Harshacharita (socio-cultural Study)
by Mrs. Nandita Sarmah | 2014 | 67,792 words
This page relates ‘Similarities (4): Caste and Ashrama’ 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.
1. Similarities (4): Caste and Āśrama
[Full title: Similarities between the Two Societies of the Kādambarī and the Harṣacarita (4): Caste and Āśrama]
In both the gadyakāvyas, Bāṇabhaṭṭa mentions four kinds of varṇas i.e., brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra, and so many sub-castes, such as caṇḍāla,[1] niṣāda,[2] śavara[3] etc. In both the kāvyas brāhmaṇa are mentioned as agrajanmā[4] and caṇḍāla[5] are described as untouchable, and as low-caste[6] people. Lives of the śavaras are elaborately described in the Kādambarī and the Harṣacarita. They had a great knowledge[7] about the birds. They used to practice offering of daily oblation[8] with the blood of the animals. They destroyed[9] the forest having all the roots in dug out, but on the other hand, they were cruel in nature and hence their actions were looked down with contempt,[10] and they treated other’s women as their wives keeping them in bondage.[11] They killed animals for meat and earned their livelihood.[12] In this kāvya, śavara’s are also mentioned as pulinda.[13] But Bāṇa mentions in the Harṣacarita that at that time the śavara were the hunter-class rising into a social status. Śarabhaketu was reigning in the Vindhyāraṇya with his commanders.[14] They always carried the bow, arrows and sword.[15] Therefore, the author used the word varṇasaṅkara[16] i.e., blending of the different castes.
Among the different sub-castes, it is found in the Kādambarī and the Harṣacarita, that, inter-caste marriage prevailed at that time. The author himself mentions that his cousin brothers,[17] Candrasena and Matṛṣeṇa were pārāśava. In the Kādambarī, description of caṇḍālakanyā[18] proves about dealing with the sub-castes.
It is found in both Kādambarī and Harṣacarita that caste identification was based on birth[19] and people also gave importance to family position.[20] Again, description is found about kubja, kirāta, badhira, vāmana, etc. who were usually the attendants[21] and guardians of the ladies of the inner-apartments, but in the Kādambarī, it is stated that they crowded with general people in the rājakula.[22]
Among the four āśramas, brahmacaryāśrama or life of the student is described similarly in both the gadyakāvyas. Bāṇa mentions that, gurukula system (residential school) prevailed[23] and the students got formal education in the preceptor’s house. They also had to follow some rules and regulations through which they acquired the proper manner. In this āśrama, the students got different kinds of knowledge in the gurugṛha.[24]
In both the kāvyas, it is found that the house-holder followed a disciplined life as per the interest of all rules and customs. Therefore, Bāṇabhaṭṭa[25] himself says to king Harṣa that since his marriage, he had been a diligent householder. Bāṇabhaṭṭa also mentions various types of ascetics in both of his gadyakāvyas. He mentions different names of ascetics such as—pārāśarin,[26] bhikṣu,[27] śramaṇa,[28] kārpaṭika,[29] raktapaṭa,[30] which indicate the Buddhist mendicant. Through the other names such as-khapaṇaka,[31] jainabhikṣu,[32] arhat,[33] maskariṇa,[34] paribrājaka,[35] muni,[36] and bhadanta[37] were also used to imply the ascetics. It is found in the Harṣacarita that the female ascetics were known as kātyāyanikā,[38] i.e., one who wore the clothes made with red-robes. The detailed description of the daily the life of a ascetics is given through the characters of Devī Sarasvatī,[39] and the author Bāṇa’s forefather Sārasvata[40] in the Harṣacarita, Mahaśvetā[41] and Jābāli[42] in the Kādambarī.
In both the kāvyas, Bāṇa describes the bānaprasthin who lived in bank of the river, forests, mountains etc. It is found that the pārāśarī Divākaramitra lived in the Vindhyāraṇya,[43] sage Bhairavācārya lived in a Bilvavātikā,[44] Goddesses Sarasvatī lived in the bank of river Mandākinī,[45] and bhagavana Śūlapāṇi[46] lived in a hill at the foot of the Kailāśa Mountain . They could only take fruits, leaves etc. from the forest.[47]
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
[a] Ibid.,VI.94 [b] Kādambarī,p.24-25
[2]:
Ibid.,p.59
[3]:
Harṣacarita,II.p.21
[4]:
[a] Ibid.,p. I.p.18 [b] Kādambarī,p.27
[5]:
[a] bahumṛtapaṭāvaguṇṭhanāṃ rañjitarañgāṃ janaṅgamānamiva vaṃśabāhyāmanāryāṃ ….., Harṣacarita,VI.94 [b] divyayoṣitāmivākulināṃ….mātaṅgakuladūṣitāṃ….spaśavarjitāṃ…., Kādambarī,p.24-25
[10]:
[a] akāraṇepi krūratayā...., Ibid.,p.56
[b] avirataśramābhyasāda…, Ibid.
[c] …sādhujanavigarhitaṃ ca caritam, Ibid.,p.59
[11]:
kalatrāṇi bandīgṛhitāḥ parayoṣitāḥ, Ibid.,p.60
[12]:
[a] śvāpadavyadhanavyavadhānabahalī………gṛhītamṛgatantutantrījālavalayavāguraiḥ bahivyādhairvicaradabhiśca, Harṣacarita,VII.p.123 [b] …………lāyamānakauleyakakulacāṭukāraiśca vihagamṛgayāṃ mṛgayuyuvabhiḥ kriḍadbhiḥ, Ibid.
[13]:
Ibid.,p.45
[14]:
[a] evāṭavikasāmantaśarabhaketoḥ……, Ibid.,VII.p.125
[b].…vindhyasya svāmī sarvapallīpatīnāṃ prāgaharaḥ śabarasenāpati, Ibid.,VIII.p.126
[15]:
[a] anavaratakodaṇḍakuṇḍalī…., Ibid.,VIII.p.125
[b].….bhallīprāyaprabhūtaśarabhṛtā…, Ibid.
[c] …kṛpānyā karalitavisaṅkaṭakaṭipradeśam, Ibid.
[16]:
[a] Kādambarī,p.11
[b] Harṣacarita,p.44
[17]:
bhrātārau pārāśavau candrasenamatṛṣeṇau, Ibid.,I.p.19
[18]:
Kādambarī,p.21-25
[19]:
[a] brāhmaṇo’smi jātaḥ somapāyināṃ vaṃśe…., Harṣacarita,II.p.36 [b] …mātñgakuladūṣitām…, Kādambarī,p.24 [c] babhūva vātsāyanavaṃśasambhavo dvijo…, Ibid.,intro., V.10
[20]:
[21]:
[a] pranṛttakalamūkakubjakirātavāmanabadhirajaḍajanapuraḥsareṇa…, Ibid.,p.74 [b] kubjakirātabadhiravāmanavarṣadharakalamūkānugatena parijanena…., Ibid.,p.59 [c] …..barbarāviralena……..parivṛtām, Harṣacarita VIII.p.131
[22]:
anekakubjakirātavarṣabadhiravāmanamūkasaṃkulam, Kādambarī,p.144
[23]:
[a] Harṣacarita,I.p.19 [b] Kādambarī, p.125-126
[24]:
[a] niravadyavidyāvidyotitāni ca gurukulāni sevamānaḥ, Harṣacarita,I.p.19 [b] sarvavidyācāryāṇāṃ ca saṃgrahe yatnamatimahantamnvaṣṭhit. tatrasthaṃ ca taṃ kesarikiśorakamiva pañjaragataṃ kṛtvā pratiṣiddhanirgamamācāryakula…, Kādambarī,p.125
[25]:
dāraparigrahādabhyagāriko’smi, Harṣacarita,II.p.36
[26]:
Ibid.,p.19, 28
[27]:
Ibid.,I.p.19
[28]:
Kādambarī,p.338
[29]:
Ibid.,333
[30]:
Ibid.,313
[31]:
[a] Harṣacarita, I.p.19
[b] Kādambarī,p.57
[32]:
Harṣacarita, Chātratoṣiṇī commentary, p.73
[33]:
Kādambarī,p.313
[34]:
[a] Ibid.,p.312
[b] Harṣacarita,p.19, 46
[35]:
Ibid.,p.45
[36]:
Ibid.,p.18
[37]:
Ibid., p.130
[38]:
Harṣacarita, I.p.19
[39]:
[40]:
[41]:
[42]:
Ibid.,p.73-76
[43]:
atha krameṇa gacchata eva…..aṭavījātā vindhyasya …..āvedyamānam……madhyame vayasi….divākaramitramadrākṣit, Harṣacarita,VIII.127-128
[44]:
…jīrṇamātṛgṛhasyottareṇa, bilvavātikā madhyāste, Ibid.,III.46
[45]:
[a]. …mandākinīdyuterasya mahānadasyopakaṇṭhabhūmayaḥ..., Ibid.,I.p.8 [b]. …. pārāśarī divākaramitranāmā girinadīmāśritya prativasati, Ibid.,VIII.p.126
[46]:
…..pādapaiḥ paribṛttaṃ ……paścime tīre kailāśapādasya… bhūtalabhāgasaṃniviṣṭaṃ bhagavataḥ śūlapāṇeḥ siddhayātamapaśyat, Kādambarī,p.207