CHAPTER TWENTY

TEN KINDS OF PLAY

1. I shall now describe the tenfold¹ division of plays together with their names, functions and modes of production.

2-3. For their definition (lakṣaṇa) plays are known to be of ten kinds such as Nāṭaka,¹ Prakaraṇa, Aṅka (Utsṛṣṭikâṅka)², Vyāyoga, Bhāṇa, Samavakāra, Vīthi, Prahasana, Ḍima³, and Īhāmṛga. I shall describe their characteristics in detail (lit. from the beginning).

4. Styles (vṛtti)¹ are known as the constituent elements of all dramatic works (lit. poems). Considering their production the ten kinds of play are considered to have proceeded from these.

5. Just as the Jātis¹ and the Śrutis² of notes constitute a scale (grāma)³, so varieties of Styles make up the dramatic composition (kāvya-bandha).

6. Just as the Ṣaḍja¹ and the Madhyama² scales include all the notes, so these two [kinds of] dramatic compositions (Nāṭaka and Prakaraṇa) are made up of all the Styles.

7. The Nāṭaka and the Prakaraṇa are to be known as made up of all the Styles and they utilise all the different methods of constructions¹.

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1 (C.1; B.XVIII. 1). ¹ Old writers on the subject like Kohala mention additional types of play such as Saṭṭaka, Toṭaka and Rāsaka (Ag.). Bhoja ignores the Toṭaka and recognises only twelve kinds of play including the Nāṭikā mentioned in the NŚ. (See, V. Raghavan, Śr. Pr. p. 27).

2-3 (C. 2-3; B.XVIII. 2-3). ¹ This word is sometimes loosely used as a synonym of rūpa or rūpaka.

² To distinguish it from aṅka meaning “an Act”, it it also called Utsṛṣṭikāṅka.

³ It is evidently a non-Aryan word.

4 (C.4; B.XVIII. 4). ¹ See NŚ. XXII.

5 (C. 5; B.XVIII. 5). ¹ See NŚ. (C.) XXVIII. 36ff. ² ibid. ³ ibid.

6 (C. 6; B.XVIII. 6) ¹ See NŚ. XXVIII. 22ff. ² ibid.

7 (C. 7; B.XVIII.7). ¹ It seems that 6 and 7 have taken each other's place.