Kumara Vyasa

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
Please improve this article if you can. (October 2007)

This article or section includes a list of references or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations.
You can improve this article by introducing more precise citations.

Kumara Vyasa (Kannada: ಕುಮಾರವ್ಯಾಸ ) is the pen name of Gadhugina Veera Naranappa ( Kannada: ಗದುಗಿನ ವೀರ ನಾರಣಪ್ಪ), 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.

1 Place and Time
2 Works
3 Influence on Kannada Literature
4 References
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Place and Time

The period of Kumara Vyasa's life had been a subject of scholarly dispute. Scholarly opinion placed his time in varying periods starting from the 12th Century to 16th Century. However, opinion is now agreed that Kumara Vyasa lived during the late 14th and early 15h Centuries.

His magnum opus, Karnata Bharata Kathamanjari was completed in 1430 when Deva Raya II was ruling the Vijayanagara empire. Kumara Vyasa earned high esteem as a poet in his court. Kumara Vyasa's historicity is also based on the fact that other prominent poets of the 15th century, such as Kanaka Dasa and Timmanna Kavi, have mentioned his works.

Kumara Vyasa lived in Gadag in northern Karnataka. He is also called Gadugina Narayanappa, the prefix denoting the town of his residence. A pillar in the Veera Narayana temple of Gadag exists till date. According to popular legend, Kumara Vyasa is said to have composed his work at the temple. This pillar is also known as Kumara Vyasa's pillar.

[edit] Works

Kumara Vyasa's most famous work, the Karnata Bharata Kathamanjari (The Mahabharata of Karnataka)is popularly known as Gadugina Bharata and Kumaravyasa Bharata. It is a sublime adaptation of the first ten Parvas (chapters) of the Mahabharata. A devotee of Krishna, Kumara Vyasa ends his epic with the coronation of Yudhishtira, the eldest of the Pandavas. The work is easily the most celebrated in Kannada literature. Its fame arises due to its universal appeal.

Gadugina Bharata is entirely composed in the Bhamini Shatpadi meter, a form of six lined stanza. Kumara Vyasa explores a wide range of human emotions, examines values, and displays extensive mastery over vocabulary. The work is particularly known for its use of sophisticated metaphors. It has earned him the honor of Rupaka Samrajya Chakravarti (Emperor of the World of Metaphors).^{[citation needed]} Kumara Vyasa is also renowned for his characterization.

There is a strong belief among locals that Kumaravyasa was a blessed poet of Sri Veera Narayana i.e Lord Vishnu. The poet used to sit in front of sanctum sanctorum in the temple and the Lord himself narrated the story of the ancient Mahabharatha from behind the statue. The poet transformed the story into an excellent poetry.

Kumaravyasa has shown an exemplary style of writing in the introduction. He proudly claims that his poetry is matchless and that it caters to the taste of all kinds of readers. He writes "A king enjoys the valor in the poetry, A brahmin the essence of all vedas, Philosopher, the ultimate philosophy, ministers and state administrators the tact of rule, Lovers, the inspiration and moreover it is the master of all other poetry." However, his self-lessness may be noted when he says he merely noted all that was narrated by his lord, the actual poet".

The other, lesser-known work of Kumara Vyasa's is Airavata.

[edit] Influence on Kannada Literature

Kumara Vyasa's works belong to the [1]Nadugannada (Middle-age Kannada)period of Kannada literature. His influence on later Kannada literature is significant.

Gadugina Bharata is still widely read. It is popularly sung in a unique style known as Gamaka.

[edit] References

Dr. Suryanath U. Kamat, A Concise history of Karnataka from pre-historic times to the present, Jupiter books, MCC, Bangalore, 2001 (Reprinted 2002)
Prof K.A. Nilakanta Sastri, History of South India, From Prehistoric times to fall of Vijayanagar, 1955, OUP, New Delhi (Reprinted 2002).