Ratnākara/ Rājānaka
The historian Kalhana, in his ‘Rājatarangiṇi’ states that Ratnākara was of the time of Ᾱvantivarman who ruled Kāśmīra from 855AD to 884 AD. However, there is controversy about Ratnākara’s time. According to kalhana’s statement in Rājatarangiṇi, ‘Bālabṛhaspati’ was the title given to Cippatajayāpīda who ruled from 779 to 813 AD.
“bālabṛhaspatyaparanāmā cippaṭajayāpīḍamahīpatirnavamaśatakaprāraṃbha eva kāśmīradeśaṃ śaśāsa” indicates that he belonged to the first half of ninth century.
Like other Sanskrit poets, very little is known about the poet Ratnākara. However, one verse in 46th canto, indicates his father’s name as Amṛutabhānu. Ratnākara claims that he is the descendent of Durgādatta who lived in ‘Gangāhṛda’. Taking into account his descriptions of nature, especially of Kāśmīra in his work, Ratnākara seems to be from Kāśmīra- may be it is his birth place also. The poet is a follower of the Kāśmīrī śaivism, as he depicts it in the Haravijaya and calls himself a devotee of lord Śiva- [Haravijaya praśasti-1]
The Haravijaya, composed by 9th century Kashmiri poet Ratnākara, is the largest surviving Mahākāvya. It is not only an important milestone in the development of its own genre, but, together with its commentaries, it also bears important testimony to a wide range of śāstric knowledge, as for example in Spring’s long hymn to Śiva in canto six. In it the deity is praised as the true nature of highest reality according to the diverse teachings of all major religious and philosophical traditions of the time, alluding to and paraphrasing their authoritative texts, testifying as it does to what a learned author in Kāśmīra in the 9th century knew and presumably expected his learned audience to understand. The closing verse of every canto of ‘Haravijaya’ states ‘iti… Ratnākarasya kṛtau’ confirming the authorship of Haravijaya as Ratnākara.
“iti śrībālabṛhaspatyanujīvivāgīśvarānkasya vidyā-dhipatyaparanāmnḥ mahākaveḥ rājānakaśrīratnākarasya kṛtau” According to this verse, he has two more titles- ‘vāgīśvarānka’ and ‘Vidyādhipati’.
As per Daṇḍin’s list of contents for a Mahākāvya, Haravijaya contains every item listed. Descriptions of cities, seas, mountains, moonrise, sunrise-sunset, account of merrymaking in gardens, bathing parties, drinking bouts, love making, sorrow of separation, description of wedding, birth of a son. King’s council, an embassy, marching of an army, battle and victory of the hero- all are featured in Haravijaya.
Ratnākara, seems to surpass the most influential of Sanskrit Mahākāvyas, the poet Māgha’s Śiśupālavadha, which is modelled on the poet Bhāravi’s Kirātārjunīyam. Ratnākara adopting the structure of the court epic established by Bhāravi and Māgha makes use of the theme of shiva’s victory over Andhaka. However, in a number of ways, Ratnākara’s work differs from those of Māgha and Bhāravi and indeed all preceding Mahākāvyas. It is significant that it is the prose poet Bāṇa who Ratnākara proclaims as his model; both have an imagination which seeks to be all-inclusive. Entirely original is the way in which Ratnākara introduces a new philosophical level into Kāvya in his 6th canto a new devotional level and generally gives far more emphasis to mythology. Much of the poem is cast in the traditional mould, but the spirit is different from the earlier Mahākāvyas.
There are many admirers of Ratnākara’s works, traditional Sanskrit scholars like poetician Rājaśekhara, Utpala, Kṣemendra, Sadāśivaśankaraśāstrin atc,.
Kṣemendra writes in his Suvṛttatilaka about Ratnākara as follows-
vasantatilakārūḍhā vāgvallī gāḍhasaṅginī
ratnākarasyokalikā cakātyasyānanakānane
Dr. S.K. Sharma opines, “Many are the bright gems that lie hidden underneath the vast ocean of Sanskrit literature, gems awaiting the scrutiny of Indologists. It is needless to say that the Haravijaya is one of such precious gems, which have been over-looked so far.
“iti śrībālabṛhaspatyanujīvivāgīśvarānkasya vidyā-dhipatyaparanāmnḥ mahākaveḥ rājānakaśrīratnākarasya kṛtau” According to this verse, he has two more titles- ‘vāgīśvarānka’ and ‘Vidyādhipati’.
As per Daṇḍin’s list of contents for a Mahākāvya, Haravijaya contains every item listed. Descriptions of cities, seas, mountains, moonrise, sunrise-sunset, account of merrymaking in gardens, bathing parties, drinking bouts, love making, sorrow of separation, description of wedding, birth of a son. King’s council, an embassy, marching of an army, battle and victory of the hero- all are featured in Haravijaya.
Ratnākara, seems to surpass the most influential of Sanskrit Mahākāvyas, the poet Māgha’s Śiśupālavadha, which is modelled on the poet Bhāravi’s Kirātārjunīyam. Ratnākara adopting the structure of the court epic established by Bhāravi and Māgha makes use of the theme of shiva’s victory over Andhaka. However, in a number of ways, Ratnākara’s work differs from those of Māgha and Bhāravi and indeed all preceding Mahākāvyas. It is significant that it is the prose poet Bāṇa who Ratnākara proclaims as his model; both have an imagination which seeks to be all-inclusive. Entirely original is the way in which Ratnākara introduces a new philosophical level into Kāvya in his 6th canto a new devotional level and generally gives far more emphasis to mythology. Much of the poem is cast in the traditional mould, but the spirit is different from the earlier Mahākāvyas.
There are many admirers of Ratnākara’s works, traditional Sanskrit scholars like poetician Rājaśekhara, Utpala, Kṣemendra, Sadāśivaśankaraśāstrin atc,.
Kṣemendra writes in his Suvṛttatilaka about Ratnākara as follows-
vasantatilakārūḍhā vāgvallī gāḍhasaṅginī
ratnākarasyokalikā cakātyasyānanakānane
Dr. S.K. Sharma opines, “Many are the bright gems that lie hidden underneath the vast ocean of Sanskrit literature, gems awaiting the scrutiny of Indologists. It is needless to say that the Haravijaya is one of such precious gems, which have been over-looked so far.