नाट्यशास्त्रम् (प्रथम भाग - अभिनवभारती एवं हिन्दी टीका सहित)

98 : THE NĀṬYAŚĀSTRA [ V. 168-

168. He should assume the Vaiṣṇava Sthāna (posture)¹ and the Sauṣṭhava² of the body, and on entering the stage he should observe the foot movements which the Director had used.

169. At the entrance of the Introducer the Dhruvā should be made suitable to the occasion (lit. meaning) and it will be either Caturasra or Tryasra and be in medium tempo.

170. Then he should perform a Cārī in praise of gods and Brahmins in accompaniment with the recitation of Ślokas containing sweet words and evoking various Sentiments and States.

171. After thus pleasing the spectators (lit. the stage) he should announce the name of the play-wright (lit. the poet), and then he is to start the Prologue (prastāvanā) which relates to proclaiming the theme of the play (lit. the poem)¹.

172-173. Then by mentioning (lit. having recourse to) a god in a divine [play], a man in a human [play] and a god or a man in [a play] where gods and men [meet, he] should proclaim in different ways the subject of the play [lit. the poem] by variously alluding to its Opening (mukha) and Germ (bīja)¹.

174. After introducing the play the Introducer (lit. the Brahmin who makes the introduction of the play) should go out [of the stage]. Thus should be performed the Preliminaries according to the rules.

175. If any producer of a play will perform the Preliminaries according to the rules laid down, nothing inauspicious will happen to him and he will [after his death] reach the heavenly region.

176. [On the contrary] whoever produces a play in an willful violation of the rules [in this matter] will sustain great loss and will [after his death] be reborn as a creature of a lower order.

---

168 (B.173b-174a, G.165). ¹ See XI. 50-51. ² See XI. 89b, 91a.
169 (B.174b-175a, G.166). 170 (B.175-176a, G.167).
171 (B.176b-177a, G.168). ¹ B. reads one additional hemistich.
172-173 (B.178-179, G.169-170). ¹ See SD. VI. 27. also DR. III. 3.
174 (B.180, G.171). 175 (B.181, G.172).
176 (B.182, G.173).