KSEMENDRA
- A PEOPLE'S POET
Pradeep Kaul
(Khodballi)
Kashmir
has since very early times been called "Sharda Desha" or the
Land of Goddess Saraswati. Kashmir's contribution to the Indian thought
has been of immense artistic, esoteric and aesthetic value. In the field
of poetry Kashmir produced great Savants who were not only revered in
Kashmir but accepted as authorities outside as well. Mammat's 'Kavya
Prakash' still remains the most authentic and authoritative work on
poetics in the whole gamut of Sanskrit literature. Whereas Kashmir
produced people of great eminence it also gave to us a poet par
excellence in Ksemendra.
Ksemendra
flourished in the last quarter of tenth and first half of the eleventh
century. He was a near contemporary of the great Abhinava Gupta.
Ksemendra himself acknowledges to have been instructed in 'Alankar
Shastras' by the great Acharya. 'Alankar Shastra' pertains to
ornamentation of poetry. Ksemendra is a poet of excellence blat what
makes him even more important and relevant is his concern for the
downtrodden, the common man, the unlettered, the courtesan etc. In a
bold but lucid way he lays bare the social evils and rampant corruption
in those times. The exploitation of the oppressed by the elite,
exploitation of the scribes ('Kayasthas') and bureaucracy finds ample
space in all his works. His heart seems to cry in pain upon seeing
degeneration acid exploitation all around.
Ksemendra's
works and literary activities are spread over many diverse fields. He is
a summariser of the great epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. He is an
adopter of 'Brahatkatha' of Gunnadiya. He is a commentator on 'Dashavtarcharita'
and author of 'Baudvandana Kalaplata'. In depiciting his family tree
with an exact sense of chronology so lamentably absent in majority of
Indian and his contemporaneous writers makes him very valuable. He is a
tireless satirist. He also wrote important works on poetics and
rhetorics.
Ksemendra's
important contribution to the Sanskrit literature has been his rendition
of Gunnaday's 'Brahatkatha' in Sanskrit. Gunnaday was an author from
Frontier provinces who had originally written 'Brhatkatha' in 'Paischashi'
language. It is highly probable that 'Paischashi' was the early corns of
modern Pushto language now spoken in North West Pakistan and Western
Afghanistan. Some scholars are of the, view that Gunnaday wrote in
Paishachi of Vindhyas. By rendering 'Brahatkatha' into Sanskrit as 'Brahatkatha
Manjri' he helped to save 'Brahatkatha' for posterity. 'Brahatkatha
Manjri' is in verse and describes the lives, campaigns and amorous
dalliances of various kings especially of King Udyana. He summarised
Ramayana as 'Ramayana Manjari' and Mahabharta as 'Mahabharta Manjari'.
The thing of curious interest in 'Mahabharta Manjari' is that the author
has not included 'Shanti Parva which forms an important part in the
present rendering of Mahabharta. How could a poet of such high merit and
eminence make such serious omission is a matter to be pondered upon.
Ksemendra was not only author of Hindu lore. He also wrote many works on
Buddhism. In 'Baudvandana Kalaplata' he compiled Jataka tales. This work
is a collection of 107 chapters (Pallavas). 'Baudvandana Kalaplata', it
may be added is still considered an important work by Buddhists. In
Tibet it is available in an interesting form of Tibetian woodcuts. This
work has been translated in Dogri and other languages also.
What makes
Ksemendra a poet of different class and calibre is his work 'Kalavilas'.
This work is divided into ten chapters or cantos. Each canto is devoted
to a person who is present in every society and every epoch. In 'Kalavilas'
a super cheat Muldeva instructs his pupil Chandergupta in all subtle and
salient traits which a super cheat is supposed to master. Ksemendra with
wit and wisdom describes the inner weakness of man and society. With
wonderful insight he describes the courtesan, the clerk, the gold-smith
etc. Kalavilas makes him a total poet. This is why it seems that
Ksemendra is as relevant today as he was in his times. He uses Parihas
(jokes) to depict the various characters of his times in his work 'Narma
Mala'. In 'Narma Mala' he vehemently attacks the clerk (Kayastha).
Kayasthas, were in those times very powerful and in a way represented
the corrupt official machinery of those times. Kayasthas were sucking
the blood of the ignorant, poor people. The role of Kayasthas has
attracted the attention of Kalhana also who has written about their
dirty role in the society. He says that Kayasthas sit on files like
coiled serpents. His handwriting is crooked and deliberately illegible
to escape the notice or inquiry of any person of consequence. After
amassing illgotten wealth Kayastha's wife drinks wine scented with rare
musk who previously would relish to drink scum, with equal intensity.
Ksemendra
is critical of misers. It seems that our people's poet had an intimate
knowledge and understanding of human psychology. He has with sheer
penetrating insight portrayed the decadent values and human failings of
his times in simple but effective words. With heavy heart he describes
the fallen virtues of 'Bhatta' (Pandit). He describes him as a liquor
addict who though initiated (with Yagnopavit) is now completely
overpowered by Vamachara. Unabashedly the 'Bhatta' proceeds towards the
house of his Guru with a plate of fish to learn scriptures.
From
the fertile pen of Ksemendra has come up an interesting work of 'Samaya
Matrika'. Literally 'Samaya Matrika' means the mother of the times. A
cursory peep into the title would suggest that by 'Samaya Matrika' our
author points towards Goddess Shakti or her various forms. In this case
it is not so. Here by 'Samaya Matrika' the author means the all
powerful, disarming courtesan or harlot. With rare and vivid description
he describes the super seductress 'Kankali'. Ksemendra described
Kankali's heroics and triumphs over men of all classes and inclinations.
'Kankali' the courtesan has studied the psychologies of her prey and
with relish prays upon hunt. She has been immortalized by the author for
she is no ordinary vamp but one who is not only a subtle wooer but a
patient psychologist. By depicting these characters Ksemendra earnestly
wishes to reform the degradation in the society. He wishes every member
of the society to behave in an upright manner. This seems to be one of
the compelling reason why he wrote another work 'Auchitya Vicharcharcha'
which is a work on propriety. The author was bestowed upon with a great
sense of history. After reading his works one is able to know everything
about the period he lived in. He has preserved some thing novel and
precious for us which would have been wiped out otherwise. In a way
Kshemendra was a bright social scientist of his time. He was a
perfectionist who with his immense talents wrote on diverse subjects
with equal authority and finesse. Ksemendra was a poet who belonged to
the people We all should read the works of this peerles ancestor of ours
so that we understand his works and through them get a glimpse of his
turbulent times (which seem so similar to the present times) and benefit
from their study.
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