Prolegomena to Prakritica et Jainica

SR No.: 011088
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Satyaranjan Banerjee
Publisher: Asiatic Society
Total Pages: 248
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 17 MB

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PROLEGOMENA TO PRAKRITICA et JAINICA
Paurāņikās, Smārtās, physicians (Bhișajas), astrologers (Mauhūrttikās) and such others; on the eastern side the Prakrit poets (prākstā kavayaḥ), and behind them actors (nata), dancers (narttana), singers (gayana), musicians (vādaka), bards and such others; on the western side the vernacular poets (apabhramsinah kavayaḥ) and behind them painters (citralepyakstaḥ), jewel-setters (mānikyabandhakāh), jewellers (vaikatikāh), goldsmiths (svarņakārāḥ), carpenters ( vardhakilohakārāḥ) and blacksmiths and such others; and on the southern side Paisacha poets (bhūtabhāşākavayah), and behind them, paramours, courtezans, rope-dancers, jugglers, wrestlers and professional soldiers”. (Introduction p. XXXVi - vii).
Whether this was the prevalent practice of the king or not, was not clear from Rājasekhara, but it was a picture of how a king in the mediaeval India used to organise a poetic assembly in his kingdom. And we can gauge at the moment that that was the practice of the Indians at that time and this picture was reflected by Rājasekhara in his Kavyamīmāṁsā.
From the Kumārapālacarita, we can also infer that Hemacandra says that the kings must be religious-minded and he must go to pilgrimages after defeating his enemies (V. 132). In their old age, the kings should live in pilgrimages by observing asceticism (VIII. 15).
II. Social Thoughts of Hemacandra As I have said in my earlier part of this article that it was difficult for me to elicit the political thoughts of Hemacandra from his works, so also in the case of social thoughts, it is equally difficult to find out the social gleanings of Hemacandra from his writings. We must remember that Hemacandra has not written any book on social order of the country, but from some of the words used by him relating to social structure, we can build the edifice of sociology to some extent at the time of