orissa review june - 2004 srikshetra and sri...

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Orissa Review June - 2004

All roads in Orissa lead to Srikshetra orPuri, the land of the Lord, one of the

famous four dhamas of India. Like Ramnath ofRameswaram or Dwarakanath of Dwaraka orBadrinath of the Himalayan regions, SriJagannath is the presiding deity of Puri.Together, they constitute the four pillars ofdharma on which India stands. These placesin general and Puri in particular, symbolise thecultural matrix of the country, the religioussyncretism which is the other name ofHinduism. Puri or Sankhakshetra is the meltingpot of Buddhism, Jainism, Vaisnavism,Saivism, even Mahimaism which had declaredan uncompromising battle against idolatry. HereSankara, Madhavacharya, Ramanuja, Tulsidas,Tukaram, Sri Chaitanya, Kabir - saints andsavants of India had buried their hatchets andpropagated their creeds. Srikshetra is eclecticenough, elastic enough and accommodativeenough to hold all their mutually conflictingcreeds in its all-embracing fold. Even Tagore,the great poet of India, came here, saw theRathayatra and failed to distinguish the 'ratha'from the 'patha', the chariot from the road, thedancer from the dance as W.B. Yeats wouldhave called it.

Such is Srikshetra, the confluence of allcreeds and all cultures, a kind of miniatureIndia.

About four hundred years ago in abrahmin stronghold or sasan of Puri, namelyBiraramchandrapur, was born GangadharMisra of the lineage of great scholars and poetsof all-India eminence like Sambhukara andVidyakara comparable to Bruhaspati, the Guruof the gods. Tracing his birth to such a familyof famous scholars, Gangadhar Misra writesin the Kesalananda Kavyam :

Purvam saryasu parvanayaka guruspardhihsamruddhi rasaPrusthasyakhila sastra tattwa nigamajnaneika varanidhiJatah sambhukarabhidhah Kavivarovidyakarastat sutahSambhutah kavitalatonnatikarahvarsaprakarsanvitah. (XXI, 64)

Historian Kedarnath Mohapatra inOrissa Historical Research Journal, Vol.I,No.3 presents a brief note on these illustriousscholars of Orissa - Sambhukara and Vidyakara- described as akhilasastra tattwa nigamajnaneikh varanidhi and Kavitalatonnatikarah.Gangadhar's father, Gopinath, was a Pundit ofthis family, a dazzling diamond (Hirankura)in the midst of precious stones, whose son itwas a pleasure to be for Gangadhar (XXI, 65).

We do not know when and whyGangadhar Misra came to Sambalpur andsettled down as a Pundit of the Sanskrit Tol at

Srikshetra and Sri Jagannath in GangadharMishra's Kosalananda Kavyam

Prof. Pabitra Mohan Nayak

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Balibandha during the reign of Raja BaliaraDeva (1650-89). It was here that he wroteKosalanandam or Kosalanandakavyam in1663 (Kalou Kalachalayuga) which earnedhim the epithet "second Sri Harsa" in the handsof Pt. Bauribandhu Nanda. Kosalanandam isthe third historical Mahakavya of the country,the others being Ramapalacharitam bySandhyakara Nandi of Bengal andRajatarangini by Kavana of Kasmir. It dealswith the medieval history of South Kosala ingeneral and the history of the Chauhan Rulersof Orissa from Ramai Deva to Baliara Devain particular. Yet it is shot through and throughwith the poet's respectful remembrance ofSrikshetra and Sri Jagannath.

When Gangadhar wrote Kosalanandam,Mukunda Deva (1657-88) was the Gajapati ofPuri. The Gajapati traditionally enjoys the'divine right of Kingship' in the State. He iscalled the "Thakura Raja", the deputy of SriJagannath. It is fondly believed to this day thatLord Balabhadra and Lord Jagannath ledincognite the Paikas of Gajapati PurusottamaDeva during his famous Kanchi expeditionwhich brought him victory and princessPadmavati. Thus in the Orissan mind Jagannathand the Gajapati occupy a high reverentialplace. It is, perhaps, therefore that PanditGangadhar Misra in offering prayer to LordMukunda (Krsna) pays tribute to GajapatiMukunda Deva in as many as eight verses inCanto V of the Kosalanda Kavyam each ofwhich ends with Vande Mukunda vilasatcharanaravindam.

In Canto IX Pandit Gangadhar Misradescribes Srikshetra, the city of the Gajapati,on the occasion of the marriage of Rama Deva,(the Ramai Deva of "The Jayachandrika" byPrahllad Dubey) with Bhanumati, daughter of

Samara Chandra, brother of GajapatiRajarajeswara, described as the pavilion ofRajalaxmi, beloved of the wise and a sun tothe lotus land of the subjects :

Sriyah salilayatanam manisinamPriyah rajavarijaraji bhaskarah (VIII, 28)

One whose reputation was the fruit of the treeof principles watered by the cloud ofconscience. (ibid, 29)

In Canto IX of The Kosalananda Kavyamthe picture of Puri or Purusottama kshetra comesalive. It is the city of nectar : Kshounisudhakaram puram (VIII, 28), ornament of theearth : Purusottama muttarottaramvasudhamandala mandanam param, whoseroads are, at once, narrow and wide, narrowfor the movement of elephants and horses, andwide for those who seek the passage isswargaloka (V, 2).

And the buildings that stood on both sideswere like the nectar-smeared steps to swarga(sopanabhareih sudhojjwaleih). In fact, thewhole city, to the poet's eye, was walled withthe nectar produced by the sea(varunalayothitam) and passed through themouth of Lord Visnu (Visnumukhasitojjhitam)the nectar that dispelled the fear of death. (V.4)

The Kshetra Varnana by GangadharMisra includes Lord Yameswara who expelsthe fear of death (Yamabhitiha haro), LordVisweswara who acknowledges theoverlordship of Sri Jagannath (VisweswaraIswaro gatah), Lord Lokanath who assumesthe role of Bhairava in order to assuage thesufferings of mankind (Paritokhila sokalokanapahrutau), Lord Markandeswara whoprotected saint Markandeya against theonslaughts of the god of death, goddess Vimalawho grants prosperity to her devotees, goddessSarala who stands enshrined on the tongue of

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the wise ( sudhiyam sa rasanamadhisthita)and goddess Mangala who grants Moksha themoment one meditates on her, who shares thestrength the Anantasayi Vishnu. Visnu andMangala, Purusa and Prakruti becomeindivisible (V.18).

Here lies Muktimandap whichdistributes 'Moksha' to mankind (Asamikshitamukti yuktae) and the hoary 'Kalpavata' at thetouch of which the whole life-cycle suddenlyvanishes. Here is goddess Lakshmi who,though desirous of living in the sea, her father'shabitat, is unable to leave the houses of thewise, kept so spick and span for her :

Sakalat kamalalaya layat Manujanam sudhiyatinirmalatPuri chitrita sarga sagara sthitichitteve na yatra nirgata. (V.14)

In such a place sanctified by the godslive men and women who are no less than gods.Gods, men and animals - they all radiate thesame light divine : Naranirjaratiryagantarenahi yatrasti phalaptayentaram (V.5). Thegods have assumed the forms of men to be ableto serve Lord Jagannath (Yatra dharmahsurah). And goddesses, the forms of women,paragons of devastating beauty :

Yuvalochanachitta sat prusat drudha damaniMonobhavesavahVudhadhairyaharah surangana ruchira yatravarangana janah. (V.8)

And over this city, beloved of the gods,presides the deity of deities - Lord Jagannathwho rises like the cloud to the chataka - likeeyes of the wise, the very embodiment ofdelight and the engine of destruction of thepains of the three worlds, Lord Jagannath,decorated with Dahana leaves and flowersoffered by the gods. A cloud that contains themuch-wished showers of rain :

Sumanasam sumanobhirato vabhau viyativrustibhirista ivamvudah. (V.24)

The poet, however, is not content withdescribing Lord Jagannath on the'Ratnasimhasana'. He must see Him enthronedin the chariot on the occasion of the RathaYatra.

In Canto XI Ramai Dev comes to seeSri Jagannath seated in full glory in the chariotcalled Nandighosa on the second day of thebright fortnight of Asadh :

Putah kshma vasirasistava dhava jayati syandanenandighoseSanandam nandanesah samamaraganeirbhagyabhanji kshanani. (V.1)

The eyes of the fortunate earthlings aresanctified by the sight of Lord Jagannathinstalled in the company of the gods inNandighosa.

The poet expresses, despite his profoundscholarship, his inability to describe this GhosaYatra which, he feels, it is humanly impossibleto see, hear and narrate in its totality. (V.2).

Nandighosa here both destroys andcreates darkness, it dispels the darkness ofignorance that envelops the three worlds, thedarkness that a thousand rays of the sun areunable to remove. Simultaneously, it kicks acloud of dust which darkens the earth so muchso that the Chakravakas and the owls mistakethe day for the night. And delight :

Chakra dvandvasya kantim srujati harati nasribharam kausikasya (V.3)

Blinded by the dust, the gods standmotionless and still in the sky, while downbelow, countless devotees, afraid of sin andeager for salvation, rush towards Nandighosa(V.6). The dust rises from the earth far into thesky. The dust which was lying low on the

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limited road will now play freely, happily inthe boundless sky. Or, report to the sun-godthe story of Lord Govinda's slow movement :

Kimvopendrakrutam samasta charitamvijnapayanti nijamSri Govinda satanga mandagamanesa kasyapam kasapi. (V. 8).

The dust has removed the distinction betweenthe earth and the sky. In the hazy, dusty world,the boundaries are blurred. All the ten quartershave become one. It appears the all-compassionate Lord has drawn his devotees,eager to witness His Gundicha Yatra, fromdifferent, distant directions by means of the all-encompassing dust (raja bhareirihadisoharat). The dust has made the sky and thesea look like the earth (rajobhareiramvarambhuvasthalamivaparam kimukrutam navasagaram). It has put Sri Jagannath in doubt. soNandighosa goes slow, uncertain of the terrainit traverses. Now it stops, and now it starts :

Sthalikrutamiti kshanam na chalati kshamasagaroHarikshanaparah kshanam chalatineti bhuyah purah. (V.11)

Withdrawing the minds of the saints fromthe world, Sri Jagannath slowly advances(Jagadisware chalati mandamamvodharo).The Lord has been compared with the cloudon three counts : His appearance, Hismovement, and third, the blessings of rain orthe rain of blessings. He contains and carries.The wheel-tracks on the wide road resemblethe milky way in the sky :

Pruthvinemi padat vibhati nitaram simantini niraja (V.9)

The people, washed with the dust, standclean of their sins. The horizons are sweetenedwith the scented breeze that blows(surabhibhih dikchakramoditam). With thedust kicked off the earth, the wheel tracksresemble the 'simanta' of the lady Earth. There

is no dust on the road. No sorrow on earth.Clean road. Clean minds.

The dust which filled the sky and theearth in the beginning and turned day into night,the road into the sky and the wheel-tracks intothe galaxy has suddenly disappeared, the dustthat once covered and concealed even thegalaxy. In a highly alliterative verse that closesCanto X, Ramai Deva Offers his prayer to LordVamana near the chariot (Drustwa tamdevadevam sapadi rathagatam vamanamdanavarim). When the whole milky way wassubmerged in the dust raised by the wheels andthe feet of a hundred thousand pilgrims :pankilakasagange (X, 50).

And the chariot of Lord Jagannath movesslowly, very slowly in Canto XI, carrying theLord with His imperial retinue (Bhudeveirbhuri deveih sakala naravareirbhrataravadhya madhye). The poet wonders howthe earth is able to bear this tremendouspressure. Sesanaga or Vasuki, he concludes,most have spread his thousand hoods tosupport the earth (V.4). Nandighosa rattles onslowly, electrifying the earth, submerging thevirtuous in the sea of delight :

Nimajjayati sajjananavani mandalam mandayan. (V.13)

Consigning the insect-like pride of the demonsinto the fire (darpam patangaspadam),manifesting the energy of the gods in the formof the light of the sun (patangaprabham).Nandighosa rattles on like the Mandaramountain churning the sea :

Mandreiryena payah payodhimathaneprithvidharam mandaramManthanam kalayan kalau vijayateSrinandighosa swaneih. (V.7)

Ratha Yatra is Ghosa Yatra. A festivalof sound. Sounds of all kinds, sounds of music

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and dance, debates and discussions, rattlingwheels and neighing horses and trumpetingelephants. What Pandit Gangadhar Misraspeaks in another context in another canto maybe said of the world of cacophony the RathaYatra generated :

Kwachinmuda vadijaneiralavaliKwachit vipanchi swaramandaloghanamKwachinnivaddha swaratantrika kwachitKwachit pinaki prachurescha puspakah.Tatan pratitam na ghaneirghanam ghanamManoharei sausiraraji nihswaneihNadat paranadhha bharena sausiramKarindra sad vrunghi tadesa murchhitam. (XII, 13, 15)

Thus the sounds of conch-shells, horns,flutes, damvarus, vinas, mahuris, etc. filledthe earth and the sky. They surpassed thethunder in the sky and the trumpets of elephantson earth. In the midst of all this and in the midstof Indra and Gandharvas, Sri Jagannath hasstarted the Ghosa Yatra from Nilachala toGundicha mandap with the object of bringingsalvation to mankind entangled in the ways ofthe world :

Bhavavdhou drudham majjatam sajjananamMude yanalilam samichchhanagachchhat. (X, 17)

And into the fray have tumbled the angelsof heaven like Rambha, Menaka, Manjughosa,Sukesa for the entertainment of the Lord(anandakandam mukundam). Here is acongregation of the devotees singing the gloryof God and there, a conference of scholarsdiscussing the Vedas and Upanisad, YogaSastras and Smruti Sastras. Here the 'Bhatas'recite the eulogy of the great and there, poetsof eminence sing their self-composed songs inpraise of the Creator :

Kwachid bhavya kavyanuraktah kavindrahStuvantah paramanandakamdam mukundammudambhodhimadhye rasajnam manojnamManomajjayanto drudham sajjananam. (V.23)

Here, some devotees outargue theobstinate atheists, asserting, God exists and tosee Him is to be relieved of the fear of death :Rathetu Vamanam drustwa Punarjanmam navidyate. While there, a mischievous ridergoads the elephant into the crowd and laughs :

Kwachitcharana varana nanayantoHasanto vadanto janan hasayantah. (V.24)

Thus the Gundicha Yatra begins andends. This description of this Yatra is one ofthe earliest in any Mahakavya written inSanskrit. There are some exaggerations andomissions in the description. Exaggeration oratisayokti is an art in which pundits and poetsof our great Sanskrit literary tradition were pastmasters. It is an alankara or figure of speechin which poets like Magha and Sri Harsafrequently indulge. Pandit Gangadhar Misra isthe proud inheritor of this great tradition. Sohe thinks it proper to dislodge the gods andgandharvas from their heavenly abode andmake them participate in this grand annualfestival of Orissa. he makes them descend inhuman garb on earth in order to be able to offertheir services to the Lord, as if, they stooddeprived of this opportunity in heaven.(XI, 17)

'Suranganas' have turned 'varanganas' hereat Srikshetra :surangana ruchira yatra varangana janah (IX, 8).

As though, Srikshetra is free fromirreligious people speaking an indecent tonguewhich, in course of time, has become a part of'Puri Boli'. As though, some 'varanganas' arenot 'varanganas'. Here as elsewhere, whiledescribing the Gajapati's palace in Canto XII,the poet exclaims :

Tata stutam tena nrupasya mandiramKimeindiram vanditumiswaranarahIhati mauni kalasesa esa yatSahasra masyani dadhat krutarthitah. (61)

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How can an ordinary mortal describe thisnrupasya mandiram, the abode of Laxmi,which Vasuki, the snake of snakes, with histhousand faces cannot ? A palace is a palace,big and beautiful, like any other 'nrupasyamandiram' which cannot baffle description bya poet so eloquent like Gangadhar Misra.Looking at Srikshetra in Canto IX, the poet says,since its description defeats the imaginationof gifted scholars, it must have been built byViswakarma (Khachitam charitamsuvedhasa), a city that frightens and preventsthe entry of death in Canto XIX : pariharantiparabhava sankaya haripuran yadi neti sasamanah.

There are hyperboles, too, in thedescription of the Ratha Yatra, Thevisualisation of night in the day, the vision ofthe galaxy on the Badadanda, theaccompaniment of the gods with Sri Jagannath,the dance of angels etc. are a part of this art.Such a divine festival deserves descriptiononly by Surapati or Indra. The poet finds hisconsciousness overwhelmed :

Karomi vada kim nutim jadamatih vibho sampratiPratikshanamatistutim surapati stanoti kshiteh. (XI, 13).

Those who have seen this famous car festivalwith hundreds of thousands of men, women andchildren watching from the housetops, fillingand spilling the roads, raising their hands andtheir voices in worshipful gestures as thechariot moves, crying and praying and singingand dancing and clapping can know what it is.It is indeed indescribable. Therefore, when thepoet observes in Canto XI that only Indra withhis thousand eyes, Vasuki with his uncountablefaces and Mrutyunjaya Siva with his limitlesslongevity can respectively see, narrate and hearthis Yatra, we willingly suspend our disbelief :

Enam sarvasuparvanayaka ihasrinandighosotsavamDrastum hrustamanah sahasranayaneirnanyosti saktah punahEnam stetumananta eva vadaneirak-alpamalpam punahSrotum dhwantamaharnisam sa bhagavanahjivitah sankarah. (V.2)

The vision of this yatra exceeds therange, depth and dimension of even thetelevision.

The poet has given little space toBalabhadra and Subhadra. Nandighosa eclipsesthe improtance of Taladhwaja andDevadalana, Chariots of Balabhadra andSubhadra. And in this, he seems to share theconcentration of the viewers on Lord Jagannathin Nandighosa whose imposing beauty leaveseven Lord Nilakantha Kunthakantha, Visnu,spell-bound and distinguished poets,dumbfounded. Kanthastambhitahvaspavruttikalusaschinta jadam darsanam,Kalidasa might have said.

This reader, however, feels thatBalabhadra and Subhadra, elder brother andyounger sister to Jagannath, deserve a littlemore space and a little more attention. Out of27 verses devoted to the description of theyatra, only two for Balabhadra and Subhadra,appear inadequate. Another significantomission, besides 'Pahandi', is 'Chherapanhara', the Gajapati clearing the passage witha broomstick of gold for the three chariots tolaunch their yatra. 'Chhera Panhara ' isassociated with the historic Kanchi expeditionof the Gajapati where the military generalswere figures no less than Balabhadra andJagannath.

But with these omissions andcommissions, Gangadhar Misra has shownample originality and scholarship in the

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description of the yatra. In the eyes of the poet,the Ratha Yatra at once destroys darkness andcreates it; it destroys the darkness of ignorance(Ajnana dhwantakutam) and creates thedarkness of dust (XI, 3). It makes the gods shuttheir eyes - the sun and moon - in the cloud ofdust but makes humans press forward to seethe Lord with their eyes wide open (XI, 6).The Lord, who is too difficult even for Naradato approach, comes within the easy reach ofmortals : Parananda rupahpareirnaradadyeirapapyo naranamtadarchcha paranam (XI, 16).Nilachaladhama, the seat of Lord Jagannath,is empty, while Gundicha Mandap which isusually silent, is full : Sunyatwamatra nanuSapta dinani yasmat nilachala parigruheparipurnata cha. (XI, 14). The yatra bringsjoy to Subhadra but sorrow to Laxmi (XI, 27).

The reference to the elephant in verse24 lends a touch of realism to the Car festival.An elephant is a common phenomenon duringthe Ratha Yatra, partly because it is said to bethe vahana or vehicle of goddess Laxmi andpartly because Sri Jagannath is sometimescompared with a tusker (pravala mattavarana). And here is an elephant with a riderwho goads this huge animal into the heavycrowd only to create a humour of situation. Tothe watchful eye of the poet, the elephant whichis elevating is also diverting. This elephant isquite different from its war-mongering, ear-shaking, trunk-lifting counterparts described inCanto XII :

Vichitra nanayasa varminoranoDdhatah prabhinnaschala karna satkarahMuhuh ksharantah karasikarotkaranVirejurugrah parito mahagajah. (V.17)

The Ratha Yatra not only brings SriJagannath from the splendid height of the'Ratnasimhasana' to the road where Tom, Dick

and Harry walk, it makes Him one among them.The barrier between the divine and the humanis lifted. Earth and heaven becomeindistinguishable.

Goddess Mahalaxmi, termented with'repining restlessness' caused by SriJagannath's departure, visits the Gundichamandap on the day known as 'Hera Panchami'to see how the Lord fares in her absence andshe stands stock still. Sri Jagannath finds it quitehard to break the deadlock; He coaxes andcajoles Laxmi to abandon her icy silence. Hefails to understand why Laxmi does not smile,does not speak, does not exchange glances. Heasks her attendants to help initiate a dialogue :

Vrute kinchidanaksharam tava sakhi saswatsamabhasitaNo jane vada kim nidanamadhuna premnostikidrug gatih. (V. 28)

I do not know. Tell me the way out. Tell mewhere love leads. The Omniscient does notknow that the path of love does never runsmooth ! And who can tell Him ? How deeplyhuman is this reaction ! How patheticallymoving ! Acknowledging her right to anger, theLord reminds her of the hoary bond betweenthem since the churning of the seas and tellsher the reason why He came down to theMandap - to be among men and gods who needHim so much : disamihamaheswareihsuranarei nareseih pareih (V. 30). And to this,it is the female attendants who responds. TheLord, they allege, should not have left therepining Laxmi and the Ratnamandap whoseenchanting beauty makes poets waxe eloquent :

Ititi savidhe vadamya hamitindira te samaGame yuganiva kshipat kshanamanalpakalpamdinam. (V.31)

Mahalaxmi leaves Gundicha Mandap but notbefore doing a symbolic damage to

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Nandighosa. She cuts a piece of wood fromthe chariot and steals into the night. Thisepisode which unveils the human side of thestory, however, does not find a place in theKavya.

The 'Bahuda Yatra' or return journey onthe tenth day of the bright fortnight of Asadhbegins and ends. The dialogue at the Lion's Gateof Srimandira is another important episode ofthe yatra which uncovers the divine facehuman. The Lion's Gate is shut from within.Dwastha dwaram vighataya, open the gate,shouts the Lord, clad in robes of gold("sunavesa" as they say in popular parlance)seated in the ringing chariot and surroundedby gods and men :

Jatah kanchana kanta kanti ruchire cheleisunabhau chalaChchakre charudhare prasarini chalad ghantekwanatkinkinauNana lasya vilasa hasamuditei daiveirnrurdeveihpareihPaureih samvruta iditah pathirathesthitwetyuvacha chyutah (V.35)

Who are you (Ko asi). To this, the Lord replies,I'm Ramanatha : Nathoramayah (husband ofRama or Maya). But why should Maya'shusband come to see Laxmi ? Who is Laxmi toHim ? The Lord says, "Laxmi is my life, she isin my heart". If Laxmi was in His heart, whyshould He come searching for her here :

Dwastha dwaram vighataya vahih ko asinathoramayahMayanathah punariha bhavan kinnu LaxmimdidrukshuhKa Laxmiste pratinidhirasau jivitasyapihrudyaVakshasthaivam yadinubhavatah katra jatadidruksha. (V. 36)

Where is the cool touch of the sea, the liquidlucidity of the looks of Payodhitanaya in herwords, wonders the Lord. This is a piece ofrare repartee which is deliberately designed

to put Laxmi above Narayana in intelligence.The lord is clean outwitted. He submits :

Ratnakara suta Laxmih trailakeswaravallabhaDatavyamiha kim tubhyam madrute varavarenini.(V. 38)

Thus ends the Ratha Yatra, the festival ofsound, in the silence of submission the festivalof sound generated by gods and men andtrumpets (naranam suranam chakolahalamkavilam) which could not be drowned evenby the breezy discussions of the pundits. (V.26)

The mahakavya ends with a prayer by aproud progeny of Ramai Dev and the patron ofthe poet, Baliara Deva. The language suddenlyloses the heavy weight of ornaments andassumes a simplicity befitting the prayer. RajaBaliara Deva, after visiting the Mahodadhi fullof ships (potakulakulam) and waves, mightylike his war-horses (taranga turangakulavilam nija valam cha samanvarunalayam), the Markandeya sarovaraIndradyumna sarovara,Kalpavata, theNarasimha temple, etc., stands near the Garudastambha and pours forth his heart in a languageso simple, so sincere, so soulful. The mostdevoted of your saints, observes the Raja, quotethe Vedas to prove that you have no form, howcan I, so lowly, venture to keep you in my heart :

Hare pare yasya drusornagocharemuniswara rupamidam santanamVidhaya vade nigamasya sadaraayena tasya sthitiranta bhatite (XVIII, 68).

The Lord is to him what wealth is to thepoor, the moon to the sea and God to theSadhaka :

Nidhimiva dhanamindumivamvudhiHarimivatmani Yogayutah sudhih (XIX, 3).

And then he bends his knees, folds his handsand prays. The prayer is so moving and so

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musical that quite a few verses need be quotedfor the reader to understand the deft artistry ofthe poet and the depth of his prayer :

Janusa stanapana vilasi vayovigatam rajasam kutukena samamPrativesi janeih swajane rajanidivasam virasam vigatam twaparen (XX, 1)

My childhood reared on the breasts of mymother passed off, playing on the sand and myyouth in the pleasant company of myneighbours.

The little virtue I had earned through sat sangin my previous life has been, O Lord, destroyedby the enemies within (V.2)

Vayasiti pare milite nrupaterataye hata sanmatina krutinaVahudhapi sudha vihitam duritamhitamatmana iswarato na krutam (V.3)

On coming of age, I was given the throne.Yet how ungratefully I abjured the contact ofthe virtuous and indulged in meaningless, sinfuldeeds and did nothing for my self-improvement.

Though it is useless now to recall, letme confess, Lord, to the evils I have done. Ihave, for sheer enjoyment, felt the presence ofChamara in women's hair (Chikuresu ChaChamarata) the moon, decking Siva's head,on their faces, the god-desiring nectar on theirlips (adharemaralabhya sudhadhikata), thebeauty of the sun-lit hills on their breasts(Kuchayoh Kanakachala manjulata),of coralon their feet and the fruit of my past good deedson their smiles (V.4-5).

I have sometimes wasted money on mystomach, O God, indulged in tirade againstsaints, exhibited my ability in deceit inreligious conferences in order to please mychildren, my brothers and my friends. (V.6).

Madamoha paro divasam vivasoKshipamindriya lalanaya kshanadamPramada pramadanana samstavanohatadhira vasah sayane na tatah (V.7)

I have wasted my days in paintedpleasures and my nights in the adoration ofwomen's lotus-faces, but neither in sleep norin wakefulness did I get peace of mind.

Dictated by my blind mind, the destortedfaces of my children, brothers and wivesappeared to me, Lord, to be everything and Ilaid waste my days and my years. (V.8).

Busy in my efforts to multiply the stockof elephants and horses and cattle,(gajavajigavamabhilasa). O Lord, my youthpassed and now has come this ridiculous agegalite palite yuvahasa pada milita (V.9).

O Madhusudana ! What is the use ofblaming the evil deeds now that age hasdescended ? The right time and the high birthhave been wasted. I made no efforts to realizethem. (V.12)

Now that I have grown old, what can Iaccomplish ? My birth has become fruitless. Iam now inert. My voice trembles. My hearingis impaired. My senses are exhausted and effate(V.13).

Endowed with this best of births in thesea of life, O Lord, I could not recognize withinme the jewel, Kamadhenu, which I slaughteredwith the help of the Indriyas or senses (V.15).

O Kesava ! Entangled in worldliness andwondering restlessly in the jungle of births, Iforget the existence of this Kamadhenu so closeto me. O Madhusudana ! Though you hadbestowed on me, out of kindness, this humanlife earned with the punya of my previous lives,I could not understand its worth :

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Tava pada yugarchana punya chayeihna kruta suphala madhusudana sa. (V.17)

Yadiyam narakantaka dhiramateKrupaya karuna varunalayateJanitanuja nurjanani jatharatJani tasyas pada palitam bhavatat. (V.23)

O Destroyer of Hell ! O Sea of Mercy !birth and old age are but your kind creation. OCause of creation ! What else should I longfor, if in this rare human existence I am drawnto your red lotus-feet ? (V.24)

Like the dust helplessly driven by thewind : pavanena yatha vivasani rajamsi(V.25). Dust again, the dust which the wheelsof Nandighosa had raised.

The prayer continues into Canto XXIwhich closes this Mahakavya, the prayer tothe One who stands like a witness in the cavityof consciousness and spreads like the sky(akasavat ghata matan patukuta samsthah),One, the beauty of whose smile excels that ofthe moon, Kunda and Mandara flowers, whostands still but creates myriad worlds likebubbles on the foam-crested waves.

Phenormi vudvud vadamvu na indu kundaMandara vrunda ruchinandita susmitesa (XXI, 10).

The Raja implores Lord Jagannath toextinguish in him the fire of anger fanned byinconscience which consumes the love forscriptural discourses like a bundle of dry grass.

Sastrarthalochana samindhana sattrunagniKrodho viveka pavanahita bhuridipatih. (XXI, 4)

to uncover the Maya that conceals the calmwisdom of great saints,

Maya vrunoti mahati krutinamagamyaDhwantam cha kantamapi santamanoka kirttim. (XXI, 5)

to wake in him the child so that he can searchfor Him within,

KayasamsthamTwamikshata sisuriva priyavastu suptah. (XXI, 7)

to create with the dust of his feet bhakti ordevotion that grows like a Kalpalata or creeperthat heals all woes on the Tree of Viveka orconscience (XXI, 11),

to bless him with the feeling that looks uponthe enemy as if he is a part of his flesh (vairisusuteswiva) so that he will no more reappear inthe womb of the mother which is but a bed ofdeath.

.... KrutantaVasanta talpa janani jatharaya neiti (XXI, 15)

Which reminds the reader of Sankara's oft-quoted line : punarapi janamam, punarapimaranam, punarapi janani jathare sayanam.

The power of this heart-rending prayer,which Tennyson would says rises 'like afountain of fresh water in the sea' in the 'man-in-God' mingles with 'God-in-man', makes theLord appear in the dream of Raja Baliara Deva,exhorting him to consider chit orconsciousness separate from the body so thatwith this knowledge he will realize the futilityof worldly life and with this realization seethe beatific vision of the Creator seated like amountain on the multifoliate lotus of the heartradiating the light of a million suns and moons :

Dehat pruthak saditi chittamavetya nunamSantim prayati trunavat parikalpya lokan.Tatrachale prakata rupamananta bhanuChandrodayam padamavapsyasi pankajastham. (XXI, 35)

The Raja prostrates before the Lord :Tam deva deva madhura saranan vrajami.Rises and leaves Srikshetra with this death-conquering consciousness. If after the Raja'srealization, we still cling to the 'way of allflesh', woe to mankind, says the poet inCanto XX :

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Asare samsare manuja janurasadana vudhahKatham re kamsare ratana patutam dragudatathaVijanantohantah kimapi na krutantat paribhavamHrusikanam modam kimapi ratimanto vidadhatah(V. 26)

How is it, the poet asks, O you pundits !Knowing fully well the torments of death, youare still immersed in the world of the senses !Born with this fruitful human life into thisunsubstantial world, how is it that you do notsing the glory of Srikrishna.

Srikrishna merges with Sri Jagannath. Asit happens in the works of almost all Vaisnavitepoets. The Mahakavya that began with theMangalacharana to Srikrishna ends with hisidentification with Sri Jagannath :

Sitamsu vimva prativimvitananamMarut lalat kekikalapa sekharamVisana vamsiswana tusta gokulamBhajami pitamvara mamvuda prabham. (I, 1)

I Sing a glory of Lord Krishna, yellow-robed, cloud-like Krishna with his face comelylike the moon, his peacock-feathers waveringin the wind and his sweet flute filling themaidens of Gokula with tremendousexcitement.

The prayer of Baliara Deva is the prayerof poet Gangadhar Misra. It is the prayer ofeveryman. It rings in every heart. It echoesthrough the corridors of time. If after this, thepoet thinks his poetry to be inadequate andimmature, who is going to believe him ? Inverse 28 of Canto XX, the poet feels thatgoddess Saraswati after enjoying the pleasuresof Kalidasa's ornate world was dissatisfiedwith the teste of this new, novice poetry and,therefore, withdrew from him the skill ofcomposition :

Matarbharati Kalidasa rasanamasadya lilavati"Nanalankruti riti niti rachana daksheika

lilakaramTat him dina navina madrusa nrunambhrantyagata lajjitaJihwama pratibhasi nasi vachasam tat kausalekaranam

But the poet does not deserve this self-pity. He is with Kalidasa and Sri Harsa andall the great poets of Sanskrit literature. Keats,the famous Romantic, wrote in one of his letters: I wish to be with Shakespeare. And Arnoldobserved in another age, in another time. Heis, he is with Shakespeare. And MiddletonMurray wrote two volumes on this poet whodied in his early twenties and titled them Keatsand Shakespeare. Gangadhar, too, was withKalidasa, and it is a pity that such a highlyaccomplished poet has gone undiscussed bythe crities of our times.

Gangadhar Misra along with his patronBaliara Deva withdrew from Srikshetra sodear to his heart into Sambalpur and intoSonepur where he settled down at Khandapali(the 'Khandakshetra' of the Somavamsi Copperplate ) a revenue-free village donated by theRaja with a pair of Kundalas in recognition ofKosalanandam which was first published inthe Utkal Sahitya Press, Cuttack byBirmitrodaya Singh Deo, Maharaja, Sonepurin 1929. Today when the bell rings in theancient Jagannath temple of Khandahata(Khandapali of Kosalanandam), we rememberpoet Gangadhar Misra with awe andreverence.

Works Cited :1. Dube, Prahallad, Jayachandrika (MS), Orissa

State Museum, Bhubaneswar.

2. Kathopanisad, Chap. 3. V.3.

3. Kalidasa, Abhijnanasakuntalam, Act IV.

4. Misra, Gangadhar. Kosalanandam (MS) ed. Pt.RC Satapathy, Orissa State Museum,Bhubaneswar.

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5. Misra, Gangadhar. Kosalanandam (MS) ed. Pt.Lingaraj Misra, Orissa State Museum,Bhubaneswar.

6. Misra, Gangadhar. Kosalanandam (MS) ed. Pt.Bauribandhu Nanda, Orissa State Museum,Bhubaneswar.

7. Misra, Gangadhar. Kosalanandam Kavyam, ed.BM Singh Deo, (Cuttack : US Press, 1929).

8. Misra, Gangadhar. Kosalanandam Kavyam, ed.JK Sahu (Cuttack : Grantha Mandir, 2000). Allthe references in the essay are from this book.

9. Mohanty, N. Salabega, Kendra SahityaAkademi, New Delhi.

10. Naik UC. ed. Mahima Aloka, Bhubaneswar,1981.

11. Orissa Historical Research Journal,Vol.I,No.3, Orissa State Museum, Bhubaneswar.

12. Sankara, "Mohamudgara" SankaracharyaGranthavali, Utkal University Publication,1962.

13. Shukla, HL. "Kosalananda Mahakavyam : ATextuc-Linguistic Analysis", rpt.

14. Singh Deo, B.M. Swarnapura MaharajaGruhakrutya Chandrika (Calcutta : A.S.Press, 1937).

Prof. Pabitra Mohan Nayak, a former Registrar ofBerhampur University lives at T-12, Green Park,Bhubaneswar-29.

orissa review june - 2004 srikshetra and sri...

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