Part 4(a): Bāṇabhaṭṭa: His time, Date and His Works

[Full title: Position of Harṣacarita Among the Gadyakāvyas in Sanskrit Literature]

Bāṇabhaṭṭa acquires the topmost position among all the prose-writers in Sanskrit literature due to his excellent poetic merits. Although, Subandhu was predecessor of Bāṇa, the latter got a higher position than him for careful avoidance of all the faults of the former. But Bāṇa was greatly influenced by Subandhu, and therefore, he praises him in his Harṣacarita.^[1] Daṇḍin, however, had shown new style in the prose-kāvya by using simple elocution in his Daśakumāracarita. But, he (Daṇḍin) too even couldn’t acquire Bāṇa’s standard, although he^[2] had flourished later than Bāṇa.

The date of Bāṇabhaṭṭa is very important for the chronology of Sanskrit writers. His date can easily be fixed from the autobiographical accounts given by himself in his famous kāvya in Harṣacarita. In this ākhyāyikā, it is mentioned^[3] that he had been patronized by the emperor Harṣavardhana, and, he based his Harṣacarita on the life and reign of king Harṣavardhana of Northern India. The lifeevents of Harṣavardhana and his reign are found in various reliable sources such as—the writing of Chinese traveler Hiouen Thsang^[4] who wrote in detail about the king Śilāditya of Kanauja, the emperor of Northern India. A comparative study of both Bāṇa and Hiouen Thsang proves that the description of Śilāditya by Hiouen Thsang is identical to king Harṣa, the great patron of Bāṇa. Hiouen Thsang visited India during 629-645 A.D., and on the basis of his writing the historian^[5] has concluded that Harṣa reigned from 606 A.D. to 647 A.D. Again, the Madhuban^[6] copper plate and Banskhera^[7] copper plate inscriptions of king Harṣa are also reliable sources of the time of king Harṣa.

Other various external evidences are also thrown light on Bāṇa. Vāmana, who flourished in 750-800 A.D. refers to some words from Kādambarī in his Kāvyalaṅkārasūtravṛtti.^[8] Kādambarī and Harṣacarita are mentioned as specimens of the two types of prose composition by Namisādhu, the commentator of Rudraṭa’s Kāvyālaṅkāra,^[9] who appeared in 1069 A.D. Again, Dhanañjaya who flourished in 1000 A.D. and was patronized by king Muñja, mentions Bāṇa’s name in his Daśarūpa.^[10] In Sarasvatīkaṇṭhābharaṇa^[11] of Bhoja (1025 A.D.), it is found that Bāṇa was not an expert in poetry as he was in prose compositions. The names Harṣacarita and Kādambarī are mentioned many a times by Anandavardhana in his Dhanyāloka^[12] (850 A. D.).

Again, in the beginning of his Harṣacarita, Bāṇa mentions a number of Sanskrit authors and Sanskrit works viz., Vyāsa,^[13] Vāsavadattā,^[14] Bhattāraharicandra,^[15] Sātavāhana,^[16] Pavarasena,^[17] Bhāsa,^[18] Kālidāsa,^[19] Bṛhatakathā^[20] and Ādhyarāja.^[21] These references prove that Bāṇabhaṭṭa flourished in the first half of the 7^th century A. D.

Although, it is very rare to find out personal history of Sanskrit poets, Bāṇabhaṭṭa reveals his personal life in both his gadyakāvyas. He reveals that he was born in a highly learned brāhmaṇa family of the Vātsāyana^[22] race. A detailed description of his family back-ground has been given in the first three chapters of the Harṣacarita. His forefather lived in Prītikūṭa,^[23] on the western bank of the river Hiraṇyabāhu,^[24] in the Kānyakubja region known also as Śoṇa. The village Prītikūṭa was the resort of the learned brāhmaṇas, which is mentioned by Bāṇa as brāhmaṇādhivāsa.^[25] In the Harṣacarita details of his family starts with the description of Vatsa,^[26] and that after many years Kubera^[27] was born in that family. In the Kādambarī mention of Kubera^[28] starts with the information that he was experienced in Vedic rituals and pleased many Gupta kings. Pāśupata^[29] was one of the four sons of Kubera. Pāśupata’s son was Arthapati, who has been mentioned in the Kādambarī.^[30]

But the Harṣacarita^[31] mentions that Arthapati was the only son of Pāśupata. Arthapati had many sons, and Citrabhānu^[32] was one of them. Citrabhānu and Rājadevī’s son was Bāṇa.^[33] Bāṇa lost his mother in his childhood,^[34] and after that his father brought him up.^[35] But when Bāṇa was only 14 years old, his father too, died^[36] after performing his religious ceremonies (i.e., upanayana etc.). After he lost his father,^[37] Bāṇa lived an unsteady life for sometimes due to his boyish curiosity. Then, he set out from his home^[38] with curiosity to see various lands, and to earn wealth and knowledge. A large group of friends accompanied him,^[39] who were engaged in various professions such as-bhāṣākavi, varṇakabi, barks, snake doctor, goldsmith, painter, singer, gambler, dancing girl etc. After he had visited many royal courts and several universities, participated in debates with learned men, he again returned^[40] to his native place Prītikūṭa. There, he received a message from Kṛṣṇa^[41] a cousin of king Harṣa, that on the basis of some wicked person’s information,^[42] the king had formed a wrong impression about him. So, Kṛṣṇa summoned^[43] him to the court as early as possible. At that moment, he had felt hesitation because; neither he nor his family had ever been to the royal court.^[44] But at last, he decided to go.^[45] Next day, after performing some auspicious rites which were followed by an orthodox brāhmaṇa, Bāṇa went out for the journey.^[46] On the third day, he reached the camp of king Harṣavardhana,^[47] near the town of Maṇitārā, on the bank of Ajiravatī. When Bāṇa had reached the court, at first, king Harṣa treated him with negligence and called him a wanton.^[48] Bāṇa replied^[49] him with a wounded pride and calm dignity. Then, king Harṣa was impressed with him and later, he became a great favourite to king and got the royal favour.^[50] After receiving the highest regard from king Harṣa,^[51] Bāṇa returned home,^[52] and his friends and family warmly welcome him at home. To welcome him, his friends recited^[53] various verses from different books. One of them, the bard Sūcibāṇa recited two verses in āryā metre^[54] on the life of king Harṣa. Hearing his verses, Śyāmala, Bāṇa’s cousin, requested^[55] him to narrate the life story of Harṣa’s life from the beginning. Then Bāṇa promised^[56] to narrate a part of it, which related the Harṣacarita.^[57] With this description, Bāṇa’s autobiography is closed here. His life history is not found elsewhere in Sanskrit literature.

The Harṣacarita and Kādambarī are two gadyakāvyas, for which Bāṇa is able to get the position of the master of Sanskrit prose-romance. He has clearly mentioned that these two kāvyas^[58] are the ākhyāyikā and kathā respectively.

Besides these two gadyakāvyas, he composed—

[a] the Caṇḍīśataka, a work containing a hundred verses, concerning goddess Caṇḍī, a form of Dūrgā,

[b] the Śivaśataka, containing a hundred verses to praise lord Śiva,

[c] the Pārvatīpariṇaya, a drama ascribed to Bāṇa. (But, some scholars do not accept that it is Bāṇa’s work),

[d] the Mukuṭatāditaka, a drama written by Bāṇa, from which Trivikramabhaṭṭa^[59] quoted a verse in his Nalacampu,

and [e] the Śāradacandrikā is a play, the plot related to Candrāpīḍa.^[60]

There are other various kāvyas such as Daśarūpaka, Padyakādambarī, Sarvacaritanāṭaka attributed to Bāṇabhaṭṭa, but nothing is known about the reliable sources of it, which can be proved.

About his works, Prof. S. V. Dixit^[61] details that Bāṇa had written 9 books viz.,

1. Harṣacarita,
2. Kādambarī,
3. Caṇḍīśataka,
4. Śivaśataka,
5. Mukuṭatāḍitaka,
6. Sarvacaritanāṭaka,
7. Śāradacandrikā,
8. Padyakādambarī and
9. Pārvatīpariṇaya.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

kavīnāmagaladdarpo nūnaṃ vāsavadattayā | śaktyeva pāṇḍuputrāṇāṃ gatayā karṇagocaram || Harṣacarita,I. intro.v.11

[2]:

bhinnastīkṣṇamukhenāpi citraṃ bānena nirvyrthaḥ, Avantīsundarīkathā, v.19

[3]:

[a] atidakṣiṇaḥ khalu devo harṣo yadevam….manasā srihyatyeva mayi, Harṣacarita,II.p.37 [b] svalpaireva cāhobhiḥ paramaprītena prasādajanmano mānasya premṇo vibhrambhasya draviṇasya narmaṇaḥ prabhāvasya ca parāṃ kotimānīyat narendreṇeti, Ibid.

[4]:

[a] Buddhist Record of Western World, vol. I.p.209 [b] On Yuan Chwang’s Travels In India, p.343-345

[5]:

Early History of India, p.348

[6]:

Epigraphica Indica, Vol. I, p.208

[7]:

Ibid., Vol. IV, p.67

[8]:

anukarotibhagavato nārāyaṇasya…, Kāvyālaṅkārasūtravṛtti,v.2.44

[9]:

Kāvyālaṅkāra of Rudraṭa, XVI. 22,26

[10]:

yathā hi mahāśvetāvarṇanāvasare bhaṭṭabāṇasya, Daśarūpa,II.35

[11]:

yādṛggadyavidhau bāṇaḥ padyavandhe na tādṛśaḥ, Sarsvatīkaṇṭhābharaṇa,p.52

[12]:

[a] yathā harṣacarite samavāya iva.., Dhanyāloka,p.101 [b] yathā kādambaryāṃ kādambarīdarśanāvasare, Ibid.,p.87

[13]:

Harṣacarita,I.v.3

[14]:

Ibid.,I.v.11

[15]:

Ibid.,I.v.12

[16]:

Ibid.,I.v.13

[17]:

Ibid.,I.v.14

[18]:

Ibid.,I.v.15

[19]:

Ibid.,I.v.16

[20]:

Ibid., I.v.17

[21]:

Ibid., I.v.18

[22]:

[a] brahmaṇo’smi jātaḥ somapāyināṃ vaṃśe vātsāyanānām, Harṣacarita,II.p.36 [b] babhūva vātsāyanavaṃśasambhavo dvijo jagadgītaguṇo’graṇīḥ satām | anekaguptārcitapādapaṅkajaḥ kuberanāmāṃśa iva svayambhuvaḥ || Kādambarī, v.10

[23]:

..tasmineva pradeśe prītikūṭanāmānaṃ nivāsam, Harṣacarita,I.p.19

[24]:

….pitāmahasyāpatyāṃ hiraṇyabāhunāmānaṃ mahānadam, yaṃ janāḥ śoṇa iti kathayanti, Ibid.,I.p.8

[25]:

vātsāyanavaṃśāśrayāmātmano janmabhuvaṃ brāhmaṇādhivāsamagamat, Ibid.,p.20

[26]:

..vatse vāṅmayaṃ samastameva sañcārayāmāsa, Ibid.,I.p.18

[27]:

…vahatsu vatsareṣu,….atikrāmati ca kāle, ……bātsāyanakule, krameṇa kuberanāmā ……dvijo janma lebhe, Ibid.

[28]:

anekaguptārcitapādapaṅkajaḥ kuberanāmāṃśa iva svayaṃbhuvaḥ, Kādambarī, 10

[29]:

tasmābhavannacchyut iśāno haraḥ pāśupataśceti catvāro yugārambhā iva tanayāḥ, Harṣacarita,I.p.18

[30]:

dvijajanmanārthapatiḥ patistataḥ, Kādambarī, v.13

[31]:

tatra pāśupatasyaika evābhavadbhūbhāra iva… arthapatiriti nāmnā….sūnuḥ, Harṣacarita,I.p.18

[32]:

so’janayadbhṛguṃ haṃsaṃ śuciṃ….citrabhānuṃ……pavitrānputrān, Ibid.,I.p.18-19

[33]:

alabhat ca citrabhānusteṣāṃ madhye rājadevyābhidhānāyāṃ brāhmaṇyāṃ bāṇamātmajam, Ibid.

[34]:

ca bāla eva vidherbalavato vaśādupasampannayā vyayujyat jananyā, Ibid.

[35]:

….pitaivācya mātṛtāmakarot, Ibid,I.p.19

[36]:

kṛtopanayanādikriyākalāpasya…..caturdaśavarṣadeśīyasya…pitāpi… kālenādaśamīstha evāstamagāt, Ibid.

[37]:

gate ca viralatāṃ śoke śanaiḥ śanairavinayanidānatayā svātantyrasya, kutūhalabahalatayā ca bālabhāvasya, ….śaiśavocitānyanekāni cāpalānyācarannitvaro babhūva, Ibid.

[38]:

sa …..bālatayā nighnatāmupagato deśāntarālokanakautukākṣiptahṛdayaḥ …..brāhmaṇajanociteṣu vibhaveṣu sati cāvacchinne vidyāprasaṅge gṛhānniragāt, Ibid.

[39]:

abhavaṃścāsya vayasā samānāḥ…… bhāṣākavirīśānaḥ,.. varṇakabirveṇībhārataḥ,… bandinā…jāṅguliko…bhiṣakaputro…citrakṛda..lāsakayuvā.. dhātuvāda..dārduriko.. tāmracūḍaḥ, Ibid.

[40]:

. …rājakulāni vīkṣamāṇaḥ, niravadyavidyāvidyotitāni ca gurukulāni sevamānaḥ, mahārhālāpagambhīraguṇavadgoṣṭhiścopatiṣṭhamānaḥ,……punarapi…. janmabhūvaṃ brāhmaṇādhivāsamagamat, Ibid.,I.p.19-20

[41]:

…śrīharṣadevasya bhrātrā kṛṣṇanāmnā bhavatāmantikaṃ..…prahito.., Ibid.,I.p.23

[42]:

śiśucāpalaparācīnacetovṛttitayā ca bhavataḥ kenacidasahiṣṇunā yatkiñcidasadṛśamudīritamitaro lokastathaiva tadgṛhnāti vakti ca, Ibid.,I.p.24

[43]:

ato bhavatā rājakulamakṛtakālakṣepamāgantavyam, Ibid.

[44]:

atigambhīraṃ mahadrājakulam. na ca tatra me purvajapravatitā prītiḥ, na kulakramāgatā gatiḥ…, Ibid.,II.p.25

[45]:

sarvathā bhagavāna…..sarvaṃ sāṃpratamācariṣyati, ityavadhārya gamanāya matimakarot, Ibid.

[46]:

athānyasminnahanyutthāya, prātareva snātvā,…..prathamacalitadakṣiṇacaraṇaḥ, prītikūṭānniragāt, Ibid.,p.25-26

[47]:

anyasmindivase skandhāvāramupamaṇitāramanvajiravati…..atiṣṭhacca nātidūre rājabhavanasya, Ibid.,p.26

[48]:

rājā tu tacchrutvā dṛṣṭvā ca taṃ…..apṛcchat-‘eṣa sa bāṇaḥ’ iti. ….tiryaṅanīladhavalāṃśukaśārāṃ tiraskariṇīmiva….kathayat-‘mahānayaṃ bhujaṅgaḥ’ iti, Ibid.,II.p.36

[49]:

Ibid.

[50]:

bhūpatirapi ‘evamasmābhiḥ śrutam’…..snehagarbheṇa dṛṣṭipātamātreṇāntargatāṃ prītimakathayat, Ibid.

[51]:

[a] atidakṣiṇaḥ khalu devo harṣo yadevam….manasā srihyatyeva mayi, Ibid.,II.p.37 [b] svalpaireva cāhobhiḥ paramaprītena prasādajanmano mānasya premṇo vistrambhasya draviṇasya narmaṇaḥ prabhāvasya ca parāṃ kotimānīyat narendreṇeti, Ibid.

[52]:

…rājño samīpādbāṇo bandhūndraṣṭuṃ punarapi taṃ brāhmaṇādhivāsamagāt, Ibid.,III.p.38

[53]:

atrāntare…pustakavācakaḥ sudṛṣṭirājagām. ….pavamānaproktaṃ purāṇaṃ papāṭha, Ibid.,III.p.39

[54]:

…bandī sūcībāṇa….āryāyugalamapaṭhat-…śrīkaṇṭhaviniryātaṃ gītamidaṃ harṣarājyamiva, Ibid.

[55]:

tacchrutvā… śyāmalo nāma bāṇasya preyānprāṇānāmapi ….babhāṣe-‘tāta bāṇa, …ato’sya sugṛhītanāmnaḥ puṇyarāśeḥ pūrvapuruṣavaṃśānukrameṇāditaḥ prabhṛti caritamicchāmaḥ śrotum.…..bhavedasya carite kutūhalam. …bhavatu…rājarṣicaritaśravaṇena sutarāṃ sucitaraḥ, Ibid.,III.p.41

[56]:

kaḥ khalu puruṣāyuṣaśatenāpi saknuyādavikalamasya caritaṃ varṇayitum. ekadeśe tu yadi kutūhalaṃ vaḥ, sajjā vayam, Ibid.

[57]:

…viditābhiprāyasteṣāṃ puro harṣacaritaṃ kathayitumārebhe…., Ibid.,III.p.42

[58]:

[a] tathāpi nṛpaterbhaktyābhīto nirvahaṇākulaḥ | karomyākhyāyikāmbhodhau jihvāplavanacāpalam || Ibid.,I.intro.v.19 [b] dvijena tenākṣatakaṇṭhakauṇṭhyayā mahāmanomohamalīmasāndhayā | alabdhavaidagdhyavilāsamugdhayā dhiyā nibandheyamatidvayī kathā || Kādambarī, intro.v.20

[59]:

yadāha mukuṭatāḍitakanāṭake bāṇaḥ-‘āśāḥ proṣitadiggajā iva….| kurupaterdevasya śūṇyāḥ sabhāḥ || as quoted by P. V. Kane, Harṣacarita, Intro. p.xxvi

[60]:

candrāpīḍasya maraṇaṃ pratujjīvananvitam | kalpitaṃ bhaṭṭabāṇena yathā śāradacandrikā || History of Classical Sanskrit Literature, M.Krishnamachariar, p.451-52

[61]:

Bāṇabhaṭṭa: his life and literature, p.36-38