History of Sanskrit Poetics c5.1.2

c5.1.2

The last chapter in the Kāvyamālā edition of the Nātyaśāstra ends with the words नन्दिमतसङ्गीतपुस्तकम्. On p. X of the Introduction to the second volume of the अभिनवभारती (GOS) the editor quotes the following from Abhinavagupta's comment on chapter 29 ‘यत्कीर्तिधरेण नन्दिकेश्वरमतमत्रागमितत्वेन दर्शितं तदस्माभिः साक्षात् दृष्टं तत्प्रत्ययात् लिख्यते संक्षेपतः...एवं नन्दिकेश्वरमतानुसारेणायं चित्रपूर्वरङ्गविधिरिति निबद्धः।’ Abhinava says that he has not himself seen Nandikeśvara's work, but relying on Kirtidhara he would briefly point out what Nandikeśvara means. Abhinava knows Nandimata from which he quotes a verse on the aṅgahāra called recita ( vide GOS. vol. I. p. 171 ). The भावप्रकाशन of शारदातनय ( chap. 3 ) says that Nandikeśvara taught nāṭya to Bharata and asked the latter to teach it to bharatas (actors). A work called अभिनयदर्पण in 324 verses attributed to नन्दिकेश्वर has been edited ( with an English translation and a learned Introduction ) by Prof. Manomohan Ghosh in the Calcutta S. Series (1934). The first verse is : आङ्गिकं भुवनं यस्य वाचिकं सर्ववाङ्मयम् । आहार्यं चन्द्रतारादि तं नुमः सात्त्विकं शिवम् ॥¹. It refers to the legend of Brahmā delivering the नाट्यवेद to भरत and mentions भरतमुनि and his doctrines by name in numerous places (e. g. verses 12, 128, 149, 159, 162 &c.). This work differs from the Nāṭyaśāstra in certain particulars, but, as it mentions Bharata and his āgama frequently, it must be much later than the present Nāṭyaśāstra.