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Other improvements and alterations will be noticed. For example, the rules of Sandhi have generally been carried out, even in the Sanskrit interpretation of the Prakṛit; the text and renderings in the notes have been carefully revised, and reference has been constantly made to Dr. Burkhard's edition; the stage-directions and names of the speakers have been printed in small type.

Mr. E. L. Hogarth, M. A., of Brasenose College, who has acted as Deputy Professor of Sanskrit at Oxford during my absence in India, has superintended the progress of this second edition of the Śakuntala through the press, and has added a

useful index.

My grateful acknowledgments are due to the Delegates of the Clarendon Press for the encouragement they are giving to the study of Sanskrit and Oriental literature generally, by undertaking the publication of standard works like the Sakuntalā.

CAIRO, March 1876.

M. W.

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॥ अथ अभिज्ञानशकुन्तलम् ॥

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ये हे कालं विधत्तः श्रुतिविषयगुणा या स्थिता व्याप्य विश्वम् ।
यामाहुः सर्वभूतप्रकृतिरिति यया प्राणिनः प्राणवन्तः
प्रत्यक्षाभिः प्रपन्नस्तनुभिरवतु वस्ताभिरष्टाभिरीशेः॥१॥

16

1 (That visible form, viz. water) which (was) the first creation of the Creator; (that, viz. fire) which bears the oblation offered-according-torule; and (that visible form, viz. the priest) which (is) the offerer-of-theoblation; (those) two (visible forms, viz. the Sun and Moon) which regulate time; (that, viz. ether) which perpetually pervades all space, having the quality (sound) perceptible by the ear; (that, viz. the earth) which they call the originator of all created-things; (that, viz. the air) by which living beings are furnished with breath—may Īśa [the supreme Lord], endowed with [manifested in] these eight visible forms, preserve you!' The play begins and ends with a prayer to Siva (see the last note in this play). After every relative pronoun some case of pratyaksha tanuḥ must be supplied. Sṛishṭir ādyā: see Manu i. 8-10, apa eva sasarja ādau, '(the Creator) first created the waters.' Vidhi-hutam = veda-vidhānena agnau kshiptam, Ć. Hotri dikshita-mayī tanuḥ, K., yajamāna-rūpā tanuḥ, C., 'the Brahman who is qualified by initiation to offer the oblation.' Kālam vidhattaḥ samayam kurutaḥ, Ć.;=srijataḥ, S. Hence the Sun is called divā-kara, 'maker of the day;' and the Moon, niśā-kara, 'maker of the night.' Śruti-vi: the Hindus reckon five elements, viz. water, fire, ether, earth, and air. Ether (ākāśa) is held to be the vehicle of sound, or of that quality which is the object of perception to the ear (see Manu i. 75). Vyāpya sthitā, i. e. 'keeps pervading.' Compare

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Verse 1. The metre is SRAGDHARA (a variety of PRAKRITI), in which there are twenty-one syllables to the Pada or quarter-verse, each Pāda being alike.

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vyāpya sthitam rodasi in the opening of Vikramorvasi. Sthā is joined with an indecl. part. to express continuity of action. Viśvam=prapanćam, 'the whole visible universe,' K. Sarva-bhūta-prakritiḥ, so reads Kāṭavema, followed by my own MS., and supported by Manu ix. 37, Iyam bhūmir bhūtānām sāśvatī yonir ucyate, this earth is called the primeval womb [yoniḥ kāraṇam, Kul.] of all created things.' The other MSS. have sarva-vija-prakritiḥ. Prakritiḥ—upādāna-kāraṇam, K.; = utpattisthānam, C.;=nidānam, S. Prapannaḥ=upetaḥ, K. The Bengālī MSS. have prasannaḥ. The worshippers of Siva, who were Pantheists in the sense of believing that Siva was himself all that exists as well as the cause of all that is, held that there were eight different manifestations of their god, called Rudras (viz. Rudra, Bhava, Sarva, Īśāna, Paśu-pati, Bhima, Ugra, Mahā-deva), and that these had their types or representatives in the eight visible forms enumerated here. So the Vishņu-purāņa (Wilson, p. 58, large ed.), 'Brahmā assigned to them their respective stations: water, the sun, earth, fire, air, ether, the officiating Brāhman [dīkshito brāhmaṇaḥ], and the moon; these are termed their visible forms [tanavaḥ]. In the opening of Malavik, mention is made of Siva upholding the universe by means of these forms, ashṭābhis tanubhir bibhrataḥ kritsnam jagad api. See also Kumāra-s. iv. 76. Sankara, with farfetched subtilty, points out how each of these types of S'iva is intended by the poet to correspond with circumstances in the life of Sakuntalā. Thus, yā sṛishṭiḥ, &c., is compared with the sentiment in verse 43; and ye dve, &c., with the two female friends.

1 'At the end of the Nandi, the Sūtra-dhāra (speaks).' In the Hindū drama every piece commences with a prologue, which is preceded by the Nandi or opening benediction, invoking the favour of some deity. It is called Nandi because it rejoices the hearts of the gods; nandanty asyām surā yasmāt tena nāndī prakīrtitā, S. The Sahitya-darpaṇa (p. 135) says, 'What is recited in praise of a deity, a Brāhman, a king, or the like, combined with a benediction, is called Nandi.' It is said to be employed vighnopaśāntaye, 'for the removal of obstacles.' The Sūtra-dhara was the principal manager who regulated the thread or rules of the drama;

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* आर्य । इयमस्मि । आज्ञापयत्वार्यः । को नियोगोऽनुष्ठीयतामिति ।

yena nartaniya-kathā-sūtram prathamam suyate, S. He is otherwise, especially when not a Brahman, called the Sthapaka, 'he who fixes or establishes the action of the play;' kāvyārtha-sthāpanāt, Ć. Sthāpakaḥ sūtradhāra-sadriśa-guṇākāraḥ, 'the Sthapaka has qualities and an appearance like those of the Sūtra-dhāra,' Sāhit.-d. p. 137, l. 6. Sutradhara-padena atra sthāpako 'bhimataḥ sūtradhāra-samānākāratvāt, S. Bharata says, Sūtradhāraḥ paṭhen nāndim madhyamam [prathamam, Ć.] svaram āśritaḥ, 'the Sūtra-dhāra should recite the Nandi, employing a tone neither high nor low.' He was generally a Brahman, and therefore qualified to recite the Nāndī in his own person. He did so, however, as a Brahman, and not in his character of manager, which he did not assume till he had concluded the Nandi. Nāndy-ante sūtradhāraḥ is therefore equivalent to 'at the end of the Nandi, or after reciting the Nandi, the Sūtra-dhāra continues speaking.' So Candra-sekhara, Nāndī, etad-ante sūtradhāro vadati, nāndīm paṭhitvā anyad vadati ity arthaḥ. Hence the word praviśya, 'entering,' is not required; the reciter of the Nandi remaining on the stage in the character of manager. [Iti nayena nāndy-ante sūtradhara-praveśo 'pāstaḥ, C.] If the manager happened not to be a Brahman, he seems to have had no right to the title Sūtradhāra, nor could he recite the Nandī, but in that case some Brāhman pronounced the blessing, and the manager was called Sthapaka. Such, at least, seems to be the meaning of Bharata's aphorism [ranga-pūjām vidhāya ādau sūtradhāre vinirgate sthāpakaḥ praviśet paśćāt sūtradhāragunakṛitiḥ], though all the extant plays make the Sūtra-dhāra first recite the benediction, and then carry on the dialogue. The Sahit.-d., p. 137, has the following: Idānīm pūrva-rangasya samyak-prayogābhāvād eka eva sūtradhāraḥ sarvam proyojayati iti vyavahāraḥ sa sthāpakaḥ, 'in these days, from the want of a complete performance of the Purva-ran-ga, the custom is that the Sūtra-dhāra alone does all, and he is the Sthāpaka.' The blessing is usually followed by some mention of the author of the piece, an appeal to the favour of the audience, and a short dialogue between the manager and an attendant actor (pāripārśvika). In the present play, an actress sings a song for the amusement of the audience.

2 'Looking towards the tiring-room,' which was behind the stage,

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