Lakshmisa
Encyclopedia
Lakshmisa was a noted Kannada language
Brahmin
writer who lived during the mid–16th or late–17th century period. His most important writing, Jaimini Bharata is a version of the Hindu
epic Mahabharata
. The writing focuses on the events following the battle of Indraprastha between the Pandava
s and Kaurava
s, using the Ashvamedha
("horse sacrifice") conducted by Yudhisthira
as the subject of the story. The writing is in the shatpadi metre (hexa-metre, 6 line verse) and was inspired by the Sanskrit
original written by sage Jaimini.
taluk, Chikkamagaluru district, Karnataka
state. It is claimed that his family deity was "Lakshmiramana" (a form of Hindu God Vishnu
) to whom he dedicated his writing. Devanur was called by multiple names in his writing; Surapura and Girvanapura. Other historians feel Surapura is located in the erstwhile Hyderabad
region. Some historians believe that Lakshmisa was an Advaitin or a Smartha Brahmin (believer of monistic
philosophy) of the Bhagavata
sect because the poet has invoked the names of Hindu God Shiva
, his consort Parvati
and son Ganapati in the beginning of his writing. However, despite these invocations, he may have been a Srivaishnava (a follower of the Visishtadvaita philosophy preached by 12th century philosopher Ramanujacharya), there being examples of other Srivaishnava poets (who wrote in Kannada) who praised the God Shiva, Parvati and Ganapati in their writings.
There is also controversy about when he wrote Jaimini Bharata. Scholars have assigned him various dates, the earliest being c. 1415, but more generally mid–16th century, and late 17th century. The 16th century or earlier dating is based on similarities between Virupaksha Pandita's (1584 CE) Chennabasava Purana and Lakshmisa's work, while the 17th century dating is based on the claim that no author, Brahmin or otherwise, has referenced his writing and directly mentioned his name in any literature during the period 15th century through late 17th century. Whereas, authors who do mention Lakshmisa regularly in their writings are from the 18th century.
was written in the tradition of sage Jaimini. It has remained popular through the centuries. In a writing full of similes and metaphor
s, pun
s and alliteration
s, Lakshmisa created a human tale out of an epic, earning him the honorific "Upamalola" ("One who revels in similes and metaphors") and "Nadalola" ("Master of melody"). The writing focusses on the events following the battle when the victorious Pandavas conducted the Ashvamedha Yagna to expiate the sin of fratricide
. The writing differs entirely from Kumara Vyasa
's rendering of the same epic (called Karnata Bharata Kathamanjari) of c. 1430, both in metre and content. Kumara Vyasa had used the flexible bhamini shatpadi metre and followed the Vyasa
tradition where as Lakshmisa used the vardhaka shatpadi metre which is well suited for figures of speech. The work has been criticised though, for failing to achieve the level of devotion towards Hindu God Krishna
that Kumara Vyasa managed in the various stages of his story.
However, Lakshmisa is considered a successful story-teller with an ability to narrate the Upakhyanas ("story within a story"), describe the physical beauty of a woman at length and to hold the reader with his rich Kannada diction and rhetoric. The writing has been considered an asset to the enlightened reader as well as those not so educated. Lakshmisa authored some poems reminiscent of the Haridasa
poetry but without the same success.
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...
Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
writer who lived during the mid–16th or late–17th century period. His most important writing, Jaimini Bharata is a version of the Hindu
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
epic Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
. The writing focuses on the events following the battle of Indraprastha between the Pandava
Pandava
In the Hindu epic Mahābhārata, the Pandava are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu , by his two wives Kunti and Madri. Their names are Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. Although, Karna is told by Lord Krishna that according to the laws and ethics he is the first son of Kunti making...
s and Kaurava
Kaurava
The term Kaurava is a Sanskrit term, that means the descendants of Kuru, a legendary king who is the ancestor of many of the characters of the Mahābhārata.The term is used in the Mahābhārata with two meanings:...
s, using the Ashvamedha
Ashvamedha
The Ashvamedha was one of the most important royal rituals of Vedic religion, described in detail in the Yajurveda...
("horse sacrifice") conducted by Yudhisthira
Yudhisthira
In the great Hindu epic Mahabharata, Yudhisthira , the eldest son of King Pandu and Queen Kunti, was king of Indraprastha and later of Hastinapura. He was the leader of the Pandava side in the Kurukshetra War...
as the subject of the story. The writing is in the shatpadi metre (hexa-metre, 6 line verse) and was inspired by the Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
original written by sage Jaimini.
His life
The place, time and religious sect that Lakshmisa belonged to has been a subject of controversy among historians. Some historians believe he was a native of Devanur in modern KadurKadur
Kadur is a taluk in Chikmagalur district, in the Indian state of Karnataka. It was formerly, a district in the Mysore state, with an area of 2813sq. m. Pop. , 362,752, showing an increase of 9% in the decade.-Geography:Kadur is located at...
taluk, Chikkamagaluru district, 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...
state. It is claimed that his family deity was "Lakshmiramana" (a form of Hindu God 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....
) to whom he dedicated his writing. Devanur was called by multiple names in his writing; Surapura and Girvanapura. Other historians feel Surapura is located in the erstwhile Hyderabad
Hyderabad State
-After Indian independence :When India gained independence in 1947 and Pakistan came into existence in 1947, the British left the local rulers of the princely states the choice of whether to join one of the new dominions or to remain independent...
region. Some historians believe that Lakshmisa was an Advaitin or a Smartha Brahmin (believer of monistic
Monism
Monism is any philosophical view which holds that there is unity in a given field of inquiry. Accordingly, some philosophers may hold that the universe is one rather than dualistic or pluralistic...
philosophy) of the Bhagavata
Bhagavata
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...
sect because the poet has invoked the names of Hindu God 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...
, 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...
and son Ganapati in the beginning of his writing. However, despite these invocations, he may have been a Srivaishnava (a follower of the Visishtadvaita philosophy preached by 12th century philosopher Ramanujacharya), there being examples of other Srivaishnava poets (who wrote in Kannada) who praised the God Shiva, Parvati and Ganapati in their writings.
There is also controversy about when he wrote Jaimini Bharata. Scholars have assigned him various dates, the earliest being c. 1415, but more generally mid–16th century, and late 17th century. The 16th century or earlier dating is based on similarities between Virupaksha Pandita's (1584 CE) Chennabasava Purana and Lakshmisa's work, while the 17th century dating is based on the claim that no author, Brahmin or otherwise, has referenced his writing and directly mentioned his name in any literature during the period 15th century through late 17th century. Whereas, authors who do mention Lakshmisa regularly in their writings are from the 18th century.
Magnum opus
The Jaimini Bharata, one of the most well known stories in Kannada literatureKannada literature
Kannada literature is the corpus of written forms of the Kannada language, a member of the Dravidian family spoken mainly in the Indian state of Karnataka and written in the Kannada script....
was written in the tradition of sage Jaimini. It has remained popular through the centuries. In a writing full of similes and metaphor
Metaphor
A metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g., "Her eyes were glistening jewels." Metaphor may also be used for any rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via...
s, pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
s and alliteration
Alliteration
In language, alliteration refers to the repetition of a particular sound in the first syllables of Three or more words or phrases. Alliteration has historically developed largely through poetry, in which it more narrowly refers to the repetition of a consonant in any syllables that, according to...
s, Lakshmisa created a human tale out of an epic, earning him the honorific "Upamalola" ("One who revels in similes and metaphors") and "Nadalola" ("Master of melody"). The writing focusses on the events following the battle when the victorious Pandavas conducted the Ashvamedha Yagna to expiate the sin of fratricide
Fratricide
Fratricide is the act of a person killing his or her brother....
. The writing differs entirely from Kumara Vyasa
Kumara Vyasa
Kumara Vyasa is the pen name of Gadhugina Veera Naranappa , a classical poet of Kannada. His pen name is a tribute to his magnum opus, a rendering of the Mahabharatha in Kannada. Kumara Vyasa literally means Little Vyasa or Son of Vyasa....
's rendering of the same epic (called Karnata Bharata Kathamanjari) of c. 1430, both in metre and content. Kumara Vyasa had used the flexible bhamini shatpadi metre and followed the Vyasa
Vyasa
Vyasa is a central and revered figure in most Hindu traditions. He is also sometimes called Veda Vyasa , or Krishna Dvaipayana...
tradition where as Lakshmisa used the vardhaka shatpadi metre which is well suited for figures of speech. The work has been criticised though, for failing to achieve the level of devotion towards Hindu God Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
that Kumara Vyasa managed in the various stages of his story.
However, Lakshmisa is considered a successful story-teller with an ability to narrate the Upakhyanas ("story within a story"), describe the physical beauty of a woman at length and to hold the reader with his rich Kannada diction and rhetoric. The writing has been considered an asset to the enlightened reader as well as those not so educated. Lakshmisa authored some poems reminiscent of the Haridasa
Haridasa
The Haridasa devotional movement is considered as one of the turning points in the cultural history of India. Over a span of nearly six centuries, several saints and mystics helped shape the culture, philosophy and art of South India and Karnataka in particular by exerting considerable spiritual...
poetry but without the same success.