KUMARAVYASA
1.
Kumaravyasa
(ಕುಮಾರವ್ಯಾಸÀ)
2.
kumAravyAsa
3.
1430
A.D. (Approximately) The estimates have oscillated between the thirteenth and
the fifteenth centuries.
4.
Gadugu
which is now a district head quarters. Kolivada village near Gadugu.
5.
Smartha
Brahmana, (Bhagavata tradition?) He was a staunch devotee of the lord
Veeranarayana in Gadugu.
6.
None
7.
‘Rupaka
Samrajya Chakravarthi’
8.
Kumaravyasa, along with
Not much is
known about the poet in terms of biographical details. Whatever remains is an
inseparable combination of fact and legend. However, it is evident that he was
familiar with the exploits of the Vijayanagara Empire and that he was an ardent
devotee of the local deity Veeranarayana in Gadugu his native place. He was
conversant with Sanskrit as well as Marathi if one were to judge on the basis
of the internal evidence available in the text. He was not a court poet and did
not seek royal blessings. There is an element of rusticity in this poet which
is hard to come by in ancient Kannada poets. It is evident from the work itself
that the poet was quite conversant with the poetic tradition of Kannada even
though he was trying to break new grounds. He sticks to the original story line
in its skeletal details. However, he provides it with a body that reflects his
own world view. His characters are always in a process of evolutions rather
than parading themselves as finished projects. The poet knows the essential
difference between being and becoming. Even
Kumaravyasa
who lived in a bilingual region has captured the core of the language and makes
it absolutely malleable. Bhamini shatpadi the metrical form that he has chosen
for his work is merely a vehicle to realize the myriad possibilities of
Kannada. He can use the lyrical, descriptive and the dramatic mode with equal
degree of facility. He does not take resort to the worn out expressions of the
past but delves deep in to the unused treasure of the spoken language.
The
worldview of the poet is molded by the contemporary society. He is not really
influenced by the veerashaiva movement and the vachana literature even though
he must have been conversant with it. Poets like him are bothered more about
the task of merging the permanent and the temporary in an inseparable
continuum.
‘Airavatha’
is a short work consisting of eight chapters (sandhis) comprising 410 poems.
The story has to do with the performance of a ‘vratha’ by Kunti.
Kumaravyasa
is hailed by scholars and commoners alike as one of the greatest poets of
Kannada.
(Please
read the entry on ‘Karnata Bharatha Kathamanjari’ (Kumaravyasa Bharata) also.)
9.
1.
Karnata Bharatha Kathamanjari (karNATa BArata kathAmanjari) (Kumaravyasa Bharata)
2. Airavatha (airAvata).
10. References: 1. ‘Kumaravyasaprashasti’, 1940,
Mysuuru Vishvavidyalaya Sangha,
2. ‘Kumaravyasa’, S.V.Ranganna,
1949 (3rd Print) Prasaranaga,
3. ‘Kumarvysavani’, S.V.Ranganna,
1949, Prasaranga,
4.
‘Kumaravyasa’, Keertinatha Kurtakoti, 1975(?),
5.
‘Kumaravyasa’- Samskritika Mukhamukhi, edited by Rahamath Tarikere,
6. ‘Kumaravyasa’ – Kavi Kavya Parampare,
edited by V.Seetharamaiah, 1973, I.B.H.Prakashana,
7.
‘Kumaravyasa’ Edited by Shamasundara Bidarakundi,