नाट्यशास्त्रम् (प्रथम भाग - अभिनवभारती एवं हिन्दी टीका सहित)

LXX

"State" (bhāva). Now the proper expression of the States by the actors according to the Nāṭyaśāstra gives rise to the Sentiments (rasa). Hence Śāradātanaya begins his work with the description of the States and everything connected with them. Next he passes very naturally to the discussion of the Sentiments, These being thoroughly discussed, he takes up the Heroines of different classes who are the main stay of the Sentiments. The time factor in the plot and the diction of the play which also are means of developing the Sentiments are considered next. Afterwards he analyses the body of the play and its different parts. This brings him to the consideration of the ten major and twenty minor types of play (rūpa), and finally of the miscellaneous matters connected with drama and theatre. To avoid prolixity we desist from giving here any detailed account of its contents which include all possible topics relating to dramaturgy. It may be briefly said that Śāradātanaya's treatment of the subject is in many respects more comprehensive than that of the Daśarūpa, the Nāṭakalakṣaṇa, and the Nāṭyadarpaṇa. And to attain his object Śāradātanaya has freely referred to the Nāṭyaśāstra⁵⁵ as well as the works of early writers like Kohala,⁵⁶ Mātṛgupta,⁵⁷ Harṣa⁵⁸ and Subandhu.⁵⁹ Besides this he has sometimes mentioned authors like Dhvanikṛt, Rudraṭa, Dhanika, Abhinava, Bhoja and, sometimes referred also to their views and criticised these.⁶⁰ All this adds to the great value of his work.

(f) Sāhityadarpaṇa and Nāṭakaparibhāṣā, Viśvanātha Kavirāja, who flourished about the thirteenth century⁶¹ was a poet and a scholar and in this latter capacity he wrote among other things the famous Sāhityadrapaṇa which treats all branches of the Skt. literature including drama. It was the sixth chapter of this work dealing with drama on which the early western writers of the ancient Indian drama mostly depended. For his treatment of drama Viśvanātha seems to have utilised the Nāṭyaśāstra,⁶² the Daśarūpa⁶³ and its commentary Avaloka⁶⁴ as well as the work of Rudraṭa and others.

Śiṅga-Bhūpāla's Nāṭakaparibhāṣa is known only in name. But his Rasārṇavasudhākara⁶⁵ also treats of drama towards its end, It seems that no important treatise on drama was written after all these works.

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⁵⁵ Śāradātanaya's debt to NŚ has been pointed out by the editor of his work, see Introduction of BhP. pp. 64-67. ⁵⁶ See above note 1. ⁵⁷ See above notes 33-37.
⁵⁸ See above notes 31-32. ⁵⁹ See above note 41.
⁶⁰ BhP. pp. 175, 179, 95, 150, 327, 82 160, 194, 313, 12, 152, 194, 213, 216, 242, 245, 251. ⁶¹ Skt. Poetics, Vol. 1. pp. 233 ff.
⁶² See SD. 281, 306, 321, 503, 517, 537.
⁶³ See SD. Viśvanātha wrongly a ascribed to Dhanika what belongs to DR. (III. 32-33). This misled some scholars to believe that Dhanika and Dhananjaya were not different persons. ⁶⁴ See Skt. Poetics. Vol. I. pp. 242 ff.
⁶⁵ Ed. Trivandrum Oriental Series, 1916. .