Suryamal Misran (also spelled Suryamall Meesan; 1815–1868) was the Rajkavi (poet-historian) of Bundi kingdom. He hailed from the Meesan lineage of

Charan Charan ( IAST: Cāraṇ; Sanskrit: चारण; Gujarati: ચારણ; Urdu: ارڈ; IPA: cɑːrəɳə) is a caste in South Asia natively residing in the Rajasthan and Gujarat states of India, as well as the Sindh and Balochistan provinces ...

s. He was proficient in six languages including Dingal,

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominalization, 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-cul ...

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 ...

, Apabhraṃśa, and was a scholar of

grammar In linguistics, the grammar of a natural language is its set of structure, structural constraints on speakers' or writers' composition of clause (linguistics), clauses, phrases, and words. The term can also refer to the study of such constraint ...

logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or of logical truths. It is a formal science investigating how conclusions follow from premis ...

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

and

politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that stud ...

.S. Mukherjee (January 1999). Dictionary of Indian Literature, One, Beginnings 1850. Orient Longman Ltd. His important works include ''Vansh Bhaskar, Vir Satsai, Balwant Vilas'' and ''Chhandomayukh''.

Early life and family

The great poet-historian of

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...

, Suryamal Misran was born in Harna village of

Bundi Bundi is a city in the Hadoti region of Rajasthan state in northwest India and capital of the former princely state of Rajputana agency. District of Bundi is named after the former princely state. Demographics According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

district on 19 October 1815 AD(V.S. 1872). His father's name was Chandi Dan and his mother's name was Bhawani Bai. His father was a prolific scholar and talented poet of his time. Vishnu Singh, the then

Maharaja Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great Monarch, king" or "high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Em ...

, had conferred the fiefdom of a village, Lakh Pasav, and the title of Kaviraja to Chandi Dan. Chandi Dan composed three texts of utmost importance, namely ''Balavigraha'', ''Saar Sagar'', and ''Vanshabharan''.

Education

Suryamal was endowed with sharp acumen and extraordinary memory since childhood. He acquired deep knowledge of many disciplines in his childhood. Having been educated by the leading scholars of his age, Suryamal Misran was well-versed in

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural ...

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these grou ...

astrology Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Di ...

, philosophy, and several languages, in addition to possessing exceptional literary gifts. His deep inclination towards music is reflected by the fact that he usually carried a ''

Veena The ''veena'', also spelled ''vina'' ( sa, वीणा IAST: vīṇā), comprises various chordophone instruments from the Indian subcontinent. Ancient musical instruments evolved into many variations, such as lutes, zithers and arched harps ...

'' with him.Experts were brought in to tutor Suryamal Misran in traditional education prevalent at that time in Indian society. Swami Swarupadas gave him training in

Yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-conscio ...

Vedanta ''Vedanta'' (; sa, वेदान्त, ), also ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six (''āstika'') schools of Hindu philosophy. Literally meaning "end of the Vedas", Vedanta reflects ideas that emerged from, or were aligned with, ...

Nyaya (Sanskrit: न्याय, ''nyā-yá''), literally meaning "justice", "rules", "method" or "judgment",Vaiseshika literature. From Pandit Ashanand, he learned

, verses,

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek '' poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings ...

, Ashvadhak, and

Chanakya Chanakya (Sanskrit: चाणक्य; IAST: ', ; 375–283 BCE) was an ancient Indian polymath who was active as a teacher, author, strategist, philosopher, economist, jurist, and royal advisor. He is traditionally identified as Kauṭilya ...

Shastra. From Muhammad, he learned ''veena''-playing and

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

from another mentor. From another Muslim teacher, he acquired some knowledge about

Islamic culture Islamic culture and Muslim culture refer to cultural practices which are common to historically Islamic people. The early forms of Muslim culture, from the Rashidun Caliphate to the early Umayyad period and the early Abbasid period, were pre ...

and had read some Persian histories like the Tarikh-i-Firishta and the

Akbar-Nama The ''Akbarnama'', which translates to ''Book of Akbar'', the official chronicle of the reign of Akbar, the third Mughal Emperor (), commissioned by Akbar himself and written by his court historian and biographer, Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak. It was w ...

by Abul-Fazl. Thus, Suryamal Misran received an educational, literary, and historical atmosphere right from the beginning, giving rise to a unique confluence of knowledge, wisdom, and valor. During his lifetime, his poetry had become popular all over

and

Malwa Malwa is a historical region, historical list of regions in India, region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic plateau, volcanic upland north of the Vind ...

Career

He wrote primarily in Dingal, though he also made occasional use of

Magadhi The Magahi language (), also known as Magadhi (), is a language spoken in Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal states of eastern India, and in the Terai of Nepal. Magadhi Prakrit was the ancestor of Magahi, from which the latter's name derives. ...

, Pingal and other dialects. Misran was a court poet(''Raj-Kavi'') of the

kingdom, which was ruled by Hada

Chauhan Chauhan, historically ''Chahamana'', is a clan name historically associated with the various ruling Rajput families during the Medieval India in Rajasthan. Subclans Khichi, Hada, Songara, Bhadauria, Devda etc. are the branches or subclan ...

s. In the poetry world, they are known as "Mahakavi". He undertook the work ''Vans Bhaskar'' during the reign of

Maharao Maharao is a variation on the Indian (mainly Hindu) royal title Maharaja, also meaning 'great king' in Hindi. It is composed of ''Maha-'' 'great' and the royal title ''Rao'', a variation on Raja. Ruler title in British India Salute states (all i ...

Ram Singh. He intended to write ''Vans Bhaskar'' in two volumes and twelve parts as an analogy with the sun, which has two solstices and twelve months in a year. He left the work unfinished at the eighth part of the second volume because of differences with his king, whose territory became a British protectorate, while the poet supported the

Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...

.Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature. .l. Sahitya Akademi, 1996. Suryamal Misran felt moved by the plight of ordinary Rajput soldiers. In at least three couplets of ''Veer Satsai'' he expressed his concern for the wives of brave soldiers, who asked the queen for a handful of grains against the promise of their husbands' heads rolling before hers, whenever needed in return. Veer-Satsai is a soulful expression of the hopes and aspirations of the valiant Rajasthani Warriors and their spouses. It sings of those who indulged unflinchingly in the dangerous game of defiance and death, preferring extinction with honour to a life of slavery and shame. Misran's glorification of local heroes helped to develop the spirit of nationalization in Rajasthan.

Anti-British Sentiment

Suryamal Misran was a proponent of resistance against colonial powers. In his views, subjection to the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English ...

implied loss of ''

dharma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for ...

'' (faith and way of life). He warned that if the British stayed on no one would be ''jami ka thakur'' (lord of the land) and all would become Isai (Christian). Suryamal wrote to most Kings and Thakurs of

Rajputana Rājputana, meaning "Land of the Rajputs", was a region in the Indian subcontinent that included mainly the present-day Indian state of Rajasthan, as well as parts of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, and some adjoining areas of Sindh in modern-day ...

to stand up against the British. He envisioned a coalition of the Hindu kings of India who would wage war and drive out the British once and for all. During the 1857 war against the British, Suryamal celebrated the courage of the Auwa Thakur Kushal Singh who had given shelter to the Purabia soldiers of the

Jodhpur Legion The British raised the Jodphur Legion in 1836 at Erinpura Cantonment in the north-east of the Sirohi State, Rajputana , on the left bank of the Jawai River, about 6 miles from Erinpura Road. The Legion consisted of three troops of cavalry and eigh ...

which had rebelled against the

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

and were marching from

Sirohi Sirohi is a city, located in Sirohi district in southern Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by ar ...

towards

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

Death

Although Suryamal had no dearth of wealth and resources he spent his days depressed because he had no children, he felt suffocated by the growing hold of

power over India. The last days of his life were spent in a crisis. He found shelter in

music Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact definition of music, definitions of mu ...

and

alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

, he was immersed in alcohol by night, and alcohol made him diseased, gradually his body became thin and he succumbed to death. In this way, he died in Bundi on 11 October 1868(VS 1925 Ashadh Krishna Ekadashi). His death was mourned by the people and nobles of

and

, many poems were written as a tribute to him.

Legacy

Throughout his life, Suryamal Misran married six times. His first wedding was attended by Maharao Ram Singh, the King of

himself. He was highly respected in scholarly and intellectual circles. He was counted among the five gems(''panch-ratna'') of

. His epic creation "Vansh Bhaskar" book also remained incomplete, which was later completed by his adopted son Murari Dan. Suryamal Misran is often referred to by Indian scholars as the ‘'' Veda Vyas''’ of the recent modern period, in that his ''Vansha Bhaskar'' is regarded as an epic on par with

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 ...

. Dr.

Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar' Ramdhari Singh (23 September 1908 – 24 April 1974), known by his pen name Dinkar, was an Indian Hindi and Maithili language poet, essayist, freedom fighter, patriot and academic. He emerged as a poet of rebellion as a consequence of hi ...

says

“The glory of Suryamall Ji is that he was a great
national poet A national poet or national bard is a poet held by tradition and popular acclaim to represent the identity, beliefs and principles of a particular national culture. The national poet as culture hero is a long-standing symbol, ...
, the letters he wrote to the kings and royal men at the time of
war of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...
, clearly show that his heart was in pain for the country, yearning for independence, and wanted all the kings together to drive the
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English ...
out of the country.”

Vansha Bhaskar

In the 19th century, publication of Vansh Bhaskar proved to be disruptive for bardic poetry in Bundi.

Its publication has very nearly killed Bardic activity at Bundi, because every poet I met with recited verses from the Vamsabhaskar. I enquired about old families of bards, but I was told that during the last 70 years their libraries have been dissipated. In fact, I was shown a huge mass of loose pages of a collection of Bardic songs purchased from a Bania for two pice.

Works of Suryamal Misran remained influential even after a century. Gyasiram Misra(from Mathura) who was given the same position in Bundi Court based his work Vamsa Pradipaka on Suryamal’s Vansh Bhaskar.

Works

Prominent compositions by Suryamal Misran are: # ''Vansh Bhaskar'' # ''Veer Satsai'' # ''Dhatu Roopawali'' # ''Balwad Vilas (Balwant Vilas)'' # ''Ram Ranjat'' # ''Chhand Mayukh'' # ''Sati Raso'' # ''Sati Sujas''

Suryamal Mishran Shikhar award

Suryamal Mishran Shikhar Award Suryamal Mishran Shikhar Award is a literary honour granted by thfor special contribution to Rajasthani literature. It was established in the memory of the 19th century poet-historian Suryamal Misran Suryamal Misran (also spelled Suryamall M ...

, in the memory of the 19th century poet-historian Suryamal Misran, is given on the basis of the commendation of the committee constituted by Rajasthani Bhasha Sahitya and Sanskriti Akademi, Bikaner (

Government of Rajasthan The Government of Rajasthan is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Rajasthan and its 33 districts. It consists of an executive, led by the Governor of Rajasthan, a judiciary and a legislative. Jaipur is the capital of R ...

) for special contribution to

Rajasthani literature Rajasthani literature written in various genres starting from 1000 AD. But, it is generally agreed that modern Rajasthani literature began with the works of Suryamal Misran. His most important works are the Vansa Bhaskara and the Vir Satsai. ...

In popular culture

In recent years, his persona has been staged in theatre, most notably in Rajendra Panchal's '''Katha Sukavi Suryamall Ki performed by the Perafin group of

Kota Kota or KOTA may refer to: People and languages *Kōta (given name), a masculine Japanese given name *Kota Brahmin, a sub-caste of Brahmins in Karnataka *Kota people (India), a tribe in the Nilgiri hills of Tamil Nadu, South India **Kota language ...

References

Poets from Rajasthan Rajasthani-language writers Indian people of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 1815 births 1868 deaths People from Bundi district 19th-century Indian poets Charan Dingal poets {{India-writer-stub