72. VIȘŅUDHARMOTTARAPURĀŅA 69

VIȘŅUDHARMOTTARAPURĀŅA 69

बहूनां समवेतानां रूपं यस्य भवेदड्ठ । स मन्तव्यो रसः स्थायी शेषा: सज्ारियः स्मृता: ।I);1 chap. 32 on मुद्राहस्तs (here even वेदाङs like छन्दोविचिति are indicated by postures of hands); chap. 33 on नृत्तशाख्त्रमुद्राऽ (in 124 verses); chap. 34 (in 32 verses) on how a arose when विष्ु killed the asuras मधु and कैटभ that had snatched away the Vedas;2 verse 17 is नृत्तेनाराधयिष्यन्ति भक्तिमन्तस्तु मां शुभे। त्रलोक्यस्यानुकरयं नृत्े देवि प्रतिष्ठितम्॥I; verse 28 condemns him who makes dancing his livelihood or who sells dancing (i.e. makes a business of it) by employing actors; but other verses say that he who engages in dance for propitiating God secures all desired objects and finds the path to moksa and that such dancing is blessed, gives long life and heaven, it removes the sorrows of the distressed (देवताराधनं कुर्याधस्तु नृतेन धर्मवित्। स सर्वकामानाप्नोति मोक्षोपायं च विन्दति॥ धन्यं यशस्यमायुष्यं स्वर्ग- लोकप्रदं तथा। ईश्वराणां विलासं तु चार्तानां दुःखनाशनम्। मूढानामुपदेशं तत् स्त्रीणां सौभाग्यवर्धनम्॥;3 chap.35 winds up by saying that नारायय produced चित्रसूत्र andimparted it to विश्वकर्मन् and that there is imitation of the three worlds in painting as there is in nritta (यथा नृत्ते तथा चित्रे त्रैलोक्या- नुकृति: स्मृता । verse 5).It is not necessary to deal with the other chapters as they dilate upon painting (36-43), image-making (44-85), house-building (chap. 86 ff.). The विष्युधर्मोत्तर closely follows the नाट्यशास्त्र of भरत, though in certain matters such as the number of rūpakas and rasas it differs from it. So it is much later than the नाट्यशास्त्र. The other chapters of the विष्ुधर्मोत्तर such as those on dana and sraddha are quoted in works from the 12th century. For example, the हारलता of अनिरुद्ध quotes a verse from it which is found in the विष्ुधर्मोत्तर I. 142. 16-17.4 The दानसागर of बल्लालसेन expressly states in the intro- ductory verse 14 that it relies for its sources on the विशुधर्मोत्तर along with several other Puranas. In chap. 5 of the 3rd part there is

1. This verse is the same as नाट्यशास्त्र VII. 119 (GOS. ed. VII. 181) and XXII. 68 (GOS. ed. where नाव्य० has सर्वेषां for बहनाम्· 2. Compare नाट्यशाख chap. 22.1-23(=GOS.ed.20.1-25) for a similar story. 3. Compare नाट्यशाल 1. 110-13 for very similar verses on the benefits of नाट्य. 4. तथा च विष्युधर्मोत्तरे मार्कएडेयः। अच्छिन्ननाड्यां कतव्यं श्राद्धं वे पुत्रजन्मनि। अशौचोपरमे कार्यमथवापि नराधिप। हारलता p.19 (B.I. ed.) For the dates of the हारलता and बल्लालसेन, vide H. of Dh. vol. I, pp. 337-341.