Agni Purana

तमसा मरुताप्यन्यैविभावैरतिनिर्भरैः । सर्व्ववृत्तिप्रवृत्तञ्च सर्व्वभावप्रभावितम् ।। ३३७.

With darkness, wind, and other intense manifestations, and all kinds of activities, influenced by every sort of disposition,

सर्व्वरीतिरसैः पुष्टं पुष्टङ्गुणविभूणैः । अत एव महाकाव्यं तत्कर्त्ता च महाकविः ।। ३३७.

Enriched with all varieties of sentiments and adorned with excellent qualities—thus, it is called a great poem, and its creator a great poet.

वाग्वैदग्ध्यप्रधानेपि रस एवात्र जीवितम् । पृथक्प्रयत्ननिर्व्वर्त्यं वाग्वक्रिम्नि रसाद्वपुः ।। ३३७.

Even when skill in speech is foremost, here, sentiment alone is the life; the form of speech is separately crafted, but its true body is made of sentiment.

चतुर्व्वर्गफलं विश्वग्व्याख्यातं नायकाख्यया । समानवृत्तिनिर्व्यूढः कौशिकीवृत्तिकोमलः ।। ३३७.

Its fruit is the fourfold aim of life, explained universally through the hero's story; composed in the same meter, gentle in the style of Kauśikī.

कलापोऽत्र प्रवासः प्रागनुरागाह्वयो रसः । सविशेषकञ्च प्राप्त्यादि संस्कृतेनेतरेण च ।। ३३७.

Here, the garland is exile, and the sentiment called 'prior love'; with special features, attainment, and the rest, both in Sanskrit and otherwise.

श्लोकैरनेकैः कुलकं स्यात् सन्दानितकानि तत्। मुक्तकं श्लोक एकैकश्चमत्कारक्षमः सतां ।। ३३७.

A group of many verses is called a kulaka, those bound together; a single verse, independent, is a muktaka, fit to delight the wise.

सूक्तिभिः कविसिंहानां सुन्दरीभिः समन्वितः . कोषो ब्रह्मापरिच्छिन्नः स विदग्धाय रोचते ।। ३३७.

A treasury, adorned with the beautiful sayings of lion-poets and lovely women, endless as Brahma, pleases the discerning.

आभासोपमशक्तिश्च सर्गे यद्भिन्नवृत्तता । मिश्रं वपुरिति ख्यातं प्रकीर्णमिति च द्विधा ।। ३३७.

When, in a composition, there is the power of simile and resemblance, and a diversity of meters, it is known as 'mixed form,' also called 'scattered.'

श्रव्यञ्चैवाबिनेयञ्च प्रकीर्णं सकलोक्तिभिः ।। ३३७.

That which is both to be heard and enacted, with all types of expressions, is called 'scattered.'

अग्निरुवाच नाटकं सप्रकरणं डिम ईहामृगोऽपि वा । ज्ञेयः समवकारश्च भवेत् प्रहसनन्तथा ।। ३३८.

Agni said: Drama, along with the prakaraṇa, ḍima, īhāmṛga, samavakāra, and prahasana, should be known.

व्यायोगभाणवीथ्यङ्गत्रोटकान्यथ नाटिका । सट्टकं शिल्पकः कर्णा एको दुर्म्मल्लिका तथा ।। ३३८.

Vyāyoga, bhāṇa, vīthī, aṅga, troṭaka, nāṭikā, saṭṭaka, śilpaka, karṇa, eka, and durmallikā as well.

प्रस्थानं भाणिका भाणी गोष्ठी हल्लीशकानि च । काव्यं श्रीगदितं नाट्यरासकं रासकं तथा ।। ३३८.

Prasthāna, bhāṇikā, bhāṇī, goṣṭhī, hallīśaka, kāvya, śrīgadita, nāṭyarāsaka, and rāsaka likewise.

उल्लाप्यकं प्रेङ्‌क्षणञ्च सप्तविंशतिरेव तत् । सामान्यञ्च विशेषश्च लक्ष्णस्य द्वयी गतिः ।। ३३८.

Ullāpyaka and preṅkṣaṇa—these are indeed twenty-seven; and there are two paths of definition: general and particular.

सामान्यं सर्व्वविषयं शेषः क्कापि प्रवर्त्तते । पूर्व्वरङ्गे निवृते द्वौ देशकालावुभावपि ।। ३३८.

The general applies to all subjects; the rest occur in certain cases. When the preliminary stage is finished, both place and time are set.

रसभावमिभावानुभावा अभिनयास्तथा । अङ्कः स्थितिश्च सामान्यं सर्व्वत्रैवोपसर्पणात् ।। ३३८.

Sentiment, emotion, determinants, consequents, and acting, as well as the act and situation—these are general, as they are present everywhere.

विशेषोऽवसरे वाच्यः सामान्यं पूर्व्वमुच्यते । त्रिवर्गसाधनन्नाट्यमित्याहुः करणञ्च यत् ।। ३३८.

The particular is to be stated at the proper time; the general is mentioned first. Drama is said to be the means for the three aims of life, as is any action.

इतिकर्त्तव्य्ता तस्य पूर्व्वरङ्गो यथाविधि । नान्दीमुखानि द्वात्रिंशदङ्गानि पूर्व्वरङ्गके ।। ३३८.

Its procedure is as prescribed; the preliminary stage has thirty-two sections, beginning with the benediction.

देवतानां नमस्कारो गुरूणामपि च स्तुतिः । गोब्राह्मणनृपादीनामाशीर्वादादि गीयते ।। ३३८.

Salutation to the deities, praise of teachers, and the blessings of cows, Brahmins, kings, and others are sung.

नान्द्यन्ते सूत्रधारोऽसौ रुपकेषु निबध्यते । गुरुपूर्वक्रमं वंशप्रशंसा पौरुषं कवेः ।। ३३८.

At the end of the prologue, the stage-manager is bound in the plays; the order begins with honoring the teacher, then the praise of lineage, and the poet’s own merit.

सम्बम्धार्थौ च काव्य्स्य पञ्चैतानेष निर्द्दिशेत् । नटी विदूषको वापि पारिपार्श्विक एव वा ।। ३३८.

The connection and meaning of poetry—these five should be indicated here, whether by the actress, the jester, or even the attendant.

सहिताः सूत्रधारेण संलापं यत्र कुर्व्वते । चित्रैर्व्वाक्यैः स्वकार्य्योत्थैः प्रस्तुताक्षेपिभिर्मिथ ।। ३३८.

Where, together with the stage-manager, they engage in dialogue, with varied statements, arising from their own tasks, and with mutual allusions to the subject at hand.

आमुखं तत्तु विज्ञेयं बुधैः प्रस्तावनापि सा । प्रवृत्तकं कथोद्‌घातः प्रयोगातिशयस्तथा ।। ३३८.

That is to be known by the wise as the prologue, which is also called the introduction; the preliminary act, the opening of the story, and the display of excellence as well.

आमुखस्य त्रयो भेदा वीजांशेषूपजायते । कालं प्रवृत्तमाश्रित्य सूत्रधृग्यत्र वर्णयेत् ।। ३३८.

There are three divisions of the prologue, arising in the seed-part and others; based on the time that has commenced, the stage-manager should describe it here.

तदाश्रयश्च पात्रस्य प्रवेशस्तत् प्रवृत्तकं । सूत्रधारस्य वाक्यं वा यत्र वाक्यार्थमेव वा ।। ३३८.

The entry of the character, based on that context, is called the preliminary act; it is either the speech of the stage-manager or the very meaning of the speech.

गृहीत्वा प्रविशेत् पात्रं कथोद्‌घातः स उच्यते । प्रयोगेषु प्रयोगन्तु सूत्रधृग्यत्र वर्णयेत् ।। ३३८.

When, having taken up the context, the character enters, that is called the opening of the story; in performances, the stage-manager should describe the performance here.

ततश्च प्रविशेत् पात्रं प्रयोगातिशयो हि सः । शरीरं नाटकादीनामितिवृत्तं प्रचक्षते ।। ३३८.

Then, when the character enters, that is called the display of excellence; the plot of dramas and the like is called the body.

सिद्धमुत्प्रेक्षितञ्चेति तस्य भेदाबुभौ स्मृतौ । सिद्धमागमदृष्टञ्च सृष्टमुत्प्रेक्षइतं कवेः ।। ३३८.

Its two divisions are remembered as accomplished and imagined; the accomplished is based on what is heard or seen, the imagined is the poet’s creation.

वीजं विन्दुः पताका च प्रकरी कार्य्यमेव च । अर्थप्रकृतयः पञ्च पञ्च चेष्टा अपि क्रमात् ।। ३३८.

The seed, the drop, the banner, the episode, and the action—these are the five kinds of subject-matter, and likewise, there are five stages of action in order.

प्रारम्भश्च प्रयत्नश्च प्राप्तिः सद्भाव एव च । नियता च फलप्राप्तिः फलयोगश्च पञ्चमः ।। ३३८.

The beginning, the effort, the attainment, the existence, and the definite achievement of the result—these are the five connections with the result.