundari.

The Uttarapīṭhikā or the Daśakumāracarita (proper) consists eight ucchvāsaḥs which deal with the adventures of eight princes: Rājavāhana, Apahāaravarmā, Upahāravarmā, Arthapāla, Pramati, Mitragupta, Mantragupta and Visruta.

The separate Uttarapīṭhikā, found in some manuscripts, is basically a short supplement, winds up the story, which ends with the slaying of Manasara and the annexation of Malava to Puspapura and division of the empire into several principalities.

It is perhaps one of the earliest examples of a novel.^{[citation needed]} In the Clay Sanskrit Series, it is translated as What Ten Young Men Did.

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] Sanskrit text

• Horace Hayman Wilson, ed. (1846), The Daśa kumára charita: or, Adventures of ten princes, a series of tales in the original Sanskrit, Society for the publication of oriental texts, http://books.google.com/books?id=2h4pAAAAYAAJ 
• Georg Bühler, ed. (1887), The Daśakumâracharita of Daṇḍin. Edited with critical and explanatory notes (2 ed.), Government Central Book Depôt, http://books.google.com/books?id=5zVbAAAAQAAJ 
• Nārāyaṇa Bālakṛishṇa Godabole; Kāśināth Pāṇḍurang Parab, eds. (1898), The daśakumāracharita of Dandin: with three commentaries—the Padachandrikā of Kavīndra Sarasvati, the Bhūshanā of Sivarāma and the Laghudīpikā (3 ed.), Tukārām Jāvajī, http://books.google.com/books?id=ZVRLAAAAIAAJ 

[edit] Translations

• P. W. Jacob (trans.), Hindoo Tales: Or, the Adventures of Ten Princes, 1873. Online at Project Gutenberg.
• Arthur W. Ryder (trans.), Dandin's Dasha-kumara-charita: The ten princes. University of Chicago Press, 1927. ISBN 9780226732503
• Isabelle Onians (trans.): What Ten Young Men Did. New York: Clay Sanskrit Library, 2005. 651pp. Facing romanized Sanskrit text and translation. ISBN 0-8147-6206-9.

[edit] External links

• Daśakumāracarita text
• Chandrahas Choudhury, Seventh-century Indian life in Dandin's Dasakumaracharita

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