It gives me great pleasure to present before the world of scholars, this third edition in the form of reprint of the work - Natyadarpana of Ramacandra and Gunacandra (G.O.S. No.48), with Svopajnatika auto-commentary by the authors. The work was first published in 1927 and was edited by Shri G.K. Shrigondekar and Pt. L.B. Gandhi. It was re-edited with a scholarly introduction in Sanskrit by Pandit L.B. Gandhi in 1959. As the work (in both of its editions) was long out of print and was in great demand, we are publishing herewith the third edition, being reprint of the second revised edition of the same. The present treatise namely the Natyadarpana of Ramacandra composed in collaboration with Gunacandrasuri is one of the most important works on dramaturgy. It is hoped that this edition will also be well received by the scholars and students interested in dramaturgy like its previous editions. I take this opportunity to thank the University Authorities for releasing the necessary grant towards its reprint. I also thank Shri P.N. Srivastava, the Manager, The M.S.. University of Baroda Press, and his colleagues, for the printing work of this book.

While the formes of the Nalavilasa were passing through the press we came across a MS of the Karikas of the present work. We intended publishing them as an appendix to the Nalavilasa in order to give an idea of the rules of dramaturgy which Romacandra himself was likely to follow in the composition of his dramas including the Nalavilasa. But unfortunately, all the copies we had the good fortune to secure being very incorrect the idea of including the Karikas in the edition of the Nalavilasa had to be abandoned. Later on, however, we learnt that a copy of the Karikas along with a com mentary by the same authors-Ramacandra and Gunacandra -was preserved in the collection of the MSS belonging to the late Acarya Vijaya Dharma Suri, now deposited in the Vijaya Dharma Laksmi Jnana Mandira at Agra. Accordingly an application was made to the Curator through whose courtesy a loan of the same MS was obtained. The authorities of the Oriental Institute were struck with the nature of the materials presented in the work for the study of the science of dramaturgy, and forthwith included the same in the programme of the Gaekwad's Oriental Series. This edition based on one single manuscript of the work as obtained from Agra is now presented to the public for the first time in original Sanskrit as No. XLVIII of the Gaekwad's Oriental Series.

The work is mentioned as the Natyadarpana in Aufrecht's Catalogue and Natakadarpana in Peterson's Report for the year 1892-95. The Natyadarpana is cited as an authority by Ranganatha in his commentary on the Vikramorvasiya and by Bharatamallika in his commentary on the Bhallikavya, but there are reasons to suppose that these Naiyadarpanas are different from the present work.

**Contents and Sample Pages**