Harshacharita (socio-cultural Study)
by Mrs. Nandita Sarmah | 2014 | 67,792 words
This page relates ‘Description of Different Tribes and Sub-Castes’ of the English study on the Harshacharita: A Sanskrit (poetical work) which can be studied as a Historical book of Indian society during the 7th century. It was originally written by Banabhatta who based his Harsacarita on the life of the Gupta emperor Harshavardhana. This study researches the religion, philosophy, flora and fauna and society of ancient India as reflected in the Harsha-Charita.
Part 3: Description of Different Tribes and Sub-Castes
In earlier society, there were mainly four castes viz., brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra and the first three were styled as dvijātis.[1] Due to the anuloma and pratiloma marriages among these three castes, there also developed several subcastes.[2]
“Among the śūdras also sub-castes developed on the basis of their occupations. In the Inscription we find they are mentioned by their local organization known as śreṇi or guilds.”[3]
In the Harṣacarita, Bāṇabhaṭṭa has not only described four castes, but many other sub-castes also. Those were-caṇḍāla, mleccha, śavara, barbara etc.
1 Caṇḍāla:
According to Manu the caṇḍāla is a varṇasaṅkara[4] and people belonging to this class were lower or worse than śūdra.[5] varṇasaṅkara implies marriage with women of different castes who must not to be married.[6]
The Amarakoṣa also mentions about caṇḍāla as—
syāccaṇḍālastu janito brāhmaṇyāṃ vṛṣalena yaḥ.[7]
The word śvapāka[8] (i.e., the person who eats dog’s meat) and janaṅgam[9] are used to indicate caṇḍāla in this gadyakāvya.
According to the Amarakoṣa—
caṇḍālaplavamātaṅgadivākīrtijanaṅgamāḥ.[10]
Bāṇa also mentions the name of caṇḍālakanyā as Mātaṅgakumārī in his Kādambarī[11] and they were out-siding of the noble family, so they were called anārya[12] (i.e., uncultured). They covered their faces with many shrouds of the dead. They had the habit of taking the clothes in which corpses were covered and the people did not want to have a sight of the various shrouds worn by caṇḍāla females.[13] The place of caṇḍāla has been also described by Manu.[14] Bāṇabhaṭṭa describes the mind of this tribes were very cruel; they could not feel sympathy.[15] The writer also describes briefly about a caṇḍāla girl in his Kādambarī that although, her beauty was considered as good as of Goddess; but she was untouchable and impure by her birth in a caṇḍāla family.[16] It is mentioned in the Manusaṃhitā also that caṇḍālas are not āryans, but have appearance of a āryan, and can be recognized only by their actions and works.[17]
2 Mleccha:
It refers to tribes of ancient India who had no culture.[18] It is mentioned in the Manusaṃhitā that they were also known as dasyu (mleccha), whether they speak the language of the mleccha (barbarians) or that of the āryans.[19] It is a sub-division of caṇḍāla caste.[20] Bāṇa mentions that the mleccha tribes generally lived in the bank of the seas in the 7th century A. D. and they came to meet king Harṣa from far away.[21]
3 Śavara:
The writer Bāṇa mentions the word pallī[22] i.e., a small village settlement, but, here pallī implies the śavara’s land.
The Saṅketa commentary comments—
pallī śavaravasati.[23]
Bāṇa mentions that they were chiefs of the forests or the small villages and they gifted elephants[24] to the king Harṣa. The hunters were mentioned in the Harṣacarita as vyādha,[25] mṛgayu[26] and śavara.[27] It implies that there was varṇasaṅkara (i.e., mix-caste) in then society. About varṇasaṅkara[28] Manu has also mentioned. In the Harṣacarita we find the description of bhila[29] women in the Vindhyāraṇya, who were addressed as śavarike.[30] They had killed animals for meat and for earning their livelihood.[31] But Bāṇa mentions in the Harṣacarita that at that time, the śavaras were the hunter-class rising into a social status as Śarabhaketu was reigning in the Vindhyāraṇya with his commanders.[32] They always carried the bows, arrows and swords.[33] But in the Kādambarī, Bāṇa himself mentions that they were very laborious, but on the other hand, they were cruel in nature; hence, their actions were looked down with contempt.[34] The śavaras treated other women as their wives keeping them in bondage.[35] They also offered the daily oblation with the meats.[36] Sometimes it might be human flesh.[37]
4 Barbara:
P. V. Kane comments—
They were usually described as the attendants[39] and guardians of the ladies of the innerapartments. In the Harṣacarita, they are described as the attendants of princess Rājyaśrī.[40]
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Medhātithi com. On Manusaṃhitā, V.168
[2]:
Mahābhārata, I.9-10
[3]:
Jaypalan, N., Cultural History of Northern India, p.10
[4]:
Manusaṃhitā,X.26
[5]:
Ibid., X. 31
[6]:
Ibid., X. 24
[7]:
Amarakoṣa,II.10.4
[8]:
Harṣacarita,VIII.p.134
[9]:
Ibid., VI,p.94
[10]:
Amarakoṣa, II.10.16
[12]:
Harṣacarita,VI.p.94
[13]:
bahumṛtapaṭāvaguṇṭhanāṃ rañjitaraṅgāṃ janaṅgamānāmiva vaṃśabāhyāmanāryāṃ śriyam...., Ibid.
[14]:
Manusaṃhitā,X. 51-52
[15]:
nitāntaniḥśūka śokaśvapākaḥ….., Harṣacarita,VIII.p.134
[16]:
divyayoṣitāmivākulināṃ….mātaṅgakuladūṣitāṃ….spaśavarjitāṃ, Kādambarī,p.24-25
[17]:
āryarupamivānāryaṃ karmabhiḥ svairvibhāvayet, Manusaṃhitā,X.57
[18]:
savācāravihīnoa’sau mleccha ityabhidhīyate, Amarakoṣa, p.283
[19]:
Manusaṃhitā,X.45
[20]:
bhedāḥ kirātaśavarapulindā mlecchajātayaḥ, Amarakoṣa, II.10.20
[21]:
sarvāmbhodhivelāvanavalayavāsibhiśca mlecchajātibhiḥ sarvadvīpāntarāgataiśca dūtamaṇḍalairupāsyamānam, Harṣacarita,II.p.28
[22]:
Ibid., II.p.21
[23]:
Ibid., II.p.99
[24]:
pallīparivṛḍadhaukiṭaiśca, Ibid., II.p.26
[25]:
Ibid., VII.p.123
[26]:
Ibid.
[27]:
Ibid., VIII.p. 126
[28]:
Manusaṃhitā,X.24
[29]:
Harṣacarita,VIII.p.134
[30]:
Ibid.
[31]:
[a] svāpadavyadhanavyavadhānabahalī………gṛhītamṛgatantutantrījālavalayavāguraiḥ barhivyādhairvicaradabhiśca, Ibid., VII.p.123 [b] …………lāyamānakauleyakakulacātukāraiśca vihagamṛgayāṃ mṛgayuyuvabhiḥ kriḍadbhiḥ, Ibid.
[32]:
[a]..aṭavikasāmantaśarabhaketoḥ……, Ibid., VII.p.125 [b] …vindhyasya svāmī sarvapallīpatīnāṃ prāgaharaḥ śavarasenāpati…, Ibid., VIII.p.126
[33]:
[a] anavaratakodaṇḍakuṇḍalī…., Ibid., VIII.p.125 [b]….bhallīprāyaprabhūtaśarabhṛtā…, Ibid. [c] …kṛpāṇyā karālitavisaṅkaṭakaṭipradeśam, Ibid.
[34]:
[a] akāraṇepi krūratayā...., Kādambarī,p.56 [b] avirataśramābhyasāda…, Ibid. [c]…sādhujanavigarhitaṃ ca caritam, Ibid.,p.59
[35]:
kalatrāṇi bandīgṛhitāḥ parayoṣitāḥ, Ibid. p.60
[36]:
māṃsena valikarma, Ibid.
[37]:
puruṣapiśita …, Ibid., p.59
[38]:
Harṣacarita,p.603
[39]:
[a] pranṛttakalamūkakubjakirātavāmanabadhirajaḍajanapuraḥsareṇa…, Kādambarī,p.74 [b] kubjakirātabadhiravāmanabarṣadharakalamūkānugatena parijanena…., Ibid., p.59
[40]:
katipayāvaśeṣaśokavikalakalāmūkakubjavāmanabadhirabarbarāviralena……..parivṛtām, Harṣacarita,VIII.p.131