Shunga dynasty and Sanskrit….

  

Pushyamitra Shunga is respectfully applauded by the Vedic people for his greatest ever achievement that he revived Vedic religion that was almost vanished from India because of the dominance of Buddhism. As per Punanik texts, he conducted two horse sacrifices to revive Vedic rituals after coming into the power. This fact also evidenced by Kalidasa’s famous play “Malavikagnimitra”. The chief protagonist of the play Agnimitra was immediate successor of Pushyamitra, probably his son.

Pushamitra was General of Mauryan King Brihadratha. He assassinated Brihadratha and assumed power. Many scholars state that he had complete apathy towards Buddhism, so much so that he mass-massacred thousands of Buddhist monks and destroyed many monasteries.

Even if considered above being the sheer exaggeration of the facts, there has been no doubt among any historian that Pushyamitra was anti-Buddhist and reviver of almost dead Vedic religion.

If this is a fact it poses few questions:

First, if Pushyamitra was reviving Vedic religion, which language he would have chosen to be his Court language?

In all probabilities, answer will be “Sanskrit.”

Sanskrit is thought to be very ancient language. The language Vedic people revere for its being divine and perfect one! Supposing, since Ashoka was a follower of Buddhism, he chose Prakrit as the official language of his Court, wouldn’t Pushyamitra do naturally quite opposite?

Wouldn’t he select divine Sanskrit over Prakrit to be his official language as he was reviving ancient Vedic religion?

But this is not a case at all!

  

Pushyamitra came into the power in 185 BCE and acted as defacto King (he never assumed the title of the king, continued his previous title “Senapati”…i,e. Commander of Army.) till his death! (149 BCE)

 During his reign of almost 36 years had he used Sanskrit as his official language wouldn’t be there some proof in the form of any inscription? There is no such proof!

His contemporary kings, like Kharvela, still were using Prakrit and ample proofs are available to support this fact, like Hathigumpha inscriptions. Prakrit still was the dominant language of social and royal communication.

Agnimitra, who succeeded Pushyamitra in the year 149 BC, struck his own coins. Pushyamitra may not have circulated his coins because he never assumed the title of the king in his life. But his son Agnimitra’s some coins have been found in Mathura region.

The coin gives startling proof! The name “Agnimitra” punched on the coin is “Agi Mittasa”. This is Prakrit form of the name!

This does only imply that Agnimitra too used Prakrit as his official language.

This may not be enough. Another king from the lineage of Shunga dynasty, Danabhuti, (he is also thought to be a feudatory of Shunga, not king himself) too has used Prakrit form of his name. In Bharhut inscription, in respect to a donation, his name appears as "Vacchiputa Dhanabhuti". Also in another Bharhut inscriptions, Shungas are mentioned as "Sugana raaje" (During the period of Shunga's), in Prakrit language. 

Now let us deal with other proof. We know that Heliodorus was a Greek ambassador appointed in the Shunga court. Bhagabhadra was the ruling king of those times. Heliodorus, near Shunga capital Vidisha, erected a Garuda pillar in honor of Vasudeva in 110 BCE

There are two inscriptions on the pillar engraved in Prakrit language using Bramhi script.  

Since a royal emissary used Prakrit language in the inscription, it does mean that the official language of Shunga dynasty was Prakrit and none else.  Otherwise, a foreign Ambassador wouldn’t have used that language.

 Shunga’s at one hand are called reviver of Vedicism and at other they do not apply Sanskrit of any form as their royal language raises a serious question, did Sanskrit exist then?

This is because till 160 AD, no Sanskrit inscription is to be found throughout the country. There is no trace of any kind of Sanskrit (Chandas or Bhasha) being part of social or political life till the middle of second century AD.

Then another question arises, if Pushyamitra conducted Horse Sacrifice as per Vedic ritual, in which language was Veda’s then? We always have been told that Veda’s and Vedic literature was preserved by oral tradition through millenniums in itself becomes a lie. The entire absence of any Sanskrit or Sanskrit-like language, even in the reign of Vedic dynasty points out to this startling fact.

Then why after 160 AD gradually from hybrid Sanskrit to classical Sanskrit inscriptions and written literature starts floating, dominating even Prakrit languages?

The answer is because Sanskrit was still in making during this period! It didn’t exist prior to, at least, first century AD. As sanskrit was developed it started getting royal patronages and gradually became a language of inscriptions and literature during Gupta period...still in the beginning inscriptions were bilingual i.e. Prakrit and Sansktrit. Inference can be drawn that Sanskrit was still a new language to the people hence needed bilingual texts.   

-Sanjay Sonawani
Ref.: 1. Coins of Ancient India:From the earliest Times Down to the Seventh Century- By Alexander Cunningham
2. Between the Empires : Society in India 300 BCE to 400 CE- By  Austin Patrick Olivelle Alma Cowden Madden 

-See also: http://ssonawani.blogspot.in/2013/05/ancient-indian-coins-and-symbolism.html