6. ANCIENT WRITERS ON NATYA 3

ANCIENT WRITERS ON NATYA 3

expounders of नाट्य such as सदाशिव, गौरी, वासुकि, नारद, भगस्त्य, व्यास, भाजनेय and the pupils of भरत. The सम्ीतरत्नाकर (I.15-19) mentions a host of divine, semi-divine and human authors among whom we have सदाशिव, मह्मा, भरत, कश्यप, मतङ्, कोहल, नारद, तुम्बर, भजनेय, नन्दिकेश्वर. नान्यदेव wrote a work called भरतभाष्य or सरस्वतीहृदयालक्कारहार which is a commentary in verse on chapters 28-33 of the भरतनाव्यशास्त्र (dealing with music) and mentions मतङ्क, विशाखिल, काश्यप and वृद्धकाश्यप, नन्दिन्, दन्तिल as ancient authorities. नान्यदेव is identified with king नान्यदेव of मिथिला (1097-1133 A. D.). Vide description below of D. C. ms. No. 11I of 1869-70 described in Des. Cat. of Govt. mss. at B. O. R. I. Vol. XII pp. 377-383 and Mr. Ramkrishna Kavi's paper on the same in J. A. H. R. S .. vol. I. pp. 56-63. It is possible that Parāsara in the above quoted passage of काव्यमी० means बादरायण, who is mentioned as a भरतपुत्र in the नाट्यशास्त्र I. 32 (बादरायणि in Ch. ed.) and whose views on नान्दी and तोटक are quoted by सागरनन्दिन (in ना.ल. र.को. 11. 1091, 2770, 3202-3). The हृदयक्गमा, a commentary on the काव्यादर्श, informs us that काश्यप and वररुचि had composed works on Poetics before the काव्यादर्श-'पूर्वेषां काश्यपवररुचिप्रभृतीनामाचार्याणां लक्षण- शास्त्राषि संहृत्य पर्यालोच्य' (on I. 2) and 'पूर्वसूरिभि: काश्यपवररुचिप्रभृतिभिः' (on II. 7). The com. श्रतानुपालिनी on the काव्या० mentions काश्यप, ब्ह्दत्त and नन्दिस्वामी as the predecessors of Dandin. The Simhalese sija-bas-lakara, a work on rhetoric, after paying homage to बह्ा, शक and वृहस्पति, refers to a sage काश्यप (J. R.A. S. 1905 p. 841). All these works are no longer available. Vide मत्स्यपु. X. 25 for वररुचि as नाटयवेदपारग. The question naturally arises :- what is the most ancient extant work on the Alankārasāstra ? Some comparatively modern writers on Alankara have put forward the Agnipurāna as the original source of all later teachings on this sastra. There fore, the claims of the अभिपुराण must be carefully examined.1 2. The Agnipurana, महेश्वर in his काव्यप्रकाशादर्श says 'सुकुमारान्राजकुमारान् स्वादुकाव्यप्रवृत्तिद्वारा गहने शाखत्रान्तरे प्रवर्तयि तुभग्निपुराणा- दुद्धृत्य काव्यरसास्वादकारणमलक्कारशास्त्रं कारिकाभि: संचिप्य भरतमुनिः प्रणीतवान्.' Similarly, the कृष्णानन्दिनी, a commentary on the साहित्यकीमुदी of विद्याभूषर, says 'काव्यरसास्वादनाय वह्निपुराणादिट्ृष्टां साहित्यप्रक्रियां भरतः संचिश्ताभि: कारिकाभिर्निबबन्ध.' I For detailed discussion of this question, vide my paper in I. A. vol. 46, 1917, pp. 173 ff.