Jain Kavi Kumarsambhav

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This text is a critical analysis of Jain Kumārasambhavam, a work by the Jain poet Jayashekhara Suri. The author, Satyavrat, explores its literary merits, its relationship to Kalidasa's Kumārasambhavam, its historical context, and its thematic content.

Key Aspects of the Analysis:

• Comparison with Kalidasa's Kumārasambhavam:

  • The Jain Kumārasambhavam is inspired by Kalidasa's work but does not introduce new literary traditions.
  • Both poems share the aim of describing the birth of a "Kumara" (son). However, Kalidasa's poem, in its authentic portions, focuses on Kartikeya's birth, while Jayashekhara's work does not explicitly detail the birth of Bharata. This means the titles are not fully representative of the content in either case.
  • Kalidasa ends his epic after suggesting Kartikeya's conception, whereas Jayashekhara's poem extends for five additional cantos after mentioning Sumangala's conception. This extension is attributed to the poet's love for description but is seen as detrimental to the poem's coherence and leading to an abrupt ending.

• Author and Dating of Jain Kumārasambhavam:

  • The text Jain Kumārasambhavam itself provides no biographical details about Jayashekhara Suri or his lineage.
  • From other sources, Jayashekhara is known to be a disciple of Mahendraprabha Suri of the Anchalgachchha, a learned scholar, and a talented poet. He wrote in Sanskrit and Prakrit.
  • His works Upadesa-Chintamani (circa 1439 CE) and Prabodha-Chintamani and Dhamma-Charita (circa 1462 CE) are known. Jain Kumārasambhavam was written after these.
  • A commentary on Jain Kumārasambhavam was written by Jayashekhara's disciple Dharmashekhara in 1482 CE. This fixes the upper limit for the composition of Jain Kumārasambhavam to after 1462 CE and before 1482 CE (roughly 1405-1425 CE).

• Plot Summary of Jain Kumārasambhavam:

  • The epic spans eleven cantos and describes the marriage and son's birth of Rishabhadeva, the first Jain Tirthankara.
  • It begins with a description of Ayodhya, built by Kubera. Rishabhadeva was born as the son of King Nabhi in the region known as Ikshvakubhoomi.
  • The first canto details his childhood, youth, beauty, and prosperity.
  • Learning from celestial singers Tumburu and Narada that Rishabha is still a "Kumara" (youth), Indra (king of gods) decides to arrange his marriage.
  • In the third canto, Indra persuades Rishabhadeva to marry his two sisters, Sumangala and Sunanda. Rishabha's silence is taken as consent, and preparations for the wedding begin. The canto also describes the pre-wedding adornment of the brides.
  • The marriage ceremony itself is described, with deities descending to Earth. Rishabhadeva proceeds to the bride's house like a victorious emperor.
  • Cantos IV and V depict marriage traditions and Rishabhadeva's return home like a victorious emperor, including the admiration of the city's women.
  • Canto VI is descriptive, detailing the night, moonrise, and seasons. Rishabhadeva enters the chamber with his newly wedded wives. The canto concludes with the mention of Sumangala's conception.
  • Canto VII describes fourteen dreams seen by Sumangala, and she seeks their interpretation from her husband.
  • Canto VIII features a dialogue between Rishabhadeva and Sumangala, where Rishabhadeva interprets the dreams.
  • In Canto IX, Rishabhadeva explains the fruits of the dreams, stating that they portend the birth of a son with fourteen great qualities, a Chakravartin. Sumangala is overjoyed.
  • Canto X describes Sumangala sharing the news with her friends.
  • Canto XI sees Indra praising Sumangala's fortune and informing her of the impending birth of her son. He reveals that the land will be known as 'Bharat' after her son Bharata, and his speech as 'Bharati'. The canto ends abruptly with a description of midday.

• Influence of Kalidasa and Literary Style:

  • Jayashekhara's poetry is heavily influenced by Kalidasa, particularly in the conception of the plot, arrangement of events, presentation of incidents, and adherence to poetic conventions.
  • While Kalidasa successfully integrated descriptive elements while maintaining narrative coherence, Jayashekhara, due to his admiration for Kalidasa, struggled to manage his narrative.
  • The starting descriptions (Ayodhya vs. Himalayas), the presentation of the hero's youth, and the deity-driven motivations (Indra's intervention vs. gods appealing to Brahma) show similarities and differences.
  • The hymns in both poems have different focuses: Kalidasa's to Brahma has philosophical undertones, while Jayashekhara's praise of Rishabhadeva lists his past lives and good deeds, making it appear dry.
  • Dialogues between Indra and Rishabha in Jain Kumārasambhavam are interesting, mirroring the dialogue between Indra and Vasanta in Kalidasa's work.
  • The descriptions of pre-wedding adornments are detailed in Jayashekhara's work, reaching the extent of detailed physical descriptions (nakha-shikha), making them more ornate and artificial than Kalidasa's.
  • The depiction of women eager to see the hero is influenced by Kalidasa's Raghuvamsha and Kumārasambhavam.
  • Both epics include descriptions of night, moonrise, and seasons, with Jayashekhara's descriptions having their own charm despite lacking Kalidasa's immediacy.
  • Both present divine heroes in human form, though Jayashekhara is more immersed in the mythological aspects of Rishabhadeva.
  • The intimate description of Shiva and Parvati's union in Kalidasa's eighth canto was unacceptable to the Jain poet, who instead alluded to conception.
  • Dialogues between the hero and heroine are present in both, but Kalidasa's dialogue is considered superior in drama and liveliness compared to Rishabhadeva and Sumangala's.
  • Jayashekhara's style, despite the prevailing trend towards ornate language, retains a clarity and appeal, mirroring Kalidasa's naturalness.

• Critical Analysis of the Work:

  • The conception and treatment of the plot in Jain Kumārasambhavam are not flawless. The extended narration beyond the climax and disproportionate descriptions are possibly due to contemporary poetic trends but also indicate the poet's lack of skill in plot construction.
  • For Jayashekhara, the plot served as a framework for his descriptive prowess, often overshadowing the narrative thread. The story itself is quite sparse and could have been contained within three or four cantos.
  • The poet padded the narrative with descriptions, dialogues, and hymns to expand it into eleven cantos. This tendency for verbose description is present throughout the poem.
  • The first six cantos are filled with descriptions, after which the core plot concludes. Only the dream sequence (canto VII) and its interpretation (canto IX) are directly relevant to the main story.
  • Cantos VIII and IX could have been combined, and cantos X and XI are considered entirely unnecessary. Condensing the poem to nine cantos might have improved its coherence.
  • Indra's confirmation of the dreams after Rishabhadeva's interpretation is redundant and detracts from the hero's dignity. The narrative thread is completely submerged by descriptive inflation.
  • The poet prioritizes descriptive style over the development of the plot.

• Emotional and Aesthetic Elements:

  • Jayashekhara is adept at depicting human emotions, making Jain Kumārasambhavam rich in sentiment.
  • While Shringara (erotic sentiment) can be considered the main rasa, it is not developed as the dominant sentiment. The poem features several beautiful depictions of Shringara, with the poet's intellectual honesty allowing him to maintain its sweetness.
  • Examples of sensuous descriptions, like a celestial maiden's bodice breaking due to intense desire or a city maiden's unfastened lower garment falling while she rushes to see the hero, are provided.
  • Other rasas like Vatsalya (parental affection), Bhayanaka (terror), and Hasya (humor) serve as supporting sentiments. The description of Rishabhadeva's childhood highlights Vatsalya.
  • A humorous depiction of a woman with a crying child, who is so engrossed in looking at the hero that she doesn't notice the child being made fun of by onlookers, is also presented.
  • Despite his skill in various rasas, it's surprising that Jayashekhara failed to develop any single rasa as the primary one.

• Nature Descriptions:

  • Jain Kumārasambhavam extensively includes descriptions of natural scenes. Jayashekhara's nature descriptions are comparable to those of Bharavi and Magha, focusing on ornate portrayals through clever wording.
  • The distinctiveness of his nature descriptions lies in their freedom from difficult wordplay or crude eroticism. His descriptions of night, moonrise, and dawn possess their own charm.
  • The poet is successful in creating charming and imaginative natural imagery. Night is described as adorned with Shiva's attributes or as a revolutionary yogini breaking caste barriers.
  • He also provides a poetic explanation for night's darkness, attributing it to the curse of chaste widows it tormented.
  • Despite a tendency towards learned pronouncements (prauḍhokti), Jayashekhara is not averse to naturalistic descriptions. He presents some natural scenes, particularly in his descriptions of the seasons, dawn, and sunrise. The description of the morning breeze is noted for its naturalness.

• Personification and Beauty:

  • The nature in Kumārasambhavam is not inert but pulsates with human emotions and activities. Jayashekhara imbues nature with life, depicting it engaged in various actions like the human world.
  • In a morning description, a lotus is portrayed as a mantra-practicing sage who, standing in deep water, performs a mantra-chant and snatches away Lakshmi from the moon (the antagonist) and brings her to its petal-bed.
  • The epic also details the physical beauty of men and women, using metaphors and similes to describe various body parts from head to toe, and enhancing natural beauty with cosmetic items. His beauty descriptions are engaging and simple due to his clever wordplay and skill in comparisons.
  • The comparison of Sumangala and Sunanda's physique to golden daggers conveys their natural radiance and piercing beauty.

• Characters:

  • There are only four main characters in the epic. Sunanda is barely mentioned. The character development of the others is not fully explored.
  • Indra plays a significant role but his character remains somewhat vague. He is worldly and practical, and his skill in diplomacy leads the ascetic Rishabhadeva to accept married life.
  • Rishabhadeva, the hero, is so deeply entrenched in his mythological persona that independent characterization is difficult. Like other mythological heroes, he is endowed with extraordinary qualities. He marries to maintain social order but is not conquered by desire. He represents a unique blend of attraction and repulsion.
  • Sumangala, the heroine, is depicted as a lifeless being overwhelmed by her husband's brilliance. Her condemnation of women in the poem is seen as revealing an underlying inferiority complex.

• Language and Style:

  • A significant feature of Jain Kumārasambhavam is its noble and mature language style. Despite being composed during a period of decline for Sanskrit epics, its language is not as complex or difficult as that of other contemporary poets.
  • The poem generally uses clear and sentiment-appropriate vocabulary. The poet's ability to use vocabulary suitable for different situations is undisputed.
  • His grammatical knowledge is sound. While not striving to display erudition, his preference for past tenses like luṅ and liṭ, especially in passive voice, is evident.
  • Some uncommon words and common words used in unusual senses are present.
  • The epic is a rich repository of sweet and meaningful aphorisms, some of which may have been popular sayings.

• Alankaras (Figures of Speech) and Metre:

  • The tasteful use of figures of speech enriches the poetic style and enhances its beauty. Jayashekhara's avoidance of complex visual arrangements (citrabandha) in violation of Jain scholars like Hemachandra and Vagbhat demonstrates his refined linguistic taste.
  • The ornaments in Kumārasambhavam arise naturally, contributing to the poem's beauty and supporting the expression of sentiment.
  • His yamaka (alliteration) and shlesha (puns) are not obscure. However, in the tenth canto, the puns used in describing the dance of Sumangala's friends and complex philosophical arguments are seen to have somewhat suppressed the poetic quality.
  • Jayashekhara employs most major figures of speech for conveying meaning. Shlesha and arthāntaranyāsa (epanalepsis) are his preferred ornaments.
  • He adheres to the classical rules in his choice of meters. Each canto uses a single meter, which changes at the end of the canto. Upajati is the predominant meter, with eighteen meters used in total.

• Overall Significance:

  • The true beauty and significance of Jain Kumārasambhavam lie in its descriptions, which showcase the poet's brilliance and reflect contemporary societal consciousness through their connection to various aspects of life.
  • These descriptions provide a comprehensive picture of society, fulfilling a crucial element of epic poetry.
  • Therefore, Jain Kumārasambhavam offers valuable material about contemporary marriage traditions, politics, culinary practices, cosmetic items, jewelry, musical instruments, maritime trade, acting, social norms, and malpractices like liquor consumption.
  • In conclusion, Jain Kumārasambhavam is a literary masterpiece that expresses the life of its era broadly.

The text also includes a few aphorisms and ethical teachings in Prakrit and Sanskrit, promoting concepts like renunciation (nivṛtti) and engagement (pravṛtti), controlling negative emotions like anger, pride, deceit, and greed through virtues like forgiveness, humility, sincerity, and contentment.