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INTRODUCTION.
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developed into the more refined Music practised at the time of Bharata who is known as the founder of the present system of Music, although subsequent professors of the art may have further developed it and established different schools of Music by introdu cing innovations by their talents.
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Bharata's Natya Sastra-Bharata's Natya S'astra is the most ancient of the books on Music handed down to posterity. Some scholars assign it to the first century after Christ, others to the fourth century. It is well-known that it is difficult to decide precisely the dates of ancient authors. Although as already hinted above many writers on Music came after Bharata, we have no means of giving any historical account of their lives and works.
S'ârngadeva's Sangita Ratnakara-the next author, whose work is available in print, is S'ârngadeva, the author of Sangita Ratnakara, who lived in the reign of King S'inghana of Devagiri Modern Doulatâbâd (A. D. 1210-1247). Among the authors of books on Music, besides the names of deities such as Sadasiva &c., S'arngadeva mentions the following names :—
Bharata, Kas'ypa, Matanga, Yas'tika, S'ardûla, Kohala, Vis'akhila, Dantila, Kambala, As'vatara, Vayu, Vis'vâvasu, Arjuna, Narada, Tumburu, Anjaneya, Matrigupta, Swâti, Guņa, Bindurâja, Kshetrarâja, Râhala, Rudrata, Nânya-bhûpâla, Bhojarâja and Paramardi Somes'a Mahipati. Among the commentators on Bharata's Natya Sastra he mentions the names of Lollata, Udbhata, S'ankuka, Abhinavagupta and Kîrtidhara.
I do not take any account of several other books such as Sangita Parijata, Ragavibodha, Sangita Darpana, Rhidaya-Koutuka, Rhidaya-prakás'a &c., because all of them are of a later date.
Nârada, the author of the present work Sangita Makaranda-The present work viz., Sangita Makaranda is said to be the work of Narada on the authority of the manuscript. It is difficult to say anything with certainty about Narada's life and time. Ι shall place before the reader whatever can be gathered from internal evidence available in the book itself.
