2023-02-15 09:58:54 by ambuda-bot
This page has not been fully proofread.
Introduction
concept known as Art for Art's sake). Since the scope of the prsent
work is very limited here only those texts dealing with alamkāras
either singly or jointly with other allied topics have been taken into
account.
xxi
1. Nāṭyaśāstra (or The Science of Dramatics, cir 100-300 AD): The
Nāṭyaśāstra, traditionally ascribed to Bharata, a mythical personal-
ity, is the oldest extant work on Sanskrit dramaturgy and other
allied topics (like music and dance concerned with dramatics) as
well as partly on poetics in 36/37 chapters with about 6000 verses
in anuṣṭup metre (ie 8 syllables in each of the 4 lines). It is really a
compilation of numerous materials collected from different
sources as available in ancient Indian tradition in the form of sutra,
bhāsya, kārikā and anuvamsya verses (ie aphorism, commentary,
definitions and quotations respectively). Different manuscripts of
the work indicate that the text was compiled in different periods by
numerous scholars and developed in the present form with addi-
tions and interpolations therein. Materials regarding literary the-
ory and criticism are very scanty, but we find here the original the-
ory of rasa (ie aesthetic contemplation) which has not only been
accepted and enumerated in details by all later scholars but also
served as the basis of ancient Indian literary criticism throughout
the successive stages of its development. According to Bharata, the
four principal elements of drama are dialogue, songs, music and
dance, and out of these four dramatic conversation (ie vācika abhi-
naya) either in prose or poetry is also inter-related with poetics (ie
nātya and kavya closely related). In this connection, Bharata enu-
merates 36 lakṣaṇas and the first one is called bhūṣaṇa which is
explained thus : It is known as bhuṣaṇa or ornament since it embellishes
the dramatic composition with various alamkāras and guṇas as variegated
decorations.
Digitized by
Out of these lakṣaṇas only two (ie hetu and lesa) survived as fig-
ures of speech and the rest faded into oblivion. While dealing
directly with alamkāras the Nāṭyaśāstra names only four important
figures (viz upamā, rūpaka, dipaka and yamaka). From Bharata's
treatment it is clear that the theory of literary criticism had already
started before the compilation of the Natyaśāstra. Bharata just men-
Google
Original from
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
concept known as Art for Art's sake). Since the scope of the prsent
work is very limited here only those texts dealing with alamkāras
either singly or jointly with other allied topics have been taken into
account.
xxi
1. Nāṭyaśāstra (or The Science of Dramatics, cir 100-300 AD): The
Nāṭyaśāstra, traditionally ascribed to Bharata, a mythical personal-
ity, is the oldest extant work on Sanskrit dramaturgy and other
allied topics (like music and dance concerned with dramatics) as
well as partly on poetics in 36/37 chapters with about 6000 verses
in anuṣṭup metre (ie 8 syllables in each of the 4 lines). It is really a
compilation of numerous materials collected from different
sources as available in ancient Indian tradition in the form of sutra,
bhāsya, kārikā and anuvamsya verses (ie aphorism, commentary,
definitions and quotations respectively). Different manuscripts of
the work indicate that the text was compiled in different periods by
numerous scholars and developed in the present form with addi-
tions and interpolations therein. Materials regarding literary the-
ory and criticism are very scanty, but we find here the original the-
ory of rasa (ie aesthetic contemplation) which has not only been
accepted and enumerated in details by all later scholars but also
served as the basis of ancient Indian literary criticism throughout
the successive stages of its development. According to Bharata, the
four principal elements of drama are dialogue, songs, music and
dance, and out of these four dramatic conversation (ie vācika abhi-
naya) either in prose or poetry is also inter-related with poetics (ie
nātya and kavya closely related). In this connection, Bharata enu-
merates 36 lakṣaṇas and the first one is called bhūṣaṇa which is
explained thus : It is known as bhuṣaṇa or ornament since it embellishes
the dramatic composition with various alamkāras and guṇas as variegated
decorations.
Digitized by
Out of these lakṣaṇas only two (ie hetu and lesa) survived as fig-
ures of speech and the rest faded into oblivion. While dealing
directly with alamkāras the Nāṭyaśāstra names only four important
figures (viz upamā, rūpaka, dipaka and yamaka). From Bharata's
treatment it is clear that the theory of literary criticism had already
started before the compilation of the Natyaśāstra. Bharata just men-
Original from
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN