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SAHRDAYĀLOKA ‘tāndava', 'hallisaka', 'rāsa' etc. are included. We do not know whether Dandin knew all these varieties or not but certainly by 'ādi' he means some of them not mentioned by him. These varieties that go by the name of uparūpakas were known to Bhoja, Hemacandra, Rāmacandra and Guņacandra and the rest and some of them are counted in Bharata's N.S. and Abhinavabhārati as well.
Dandin says that all these viz. lāsya, chalita etc. are 'preksārtham' - i.e. to be viewed, while the rest as counted earlier such as prose and verse compositions both major and minor are only 'sravya', i.e. to be heard (and also 'read'), K.D. I.-39 observes :
"lāsya-cchalita-śampā”di prekşártham, itarat punah, śravyam eva, iti saiņā’pi
dvayī gatir udāhstā." Bhoja in his Sarasvatīkanthābharana (II. 152) makes a subtle distinction even between those art-forms which are to be viewed' only and also those that are represented on the stage through acting. The Prabhā (pp. 39, ibid) quotes from Bhoja :
"uktam bhojarājena sarasvati kanthābharaṇe "śravyam tat kāvyam āhur yan neksyate nábhinīyate, śrotrayor eva, sukhadam
bhavet tad api şad-vidham.” (II. 152) So, 'śravya' is that which is 'neither viewed nor represented (through acting).'
It is clear from the types enumerated by Dandin that a number of art-forms, - both only written' i.e. "only to be heard-pāthya”, and also ‘drśya - i.e. to be viewed and also represented through acting on the stage', - had emerged by the time Dandin wrote. Actually these art-forms are seen even in Bharata, of course the names given to them may differ. All this suggests a rich history of documents both written and presented on the stage both through dance and acting. The richness and vastness of this literature prior to Bhāmaha, Dandin and even Bharata are unfathomable. Unfortunately much of it is lost for us for the present at least. Artforms in literature and drama suggest a highty cultured and educated society that lived in India at least before nearly two thousand years, or even earlier.
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