Social Life in Ancient India: Studies in Vatsyayana's Kamasutra c8.s5.t1: Samāja
Social Life in Ancient India: Studies in Vātsyāyana's Kāmasūtra c8.s5.t1
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Samāja
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At the temple of *Sarasvatī*, the goddess of learning and the fine arts, on a fixed day every fortnight, that is, on the *tithi* or lunar phase specially auspicious to the deity worshipped, a *samāja* or an assemblage of *nāgarakas* was held regularly. They were accompanied by musicians, dancers and other artists permanently employed by them for performances in honour of the deity. Besides, when any itinerant parties of actors, dancers or other such "artists" visited the town, they were afforded an opportunity of showing their skill at the temple before the divinity. On the day following the performance the party had to be given their stipulated rewards, and then they might be dismissed or asked to repeat their performances at the pleasure of their patrons. On special occasions, when performances on a grand scale were arranged, parties of actors might co-operate with each other and give a joint performance and it was the duty of the corporation or guild (*gaṇa*), to which the *nāgaraka* belonged, to honour and treat with hospitality the strangers who attended these gatherings. Similar festivities of various kinds were held on a grand scale in honour of different deities according to the customs appertaining to each.¹ On some of these occasions there were processions (*yātrā*) like the procession of images that Fa-Hien saw in Khotan when "they swept and watered the streets inside the city, making a grand display in the lanes and by-ways."² In these processions both men and women joined and Vātsyāyana says that they afforded opportunities for meeting one's lady-love.³ Even a virtuous matron could attend a religious ceremony with the permission of her husband.⁴
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¹ पक्षस्य मासस्य वा प्रभातेऽहनि सरस्वत्या भवने नियुक्तानां नित्यं समाजः। कुशीलवाद्यागन्तवः प्रेक्षकाश्चमर्षा दद्याः। द्वितीयोऽहनि तेभ्यः पूजा नियतं लभेसन्। ततो यथाश्रद्धमर्षा दर्शनमुत्सर्गा वा। व्यसनोत्सवेषु चैषां परस्परसैककाव्यता। आगन्तूनां च कृतसमवायानां पूजनमभ्यपस्र्तिं ति गणधर्मीः। एतेन तं तं देवताविशेषमुद्दिश्य संभावितस्थितधोर्विविधा घटा व्याख्याताः। — Ibid, pp. 49-51 (*sūtras* 27-33).
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² Legge, *Fa-Hien*, p. 18.
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³ स तु (समागमः ) देवताभिगमने यात्रायामुद्यानक्रीडायां विवाहे यज्ञव्यसनोत्सवेषु भ्रातृपाते चौरविभ्रमे जनपदस्य चकारोद्यमे प्रेक्षाव्यापारेषु तेषु तेषु च कार्येषु। — *Kāmasūtra*, p. 274 (*sūtra* 41).
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⁴ आबाहे विवाहे यज्ञे गमनं सखीभिः सह गोष्ठौ देवताभिगमनमित्यनुज्ञाता कुर्यात्। — Ibid, p. 226 (*sūtra* 15).
Linked texts (1)
- Kāmasūtra — Vātsyāyana Mallanāga, Sanskrit