Bhartruhari

[Guest guest]

Hello,

 

There is a story about King Bhartruhari.

 

Due to a train of events (the story is very long), a king marries

four women at the same time, each of them of a different caste. Bhartruhari

is the son of the Brahmin woman, and the eldest. Vikramaditya is the son

of the Kshatriya woman, Patti is the son of the Vaishya woman and another

man (I forgot the name) is the son of the Sudra woman. The son of the

Sudra woman takes to monastic life in his youth. Bhartruhari is made the

king. He rules his country with the help of his two brothers.

 

One day a great sage visits the king. He gives the king a rare fruit

which will keep the person who eats it young for many years. The king, who

is loves his wife more than his own life, gives it to her. But, the queen

is in love with a palace guard and give it to him. The palace guard gives

the fruit to a public woman, whom he visits regularly. That woman, who has

no regard for the palace guard, and has no faith in the fruit, gives it to

her servant maid. This whole thing happens in one day. That evening, when

the king goes for a stroll in the balcony of his palace, he finds the

fruit in the basket on the head of this servant maid.

 

Immediately he summons the woman and orders an enquiry. After a while,

the officer comes and reports to the king the sequence of incidents which

led to the fruit landing into the basket of the servant maid. In a flash

the king realises the futility of the world. He realises that one cannot

expect even a slight regard in return for love in this world, leave alone

for other material things. He makes Vikramaditya the king and goes into

the forests to realise the Truth.

 

As a sage, he became very renowned. Later Vikramaditya and Patti

established the Ujjaini Empire.

 

Three of Bhartruhari's works are very famous.

1. Neeti Shataka - 100 verses on ethics, morality, governance, etc

2. Shrngaara Shataka - 100 verses on art, beauty, etc

3. Vairagya Shataka - 100 verses on renunciation

There is supposed to be one grammar book also by him. I do not know the

details. Also, I do not know if there are other works by him.

 

With regards,

Gomu.

 

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[Guest guest]

Dear Gomu,

 

Thank you very much for the amusing story about Bhartrihari. Everyone

will appreciate it.

 

John Garrett's " Classical Dictionary of India " states: " He wrote a

grammatical treatise, but his Vakya Pradipa or Metrical Maxims on the

philosophy of Syntax, are the best known. They are often cited under

the name of Harikarica, and have almost equal authority with the

precepts of Panini. His Satakas or centuries of verses (100 Verses on

Renunciation, I assume), are also much admired. "

 

Do you know of Harikarica?

Thank you again,

With best wishes,

Edith