30. NĀȚYAŚĀSTRA 27

NĀȚYAŚĀSTRA 27

quotes a घट्सहस्रीकार (i. e. भरत'S नाट्यशाख) 'सूत्रयं सकलाक्कानां शेयमङ्कमुखं सु्ध :- इति घट्सहस्रीकारः' and another from द्ादशसहस्त्रीकार 'समाप्यमान एतस्मिन्नितराङ्स्य सूचनम्। समासतो हि नाट्यशरक्कावतर इष्यते।। इति द्वादशसहस्त्रीकारः' Vide J. O. R., Madras, vol. 8 pp. 321-334 (Dr. Raghavan on बहुरूपमिश्र) at pp. 329-30. Vide Dr.Raghavan on 'Later Sangita Literature' in Journal of Music Academy of Madras p. 82 and Dr. S. K. De. in Our Heriltage, I, part 2. In other branches of literature also the same work is sometimes styled वृहद् or वृद्ध. For example, the विष्णुधर्मसूत्र (17. 4-16 अपुत्रधनं पत्न्यभि. &C.) is cited as वृद्धविष्णु by the मिताक्षरा on या. II. 135-136 and the व्यवहारसार (p.252) and as बृहद्विष्णु in the स्मृतिच. II. 298, व्यवहारप्रकाश, मदनरत्न. It is possible that two different mss. of wRa containing different numbers of verses were styled आदिभरत and भरत. On this question of आदिभरत and भरत vide Prof. D. R. Mankad on 'आदिभरत and नाट्यसवंस्वदीपिका' in ABORI vol. XIII pp. 173, 179, Prof.P.K. Gode on the so-called MS. of आदिभरत in the Mysore Govt. Library in ABROI vol. XIII pp. 92-93 and Prof. Manomohan Ghosh on the quotations of आदिभरत and भरत from the commentary of राघवभट्ट in ABORI vol. XV pp. 89-96. The net result of these papers is that the view of the present author in the preceding sentence is greatly supported. In the Natyasastra itself the word ara is used in the sense of actor: पृष्ठे कृत्वास्य कुतपं नाटयं युङके यतोमुखं भरतः। सा पूर्वा मन्तव्या प्रयोगकाले तु नाट्यश: ॥ 14.65 (K. M. 13. 61, G. O. S. 13.66). From the above discussion it would be clear that it is very difficult to say who the author of the original kernel of the Nātyasāstra was. Holding as I do that the first five chapters were later additions, it is not possible for me to say who the author of the prose passages and the versified chapters about abhinaya, daśa- rupaka, and other closely allied subjects was. When the first five chapters were added it was easy to say that Bharatamuni who had access to the heavenly world as well as to the mundane world was the author of the Natyasastra. In this connection attention must be drawn to the fact that the word 'bharata' means an actor in the comparatively old smrti of Yājñavalkya (III. 162) 'यथा हि भरतो वर्यैवर्षयत्यात्मनस्तनुम्। नानारूपायि कुर्वारस्तयात्मा कर्मजास्तनूः।।'.1 This verse is explained by all commentators including Visvarupa.

I This verse occurs almost in the same words in GUTRTT p.294 (Jiv.)