Studies in the Brhatkatha

TLDR: The Brhatkatha or Great Story, a narrative work highly esteemed in Indian literary history, survives only through the adaptation of a part or a whole of its original material in a number of later narratives as discussed by the authors.

Abstract: The Brhatkatha or Great Story, a narrative work highly esteemed in . Indian literary history, survives only through the adaptation of a part or a whole of its original material in a number of later narratives. Three surviving works called after the Brhatkatha or claiming descent from • it all tell the same story, though with important differences in structure and style. Another work, the Vasudevahimdi, which declares no allegiance • • to the Brhatkatha, has been shown to draw much of its material from that • source. This thesis contains a study of the Vasudevahimdi in its own right • • as a treasure of narrative and in its relationship to the other three works. One of these three, the Brhatkathaslokasamgraha, is incomplete; • • some suggestions are made about how the plot was to have continued on the basis of the preparations for later development that can be found in the extant fragment. Through a study and comparison of all four works, an attempt is made to answer the question, what can and what cannot be known about the Brhatkatha. . This study emphasizes on the one hand the essential unity of the story material, and on the other hand the qualities of each separate version as a work of literature. It aims to judge the works by criteria appropriate to their special nature, and so to recommend the reading of them for enjoyment and instruction.