| Bhanubhakta Acharya |
A Statue of Bhanubhakta Acharya in Kathmandu,Nepal. |
| Born |
1814 (1871 B.S)
Chundi Ramgha, Tanahu District, Nepal |
| Died |
1868 (1925 B.S) |
| Occupation |
poet |
Bhanubhakta Acharya (1814 AD - 1868 AD) The first poet of Nepal. He translated the great epic 'Ramayana' from Sanskrit to Nepali.
Nepalese people cannot forget the day Ashar 29, "Bhanujayanti"(July
13), the birthday of Bhanubhakta Acharya, who is also more popularly
known as "Neplaka Adikavi"(Nepal's original poet).
"Adikavi" in reference to Bhannubhakta had first been used by Motiram
Bhatta. While writing a biography of Bhanubhakta in 1981, Motiram
described him as Adikavi, not because he was the first poet in Nepali.
As Motiram himself recognized, there were many poets before Bhanubhakta.
Instead, he argued that Bhanubhakta deserved the title because he was
the first poet who wrote with an understanding of the "marma"(inner
essence) of poetry.
Bhanubhakta Acharya Bhanubhakta Bhanubhakta (1814-1868) was a Nepali
poet who translated the great epic "Ramayana" from Sanskrit to Nepali.
Born to a Brahmin family in 1814 in Tanahu, he received at home an
excellent education with a strong leaning towards religion from his
grandfather.
After the fall of the Khas Empire in the 15th century, its language
which evolved into present day Nepali was considered bastardized and
limited to speech. Sanskrit dominated most of the written texts of South
Asia and its influence was particularly strong in Nepal. Brahmins were
the teachers, scholars and priests of the society by virtue of their
caste. Their education was Sanskrit-oriented since most religious texts
of the Hindu religion were in that language.
Many wrote poetry that was too heavily Sanskritized. Bhanubhakta was
definitely "the" writer who gained the acceptance of a wide range of
people and his creations played a key role in popularizing the written
form of the Khas language.
Bhanubhakta's contribution was unique. Children who received an
education at the time began their studies with light epics such as the
"Ramayan" and graduated to the more complex "Upanishads" and "Vedas."
Ram's heroic exploits were highly impressive to Bhanubhakta, so he
decided to make the deity more accessible to the people who spoke Khas.
(Since the social order did not encourage literacy, most country people
did not understand anything when epics were read out to them in
Sanskrit.)
When completed, his translation of the Ramayan was so lyrical that it was more like a song than a poem.
Bhanubhakta did not study Western literature. All his ideas and
experiences were derived from his native land. This lent such a strong
Nepali flavor to his writing that few poets have been able to equal his
simple creations in terms of content: a sense of religion, a sense of
simplicity, and the warmth of his country are the strongest features of
his poetry. Those who read the first lines of the Bhanubhakta Ramayan
can clearly feel Nepal in them.
Bhanubhakta was a young boy from a wealthy family and was leading an
unremarkable life until he met a grass cutter who wanted to give
something to society so that he could be remembered after death too.
After listening to the grass cutter Bhanubhakta felt ashamed of himself.
So by the inspiring words of the grass cutter, he wrote these lines:
He gives his life to cutting grass and earns little money, he hopes
to make a well for his people so he will be remembered after death, this
high thinking grass cutter lives in poverty, I have achieved nothing,
though I have much wealth. I have neither made rest houses nor a well,
all my riches are inside my house. This grass cutter has opened my eyes
today, my life is worthless if the memory of my existence fades away.
Bhanubhakta wrote two masterpieces in his life. One, obviously, is the
"Bhanubhaktey Ramayan" and the other is a letter he wrote in verse form
to the prime minister while in prison. Due to some misunderstanding in
signing the papers, he was made a scapegoat and put into prison. His
health became bad and he was given false hopes of being set free. For a
long time his case was not even heard. So he wrote a petition to the
all-powerful prime minister requesting his freedom.
Everyday I see kind authorities and they get rid of my worries. I am
at peace and at night I watch dances for free. I do what my friends -
mosquitoes, fleas, and bedbugs - say: the mosquitoes sing and the ticks
dance, I watch their play. I was jobless, wealth-less, my hard-earned
food came from the spade, I served those people so everyone would notice
me and give me respect. Without wavering I served and they were pleased
and they gave overflowing attention that is never, ever, taken away. I
am 40, I have a son who is eight years old. The time for celebrating his
manhood-ceremony is close. I am rotting inside these four walls, so
what can I do, my Lord? How can I complete the ceremony in this
darkness-filled world. The secret of success should be given by the
father, the lessons of life should be given by the mother, my child has
yet to study the Vedas and serve his teacher, therefore to you, my
Owner, I repeat my prayer. Even while a great ruler like you own this
earth, a Brahmin's rituals of manhood are being delayed. Whose feet do I
have to place my sorrow at except yours? Please take pity on me and
decide my case for better or worse. My body is weak, it is made of grain
and water. How shall I say what has befallen me here? I have suffered
much sorrow, my body grows heavy, and I have been ill for many days. I
was imprisoned for a long time at Kumarichowk, illness came upon me
there and after much trouble I went home. When I became well they
brought me here, now you, my Owner, you are my only hope. Whatever I
explained to the authorities in writing is true. But others' answers and
written proofs, I am told, have proved wrong all that I have said. I
told them I would pay their fines a thousand-fold. But they say they
have signatures on papers and letters, they say their witnesses have
many more tales. I said I would not plead, I would rather be false, I
will say anything that gets me outside these walls. I have no wish to
spend the rest of my life in this quarrel. I have no wish to become a
millionaire and fill my house with treasures. Days pass by uselessly and
I cannot comfort myself if you would decide my case it would be a great
help. I have talked with the warden and he does not speak. Even if he
does, his: "tomorrow, tomorrow," sounds like a joke. What are these
tomorrows? It would be better to know I won't be freed. Many tomorrows
passed. Please fill this empty bag of mine, I beg.
Bhanubhakta not only won his freedom with his poem, but was given a bag
of money as well. So passed the most dangerous and exciting time of his
life. He died in 1868 as a simple man who did not know he would be among
the most revered poets of Nepal. Perhaps, it is only he and Laxmi
Prasad Devkota that have become literary gods in this country. The only
difference between the two is that Devkota's works continue to enjoy as
much celebrity as the great poet himself, while Bhanubhakta's fame tends
to overshadow his writings.
However, his creation was not published and he was to die without
receiving credit for his contribution. It was in 1887 that Moti Ram
Bhatta found his manuscript and printed it in Benaras, India.
Bhanubhakta Acharya is considered the first poet writing in
Nepali language. Poets before him in Nepal usually wrote in
Sanskrit. One of his writings is well known for its colorful, flowing praise of
Kathmandu
valley and its inhabitants.But he has been a lost identity. His works
are not as famous as other poets in Nepal's history of literature
