The Rashtrakutas and their Times c20.44

c20.44

The theological movement found its greatest exponent in Kumārila who, according to tradition, was an elderly contemporary of S’ankara, but may have really flourished a few decades earlier. Kumārila boldly stood for the pure Vedic religion, opposed the heterodox theory of Sanyāsa, and advocated the life-long performance of Vedic sacrifices involving slaughter of sentient beings. It is not to be, however, supposed that the theological movement began with Kumārila, it rather ended with him. It began with Patañjali; Puṣyamitra Śuṅga, who was his contemporary, had performed the Aśvamedha sacrifice twice.³⁷ Literary activity continued under the Vṛttikāra, Śabarasvāmin, and Prabhākara and we find some of the Hindu rulers of the intervening period very enthusiastic about Vedic sacrifices. Nayanikā, the widow of the third Sātavāhana king, is known to have celebrated a number of Vedic sacrifices like Aśvamedha, Gavāmayana, Gargātirātra, Āptoryāma, etc.; Pravarasena, the founder of the Vākāṭaka dynasty of northern Maharashtra, is recorded to have performed³⁸ Agniṣṭoma, Āptoryāma and Aśvamedha sacrifices. Two of the Gupta emperors are so far known to have celebrated the last mentioned sacrifice and one of the early Cālukya kings is recorded to have participated in several Vedic sacrifices.³⁹