नाट्यशास्त्रम् (प्रथम भाग - अभिनवभारती एवं हिन्दी टीका सहित)

.II. 82 ] DESCRIPTION OF THE PLAYHOUSE 29

pieces such as decorative designs, carved figures of elephants, tigers and snakes. Many wooden statues also should be set up there, and this wood-work [should] include Niryūhas², variously placed mechanized latticed windows, rows (dhāraṇī) of good seats, numerous dove-cots and pillars raised in different parts of the floor³. And the wood-work having been finished, the builders should set out to finish the walls. No pillar, bracket⁴, window, corner or door should face a door⁵.

80-82. The playhouse should be made like a mountain cavern¹ and it should have two floors² [on two different levels] and small windows ; And it should be free from wind and should have good acoustic quality. For [in such a playhouse] made free from the interference of wind, voice of actors and singers as

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² niryūha is evidently an architectural term but it does not seem to have been explained clearly in any extant work. Ag's explanation does not give us any light.

³ In the absence of a more detailed description of the different parts of the wood-work, it is not possible to have a clear idea of them. Hence our knowledge of the passage remains incomplete till such a description is available in some authentic work.

⁴ nāgadanta means 'a bracket'. The word occurs in Vātsyāyana's Kāmasūtra. nāgadantāvasaktā vīṇā (I. 5.4)

⁵ On this passage Ag. (I. p. 64) says : प्रतिद्वारम् अवान्तरद्वारेण विद्धं परस्परसम्मुखी-भूतमग्र्यं न कुर्यात्.

80-82 (B. 86b, 89a, G. 84-85). ¹ The pillars of the playhouse being of wood, the roof was in all probability thatched and in the form of a pyramid with four sides. Probably that was to give it the semblance of a mountain cavern.

² The two floors mentioned here seem to refer to floors of different heights which the auditorium, mattavāraṇī and the stage had. See 63-65 above and note 2 on it. According to some old commentators dvirbhūmi indicated a two-storied playhouse while others were against such a suggestion. Ag. (I. p. 64) says : द्वे भूमी रङ्गपीठच्छाद्यमन्तरीपरितनकल्पेनेति कश्चित्। मत्तवारणीबहिर्निर्गमनप्रयत्नेन सर्वतो द्वितीयाभित्तिनिवेशेन देवप्रासादाद्वारिका (?) प्रदर्शिकौशङ्क्यो द्वितीया भूमिरित्यन्ये। उपरि मण्डपान्तरनिवेशनादित्यपरे। षड्भूमिरित्यन्ये.