नाट्यशास्त्रम् (प्रथम भाग - अभिनवभारती एवं हिन्दी टीका सहित)

14 . THE NATYASASTRA [ I. 100-

dissension [among enemies], and this too proving unsuccessful punitive force (daṇḍa) should be applied [for curbing them¹].

100. Hearing these words of the gods, Brahman called the evil spirits and said, “Why are you out for spoiling the dramatic performance ?”

101-103. Questioned thus by Brahman, Virūpākṣa¹ together with the Daityas and the Vighnas, said these conciliatory words: “The knowledge of the dramatic art (nāṭyaveda) which you have introduced for the first time, at the desire of the gods, has put us in an unfavourable light, and this is done by you for the sake of the gods; this ought not to have not been done by you who is the first progenitor (lit. grand-father) of the world, from whom came out alike gods as well as Daityas.”

104-105. These words being uttered by Virūpākṣa,¹ Brahman said, ‘Enough of your anger, O Daityas, give up your grievance (lit. sorrow), I have prepared this Nāṭyaveda which will determine the good luck or ill luck of you as well as of the gods, and which will take into account acts and ideas of you as well as of the Daityas.

Characteristic of a drama

106. In it (nāṭya) there is no exclusive representation of you or of the gods: for the drama is a representation of the state of the Three Worlds (bhāvānukīrtana)¹.

107. [In it] sometimes there is [reference to] duty, sometimes to games, sometimes to money, sometimes to peace, and

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98-99. (B. 100-101 ; G. 97-98). ¹ This is an ancient-Indian political maxim.
100 (B. 102 ; G. 99).
101-103 (B. 103-105 ; G. 100-102). ¹ This name occurs in Rām. and Mbh. and in some Purāṇas, but none can be identified with Virūpākṣa mentioned here. See Vidyalankar, JK. sub voce.
104-105 (B. 106-107 ; G. 103-104). ¹ For Virūpākṣa, B. reads vighnānām.
106. (B. 108 ; G. 105). ¹ A. K. Coomaraswamy has freely translated 106-109. (See MG., New York, 1936, pp. 16-17).
107. (B. 109 ; G. 106).