25. 22 HISTORY OF SANSKRIT POETICS

22 HISTORY OF SANSKRIT POETICS

for नट, शैलालिन् and कृशाश्विन्, are provided for by Panini himself. वीरस्वामिन् derives भरत meaning 'नट' as भरतस्यापत्यं विदायणि बहुत्वे लुक्'. Acc. to it भरत proclaimed a नाटयशाख; those who studied it (and so may be called his sons or अपत्यs) would be called भरताः. The two Panini sutras would be अनृष्यानन्तर्यें बिदादिम्योऽम् (IV. 1. 104) and यम षोक्ष (II. 4. 64.) It is tempting to suggest that भरत originally meant नट, then भरत came to mean नटशास्त्र; and so when a नटशास्त्र was composed an author ara was invented for it. But the present author cannot accept such a conjecture. aa is a very ancient Vedic name. Vide a III. 33. 11 and 12, III. 53. 12 and 24 (मरतस्य पुत्राः), VII.33. 6 and भरत-दौष्पन्ति (दौष्यन्ति ?) is mentioned in शतपथ- ब्राक्मय XIII. 5. 4. li and 13 and also in ऐ. मरा. 39. 9; याश. स्मृति III. 162 uses भरत in the sense of नट. If a conjecture is to be hazarded it. would be more plausible to say that after Pāņini and some centuries before Kālidāsa a person called Bharata composed a work on the dramatic art (not necessarily the present 2T) which was improved into the present work. Gradually, orthodox opinion stiffened against actors, dancers and singers in the times of the Dharmasutras and early Smrtis. Ap. Dh. Ś. (I. 1. 3. 11-12) prescribes that a student was not to see dancing and not to frequent sabhās and samājas. Manu II. 178 provides that a student was to avoid dancing, singing and instrumental music. Gautama ( 15. 18 ) prescribes that those brähmanas that practised dancing, singing, playing on musical instruments and beating time were not to be invited to a dinner in honour of gods or Manes. Manu VIII. 102 recommends that brähmanas who are carpenters or actors should be treated as śūdras, holds (VIII. 65) that they were not fit to be witnesses and that an actor was unfit for being invited to a religious rite (III. 155) . afaqa (295. 4-5) allows a sūdra to resort to the stage and take the parts of women and to exhibit dumb shows (रभ्जावतरयं चैव तथा रूपोपजीवनम्।). Nata was a low caste and was included among the seven antyajas (vide History of Dharma- śāstra vol. II. pp. 70, 84). The Nāțyaśāstra makes a valiant attempt to raise the status of the dramatic art, places it on a very high pedestal and infuses a spiritual and religious element in it. t is with this view that probably the first five chapters were added. Abhinavagupta, a very erudite scholar and a great Saiva philosopher, takes a very reasonable, highly practical and philo- sophic view of the noble art of the drama (vol. I pp. 3-4). For