Contribution of Bihar to Sanskrit Literature (An Old and Rare Book)

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It may sound platitudinous if we say that no complete assessment of the cultural history of ancient and medieval India, particularly of its literary contribution is possible without a proper appraisal of the regional contribution to Sanskrit Literature. But, no such attempt has as yet been made. In our attempt to present systematic accounts of the Sanskrit works, produced in the different regions of India, we have already dealt with the contribution of Bengal and Kashmir in separate volumes. It is proposed, in the following pages, to apprise the readers of the main- fold contribution of the region, now called Bihar, to various branches of Sanskrit literature.

Literary history of Bihar as such appears to have been written hitherto. This subject has received only an incidental and scanty treatment in the different books dealing with the history of Bihar. Of such books, mention may be made of R. R. Diwakar's Bihar through the Ages, B. S. Verma's Socio-religious, economic and literary condition of Bihar, H. P. Sastri Magadha Literature, S. N. Singh's History of Tirhut and U. Thakur's History of Maithili. D. C. Bhattacharya’s History of Navya-nyaya in Mithila gives a historical account of neo-logic in Bihar. It is our object, in the present work, to present a systematic account of the vast and varied contribution of this ancient land to Sanskrit literature. As regards the contents of the Sanskrit works of Bihar, it is not within the scope of this work to give detailed accounts; we shall briefly indicate the contents where the titles of the works themselves do not give a hint.

All students of Sanskrit literature are familiar with the place-names Maithili, Magadha, Videha, Anga etc. All these places were comprised in what is now known as Bihar. In the Ramayana, some of these names are very prominent. Janaka, father of Sītā, is said to have been a king of Mithila. Sita is often designated as Maithili and Vaidehi. The sage Yajnavalkya is traditionally known to have flourished in this region. The philosophical debates, in which women like Gargi are said to have participated, are well-known.

The region, now called Bihar, occupies a very important place also in the political history of India. It was the seat of the government under the Mauryas and the Guptas besides other smaller powers. Patliputra saw the rise and fall of many dynasties. It was from this place that Asoka spread his imperial sway, and disseminated his teachings throughout the length and breadth of India.

Parts of Bihar are intimately associated with the history of Buddhism. In his vigorous quest of the ultimate runt, the Buddha spent some time at Rajagṛha (modern Rajgi). All the three Buddhist Councils, which played vital roles in the development of Buddhism, were held in the different parts of Bihar-the first at Rajagṛha, the second at Vaisali and the third at Pațaliputra. Nalanda was a famous centre of Buddhist learning.

**Contents and Sample Pages**