Kalamulasastra Series

The Puspasutra (2 Vols.): A Pratisakhya of the Samaveda

One of the most important supplementary works in the body of Saman technical literature that is associated with the Kauthuma and Ranayaniya schools is known as the Puspasutra. It discusses the melodies of the Saman people as well as the structure of their music. In the context of this discussion, the word “Puspa” refers to the syllabic expansion that takes place throughout the process of creating a melody out of a verse. The Puspasutra was penned a significant amount of time after the Saman melodies had already been formed.
There are 10 Prapathaka included in the Puspasutra. The first two of them include the names of Samans that appear in the Uttaragana (also known as the Uhagana and the Uhyagana) in the sequence in which they appear in the Uttaragana. The demarcation may be understood based on the declaration of themes that is included in the eighth Prapathaka of the Puspasutra. The Puspasutra is divided into two sections: the northern and the southern recessions. The statement of contents found in the eighth Prapathaka is in complete agreement with the subjects discussed in Prapathakas III to VIII of the southern recession. It is generally agreed that this section of the Puspasutra is the authentic, original component of the text
The Northern recension of Puspasutra attributes this [ext] to Govila not once, but twice. It was formerly attributed to Vararuci, according to the Southern recension. In several places, the Puspasutra describes the chants in detail, including their metres. This gives the appearance that the ganas were repeated in a different metre than what they really were.
It is not easy to pinpoint the precise year when the Puspasutra was written. The initial nucleus was expanded upon by include other components, such as the Vikalpas (alternatives), the remaining bhavas, a more in-depth study of prastava, and the first two Prapathakas. The fact that it now exists with 10 Prapathakas is a significant boon to the academic community that is dedicated to the study of Samavedic chanting. It’s possible that the readers may find the explanations of the technical jargon offered in this version to be really helpful.

About the Author(s)

G.H. TARLEKAR

Citrasutra of the Visnudharmottara Purana

“It Has Been Beautiful Produced……. Citrasutra of the Visnudharmottara Purana the Book Presents Intersting Readings as It Includes all the Information Given By The Previous Scholars And Other Texts Regarding the Use And Interpretation Of Technical Terms,Techniques Of Painting And Its Classification.The Author Has Been Successful In The Task She Sets Before Herself To Present A Thoughtful Interpretation Of A Text And The Underlying Aesthetic Theory Of Indian Art And Its Relevance Today.

The author contends that these pieces only make sense when placed inside a framework, which must by definition be contingent, which runs counter to the conventional wisdom that the past may be accessed by us in an unmediated manner via the sacred parts of the texts.

The Citrasutra, which is made up of nine adhyayas or chapters and can be found in the third khanda of the Visnudharmottara Purana, is presented as a work that has been “discovered” and interpreted in a variety of ways in the introduction. As a consequence of this, it has a lengthy history of interpretation that has been contributed to by some of the most influential art historians of the 20th century, such as A. K. Coomaraswamy, Stella Kramrisch, and C. Sivaramamurti. The concerns of art historians, which are bound up with themes of Indian identity and the building of an authentic past, are the source of the interest in the book. This has sparked interest in the work.

Author

PARUL DAVE MUKHERJI