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INTRODUCTION
varieties of abhineya-kavya. About the exact number and enumeration of the so-called Uparupakas, there is no agreement among theorists. Perhaps different lists, as seen from the Bhava-prakāśana, were current in different parts of India; and it is only the select ones that received recognition at the hands of different authorities. Putting all the known sub-types together, the number of Uparūpakas comes to about twentyfive. About these Keith remarks thus:1 "The later theory as seen in Viśvanatha adds descriptions of eighteen minor forms of drama, Uparūpakas, which represent refinements on the original scheme. Needless to say, though omitted in the Natyasastra, quotations are found ascribing to Bharata the doctrine, though he mentions in them but fifteen with several variations of name; the Agni Purāņa mentions eighteen with some variants of name, while a verse cited by Dhanika names seven forms of mimetic dramas, which it classes in conjunction with the Bhāņa. The age of these divisions is, therefore, uncertain; the Dasarupa condescends to mention only the Națikā, but obviously knows of the existence of others, confining its scope to the main forms, as its title indicates."
The four types Nați or Națikā, Prakaraņi or Prakaraṇikā, Trotaka and Saṭṭaka are treated by some as derivatives from or as allied to Rūpaka types and by others as Uparūpakas. The names of the first two are closely akin to Nataka and Prakarana, and the definition of Saṭṭaka is made very much dependent on that of Nātikā. The Natyasastra describes Nātikā as a mixture of Nāṭaka and Prakarana; Dasarūpaka includes it under Naṭaka; Hemacandra and Ramacandra treat it on par with ten Rupakas; Bhāvaprakāśana follows the Natyaśāstra; and the Sahitya-darpana includes it under Uparūpakas. The Saṭṭaka is not mentioned by the Natyasastra and Dasarupaka, which, however, mention Natikā.; Hemacandra mentions Națika and Saṭṭaka separately. Abhinavagupta, Śāradātanaya, Sāgaranandin etc. mention and define Saṭṭaka. Viśvanatha calls Saṭṭaka an Uparūpaka. Almost everywhere the tendency is to define Saṭṭaka in terms of the description of Nāṭikā.
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c) NATIKA AND SATTAKA
In order to understand what Saṭṭaka is, we must first note the salient traits of Națikā. According to the Nāṭyaśāstra (XVIII.
1 The Sanskrit Drama, p. 349.
2 Dafarüpaka i. 8.
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