Introductory Study and Translation of Chapter XV of Bharata’s Nāṭyaśāstra, About Sanskrit Prosody

Abstract

Prosody is a subject that has been very little dealt with in the studies on the teaching of Sanskrit, and is essential for understanding the phonetic, lexical, morphological and syntactic processes of that language. The basis of its study is described in one of the most important works for the ancient Indian tradition, the Nāṭyaśāstra, attributed to the wise Bharata (ca. 5th century B.C.E.). It is a play of theatrical theory where the postulates of Indian literary theory are established within the dramatic context. In fact, this work has been the genesis of later Indian theorists, because it provides an understanding of the literary and constructive processes of Sanskrit and Prakrit literature. I present here a translation into Spanish, along with an analysis and a brief introduction, of chapter XV of the Nāṭyaśāstra.