History of the Pallavas of Kanchi c11.s3.5

c11.s3.5

Light thrown on Contemporary Life by the Work.—This little play is full of interest to the student of religious history as it affords valuable material regarding the extinct Kāpālika faith, and the vices of the Śākyabikhshus and the views regarding the teachings of the Buddha held by the followers of other religions, such as the Kāpālikas. ‘From the *Mattavilāsa-Prahasana* it becomes clear that to a Kāpālika, the Kapāla is as essential as is a sacred thread to a Brāhmaṇa. If he loses it he should provide himself with another in a stated time. He should cover his body with ashes and make himself hideous, and drink liquor from skull of a human being. . . . One of his articles of faith is that the effect always resembles, to a certain extent, the cause; therefore, from the practice of austerities in this life one cannot obtain bliss in another life since austerities and bliss are of opposite nature. The Kāpālikas carried in addition to the Kapāla, a cow's horn both for blowing during their worship and drinking from. The people of this faith associated freely with women-Kāpālikas. . . . The opinions held by the particular Kāpālika, Bhaṭya-Soma of our play, regarding the Śākyabhikshus are that the Śākyabhikshus indulged freely in animal food and fattened themselves pecuniarily by being the managers of several vihāras, and led a comfortable life, against all the rules of their order: they covered themselves only to conceal their foibles. Their teacher Buddha, did nothing more than steal his doctrines from the Vedānta and the Mahābhārata of the Brahmans, and compiled therefrom his doctrines.¹ The mention of Buddhas, Bikshus, Kāpālikas and Pāśupatas, in his burlesque by Mahēndravarman I as among the inhabitants of Kāñchīpuram bear out the surmise that Buddhism flourished there till at least the seventh century A.D., and that the statement of Hiuen-Tsang regarding the existence in Kāñchīpura of a large number of vihāras² finds support in this work of Mahēndravarman.