కులశేఖర మహీపాల చరిత్రము/Introduction
INTRODUCTION
There are two manuscript copies of Kulaśekhara Mahīpāla Caritra available in the Government Oriental manuscripts Library, Madras, described under Nos. D. 2077 and R. 1071. The second one is a restored copy of the former which is in palm-leaf. The original palm leaf manuscript is complete and not damaged. The writing is also lucid and there are only minor mistakes and omissions here and there.
In the galaxy of the Alvārs, the pioneers of Vaiṣṇava cult, Kulaśekhara Mahīpāla holds a unique place. He was not only the author of "PERIYA TIRUMOḺI" of Tamil Prabandhas, but also the famous Stotra “MUKUNDAMĀLĀ" in Sanskrit. The life of an esteemed person is the subject-matter taken for this Kāvya. Sēṣam Raghunathācārya of Kauņḍinya Götra and Āpastamba Sūtra is the author of this work. The following information may be gathered from the Introductory portion of the work regarding the author's family and heredity. The family tree to which clan the author belonged is given as follows:—
In addition, Cenna Bhaṭṭar the youngest brother of Raghunathācārya also mentions in his book “Abhimanyu Kalyāņam" about his brother Raghunāthācārya. This Abhimanyu-Kalyāṇam in Dvipada is also of a fluent and simple style. The manuscript copies of this book are available in this library under D. Nos. 1022 to 1027. But this is not yet printed. The son of this Cennabhaṭṭar Raṅgācārya is the author of Bhāvanārāyaṇa Vilāsamu in Yakṣagāna style. This also is a fine piece of poetry available in this library under D. No. 1931. Thus we clearly understand that this author comes from a family of scholars and poets. The subject-matter chosen in Bhāvanārāyaṇa Vilāsamu is very enchanting and interesting. There is a temple of Säkṣi Bhāvānārāyana in Ponnur village of Guntur District. The story goes that a Bhakta of this Bhāvanārāyana by name Guni Gōvinda brought him there as a witness to his maternal uncle in connection with his marriage. Because he was brought there by his Bhakta as a witness, the God was thereupon called by the name Sākṣi Bhāvanārāyana. This Sthalapurāņa or the description of this incident, i.e., Māhātmya of that God happens to be the subject-matter of Bhāvanārāyana Vilāsamu. In a way, the narration of the theme in Abhimanyu Kalyānam, written by Cenna Bhattar coincides with that of Bhāvanārayāņa Vilāsamu. In both these works, the maternal uncle fails to keep up his promise to his nephew in connection with giving his daughter in marriage, when God Bhāvanārāyaṇa interferes as a witness and fulfils the wishes of the nephew. Thus we find a similarity in the works of both the father and the son. Now, as the son selects the subject matter pertaining to Guntur District, there is a slight chance for our drawing the hypothetic conclusion that they might be the inhabitants, somewhere, of Guntur District. Practically, no internal evidence is available from either the present book or from the works of his brother Cenna Bhattar or from that of his son i.e., Raṅgācārya to assign any date to the author.[1] The style and the descriptive talents in poetry, exhibited in this book may assign to this author a place in comparison to the Prabhanda Kavis, the men of letters of the age of Kṛṣṇadēvarāya. None of the poets of the Tanjore Naicks' time could stand a comparison to this author in his great creative imagination and poetic fluency in narration. He may be classified amongst the illustrious poets like Kaṅkaṇṭi Pāparāju and others. Thus this book forms one of those rare and exceptional works. It is a wonder how a great poetical work has not been printed so far. We can go to the extent of even saying that it excels all the poetical works so far published by the Government. Every poem in this book is a shining precious gem of a high order. This Raghunāthācārya assimilated in him many of the high poetical talents from the so-called pioneer works of the Prabhanda Yuga like Āmukthamālyada, Vasucaritra, Pāṇḍuraṅga Māhātmyam, Prabhāvatī-Pradyumnam, etc. The fluent narration and candour, appropriate usage of words, epic style and magnificent poetical imagination, all assign to him an important place of high order in the poetical hemisphere.
The subject-matter of this work is the life-history of one of the Alvārs of Viśiṣṭādvaita Sampradāya; as such his Stuti (prayers) to five weapons of Lord Viṣṇu (Pañcāyudha), Viṣvaksena (Commander-in-Chief), Garutmanta (the ride of Lord Viṣņu) etc. adds a special flavour to the excellent diction and brings to our memory Āmuktamālyada of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Dēva Rāya of Vijayanagaram. The excellence of the style and the ideal usage of words reveal that he is a great scholar with a wide field of varied scholastic interests and a poet of magnitude. In reading his poetry one cannot miss the influence which he has in his writings from the great Prabbandha poets, like Rāmarājabhūşana, Tenāli Rāmakṛṣņa, Pingali Sūraņa etc. Especially the story of the deer in the first canto and the situation brought out in the meeting of Śrī Dēvi by Śrī Raṅganātha, after he married Nīlā in the fourth canto bears testimony to the genius of the author. The different metres used to suit the different situations are also worth mentioning. The rest is left to the readers themselves.
It is hoped that this work, a rare gem of its kind, will take its proper place in the world of Telugu Literature,
My thanks are due to Sri M. Sarabhesvara Sarma, Telugu Pandit of this library, for preparing the press copy and correcting the proofs and to the Solar Works, Madras, for printing the work in a good manner.
Govt. Oriental Manuscripts Library
T. CHANDRASEKHARAN,
Madras, 3rd March 1955
CURATOR.
- ↑ 1. Sri N. Venkata Rao, M.A., in his essay "Kulaśekhara in Telugu Literature" in the Journal of the University of Madras, Section-A, Humanities, Volume XXIII, Nos. 1 and 2 (July-December pages 57 to 61) establishes the date of Raghunāthācārya. There he puts forth the following arguments:—
2. Firstly in the Dāśarathi Śataka written by Gōpanna, mention is made of one Raghunātha Bhattarācārya in the 9th stanza. There neither his family nor surname is mentioned. As such this statement could not stand for argument as there is the possibility of having different persons with one and the same name.
3. Secondly he brings in the relationship between Raghunāthācārya and one Tirumalācārya of the same family and surname, giving out as example the introductory portions written by the respective authors of Kulaśekharamahīpāla Caritra, Abhimanyu Kalyānam and Ambarıṣōpākhyānam. Though the said Tirumalācārya belongs to “Sēṣam" family and Kauṇḍinyasa Gōtra, he describes Nārāyanacārya as his father. But the mention of this Nārāyanācārya is not made by these two brothers in their respective works. Here Sri N. Venkata Rao has mentioned in the family tree that Nārāyanācārya was one of the five sons of Ahōbila Dēśika. But in both Kulaśekharamahīpāla Caritra and Abhimanyu Kalayāņam nothing was mentioned except the fact that Ahōbila Deśika had five sons and Rāmānujācārya was the eldest of them. At the same time the mention of either Ahōbila Deśika or his five sons has not been made by Thirumalācārya through it is said that his father was Nārāyanācārya. He never mentioned anything about his grandfather.
As such the statement that Nārāyānācārya was one of the five sons of Ahōbila Dēsika, is not borne out by literary evidences and could not stand for reason. Therefore until and unless a positive proof is available, the matter is left open for investigation and till then we are not in a position to decide the exact date in which Raghunathācārya lived.