Banarasidas
Encyclopedia
Banarasidas (b. Jaunpur
1586-1643) was a Shrimal
Jain businessman and poet of Mughal
India
. He is known for his poetic autobiography - Ardhakathānaka, (The Half Story), composed in Braj Bhasa, an early dialect of Hindi
linked with the region around Mathura. It is the first autobiography
written in an Indian language. At the time, he was living in Agra
and was 55 years old - the "half" story refers to the Jain tradition, where a "full" lifespan is 110 years.
sect of the Digambar Jains
.
Banarasidas appears to have been a better poet than a businessman; at one stage he relates how after incurring several business losses (which he lied about), his wife gave him twenty rupees that she had saved up. At times a friend of the nawab
of Jaunpur
Chini Kilechkhan, at other times persecuted, he had to flee to other cities.
Despite the long life expectancy inherent in the title of his work Ardhakathānaka, Banarasidas died two years after writing it, in 1643.
The Banārasi Nāmamāla is a lexicographic work based on Dhananjaya's Nāmamāla in Sanskrit.
The Banārasivilāsa is an anthology of his poetic works collected by Pandit Jagjivan. It was completed in 1644.
The Samayasāra Nātaka is a work on the Jain philosophy, largely based on Kundakunda
's Samayasāra
(a Digambara
text), its Sanskrit commentary by Amritachandra and Hindi commentary by Rajamalla.
The Ardhakathānaka describes his transition from an unruly youth, to a religious realization by the time the work was composed. The work is notable for many details of life in Mughal times - Banarasidas lived during the reign of Akbar, Jahangir
and Shahjahan. He appears to have been an occasional chess partner of Emperor Shahjahan (this is not mentioned in the Ardhakathanaka though).
The following stanzas describe the effect of Akbar's sudden death in 1605 - the uncertainty of succession induced widespread fear among the wealthier classes:
At this time, Banarasidass slipped and fell and cut his head on the pavement; his mother treated the wound with burnt cloth. After a week, Jahangir ascended the throne at Agra and peace was restored. People relaxed. The rich started to again dress in fine clothes and jewelry.
Recent interest in the works of Banarasi, particularly in his Ardhakathanaka are a direct result of the abiding interest of two scholars.
Prof. Dr Nalini Balbir of Sorbonne Institute of France encouraged her student Jérôme Petit to work on Banarasi for his Ph.D. Petit has now completed the study and a French translation of the Ardhakathanaka.
Prof. Dr Rupert Snell, of University of Texas at Austin
, USA not only wrote an article on Banarasi, but also encouraged Dr Chloe Martinez of Santa Barbara to work on Banarasi.
Rohini Chowdhury's Hindi translation of Banarasidas' Ardhakathanaka has been published by Penguin Books India, 2007. ISBN 978-0-14-310056-0. The English translation, "Ardhakathanak: a half story" has been published by Penguin Classics in 2010. Rohini Chowdhury's translations were inspired by Dr Rupert Snell, and completed with his encouragement and support.
Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh
Jaunpur is a city and a municipal board in Jaunpur district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.Jaunpur district is located to the northwest of the district of Varanasi in the eastern part of the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. According to the 2001 census, Jaunpur district had a population...
1586-1643) was a Shrimal
Shrimal Jain
Shrimal Jain is an ancient Jain community originally from the Shrimal or Bhinmal town in southern Rajasthan.They mainly reside in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh...
Jain businessman and poet of Mughal
Mughal era
The Mughal era is a historic period of the Mughal Empire in South Asia . It ran from the early 15th century to a point in the early 18th century when the Mughal Emperors' power had dwindled...
India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He is known for his poetic autobiography - Ardhakathānaka, (The Half Story), composed in Braj Bhasa, an early dialect of Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
linked with the region around Mathura. It is the first autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
written in an Indian language. At the time, he was living in Agra
Agra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
and was 55 years old - the "half" story refers to the Jain tradition, where a "full" lifespan is 110 years.
Life
Banarasidas was born in a Shrimal Shvetambara Jain family. His father Kharagsen was a jeweller in Jaunpur. He spent his childhood in Jaunpur but later shifted to Agra. He is one of the leading proponents of the Adyatma movement, which eventually led to the TerapanthTerapanth
Terapanth or Tera Panth may refer to:* Digambar Terapanth, a sect of the Digambara tradition of Jainism* Svetambar Terapanth, a sect of Svetambara Jainism-See also:Taran Panth, also a Digambar Jain sect, should not be confused with Terapanth...
sect of the Digambar Jains
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
.
Banarasidas appears to have been a better poet than a businessman; at one stage he relates how after incurring several business losses (which he lied about), his wife gave him twenty rupees that she had saved up. At times a friend of the nawab
Nawab
A Nawab or Nawaab is an honorific title given to Muslim rulers of princely states in South Asia. It is the Muslim equivalent of the term "maharaja" that was granted to Hindu rulers....
of Jaunpur
Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh
Jaunpur is a city and a municipal board in Jaunpur district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.Jaunpur district is located to the northwest of the district of Varanasi in the eastern part of the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. According to the 2001 census, Jaunpur district had a population...
Chini Kilechkhan, at other times persecuted, he had to flee to other cities.
Despite the long life expectancy inherent in the title of his work Ardhakathānaka, Banarasidas died two years after writing it, in 1643.
Works
Banarasidas is known for his works, Moha Vivek Yuddha, Banārasi Nāmamāla (1613) Banārasivilāsa (1644), Samayasāra Nātaka (1636) and Ardhakathanaka (1641) in Braj Bhasa.The Banārasi Nāmamāla is a lexicographic work based on Dhananjaya's Nāmamāla in Sanskrit.
The Banārasivilāsa is an anthology of his poetic works collected by Pandit Jagjivan. It was completed in 1644.
The Samayasāra Nātaka is a work on the Jain philosophy, largely based on Kundakunda
Kundakunda
Kundakunda is a celebrated Jain Acharya, Jain scholar monk, 2nd century CE, composer of spiritual classics such as: Samayasara, Niyamasara, Pancastikayasara, Pravacanasara, Atthapahuda and Barasanuvekkha. He occupies the highest place in the tradition of the Jain acharyas.He belonged to the Mula...
's Samayasāra
Samayasara
' is a famous Jain text by Acharya Kundakunda.Its ten chapters discuss the nature of jiva , its attachment to karmas and moksha....
(a Digambara
Digambara
Digambara "sky-clad" is one of the two main sects of Jainism. "Sky-clad" has many different meaning and associations throughout Indian religions. Many representations of deities within these traditions are depicted as sky-clad, e.g. Samantabhadra/Samantabhadrī in Yab-Yum...
text), its Sanskrit commentary by Amritachandra and Hindi commentary by Rajamalla.
The Ardhakathānaka describes his transition from an unruly youth, to a religious realization by the time the work was composed. The work is notable for many details of life in Mughal times - Banarasidas lived during the reign of Akbar, Jahangir
Jahangir
Jahangir was the ruler of the Mughal Empire from 1605 until his death. The name Jahangir is from Persian جهانگیر,meaning "Conqueror of the World"...
and Shahjahan. He appears to have been an occasional chess partner of Emperor Shahjahan (this is not mentioned in the Ardhakathanaka though).
The following stanzas describe the effect of Akbar's sudden death in 1605 - the uncertainty of succession induced widespread fear among the wealthier classes:
- ghar-ghar dar-dar kiye kapaaT,
- haTavaanii nahi.n baithe haaT.
- bhale vastra aru bhuushaNa bhale,
- te sab gaaDhe dharatii tale.
- ghar-ghar sabani visaahe shashhtra,
- logan pahine moTe vastra.
- u.nch niich kouu nahi.n pahichaan,
- dhanii daridrii bhaye samaan.
-
- [At all the houses, doors were kept closed,
- merchants stopped sitting at the shops.
-
- Nice clothes and ornaments were
- all buried under the ground.
-
- People started keeping their swords ready,
- they started wearing coarse clothes.
-
- You could not recognize the status of a person,
- the rich and poor looked alike.]
At this time, Banarasidass slipped and fell and cut his head on the pavement; his mother treated the wound with burnt cloth. After a week, Jahangir ascended the throne at Agra and peace was restored. People relaxed. The rich started to again dress in fine clothes and jewelry.
Recent interest
Pioneering work on Banarasi and his trio of works, Banarasi Vilasa, Samayasara Nataka and Ardhakathanaka was carried out by Pandit Nathuram Premi in the early decades of the 20th Century. Since then, only Mukund Lath's translation, Half a Tale had emerged until a couple of years ago.Recent interest in the works of Banarasi, particularly in his Ardhakathanaka are a direct result of the abiding interest of two scholars.
Prof. Dr Nalini Balbir of Sorbonne Institute of France encouraged her student Jérôme Petit to work on Banarasi for his Ph.D. Petit has now completed the study and a French translation of the Ardhakathanaka.
Prof. Dr Rupert Snell, of University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
, USA not only wrote an article on Banarasi, but also encouraged Dr Chloe Martinez of Santa Barbara to work on Banarasi.
Rohini Chowdhury's Hindi translation of Banarasidas' Ardhakathanaka has been published by Penguin Books India, 2007. ISBN 978-0-14-310056-0. The English translation, "Ardhakathanak: a half story" has been published by Penguin Classics in 2010. Rohini Chowdhury's translations were inspired by Dr Rupert Snell, and completed with his encouragement and support.
Further reading
- Rupert Snell, Confessions of a 17th-Century Jain Merchant: The Ardhakathanak of Banrasidas, South Asia Research, Vol. 25, No. 1, 79-104 (2005)