Shri-harsha ( IAST: Śrīharṣa) was a 7th century Indian philosopher and poet. Shri Harsha's works concern

Advaita Vedanta ''Advaita Vedanta'' (; sa, अद्वैत वेदान्त, ) is a Hindu sādhanā, a path of spiritual discipline and experience, and the oldest extant tradition of the orthodox Hindu school Vedānta. The term ''Advaita'' ( ...

, Nyaya and other themes in

Hindu Philosophy Hindu philosophy encompasses the philosophies, world views and teachings of Hinduism that emerged in Ancient India which include six systems ('' shad-darśana'') – Samkhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimamsa and Vedanta.Andrew Nicholson ( ...

Early life

Śrīharṣa was the son of Śrīhira and Mamalladevī. His father, Śrīhira, was a poet in the court of the

Gahadavala The Gahadavala dynasty (IAST: Gāhaḍavālas), also Gahadavalas of Kanauj, was a Rajput dynasty that ruled parts of the present-day Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, during 11th and 12th centuries. Their capital was located at Varana ...

king

Vijayachandra Vijaya-chandra ( IAST: Vijayacandra, r. c. 1155-1169 CE) was an Indian king from the Gahadavala dynasty. He ruled the Antarvedi country in the Gangetic plains, which includes a major part of the present-day eastern Uttar Pradesh, including Vara ...

. His father was also a guide of common people towards god with vedas, Bhagavad Gita's thoughts etc. His father asked Harsha at the time of his death to study well and become a pandit. He told him to use his shiksha (education) towards making life of common people divinity oriented and better. Also, he told Śrīharṣa to take thoughts of Bhagavad Gita to every one. Śrīharṣa went to gurukul for education and studied under Guru's guidance. He mastered all scriptures and all schools of thoughts prevailing at that time. He wrote the unparalleled book (granth), खण्डन-खण्ड-खाद्य, on Advaia Vedanta. In this book, he has refuted Nyayadarshan's principles.

Naishadha Charita

Śrīharṣa composed the poem (''kāvya'') ''

Naishadha Charita ''Naishadha Charita'', also known as Naishadhiya Charita (), is a poem in Sanskrit on the life of Nala, the king of Nishadha. Written by Sriharsha, it is considered one of the five '' mahakavyas'' (great epic poems) in the canon of Sanskrit liter ...

'' ( IAST: ''Naiṣadhacarita'') in 1174, during the reign of the Vijayachandra's son

Jayachandra Jaya-chandra (IAST: Jayacandra, r. c. 1170–1194 CE) was a king from the Gahadavala dynasty of northern India. He is also known as Jayachchandra (IAST: Jayaccandra) in inscriptions, and Jaichand in vernacular legends. He ruled the Antarvedi c ...

. According to Rājaśekhara's '' Prabandhakośa'', upon the wide acceptance of ''Naishadha Charita'', Śrīharṣa was dignified with the title ''Narabharati''. The ''Naishadha Charita'' contains erotic themes, but according to the 15th-century Jain scholar Nayachandra Suri, Śrīharṣa was actually a celibate, who had "conquered his sense organs" (''jitendriya''). The ''Naishadha Charita'' was brought into Gujarat by Harihara during the reign of Vīradhavala to which Chandu Pandita in his ''Dipika'', composed in 1296, refers to as a new poem and also to the commentary of Vidyādhara. ''Naishadha Charita'' was composed earlier than ''Khaṇḍanakhaṇḍakhādya'' in which text Sriharsha alludes to the works of Kalidasa.

Other works

Śrīharṣa spent his later life in ascetic serenity on the banks of River Ganga. He composed several other works, none of which are now available. These include ''Vijayaprasasti'', ''Chindaprasasti'', ''Gaudorvisakulaprasasti'', ''Sahasankacarita'', ''Arnavavarnana'' and ''Amarakhandana''. His ''Khaṇḍanakhaṇḍakhādya'' is a critique of the ''Śivabhaktisiddhi'' by

Udayana Udayana, ( Devanagari: उदयन) also known as Udayanācārya (Udyanacharya, or Master Udayana), (circa 975 - 1050 CE) was an Indian philosopher and logician of the tenth century of the Nyaya school who attempted to devise a rational theo ...

, the Nyāya philosopher. Śrīharṣa was also a philosopher; ''Khaṇḍanakhaṇḍakhādya'' or "Sugar-candy pieces of refutations," is a refutation of the doctrines of the ''Nyāya'' system of philosophy.

References

Bibliography

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External links