History of Sanskrit Poetics c5.s1.64

c5.s1.64

Songs and instrumental music occupied a very high place in Vedic times as will be briefly pointed out in part II. Before Pāṇini Naṭasūtras had been composed by Śilālin and Kṛśāśva (IV. 3. 110, 111). But they appear to have been altogether forgotten and I have not been able to find their names mentioned in any work on dramaturgy. Their names survive only in Śailālin and Kṛśāśvin (and Bharata) as synonyms for naṭa (acc. to the Amarakośa). The अमरकोश verse is ‘शैलालिनस्तु शैलूषा जायाजीवा कृशाश्विनः । भरता इत्यपि नटाश्चारणास्तु कुशीलवाः ॥’. The words for नट, शैलालिन and कृशाश्विन्, are provided for by Pāṇini himself. क्षीरस्वामिन् derives भरत meaning ‘नट’ as भरतस्यापत्यं बिदाद्यञि बहुत्ले लुक्’. Acc. to it भरत proclaimed a नाट्यशास्त्र; those who studied it (and so may be called his sons or अपत्यs) would be called भरताः. The two Pāṇini sūtras would be अनुष्ठानन्तर्ये बिदादिभ्योऽञ् (IV. 1. 104) and यञञोश्च (II. 4. 64.) It is tempting to suggest that भरत originally meant नट, then भरत came to mean नटशास्त्र; and so when a नटशास्त्र was composed an author भरत was invented for it. But the present author cannot accept such a conjecture. भरत is a very ancient Vedic name. Vide ऋग्वेद III. 33. 11 and 12, III. 53. 12 and 24 (भरतस्य पुत्राः), VII. 33. 6 and भरत-दौष्पन्ति (दौष्पन्ति ?) is mentioned in शतपथ-ब्राह्मण XIII. 5. 4. 11 and 13 and also in ऐ. प्रा. 39. 9; याज्ञ. स्मृति III. 162 uses भरत in the sense of नट. If a conjecture is to be hazarded it would be more plausible to say that after Pāṇini and some centuries before Kālidāsa a person called Bharata composed a work on the dramatic art (not necessarily the present नाट्यशास्त्र) which was improved into the present work. Gradually, orthodox opinion stiffened against actors, dancers and singers in the times of the Dharmasūtras and early Smṛtis. Āp. Dh. Ś. (I. 1. 3. 11-12) prescribes that a student was not to see dancing and not to frequent sabhās and samājas. Manu II. 178 provides that a student was to avoid dancing, singing and instrumental music. Gautama ( 15. 18 ) prescribes that those brāhmaṇas that practised dancing, singing, playing on musical instruments and beating time were not to be invited to a dinner in honour of gods or Manes. Manu VIII. 102 recommends that brāhmaṇas who are carpenters or actors should be treated as śūdras, holds (VIII. 65) that they were not fit to be witnesses and that an actor was unfit for being invited to a religious rite (III. 155). शान्तिपर्व (295. 4-5) allows a śūdra to resort to the stage and take the parts of women and to exhibit dumb shows (रङ्गातरणं चैव तथा रूपोपजीवनम् ।). Naṭa was a low caste and was included among the seven antyajas (vide History of Dharmaśāstra vol. II. pp. 70, 84). The Nāṭyaśāstra makes a valiant attempt to raise the status of the dramatic art, places it on a very high pedestal and infuses a spiritual and religious element in it.