CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

DICTION OF A PLAY

Thirtysix marks of a good play

1-5. The thirtysix characteristic marks (lakṣaṇa)¹ of [a good] dramatic composition (kāvya)² are as follows : Ornateness (bhūṣaṇa), Compactness (akṣara-saṁghāta), Brilliance (śobhā), Parallelism (udāharaṇa), Causation (hetu), Hesitation (saṁśaya), Favourable Precedent (dṛṣṭānta), Discovery (prāpti), Fancy (abhiprāya), Unfavourable Precedent (nidarśana), Convincing Explanation (nirukta), Persuation, (siddhi), Distinction (viśeṣaṇa),

---

1-5 (C.1-5, B. p.348-350, XVI.1-5). ¹ About the significance of the the term lakṣaṇa, the commentators of the NŚ. are not at all unanimous. Ag. mentions no less than ten different views on the subject. Evidently some of these are far-fetched and off the mark. It seems that lakṣaṇa in this connexion is comparable to the same word occurring in the compound word mahāpuruṣa-lakṣaṇa (characteristic marks of a superman). According to one view this lakṣaṇa differs from the alaṁkāra (ornament) and the guṇa (qualities) of a person as figures of speech (alaṁkāra) and excellences (guṇa) of a composition differ from its characteristic marks (lakṣaṇa). The composition in this connexion is evidently a dramatic one though some of the commentators think otherwise. For a discussion on the position of lakṣaṇas in the history of the Alaṁkāra literature see S. K. De, Skt. Poetics, II. pp. 4-5 ; see also Ramakrishna Kavi, (B.II.pp. 348 349) and V. Raghavan's paper on Lakṣaṇas in the Journal of Oriental Research, Vol. VI. pp. 70, 71, 81, 82. Mss. of the NŚ. fall into two distinct recensions as regards the text treating the thirty-six lakṣaṇas. One recension followed by older commentators, and late writers like Viśvanātha, and Śiṅgabhūpāla, uses Anuṣṭup verses for the enumeration of lakṣaṇas We have adopted this as the basis of our translation. The second recension which seems to be later, has been followed by commentators like Kirtidhara, Abhinavagupta and late writers like Dhanañjaya and others. This greatly varies from the other recension with which it has not more than seventeen names (of lakṣaṇas) in common, and among these, definitions of eight only are similar in both the recensions.

² Kāvya in this connexion means the dṛśya-kāvya or dramatic composition.