श्रीमान् नीडामङ्गलं तिरुवेङ्कटाचार्यविरचितं - भरतरसप्रकरणम् : Bharatarasaprakaranam of Needamangalam Tiruvenkatacharya

Bharatarasaprakara Gam by Nidamangalam Tiruvenkatacharya is a primer on rasa, or sentiment', according to Bharata's Natyaoastra. The Natyaaistra is a difficult work spread over 36 chapters. It is an encyclopaedia of dramaturgy, dealing with all the connected topics such as history of drama, types of drama, stage construction, production, plot, language, prosody, metres, characters, dress and ornaments of characters, techniques of acting, gestures, music, musical instruments and rhythm. Amidst all this, the celebrated concept of rasa, sentiment', is examined in great detail. This, especially with the commentary. Abhinavabharati of Abhinava Gupta, later became the bedrock of Poetics, Alankarauastra. Due to the complicated nature of Natyaistra, manuals dealing with particular aspects like the Daiarúpakam or the Rasarnavasudhakara were compiled over the years. The present book is one of the last such compositions. Here the author deals with the various emotions that give rise to rasa, namely the vibhavas, anubhavas, vyabhicharibhavas and sthayibhavas, and the eight types of rasa, in 407 verses, all of them in anustup, except the verses Nos. 103,226,243, and 299, being arya and 407 sardulavikridita. All the aspects related to each of the above are collected together. For instance, while discussing the alambana-vibhavas, basic excitants, the author defines and explains 384 different types of navikas, heroines (nayika being one of the alambanas). While the author usually follows the Natyaaistra, he also clarifies and expands where needed, sometimes independently and at other times following other works such as Dhvanyaloka and Rasarnavasudhakara. The Translator, an accomplished Alankarika, carefully annotated these instances, as also where the author deviates from the original or follows the line given in later works. While most works deal with the discussion on the theories of rasanispatti, the present book focuses, like Bharatamuni, on the practical side: how to ensure that rasa is produced on stage. Thus, it is a very useful book for actors, play-wrights, dramaturgists and those interested in the practical aspects of rasa. The present translation makes this actors' manual accessible to those who do not know Sanskrit as well.

The author, Prof. B. Narasimha Charyulu, a Naiyayika, an Alankarika and a teacher, hails from an orthodox Sri Vaisnava family of Dharmapuri, Karimnagar. Hist parents are Sriman Burugadda Rangacharyulu and Smt.Godamma. He studied Sanskrit traditionally in Sitarambagh, Hyderabad under the tutelage of Sriman Kovilkandadai Appan Sathakopa Ramanujacharyulu and Sriman Maringanti Sri Rangacharyulu. Later he received the B.O.L. (Nyaya), M.A., and Ph. D. degrees from Osmania University, Hyderabad. He retired as the Head of Department, Sanskrit at Osmania University. Later, he served as the Secretary of Sura Bharati Samiti for sixteen years before being elected as the Samiti's Vice-President in 2012. He has written more than 50 research papers on topics of Alankara Sastra, Nyaya, Veda, Vedanta, Sahitya and Vyakarana, an anthology of some of these has appeared as Samskrtasahityavallari. He wrote a seminal work: "Dharmasuri: His Life and Works - A Critical Study", also the topic of Ph.D. thesis. He translated four books into Telugu: Harischandropakhyanam from the Markandeya Purana, Vedachintanam of Vinoba Bhave, Purusarthislokalu (from Verses) for the Brave, a selection of verses from the Yogavasistha), and the 16th A century Sanskrit book Yatindramatadipika of Sriman Srinivasacharya, an original and important manual of Visistadvaita. The present book is the English translation of the Sanskrit book Bharatarasaprakaranam, a primer on sentiment' or rasa, following Bharatamuni. It is the result of the 'Sastracudamani' project, successfully undertaken by the author with the sponsorship of Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan. New Delhi. He also translated from Telugu to English, a small booklet on Vidyaranya for a series being published by the TTD.