The backdrop of the Srikanthacarita and the Mankhakosa
by Dhrubajit Sarma | 2015 | 94,519 words
This page relates 鈥淩eligious data (found in the Shrikanthacarita)鈥� 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.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
Part 9 - Religious data (found in the 艢谤墨办补峁囜弓丑补肠补谤颈迟补)
The people during 惭补峁卥丑补办补鈥檚 time led a religious life. They performed the Vedic rites and rituals strongly. 笔谤腻迟补岣补苍诲丑测腻[1] i. e. morning adorations were performed by the dvijas, 蝉腻测补峁僺补苍诲丑测腻[2] i.e. evening prayer was also done. The sun-god was offered argha.[3] In the evening time, females worship their 颈峁ａ弓补诲别惫补迟腻 by circular waving of lights.[4] People spelt mantras and meditated with their eyes closed with deep devotion.[5] Rudr膩k峁m膩l膩s were used.[6] Idol-worshipping was practised. Primarily, Lord 艢颈惫补 was worshipped in the form of an idol, however the dual form of Lord 艢颈惫补 and Lord 痴颈峁ａ箛耻, named as Harihara was also prayed.[7] Again, an idol of 惭腻谤迟补峁囜笉补 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], 辫耻谤辞岣嵞伵沘 or 辫颈峁ａ弓肠补谤耻[12], 诲墨辫补[13], sandal paste[14] etc.
People performed various sacrifices.[15] There is the reference of 辫奴谤峁嚹乭耻迟颈 i.e. the concluding offering[16], 补惫补产丑峁泃丑补 bath after completing a sacrifice.[17] People worshipped three types of fire viz. 驳腻谤丑补辫补迟测补, 腻丑补惫补苍墨测补 and 诲腻办峁苍腻迟测补.[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 Br膩hmins 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鈥檚 bosom was in practice.[23] Priests used to sprinkle rice corn by uttering some mantras to avert natural calamity.[24] The 诲别惫补诲腻蝉墨 like practice of offering female dancer to Lord 艢颈惫补 was observed.[25] There are also instances of religious co-existence during that time of Kashmir, as there were references of 础尘颈迟腻产丑补 (Lord Buddha), goddess 罢腻谤腻 and 惭补帽箩耻驳丑辞峁 in the 艢谤墨办补峁囜弓丑补肠补谤颈迟补.[26]
The religious beliefs of that time were鈥損eople 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 Br膩hmin 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 艢谤墨办补峁囜弓丑补肠补谤颈迟补, which reflect the scenario of that time of Kashmir. However, some scholars opine that, as 惭补峁卥丑补办补 was a court poet, therefore, his description of the peoples鈥� 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 艢谤墨办补峁囜弓丑补肠补谤颈迟补. However, we get a detailed description of the then society of 惭补峁卥丑补办补鈥檚 time from the 艢谤墨办补峁囜弓丑补肠补谤颈迟补. Whatever, scanty or insufficient, we must have to rely on 惭补峁卥丑补办补 to reconstruct the socio-cultural history of medieval India.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
艢谤墨办补峁囜弓丑补肠补谤颈迟补., XVII. 2
[2]:
s膩yamarcanavidhi峁� vitenire khecar膩 niyatamu峁ａ箛ara艣maye/
s膩ndhyar膩gaharicandan膩帽citairbhairnabho鈥檙ghaka峁嘺vadyad膩babhau// Ibid., X. 18
[3]:
Ibid., X. 18, page 134
[4]:
Ibid., XVI. 45
[5]:
Ibid., XV. 40
[6]:
Ibid., IV. 56
[7]:
Ibid., III. 70, 73
[8]:
bibharti m膩rta峁囜笉avapuryadantike pada峁� prabhurdhv膩ntagadaikabhe峁ja峁�/
upetya paurapramad膩mukhendubhi岣� svak膩ntip奴rairmas峁涐箛墨k峁泃膩tapa岣�// Ibid., III. 15
[9]:
Ibid., III. 62
[10]:
Ibid., IV. 37; V. 3, 4 etc.
[11]:
Ibid., V. 12
[12]:
Ibid., V. 42
[13]:
Ibid., IV. 38
[14]:
Ibid., X. 18
[15]:
Ibid., III. 2
[16]:
Ibid., XX. 46
[17]:
Ibid., III. 1
[18]:
Ibid., III. 4, XXV. 87, 99
[19]:
Ibid., III. 8
[20]:
Ibid., III. 33
[21]:
Ibid., III. 36
[22]:
Ibid., XVI. 19
[23]:
Ibid., XXIV. 27
[24]:
Ibid., XXIV. 31
[25]:
Ibid., XXV. 139
[26]:
Ibid., III. 54
[27]:
Ibid., II. 54
[28]:
Ibid., IX. 36; XIV. 31
[29]:
Ibid., XVII. 15, 17; XIX. 27
[30]:
Ibid., VII. 41
[31]:
Jonar膩ja comments鈥攕膩par膩dhasy膩pi br膩hmanasya 艣膩stre vadhyatv膩bh膩va艣rava峁嚹乼/艢谤墨办补峁囜弓丑补肠补谤颈迟补., XII. 28, page 167