Does Bhartrhari’s poetry countenance an experience of love or merely an appearance of the same?
Does Bhartrhari’s poetry countenance an experience of love or merely an appearance of the same?

Summary/Abstract: The enduring value of examining Bhartrhari’s poetry for insights into some of the fundamental themes in early historical Indian culture is because he consistently provides a contrarian’s view. To have this opportunity of analysing contrarian/non-traditional opinions on hallowed views is all the more significant, considering that the poet was working at a time when Indian culture was reaching its ‘classical phase’ (approx. 400 CE), following approximately eight hundred years of development. In texts like the two epics and the emergent Purāṇas, and more formally in the Manusmrti, there are considerable (theoretical) attempts to mandate the role of women as being primarily restricted to the continuity of the household and their overriding concern that of preservation of the family. In this literature questions of love – a seemingly innocent word needing to be defined with some clarity, a difficult task in any culture – can scarcely be found, and even in a devotional context the meaning of love is notreally raised, it is simply assumed.

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