Fundamental of Ancient Indian Music and Dance

Author(s): Sureshchandra Benarji
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 16

Introduction
the close relation between dance and instrumental music has been expressed in a very charming manner. The prose romance of Bānabhatta, the drama Mrcchakațika of Sūdraka, the fable Pañcatantra etc. bear eloquent testimony to the wide prevalence of music in the then society of India.
In many Buddhist works, too, various information about dance and music, both vocaland instrumental, is found. The very names of certain Jātakes point to their authors' familiarity with music and dance; e.g. Nrtya-jātaka, Bherīvādaka-jātaka, Viņāsthuna- jātaka. The information in the Matsya-jātaka and Guptila-jātaka is clearer and comparatively more elaborate. The Jātaka stories probably originated in the 3rd or 2nd century after birth of Christ; it is difficult to ascertain precisely when they assumed the forms of books. In the Lalitavistara, which perhaps dates back to the second century A.D., we find the words gathā, gāna, urtya and the instruments Bheri, Mranga, Viņā, Venu, Vallaki etc. In the Larkāvatāra-sūtra (c. Ist century A.D.), there is mention of Viņā, the playing of lute with the bow (koņa), the seven notes, grāma, mūrchanā etc. Various kinds of information are available in the works Milindapañha, Sumangalavilā sini, etc.; there is evidence of the use of samgita in the Buddhist festivals. In a piece of Gāndhāra art, dating back to the second century A.D., and a cave painting of Ajantă of 6th century bear out that Gautama used to practise music regularly. We are told that, at a certain ancient educational centre; at least 500 śramaņas and other students used to learn music. In the three universities of Nālandā, Vikramaśīla and Odantapurī, there were separate departments for teaching the Gāndharvavidyā or sangita.
Although samgita had been undoubtedly in vogue in Iadia from very remote ages, this discipline appears to have been systematised, for the first time, in the monumental Nātya-śāstra ascribed to Bharata.
Purandara Dāsa of the 15th century was a resident in the land between the North and the South India. Having