नाट्यशास्त्रम् (प्रथम भाग - अभिनवभारती एवं हिन्दी टीका सहित)

-XX. 54 ] TEN KINDS OF PLAY 363

49. When a playwright constructs a play with an original (lit. invented) Germ and a plot which is not connected with Ṛṣis' works¹ and which that play has gathered from some other works and has some marvellous qualities in it, the same is also called the Prakaraṇa.

50. The plot and its elaboration as the basis of the Sentiments,¹ which have been prescribed in case of the Nāṭaka are also to be applied with [the the detail of] their characteristics to the Prakaraṇa in all its Junctures (sandhi)².

51. The varied exploits¹ of Brahmins, merchants, ministers, priests, officers [of the king] and leaders of the army [when presented in a play] are to be known as the Prakaraṇa².

52. The Prakaraṇa should be known as not made up with an exalted Hero. And it does not contain the character of any god, has no story of king's enjoyment, and it is connected with the men outside [the royal palace].

53. The play of the Prakaraṇa type should include [in some cases] servants, parasites (viṭa) and heads of the merchants' guild, [as characters and should contain incidents arising from] the conduct of courtezans as well as exploits of depraved women of good family.

54. [In an Act of the Prakaraṇa] where a minister, head of the merchants' guild, Brahmin, priest, minister and leader of the

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playwright worked up materials from the source of the plot, such as Mbh. Rām. and Bṛhatkathā. See above 10-11 note 1.

49 (C.50; B.XVIII.46). ¹ Rām and Mbh. are examples of such works.

50 (C.51; B.XVIII.47). ¹ C. rasāśrayopetaṁ for ca vṛttibhedāś ca.
² C. kevalaṁ utpādyavastu syāt for salakṣaṇaṁ sarva-sandhiṣu tu.

51 (C.51; B.XVIII.48). ¹ From this "varied exploits" one is to understand that Prakaraṇa was not concerned exclusively with love-themes.
² The types of characters mentioned in the rule are mostly absent in the scanty number of extant plays of this type. The Pratijñā. is an example of a Prak. having ministers as its Hero.

52 (C.53; B.XVIII.49). 53 (C.54; B.XVIII.50).
54 (C.55; B.XVIII.51).