The ''Siribhoovalaya'' ( kn, ಸಿರಿಭೂವಲಯ) is a work of multi-lingual
literature
Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to ...
written by
Kumudendu Muni, a
Jain
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...
monk
A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedic ...
. The work is unique in that it employs not letters, but is composed entirely in
Kannada numerals
The Kannada script ( IAST: ''Kannaḍa lipi''; obsolete: Kanarese or Canarese script in English) is an abugida of the Brahmic family, used to write Kannada, one of the Dravidian languages of South India especially in the state of Karnat ...
. The ''Saangathya''
metre
The metre ( British spelling) or meter ( American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its pre ...
of
Kannada poetry
Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ) is the language spoken in Karnataka (ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ, ಕರುನಾಡು). Karnataka has eight Jnanapeeth (ಜ್ಞಾನ ಪೀಠ ಪುರಸ್ಕೃತ) award winners, the highest honor bestowed for Indi ...
is employed in the work. It uses numerals 1 through 64 and employs various patterns or ''bandhas'' in a frame of 729 (27×27) squares to represent alphabets in nearly 18 scripts and over 700 languages.
Author
The work is attributed to Jain monk
Kumudendu Muni. He claims that he was guru of Amoghavarsha of Manyakheta and a disciple of virasena and jinasena of Dhavala. However, not much is known about this monk. Scholars are divided about when he lived. Karlamangalam Srikantaiah, the editor of the first edition, claims that the work may have been composed around 800 AD. Dr Venkatachala Sastry, however, dates him and his work to the 15th century. He also claims that Kumudendu Muni belonged to a village called Yalavalli near Nandidurga in Chikkaballapura Taluk in Kolar district. He further dates the work to around the 1550-1600 period and suggests it might be even more recent.
The Work
The work is said to have around 600,000 verses, nearly 6 times as big as the ancient Indian epic ''
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the K ...
''. In total, there are 26 chapters constituting a very large volume of text, of which only three have been decoded.
Coverage
The author expounds on many philosophies which existed in the Jain classics, which are eloquently and skillfully interpreted in the work.
It is also believed to contain valuable information about various sciences including
mathematics
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
,
chemistry
Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, proper ...
,
physics
Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which ...
,
astronomy
Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...
,
medicine
Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...
,
history
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
, etc. Karlamangalam Srikantaiah, the editor of the first edition, has claimed that the work contains instructions for travel in water and
space travel. It is also said that the work contains information about the production of modern weapons.
It is also claimed to consist of works in several languages including
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...
,
Marathi,
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
...
,
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, na ...
,
Prakrit
The Prakrits (; sa, prākṛta; psu, 𑀧𑀸𑀉𑀤, ; pka, ) are a group of vernacular Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were used in the Indian subcontinent from around the 3rd century BCE to the 8th century CE. The term Prakrit is usu ...
, etc., apart from
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
. Different languages can be realised by assigning different alphabets to different numbers.
Codification
Some of the patterns used include the ''Chakrabandha'', ''Hamsabandha'', ''Varapadmabandha'', ''Sagarabandha'', ''Sarasabandha'', ''Kruanchabandha'', ''Mayurabandha'', ''Ramapadabandha'', ''Nakhabandha'', etc. As each of these patterns are identified and decoded, the contents can be read.
Though written in Kannada, its numerical encipherment enables speakers of other languages to also comprehend it.
Challenges
There are 16,000 ''chakras'' in all. Out of which only 1,270 chakras are available. There are 9 ''khandas'' in all. The available 1,270 chakras belong to Prathama khanda, called Mangala Prabhruta. (This is only a syllabus of the Siri Bhoovalaya, which contains 59 chapters). The remaining 8 khandas of work not available. The number of letters (in the form of numerals) used are 14
lakhs (140,000). It has been claimed that it is possible to decipher 6 lakh Shlokas or verses.
Since no contemporary
pandit
A Pandit ( sa, पण्डित, paṇḍit; hi, पंडित; also spelled Pundit, pronounced ; abbreviated Pt.) is a man with specialised knowledge or a teacher of any field of knowledge whether it is shashtra (Holy Books) or shastra (Wea ...
is conversant with the esoteric metres employed in the work, the work of deciphering is being done with the help of computers. The whereabouts of remaining (16,000 - 1,270) = 14,730 chakras are not known.
Reactions
S. Srikanta Sastri
Sondekoppa Srikanta Sastri (5 November 1904 – 10 May 1974) was an Indian historian, Indologist, and polyglot. He authored around 12 books, over two hundred articles, several monographs and book reviews over four decades in English, Kannada, ...
, a respected name in the study of Indian history and culture, has commented on the work thus,
References
External links
"सिरि भूवलय" : वेब-साईट परियोजनाIntroduction to Siri BhoovalayaA project attempting to demonstrate Siri Bhoovalaya technique
{{Jainism topics
Jain texts
Eastern philosophical literature
Kannada literature
Indian poetics
History of literature in India
Epic poems
Epic poems in Kannada
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