History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c91.351

v7.c91.351

The Purāṇas and Dharmaśāstras put so much emphasis on ahiṁsā that millions of people in India became and are even now strict vegetarians not only among brāhmaṇas, but also among vaiśyas and śūdras, while it appears that Buddhists all over the world are not strict vegetarians at all. To day very few of the ideal virtues that Buddhism set before even laymen are a matter of endeavour for most Buddhists in all lands. In spite of Buddha's crusade against animal sacrifices and Aśoka's drastic measures to eliminate the killing and cruelty to birds and beasts, it is found that some Vedic sacrifices (including animal sacrifices) continued to be performed by Indian kings and common people during the centuries before and after the Christian era. A few examples are cited here: (1) Senāpati Pusyamitra (about 150 B C) performed two Aśvamedhas (*E I.* vol. XX. pp 54-58, Harivaṁśa III. 2. 35 ff¹⁶⁵⁷ (which latter speaks of Senānī Kāśyapa-dvija as performer of Aśvamedha in Kali age) and Kālidāsa's Mālavikāgnimitra (Act V) where he is spoken of as engaged in Rājasūya sacrifice; (2) Khāravela, king of Kaliṅga and a Jain, performed in the 6th year of his reign a Rājasūya (*E I.* XX p. 79); (3) Bhavanāga of the Bhāraśiva lineage (about 200 A. D) glorified as the performer of ten Aśvamedhas in Vākātaka plates (Chammak plate of Vākātaka Pravarasena II in Gupta Inscriptions No. 55 pp. 236-237,¹⁶⁵⁸ and in Poona plates of Prabhāvatīguptā, the chief queen of Vākātaka Rudrasena II in *E. I.* vol XV. p. 39); (4) Vākātaka emperor Pravarasena I. (about 250 A. D.) is described as the daughter's son of Bhavanāga and as the performer of four Aśvamedhas (in *E I.* vol. XV. p. 39); (5) The great Gupta emperor Samudragupta (about 325-370 A. D) is described in some Gupta Inscriptions as one who restored the Asvamedha sacrifice that had long been in abeyance (vide Bilsad Stone inscription in Gupta Inscriptions No. 10 at p. 42 and the Bihar Stone pillar Inscription of Skandagupta, *ibid*, No. 12 at p. 51); (6) The Pallava King Śivaskanda-varman (about 300–350 A. D.) is praised as the performer of Agniṣṭoma, Vājapeya and Aśvamedha (E. I. vol. I p. 2 at p. 5); (7) The Pallava king Siṁhavarman is spoken of as the performer of several Aśvamedhas (Pikira grant in E. I. vol. VIII. p. 159 at p. 162); (8) Cālukya king Pulakeśi I (about 570 A. D.) performed Aśvamedha (Aihole Inscription of śaka 536 in E. I. vol. VI p. 1); (9) Cālukya king Pulakeśi II performed Aśvamedha (Aihole Ins. of śaka 536 in E. I. vol. VI. p. 1 and Talamanchi plates of Vikramāditya I. in E. I. vol. IX p 98 in A. D. 660); (10) the Viṣṇukuṇḍin Mādhava-varmā (a relative of the Vākāṭaka family) is recorded (in E. I. vol IV. p. 196) as having performed eleven Aśvamedhas, one thousand Agni-ṣṭomas, Pauṇḍarīka,¹⁶⁵⁹ Puruṣamedha, Vājapeya, Soḍaśin and Rājasūya (about the 7th or 8th century A D.). For other instances of Aśvamedhas performed by kings, vide H. of Dh. vol. II. pp. 1238–39.