Chandragupta Maurya and His Times c15.23

c15.23

Village Amusements. There were other workers to minister to the public amusements of the day, both in towns and villages. These were artists of various classes enumerated as follows: (1) *Naṭa* (actor), (2) *Nartaka* (dancer), (3) *Gāyaka* (musician), (4) *Vādaka* (instrumentalist), playing on instruments like *vīṇā*, *veṇu*, and *mṛidaṅga*, (5) *Vāgjīvana* (rhapsodist), (6) *Kuśīlava* (dancing expert), (7) *Plavaka* (gymnast), (8) *Saubhika* (magician), (9) *Chāraṇa* (bard), (10) *Pāṭhaka* (reciter), (11) *Gandha-saṁyūhaka* (perfumer), (12) *Mālya-saṁpā-* *daka* (garland-maker), (13) *Saṁvāhaka* (shampooer), (14) *Chitra-kāra* (painter), (15) *Vaiśika* (teacher of erotic) and (16) *Parachitta-jñānavid* (thought-reader) [II. 27]. All these were in the pay of the Government.