Shishupala-vadha (Study)
by Shila Chakraborty | 2018 | 112,267 words
This page relates 鈥楴ovelty of the epic Shishupalavadha鈥� 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.
Novelty of the epic 艢颈艣耻辫腻濒补惫补诲丑补
1. In the 惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补 we can found that 狈腻谤补诲补 reached the assembly of Yudhi峁ａ弓ira by rotating himself. But in 艢颈艣耻辫腻濒补惫补诲丑补 狈腻谤补诲补 directly reached the assembly from the heaven with his purpose.
2. In second canto the conversation about politics between 艢谤墨办峁涐梗峁嘺, 叠补濒补谤腻尘补 and Uddhava is new creation of 惭腻驳丑补. It is his own idea. This conversation is absent in the 惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补. So the political knowledge of 惭腻驳丑补 is exhibited here.
3. From third to thirteenth cantos the matter presented by 惭腻驳丑补 is according to his own creation. It shows novelty in his epic. In the 惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补 from where the topic of the epic 艢颈艣耻辫腻濒补惫补诲丑补 is taken, no such story is present. The description of wealth of God 艢谤墨办峁涐梗峁嘺, departure, drinking of honey, romance, description of dawn, season, sunset and sunrise, roving in forest, departure of armies all these are the new creation of 惭腻驳丑补. Such description is absent from the 惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补. Beside these the moral advice of 狈腻谤补诲补 to Yudhi峁ａ弓ira is also 惭腻驳丑补鈥檚 new creation.
4. The end of the story of 艢颈艣耻辫腻濒补惫补诲丑补 is different from the 惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补. In the 惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补 (2.40.22) it is found that when sahadeva offered argha to 艢谤墨办峁涐梗峁嘺 at that time debate started between 叠丑墨峁补 and 艢颈艣耻辫腻濒补 and this debate continued till the time when 艢颈艣耻辫腻濒补 challenged 艢谤墨办峁涐梗峁嘺 to fight.
Hearing the slang languages of 艢颈艣耻辫腻濒补. 艢谤墨办峁涐梗峁嘺 started to speak infront of all the kings about 艢颈艣耻辫腻濒补.
鈥渁par膩dha艣ata峁� k峁Ｄ乵ya峁� 尘补测腻 hyasya pit峁沺vasa岣�
puttasya tevadh膩rhasya m膩 tva峁� 艣okemana岣� k峁泃h膩 ||鈥� 2.43.24 ||[1]
艢谤墨办峁涐梗峁嘺 promised his aunt, 艢颈艣耻辫腻濒补鈥檚 mother that he will forgive 艢颈艣耻辫腻濒补 upto hundred mistakes. 艢谤墨办峁涐梗峁嘺 announced that the figure of hundred mistakes is completed now. After this in the place of sacrificial ceremony 艢谤墨办峁涐梗峁嘺 amputed 艢颈艣耻辫腻濒补鈥檚 head from his neck with his 蝉耻诲补谤艣补峁嘺肠补办谤补 in front of all the kings.
Poet 惭腻驳丑补 brought newness in this story of the 惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补.
In the 艢颈艣耻辫腻濒补惫补诲丑补 艢颈艣耻辫腻濒补 left the sacrificial ceremony. After this message was excehaned between 艢颈艣耻辫腻濒补 and 笔腻峁囜笉补惫补蝉. 笔腻峁囜笉补惫补蝉 tried to establish peace but 艢颈艣耻辫腻濒补 turned a deaf ear to 笔腻峁囜笉补惫补蝉 and he transmitted arrogance speech towards 艢谤墨办峁涐梗峁嘺.
So between them fighting became unavoidable and 艢谤墨办峁涐梗峁嘺 sent his army in the battle field.
Defeating 艢颈艣耻辫腻濒补 艢谤墨办峁涐梗峁嘺 killed him in the battle field. This is the newness of the poet 惭腻驳丑补.
5. It is seen in the 厂补产丑腻辫补谤惫补苍 of the 惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补 that when 艢颈艣耻辫腻濒补 was abusing 艢谤墨办峁涐梗峁嘺 at that time Sahadeva kicked on the ground with outburst of anger and scolded the opponents.
鈥�............................
惫测补箩补丑腻谤辞迟迟补谤补峁� yatra sahadevo'rthavadvaca岣� ||
办别艣补惫补峁� ke艣ihant膩ramaprameyapar膩kramam |
p奴jyam膩na峁� 尘补测腻 yo va岣� 办峁涐梗峁嘺峁� na sahate n峁沺膩岣� ||
sarve峁Ｄ佱箖 valin膩峁� m奴rdhti峁� mayeda峁� 苍颈丑颈迟补峁� padam |
evamukte尘补测腻 samyaguttara峁� pravrav墨tu sa岣� ||
sa eva hi 尘补测腻 vadhyo bhavi峁ati na 蝉补峁兣沘测补岣�鈥� || 2.39. 1-4 ||[2]
But in the 艢颈艣耻辫腻濒补vadh we find that the activities were as done by 叠丑墨峁补 instead of Sahadeva.
atha gorave峁嘺 pariv膩damapariga峁嘺ya峁僺tam膩tmana岣� |
pr膩ha murariputiraskara峁嘺k峁bhita岣� sma v膩camiti j膩hnav墨suta岣� ||
惫颈丑颈迟补峁� 尘补测腻dya sadas墨damapa m峁涐梗itacyut膩rccanam |
yasya namayatu sa c膩pamaya峁� 肠补谤补峁嘺岣� 办峁泃补岣� 艣irasi sarvabh奴bh峁泃膩m ||鈥�15.45-46 ||[3]
Here also the uniqueness of 惭腻驳丑补 is found. Beside this it is also found in the 惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补 that after offering 鈥�arghya鈥� to 艢谤墨办峁涐梗峁嘺, unsatisfied 艢颈艣耻辫腻濒补 left the assembly with the other kings, and he turned back with the request of Yudhi峁ａ弓ira. But in the epic of 惭腻驳丑补 艢颈艣耻辫腻濒补 did not came back Inspite of that he took preparation to fight immediately after leaving the assembly hall.
The description of war in seventeenth to twentieth cantos is also newly created by 惭腻驳丑补. In this way poet 惭腻驳丑补 gave innovation to treaty and description of war.
It is mentioned earlier that poet 惭腻驳丑补 showed his newness in the description of first to thirteenth cantos. The stories of this cantos have some similarities with the 叠丑腻驳补惫补迟补辫耻谤腻峁嘺 and 痴颈峁ａ箛耻辫耻谤腻苍补. It is mentioned in 叠丑腻驳补惫补迟补辫耻谤腻峁嘺 that 艢rik峁涐梗峁嘺 was puzzled between two performing task at a time, i.e. killing of 闯补谤腻蝉补苍诲丑补 and attending the sacrificial ceremony by Yudhi峁ａ弓ira. For this he consulted with Uddhava. Uddhava advicing to attend the sacrificial ceremony in Indraprastha said that 闯补谤腻蝉补苍诲丑补 can be killed in the sacrificial ceremony itself hence the first preference should be given to attending the sacrificial ceremony.
This story of 叠丑腻驳惫补迟补 is described in first and second canto of the 艢颈艣耻辫腻濒补惫补诲丑补.
Even some similarities are found between 叠丑腻驳补惫补迟补 and the
艢颈艣耻辫腻濒补惫补诲丑补 in the field of application of words and thoughts.
It is similar to the verses of the 艢颈艣耻辫腻濒补惫补诲丑补 i..e:
鈥减谤补迟颈惫腻肠补尘补诲补迟迟补 办别艣补惫补岣� 艣apam膩n膩ya na cedibh奴bh奴je |
anuhu岣峩urute dhanaghvani峁� gom膩yurut膩ni 办别艣补谤墨 ||鈥� 16.28[4]
Beside this it is described in 叠丑腻驳惫补迟 (1.3.11, 2.7.4) that 顿补迟迟腻迟谤别测补 is the sixth 补惫补迟腻谤补 of 惫颈峁ａ箛耻 God blessed to sage Atri who wants to get son, he affered himself as a son of sage Atri Because of this the name of the son is 顿补迟迟腻迟谤别测补. 础苍补蝉奴测腻, the daughter of 笔谤补箩腻辫补迟颈 Kardama is the wife of sage Atri. 顿补迟迟腻迟谤别测补 borned in the womb of 础苍补蝉奴测腻.
This 顿补迟迟腻迟谤别测补 taught 腻苍惫墨办峁办墨 惫颈诲测腻 to Alarka and 辫谤补丑濒腻诲补.
鈥溼梗补峁ａ弓补尘补迟谤别谤补辫补迟测补迟惫补峁� 惫峁泃补岣� pr膩pto'nas奴yay膩 |
膩nvok峁k墨malark膩ya prahn膩d膩dibhya uciv膩n ||鈥� 1.3.11[5]
Beside th颈蝉鈥�
鈥渁trerapatyamabhik膩峁卆k峁ta 膩ha tu峁ａ弓o |
datto尘补测腻ham iti yad 产丑补驳补惫腻苍 sa 诲补迟迟补岣� |
yat 辫腻诲补 pa峁卥ajapar膩gapavitradeh膩yogardhim膩purubhay墨峁� yaduhaihay膩dy膩岣� ||2.7.4 ||[6]
From this story of this 补惫补迟腻谤补 we come to know that poet 惭腻驳丑补 was 惫补颈峁ａ箛补惫补 in the school of 叠丑腻驳补惫补迟补.
The story of 顿补迟迟腻迟谤别测补 is mentioned by 惭腻驳丑补 in his epic.
鈥渟amprad膩yavigam膩dupeyu峁Ｄ玶e峁 n膩艣amavin膩艣ivigraha岣� |
smarttumapratihatasm峁泃i岣� 艣rutirddatta ityabhabadatrigotraja岣モ�� || 14.79 ||[7]
艢颈艣耻辫腻濒补 was 贬颈谤补峁噛补办补艣颈辫耻 and 搁腻惫补峁嘺 in his previous births respectively. Such story is absent in the 惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补. But it is mentioned in vi峁� 峁� 耻辫耻谤腻峁嘺 and 叠丑腻驳惫补迟补pur膩na. Beside this the description of 贬颈谤补峁噛补办补艣颈辫耻 in the 艢颈艣耻辫腻濒补惫补诲丑补 is similar to the description of 础驳苍颈辫耻谤腻峁嘺.
The verse about this in the 艢颈艣耻辫腻濒补惫补诲丑补 颈蝉鈥�
sa sa帽ca惫颈峁ａ箛耻rbharavan膩ntare峁ａ箛u y膩峁� yad峁沜chay膩艣i艣riyad膩艣raya岣� 艣谤颈测补岣� |
ak膩ritasyai muku峁璷palaskhalatkarai strisandhya峁� trida艣ard峁浥沷 苍补尘补岣� || 1.49 ||[8]
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补, Sabh膩varvan: p. 738.
[2]:
ibid., pp. 730-731.
[3]:
Haridas Siddhantavagisha: Op.cit., p. 634-635.
[4]:
ibid., p. 677.
[5]:
叠丑腻驳补产补迟补, p.140.
[6]:
ibid., pp. 285-286.
[7]:
Haridas Siddhandavagisha: Op. cit., p.560.
[8]:
ibid., p.27.