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
http://ikashmir.net/gallery 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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