Who has written 'Natyashastra'?

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 2:

Bharat Muni is universally credited as the traditional author of the *Natyashastra*, the oldest and most comprehensive surviving treatise on the dramatic arts, performance, and stagecraft in Sanskrit literature. Composed between 200 BCE and 200 CE, this monumental text is considered the *Natya Veda* (Science of Drama) of ancient India. The text systematically codifies all aspects of classical Indian performance, from the principles of acting (*abhinaya*), music (*sangeet*), and dance (*nritya*) to stage architecture and costume. Most crucially, the *Natyashastra* laid down the foundational theory of *Rasa* (aesthetic relish) and *Bhava* (psychological states), which is the cornerstone of all subsequent Indian aesthetic thought and classical arts.

The incorrect option is 1:

Yashodhar Pandit is a later commentator, not the original author. He is most famous for writing the *Jayamañgalā*, a significant and influential commentary on the *Kama Sutra* by Vatsyayana. His work elaborates on the concept of the sixty-four arts (*kalas*), including painting, dance, and music, but he did not author the original classical treatise on drama. Therefore, while he contributed to Indian aesthetics, his work is derivative of earlier texts and not the original *Natyashastra*.

The incorrect option is 3:

Vatsyayan is the celebrated author of the *Kama Sutra*, a classical Sanskrit text on human sexual behavior, social conduct, and the art of living. Although the *Kama Sutra* is a major text in Indian literary history and discusses some arts, its central focus on *Kama* is distinct from the comprehensive theories of performance, drama composition, and stage production that are the sole subject of the *Natyashastra*. It is a profound work of social science, but not the canonical text for the performing arts.

The incorrect option is 4:

Jaidev was a 12th-century Sanskrit poet and devotional singer, renowned for his lyrical epic poem, the *Gita Govinda*. This work is a crucial text in the *Bhakti* tradition, describing the love between Radha and Krishna with immense poetic and emotional depth. The *Gita Govinda* is often the source material for classical Indian dance and music performances, but Jaidev was a poet whose work is *performed*, not the original theoretician who codified the rules of *how* a performance should be conducted, which is Bharat Muni's achievement.