नाट्यशास्त्रम् (प्रथम भाग - अभिनवभारती एवं हिन्दी टीका सहित)

.V. 74] THE PRELIMINARIES OF A PLAY 85

tempo (laya) the Director [and the two Assistants]¹ should enter [the stage].

68-69. The three should simultaneously enter [the stage] with handfuls of flower-offering. But before that they should get themselves purified, initiated and furnished with charms for protection [against evil spirits]. They should be clad in white, and flowers carried by them should [also] be white, and they should be looking with the Adbhuta glance ¹ and be in the Vaiṣṇava Sthāna² with Sauṣṭhava of the body.

70. The two¹ Assistants (pāripārśvika) should carry a golden pitcher (bhṛṅgāra) and the Jarjara, and with them by his side the Director should put forward five ateps.

71. These five steps [will be] for the purpose of worshipping Brahman, and the manner of putting them forward will be described [below] in detail.

72. They should slowly place their two feet three Tālas¹ apart and then raise [them one by one] on each side and again put them down at the same [distance].

73. After going five steps¹ in the manner described above the Director and his two Assistants (lit. others) should perform the Sūcī Cārī with left foot moved first and the right foot afterwards.

74. Then the Director should offer flowers in Brahman's circle (Brāhma-maṇḍala) which is another name for the centre of to stage where the deity is supposed to be present.

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¹ Entrance of the two Assistants is implied in this passage. See below 68-69.

68-69 (B.70-71, G.68-69). ¹ See NŚ. VIII. 48. ² See NŚ. XI. 50-52.

70 (B.72, G.70). ¹ One of the Assistants is to assume the role of the Jester in the Three Men's Talk. See above 28-29, 137-141.

² Jarjara— see NŚ. III, 73 ff.

71 (B.73a, G.71). ¹ B. omits 71b.

72 (B.74, G.72). ¹ tāla—a unit of length. The distance from the tip of the middle finger to the wrist. See NŚ. III, 21 note.

73 (B.75, G.78). ¹ B. viṣṇupadī for pañcapadī. 74 (B.76, G.74).