References to Sects in Bana's Harsacarita

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 Arhat, Maskari, Svetapatta and Pandurabhikṣu – are explicitly named, while seventeen others are identified through their practices. V.S. Agrawala meticulously decodes this enumeration by explaining the double meaning of each phrase: the poet ostensibly describes the conduct of Harsha’s grieving attendants, but the description also alludes to specific sects. Some attendants consign themselves to a precipice at Bhr̥gu­patana, a practice referring to devotees who committed ritual suicide by jumping from a cliff. Others abstain from food and lie on grass, a metaphor for Jain monks who undertake long fasts. Some plunge into flames while performing penances among five fires, a practice of Śaiva ascetics. Yet another group takes vows of silence and retreats to the Himalayas; this also evokes the followers of the grammarian Pāṇini (Vaiyyākaraṇa) who pursued linguistic studies with vows of celibacy. Another verse about lying on couches of leaves in the Vindhya forest points to Pindari mendicants. The article shows how each anonymous group can be matched with a sect, such as the Lokāyata, Kapila, Jaina, Kāpālika, Paśupata and Vedānta schools. Banabhatta’s enumeration includes both orthodox and heterodox movements, reflecting the religious plurality of the time. Agrawala emphasises that the list predates Śaṅkara by a century and a half, yet already refers to Upaniṣadic philosophers (Āupanisada) and Brahmavādins. He notes that similar lists occur in Somadeva’s Yugas-Tilaka-Campū and Śrīharṣa’s Naishadha-carita, but Banabhatta’s account is more comprehensive. The enumeration corroborates other evidence that Harsha’s reign tolerated Buddhists, Jains, Śaivites and other sects. By teasing out the allusions, the article reconstructs a panorama of post-Gupta religious life. It also highlights how Banabhatta’s sophisticated wordplay serves both literary and historical purposes, turning an apparently panegyric episode into a catalogue of contemporary sects.

Summary reviewed by a volunteer editor.