INTRODUCTION

The present book entitled Sangīta Makaranda by Nārada is
one of the very few Sanskrit works on Music that have been
hitherto printed and published.
Materials for a history of ancient Indian Music—
If the reader will just have a glance at the list, which is by no
means complete, of Sanskrit works specially appended to this
edition for the information of the researchers in the Department of
Music, he will have an idea of the extent of the literature on the
subject. The list does not include the names of a number of works
written by many ancient masters of Music such as Venâ, Mataṅga,
Kohala, Tumburu, Yâshtika, Vis'vâvasu, Hanumân alias Ânjaneya,
Dantila, Kambala, As'vatara, Rudraṭa, Kâs'yapa, Umâpati¹,
Gopala Nâyaka &c. from whose works quotations have been made by
Chatura Kallinâtha (about A. D. 1400–1500) in his commentary
on Sangīta Ratnâkara. Unfortunately Kallinâtha mentions only
the names of the authors and not the names of their works. Hence
the names of the works of these authors could not be included in
the list. In the above commentary Chatura Kallinâtha has
quoted one whole chapter from a work called ‘Sangīta Meru’ by
Kohala². In this chapter Kohala mentions the names of the
following writers on Music (probably dancing)—Bhatta Tandu,
S'ambhu, Sumantu, Purâli, Kshemarâja and Lohita Bhatta. He
also mentions the name of a work entitled Des'i Nritta Samudra
by Nārada. S'arṅgadeva mentions a work called Brihaddes'i by
Yâshtika³. Besides these, names of numerous other authors have
been mentioned by Sârngadeva in his Sangīta Ratnâkara without
specifying their works. As research work is being carried on by
various Scholars and Institutions, it is likely that many of these
works may come to light hereafter.
1 The Baroda Central Library has secured a copy of Umâpati's work entitled ‘Aumâpatya’ from the Ms., in the Madras Govt. Library.
2 Vide Sangīta Ratnâkara Vol. II, p. 679.
3 Vide Sangīta Ratnâkara Vol. I, p. 154.