History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c14.s1.30

v1.c14.s1.30

It is unfortunate that this valiant and learned king became in his later days a tyrant and an oppressor of Brahmins. Perhaps his misfortunes in spite of his victories left him poor. It is said that a serpent having promised to reveal to him a mountain of gold revealed in the end, owing to his mistake, only a mountain of copper situated in the Kramarājya (a province of Kashmir) and he had 99 crores of copper dīnāras struck. But he had a dirth of gold and for the sake of gold he began to oppress his subjects through his Kāyastha officers. We must speak here of the Kāyasthas, a caste to whom Kalhana always refers with contempt and disapprobation. The Kāyasthas are found in the history of Kashmir onward, always assisting oppressive kings with their bad counsel and are generally associated with a rapacious administration. Kāyasthas did not meet us in the history of Sind. They are in fact (even now) not found in large numbers either in Sind or in the Panjab, where their place is taken by the Khatris who like the Kāyasthas were the competitors of Brahmins in the ranks of government servants. Even now Kāyasthas are to be found predominant in Kashmir, in the U. P. and in Bengal both in the population and in government service. They are not found to the south of the Nerbuda except in the Konkan. In the Deccan and in the south they are not to be seen. Undoubtedly the Kāyastha claim to Kshatriya origin is correct though there is admittedly a mixture of blood. The mixed caste of Kāyasthas is not mentioned in the earlier Smritis and finds mention only in one or two later ones. They are mixed Kshatriyas whose caste occupation is writing and government service as we find even in the Mṛichhakaṭika. By intelligence and energy they are undoubtedly Aryans and Kshatriyas. But strangely enough Kāyastha public servants are, though efficient, generally unpopular and oppressive. In the Panjab, government service is almost monopolised by Khatris. They are clearly Kshatriyas who have given up the sword for the pen and their intelligence as certainly indicates their Aryan origin as their physique, but they are not specially mentioned in ancient history like the Kāyasthas. To return to our history from this digression; Jayāpīda through his Kāyastha officers began to oppress his subjects by various exactions. He was opposed by the Brahmins who are usually a fearless out-spoken people ( सर्वकालं ब्राह्मणानामहौ धैर्यमकुण्ठितम्। निर्भिशस्य बभूवुर्ये तस्यापि परिपन्थिनः ॥ ) Jayāpīda now became unpopular even among the pandits who at once turned their wit against him. The following verses are typical and well worth quotation. They are of course based on pun of words. Jayāpīda who prided himself upon his learning is said to be not inferior to Pāṇini the grammarian. “नितान्तकृतकृत्यस्य गुणवृद्धिधायिनः। श्रीजयापीडदेवस्य पाणिनेश्च किमन्तरम्॥ कृतविप्रोपसर्गस्य भूतानिष्ठाविधायिनः। श्रीजयापीडदेवस्य पाणिनेश्च किमन्तरम्॥” The king, however, was incorrigible and ill-treated and despised the Brahmins the more till at last by the curse of a Brahmin, so the poet relates, the golden pole of his tent fell upon him and he died of the wound received. He is said to have ruled for 31 years. Thus his reign may be said to have ended in 736 + 1 + 7 + 7 + 31 = 782 A. D. the kings intervening between him and Lalitāditya ruling for one, seven and seven years only.