Bharavi

Bharavi (Bhāravi) was a 6th-century Indian poet known for his epic poem Kirātārjunīya, one of the six mahakavyas in classical Sanskrit.[1]

Not to be confused with Bhairavi.

Time and place

As with most Sanskrit poets, very few concrete details are available about Bharavi's life, and inferences must be made from references to him. His name, along with great poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language Kālidāsa's name, is mentioned in a Chalukya stone inscription dated 634 C.E. found at Aihole, located in present day Karnataka.[2] In another inscription, the king Durvinita of the Western Ganga Dynasty mentions having written a commentary on the fifteenth canto of Bharavi's Kirātārjunīya. The Western Ganga Dynasty ruled from about the middle of the fourth century, and Durvinita is usually believed to have lived in the later half of the sixth century.

Avanti-sundara-katha-sara description

In Avanti-sundari-katha-sara, a work attributed to the 7th-century Dandin, it is mentioned:[3]

Ancestors of Dandi:

King Simhavisnu of the Pallava dynasty was ruling over Kanchipuram, the matchless city of Dakshinapatha, hallowed by the feet of Agastya. One day when the king was in his audience hall a Gandharva approached him and recited a song in the arya metre to the accompaniment of the lute. The king was pleased and asked about the author of the song. The Gandharva bowed and said: "O King, in the city of Anandapura [the capital of Anarta in Gujarat] in the north-west of Aryadesha there was a great abode of Brahmans; and from among them a group of families of Kaushika gotra migrated and settled in the city of Acalapura (near Nasik) founded by Mūladeva for his friend Acala. Nārāyaṇasvamin, one of these settlers, had a son named Damodara whom the poetic muse marked, even in his youth, for her own. The young poet associated himself with the great poet Bharavi and through him secured the friendship of prince Visnuvardhana. He once accompanied the prince in a hunting excursion. On the way, being afflicted with hunger, he was forced to take flesh in a forest. It is sacrilege to a Brahman to resort to animal food, unless it is the residue of the oblation offered to Gods in a sacrifice. To expiate the sin Damodara started on a pilgrimage and visited several sacred centres; and in the course of the journey he came into contact with Durvinita, the Ganga king. IIe is now happy, in the company of that king; and the arya that I recited was composed by this boy poet".

~(Av. Sara, I. 1-26; Av. pp. 1-10)

The Vishnuvardhana mentioned in this legend is unlikely to be Kubja Vishnuvardhana (624–641 CE): he was probably Yasodharman Vishnuvardhana, placing Bharavi's floruit in c. 530–550 CE.[4]

The above legend suggests that Bharavi was a court poet of Simhavishnu and Durvinita.[4] It also suggests that Dāmodara "associated himself" with Bharavi (literally "lustre of the sun"), which means Dāmodara and Bhāravi are different people.[5] Avanti-sundari-katha, the prose text ascribed to Dandin, states that Damodara was another poet who became a friend of prince Vishnuvardhana, after Bharavi introduced the two men.

Work
Main article: Kirātārjunīya

Bharavi's only known work is Kirātārjunīya, an eighteen canto epic poem, the story for which comes from the Mahābhārata. Kirātārjunīya "is regarded to be the most powerful poem in the Sanskrit language".[6] A. K. Warder considers it the "most perfect epic available to us", over Aśvaghoṣa's Buddhacharita, noting his greater force of expression, with more concentration and polish in every detail. Despite using extremely difficult language and rejoicing in the finer points of Sanskrit grammar, he achieves conciseness and directness. His alliteration, "crisp texture of sound", and choice of metre closely correspond to the narrative.[4]

His poetry is characterised by its intricate styles and ethereal expressions. Like Kalidasa for his similes (upamā) and Daṇḍin for his wordplay (padalālityam), Bharavi is known for his "weight of meaning" (arthagauravam).

It is thought that Bharavi's Kiratarjuniya influenced the 8th century CE poet Magha's Shishupala Vadha.[7]

Notes
  1. C. Kunhan Raja (1962). Survey of Sanskrit literature. p. 136.
  2. Śāstrī 1987, p. 80
  3. Muddachari, B. (1971). "Durvinita - A Man of Letters". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 33: 126–128. JSTOR 44145322.
  4. A. K. Warder (2004), Indian Kāvya literature, Part 1, Motilal Banarsidass Publ., pp. 198–233, ISBN 978-81-208-0445-6
  5. D. D. (Dhruv Dev). Sharma (2005), Panorama of Indian Anthroponomy, Mittal Publications, p. 117, ISBN 978-81-8324-078-9
  6. M.P. Singh (2002), Encyclopaedia of teaching history, Anmol Publications Pvt. Ltd., p. 297, ISBN 978-81-261-1243-2
  7. Das, Sisir Kumar (2005). A history of Indian literature, 500-1399 : from courtly to the popular. Sahitya Akademi. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi. ISBN 81-260-2171-3. OCLC 235946715.

Sources
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