Dashakumaracharita

Dashakumaracharita (IAST: Daśa-kumāra-carita, Sanskrit: दशकुमारचरित, The narrative of ten young men) is a prose romance in Sanskrit, attributed to Dandin (दण्डिन) in the 7th century CE. However, as discussed below, there is some obscurity surrounding its textual tradition, the identity of the author and the date of composition.

It describes the adventures of ten Kumaras, i.e., young men, (all of whom are either princes or sons of royal ministers), as narrated by the men themselves. (But there are irregularities in the text; see below.) These narratives are replete with accounts of demigods, ghosts, prostitutes, gamblers, intrigues with voluptious women, astonishing coincidences, cockfights, anthropophagy, sorcery, robberies, murders and wars. The reader is treated to some very striking passages; for instance, a seductive young girl (all of whose anatomical features are very frankly described) deftly prepares a fragrant meal of rice-gruel and vegetables for her prospective suitor (in D-VI).

The text contains a specimen of lipogrammatic writing (a species of constrained writing). At the beginning of the 7th chapter of Dsc., Mantragupta (मंत्रगुप्त) is called upon to relate his adventures. However, during the previous night of vigorous lovemaking, his lips have been nibbled several times by his beloved; as a result they are now swollen, making it painful for him to close them. Thus, throughout his narrative, he is compelled to refrain from using any labial consonants (प,फ,ब,भ,म).

Editions of the original Sanskrit text have been published by Agashe, Godbole and Parab, Kale, and Wilson. The work has been translated into English by Haksar, Jacob, Kale, Onians, and Ryder. In particular, the edition by Kale includes the original in Sanskrit, a literal English translation, as well as an extensive commentary on the stylistic and historical aspects of the text. In her translation of the lipogrammatic chapter, Onians omits the labial roman letters 'b', 'm' and 'p'. (E.g., she uses the circumlocution 'honey-creator' instead of 'bumblebee'). There is a translation into German by Mayer.

Critical commentaries on the text have been written by, inter alia, Gupta and Pankaj. A more extensive bibliography may be found in Onians.