नाट्यशास्त्रम् (प्रथम भाग - अभिनवभारती एवं हिन्दी टीका सहित)

V. 16	THE PRELIMINARIES OF A PLAY	77

order with the playing of drums and stringed instruments as well as with Recitatives (pāṭhya), are as follows: Pratyāhāra¹, Avataraṇa², Ārambha³, Āśrāvaṇā⁴, Vaktrapāṇi⁵, Parighaṭṭanā⁶, Saṁghoṭanā⁷, Mārgāsārita⁸, and Āsārita⁹ of the long, the medium and the short types. These songs outside [the performace of a play] are to be sung by persons behind the curtain¹⁰ to the accompaniment of drums and stringed instruments.

• 12-15. Then after removing the curtain¹, dances and recitals² are to be performed with the playing of all musical instruments, and some song of the Madraka³ class is to be sung, or one of the Vardhamānaka⁴ class along with the Class Dance [suitable to it] should be applied, Then should take place [one after another] during the Preliminaries the following:— Utthāpana⁵, Walking round⁶, Benediction⁷, Śuṣkāpakṛṣṭā⁸, Raṅgadvāra⁹, Cārī¹⁰, Mahācārī¹¹, Three Men's Talk¹² and Laudation¹³.

16. I shall now explain in due order the characteristics of all these which are to be included in the ceremony of the Preliminaries.

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¹ See below 17.
² See below 18
³ See below 18.
⁴ See below 18.
⁵ See below 19.
⁶ See below 19.
⁷ See below 20.
⁸ See below 20.
⁹ See below 21.
¹⁰ From this statement it appears that the first nine items of the preliminaries were performed on the stage covered with a front curtain much like the modern drop curtain. There were besides this, two curtains on two doors of the tiring room. It seems that the front curtain came into regular use in later times and especially at the end of each act. Cf. javanikāntar used as a synonym of 'act' in the KM.

12-15 (B.G. same). ¹ The front curtain; see 8-11 note 10 above.
² Recitals of the Benediction (nāndī) and the Laudation (prarocanā) etc.
³ madraka—a class of songs.
⁴ vardhamānaka—a class of songs with dance. See NŚ. (C.) XXXIX. 224ff.
⁵ See below 22-23.
⁶ See below 23-24, 65-89.
⁷ See below 24-25, 107-113
⁸ See below 25-26, 113-116,
⁹ See below 26-27.
¹⁰ See below 27-28, 119-120.
¹¹ See below 27-28, 127-130.
¹² See below 28-29, 137-141.
¹³ See below 29-30, 141-142.
16 (B.G. same). ¹ It may appear that these items of the Prelimi-