Bharavi

Sri Aurobindo says, “…Bharavi has high qualities of grave poetic thinking and epic sublimity of description…”(The Renaissance in India CWSA. Vol. 20, p. 362). Bharavi is famous for his Kiratarjuniyam, a grand poem in eighteen cantos depicting the war between Arjuna and Lord Shiva in the guise of a Kirata (Mountaineer). This metrical composition describes the journey of Arjuna to the mountain Indrakila, part of Himalayas, for the propitiation of Indra and Siva and the final attainment of the divine weapon called Pasupata from Shiva.

The date of Bharavi is not known. But as his name is found in the Aihole inscription belonging to the beginning of fifth century A.D. so it is certain that Bharavi lived before this period.

This poem occupies a very special place in Sanskrit literature for its artha-gaurava or profundity of thought. Bharavi desired to spread the message of heroism of the nation through this poem. The poem, from the beginning to the end, is full of martial heroism. The style of Bharavi is grand and majestic yet consistent with the nature of the theme. The language is lucid and chaste. Commentator Mallinatha has compared the poetry of Bharavi with a coconut. As one has to break the hard surface of the coconut in order to get the flavour of it so one has to struggle hard to get the real flavour of Bharavi’s poetry. The sumptuousness of style and majesty of language and profundity of thought has not brought in any element of obscurity in the expression. The poet was perhaps thinking of his own style when Yudhisthira in the second canto speaks of the advocacy of his brother Bhima: Lucidity has not been put aside by the words nor has profundity of meaning been kept up; to each word there is a specific significance assigned and yet the unity of sense has not been dispensed with anywhere.”

Sphutataa na padairapaakritaa na ca na svikritamarthagauravam.
Racitaa prithagarthataa na ca saamarthyamapohitam kvacit. Kiratarjuniyam, 2.27

The real importance of this poem lies in the interlaced descriptions, magnificent metaphors and similes and mastery in handling the language. The fifteenth canto of this poem is an exhibition of verbal gymnastics where one finds verses with one consonant, verses of the nature of a palindrome which can be read forward and backward, verses in which all the lines have same characters but meaning of each line is different. Here we give few examples.

The following verse is written in such a way that here each quarter-stanza is a palindrome; the first four syllables of the first quarter are formed by taking the first syllables of each quarter in the same order; the first four syllables of the second quarter are similarly the same as the second syllables of each quarter, and so on.

Devakanini kavade vahikasvasvakahiva
Kakarebhabhare’kaka nisvabhavyavyabhasvani. Kiratarjuniyam 15.25

O man who desires war! This is that battlefield which excites even the gods, where the battle is not of words. Here people fight and stake their lives not for themselves but for others. This field is full of herds of maddened elephants. Here those who are eager for battle and even those who are not very eager, have to fight.

Now the entire verse has been written using a single consonant that is na.

Na nonanunno nunneno nana nananana nanu
Nunno’nunno nanunneno nanena nunnanunnanut. Kiratarjuniyam 15.15

A man is not a man who is wounded by a low man. Similarly, he is also not a man who wounds a low man. The wounded one is not considered to be wounded if his master is unwounded. And he who wounds a man who is already wounded, is not a man.

Apart from this type of playing with the sounds we come across splendid sketches in the description of nature that exhibit the genius of a true poet.

Bharavi’s profundity of thought can be seen in the verses like that of the following one.

When Draupadi and Bhima made strong plea for taking immediate action against the Kauravas instead of waiting then Yudhisthira advocates patience by saying the following words: “One must not do anything in haste… indiscretion invites all types of dangers… the victory comes to such persons those who do things only after proper thought.”

Sahasa vidadhita na kriyam avivekah paramaapadaam padam
Vrinute hi vimrishyakarinam gunalubdhaah svayameva sampadah.
Kiratarjuniyam 2.30

One can get lots of examples of this nature from this poem of Bharavi.

Bharavi was a very successful exponent of human emotions. His character delineation in this poem is superb. His description of nature is remarkably charming. His language is amazingly rich. His style is marvelous. Bharavi’s master hand has made Kiratarjuniyam one of the greatest poems of Sanskrit literature.