नाट्यशास्त्रम् (प्रथम भाग - अभिनवभारती एवं हिन्दी टीका सहित)

360 THE NATYASASTRA [ XX. 31-

31. An Introductory Scene in the Nāṭaka and the Prakaraṇa should be made to relate¹ to the essentials of the Turning Points (bindu) and follow the preceding (lit. another) Act.

32. It (the Introductory Scene) should not consist of exploits of the superior and the middling characters, and there should be no exalted speech in it. And in practice it should adopt speeches and manners of the common people.

33. An Introductory Scene may have many purposes. [For example], it may indicate the advent or passage of time, change of the Sentiments or the beginning [of an Act] or the denoument (kārya).

34. Incidents which depend on many [persons] are to be compressed by means of Introductory Scenes or in Junctures (sandhi). For a play containing [too] many prose passages¹ will be tiresome [to the actors] at [the time of] the production [of the play].

35. When a particular item cannot be completely presented in an Act lest it should be too large for [successful] production, its account should be compressed in a few words and put in an Introductory Scene.

The Explanatory Scene

36. In the Nāṭaka the Explanatory Scene (viṣkambhaka) should always be made up with the middling characters¹ and it

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31 (C.32; B.XVIII.33). ¹ C. bhavati kāvyam for saṁvidhātavyaḥ.
32 (C.33; B.XVIII.34).
33 (C.34; B.XVIII.35). ¹ Read 33a as कालोत्थानगतिरसख्यात्यारम्भकार्य-विषयाणाम्. (०रसो व्याख्यासंरम्भ, B.).
² B. reads the first hemistich with the change accepted by Ag. The passage in B. in trans. will be as follows : An Introductory Scene may have many purposes. For example, it may indicate the advent or passage of time, or present some explanation or other aspects of planning the denoument (kārya).
34 (C.35; B.XVIII.36). ¹ For bahucūrṇapadair yuktam. C. reads bahu-pūrṇa-padyavṛttam. 35 (C.36; B.XVIII.37).
36 (C.37; B.XVIII.54). ¹ This is meant that superior characters do not appear in an Explanatory Scene. See below 37 note.