DOCSLIB.ORG

A Survey of Maithili Literature Ii मममअनुम

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Survey of Maithili Literature Ii मममअनु�म A Survey of Maithili Literature ii मममअनुम अनुम iii A Survey of Maithili Literature Radhakrishna Chaudhary Shruti Publication iv मममअनुम Ist edition 2010 of Professor Radhakrishna Chaudhary’s A Survey of Maithili Literature published by Shruti Publication, 8/21, Ground Floor, New Rajendra Nagar, New Delhi -110008 Tel.: 25889656, 25889658 Fax: 011- 25889657 No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means- photographic, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, taping or information storage-without the prior permission in writing of the copyright owner or as expressly permitted by law. You must not circulate this book in any other binding or cover and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer. © Shruti Publication ISBN:978-93-80538-36-5 Price: Rs. 250/- (INR)-for individual buyers US $ 40 for libraries/ institutions(India & abroad). ुित काशन रिजटडर् ऑिफस: ८/२१, भूतल, यू राजे नगर, नई िदली-११०००८. दूरभाष-(०११) २५८८९६५६-५८ फैक्स- (०११)२५८८९६५७ Website:http://www.shruti-publication.com e-mail: [email protected] Designed by: Prity Thakur Printed & Typeset at: Ajay Arts, Delhi-110002 Distributor : Pallavi Distributors, Ward no- 6, Nirmali (Supaul, BIHAR, INDIA), मो.- 9572450405, 9931654742 1 A Survey of Maithili Literature Radhakrishna Chaudhary 2 For Shri ShriKrishna Chaudhary Shri Binod Bihari Verma 3 Preface The survey was initially prepared for a particular occasion under the heading “History of Maithili Literature”, sponsored by the Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi. The man-made destiny willed otherwise and the mechanism, crowned with utter selfishness and sectarianism, did not allow the original sheme to materilise. The original idea was, therefore, changed and the present survey is a modified, revised and uptodate account of the Maithili literature in all its ramifications. I wish Maithili should have a clean slate to start, if it has to prosper in the company of other sister languages of the country. The, survey, in its present form, is intended for the common readers. It is an attempt to outline the essence of Maithili. There is no attempt to prove or disprove but rather to present in outline a graduated interpretation of the course of development. In a sense, it is a synthesis of the ideas permeating underneath Maichili Language and liteature. A connected account of all the epochs of Maithili literature, from the earliest times to the present day, has been given in this short survey. Hetherto there is only one book in English language on the History of Maithili literature and that, too, was published, about thirty years back. The edition, now to be brought out by the Sahitya Akademi, is being written by the same author and naturally (the Sahitya Akademi version of history will be nothing but old wine in new bottle. The present survey has been prepared in a purely historical perspective. Though much remains to be done in the field, the present work is just an attempt to draw the attention of the specialists in. their respective branches to fill up the gap still awaiting further enquiry and proper research. I have condensed many facts in order to render the volume more fitted for popular reading. It also contains uncritical list of recent publications in the language to date. I have endeavoured to make it as simple, clear and readable as far as possible and have tried to be accuate and uptodate. Writing for non-specialised readers is like walking on tight rope. One is always afraid of falling into pedantism or 4 triviality. It is for the readers to judge whether I have succeeded in keeping my balance all the way or not. Marthili is a living language and has a glorious history oft its own. Its history is the history of the growth of one of the earliest important languges of northeastern India and which influenced in one way or the other, all the languages of eastern India. The book is likely to interest all the lovers of our languages and if my readers feel that this humble attempt of mine has been worth while I shall deem my labour amply rewarded. I must express my sincere sense of gratitude to Prof. Upendra Nath Mallik, M. A. (Cal.), of the Department of English, T. N. B. College, Bhagalpur University, for his ungrudging help and coopertion. I have no words to thank Shri Gopiraman Ghoudhary, Research Fellrow, Bihar Research Society, Patna, not only for his help and cooperation in seeing the book through the Press but also for other helf. Without his active cooperation at the printing level the work would not have seen the light of the day so early. My sincere thanks are due to Dr. B. K. Verma Manips-adma, Pandit Rajeshwar Jha of the Bihar Research Society, and to my wife and daughter, who shared my worldly anxieties while the work was in progress. I wish to thank all these who gave me their encouragement and help. I crave the indulgence of my readers for all types of shortcomings in this humble work. The very thought that this work will be of Some help to all types of readers, will render them more tolerant to its occasional heaviness. Bhagalpur RADHAKRISHNA CHAUDHARY August 15, 1976 5 Contents Page 1. Introductory 1 2. Evolution of the Language and the Script 17 3. Forms of Early Maithili Poetry 31 4. Triumph of Maithili Speech 41 5. Age of Efflorescence 54 6. The Mongrel Language 94 7. Crossing the Frontier 100 8. Heritage without Glory 120 9. A Comfort to the Grieved 135 10. Era of Decadent Documentary Prise 152 11. Throbbing Human heart 156 12. The New Awakening 168 13. The Golden Trio 181 14. The Lotus blossoms 189 15. The New Dimensions 2IT 6 Abbreviations ABORS : Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute. JBORS : Journal of the Bihar & Orissa Research Socieiy, JBR8 : Journal of the Bihar Research Society. MBH : Mahabharat. MSS : Manuscript. MM : Mahamahopadhyay. NIA : New Indian Antiquary. PPM : Prakritpainglam. RT : Ragatarangini. VR : Varnanaratnakara. 1 CHAPTER—I INTRODUCTORY HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL BACKGROUND Mithila is bounded on the north by the Himalayas, and on the south, west and east by the Ganges, Gandaka and the Kaushiki respectively. It comprises the districts of Champaran, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Saharsa, Purnea, North Monghyr and parts of the Terai region in Nepal. It forms the north-eastern part of the State of Bihar. The Mithilamahatmya, describes the boundary of Mithila in the following manner ; “Between the Himalayas and he Ganges, intercepted by fifteen rivers, lies the most holy land known as Tirbhukti; beginning from the Kosi and running up to the Gandaki, its length is declared to be twenty-four yojanas, that is, 192 miles; beginning from the Ganges and extending up to the Himalayan forests, its breadth is sixteen yojanas, that is, 128 miles. There is situated the city of Mithila.” The name ‘Tirabhukti’ appears in the records of the Gupta period (circa 4th centuary A. D.). Tirabhukti is modern Tirhut. The antiquity of Mithila is proved beyond any shadow of doubt. The story of the Aryan Colonisation of Mithila is narrated in the Shatapatha Brahmana and the name Mithila or Videha is derived from Videgha Mathava. The word Mithila was derived from “Manth” (to churn) by the author of the Unadisutra. According to the Matsyap furana, Mithila was also the name of a Sage. Mithi was one of the rulers who is said to have carried out Ashvamedha Yajna and thereby rendered it holy. Mithila was originally the name of the capital of the land, which was known as Videha. Mithila and Videha ultimately came to be synonymous. Mithila figures prominently in the Vedic and epic sources. Mithila is associated with the name of Janaka Videha and stands apart pre-eminently as the land given to intellectual pursuits and consequently to speculations about the spiritual 2 well-being of man. Janaka gave impetus to philosophical discussions at his court and that formed the kernel round which the Indian culture had grown, developed and ultimately perfected in later years. “The path of duty can be known from the usages of Mithila”— a passage attributed to Yajnavalkya—is later echoed by Vidyapati in his Puruhapariksha, where he says— ”the people of Tirabhukti are by nature proud of their merits”. It was here in Mithila that Janaka ruled, Yajnavalkya legislated and Gautama meditated. Mithila was also associated with the leaders of Jainism and Buddhism. We have no definite information about the ancient ruling dynasties after the Janaka dynasty. For sometime it formed a part of the republic of Vaishali and during the Gupta period, it formed a part of the Gupta empire. It appears that it also formed a part of the empire of Harshavardhana. The period following his death is one of political confusion and the real history of Mithila, as an independent unit, begins in 1097 A. D. when the adventurers of the South, the Karnatas, ushered in a new era of splendid glory and achievements. It was under them that Mithila once again became the centre of philosophy; law and literature. The Karnatas were replaced by the Oinwaras in about 1325 A.D., and under that dynasty, Mithila made further progress in literature and philosophy, Vidyapati flourished under the Oinwaras. The Oinwaras were replaced by the Khandawalas in about 1556 A. D. The contribution of Mithila to the development of a synthetic-Indian culture has been immense. Yajnavalkya developed the Madhyanandini branch of Yajurveda (universally know as Shukla and accepted by the whole of northern India)’. The Yajnavalkya smriti came to be duly recognised and formed the bedrock of the Mithila School of Hindu Law.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Emergence of the Mahajanapadas
    The Emergence of the Mahajanapadas Sanjay Sharma Introduction In the post-Vedic period, the centre of activity shifted from the upper Ganga valley or madhyadesha to middle and lower Ganga valleys known in the contemporary Buddhist texts as majjhimadesha. Painted grey ware pottery gave way to a richer and shinier northern black polished ware which signified new trends in commercial activities and rising levels of prosperity. Imprtant features of the period between c. 600 and 321 BC include, inter-alia, rise of ‘heterodox belief systems’ resulting in an intellectual revolution, expansion of trade and commerce leading to the emergence of urban life mainly in the region of Ganga valley and evolution of vast territorial states called the mahajanapadas from the smaller ones of the later Vedic period which, as we have seen, were known as the janapadas. Increased surplus production resulted in the expansion of trading activities on one hand and an increase in the amount of taxes for the ruler on the other. The latter helped in the evolution of large territorial states and increased commercial activity facilitated the growth of cities and towns along with the evolution of money economy. The ruling and the priestly elites cornered most of the agricultural surplus produced by the vaishyas and the shudras (as labourers). The varna system became more consolidated and perpetual. It was in this background that the two great belief systems, Jainism and Buddhism, emerged. They posed serious challenge to the Brahmanical socio-religious philosophy. These belief systems had a primary aim to liberate the lower classes from the fetters of orthodox Brahmanism.
    [Show full text]
  • Englishes Today I February 2016 I Volume II, Issue I ISSN : 2395 4809
    Englishes Today I February 2016 I Volume II, Issue I ISSN : 2395 4809 ENGLISHES TODAY I February 2016 I Vol. II, Issue I I ISSN : 2395 4809 Culture as Language: The Maithili Trajectory Dr. Usha Sharan Sr. Asst. Professor, Department of English, Purnea Mahila College,Purnea. B.N Mandal University, Bihar, INDIA. Abstract Language as a construct of the cultural heritage, has become a ground for raising several issues related to tangible and intangible forms of the inherited past. It has become a discourse which involves the existence of a historical past that shapes and influences a large part of the human existence and psyche. It also entails concerns which are engendered by the necessity and importance of our past. Our roots, as such, in turn, nourish and provide a background for the growth of fresh cultural behavior and dialectics. The understanding of one’s quest for the ‘self’ is engendered in a novel way through this identity as a form of inherited culture. Thus language as one of the oldest human institutions becomes a discourse cutting cross cultural boundaries. The cultural and social system of particular areas becomes intrinsic to one’s identity as language has an inevitable link with it. India is known for its diverse culture, based on various linguistic areas and concerns .Among these languages is Maithili, spoken widely in the northern and eastern Bihar and a large part of the Terai region of Nepal, which occupies a status in the 8th schedule in the Constitution of India . Originating from the Indo-Aryan family, the spoken Vedic dialects developed into the Magadhi, which later branched out in the North-East into Maithili, Odiya, Bangla And Assamese.
    [Show full text]
  • Revised Syllabus for P.G. Courses in Philosophy
    REVISED SYLLABUS FOR P.G. COURSES IN PHILOSOPHY COURSE NO. PHIL/P.G/1.1 Logic (Indian) 1. Nature of Indian Logic: the close relationship of logic, epistemology and metaphysics in the Indian tradition; primacy of logical reasoning in establishing one’ own system and refuting all rival systems; the concepts of ānvikṣikī and anumiti 2. Definition of Anumāna: Nyāya and Buddhist perspectives 3. Constituents of Anumāna: Nyāya and Buddhist perspectives 4. Process of Anumāna: Nyāya and Buddhist perspectives 5. Types of Anumāna: Nyāya and Buddhist perspectives 6. Nyāya: paķṣata, parāmarśa, definition of vyāpti 7. Inductive elements in Indian Logic: the concepts of vyāptigrahopāya, sāmānyalakṣaṇaprātyasatti, tarka, upādhi 8. Hetvābhāsa 9. Jňāniyapratibaddha-pratibandhakābhāva Suggestive Texts: Keśava Miśra: Tarkabhāṣā, ed. by Pandit Badarinath Shukla, Motilal Banarasidas Publishers Ltd., N. Delhi Dharmakīrti: Nyāyabindu, ed. by D. Malvania, Patna, 1971 Uddyotakara: Nyāyavārttika, ed. by M. M. Anantalal Thakur, ICPR Publication, N. Delhi Praśastapādabhāṣya, ed. By Ganganath Jha, Sapurnanda Sanskrit University, Benares Nyāyasūtra – Vātsayanabhāsya (select portions), ed. by MM Phanibhusan Tarkavagish, Rajya Pustak Parshad, WB Viśvanātha,Bhāṣāparichheda, ed. by Pandit Panchanan Shastri with commentary Muktavali- Samgraha, Sanskrita Pustak Bhandar Annambhatta,TarkasaṁgrahawithDipika, ed. by Pandit Panchanan Shastri, Sanskrita Pustak Bhandar (Bengali) Annambhatta,TarkasaṁgrahawithDipika, trans. by Prof. Gopinath Bhattacharya in English, Progressive Pub, 1976 Suggested Readings: S.S. Barlingay,A Modern Introduction to Indian Logic, National Publishing House, 1965 Gangadhar Kar,Tarkabhāsā Vol– I, 2nd ed. Jadavpur University Press, 2009 19 D.C. Guha,Navya Nyaya System of Logic, Motilal Banarsidass, 1979 Nandita Bandyopadhyay,The Concept of Logical Fallacies, Sanskrit Pustak Bhandar, 1977 B.K. Matilal,The Navya Nyaya Doctrine of Negation,Harvard University Press, 1968 B.K.
    [Show full text]
  • Gender, Class, Self-Fashioning, and Affinal Solidarity in Modern South Asia
    Bucknell University Bucknell Digital Commons Faculty Journal Articles Faculty Scholarship 2009 Im/possible Lives: Gender, Class, Self-Fashioning, and Affinal Solidarity in Modern South Asia Coralynn V. Davis Bucknell University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.bucknell.edu/fac_journ Part of the Asian Studies Commons, Human Geography Commons, Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons, and the Women's Studies Commons Recommended Citation Davis, Coralynn V.. "Im/possible Lives: Gender, Class, Self-Fashioning, and Affinal Solidarity in Modern South Asia." Social Identities: Journal for the Study of Race, Nation and Culture (2009) : 243-272. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Faculty Scholarship at Bucknell Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Journal Articles by an authorized administrator of Bucknell Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Im/possible Lives: Gender, class, self-fashioning, and affinal solidarity in modern South Asia Coralynn V. Davis* Women’s and Gender Studies Program Bucknell University Lewisburg, Pennsylvania USA Abstract Drawing on ethnographic research and employing a micro-historical approach that recognizes not only the transnational but also the culturally specific manifestations of modernity, this article centers on the efforts of a young woman to negotiate shifting and conflicting discourses about what a good life might consist of for a highly educated and high caste Hindu woman living at the margins of a nonetheless globalized world. Newly imaginable worlds in contemporary Mithila, South Asia, structure feeling and action in particularly gendered and classed ways, even as the capacity of individuals to actualize those worlds and the “modern” selves envisioned within them are constrained by both overt and subtle means.
    [Show full text]
  • LIST of PROGRAMMES Organized by SAHITYA AKADEMI During APRIL 1, 2016 to MARCH 31, 2017
    LIST OF PROGRAMMES ORGANIZED BY SAHITYA AKADEMI DURING APRIL 1, 2016 TO MARCH 31, 2017 ANNU A L REOP R T 2016-2017 39 ASMITA Noted women writers 16 November 2016, Noted Bengali women writers New Delhi 25 April 2016, Kolkata Noted Odia women writers 25 November 2016, Noted Kashmiri women writers Sambalpur, Odisha 30 April 2016, Sopore, Kashmir Noted Manipuri women writers 28 November 2016, Noted Kashmiri women writers Imphal, Manipur 12 May 2016, Srinagar, Kashmir Noted Assamese women writers 18 December 2016, Noted Rajasthani women writers Duliajan, Assam 13 May 2016, Banswara, Rajasthan Noted Dogri women writers 3 March 2016, Noted Nepali women writers Jammu, J & K 28 May 2016, Kalimpong, West Bengal Noted Maithili women writers 18 March 2016, Noted Hindi women writers Jamshedpur, Jharkhand 30 June 2016, New Delhi AVISHKAR Noted Sanskrit women writers 04 July 2016, Sham Sagar New Delhi 28 March 2017, Jammu Noted Santali women writers Dr Nalini Joshi, Noted Singer 18 July 2016, 10 May, 2016, New Delhi Baripada, Odisha Swapan Gupta, Noted Singer and Tapati Noted Bodo women writers Gupta, Eminent Scholar 26 September 2016, 30 May, 2016, Kolkata Guwahati, Assam (Avishkar programmes organized as Noted Hindi women writers part of events are subsumed under those 26 September 2016, programmes) New Delhi 40 ANNU A L REOP R T 2016-2017 AWARDS Story Writing 12-17 November 2016, Jammu, J&K Translation Prize 4 August 2016, Imphal, Manipur Cultural ExCHANGE PROGRAMMES Bal Sahitya Puraskar 14 November 2016, Ahmedabad, Gujarat Visit of seven-member
    [Show full text]
  • Zombie Slayers in a “Hidden Valley” (Sbas Yul): Sacred Geography and Political Organisation in the Nepal-Tibet Borderland1
    Zombie Slayers in a “Hidden Valley” (sbas yul): Sacred Geography and Political Organisation in the Nepal-Tibet Borderland1 Francis Khek Gee Lim The Himalaya, with its high peaks and deep valleys, served for centuries as natural geographical frontier and boundary between the kingdoms and states of South Asia it straddles. Given the strategic advantage of controlling that high ground, it is little wonder that the Himalaya has throughout history witnessed countless skirmishes between neighbouring states that sought such strategic advantage. The interest in this mountain range, of course, was not restricted to matters of defence. North-south trade routes criss-crossed the Himalayan range, connecting the Tibetan plateau to the rest of the Indian subcontinent, ensuring lucrative tax revenues for those who controlled these economic lifelines. In the era of European colonialism in the “long” 19th century, the Himalaya became embroiled in what has been called the “Great Game” between the British and Russian empires, who sought to expand their respective commercial and imperial interests in the region. Due to its pristine environment, awe-inspiring mountains, and the remoteness of its valleys, the Himalaya was also the well-spring of countless legends, myths and romantic imaginings, engendering the sacralisation of the landscape that had served as a source of religious inspiration for peoples living both in its vicinity and beyond. Hence, despite its remoteness — or because of it — warfare, pilgrimages, trade and the search for viable areas of settlement have been some of the key factors contributing to the migratory process and interest in the area. Largely because they lay in the frontier zone, enclaves of Tibetan settlements located deep in the numerous Himalayan valleys were often on the outer fringes of state influence, enjoying a significant degree of local autonomy until processes of state consolidation intensified in the last century or so, as exemplified by the case of Nepal.
    [Show full text]
  • Madhya Bharti 75 21.07.18 English
    A Note on Paradoxes and Some Applications Ram Prasad At times thoughts in prints, dialogues, conversations and the likes create illusion among people. There may be one reason or the other that causes fallacies. Whenever one attempts to clear the illusion to get the logical end and is unable to, one may slip into the domain of paradoxes. A paradox seemingly may appear absurd or self contradictory that may have in fact a high sense of thought. Here a wide meaning of it including its shades is taken. There is a group of similar sensing words each of which challenges the wit of an onlooker. A paradox sometimes surfaces as and when one is in deep immersion of thought. Unprinted or oral thoughts including paradoxes can rarely survive. Some paradoxes always stay folded to gaily mock on. In deep immersion of thought W S Gilbert remarks on it in the following poetic form - How quaint the ways of paradox At common sense she gaily mocks1 The first student to expect great things of Philosophy only to suffer disillusionment was Socrates (Sokratez) -'what hopes I had formed and how grievously was I disappointed'. In the beginning of the twentieth century mathematicians and logicians rigidly argued on topics which appear possessing intuitively valid but apparently contrary statements. At times when no logical end is seen around and the topic felt hot, more on lookers would enter into these entanglements with argumentative approach. May be, but some 'wise' souls would manage to escape. Zeno's wraths - the Dichotomy, the Achilles, the Arrow and the Stadium made thinkers very uncomfortable all along.
    [Show full text]
  • Pre-Proto-Iranians of Afghanistan As Initiators of Sakta Tantrism: on the Scythian/Saka Affiliation of the Dasas, Nuristanis and Magadhans
    Iranica Antiqua, vol. XXXVII, 2002 PRE-PROTO-IRANIANS OF AFGHANISTAN AS INITIATORS OF SAKTA TANTRISM: ON THE SCYTHIAN/SAKA AFFILIATION OF THE DASAS, NURISTANIS AND MAGADHANS BY Asko PARPOLA (Helsinki) 1. Introduction 1.1 Preliminary notice Professor C. C. Lamberg-Karlovsky is a scholar striving at integrated understanding of wide-ranging historical processes, extending from Mesopotamia and Elam to Central Asia and the Indus Valley (cf. Lamberg- Karlovsky 1985; 1996) and even further, to the Altai. The present study has similar ambitions and deals with much the same area, although the approach is from the opposite direction, north to south. I am grateful to Dan Potts for the opportunity to present the paper in Karl's Festschrift. It extends and complements another recent essay of mine, ‘From the dialects of Old Indo-Aryan to Proto-Indo-Aryan and Proto-Iranian', to appear in a volume in the memory of Sir Harold Bailey (Parpola in press a). To com- pensate for that wider framework which otherwise would be missing here, the main conclusions are summarized (with some further elaboration) below in section 1.2. Some fundamental ideas elaborated here were presented for the first time in 1988 in a paper entitled ‘The coming of the Aryans to Iran and India and the cultural and ethnic identity of the Dasas’ (Parpola 1988). Briefly stated, I suggested that the fortresses of the inimical Dasas raided by ¤gvedic Aryans in the Indo-Iranian borderlands have an archaeological counterpart in the Bronze Age ‘temple-fort’ of Dashly-3 in northern Afghanistan, and that those fortresses were the venue of the autumnal festival of the protoform of Durga, the feline-escorted Hindu goddess of war and victory, who appears to be of ancient Near Eastern origin.
    [Show full text]
  • Vidyapati-The Poet(Part-2) M.A.(HISTORY) SEM-2 PAPER CC:7
    Vidyapati-The Poet(Part-2) M.A.(HISTORY) SEM-2 PAPER CC:7 DR. MD. NEYAZ HUSSAIN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR & HOD PG DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY MAHARAJA COLLEGE, VKSU ARA (BIHAR) Life and works Political career The independence of the kings Vidyapati worked for was often threatened by incursions by Muslim sultans. The Kīrttilatā makes reference to an incident where the Oiniwar King, Raja Gaṇeśvara, was killed by the Turkish commander, Malik Arsalan in 1371. By 1401, Vidyapati requested the help of the Jaunpur Sultan in overthrowing Arsalan and installing Gaṇeśvara's sons, Vīrasiṃha and Kīrttisiṃha, on the throne. With the Sultan's assistance, Arsalan was deposed and Kīrttisiṃha, the oldest son, became the ruler of Mithila.The conflicts of his time are evident in his works. In his early praise-poem Kīrttilatā, he slyly criticizes his patron for his perceived deference to Muslims. Life and works Love songs While working under his second patron, Devasimha, and especially under his successor Sivasimha,Vidyapati started composing Maithili songs of the love of Radha and Krishna. He seems to have only composed love songs between 1380 to 1406, though he kept writing until near his death in 1448. He seems to have ceased writing love songs after his patron and friend Sivasimha went missing in a battle and his court had to go into exile. These songs, which would eventually number five hundred, broke with convention. They were written in vernacular Maithili as songs, not as formal poems in literary Sanskrit as was done Life and works before. Until Vidyapati, Maithili wasn't employed as a literary medium.
    [Show full text]
  • Bangladesh's Political Evolution As a Country Has Its Own Unique And
    Defining the Frontiers of Identity: Balancing Language and Religion in Bangladesh Smruti S Pattanaik The question of identity is a social issue but behind its construction there are potent political forces at work. These forces seek to conceptualize and articulate socio- political grievances of a ‘community’ and convert these grievances into a political tool, which forms the basis of a separate nation state. Therefore, the issue of identity is the most volatile subject in multi-ethnic states. In a multicultural and plural state, the state- hegemonisation and definition of national identity inevitably creates fissiparous tendencies especially when the nature of the state often fails to take diversity into account. In the context of the creation of Pakistan and given the history of partition, the state hegemony in crafting a ‘nation’ was an effort to translate the ideological inspiration behind the state formation. At the same time, the Hindu dominated Congress opposition created a sort of insecurity regarding the viability of the nation-state. Therefore, the state, in its over-zealous attempt to promote and protect an Islamic identity the basis on which the state was founded, played the role of an ultimate arbitrator of the identity question. The problem with such an overarching authority of the state that defined the existence of ‘self’ within the geographical parameter persisted in conceiving a political identity that defined the citizenship and gave him an identity and a sense of belongingness to the territory. In the process, the state advanced “Islam” as the core of the national identity. In this context, Urdu became the defining factor of being a ‘Muslim’ in the new state of Pakistan.
    [Show full text]
  • Why I Became a Hindu
    Why I became a Hindu Parama Karuna Devi published by Jagannatha Vallabha Vedic Research Center Copyright © 2018 Parama Karuna Devi All rights reserved Title ID: 8916295 ISBN-13: 978-1724611147 ISBN-10: 1724611143 published by: Jagannatha Vallabha Vedic Research Center Website: www.jagannathavallabha.com Anyone wishing to submit questions, observations, objections or further information, useful in improving the contents of this book, is welcome to contact the author: E-mail: [email protected] phone: +91 (India) 94373 00906 Please note: direct contact data such as email and phone numbers may change due to events of force majeure, so please keep an eye on the updated information on the website. Table of contents Preface 7 My work 9 My experience 12 Why Hinduism is better 18 Fundamental teachings of Hinduism 21 A definition of Hinduism 29 The problem of castes 31 The importance of Bhakti 34 The need for a Guru 39 Can someone become a Hindu? 43 Historical examples 45 Hinduism in the world 52 Conversions in modern times 56 Individuals who embraced Hindu beliefs 61 Hindu revival 68 Dayananda Saraswati and Arya Samaj 73 Shraddhananda Swami 75 Sarla Bedi 75 Pandurang Shastri Athavale 75 Chattampi Swamikal 76 Narayana Guru 77 Navajyothi Sree Karunakara Guru 78 Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha 79 Ramakrishna Paramahamsa 79 Sarada Devi 80 Golap Ma 81 Rama Tirtha Swami 81 Niranjanananda Swami 81 Vireshwarananda Swami 82 Rudrananda Swami 82 Swahananda Swami 82 Narayanananda Swami 83 Vivekananda Swami and Ramakrishna Math 83 Sister Nivedita
    [Show full text]
  • The Terai & Mahabharat Range
    © Lonely Planet Publications 270 www.lonelyplanet.com THE TERAI & MAHABHARAT RANGE •• History 271 The Terai & History and agricultural development in the plains Travelling through the Terai today, it’s hard is slowly raising the quality of life for the to believe that this was once one of the most nation, at least in economic terms. Mahabharat Range important places in the subcontinent. In 563 BC, the queen of the tiny kingdom of Kapil- Climate avastu gave birth to a son named Siddhartha The Terai has a similar climate to the north- Gautama and 35 years later, under a Bodhi ern plains of India – hot as a furnace from tree at Bodhgaya in India, Buddhism was May to October and drenched by monsoon Hanging out in the plains might not be the first thing that comes to mind when visiting the born. The Indian Buddhist emperor Ashoka rains from June to September. Try to visit in world’s most mountainous nation, but the Terai is a fascinating and varied place and most made a famous pilgrimage here in 249 BC, winter (November to February) when skies people see only a tiny fraction of it as they rush between the Indian border and the hills. leaving a commemorative pillar at the site of are clear and temperatures are moderate. There are plains and jungles, forts and temples, ancient monuments and national parks, the Buddha’s birth in Lumbini. The annual monsoon rains can severely af- Nepal also played a pivotal role in the fect transport in the region – dirt roads turn wilderness and bustling bazaars, plus the lush green landscape of the Chure and Mahabharat development of Hinduism.
    [Show full text]