Shishupala-vadha (Study)
by Shila Chakraborty | 2018 | 112,267 words
This page relates ‘Source of the epic Shishupalavadha� 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.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
Source of the epic Śśܱ
The epic Śśܱ was written by 岵 based on the story of the Ѳٲ. Mainly he based on the thirtieth to fortieth or fourty-fifth chapters of the Ѳٲ. Though this type of story is found in one hundred and fifty second chapter of ʲ岹ܰṇa, fourth to twelfth chapter of Ծܰṇa, վṣṇܱܰṇa and 岵ٲܰṇa. Śśܱ, the king of Cedī was borned in his previous birth as 屹ṇa and ᾱṇy첹ś. This story is found in վṣṇܱܰṇa (1/16-20chap.), 岵ٲpura� a (7.1.38,3.15.16 chap.) and Ծܰṇa. (4,12,12,14,21 chap.). The poet 岵 obviously has collected the story of his epic from these two ʳܰṇa�վṣṇܱܰṇa and 岵ٲܰṇa. But the hint of the story is also found in the Ѳٲ.
In the tenth chapter of 岵ٲ the story of Śśܱ is described shortly. Sahadeva suggested the name of Śīṛṣṇa in the context of the first worshiped person in the sacrificial ceremony organished by ۳ܻṣṭ. According to the suggestion of sahadeva the offerings was given by ۳ܻṣṭ to Śīṛṣṇa. For this Śśܱ used slang languages towareds Śīṛṣṇa with anger. After this many kings or members left the assembly. When ṇḍ were getting preparation to kill Śśܱ at that time Śīṛṣṇa amputed Śśܱ� s head from his neck with his ܻ岹śṇa cakra.
The story of ʲ峾ܰṇa is similar to 岵ٱܰṇa. But in there are slight difference in the story of ṣṇܱܰṇa, Ծܰṇa and Brahma ٲܰṇa.
Mainly the epic Śśܱ is written based on that particular story. There it is found that � ḍa completed their Բ and occupied Indraprastha firstly. With the suggestion of Śīṛṣṇa and the help of Arjuna Nakula and sahadeva ۳ܻṣṭ occupied ܻ屹ī貹 in Asia and became the owner of lot of money and property. With this wealth king ۳ܻṣṭ decided to arrange the Ჹūⲹ sacrifice ceremony. After this storg the facts in thirtieth to forty second chapters of the Ѳٲ is narrated in the epic Śśܱ by 岵. The summary of the story shows that from the description of Ჹūⲹ sacrifice ceremony arranged by ۳ܻṣṭ the story begins. Getting the invitation by ۳ܻṣṭ, Śīṛṣṇa reached to attend the ceremony in the city named ٱ. In this ceremony all the opponent kings of ܻ屹ī貹 were also present. Nakula invited the family of ٳṛtṣṭ and his relatives. ۳ܻṣṭ was directed in the sacrificial ceremony. Guests came to attend the ceremony. īṣm and other assisting members were involved to perform their duties in this ceremony. The ceremony was performed perfectly. After this the time arrived to give oblation to the respected persons.
With the direction of īṣm Sahadeva gave the first oblation to Śīṛṣṇa. For this Śśܱ becames angry for such behaviour. Śśܱ reproached � � avas and used unpolite slang languages to Śīṛṣṇa. īṣm was explaining with reason why Śīṛṣṇa was given first preference for arghya and at that time ۳ܻṣṭ gave consolation to Śśܱ. With anger Sahadeva took promise to kill those who criticised Śīṛṣṇa at that time flowers showered on his head from heaven and reproached to the insultors of Śīṛṣṇa. To give proper lesson for such behaviour of � � avas, Śśܱ approached other kings. ۳ܻṣṭ hesitated for this situation. Śśܱ smiled ironically looking at Śīṛṣṇa and īṣm that time ī got ready to kill him. īṣm hindered ī and started describing the bad activities of Śśܱ and after this īṣm and Śśܱ started disputing again and again. Śśܱ invited Śīṛṣṇa to fight with him and at that time Śīṛṣṇa started to count the number of offences of Śśܱ. After the completion of hundred offence Śīṛṣṇa amputed the head of Śśܱ from his neck with the Sudarśaṇa cakra which he was holding in his hand. After the completion of sacrificial ceremony guests turned back to their house and Śrikṛṣṇa also came back to ٱ. This story of the Ѳٲ is described shortly here. Though 岵 has collected the subject matter for his epic from the Ѳٲ but that matter is narrated only in fourteenth to twentieth cantos. From the first to thirteenth cantos 岵 has shown his own excellence. Also even though the subject matter for fourteenth to twentieth cantos is taken from the Ѳٲ but in that subject 岵 has changed some matter according to, his own. Some verses in the Mahābhārtā and the Śśܱ are common.
In the Ѳٲ (2.33.23) the verse �
“ācāryamṛtvijañcaiva saṃyujañca yudhiṣṭira |
ٲ첹ñ ⲹ� prāhu� ṣaḍrghyārhānnṛpa� tathā ||� 36.23 ||[1]
And in the Śśܱ the verse �
“stātaka� gurumabhīṣṭamṛtvija� saṃyujā ca saha medinīpatim |
ardhabhāja iti kīrttayanti ṣa� te ca te yugapadāgatā� 岹� ||�14.65 ||[2]
Another verse in the Ѳٲ �
“paśuvadghātana� vā me 岹Բ� vā kaṭacāgninā |
kriyatā� mūrdhti vo nyastya� mayeda� 첹� padam ||� 2.44.40 ||[3]
In the Śśܱ is�
�ٲ� mayādya sadasīdamapamṛpṣitama cyutārccanam |
yasya namayatu sa cāpamaya� ṇa� ṛt� śirasi sarvabhūbhṛtām ||�15.46 ||[4]
These verses prove that 岵 is indebted to the Ѳٲ. Not only he has taken the subject matter from the Ѳٲ but he also copied some verses from the Ѳٲ as it is. Though the subject matter is taken from the Ѳٲ but his incomparable excellency expressed in the Śśܱ is very great.
Literary characteristics:
“Regarding the literary qualification of the poet 岵 the following cut and dried verses are rife among the populace.
a. ṣpṣu ī Բīṣu ñī īṣu ܰṣeṣu ṣṇ� |
Բīṣu ṅg nṛpatau ca 峾� 屹ṣu 岵� kavi � ||b. ܱ貹 kālidāsasya bhāraverarthagairavam |
naiṣadhe padalālitya� mādhe santi trayo ṇāḥ ||c . tāvad bhā bhāraverbhāti yāvanmāghasya nodaya� |
udite naiṣadhe kāvye kva 岵� kva ca � ||
These versified lines are spoken in praise of the poet 岵 who has been raised to the equal rank with the far famed poet . These praises should not be explained away on the plea of panegyrical hollowness. However much encrushed with a good deal of untruth they may be, they still contain a grain of truth; and unless there was a marked prominence in the poet their origin would not have occurred. The second verse declares that the poet’s composition had all the three requisite merits–viz happy similes, gravity of significance and happy choice of words.
In other words the poet’s personality had the conjoint merits of , and Śriharṣa Who had each a singular deftness in one or other of the trio.
The work Śśܱ itself evinces, the poet’s profound scholarship in the ܰṇa system of philosophy, polites, grammar, rhetoric etc. But on scanning him finely we find that he is more a scholar than a true born poet. He had poetic susceptibilities no doubt but his gift in this direction was not so wide as was that of and others. The metaphors and similes are often highly artificial and laborious rather than spontaneous and facile. But the poet eclipses the fame of others by the astounding art of life like description. The description is a faithful representation of the actual state of affairs and his art lies in holding before the mind’s eye of the reader the exact photo of the thing he is describing.
The poet will ever be remembered by posterity for his power of writing, his power of character painting and his true appreciation of melody.[5]
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Ѳٲ, sabhāparvan, p. 725.
[2]:
Haridas Siddhantavagisha: Op.cit., p. 578.
[3]:
Ѳٲ, p. 741.
[4]:
Haridas Siddhantavagisha: Op.cit., p. 635.