57. 54 HISTORY OF SANSKRIT POETICS

54 HISTORY OF SANSKRIT POETICS

rupt. Astāgama may mean 'eight authoritative or traditional works on Nātyasāstra' or the word may be a copyist's error for भस्मदागम. An author called Rahula is quoted several times in the भ. भा. e.g. a verse of his is quoted in which भरत is named. On नाय्य IV.267 (GOS vol I. 172)37.अ्र.भा. says. यथाह राहुलः। परोक्षेपि हि वक्तव्यो नार्या प्रत्यक्षवत्प्रियः । सखी च नाट्यधर्मोडयं भरतेनोदितं द्रयम् ॥. On p. 115 (G.O.S. vol. I) a verse of राहुल क on वैशाखरेचित is quoted. He is credited with having recognised मौग्ध्य, मद, भावविकृत, परितपन as अलद्कारs of young ladies in chap. 24 in addition to भरत's twenty (in 24. 5-30). Abhinava once quotes मातृगुप्त on पुष्प, a technical term for a particular way of the playing of the वीया defined in नाट्यशास्त्र 29. 93 (Ch. ed.).2 He appears to have been a poet and writer on Natya and Sangita. Theभावप्रकाशन quotes his view that, though a Nataka should have a plot based on past incidents, still it should have some incidents due to the poet's creative imagination.3 Several verses of his are quoted in about 20 different places byराघवभट्ट in his अथद्योतनिका (commentary on शाकुन्तल) on सूत्रधारगुs, on आर्यावर्त, onशौरसेनी being the dialect for women of all castes in dramas, on नाटकलक्षण (51 verses), on बीज (3 verses), one verse on who were to speak Sanskrit in dramas, definition of भूष (the first of 36 लक्षण of नाट्य), on definition of यवनी attendants (1 verses), definitions of सेनापति, of हसित, of स्मित, पताकास्थानक, कञचुकिन्, परिचारिका, कार्य, when संस्कृत may be spoken by those who are ordinarily to speak प्राकृत. The नाटकलक्षरत्नकोष of सागरनन्दिन् quotes several verses of मातृगुप्त on pp.5,14,20,21,23,50. In the वक्रोक्तिजीवित (p.52) he is referred to as a great poet whose work is full of सौकुमार्य and the औचित्य विचारचर्चा quotes his verses(e.g. on p. 142). The राजतरकिणी (III. 125-323) describes at great length how मा तृगुप्त was the court poet of हर्षविक्रमादित्य, how he was a conte- mporary and patron of भतृ मेएठ (राजतर. III.260-262), how he beca- me regent or king of Kashmir for about five years after हर्ष and how ultimately he became an ascetic (यति) at Benares (राजतर.III.

1. तेन मौग्ध्यमदभावविकृतपरितपनादीनामपि शाक्याचार्यराहुलादिभिरभिधानं विरुद्धमित्यलं बहुना। p. 164 of अ.भा. (vol.III GOS) on सामान्याभिनय .. 2. यथोक्तं भट्टमातृगुप्तेन । पुष्पं च जनयत्येको भूयोनुस्पर्शनान्वितः । इति । p. 402 of B. O. R. I. copy. 3. पूर्ववृत्ताश्रयमपि किंचिदुत्पाधवस्तु च। विधेयं नाटकमिति मातृगुप्तेन भाषितम्। भा. प्र. p. 234.