Review: Bhoja and Haravijaya of Sarvasena by Dr. V. M. Kulkarni
Summary
The review by Dr. V. M. Kulkarni examines the lost Maharashtri Prakrit epic, Haravijaya, by the poet Sarvasena. The main argument is that the epic, which restructures the Parijata episode from the Bhagavata Purana around the rivalry between Krishna's consorts Satyabhama and Rukmini, is an epoch-making work of the sukumara marga or Vaidarbhi style. The review notes that the epic has been irretrievably lost, surviving only in fragments preserved by Bhoja the Great of Dhara in the Srngaraprakasa and the Sarasvatikanthabharana, as well as one passage preserved by Anandavardhana. The importance of Sarvasena is highlighted by the fact that great Sanskrit rhetoricians like Anandavardhana and Kuntaka placed him on par with Kalidasa, quoting from the Haravijaya to support their theories on the generation of aesthetic experience (rasa). The evidence and sources discussed in Kulkarni's monograph include the reproduction of 25 Prakrit verses in Part I and 95 in Part II, each accompanied by Sanskrit chaya and English translation. Kulkarni provides the exact context of these verses in Bhoja’s works in the footnotes, with more details in the Notes. The Appendix identifies the sources of Sarvasena’s Haravijaya in the Harivamsa, the Vishnu Purana, and the Bhagavata Purana. Kulkarni concludes that the Vishnu Purana is likely the source of the Haravijaya, noting that the incident of Parijatahara occurs in Vijayadhvaja’s Padaratnavalli on the Bhagavata Purana, not in the main body of that Purana as in the Vishnu Purana. The editor used the Mysore edition of the Srngaraprakasa and the N. S. edition of the Sarasvatikanthabharana. Kulkarni also restored corrupt passages using his own principles of emendation. However, the reviewer, N. M. K, points out that it is not clear if the editor succeeded in suggesting the probable location of the passages in their narrative order, leaving the epic in a fragmentary shape like an antique piece.
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Conclusion
Dr. V. M. Kulkarni’s monograph on the lost Prakrit epic *Haravijaya* by Sarvasena represents a significant scholarly achievement in reconstructing a crucial classical text. By meticulously compiling and critically editing the surviving fragments preserved in the works of Bhoja and Anandavardhana, Kulkarni provides an essential foundation for understanding Sarvasena’s literary contributions. The study highlights the epic’s historical prominence, particularly its elevation to the status of a classical masterpiece by renowned rhetoricians like Anandavardhana and Kuntaka, who cited it alongside Kalidasa’s works to champion the primacy of emotion and aesthetic experience in literature. Kulkarni’s careful textual restoration, translation, and contextual analysis of these fragments not only revive a lost epic but also reaffirm Sarvasena’s pivotal role in the *sukumara marga*, offering profound insights into the evolution of Sanskrit and Prakrit literary traditions.