A Study of Abhinavabharati on Bharata’s Natyasastra and Avaloka on Dhananjaya’s Dasarupaka: Dramaturgical Principles

In the field of Sanskrit dramaturgy the place of Bharata’s Natyasastra is unique by its antiquity as being the pioneer work in the field. The work in itself is unintelligible without the commentary of Abhinavabharati of Abhinavagupta. Far removed from the Bharata’s tradition there is another landmark in the field of dramaturgy, the Dasarupaka of Dhananjaya with the Avaloka commentary of Dhanika, the brother of the author. An exhaustive and comparative study of these two works with their commentaries was a long-felt desideratum. Dr. Mrs. Manjul Gupta, for the first time, has made a serious effort to interpret the Sanskrit dramaturgy in a scientific manner and has fulfilled the gap by her sincere efforts in the form of the present work. A comparative and critical study has been presented scientifically and in a literary manner in the present work.