Indian Antiquary Vol 48

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 71

May, 1919]
THE HUN PROBLEM IN INDIAN HISTORY
67
The Huns in Indian Literature-Kalidasa. It is the invasion of the Huns and the particular period of active migration of this nomadic people that scholars have laid hold of in connection with all references that may be found to the Huns in Indian literature. One of these latter references is contained in the Raghuvainsa of Kalidasa. Among the many achievements of the hero has to figure, according to accepted Canons of literary criticism, a description of his conquest of the four quarters. This forms Book IV of the work. Slokas 60-80 of this book give the details of the western conquests of Raghu and his progress northwards till he crossed the Himalayas back into the Madhyadêsa of the ancients. The geography of this progress is worth careful study. Raghu is brought in victorious career along the west coast to Trikûța, which is west Avanti on the farther side of the Vindhyas. Then he started for the conquest of the Parasika by the land way. He left the field of the battle with the army of cavalry of the westerners covered with the bearded heads, cut off by the crescent darts of his bowman. He magnanimously pardoned the survivors who surrendered to him with their turbans removed. The victors rid themselves of the fatigues of the battle by draughts of wine in the surrounding vineyards in which sheets of leather were spread for seats. Then he set forward northwards as if he were bent upon uprooting the northern monarchs. By rolling on the banks of the Sindhu (Vanksu) the horses of Raghu's army not only got rid of the fatigues of the journey but also shook off the pollen of the saffron flowers svicking in their manes. The display of his valour on their husbands exhibited itself by the red colour in the cheeke of the Húna Woman.. The Kambojas unable to resist his valour bent down before him as did their Walnut (Akaoda) trees broken by his elephants tied to them. They sent in their tributes in heaps of gold and herds of horses repeatedly, pride never entering the mind of Raghu all the same.
Then he ascended the Himalayas, the mountain-father of Gaurî, the mineral dust raised by his cavalry appearing to be intended to enhance the heights of its peaks. The breeze rustling among the birch-leaves, and whistling musicallyamong the bamboos, carried the spray droplets of Ganges water which refreshed him on the way.
The Kiratas who reached his abandoned camps learned the height of his elephants from the marks on the deodars left by the neck-ropes of these elephants.
Raghu fought a fierce battle with the Pârvatîyas (the seven ganas of Utsavasaikê tas). Having made them lose the taste for war, he got his pean of victory sung by the Kinnaras.
Having raised his pile of un assailable glory on the Himalayas as if to put to shame the Râvaņa-shaken Kaildsa of Siva, Raghu descended the Himalayas.
* Critieism of the Reference. The substance of the twenty stanzas of the book given above, gives a sufficiently correct indication of the point of view of the author though three points of view seem possible. In such connections an author may simply follow a conventional method in which states and parties are alike figments of the imagination; le may equip himself with such historical information as may be available to him and try to project the political condition of the age of his hero; or he may just project anachronistically the political condition of his own age. Which exactly is the actual point of view of the author in any particular case has to be settled upon its own merits in each case, and the decision will depend upon the pictual knowledge of the age it is possible for us to bring to bear upon the question. Profoundly well-read in the Epics and the Puranas, as Kalidasa apparently was, he does not appear
5 This is a product of Yuan-Chwang's Kapisa. 8. Beal's Si-Yu-Ki, I, 54 and notee, 190 & 191.