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Indian epic poetry is theepic poetry written in theIndian subcontinent, traditionally calledKavya (IAST:Kāvyá). TheRamayana and theMahabharata, which were originally composed inSanskrit and later translated into many other Indian languages, and theFive Great Epics ofTamil literature andSangam literature are some of the oldest surviving epic poems ever written.[1]
In modern Hindi literature,Kamayani byJaishankar Prasad has attained the status of an epic. The narrative of Kamayani is based on a popular mythological story, first mentioned inSatapatha Brahmana. It is a story of thegreat flood and the central characters of the epic poem areManu (a male) andShraddha (a female). Manu is representative of the human psyche and Shradha represents love. Another female character isIda, who represents rationality. Some critics surmise that the three lead characters of Kamayani symbolize a synthesis of knowledge, action and desires in human life. It inspires humans to live a life based on "karm" and not on fortunes.
Apart fromKamayani,Saketa (1932) byMaithili Sharan Gupt,Kurukshetra (Epic Poetry) (1946),Rashmirathi (1952) andUrvashi (1961) byRamdhari Singh 'Dinkar' have attained the status ofepic poetry.
LikewiseLalita Ke Aansoo[8] by Krant M. L. Verma (1978)[9] narrates the tragic story about the death ofLal Bahadur Shastri through his wifeLalita Shastri.[10]
Kannada epic poetry mainly consists ofJain religious literature andLingayat literature.Asaga wroteVardhaman Charitra, an epic which runs in 18cantos, in 853 CE,[11] the firstSanskrit biography of the 24th and lasttirthankara of Jainism,Mahavira, though his Kannada-language version of Kalidasa's epic poem,Kumārasambhava,Karnataka Kumarasambhava Kavya is lost.[12] The most famous poet from this period isPampa (902-975 CE), one of the most famous writers in theKannada language. HisVikramarjuna Vijaya (also called thePampabharatha) is hailed as a classic even to this day. With this and his other important workĀdi purāṇa he set a trend of poetic excellence for the Kannada poets of the future. The former work is an adaptation of the celebratedMahabharata, and is the first such adaptation in Kannada. Noted for the strong human bent and the dignified style in his writing, Pampa has been one of the most influential writers in Kannada. He is identified asAdikavi "first poet". It is only in Kannada that we have aRamayana and a Mahabharata based on the Jain tradition in addition to those based on Brahmanical tradition.
Shivakotiacharya was the first writer in prose style. His workVaddaradhane is dated to 900 CE.Sri Ponna (939-966 CE) is also an important writer from the same period, withShanti Purana as his magnum opus. Another major writer of the period isRanna (949-? CE). His most famous works are theJain religious workAjita Tirthankara Purana and theGada Yuddha, a birds' eye view of theMahabharata set in the last day of the battle ofKurukshetra and relating the story of the Mahabharata through a series of flashbacks. Structurally, the poetry in this period is in theChampu style, essentially poetry interspersed with lyrical prose.
TheSiribhoovalaya is a unique work of multilingualKannada literature written byKumudendu Muni, aJain monk. The work is unique in that it does not employ letters, but is composed entirely inKannada numerals.[13] TheSaangathyametre ofKannada poetry is employed in the work. It uses numerals 1 through 64 and employs various patterns orbandhas in a frame of 729 (27×27) squares to represent letters in nearly 18 scripts and over 700 languages.[14] Some of the patterns used include theChakrabandha,Hamsabandha,Varapadmabandha,Sagarabandha,Sarasabandha,Kruanchabandha,Mayurabandha,Ramapadabandha, andNakhabandha. As each of these patterns are identified and decoded, the contents can be read. The work is said to have around 600,000 verses, nearly six times as big as the ancient Indian epicMahabharata.
ThePrabhulingaleele,Basava purana,Channabasavapurana andBasavarajavijaya are a few of the Lingayat epics.
Meitei language (officially known asManipuri language), an oldSino-Tibetan language, originated fromAncient Kangleipak (earlyManipur) inNorth East India, is a language with a rich granary of epic poetries, mostly written in archaic version of theMeitei script inPuyas, the Meitei texts.[15]
The sagas of the sevenepic cycles of incarnations of the two divine lovers were originated from the shorelineMoirang around theLoktak lake inManipur. Their stories were composed in both prose and poetry, among which the ballad versions were usually sung by the minstrels, playingPena (musical instrument) since ancient times.[16]
TheKhamba Thoibi Sheireng (based on the story ofKhamba and Thoibi) is regarded as the greatest of all the Meitei epics. It is regarded as thenational epic of theManipuris.[17][18][5] It consists of approximately 39,000verses.[6][5][7] The epic poetry has fifteen chapters (Meitei:Pandup) and ninety two sections (Meitei:Taangkak). It is based on the legendary love story ofKhuman Khamba, an orphan man, andThoibi, the then princess ofMoirang. Though the legend existed in the immortal songs of the Meitei balladeers, it was composed in a proper poetic version by Hijam Anganghal in 1940.[19]
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TheNumit Kappa, literally meaning "Shooting at the Sun" inMeitei, is a 1st-century BC Meitei epic, based on the story of a hero namedKhwai Nungjeng Piba, who shoots one of the two shiningsuns in the sky, to create thenight.[20]
TheOugri is the collection of musical epic poetries, associated with religious themes, originated during the reign of KingNongda Lairen Pakhangba in 33 AD.[21] Other epics includeShingel Indu by Hijam Anganghal,Khongjom Tirtha by Nilabir Sharma,Chingoi Baruni by Gokul Shastri,Kansa Vadha by A. Dorendrajit, andVasudeva Mahakavya by Chingangbam Kalachand.However, theSanskrit epics such as theMahabharata and theRamayana were also translated intoMeitei language in the medieval times.Other translated epic works include theMeghnad Badh Kavya, theBhagavad Gita, and theAshtakam.
In 14th century Madhav Kandali dubbed the epic Ramayana asSaptakanda Ramayana. In chronology, among vernacular translations of the original Sanskrit, Kandali's Ramayana comes afterKamban's (Tamil, 12th century)andGona Budda Reddy's (Telugu:Ranganath Ramayanamu) and ahead ofKirttivas' (Bengali, 15th century),Tulsidas' (Awadhi, 16th century), Balaram Das' (Oriya) etc. Thus it becomes the first rendition of theRamayana into anIndo-Aryan language in the Indian subcontinent.[22]
The ancient Sanskrit epics theRamayana andMahabharata comprise together theItihāsa (lit. 'writer has himself witnessed the story') orMahākāvya ("Great Compositions"), acanon ofHindu scripture. The epic form prevailed and verse remained, until very recently, the preferred form of Hindu literary works.Indian culture readily lent itself to a literary tradition that abounded in epic poetry and literature. ThePuranas, a massive collection of verse-form histories of India's many Hindu gods and goddesses, followed in this tradition.Itihāsa andPuranas are mentioned in theAtharva Veda[23] and referred to as thefifth Veda.[24]
The language of these texts, termedEpic Sanskrit, constitutes the earliest phase ofClassical Sanskrit, following the latest stage ofVedic Sanskrit found in theShrauta Sutras. TheSuparṇākhyāna, a late Vedic poem considered to be among the "earliest traces of epic poetry in India," is an older, shorter precursor to the expanded legend ofGaruda that is included within theMahābhārata.[25][26]
The Buddhist kaviAśvaghoṣa wrote two epics and one drama. He lived in the 1st-2nd century. He wrote a biography of the Buddha, titled Buddhacarita. His second epic is called Saundarananda and tells the story of the conversion of Nanda, the younger brother of the Buddha. The play he wrote is called Śariputraprakaraṇa, but of this play only a few fragments remained.
The famous poet and playwrightKālidāsa also wrote two epics:Raghuvamsha (The Dynasty of Raghu) andKumarasambhava (The Birth of Kumar Kartikeya). Other classical Sanskrit epics are theSlaying of ŚiśupālaŚiśupālavadha ofMāgha,Arjuna and the Mountain ManKirātārjunīya ofBhāravi, theAdventures of the Prince of NishadhaNaiṣadhacarita ofŚrīharṣa andBhaṭṭi's PoemBhaṭṭikāvya ofBhaṭṭi.
The post-sangam period (2nd century-6th century) saw many greatTamil epics being written, includingCilappatikaram (orSilappadhikaram),Manimegalai,Civaka Cintamani,Valayapathi andKundalakesi. Out of the five,Manimegalai andKundalakesi are Buddhist religious works,Civaka Cintamani andValayapathi areTamil Jain works andSilappatikaram has a neutral religious view. They were written over a period of 1st century CE to 10th century CE and act as the historical evidence of social, religious, cultural and academic life of people during the era they were created.Civaka Cintamani introduced long verses calledvirutha pa in Tamil literature,[27] whileSilappatikaram usedakaval meter (monologue), a style adopted from Sangam literature.
Later, during theChola period,Kamban (12th century) wrote what is considered one of the greatest Tamil epics — theKamba Ramayanam ofKamban, based on the Valmiki Ramayana. The Thiruthondat Puranam (orPeriya Puranam) of Chekkizhar is the great Tamil epic of the Shaiva Bhakti saints and is part of the religious scripture of Tamil Nadu's majority Shaivites.
Most of the Telugu epics are aboutHinduism.
The first known Telugu epic was theAndhra Mahabharatam written by theKavitrayam (11th-14th centuries)
Other main Telugu epics are theRanganatha Ramayanamu,Basava Purana, and theAmuktamalyada
His epic Singel Indu was published in 1938 which was followed by his magnum opus Khamba Thoibi Sheireng (1940), a poem of 39000 lines, considered to be the 'national' epic of the Manipuris, written in the Pena Saisak style of folk ballads.
His best work, Khamba Thoibi sheireng, in 39,000 lines on the story of 'Khamba and Thoibi' was started in 1939 and the composition was completed in 1940.
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{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)The epics of the seven incarnations Apart from several other works based on the theme of love, mention may be made of the literature coming from the Moirang region of Manipur. A civilization situated on the magnificent Loktak Lake, the culture of the Moirang clan has been noted. Numerous manuscripts of the Moirang region dwell on the theme of love. One of the most popular stories refers to the seven pairs of lovers who are regarded as incarnations of the same souls in different generations or ages. The seven cycles are Akongjamba (hero) and Phouoibi (heroine): Henjunaha (hero) and Leima Lairuklembi (heroine); Khuyol Haoba (hero) and Yaithing Konu (heroine); Kadeng Thangjahanba (hero) and Tonu Laijinglembi (heroine); Ura Naha Khongjomba (hero) and Pidonnu (heroine); Wanglen Pungdingheiba (hero) and Sappa Chanu Silheibi (heroine); Khamba (hero) and Thoibi (heroine).
H. Anganghal Singh's Khamba Thoibi Sheireng (Poem on Khamba Thoibi, 1940) is a national epic of the Manipuris based on the story of Khamba and Thoibi of Moirang. The poet composes the whole epic in the Pena Saisak style of folk ballads sung by minstrels or bards popular in Manipur.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
