Shishupala-vadha (Study)
by Shila Chakraborty | 2018 | 112,267 words
This page relates ‘personal history of Magha� of the study on the Shishupala-vadha (in English) in the light of Manusamhita (law and religious duties) and Arthashastra (science of politics and warfare). The Shishupalavadha is an epic poem (Mahakavya) written by Magha in the 7th century AD. It consists of 1800 Sanskrit verses spread over twenty chapters and narrates the details of the king of the Chedis.
The personal history of 岵
On the eve of studying the work a natural desire springs up in the human mind to know something about the personal history of a peot. We are sorry to allege that in the case of Indian poets such cravings remain ever unsatisfied. Neither the poets themselves nor their contemporaries have bequeathed to us any precious legacy like a historical biography to contemplate upon. No direct record is available to from an estimate of the poets; indirectly the posterity has to work hard through mazy data such as stray references in their works or in the works of their successor-in order to reconstruct anything like a history of the poets.
In the case of our poet 岵 he himself his in advertently declared towards the finish of the poem Śśܱ that be is the son of Duttak and grandson of Suprabhadeva, the minister to the king Sri Dharmanātha, (Dharmanābha) but who this certain king was and where his principal seat of Government was is not known. On the basic of Bhojaprabandha, a work in celebration of the king Bhoja, a great patron of letters we gather further that the poet lived for a little while in the court of the king Bhoja and was highly spoken of by the king for his poetical endowments and profundity of scholarship. He emigrated from the region of Guzrat to the court to seek the royal munificence in the last evil days of his life. His sweet wife is also accompanied him to the city and lived there in his pleasant company till death separated her from her beloved husband only for a while to reunite her in heaven.
What school of thought and belief the poet belonged to has been a puzzle of controversy. On the strength of the poets respectful reference to the Lord Buddha on his work and to the five Skandhas in II. 28, the poet has been declared by some to be a Buddhist. He refers in II. 112, to two grammatical works ś and Բ both of which are believed to have proceeded from the pen of non Hindu. (i.e. Buddha and Jaina) scholars. Again in the Śśܱm his loving reverence for ṛṣṇa shows him in the light of a true votary of the same deity. Through this labyrinthine confusion of same Buddhism, Jainism and ideal Hinduism how are we to determine his true creed and faith? The answer is not very far to seek. The truth is that true born geniuses have no sectarian narrowness; they soar so high above petty sectarian factions that they never condescend to enroll themselves in a particular round of followers. They respect all religions simply because they all under lie truths as their basis. A religion without any truth is a Jargon.