Harshacharita (socio-cultural Study)
by Mrs. Nandita Sarmah | 2014 | 67,792 words
This page relates ‘Description of Village Life’ 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.
3. Description of Village Life
The writer Bāṇa gives elaborate description of village settlement in a forest, vividly in the Harṣacarita.[1] The people were dependants on the forest in their day to day life. They hunted animals and collected their essential foods, fuel (woods),[2] honey, fruits,[3] etc. from the forest and sold them in nearer villages.[4]
While describing village life, the writer very graphically presents the granaries of wild corn, huge banyan trees, tiger-traps, rice-land, fields and their black soil, the cold drinking arbours, flowers, trees etc;[5] which implies that the people were mostly dependants on agriculture.[6] But sometimes the animals harassed them.[7] Information that, the villagers planted various types of flowering plants, kitchen vegetables in their garden[8] (i.e. gṛhavātikā, kedārikā) adjacent to their houses are found in the Harṣacarita.
Footnotes and references:
[2]:
ścāpadavadhana….gṛhitamṛgatantutantrī…vyādhairvicardbhiḥ, Ibid.,VII.123
[3]:
kāṣṭhasaṃgrahārthamaṭavīṃ praviśatā…..bhārāṃśca madhuno….vanaphalapurita…, Ibid.
[4]:
…bhārākāna lokenādāya vrjatā…… vikrayacintāvyagrabhigrāmeyakabhivyāptadigantaram, Ibid.,p.124
[5]:
[a] atha praviśandūrādeva….…, Ibid., p.123-124
[b] vanyadhānyabījadhānīnām……, Ibid.
[c] vātaveṣṭitavikaṭavaṭaiḥ…..……, Ibid.
[d] vrāghrayantraiḥ….……, Ibid.
[e] śālikhalakṣetra….……, Ibid.
[f] pātalapuṣpaputānāṃ…..phalajūṭījaṭilasthāṇūnām………, Ibid.
[g] pīyamānapayasāmaṭavīpraveśaprapāṇāṃ……, Ibid.
[6]:
atavīprāyaprāntatayā kutumbabharaṇākulaiḥ kuddālaprāyakṛṣibhiḥ kṛṣivalai…, Ibid.,p.123
[7]:
…śvāpadopadrapam, Ibid.
[8]:
[a]..urubūkavacāvaṅgakasurasasūraṇaśigrugranthiparṇa-gavedhukāgarmudgulmagahanagṛhavātikaiḥ, Ibid.,VII.124 [b]..sekasukumārasomakedārikāharitāyamānapraghanāni, Ibid.,II.21