Prisons in Sanskrit Literature: A Comparison of Arthaśāstra and Vāgmaṇḍanaguṇadūtakāvya Descriptions
Prison descriptions are not often found in Sanskrit literature. Therefore, it is surprising that a very detailed description of prison life should be found in a kāvya, specifically, the Vāgmaṇḍanaguṇadūtakāvya. A fragment of this obscure text, which has only been published once, gives a quite realis...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Ksiegarnia Akademicka Publishing
2013-12-01
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| Series: | Cracow Indological Studies |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.akademicka.pl/cis/article/view/1548 |
| _version_ | 1818323501724991488 |
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| author | Lidia Szczepanik |
| author_facet | Lidia Szczepanik |
| author_sort | Lidia Szczepanik |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Prison descriptions are not often found in Sanskrit literature. Therefore, it is surprising that a very detailed description of prison life should be found in a kāvya, specifically, the Vāgmaṇḍanaguṇadūtakāvya. A fragment of this obscure text, which has only been published once, gives a quite realistic portrayal of the horrors of life in prison; it is a place where prisoners are held in abhorrent conditions and tortured. The account is in direct opposition to another, found in the Arthaśāstra, which concentrates on the welfare of the detained. There are severe fines for impeding the prisoners’ basic human rights. This is an interesting reversal of roles, as kāvya poems usually depict an even more romantically idealised vision of the world than normative texts such as the Arthaśāstra. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T11:13:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e8a8241e21af40b68e3624463a718dd8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1732-0917 2449-8696 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T11:13:42Z |
| publishDate | 2013-12-01 |
| publisher | Ksiegarnia Akademicka Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cracow Indological Studies |
| spelling | doaj.art-e8a8241e21af40b68e3624463a718dd82022-12-21T23:48:41ZengKsiegarnia Akademicka PublishingCracow Indological Studies1732-09172449-86962013-12-011510.12797/CIS.15.2013.15.07Prisons in Sanskrit Literature: A Comparison of Arthaśāstra and Vāgmaṇḍanaguṇadūtakāvya DescriptionsLidia Szczepanik0Jagiellonian University, KrakówPrison descriptions are not often found in Sanskrit literature. Therefore, it is surprising that a very detailed description of prison life should be found in a kāvya, specifically, the Vāgmaṇḍanaguṇadūtakāvya. A fragment of this obscure text, which has only been published once, gives a quite realistic portrayal of the horrors of life in prison; it is a place where prisoners are held in abhorrent conditions and tortured. The account is in direct opposition to another, found in the Arthaśāstra, which concentrates on the welfare of the detained. There are severe fines for impeding the prisoners’ basic human rights. This is an interesting reversal of roles, as kāvya poems usually depict an even more romantically idealised vision of the world than normative texts such as the Arthaśāstra.https://journals.akademicka.pl/cis/article/view/1548Indian judicial systemprisonsManusmr̥ tiArthaśāstraVāgmaṇḍanaguṇadūtakāvyaSanskrit messenger poems |
| spellingShingle | Lidia Szczepanik Prisons in Sanskrit Literature: A Comparison of Arthaśāstra and Vāgmaṇḍanaguṇadūtakāvya Descriptions Cracow Indological Studies Indian judicial system prisons Manusmr̥ ti Arthaśāstra Vāgmaṇḍanaguṇadūtakāvya Sanskrit messenger poems |
| title | Prisons in Sanskrit Literature: A Comparison of Arthaśāstra and Vāgmaṇḍanaguṇadūtakāvya Descriptions |
| title_full | Prisons in Sanskrit Literature: A Comparison of Arthaśāstra and Vāgmaṇḍanaguṇadūtakāvya Descriptions |
| title_fullStr | Prisons in Sanskrit Literature: A Comparison of Arthaśāstra and Vāgmaṇḍanaguṇadūtakāvya Descriptions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Prisons in Sanskrit Literature: A Comparison of Arthaśāstra and Vāgmaṇḍanaguṇadūtakāvya Descriptions |
| title_short | Prisons in Sanskrit Literature: A Comparison of Arthaśāstra and Vāgmaṇḍanaguṇadūtakāvya Descriptions |
| title_sort | prisons in sanskrit literature a comparison of arthasastra and vagmandanagunadutakavya descriptions |
| topic | Indian judicial system prisons Manusmr̥ ti Arthaśāstra Vāgmaṇḍanaguṇadūtakāvya Sanskrit messenger poems |
| url | https://journals.akademicka.pl/cis/article/view/1548 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lidiaszczepanik prisonsinsanskritliteratureacomparisonofarthasastraandvagmandanagunadutakavyadescriptions |