Tilakamanñjarī
Tilakamanñjarī is probably the most celebrated of Dhanapāla’s works and is considered a masterpiece. It consists of 12,000 verses and is said to have been composed in order to satisfy the curiosity of King Bhoja with regards to Jinadharma. It is a story similar to that of Bāṇa’s Kaadambari. It is a political account of the king of Kannauj and Thanesar. Sage Vidyādharā appears to King Meghavāhana and his consort Madirāvati on a rooftop. On hearing their sorrows of not being able to bear a child, he offers them holy syllables that allow them to invoke Sri, the goddess of fortunes who would later on bless them with a son – Harivāhana, who was to be the supreme lord of Vidyādharās. Tilakamanñjarī is a Sanskrit prose romance depicting the love affairs on one hand of Prince Harivāhana and the celestial princess Tilakamanñjarī and on the other hand of Samaraketu with a semi celestial princess Malayasundari – the leading pairs created by Dhanapāla. In the narration, Dhanapāla states the affluence of Ayodhyā, its king Meghavāhana and Queen Madirāvati and the birth of their son. Tilakamanñjarī starts with a description of Ayodhyā, a town and kingdom in the northern Kosalas. The description giver here on Ayodhyā also seems to hold much resemblance to the description given by Bāṇa in his Kādambarī.
In fanciful imagination, Dhanapāla establishes the prosperous state, its citizens, the natural bliss and lack of deviousness of the townsfolk and subjects. As the story goes on, the narration switches to alternative view points of Harivāhana and Samaraketu wherein they describe how they met the beautiful princesses and what happened later on forms the rest of the story. Apart from Dhanapāla’s genius prose, Tilakamanñjarī also sheds light on the history of Paramara dynasty.
In fanciful imagination, Dhanapāla establishes the prosperous state, its citizens, the natural bliss and lack of deviousness of the townsfolk and subjects. As the story goes on, the narration switches to alternative view points of Harivāhana and Samaraketu wherein they describe how they met the beautiful princesses and what happened later on forms the rest of the story. Apart from Dhanapāla’s genius prose, Tilakamanñjarī also sheds light on the history of Paramara dynasty.
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Tilakamanñjarī of Dhanapāla a unique composition in Sanskrit. It follows the trail left by Kādambarī of Bāṇabhaṭṭa. Tilakamanñjarī represents a unique kind of narration which has been brought to life using various tools prose like description, narration, characterisation and human psychology. The whole work is undivided into any chapters and is narrated in a series without even any subsections. Through its intelligent narration cannot be ignored, it is fair to say that Tilakamanñjarī has suffered neglect in comparison to other Sanskrit prose.
To complete this work, Dhanapāla has also referred to Cāṇakya and Yaugandharāyaṇa, Udayana, Mahāsena etc. Also, showcasing his devotion to the Jain Ācāryas, Dhanapāla has upheld the ideals of Hinduism and designed his characters’ personalities in such a way that they have given up all the nocuous tendencies inherited by them by following all Hindu polity and following the doctrine of non-violence as proposed by the Jaina protagonists.
To complete this work, Dhanapāla has also referred to Cāṇakya and Yaugandharāyaṇa, Udayana, Mahāsena etc. Also, showcasing his devotion to the Jain Ācāryas, Dhanapāla has upheld the ideals of Hinduism and designed his characters’ personalities in such a way that they have given up all the nocuous tendencies inherited by them by following all Hindu polity and following the doctrine of non-violence as proposed by the Jaina protagonists.
Through his Tilakamanñjarī, Dhanapāla practices ornate verbal jugglery. He seems to have described his own prose as ‘a multicoloured tiger abiding in the impenetrable daṇḍaka forest in the form of abundantly numerous descriptions in a forest of unbroken daṇḍakas. These lines seem to have been spoken with reference to long drawn out sentences that can cause people to look away in fear of the complexity. The work contributes a highly ornate style of writing with colourful descriptive and narrative sequences are used to enhance the meanings of sounds and senses. The work also provides a rich wealth of imaginative descriptions like the towns, gardens, men, lakes, chivalrous deeds of heroes, union, separation, festivals etc.
It is one of the most valuable works in Sanskrit romantic literature as it sheds light on the contemporary, social, religious, economic and political conditions of the time. It also contains very vivid descriptions regarding the lifestyle of cowherds and the kind of havoc that can happen when the army marches through the land. It also describes the naval expedition to Dvīpāntara and gives interesting information about Indian shipping and trade in South East Asia. This contribution of Dhanapāla provides valuable and reliable data for the study of the society and economic factors that influenced the life of people in those times.
It is one of the most valuable works in Sanskrit romantic literature as it sheds light on the contemporary, social, religious, economic and political conditions of the time. It also contains very vivid descriptions regarding the lifestyle of cowherds and the kind of havoc that can happen when the army marches through the land. It also describes the naval expedition to Dvīpāntara and gives interesting information about Indian shipping and trade in South East Asia. This contribution of Dhanapāla provides valuable and reliable data for the study of the society and economic factors that influenced the life of people in those times.
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