Durgasimha
Encyclopedia
Durgasimha was the minister of war and peace (Sandhi Vigrahi) of Western Chalukya king Jayasimha II
(also known as Jagadekamalla, r. 1018–1042). Durgasimha adapted the well-known set of fable
s, Panchatantra
("The five strategems"), from Sanskrit language into Kannada language
in champu metre (mixed prose-verse). The Sanskrit version, written by Vasubhaga Datta, is known to have originated from the Paishchi
Prakrit
original, Brihatkatha ("Ocean of stories") by Gunadhya. The Kannada language version, whose central theme has a strong Jain
bent, contains 60 fables, 13 of which are original stories. All the stories have morality as their theme and carry a summary section (Katha Shloka). The Kannada version is the earliest Indian vernacular version, and the author being a minister, not surprisingly, choose to write a book on political science (Rajniti). The scholar R. Narasimhachar fixed the date of this work as c. 1025, but the modern Kannada poet and scholar Govinda Pai dated the work to March 8, 1031, based on information in the concluding stanza of the manuscript.
sub-sect of Hinduism, a community which gives equal importance to the Hindu gods Shiva
and Vishnu
. He was a native of Kisukadu Nadu, another name for ancient Karnataka
, and was a resident of the Sayyadi Brahmin school of higher learning (agrahara).
researched all published and unpublished texts of the Panchatantra, it was widely accepted that all versions of this literature originated from the original Sanskrit writing by Vishnu Sharma. However, sufficient evidence now exists that there were two main recentions of the writing, one North India
n, by Vishnu Sharma, which made its way to north-west Asian and European countries through variant carriers and languages. The other recension, of South India
, was written by Vasubhaga Datta which became the source for variant carriers to south-east Asia. The importance of the Kannada language version stems from being the only version available to reconstruct the history of Panchatantra literature from South India.
There is interesting information in the Kannada version by Durgasimha about the origin of this literature. The author states that Pushpdatta, a chief attendant of the Hindu god Shiva at Rajatagiri ("Silver mountain") overheard Shiva telling his consort Parvati
an important story. This story was later reproduced as Brihatkatha in Paishachi Prakrit
by Gunadhya, a re-incarnation of Pushpadatta, and a court poet of king Shalivahana. He further states that the Sanskrit version by Vasubhaga Datta was an selection of "five stories" from the Paishachi original, and hence the name Panchatantra ("The five strategems").
Jayasimha II
Jayasimha II , also known by the titles Jagadekhamalla and Mallikamoda, succeeded his brother Vikramaditya V on the Western Chalukya throne. Jayasimha had to fight on many fronts to protect his kingdom...
(also known as Jagadekamalla, r. 1018–1042). Durgasimha adapted the well-known set of fable
Fable
A fable is a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, mythical creatures, plants, inanimate objects or forces of nature which are anthropomorphized , and that illustrates a moral lesson , which may at the end be expressed explicitly in a pithy maxim.A fable differs from...
s, Panchatantra
Panchatantra
The Panchatantra is an ancient Indian inter-related collection of animal fables in verse and prose, in a frame story format. The original Sanskrit work, which some scholars believe was composed in the 3rd century BCE, is attributed to Vishnu Sharma...
("The five strategems"), from Sanskrit language into Kannada language
Kannada language
Kannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...
in champu metre (mixed prose-verse). The Sanskrit version, written by Vasubhaga Datta, is known to have originated from the Paishchi
Paisaci
Paisaci, also known as Paisachi, or Paishachi, is an extinct language of classical India, mentioned as a medium of debate and literary expression in various Theravada Buddhist sources, and in Prakrit and Sanskrit grammars of antiquity...
Prakrit
Prakrit
Prakrit is the name for a group of Middle Indic, Indo-Aryan languages, derived from Old Indic dialects. The word itself has a flexible definition, being defined sometimes as, "original, natural, artless, normal, ordinary, usual", or "vernacular", in contrast to the literary and religious...
original, Brihatkatha ("Ocean of stories") by Gunadhya. The Kannada language version, whose central theme has a strong Jain
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...
bent, contains 60 fables, 13 of which are original stories. All the stories have morality as their theme and carry a summary section (Katha Shloka). The Kannada version is the earliest Indian vernacular version, and the author being a minister, not surprisingly, choose to write a book on political science (Rajniti). The scholar R. Narasimhachar fixed the date of this work as c. 1025, but the modern Kannada poet and scholar Govinda Pai dated the work to March 8, 1031, based on information in the concluding stanza of the manuscript.
About the author
Durgasimha was a Brahmin by birth and is known to have belonged to the Smartha BhagavataBhagavata
Bhagavata signifies in the context of Hinduism. In this context bhakti has the primary meaning of 'adoration', while Bhagavat means 'the Adorable One', and Bhagavata is a worshiper of the Adorable One...
sub-sect of Hinduism, a community which gives equal importance to the Hindu gods Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
and Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
. He was a native of Kisukadu Nadu, another name for ancient Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, and was a resident of the Sayyadi Brahmin school of higher learning (agrahara).
History of Panchatantra literature
Until 1956, when the scholar A. Ventakasubbiah of Mysore and some western scholarsresearched all published and unpublished texts of the Panchatantra, it was widely accepted that all versions of this literature originated from the original Sanskrit writing by Vishnu Sharma. However, sufficient evidence now exists that there were two main recentions of the writing, one North India
North India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
n, by Vishnu Sharma, which made its way to north-west Asian and European countries through variant carriers and languages. The other recension, of South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
, was written by Vasubhaga Datta which became the source for variant carriers to south-east Asia. The importance of the Kannada language version stems from being the only version available to reconstruct the history of Panchatantra literature from South India.
There is interesting information in the Kannada version by Durgasimha about the origin of this literature. The author states that Pushpdatta, a chief attendant of the Hindu god Shiva at Rajatagiri ("Silver mountain") overheard Shiva telling his consort Parvati
Parvati
Parvati is a Hindu goddess. Parvati is Shakti, the wife of Shiva and the gentle aspect of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess...
an important story. This story was later reproduced as Brihatkatha in Paishachi Prakrit
Prakrit
Prakrit is the name for a group of Middle Indic, Indo-Aryan languages, derived from Old Indic dialects. The word itself has a flexible definition, being defined sometimes as, "original, natural, artless, normal, ordinary, usual", or "vernacular", in contrast to the literary and religious...
by Gunadhya, a re-incarnation of Pushpadatta, and a court poet of king Shalivahana. He further states that the Sanskrit version by Vasubhaga Datta was an selection of "five stories" from the Paishachi original, and hence the name Panchatantra ("The five strategems").