Vidyakara
Encyclopedia
Vidyakara was a Buddhist scholar and poetry anthologist, noted for the Sanskrit poetry compilation subhAShitaratnakoSha. Some consider it to be the "most celebrated" anthology of Sanskrit verse Most of the verses, where authorship is noted, range over the two centuries prior to compilation, and hence it may be thought of as a compilation of "modern verse" for the period.
About Vidyakara himself, very little is known. D. D. Kosambi
has argued compellingly for Vidyakara having been a senior monk at the Jagaddala Vihara monastery in North Bengal, based on evidence which includes markings on the palm-leaf manuscript of an earlier edition of the work, claimed to be Vidyakara's original, of what may have been shelfmarks from the library in Jagaddala.
monastery in Tibet
. This is now considered to be the first
edition, compiled in the later years of the decade 1090 AD. Kosambi has argued that this manuscript may even be the original of Vidyakara, and that it constitutes the first edition of the compilation. A second manuscript, in paper, was located in the
private collection of the Nepal
ese rAjaguru (royal priest), Pundit Hemaraja. This is believed to be the second edition, compiled by no later than 1130 AD.
The earlier edition was published by F.W. Thomas in 1912 under the title kavindra vachana samucchaya. Some of the verses in the palm leaf contain some additional annotations, and Kosambi has argued for these being shelfmarks, possibly from the library at Jagaddal Vihar, where Vidyakara may have done the research to locate the verses.
A second version, with 1,732 poems, was located later in a paper manuscript in Ngor
monastery in Tibet. The first version is considered to be an earlier edition of the final compilation; it is felt that Vidyakara may have devoted many years to creating this compilation. The definitive text of this second edition was edited by D. D. Kosambi
and V.V. Gokhale, with inputs from Daniel Ingalls
(Harvard Oriental Series, 1957). Kosambi prepared a long introduction regarding the provenance of the collection, though he crtiqued the poetry as being inferior, having come from a stagnant period without class struggle.
earlier than the seventh century AD. Thus, the selection has a distinctly modernist tenor.
Though the most popular are well-known poets from recent centuries:
Rajashekhara, murAri, and Bhavabhuti
.
Many of the favoured authors - Vallana, Yogeshvara, Vasukalpa,
Manovinoda, Abhinanda were all Bengalis or at least easterners of the Pala
kingdom, the core of which comprised Bengal and Bihar. These aurhots are all more or less cotemporaneous or just preceding Vidyakara. Among the less
frequently quoted authors are many Pala princes of state and church whose
verses are not found in any other extant work. Among them are Dharmapala
,
Rajyapala
, Buddhakaragupta, Khipaka, and Jnanashri. Though Vidyakara quotes
verses of classical authors like Kalidasa, Rajashekhara, and Bhavabhuti, he
shows a "special predilection for eastern or Bengali poets".
Some of these authors were contemporaries of Vidyakara, and it is possible he may have known them. In addition to the Jagaddala Vihara, he is certain to have had access to the libraries at the five major viharas across Eastern India, since there was considerable mobility among scholars between these state-managed campuses.
The breakup of the most frequent authors, as presented by Kosambi and Gokhale is:
, Vishnu
). Subsequent sections quickly slip into the romantic mode, with several chapters dealing with the seasons, messengers, different periods of the day.
A later compilation, Shridharadasa's Saduktikarnamrta (1205 AD), also from the Bengal region, has considerable overlap with Vidyakara (623 verses out of 2377). Though it is larger, the aesthetic discernment of Vidyakara has been greatly admired.
The volume of translations by Ingalls is the most complete version in English; the poetic quality of the translations is high. Selected poems
in the collection have also been translated by many others
About Vidyakara himself, very little is known. D. D. Kosambi
D. D. Kosambi
Damodar Dharmananda Kosambi was an Indian mathematician, statistician, Marxist historian, and polymath who contributed to genetics by introducing Kosambi's map function. He is well-known for his work in numismatics and for compiling critical editions of ancient Sanskrit texts...
has argued compellingly for Vidyakara having been a senior monk at the Jagaddala Vihara monastery in North Bengal, based on evidence which includes markings on the palm-leaf manuscript of an earlier edition of the work, claimed to be Vidyakara's original, of what may have been shelfmarks from the library in Jagaddala.
SubhAShitaratnakosa
Two different versions of the anthology exist. The manuscripts were lost in Bengal during the Islamic period. Late in the 19th c., a palm leaf manuscript was located in NgorNgor
Ngor or Ngor Êwam Qoidain is the name of a monastery in the Ü-Tsang province of Central Tibet, about one and half hours drive from Shigatse, and is the Sakya school's second most important goinba...
monastery in Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
. This is now considered to be the first
edition, compiled in the later years of the decade 1090 AD. Kosambi has argued that this manuscript may even be the original of Vidyakara, and that it constitutes the first edition of the compilation. A second manuscript, in paper, was located in the
private collection of the Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
ese rAjaguru (royal priest), Pundit Hemaraja. This is believed to be the second edition, compiled by no later than 1130 AD.
The earlier edition was published by F.W. Thomas in 1912 under the title kavindra vachana samucchaya. Some of the verses in the palm leaf contain some additional annotations, and Kosambi has argued for these being shelfmarks, possibly from the library at Jagaddal Vihar, where Vidyakara may have done the research to locate the verses.
A second version, with 1,732 poems, was located later in a paper manuscript in Ngor
Ngor
Ngor or Ngor Êwam Qoidain is the name of a monastery in the Ü-Tsang province of Central Tibet, about one and half hours drive from Shigatse, and is the Sakya school's second most important goinba...
monastery in Tibet. The first version is considered to be an earlier edition of the final compilation; it is felt that Vidyakara may have devoted many years to creating this compilation. The definitive text of this second edition was edited by D. D. Kosambi
D. D. Kosambi
Damodar Dharmananda Kosambi was an Indian mathematician, statistician, Marxist historian, and polymath who contributed to genetics by introducing Kosambi's map function. He is well-known for his work in numismatics and for compiling critical editions of ancient Sanskrit texts...
and V.V. Gokhale, with inputs from Daniel Ingalls
Daniel H. H. Ingalls, Sr.
Daniel Henry Holmes Ingalls, Sr. was the Wales Professor of Sanskrit at Harvard University. Born and raised in New York City, Ingalls received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Harvard before serving as an officer in the US Army in World War II. After the war, Ingalls returned to Harvard as...
(Harvard Oriental Series, 1957). Kosambi prepared a long introduction regarding the provenance of the collection, though he crtiqued the poetry as being inferior, having come from a stagnant period without class struggle.
Poets
Many of the authors in the subhAsitaratnakosa are not identified. Of the 275 identified names, only eleven seem to beearlier than the seventh century AD. Thus, the selection has a distinctly modernist tenor.
Though the most popular are well-known poets from recent centuries:
Rajashekhara, murAri, and Bhavabhuti
Bhavabhuti
Bhavabhuti was an 8th century scholar of India noted for his plays and poetry, written in Sanskrit. His plays are considered equivalent to the works of Kalidasa...
.
Many of the favoured authors - Vallana, Yogeshvara, Vasukalpa,
Manovinoda, Abhinanda were all Bengalis or at least easterners of the Pala
kingdom, the core of which comprised Bengal and Bihar. These aurhots are all more or less cotemporaneous or just preceding Vidyakara. Among the less
frequently quoted authors are many Pala princes of state and church whose
verses are not found in any other extant work. Among them are Dharmapala
Dharmapala
In Vajrayana Buddhism, a dharmapāla is a type of wrathful deity. The name means "Dharma-defender" in Sanskrit, and the dharmapālas are also known as the Defenders of the Law , or the Protectors of the Law, in English....
,
Rajyapala
Rajyapala
Rajyapala was the seventh emperor of the Pala dynasty. He succeeded his father Narayanapala. He reigned for 32 years. The Bargaon inscription is dated in his 24th regnal year. He was succeeded by his son Gopala II....
, Buddhakaragupta, Khipaka, and Jnanashri. Though Vidyakara quotes
verses of classical authors like Kalidasa, Rajashekhara, and Bhavabhuti, he
shows a "special predilection for eastern or Bengali poets".
Some of these authors were contemporaries of Vidyakara, and it is possible he may have known them. In addition to the Jagaddala Vihara, he is certain to have had access to the libraries at the five major viharas across Eastern India, since there was considerable mobility among scholars between these state-managed campuses.
The breakup of the most frequent authors, as presented by Kosambi and Gokhale is:
-------- Most frequent authors --------
rAjashekhara (900AD) 101 stanzas
murari (800-900) 56 stanzas
bhavabhUti (725) 47 stanzas
vallaNa (900-1100) 42
yogeshvara (700-800) 33
bhartr.hari (400) 25
vasukalpa (950) 25
manovinoda (900-1100) 23
bAna (600-650) 21
acala(siMha) (700-800?) 20
dharmakIrti (700) 19
vIryamitra (900-1100) 17 stanzas
Themes
Although Vidyakara may have been a Buddhist monk, the dominant theme in the collection is that of love poetry, many of them decidedly erotic in tone. The book is compiled into thematic sections. Opening with verses on the Bodhisattvas (most of them composed by professors and others at the Viharas, near contemporaries), the text also includes several sections on Hindu topics (ShivaShiva
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...
, 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....
). Subsequent sections quickly slip into the romantic mode, with several chapters dealing with the seasons, messengers, different periods of the day.
A later compilation, Shridharadasa's Saduktikarnamrta (1205 AD), also from the Bengal region, has considerable overlap with Vidyakara (623 verses out of 2377). Though it is larger, the aesthetic discernment of Vidyakara has been greatly admired.
The volume of translations by Ingalls is the most complete version in English; the poetic quality of the translations is high. Selected poems
in the collection have also been translated by many others