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Date of the Natyashastra is still under controversy. The work is supposed to be completed by a series of scholars in course of time. Therefore a particular date cannot be fixed for it. Anyway some conclusions about its dates are still prevalent. The period from the 2nd century B.C. to the second century A.D. was disturbed by the invasions and the people were in no mood to think of literature and the fine arts. Consequently no works appeared in this period. Hence this period is a barren phase in the history of the literary activity of ancient India. After the 2nd century A.D. the conditions changed. Foreign invaders now no more disturbed the peace of India and she enjoyed the prosperity under the Kusanas and the Guptas. With this return of prosperity and peace, began the revival of the study of the literature of the theatre and fine arts. The period from the 2nd century A.D. onwards is a period of very prolific and rich in literary activity. The ancient works were probably studied with zest and enthusiasm and were restored in many cases. Bharata's Natyashastra that we possess, as interpreted by Abhinavagupta might be such a redemption made in this period of the revived literary activity. A parallel 35

may be found in the case of the Kamasutra of Vatsyayana, a work that was originally written for the Devadasis of Pataliputra during the reign of the Mauryas. Similarly the Natyashastra of Bharata was also probably written in this period with the help of earlier materials. In the meanwhile, i.e. between the 2nd century B.C. to the 2nd century A.D., no books were produced and, even though the Natyashastra was studied and there were commentaries and notes on them, none of them were available then. Thus a great work of the ancient period has to be studied without any help by way of commentary written by either a contemporary or any one who came soon after the writer of the Natyashastra The absence of the commentaries makes a study of Bharata very difficult. The dramatic theory is also discussed in the books like Dasarupaka, Natyadarpana, Sahityadarpana and such later works but they belong to a later period. There are several arguments about the origin of the Natyashastra The argument of M.M. Ghosh is remarkable. His conclusion is based on the following observations. 1. Its vocabulary of Sanskrit points to a period between 500 and 300 B.C.. Quite a large number of words used in it became totally forgotten or are found only in very old works. 2. Metres used in the Natyashastra lack in many cases sandhis and allow hiatus in places of internal yati, show the Vedic tradition carried on. 3. Consideration of the figures of speech shows it to be earlier than Asvaghosa (100 A. D.). 36

4. A comparison of the mythological elements of the Natyashastra with those in Ramayana and Mahabharata shows that these are similar in nature. 37 5. The author of the Natyashastra mentions an Arthasastra. Bhasa once mentions the Natyashastra M.M. Ghosh again discusses whether it should be assigned to Maurya period (324 -336 B.C.), as the geographical data seems to point in this direction. On the basis of areas mentioned for the production of styles, he concludes it to be written in 500 B.C.. As it mentions Sakya-Sramanas it cannot be assigned to a date much prior to the Mahaparinirvana of Buddha. In the opinion of "Keith it appears clearly to be based on the examination of a dramatic literature, which has been lost, eclipsed by the perfect dramas of Kalidasa and successors. The Prakrts recognised by the Natyashastra are clearly later than those of Asvaghosa and more akin to those found in Bhasa. The Natyashastra again recognises the use of Ardhamagadhi, found in these two dramatists but not later, while like them he ignores the Maharastri of the later dramas. He further points out that allusion to the Natyashastra by Bhasa" shows; it is most probable that both he and Kalidasa had knowledge of the prototype of the present text. Thus there is nothing to contradict about the date thus vaguely indicated by Jacobi in his introduction to Bhavisattaka which is suggested to be in the 3rd century A.D. A.B.Keith, SKD.OUP Reprint (1954), pp.291ff 11. 12. Bhasa Avimaraka Act II

The upper limit of the Natyashastra cannot be fixed with any certainty. Though the Natyashastra mentions Visvakarma on architecture, Purvacaryas, Kamasustra, Kamatantra, Brhaspati, Narada, Tandu, Pasupatas, Sabara, Abhira, Dravida and Saka, all these details cannot lead to any certain inference about the date of the Natyashastra They only make it probable that the present Natyashastra is not much older than the beginning of Christian era. The lower limit can be indicated with more certainty. Taking the examples from Kavyaprakasa, Yajnavalkyasmrti, Saptasati of Satavahana, Kuttanimata, and those of Anandavardhana, Bhavabhuti, Bana Kalidasa, and from old Kanarese inscriptions, Kane asserts that the Natyashastra cannot be assigned to a later period than about 300 A.D. Bhasa's plays which have been regarded as earlier to Kalidasa, do not strictly follow the rites of Bharata's Natyashastra From this it follows that Bhasa lived before Bharata. But as the periods of Bhasa, Kalidasa, Asvaghosa etc. are uncertain, it is also uncertain who preceded whom. In that condition the date of Bharata's Natyashastra cannot be fixed unless and until the periods of Kalidasa and Bhasa are decided. It could only be said as much that the present Natyashastra cannot be assigned to a later date than 300 A.D. and there is a possibility of its being earlier. It has been stated that the Bharatas produced a play before Indra and others portraying that how the gods vanquished the demons. While quietening the disturbing elements, Brahma explained the nature of Natya. He said that a play portrays the mixed pleasures and pains of the world. 38

and when it is presented on the stage with abhinaya i.e., four types of histrionic expression it becomes Natya i.e. drama. So, Natya is an imaginative imitation of incidents or state of affairs that exist in the world. and it cannot be a true replica of life¹³. Life becomes Natya when is presented on the stage with abhinayas. As such, it is the abhinaya that distinguishes Natya from life. Be it so, Natya is near to life and yet is away from it. That the several aspects of Natya should be natural and follow the ways of the world is the emphasis laid by Bharata at every stage and in the end he categorically stated. 'Those aspects that have been left over by me in this work may be taken up by the knowledgeable bearing in mind the ways of the world.' A dramatic production will become successful only if when all the three aspects stated above are amalgamated in proper proportions by a sutradhara or director who is an adept in various sastras and fully conversant with the tradition and the ways of the world. Bharata, in his work has given the qualifications of various persons that contribute to the success of a production. In brief a good poet should have the qualities of Brahma, the producer should be like Indra and the sutradhara or the director, who trains the artists and is responsible for the success of a dramatic production, should be as 13. nanabhavopasampannam nanavasthantaratmakam || lokavrttanukaranam natyametanmaya krtam|| NSI 111 39

knowledgeable as Bharata. The actors should be competent like the disciples of Bharata and the actresses should be like the apsaras. The instrumentalists should have the qualities of Sage Narada and the gandharvas. The time of presenting a play should as auspicious, for example, as that of the festival of Indradhvaja and the production should start after worshipping the gods. The audience should be clam, respective and sympathetic. Bharata has classified emotions into three main categoriesSthayi (the static), Sancari or Vyabhicari (the transitory) and Satvika (the responsive). The emotions, which are retained in the minds of the audience till rasa is created, are called sthayibhavas or static emotions. The passing emotions contribute to the creation of rasa is classified as sancaribhavas (vyabhicaribhavas). The physical involuntary expressions, which manifest themselves as a result of the intensity of emotions in the mental plane, are called satvikabhavas (responsive emotions). The responsive emotions may also be classified as anubhavas (the consequents) since they also follow the bhavas or emotions. However, it may be noted that the responsive emotions are involuntary manifestations while the consequents are the results of voluntary expression. 40 Bharata has stated that a configuration of these forty-nine emotions promotes the creation of rasa in the minds of the sympathetic audience.