Fundamental of Ancient Indian Music and Dance

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

Page 96

Appendix E
of the eastern region (pracyah have been highly praised. Still more significant is what seems to be Radha contained in the verse following the one in which the word 'pracya' occurs. The actors of this place have been stated to be the best (uttama). Rāḍha or Radha was the name of the portion of West Bengal on the western bank of the Bhagirathi, and extended in the south up to Damodara and, probably to the Rūpanārāyaṇa river. In an ancient work, it comprised also the northern part of the Ganges. The praise of the eastern people, particularly of those inhabiting Radha, seems to indicate that the author was a Bengali. The fact that both the manuscripts of the work, discovered hitherto, are in the Bengali script, appears to lend countenance to this assumption. In this connexion, it may be pointed out that, in the Asiatic Society MS., the period appropriate for Vasant-raga has been stated to extend from Sripañcami up to the time of Durga-mahotsava. Durga-pūjā, in this name, is a great festival in Bengal, Bihar and Assam. This accords well with the praise of the men of the east (pracyah), especially of Radha. The mention of the tāla Daśakuś, which is definitely known to have originated in Bengal, seems to point to Bengal the origin of the work.
The divergences between the Pañcamasamhita on the one hand and the Naradiya Sikṣā and the Samgitamakaranda on the other are too many to warrant the assumption of the common authorship of these three works. The divergences will be clear even to a superficial reader. So, we do not take up their detailed discussion here.
संगीतम्
ततः सङ्गीतकं कृत्वा ग्रन्थं सर्वे पृथक् पृथक् । आनन्दयन् देवराजं शिष्यास्ते भरतादयः || रम्भया रचिता ततः स्वर्गे सङ्गीतसंहिता ।
प्रचकार
प्रचकार च
Zazzazn
तया...... नाटयानुष्ठान......॥ पाताले हुहुस्ता ... संहिताम् । संहिता भूतले स्थिता ॥
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