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Classification of Poetry
883 The Abh. further notes (pp. 181, NS. Vol. II G.O.S.) “yat-punar masșnépy uddhatam pravišati, tat taducitam eva. tatópy alpatva - bahutva-krt bhedaḥ. pūrvaḥ prasthānabandhaḥ. uttarah șidgakabhedaḥ. uddhate tu masrnánupraveśad bhāņikā-bhedaḥ anyad api preraņa-rāmākrīdarāsaka-hallīsakā"dikam alpatva-bahutva-vaividhyakstam ihaiva praviştam veditavyam.” We know that H. has quoted this in his Viveka.
These were all dance-forms with forceful or graceful styles, with an element of drama and a lot of song and music (both vocal and instrumental). They were taken as upa-rūpakas, or semi-dramatic forms. Abhinavagupta (pp. 181, ibid) talks about bhāņikā as an art-form which is -
“bālakrīdā-niyuddhā"di tathā sūkara-simhajā, dhvajā”dinā krtā krīļā
yatra sā bhāņikā matā." Bhānikā contains the sports of children and also the fights of youngsters and sports of lions, pigs etc. Here also 'sūkara' and 'simha' are mentioned perhaps referring to the exploits of visnu in the avatāras of nr-simha and sūkara. "dhvajā”dinā krtā” is not clear to us. Perhaps a game with flags is meant. All this of course is in dance. The art-form is termed 'bhānika', as against 'bhāna' and both are separately treated by the ancients (= cirantanas) and also perhaps by Abhinavagupta. It is not clear whether what Bhoja intends as difference between bhāna and bhānikā is also intended by both the ancients and Abhinavagupta alike.
DR./A. on I. 8 simply mentions both bhāņa and bhāņi. It reads as (pp. 8, ibid) :
"dombi śrīgaditam bhāņo bhāņi-prasthāna-rāsakāḥ, kāvyam ca sapta nộtyasya
bhedāḥ syus té pi bhāņavat.” Thus these art-forms are closer to the bhāņa-which is a major rūpaka (bhāņavat). Beyond this nothing is noted in the Avaloka.
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