|
Ratnākara
Ratnākara () was a Sanskrit poet in ancient India. His magnum opus, the '' Haravijaya'', containing 4,351 verses, is the longest extant ''mahākāvya''. His work has been praised in many Sanskrit anthologies and works on rhetorics. Life Very little is known about Ratnākara's life. He is referred to as a dependent of Bālabṛhaspati—generally assumed to be an epithet of Cippaṭajayāpīḍa—in the colophons of the ''Haravijayas cantos. In the '' praśasti'' of the ''Haravijaya'' he speaks of himself as the son of Amṛtabhānu, a descendant of Durgadatta from Gangāhrada in the Himalayas. Kalhaṇa's '' Rājataraṅgiṇī'' lists him as one of the poets active at the court of Avantivarman (). Works ''Haravijaya'' The ''Haravijaya'', described as Ratnākara's magnum opus, is the longest extant Sanskrit ''mahākāvya'', containing a total of 4,351 verses in fifty ''sarga''s (cantos). The poem narrates Śiva's victory over Andhaka and also describes Śiva's iconogra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Haravijaya
''Haravijaya'' () is a Sanskrit ''mahākāvya'' written by Ratnākara. The poem narrates Śiva's victory over Andhaka. It also describes Śiva's iconographic features and gives an exposition of Śaiva philosophy. ''Haravijaya'' is the longest extant Sanskrit ''mahākāvya'', containing a total of 4351 verses in fifty ''sarga''s (cantos). Authorship In the '' praśasti'' of ''Haravijaya'', Ratnākara, its author, speaks of himself as the son of Amṛtabhānu, a descendant of Durgadatta from Gangāhrada. According to Kalhaṇa's '' Rājataraṅgiṇī'', he gained fame during the reign of Avantivarman (), but the colophons of ''Haravijaya'' suggest it was composed during the reign of Cippaṭa Jayāpīḍa, between 826 and 838 CE. From the theme of his poem, it can be assumed that he was a practitioner of Kashmiri Śaivism; Alexis Sanderson states that the poem's hymns to Śiva and Pārvatī in canto 6 and 47 respectively are the earliest dateable evidence of the presence of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Karkota Dynasty
The Karkota dynasty (c. 625 − 855 CE) ruled over the Kashmir valley and some northern parts of the Indian subcontinent during 7th and 8th centuries. Their rule saw a period of political expansion, economic prosperity and emergence of Kashmir as a centre of culture and scholarship. The Karkota rulers constructed several shrines to Vishnu in their dominions. They however also allowed Buddhism to flourish under them. Stupa, Chaitya and Vihara can be found in the ruins of their capital. Martand Sun Temple in the Anantnag district was built by Lalitaditya. It is the oldest known Sun temple in India and was also one of the biggest temple complexes at the time. Avanti Varman ascended the throne of Kashmir in 855, establishing the Utpala dynasty and ending the rule of Karkota dynasty. Sources Literature The Nilamata Purana, believed to have been commissioned by Durlabhavardhana, the first ruler of the dynasty, provides information on contemporary affairs. However, not onl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Magnum Opus
A masterpiece, , or ; ; ) is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, skill, profundity, or workmanship. Historically, a "masterpiece" was a work of a very high standard produced by an apprentice to obtain full membership, as a "master", of a guild or academy in various areas of the visual arts and crafts. Etymology The form ''masterstik'' is recorded in English or Scots in a set of Aberdeen guild regulations dated to 1579, whereas ''masterpiece'' is first found in 1605, already outside a guild context, in a Ben Jonson play. ''Masterprize'' was another early variant in English. In English, the term rapidly became used in a variety of contexts for an exceptionally good piece of creative work, and was "in early use, often applied to man as the 'masterpiece' of God or Nature". History Originally, the term ''masterpiece'' referred to a piece of work ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ānandavardhana
Ānandavardhana (c. 820 – 890 CE) was a Kashmiri court poet and literary critic, honored with the title of Rajanak during King Avantivarman's reign. Anandavardhana authored the ''Dhvanyāloka'', or ''A Light on Suggestion'' ('' dhvani''), a work articulating the philosophy of "aesthetic suggestion" (''dhvani'', ''vyañjanā''). Ānandavardhana is credited with creating the ''dhvani'' theory. He wrote that ''dhvani'' (meaning sound, or resonance) is the "soul" or "essence" ('' ātman'') of poetry ('' kavya'')." "When the poet writes," said Ānandavardhana, "he creates a resonant field of emotions." To understand the poetry, the reader or hearer must be on the same "wavelength." The method requires sensitivity on the parts of the writer and the reader. The complete ''Dhvanyāloka'' together with Abhinavagupta's commentary on it has been translated into English by the Sanskritist Daniel H.H. Ingalls and his collaborators. Ānandavardhana is mentioned in Kalhana's Rajatarangini ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sanskrit Poets
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late Bronze Age. Sanskrit is the sacred language of Hinduism, the language of classical Hindu philosophy, and of historical texts of Buddhism and Jainism. It was a link language in ancient and medieval South Asia, and upon transmission of Hindu and Buddhist culture to Southeast Asia, East Asia and Central Asia in the early medieval era, it became a language of religion and high culture, and of the political elites in some of these regions. As a result, Sanskrit had a lasting effect on the languages of South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Asia, especially in their formal and learned vocabularies. Sanskrit generally connotes several Old Indo-Aryan language varieties. The most archaic of these is the Vedic Sanskrit found in the Rigveda, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
