Part 3: Curriculum of Formal Education

The statement—bāṇocchiṣṭaṃ jagatasarvam—implies that Bāṇa had touched everything under the Sun, leaving nothing untouched for the later poets. The word ucchiṣṭa means anything that is left out and particularly a portion of the food left out after consumption. Popularly it means anything that is polluted by touch. So it is quite natural that one can have knowledge of all the branches of learning from this gadyakāvya.

There were many branches of knowledge studied by the people of those days. Following are some types of training and some modes of behavior, which had been considered to be most essential in ancient Indian society.

1 Veda and Vedāṅgas:

The Vedas are referred to in many places in various ways in the Harṣacarita. In some places Vedas are referred to as Śruti.^[1]

In a narrow sense Smṛti and Dharmaśāstra are synonyms; therefore, Manu says that—

smṛtistu vedo vijñeyo dharmaśāstraṃ tu vai smṛtiḥ.^[2]

Again, the word trayī has been used for Veda also.^[3]

At that time, the students had to study the caturaveda, and also the six auxiliary branches (sāṅgo) namely

1. Phonetics (Śikṣā)
2. Ritual of sacrifices (Kalpa)
3. Grammar (Vyākaraṇa)
4. Etymology and exegesis (Nirukta)
5. Metres / prosody (Chandas)
6. Astronomy (Jyotiṣa).

The people of the 7^th century A.D. studied the Vedas. Bāṇa has also mentioned that he had studied the all the six Vedāṅgas.^[4] Among the six, the Kalpa (ritual), Chandas and Jyotiṣa (astronomy) are referred in many places. On the other hand, Śikṣā (phonetics), Nirukta (etymology) and Vyākaraṇa (grammar) are mentioned more or less.

According to the Arthaśāstra, the studies of the Vedas and philosophy loomed large even in the princely curriculum.^[5] Bāṇabhaṭṭa gives us a detailed description of the curriculum for the education of princes in the Kādambarī. Here, it is informed that prince Candrāpīḍa had acquired the knowledge of all the mechanical arts, the Vedas and many different branches.^[6] At that time, the birds like Parrots (śuka) and Mainas (sārikā) etc. were also trained by making them repeatedly hear the teacher’s reciting of the Vedic mantras. The birds could imitate correctly the recitation of those Vedic mantras. Students could take lessons from the trained birds, instead of the teachers, in leisure. Those birds also helped the ṛtvijas in giving leisure during the time of sacrifices (yāga).^[7] Giving knowledge to the birds was seen in the 7^th century A.D. only. unlike in the Upaniṣadic age.

2 Śikṣā:

The word śikṣā, generally used for education, is to be found in the Vedic hymns. It means learning to recite. Education in ancient India consisted of the idea of learning to recite the holy scripter’s. According to Anundoram Borooah phonetics means svaravijñāna [svaravijñānam].^[8] It teaches the source and proper pronunciations of words. When the king Probhākaravardhana [Prabhākaravardhana?] was in death-bed, the people of the rājkula had recited the Vedic mantras, which are mentioned briefly in the Harṣacarita.^[9] Bāṇa has great knowledge about svaravijñānam. Therefore the jingling anklets of devī Sarasvatī’s feet are fancied by the poet as two disciples reciting loudly the padapāṭha and the kramapāṭha.^[10]

3 Kalpa:

Kalpa prescribes rules for ceremonial and sacrificial acts. Bāṇa has described various ceremonial and sacrificial acts in the Harṣacarita. When the king Prabhākarvardhana had been in death-bed, some of the citizen performed koṭihoma,^[11] ṣaḍāhutihoma^[12] etc., and also recited the various Vedic mantras such as—ādityahṛdaya mantra,^[13] rudraikādaśī mantra,^[14] pañchabrahma^[15] for quick heal of the king. The mention of sin destroying aghamarṣaṇa^[16] mantra is also found in many places in the Harṣacarita.

Aghamarṣaṇa is a term applied to the hymn of three verses, beginning with—

ṛtam ca satyam cāḍḍbhiddhāttapasoadhyajayat.^[17]

It founds that—

sarbainasāmapadhvaṅsi japyaṃ triṣvaghamarṣaṇam.^[18]

Every subject has some norms and regulations. Without abiding by those norms, one cannot acquire the proper knowledge of those subjects. There had been strong regulations regarding the recitation of Vedic mantras in 7^th century. In that time, the people followed the proper chanting of the Vedic mantras. A mantra should be perfect or entire (avikala), when recited. A description of a story^[19] is found where the sage Durvāsā failed to follow the norms of chanting the mantras, and so Sarasvatī laugh at him.^[20]

4 Vyākaraṇa:

In many places, the science of grammar has been referred to by the prosewriter Baṇabhaṭṭa. To give the name of his prose-composition (i.e., Harṣacaritam), he has followed the rules of grammar.

harṣasya caritamadhikṛtya kṛto granthaḥ harṣacaritam

Here the affix ana' (aa) and (ch) iya are added to words to denote works. Although, according to the best grammarian Pāṇini-adhikṛtya kṛte granthe.^[21]

5 Nirukta:

The Nirukta (i.e., the knowledge of etymology) gives the meanings of words. The writer Bāṇa has used the word suṣumṇaraśmi,^[22] to describe the birth of the king Prabhākaravardhana’s sons. The word has great etymological meaning.

Yāskachārya gave the meaning suṣumṇaraśmi in this way—

athāpyasyaiko raśmicchandramāsam prati dipyate tatetenopekṣitavyamādityo asya diptirbhavati. suṣumṇaḥ surjaraśmicchandramā gandharvaḥ’ ityapi nigamo bhavati.^[23]

This means the waxing of the Moon was due to a ray of the Sun called suṣumṇa and that the waning was due to the digits of the moon being drunk by the gods.

Therefore, he mentions such a way also—

suṣumṇāstutaśaśisudhāśīkarastabakatārakitatīrām….^[24]

6 Metres or Chandas:

The Chandas are referred to in many verses in various ways. Mainly, Bāṇa has used vaktra and aparavaktra metrics in many verses. For example—

vihaga; kuru dṛḍham manaḥ…|
………sumeruśiro virocanaḥ ||^[25]

According to the Bhāmaha, the vaktra and aparavaktra metres initiate future events on befitting occasions.^[26] Bāṇa has shown his excellent knowledge of chandas (i.e., the science of prosody) by employing the different types of metrics in the Harṣacarita.^[27]

7 Astrology:

From Harṣacarita we can infer that in the 7^th century A.D., faith on Astrology prevailed among the people. Bāṇa refers to the astrologers as trikālajña,^[28] mouhurtrikā,^[29] jyotiṣī,^[30] gaṇaka^[31] etc. who were expert in studying the supposed good and evil effects of the planets on human. When prince Harṣavardhana, the 2^nd son of King Prabhākarvardhana was born, the time was recorded as the month of jeṣṭḥā; the Moon was in the kṛtrikā constellation, and the youth of the night was about to climb up (i.e., the night was just beginning).^[32] P. V. Kane comments at this points thus-“It seems to us impossible from an astrological point of view that all the planets were in their exaltation at the time of Harṣa’s birth.”^[33] Again, at the time of Harṣa’s birth, king Prabhākarvardhana invited the eminent astrologers, known as Tāraka, for predicting the future of his new born child.^[34] Again the people of 7^th century followed the astrological prophesy in their every day life, especially on auspicious occasions. The astrologers were engaged to find out the proper time (lagna) of Rājyaśrī’s marriage.^[35] And they had also declared the proper time for the arrival of the bridegroom.^[36]

It is found that the king Harṣavadhana consulted a group of astrologers^[37] on the eve of his army expedition (daṇḍayātrā). The astrologer calculated a hundred times and said that when an hour for the expedition was given that was fit for the conquest of even the four quarters. The author Bāṇa^[38] also believed in astrologers views; therefore he had started his journey at an accurate and calculated time, which the astrologer fixed, to meet the king Harṣavardhana.

At that time, the people had depended on environment or nature for setting the time. For indicating the time, they used some words such as yāma i.e., when the Sun had gone up (in the sky) only for one watch. Yāma means a period of three hours.^[39] It mentions-dvauḥ yāmapraharau samau.^[40]

8 Dhanurvidyā:

It is found in the Harṣacarita that, the young princes were taught many of the fine arts and the art of handling of weapons as well. The king’s sons Rājyavardhana and Harṣavardhana got the knowledge of different subjects, and also they were taught about the handling of weapons, and, so their hands were begrimed with marks by the practice of sword play at the time of proper age.^[41]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

śrutipraṇayibhiḥ praṇavairiva karṇāvataṃsakusumamadhukarakulairūpāsyamānā, Harṣacarita,I.p.3

[2]:

Manusaṃhitā, II.10

[3]:

trayīmaye tejasi…., Harṣacarita,I.p.76

[4]:

samyakapaṭḥitaḥ sāṅgo vedaḥ, śrutāṇi yathāśaktiḥ śāstrāṇi, Ibid.,I.p.36

[5]:

Arthaśāstra,1.2

[6]:

Kādambarī,pūrvārdha.p.263

[7]:

śukasārikārabdhāadhyayaṇadiyamānopādhyāyaviśrāntisukhāni, Harṣacarita,I.p.21

[8]:

English Sanskrit Dictionary, p.519

[9]:

paṭhyamānamahāmāyurīpravatyamānagṛhaśāntinirvatya mānabhūtarakṣābalividhānam,……………prayatavipraprastutasaṃhitājapam, japyamānarūdraiakādaśīsavdāyamānaśivagṛham…, Harṣacarita,V.p.76

[10]:

śiṣyadvayeneva padakramamukhereṇa nupurayugalena vācālitacaraṇā, Ibid.,I.p.3

[11]:

koṭihomadhūmalekhābhi….…, Ibid.,V. p.76

[12]:

kriyamānaṣaḍāhutihomam….…, Ibid.

[13]:

Ibid.

[14]:

Ibid.

[15]:

Ibid.

[16]:

aghamarṣaṇamuṣitakilbiṣaviṣagadollāghalaghuṣu yatiṣu, Ibid.,I.p.5

[17]:

Ṛgveda,X.190

[18]:

Amarakoṣa,2.7.47

[19]:

Harṣacarita,I.p.2

[20]:

athātiroṣaṇaḥ prakṛtyā mahātapā muniratrestanayastārāpaterbhrātā nāmnā durvāsā dvitiyena mandapālanāmnā muninā saha kalahāyamānaḥ sāma gāyankrodhāndho visvaramakarot……vāṅmayamiva nirmalaṃ dikṣu daśānajyosnālokaṃ vikirantī devī sarasvatī śrutvā jahāsa, Ibid.,I.p.3

[21]:

Pāṇini,IV.3.87

[22]:

‘āryaputra, jānāmi svapne bhagavataḥ …..dvau kumārakau…..praṇamyamānau kanyāyeikayā ca candramūrteiva suṣumṇaraśminirgatayānugamyamānau kṣititalamavartirnau, Harṣacarita,IV.p.59

[23]:

Nirukta,II.2,2

[24]:

Harṣacarita,I.p.8

[25]:

Ibid.,V.p.80

[26]:

vṛttamākhyāyate tasyāṃ nāyakena svaceṣtitam | vaktraṃ cāparavaktraṃśca kāle bhāvyārthśaṃsi ca || Kāvyālaṅkāra,I.26

[27]:

niyatirvidhāya puṃsāṃ prathamaṃ sukhamupari dāruṇaṃ duḥkham | kṛtvālokaṃ taralā taḍidiva vrajaṃ nipātayati || pātayati mahāpuruṣānsamameva bahūnanādareṇaiva | parivartamāna eakaḥ kālaḥ śailānivānantaḥ || Harṣacarita,V.p.74

[28]:

Ibid.

[29]:

Ibid.,VII.p.108

[30]:

Ibid.,IV.p.61

[31]:

Ibid.

[32]:

tataśca prāpte jyeṣṭḥāmūlīye māsi bahulāsu bahulapakṣadvādaśyāṃ vyatīte pradoṣasamaye samārūrūkṣati, Ibid.

[33]:

Ibid.,p.396

[34]:

asminneva ca kāle rājñaḥ paramasaṃmataḥ śataśaḥ saṃvāditātīndriyadeśo darśitaprabhāvaḥ…….. grahasaṃhitānāṃ pārdṛśca sakalaganakamadhye mahito hitāśca trikālajñānabhagbhojakastārako nāma ganakaḥ samupasṛitya vijñāpitavān…, Ibid.,IV.p.61

[35]:

[a] āgatajāmātṛnivedanāgataṃ ca taṃ gātvā kṛtasaṃsaraṃ rājā ‘yāminyāḥ prathame yāme vivāhakālātyayakṛto yathā na bhavati doṣaḥ’ iti sandiśya pratīpam prāhiṇot, Ibid.,IV.p.70 [b] āhūyamāna iva mauhūrtikāiḥ…., Ibid.

[36]:

evaṃ vadataiva tasminnṛpamupāsṛtya mauhutrikāḥ ‘deva, samāsīdati lagnavelā vrajatu jāmātā kautukagṛham etyucuḥ…., Ibid.

[37]:

atha vyatīteṣu ca keṣuciddivaseṣu mauhūtrikamaṇḍalena śataśaḥ sugaṇite supraśaste’hani ………..diśāṃ bijayayogye daṇḍayātrālagne……bhavanānnirjagām, Ibid.,VII.p.108

[38]:

mauhūtrikamatena kṛtanakṣatradohadaḥ, śobhane mūhūtre…..prītikūṭānniragāt, Ibid.,II.p.26

[39]:

evamatikrāmatsu divaseṣu gacchati ca kāle kadācidyāmamātrodgate ca ravāvuttarasyāṃ………., Harṣacarita,I.p.8

[40]:

Amarakoṣa,1.4.6

[41]:

[a] yogyākāleṣu dhīrairdhanurdhanibhirabhyaṇopabhogāddigvadhūbhirivālapantau, Harṣacarita,IV.66
[b] anudivasaṃ śāstrābhyāsasyāmikākalaṅkitamaśeṣarājaka..…, Ibid.