History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c74.t2.87

v5.c74.t2.87

Before proceeding further, it is necessary to dwell, however briefly, on the ancient history of Banaras The Śatapatha Br. quotes ¹⁴⁰⁶ a Gāthā which states that Śatānīka, son of Satrājīt, carried away the sacred sacrificial horse of the Kāśis, as Bharata did in the case of the Satvats. In Śat. Br. XIV. 3. 1. 22 king Dhṛtarāṣṭra Vaicitravīrya is called Kāśya. In the Gopatha Br. we have ¹⁴⁰⁷ the combination Kāśī-Kośalāḥ. The Cambridge History of India (vol. I. p. 117 ) remarks that in the Brāhmaṇa period Kāśī, the capital of the Kāśis, was situated on the Varaṇāvatī. In the Bṛ. Up. (II. 1. 1) and the Kauṣītaki ¹⁴⁰⁸ Up. (IV. 1) there is the story of the proud Bālāki Gārgya going to Ajātaśatru, king of Kāśī, with the assurance that the former would expound *brahma* to the latter. In Pāṇini IV. 2. 116 Kāśī heads a *gaṇa* (‘Kāśyādibhyas-ṭhañ-ñithau’). Under Pāṇini IV. 2. 113 we get the form ‘Kāśīyaḥ.’ It is remarkable that in the Sarvānukrama the *ṛṣi* of Ṛg. X. 179. 2 is stated to be Pratardana Kāśirāja. In *tarpaṇa*, the Hiraṇ. Gṛ. (II. 8. 19. 6) mentions Kāśīśvara along with Viṣṇu and Rudraskanda (S. B. E. vol 30 p. 244). Divodāsa figures frequently in the Ṛgveda. In Ṛg I. 130 7 Indra is said to have conquered ninety cities for Divodāsa, while in Ṛg. IV. 30. 20 it is stated that Indra gave 100 cities of stone to Divodāsa. From these Vedic references it may be surmised that in later works like the Epics and the Purāṇas Divodāsa was naturally credited with the founding of the most sacred city in India. In the Mahābhāṣya on Vārtika 4 on Pāṇ. IV. 1. 54 (vol II. p 223) we find the illustration ‘Kāśi-Kosalyāḥ.’ The Mahābhāṣya (vol. II. p 413) furnishes the interesting information that there is a difference in the price of cloth manufactured at Kāśī and that manufactured at Mathurā, though the length and breadth of the piece of cloth be the same. This shows that even so early as the 2nd century B. C. Kāśi was famous for the fine qualities of its cloth, as now.¹⁴⁰⁹ From the above passages it is clear that Kāśī was the name of a country long before the Śatapatha Br. was composed and it remained so till the 2nd century B. C. (the date of Patañjali). We have a parallel example. Avanti is the name of a country as shown by Pāṇ IV. 1. 176 (striyām-avanti-kunti-kurubhyaś-ca) and by the Meghadūta (Prāpyāvantīn-udayana—), but Avantī or Avantikā is also the name of Ujjayinī (as in the well-known verse ‘Ayodhyā...Avantikā’). Fa Hien (399 to 413 A. D.) is said to have arrived at the city of Vārāṇasī in the kingdom of Kāśi (Legge's tr. p 94). This shows that about 400 A. D. Kāśī was still the name of the district and Vārāṇasī was its capital. But from the reference in the Mahābhāṣya it appears that Kāśī had then become the name of the city (and was also the name of the country) In the Anuśāsana-parva (chap 30) it is said that Haryaśva, the grand-father of Divodāsa, was king of the Kāśis1409a and was harassed and killed by the Vītahavyas in the *Doab* between the Ganges and Jumna. Haryaśva's son was Sudeva who was crowned king of Kāśi (verse 13, Kāśirājos bhyasicyata) and he also met the same fate as his father did. Then Divodāsa, son of Sudeva, became king of the Kāśis and founded Vārānasī thickly populated with men of all varnas on the northern bank of the Gomatī. This legend shows that Kāśi was the ancient name of a kingdom and the ancient belief was that Vārānasī was founded as the capital of the Kāśis by Divodāsa. In the Udyogaparva also Divodāsa is said to be the ruler of Kāśis.¹⁴¹⁰