संस्कृत साहित्ये नैपालमिथिलाक्षेत्रस्य योगदानम् [Contribution of Nepali Mithila Region in Sanskrit Literature]

सूर्यवंशीयराज्ञो निमेः शरीरमन्थनाज्जातेन मिथिनाम्ना राज्ञा प्रवर्तितत्वात् तदीया राजधानी मिथिलेति प्रसिद्धिमुपगता । मिथिलायाः सीमासङ्कोचविस्तारयोर्जातेऽपि प्रवृmताध्ययने नेपालस्य साम्प्रतिकः द्विसङ्ख्यकः प्रदेशः मिथिलाक्षेत्रत्वेन गृहीतः । मिथिलाराज्यस्य सीमायाः परिवर्तने दृष्टेऽपि मिथिलासंस्वृते राजधानी जनकपुरं वर्तते । मिथिलायां वैदिककाले विश्वामित्रप्रभृतयो ऋषयो दृश्यन्ते । तेषु महर्षिर्याज्ञवल्क्यः सर्वाधिक्येन प्रदीप्तं मिथिलायाः प्रोज्ज्वलं रत्नं वर्तते । अर्वाचीनेषु कविषु वंशमणिशर्मा हरिकेलिमहाकाव्यमाध्यमेन सर्वोत्वृष्टं स्थानं लभते । मिथिलायां स्फुटरूपेण संस्वृmतकवितारचनायाः परम्परा सम्प्रत्यपि जीविता वर्तते । [This research confirms that the naming of the Mithila region was initiated by a king named Mithi, who was born by churning the body of Suryavanshi king Nimi. Although the border of Mithila has been constricting and widening over time, in this study, the current state number two of Nepal has been taken as Mithila region. Janakpur remained the capital of Mithilaculture even when the borders of Mithila state changed. Vishwamitra and other sages have been seen in Mithila during the Vedic period. Among them, MaharshiYajnavalkya is the brightest gem. In the modern age, it has been confirmed that Vanshamani Sharma has reached the best place through the epic Harikeli. This research has confirmed that the tradition of composing Sanskrit poetry in Mithila is still alive today.]

Some Lamentation Passages in Sanskrit Poetry (Especially in Kālidāsa’s Mahākāvyas)

The paper gives a detailed comparison of the two Sanskrit lamentation passages, the laments of Aja (Ragh. 8. 37–69) and Rati (Kum. 4.1–38); it is conducted against the background of some other texts with similar content. The laments share a number of similar motifs. When examining the structure of these passages (as well as that of other related texts, not only those written in Sanskrit), the following elements may be discerned: the speakers’ stupor or loss of consciousness; their attempts at self-destruction; an address to the dead in which personal experiences are recalled. The lamenting persons are shown as coming to cry over themselves, thereby embracing some personal memories and finding comfort or protection. Apart from offering words of comfort, the consolatory speeches addressed to them also give an explanation of the causes of their loss (the death of Indumatī or the incineration of Kāma).

Between Love, Renunciation, and Compassionate Heroism: Reading Sanskrit Buddhist Literature through the Prism of Disgust

Disgust occupies a particular space in Buddhism where repulsive aspects of the human body are visualized and reflected upon in contemplative practices. The Indian tradition of aesthetics also recognizes disgust as one of the basic human emotions that can be transformed into an aestheticized form, which is experienced when one enjoys drama and poetry. Buddhist literature offers a particularly fertile ground for both religious and literary ideas to manifest, unravel, and entangle in a narrative setting. It is in this context that we find elements of disgust being incorporated into two types of Buddhist narrative: (1) discouragement with worldly objects and renunciation, and (2) courageous act of self-sacrifice. Vidyākara’s anthology of Sanskrit poetry (Subhāṣitaratnakoṣa) and the poetics section of Sa skya Paṇḍita’s introduction to the Indian systems of cultural knowledge (Mkhas pa rnams ’jug pa’i sgo) offer two rare examples of Buddhist engagement with aesthetics of emotions. In addition to some developed views of literary critics, these two Buddhist writers are relied on in this study to provide perspectives on how Buddhists themselves in the final phase of Indian Buddhism might have read Buddhist literature in light of what they learned from the theory of aesthetics.

Comedy, History, and Culture

How has comedy evolved around the globe from earliest times to today? Chapter 4 offers a chronology of comedy. Distinguishing among laughter, comedy, and humor, it finds evidence of humor in ancient texts and imagery, tracing the evolution of comic genres through classical Greek drama, Sanskrit poetry, early China, medieval Europe, and feudal Japan. The chronology continues with an account of popular festivals of laughter, comedic stage performances, and precursors of the comic novel, showing how they led to modern literary and cinematic forms as well as televised sitcoms and live standup. Motion pictures borrowed silent gags and witty wordplay from vaudeville, channeled the freewheeling energy of picaresque stories into episodic road movies, adapted the amatory impulses of Shakespeare’s romantic comedies to the screen, and turned the Carnivalesque spirit into scenes of cinematic mischief and mayhem.

Food and Love in Sanskrit Poetry: On the Margin of Desires

In Western representations, food and sex are frequently connected and compared in an erotic context. A survey of Sanskrit poetry shows that it was not so in the context of ancient India, despite the kāmaśāstras’ dictates. Parts of women’s bodies are occasionally likened to certain items of food (mostly fruit and nectar), and can sometimes be drunk, but are rarely said to be eatable. Lovers who are madly in love or suffer from the pangs of separation lose their appetite, and in consequence become thin. In contexts of love-in-union, wine, but not food, is frequently consumed and appreciated for its aphrodisiac qualities. Except in some cases when the pairs of lovers are animals, or at least animal-like, descriptions of food consumption do not lead to the erotic flavour (śṛṅgāra-rasa), but rather lead to the comic (hāsya), sometimes disgusting flavour (bībhatsa-rasa). Food descriptions were probably considered improper for poetry, because food had too many unerotic associations, being a favourite topic of Sanskrit ritual, legal and medical treatises.

Tracking The Parrot’s Path: A Promulgation of Cultural Heritage

Among multiple genres of Sanskrit poetry, the sandeśa or dūtakāvyas1 (messenger poems) have inspired curiosity among litterateur aficionados of the classics. Albeit such communications often involved exchanges of confidential messages among remote lovers, these poetries equally served as travelogues. Among the sandeśakāvyas composed in Kerala2 , Śukasandeśa of Lakṣmīdāsa, of the 14th century, is a remarkable literary work. Lakṣmīdāsa conveys his heartfelt feelings to Raṅgalakṣmī, his sweetheart, through a śuka (parrot). The messenger parrot travels from Rameswaram3 , where the separated lover resides, to Guṇapuram, in North Kerala. The route covers various places of cultural and historic significance. Appending aesthetic elements, Lakṣmīdāsa maps all the major temples and sacred rivers, en route to Guṇapuram. The current paper proposes to educate and promote awareness among the current generation through promulgation of ancient cultural heritage. The ornamental presentation of prominent temples, portrayal of deities, sacred rivers, groves etc. mentioned in the Śukasandeśa could ignite minds of culturally inquisitive groups. It associates various ancient nomenclatures of places with modern locations, acting as a quick reference for classical researchers. The description of locations in the Śukasandeśa could serve as a route map, providing location sketch and ease expeditions.

Stotra as Kāvya

This chapter investigates the relationship between Sanskrit hymns of praise and classical Sanskrit literature. It first surveys the complicated and often ambiguous position of stotras within Sanskrit literary culture. Then it analyzes Jagaddhara Bhaṭṭa’s Stutikusumāñjali as an historically significant example of how devotional poets sought to elevate the status of the stotra form. Jagaddhara reaffirms the value of classical Sanskrit poetry and poetics even as he re-envisions this literary world as being justified and revitalized by devotional praise of Śiva. He incorporates and expands upon earlier traditions of poetry and poetics in creative ways, giving special prominence to the “flashy” style of poetry (citrakāvya) and the poetic figure of “repetition” (yamaka). His ambitious and innovative hymns, as well as those of later poets in Kashmir, testify to the vitality of Sanskrit literary production in the region and offer critical evidence in the debate about the so-called death of Sanskrit.

Introduction

This chapter introduces the main themes of the book—Kavikarṇapūra, theology, Sanskrit poetry, and Sanskrit poetics—and provides an overview of each chapter. It briefly highlights the importance of the practice of poetry for the Caitanya Vaiṣṇava tradition, places Kavikarṇapūra in the (political) history of sixteenth‐century Bengal and Orissa as well as sketches his place in the early developments of the Caitanya Vaiṣṇava tradition (a topic more fully explored in Chapter 1). The chapter also reflects more generally on the nature of both his poetry and poetics, and highlights the way Kavikarṇapūra has so far been studied in modern scholarship.

The Story of the Irascible Yakṣa and the King Who Nearly Beheaded Himself in Dhanapāla's Tilakamañjarī

The Tilakamañjarī, Dhanapāla's poem in prose (gadyakāvya) is one of the masterpieces of classical Sanskrit literature and deserves to be better known. What he says in one of the introductory verses about his contemporary audience is also true about the readers of our time: “People, smelling danger, turn away from prose which contains a forest of unbroken lines (i.e. compounds filling whole lines) and lots of descriptions, as they keep away from the many-coloured tiger which lives in the dense Daṇḍaka forest”. Although Dhanapāla shows more restraint in his descriptions and in the use of alliteration and long compounds than his illustrious predecessor Bāṇa, the extremely intricate plot of the Tilakamañjarī might discourage those who otherwise appreciate Sanskrit poetry. I am certain, however, that once a taste for gadyakāvya is acquired all these deterring factors turn into sources of delight.