Indian Antiquary Vol 41

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 162

158
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[JULY, 1912
This choice has been determined by the fact that all these works have been printed and are thus easily available.
1. Bharatiya-nálya-sdstra.-This is the oldest Sanskrit work which treats of music, amn other subjects. It is useless to try to determine the date of the author, even if it were possible to do 80, because the present text is evidently the result of many re-handlings even in comparatively recent times. Thus, certain versca quoted from Mâtrigupta's work and the Natyalochana, by Raghavabhasta in his commentary on the Śákuntala, are found in the present-day text of Bharuta. Again, probably there came into existence various recensions of the work, as for example, the Nandi-bharata', or Bharata according to Nandin. Nay, it would further appear that the tim bharata came to mean “ dramaturgy" generally, as shown by the title Matanga-bharatam, a work by Lakshmana-Bhaskara, for though this work is not yet discovered, in no other sense can the writings of Matnuga be called 'Tharatam.' In contra-distinction to these later tharatas, as it were, Raghavabhatta mentions a work called Alibharata. A manuscript with this namo existe in the Mysore Oriental Library, but a cursory examination of the chapter on music corresponding to the 29th in the published edition does not show any more marked difference than is found in other manuscripts, bearing the ordinary name.
It will thus be evident that the facts that Bhavabhūti refers to Bharata as taurya-trika-strakara (composer of the rules of the three arts of dancing, singing and instrumental music), and that Kalidasa also mentions him as a muni (ancient sage), simply show that a certain work by Bharata was known to those poets. What portions, if any, of the present text formed a part of the original, it is impossible to say. Nor is the argument derived from the mention of the Prahraras (Pehlavi) in a book of such a composite nature of any value in determining the date of the author, for, taking an extreme view, the fact can legitimately be said to throw light only on the date of the composition of the particular verse in which the word occurs.
It becomes necessary, therefore, to try to ascertain, if possible, the prohable date of the composition of the various chapters, and sometimes even of the particular verses. At present we are concerned with the chapters treating of music. Even a cursory reading of these, as given in different manuscripts, shows the enormous re-handling which the text has undergone. Thug a passage written in prose in one manuscript is found versified in another, and certain passages referring to the same matter read so differently in different manuscripts, that they must be looked upon, not merely as various readings, but as different compositions, though very often the meaning of the passages is the same. At times, however, a later interpolation is seen to be in disagree. ment with other parts of the work.
Under these circumstances an effort was made to find out whether there were any references to music in Kalidasa's works, which, by their discrepancy with the alleged work of Bharata, could suggest a priority of either. Unfortunately, I have not yet been able to find any such discrepancies, except the doubtful one contained in the 39th ślolozs of the Raghuvamia, canto I, where the siadja note of the gamut seems to be referred to as being of two varieties. The commentator Mallinatha explains the two varieties as being either (a) buddha and vikrita or (6) chyuta and achyuta. If this explanation is to be accepted, it is evident that the stage of music represented by Bharata's work must be looked upon as earlier than that of Kalidasa's time, for, this distinction of the shadja note is not found there, at least not under those terms, -and only occurs in later writers.
1 Soe the end of the Bharattya-nagya-f Istra, Kavyamala series.
I have consulted four MSS. (1) A of MM. Paul Ragoand and J. Grosset, very kindly put at my disposal by the latter gontleman, (2) G. of the same authors, (3) P, and P, from the Doocan College Library, boing copies of 4 Bikaner manuscript, (4) M. & manuscript from Mysore.
3 THT : forfar: Tufaft: