History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c18.s3.9

v1.c18.s3.9

The greatest thing to be remarked about Yaśovarman is that his reign synchronised with and marked the final ascendency of revived Hinduism. Indeed this revival began even during Harsha’s reign. Orthodox Hinduism at this time rallied round the sanctity of the Vedas and the efficacy of Vedic sacrifices, two tenets on which Buddhism was most opposed to it and Pūrva Mīmānsā or the philosophy of Vedic ritual was studied most zealously even during the reign of Harsha. Bāṇa describes his own uncles as great students of the Mīmānsā Śāstra and as performers of Vājapeya, Agniṣṭoma and other Vedic sacrifices. The great apostle of Pūrva Mīmānsā, Kumārila Bhatta, according to S. P. Pandit was the Guru or teacher of Bhavabhūti and grand-teacher of Vākpatirāj as is evidenced by a colophon of Bhavabhūti's drama Mālatī-Mādhava and we may provisionally accept the dates approximately assigned to these great men by S. P. Pandit (Intro. to Gaudavaho p. ccix). as follows :—