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ABHINAVABHARATI TEXT-RESTORED
K. S. Ramaswami Sastri refers in his preface to the second revised edition of the Nāțyaśāstral to the efforts of many reputed scholars to improve the text of the Abhinavabhārati. It is to be regretted, however, he has not availed himself of the opportunity of fully utilizing the contributions of the eminent scholars referred to by him. In this connection one may point to Dr. Raghavan's brilliant reconstruction of the Santa Rasa Section and the corresponding text in the Abhinavabhāra:7
In the following pages I note some corrupt passages in the text of the Abhinavabhāraii and parallel passages from the Kävyānuśāsanaof Hemacandra (and the Natyadarpana of Rāmacandra and Gunacandra) which preserve the original readings very faithfully while adopting them from their source, adding necessary remarks wherever necessary.
(1) सुरतविषये सबन्धिग्रहणे । विग्रहं वा सन्धिना दूषयतीति विदूषकः विप्रलम्भनत्वे (कथा) विनोदने (नैः) . दूषयन्ति विस्मारयन्ति ।...विप्रलम्भसुहृद् इति विदूषकः ।
-NS. Ch. XXIV. 20-21, Vol. III. pp. 251-52. This highly important pasage from the Abhinavabhārati giving an explanation of the name Vidūşaka escaped the attention of the writers who have specially written on the Vidusaka probably because it is somewhat corrupt. This passage, however, it is easy to restore with the help of an almost identical passage found in the Natyadarpana. The relevant ND. passage is as follows :-एषां वियोगिनां विप्रलम्भशङ्गारवतामौचित्यानतिक्रमेण लिङ्ग्यादयो यथासंभवं सन्धि विग्रहेण, विग्रहं सन्धिना च विशेषेण दूषयन्ति विनाशयन्ति, विप्रलम्भं तु विनोददानेन विस्मारयन्तीति विदूषकाः ।
(2) वामभिनिवेशित्वमिति “सुलभावमानी हि मदनः” इति विघ्नः, तथाप्यभिलष्यमाण वस्तु प्राप्त चेत् कोऽभिलाषः, तेन प्राप्त प्राप्तमहारितमिव गत, गत प्राप्तमिवेत्येवम् । (दुर्लभत्वमित्यादि) पराक्रमेण [ विद्धि ] विष्णुरंय काम उत्तमतमां प्रीतिं प्रतिप्रतनोति न ात्र यायामिव (भयादिव ?) निवृत्तिः साध्या, अपि तु भौमात्मक सुख भोगस्त्वसति कामे तेन (केन ?) प्रत्युत संभवनीयः ।
-NS. XXII. 207. p. 206, 11. 1-6 . This passage is admittedly obscure. It, however, becommes crystai clear if we read the following passage from Hemacandra's Viveka which is adopted like many other passages from the Abhi-Bhā. 1 GOS No. XXXVI, Vol. I, 1956) (vide pp. 22-23) 2 Sri Mahavira Jaina Vidyalaya, Bombay, 1964 edition. 3 GOS No XLVIII, Revised Second Edition, 1964. 4 The Vidusaka : Theory and Practice (p. 44) J. T. Parikh. Vidusaka (p. 88;-G. K. Bhat. 5 p. 178 6 Vids the following remark of the editor on this passage : व्याख्येयमस्फुटा भ्रष्टपतिताक्षरत्वात् ।
Vol. III. p. 206, f. n. 1-3