सङ्गीतमकरन्द (देवर्षि नारद - प्राचीन भारतीय सङ्गीत, राग-रागिनी वर्गीकरण व नाद-ब्रह्म)

INTRODUCTION III
developed into the more refined Music practised at the time of
Bharata who is known as the founder of the present system of
Music, although subsequent professors of the art may have further
developed it and established different schools of Music by introdu
cing innovations by their talents
Bharata's Nátya Sástra—Bharata's Natya Sástra is the
most ancient of the books on Music handed down to posterity
Some scholars assign it to the first century after Christ, others to
the fourth century It is well known that it is difficult to decide
precisely the dates of ancient authors Although as already hint-
ed above many writers on Music came after Bharata, we have no
means of giving any historical account of their lives and works
S'ârngadeva's Sangita Ratnákara—the next author, whose
work is available in print, is Sárngadeva, the author of Sangita
Ratnákara, who lived in the reign of King Singhana of Devagiri
Modern Doulatâbâd (A D 1210-1247) Among the authors
of books on Music, besides the names of deities such as Sadâs'iva
&c , S'ârngadeva mentions the following names —
Bharata, Kas'ypa, Matanga, Yâs'tika, Sârdula, Kohala,
Vis'akhila, Dantila, Kambala, As'vatara, Vâyu, Vis'vâvasu,
Arjuna, Nârada, Tumburu, Anjaneya, Matrigupta, Swâti, Guna,
Bindurâja, Kshetrarâja, Râhala, Rudrata, Nânya bhupala, Bhojarâja
and Paramardi Somes'a Mahipati Among the commentators
on Bharata's Nátya Sastra he mentions the names of Lollata,
Udbhata, Sankuka, Abhinavagupta and Kirtidhara
I do not take any account of several other books such as
Sangita Pârijâta, Rágavibodha, Sangita Darpana, Hridaya Kou
tuka, Hridaya prakâs'a &c , because all of them are of a later date
Nârada, the author of the present work Sangita Maka
randa—The present work viz , Sangita Makaranda is said to be the
work of Nârada on the authority of the manuscript It is difficult
to say anything with certainty about Nârada s life and time I
shall place before the reader whatever can be gathered from inter-
nal evidence available in the book itself