रत्नावली नाटिका (सम्राट हर्षवर्धन - शास्त्रीय नाटिका रत्न सम्पूर्ण ४ अङ्क सान्वय सटीक)

xiv RATNAVALI स्यादन्तःपुरसम्बद्धा सङ्गीतव्यापृताथवा । नवानुरागा कन्यात्र नायिका नृपवंशजा ॥ सप्रवर्त्तेत नेतास्यां देव्यास्त्रासेन शङ्कितः । देवी पुनर्भवज् ज्येष्ठा प्रगल्भा नृपवंशजा ॥- पदे पदे मानवती तद्वशः सङ्गमो द्वयोः । वृत्तिः स्यात् कौशिकी स्वल्पविमर्शाः सन्धयः पुनः ॥ २६८-२७२ ॥ The story of a Nátiká should be an invented one instead of being ख्यातवृत्त. It should contain four acts abounding in female characters. The hero should be of धीरललित class and the heroine connected with the inner apartment should be born of a royal family and should be represented as newly engaged in love- affairs. The chief queen should be a grown-up lady and also born of royal family. The hero should be represented as falling in her love and af raid of the queen. The main sentiment should be शृङ्गार and the union of the two should be under the disposal of the queen. The Vritti should be कौशिकी and there should be all the sandhis except विमर्श. All these characteristics are to be found in the रत्नावली of which the authorship, is attributed to one S'ri Harsha Deva. Author—The authorship of two other plays named Priyadars'iká and Nágananda is attributed to one S'ri Harsha Deva whose produc- tion is Ratnávali also. But when there are more than one S'ri Harsha in the Sanskrit literary history it is very much confusing as to which S'ri Harsha is responsible for which play. From the study of these dramas it can be gathered from the introductory portions that S'ri Harsha was king: cf. (१) अलमति विस्तरेण । अद्याहं वसन्तोत्सवे सबहुमानमाहूय नानादिग् देशागतेन राज्ञः श्रीहर्षदेवस्य पादपद्मोपजीविना राजसमूहेन उक्तः ।—प्रस्तावना of रत्नावली । (२) अद्याहं वसन्तोत्सवे सबहुमानमाहूय नानादिग् देशागतेन राज्ञः श्रीहर्ष देवस्य पाद- पद्मोपजीविना राजसमूहेन उक्तः ।—प्रस्तावना of प्रियदर्शिका । (३) अलमतिविस्तरेण । अद्याहं इन्द्रोत्सवे सबहुमानमाहूय नानादिग्देशागतेन राज्ञः श्रीहर्षदेवस्य पादपद्मोपजीविना राजसमूहेनोक्तः ।—प्रस्तावना of नागानन्द । Now there were four persons bearing the same name श्रीहर्ष.