Vasudeva S. Agrawala

References to Sects in Bana's Harsacarita

By Vasudeva S. Agrawala

Banabhatta’s Harsacarita, written during Harsha’s reign (early 7th century), contains a passage in which the poet lists twenty-one religious sects and philosophical schools. Four of the groups – the…

Kalidasa’s Reference to a Custom of the Hūnas in the Raghuvaṃśa

By Vasudeva S. Agrawala

Professor V. S. Agrawala analyses a remarkable passage in Kālidāsa’s Raghuvaṃśa in which Raghu defeats the Hūnas. The poet describes how the deaths of Hūna chieftains in battle caused their women to…

Are hirodaka and andakastha actual words?

By Vasudeva S. Agrawala

In this philological note V. S. Agrawala scrutinises two obscure words – **hirodaka** and **andakasthā** – that appear in a Buddhist hybrid Sanskrit manuscript. Previous editors marked them with…

The Janapada and the Greek City-State

By Vasudeva S. Agrawala

‘The Janapada and the Greek City‑State’ undertakes a comparative study of early Indian and Greek political formations. The term Janapada literally means ‘the territory where a people place their…

Geographical Data in Panini

By Vasudeva S. Agrawala

Panini’s Astadhyayi is not merely a grammatical treatise; it is also a rich repository of geographical information. The author’s explanation of place‑names allows historians to reconstruct the…

Ancient Indian Geography

By Vasudeva S. Agrawala

This article surveys the wealth of geographical information preserved in ancient Indian literature. The author notes that sources span many languages, including Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit and even…

Some Chronological Considerations about Panini's Date

By Vasudeva S. Agrawala

Vasudeva S. Agrawala’s article 'Some Chronological Considerations about Panini's Date' reevaluates the dating of the grammarian Pāṇini by examining the internal evidence of the Aṣṭādhyāyī and…

Some Foreign Words in Ancient Sanskrit Literature

By Vasudeva S. Agrawala

The article examines evidence of foreign words in ancient Sanskrit literature. Drawing on archaeological discoveries and philological analysis, it argues that India had cultural contacts with…

The Maluta Jataka in Folk-lore

By Vasudeva S. Agrawala

The Maluta Jataka, a Pali Jataka story (No. 17), illustrates the futility of petty quarrels through a parable involving two monks, Kala Thero and Junha Thero, who dispute the timing of cold…

‘Vachasi’ in Rock Edict VI of Asoka

By Vasudeva S. Agrawala