The backdrop of the Srikanthacarita and the Mankhakosa

by Dhrubajit Sarma | 2015 | 94,519 words

This page relates “Religious data (found in the Shrikanthacarita)” as it appears in the case study regarding the Srikanthacarita and the Mankhakosa. The Shrikanthacarita was composed by Mankhaka, sometimes during A.D. 1136-1142. The Mankhakosa or the Anekarthakosa is a kosa text of homonymous words, composed by the same author.

Part 9 - Religious data (found in the Śrīkaṇṭhacarita)

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The people during Maṅkhaka’s time led a religious life. They performed the Vedic rites and rituals strongly. Prātaḥsandhyā^[1] i. e. morning adorations were performed by the dvijas, sāyaṃsandhyā^[2] i.e. evening prayer was also done. The sun-god was offered argha.^[3] In the evening time, females worship their iṣṭadevatā by circular waving of lights.^[4] People spelt mantras and meditated with their eyes closed with deep devotion.^[5] Rudrākṣamālās were used.^[6] Idol-worshipping was practised. Primarily, Lord Śiva was worshipped in the form of an idol, however the dual form of Lord Śiva and Lord Viṣṇu, named as Harihara was also prayed.^[7] Again, an idol of Mārtaṇḍa i. e. the sun was also worshipped.^[8] It can be mentioned here that there was much religious intolerance also, prevailed in that time. For fear of annihilation of the temple idols, pious and religious people tried to protect the idols of the deities from the antagonists by pasting mud on the temple doors.^[9] The materials used for worshipping were mainly flowers^[10], naivedya^[11], puroḍāśa or piṣṭcaru^[12], dīpa^[13], sandal paste^[14] etc.

People performed various sacrifices.^[15] There is the reference of pūrṇāhuti i.e. the concluding offering^[16], avabhṛtha bath after completing a sacrifice.^[17] People worshipped three types of fire viz. gārhapatya, āhavanīya and dākṣinātya.^[18] People were accustomed to penance.^[19] The people were very benevolent. Giving alms to the twice-borned was treated to very important.^[20] Cows were bestowed to the Brāhmins as gifts with the tip of their horns adorned with gold.^[21] Religious people tried to spread the knowledge of the Vedas.^[22] The religious customs such as putting sacred thread on one’s bosom was in practice.^[23] Priests used to sprinkle rice corn by uttering some mantras to avert natural calamity.^[24] The devadāsī like practice of offering female dancer to Lord Śiva was observed.^[25] There are also instances of religious co-existence during that time of Kashmir, as there were references of Amitābha (Lord Buddha), goddess Tārā and Mañjughoṣa in the Śrīkaṇṭhacarita.^[26]

The religious beliefs of that time were–people believed that there were thirty three crores of gods^[27], gods and goddesses did not wink^[28], gods eat nothing but nectar^[29], people believed in the existence of hell.^[30] People believed that a Brāhmin was not worthy to be killed.^[31] They believed in the efficacy of the holy water of the Ganges to deliver the departed souls, when the bones of the bodies occupied earlier by them were brought into contact etc.

Thus, we come across so many things regarding the socio-cultural and religious aspects in the Śrīkaṇṭhacarita, which reflect the scenario of that time of Kashmir. However, some scholars opine that, as Maṅkhaka was a court poet, therefore, his description of the peoples’ life is mostly concerned with the privileged class of the society. Therefore, the life of the ordinary or common people is not reflected in the Śrīkaṇṭhacarita. However, we get a detailed description of the then society of Maṅkhaka’s time from the Śrīkaṇṭhacarita. Whatever, scanty or insufficient, we must have to rely on Maṅkhaka to reconstruct the socio-cultural history of medieval India.