Ardha Kathanak Punarvilokan

Here is a comprehensive summary in English of the provided Jain text, "Ardha Kathanak Punarvilokan" by Kailash Tiwari:

This article, written by Dr. Kailash Tiwari on the occasion of the quadricentennial of Kavi Banarasidas, offers a re-examination of his seminal work, 'Ardha Kathanak'.

Significance of 'Ardha Kathanak':

• First Hindi Autobiography: 'Ardha Kathanak' is widely accepted as the first autobiography in Hindi literature, and its author, Banarasidas, is considered the progenitor of autobiographical writing in the language.
• Historical Context: Banarasidas lived during the reigns of three significant Mughal emperors: Akbar, Jahangir, and Shah Jahan. He also received patronage from Shah Jahan, meaning the 'Ardha Kathanak' provides glimpses into the administrative systems and social conditions of these eras.
• Dual Contributions: Banarasidas made two significant contributions:
  1. Making Jainism Accessible: Through his approximately 23 other poetic works, which primarily focused on religion and moral instruction, he strove to make Jainism comprehensible to the common populace by using spoken language. This effort helped disseminate Jain principles beyond Sanskrit and Prakrit into vernacular languages.
  2. Pioneering Autobiography: He broke the convention of Hindi writers not detailing their personal lives. He expressed a desire to make his own life "famous" and presented his "character" as he "heard" and "saw" it, eschewing self-concealment and self-praise.

Content and Style of 'Ardha Kathanak':

• Dual Facets: The autobiography has two aspects: the personal and the social.
  • Personal Aspect: Banarasidas candidly narrates events from his life. He prioritizes a "broad outline" rather than minute details, thus avoiding self-concealment or boasting. This aspect is considered modern in its approach to self-confession. He recounts the experiences of his merchant family, which also incorporates wider societal events and memories from his business travels.
  • Social Aspect: The social context is presented incidentally. While it may be difficult to glean deep historical facts, the historical references are undoubtedly useful.
• Title Explanation: The title 'Ardha Kathanak' (Half Narrative) signifies that the work encompasses roughly half of the author's life. Assuming a lifespan of 110 years, he dedicated the narrative to his life's journey up to that point.
• Narrative Structure: The book begins with a genealogical introduction, followed by his personal account. It details his grandfather Muldas's role as a moneylender to the Mughals and his father Khargsen's life, including his birth, his grandfather's death and property confiscation, their move to Jaunpur, his father's business education, and his own subsequent business ventures.
• Style: The autobiography employs a direct, factual style with visual dynamism rather than emotional upheaval. While this approach might not be considered ideal today, it is recognized as a pioneering and exemplary style for an early work.

Key Themes and Information from 'Ardha Kathanak':

• Personal Struggles: Banarasidas's narrative includes personal struggles such as early marriage at twelve, facing hardships during business travels, experiencing business losses, and dealing with illness.
• Spiritual Journey: He describes his involvement in spiritual gatherings in Agra, which were influenced by Mughal court traditions. He acknowledges his own periods of spiritual confusion until he found guidance from Rupchand Pandey in 1682 (Samvat).
• Historical Information: The work provides historical details such as the deaths of Akbar and Jahangir, and Jahangir and Shah Jahan's ascension to the throne, which corroborate historical dates.
• Social and Economic Conditions:
  • Jaunpur: The text provides a detailed description of Jaunpur, highlighting its past prosperity with features like seven-story buildings, 52 serais, 52 parganas, 52 markets, and 52 mandis. It mentions the presence of all four varnas, with 36 types of Shudras, including painters, confectioners, and farmers.
  • Caste System: The description of various artisan castes in Jaunpur suggests that those engaged in vocational work were considered to hold a lower social status, categorized as Shudras.
  • Mughal Administration: The text illustrates the arbitrary nature of Mughal rule through the examples of Kilich Khan's harsh treatment of jewelers for not providing desired gifts and officials accepting bribes during travels.
  • Education System: The traditional education system is depicted, where extensive reading was not considered beneficial for merchants. The responsibility of education was primarily with Brahmins and bhats. A proverb is quoted suggesting that sons of merchants should be in the market, and those who read too much might resort to begging.
  • Travel and Safety: Long-distance travel by merchants was common but not entirely safe, despite royal efforts for traveler security. The threat of thieves and dacoits persisted, as evidenced by Khargsen's and Banarasidas's own experiences.
  • Plague Outbreak: 'Ardha Kathanak' records the first outbreak of the "gathika disease" (plague) in Agra, which caused people to flee and resulted in high mortality. This event is also mentioned in the Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri, although the latter does not explicitly state its impact on Agra.
• Jainism and Royal Patronage: The work indicates a relatively lenient and liberal attitude of the emperors towards the Jain community and their freedom of worship. Jahangir and a Pathan Sultan are mentioned as having provided support for two Jain pilgrimages.

In conclusion, Dr. Tiwari's article emphasizes that 'Ardha Kathanak' is a remarkable work that not only pioneered autobiographical writing in Hindi but also offered valuable insights into the religious, social, economic, and political landscape of medieval India, particularly from a Jain perspective. It showcases Banarasidas's courage in candidly presenting his life and his efforts to popularize Jainism through vernacular literature.