Shilabhattarika - Revision history

Avdhut Kamble: adjust lead also and corrected details per standard format

2026-03-06T15:17:17Z

adjust lead also and corrected details per standard format

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:47, 6 March 2026
Line 4:		Line 4:
	== Biography ==		== Biography ==

	Shilabhattarika lived in the 9th century.{{sfn\|Supriya Banik Pal\|2010\|p=152}}{{sfn\|Andrew Schelling\|2003\|p=142}} One of her poems mentions the [[Narmada River]] (Reva) and the [[Vindhyas\|Vindhya mountains]].{{sfn\|Andrew Schelling\|2013\|pp=72-74}} Therefore, as a young woman, she probably lived along the Narmada River, near the Vindhyas.{{sfn\|Andrew Schelling\|2003\|p=142}}{{sfn\|Pavan K. Varma\|Sandhya Mulchandani\|2004\|p=161}} M. B. Padma, a scholar of the [[University of Mysore]], ~~speculates~~ that she may be same as Shila-mahadevi, the queen of the 8th century [[Rashtrakuta]] ruler [[Dhruva Dharavarsha\|Dhruva]]. Padma's theory is based on the facts that the suffix "Bhattarika" attached to the poet's name indicates her high social status, and that the queen is known to have made generous grants to scholars.{{sfn\|M. B. Padma\|1993\|p=169}}		Shilabhattarika lived in the 9th century.{{sfn\|Supriya Banik Pal\|2010\|p=152}}{{sfn\|Andrew Schelling\|2003\|p=142}} One of her poems mentions the [[Narmada River]] (Reva) and the [[Vindhyas\|Vindhya mountains]].{{sfn\|Andrew Schelling\|2013\|pp=72-74}} Therefore, as a young woman, she probably lived along the Narmada River, near the Vindhyas.{{sfn\|Andrew Schelling\|2003\|p=142}}{{sfn\|Pavan K. Varma\|Sandhya Mulchandani\|2004\|p=161}}

			In 1993, M. B. Padma, a scholar of the [[University of Mysore]], speculated that she may be same as Shila-mahadevi, the queen of the 8th century [[Rashtrakuta]] ruler [[Dhruva Dharavarsha\|Dhruva]]. Padma's theory is based on the facts that the suffix "Bhattarika" attached to the poet's name indicates her high social status, and that the queen is known to have made generous grants to scholars.{{sfn\|M. B. Padma\|1993\|p=169}}

			In 2023, Shreenand L. Bapat of [[Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute]] identified Shilabhattarika as a daughter of the [[Chalukyas of Vatapi\|Chalukya]] ruler [[Pulakeshin II]], based on the decipherment of an inscription. According to Bapat, her name appears in a copper-plate charter of the Chalukya king [[Vijayaditya]], dated January-February 717 CE; she was married to Dadiga, a son of the Ganga ruler Mushkara alias Mokkara. The comparison of Shilabhattarika with Banabhatta by Rajashekhara must be seen on the background of the enmity of Pulakeshin II, Shilabhattarika's father and Harshavardhana, patron of Banabhatta.<ref>{{citation \|title=Maharashtra Times Samvaad Nagpur 20230416 page \|url=https://www.academia.edu/100268597 \|last1=Bapat \|first1=Shreenand }}</ref>{{Better source needed\|reason=Not even the title of this is helpful.\|date=April 2024}}

	The 10th century poet [[Rajashekhara (Sanskrit poet)\|Rajashekhara]] praises Shilabhattarika as a leading figure of the ''[[Panchala\|Panchali]]'' literary style{{sfn\|Supriya Banik Pal\|2010\|p=152}} (one of the four major contemporary literary styles - the other three being ''[[Vidarbha\|Vaidharbhi]]'', ''[[Gauḍa (region)\|Gaudi]]'', and ''[[Lata (region)\|Lati]]'').{{sfn\|Supriya Banik Pal\|2010\|p=159}} A verse, attributed to Rajashekhara in Vallabhadeva's 15th century anthology ''Subhashitavali'', states that this style maintains "a balance between words and meaning". According to Rajashekhara, the ''Panchali'' style can be traced to the works of Shilabhattarika, and possibly in some of the works of the 7th century poet [[Bāṇabhaṭṭa\|Bana]].{{sfn\|Supriya Banik Pal\|2010\|p=152}}		The 10th century poet [[Rajashekhara (Sanskrit poet)\|Rajashekhara]] praises Shilabhattarika as a leading figure of the ''[[Panchala\|Panchali]]'' literary style{{sfn\|Supriya Banik Pal\|2010\|p=152}} (one of the four major contemporary literary styles - the other three being ''[[Vidarbha\|Vaidharbhi]]'', ''[[Gauḍa (region)\|Gaudi]]'', and ''[[Lata (region)\|Lati]]'').{{sfn\|Supriya Banik Pal\|2010\|p=159}} A verse, attributed to Rajashekhara in Vallabhadeva's 15th century anthology ''Subhashitavali'', states that this style maintains "a balance between words and meaning". According to Rajashekhara, the ''Panchali'' style can be traced to the works of Shilabhattarika, and possibly in some of the works of the 7th century poet [[Bāṇabhaṭṭa\|Bana]].{{sfn\|Supriya Banik Pal\|2010\|p=152}}

	Shilabhattarika has been quoted by several classical Sanskrit literary critics, and her verses appear in most major Sanskrit anthologies. She is known to have written at least 46 poems on topics such as "love, morality, politics, nature, beauty, the seasons, insects, anger, indignation, codes of conduct, and the characteristic features of various kinds of heroines."{{sfn\|Supriya Banik Pal\|2010\|p=150}} However, most of her works are now [[~~lost~~ work\|lost]], and only six of her short poems are extant.{{sfn\|Andrew Schelling\|2003\|p=142}}		Shilabhattarika has been quoted by several classical Sanskrit literary critics, and her verses appear in most major Sanskrit anthologies. She is known to have written at least 46 poems on topics such as "love, morality, politics, nature, beauty, the seasons, insects, anger, indignation, codes of conduct, and the characteristic features of various kinds of heroines."{{sfn\|Supriya Banik Pal\|2010\|p=150}} However, most of her works are now [[Lost literary work\|lost]], and only six of her short poems are extant.{{sfn\|Andrew Schelling\|2003\|p=142}}

	''[[Sharngadhara-paddhati]]'', a 14th century anthology, praises her and three other female poets in the following words:{{sfn\|Supriya Banik Pal\|2010\|p=150}}		''[[Sharngadhara-paddhati]]'', a 14th-century anthology, praises her and three other female poets in the following words:{{sfn\|Supriya Banik Pal\|2010\|p=150}}

	{{cquote\|Shilabhattarika, [[Vijja]], [[Marula (poet)\|Marula]], and Morika are poetesses of renown with great poetic genius and erudition. Those who have command over all branches of learning, having participated in dialogues with other scholars and having defeated them in debates, are regarded as sound scholars and experts. Consequently, they alone are venerable in the scholarly world.\|source=Dhanadevas, in Sharngadhara's ''Paddhati''{{sfn\|Supriya Banik Pal\|2010\|p=150}}{{sfn\|A. K. Warder\|1994\|p=421}}}}		{{cquote\|Shilabhattarika, [[Vijja]], [[Marula (poet)\|Marula]], and Morika are poetesses of renown with great poetic genius and erudition. Those who have command over all branches of learning, having participated in dialogues with other scholars and having defeated them in debates, are regarded as sound scholars and experts. Consequently, they alone are venerable in the scholarly world.\|source=Dhanadevas, in Sharngadhara's ''Paddhati''{{sfn\|Supriya Banik Pal\|2010\|p=150}}{{sfn\|A. K. Warder\|1994\|p=421}}}}
Line 16:		Line 20:
	== Example verses ==		== Example verses ==

	The following short poem of Shilabhattarika is considered as one of the greatest poems ever written in the Sanskrit tradition.{{sfn\|Alan Deyermond\|1990\|p=132}} Indian scholar Supriya Banik Pal believes that the poem expresses the speaker's anxiety to be reunited with her husband.{{sfn\|Supriya Banik Pal\|2010\|p=150}} According to American author [[Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson]], the ~~poetess~~, possibly a middle-aged woman, implies that the illicit, pre-marital love between her and her lover was richer than their love as a married couple.{{sfn\|Alan Deyermond\|1990\|p=132}} An interpretation by the 16-century philosopher [[Chaitanya Mahaprabhu\|Chaitanya]] suggests that the verse is a metaphor for a person's desire to be united with the "Supreme Lord - [[Brahman\|the Absolute]]".{{sfn\|Supriya Banik Pal\|2010\|p=150-151}}		The following short poem of Shilabhattarika is considered as one of the greatest poems ever written in the Sanskrit tradition.{{sfn\|Alan Deyermond\|1990\|p=132}} Indian scholar Supriya Banik Pal believes that the poem expresses the speaker's anxiety to be reunited with her husband.{{sfn\|Supriya Banik Pal\|2010\|p=150}} According to American author [[Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson]], the poet, possibly a middle-aged woman, implies that the illicit, pre-marital love between her and her lover was richer than their love as a married couple.{{sfn\|Alan Deyermond\|1990\|p=132}} An interpretation by the 16-century philosopher [[Chaitanya Mahaprabhu\|Chaitanya]] suggests that the verse is a metaphor for a person's desire to be united with the "Supreme Lord - [[Brahman\|the Absolute]]".{{sfn\|Supriya Banik Pal\|2010\|p=150-151}}

	{{poemquote		{{poemquote
Line 58:		Line 62:
	=== Bibliography ===		=== Bibliography ===

	{{~~ref begin~~}}		{{refbegin}}
			* {{cite book \|author=A. K. Warder \|title=Indian Kavya Literature \|volume=4: The ways of originality (Bana to Damodaragupta) \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7WnWL5LtYfcC&pg=PA421 \|year=1994 \|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass \|isbn=978-81-208-0449-4 }}
	* {{cite book \|author=Alan Deyermond \|chapter=Sexual Initiation in the Woman’s-Voice Court Lyric \|editor1=Keith Busby \|editor2=Erik Kooper \|title=Proceedings of the 5th triennial Congress of the International Courtly Literature Society, Dalfsen, The Netherlands, 9–16 Aug. 1986 \|series=Utrecht Publications in General and Comparative Literature \|publisher=Utrecht \|year=1990 \|volume=25 \|pages=125–158 \|isbn=90-272-2211-8 \|doi=10.1075/upal.25.12dey }}		* {{cite book \|author=Alan Deyermond \|chapter=Sexual Initiation in the Woman’s-Voice Court Lyric \|editor1=Keith Busby \|editor2=Erik Kooper \|title=Proceedings of the 5th triennial Congress of the International Courtly Literature Society, Dalfsen, The Netherlands, 9–16 Aug. 1986 \|series=Utrecht Publications in General and Comparative Literature \|publisher=Utrecht \|year=1990 \|volume=25 \|pages=125–158 \|isbn=90-272-2211-8 \|doi=10.1075/upal.25.12dey }}
	* {{cite journal \|author=Andrew Schelling \|title=Nights of Jasmine and Thunder \|journal=[[Mānoa (journal)\|Mānoa]] \|url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/539313 \|year=2013 \|volume=25 \|issue=2 \|publisher=[[University of Hawaii Press]] \|doi=10.1353/man.2013.0061 \|pages=72–74 \|s2cid=145271967 }}		* {{cite journal \|author=Andrew Schelling \|title=Nights of Jasmine and Thunder \|journal=[[Mānoa (journal)\|Mānoa]] \|url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/539313 \|year=2013 \|volume=25 \|issue=2 \|publisher=[[University of Hawaii Press]] \|doi=10.1353/man.2013.0061 \|pages=72–74 \|s2cid=145271967 \|url-access=subscription }}
	* {{cite book \|author=Andrew Schelling \|title=Wild Form, Savage Grammar: Poetry, Ecology, Asia \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zUpbAAAAMAAJ \|year=2003 \|publisher=La Alameda \|isbn=978-1-888809-35-0 }}		* {{cite book \|author=Andrew Schelling \|title=Wild Form, Savage Grammar: Poetry, Ecology, Asia \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zUpbAAAAMAAJ \|year=2003 \|publisher=La Alameda \|isbn=978-1-888809-35-0 }}
	* {{cite book \|author=M. B. Padma \|title=The Position of Women in Mediaeval Karnataka \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HV7aAAAAMAAJ \|year=1993 \|publisher=Prasaranga, University of Mysore \|oclc=36806821}}		* {{cite book \|author=M. B. Padma \|title=The Position of Women in Mediaeval Karnataka \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HV7aAAAAMAAJ \|year=1993 \|publisher=Prasaranga, University of Mysore \|oclc=36806821}}
Line 66:		Line 71:
	* {{cite book \|author=R. C. Dwivedi \|title=The Poetic Light \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iwgKAQAAIAAJ \|year=1977 \|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass }}		* {{cite book \|author=R. C. Dwivedi \|title=The Poetic Light \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iwgKAQAAIAAJ \|year=1977 \|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass }}
	* {{cite book \|author=Supriya Banik Pal \|chapter=Some Women Writers and their Works in Classical Sanskrit Literature: A Reinterpretation \|editor=Philip F. Williams \|title=Asian Literary Voices: From Marginal to Mainstream \|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2XDYEgDWtCcC&pg=PA152 \|year=2010 \|publisher=Amsterdam University Press \|isbn=978-90-8964-092-5 }}		* {{cite book \|author=Supriya Banik Pal \|chapter=Some Women Writers and their Works in Classical Sanskrit Literature: A Reinterpretation \|editor=Philip F. Williams \|title=Asian Literary Voices: From Marginal to Mainstream \|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2XDYEgDWtCcC&pg=PA152 \|year=2010 \|publisher=Amsterdam University Press \|isbn=978-90-8964-092-5 }}
	{{~~ref end~~}}		* {{cite book \|author=Shreenand L. Bapat \|chapter=Pune Copperplate Charter of Bādāmi Cālukya Ruler Vijayāditya, Dated January-February 717 CE, Mentioning Śīlabhaṭṭārikā, a Daughter of Pulakeśin II and Perhaps a Coveted Sanskrit Poetess \|editor=Pramod Joglekar and Shilpa Sumant \|title=Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Volume 101, pages 7-16 \|year=2023 \|publisher=Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute \|issn=0378-1143 }}
			{{refend}}

	{{authority control}}		{{authority control}}

	[[Category:Sanskrit~~-language~~ women poets]]		[[Category:Sanskrit women poets]]
	[[Category:Sanskrit poets]]		[[Category:Sanskrit poets]]
	[[Category:Indian women poets]]		[[Category:Indian women poets]]
	[[Category:9th-century Indian poets]]		[[Category:9th-century Indian poets]]

imported>Ser Amantio di Nicolao: Copying from Category:Sanskrit-language women poets to Category:Sanskrit poets no-diffusing using Cat-a-lot

2021-06-22T16:44:56Z

Copying from Category:Sanskrit-language women poets to Category:Sanskrit poets no-diffusing using Cat-a-lot

New page

{{short description|9th c. Sanskrit-language Indian poet}}
'''Shila-bhattarika''' ([[IAST]]: Śīlābhaṭṭārikā) was a 9th-century [[Sanskrit]] poet from present-day India. Her verses appear in most major Sanskrit anthologies, and her poetic skills have been praised by the medieval Sanskrit literary critics.

== Biography ==

Shilabhattarika lived in the 9th century.{{sfn|Supriya Banik Pal|2010|p=152}}{{sfn|Andrew Schelling|2003|p=142}} One of her poems mentions the [[Narmada River]] (Reva) and the [[Vindhyas|Vindhya mountains]].{{sfn|Andrew Schelling|2013|pp=72-74}} Therefore, as a young woman, she probably lived along the Narmada River, near the Vindhyas.{{sfn|Andrew Schelling|2003|p=142}}{{sfn|Pavan K. Varma|Sandhya Mulchandani|2004|p=161}} M. B. Padma, a scholar of the [[University of Mysore]], speculates that she may be same as Shila-mahadevi, the queen of the 8th century [[Rashtrakuta]] ruler [[Dhruva Dharavarsha|Dhruva]]. Padma's theory is based on the facts that the suffix "Bhattarika" attached to the poet's name indicates her high social status, and that the queen is known to have made generous grants to scholars.{{sfn|M. B. Padma|1993|p=169}}

The 10th century poet [[Rajashekhara (Sanskrit poet)|Rajashekhara]] praises Shilabhattarika as a leading figure of the ''[[Panchala|Panchali]]'' literary style{{sfn|Supriya Banik Pal|2010|p=152}} (one of the four major contemporary literary styles - the other three being ''[[Vidarbha|Vaidharbhi]]'', ''[[Gauḍa (region)|Gaudi]]'', and ''[[Lata (region)|Lati]]'').{{sfn|Supriya Banik Pal|2010|p=159}} A verse, attributed to Rajashekhara in Vallabhadeva's 15th century anthology ''Subhashitavali'', states that this style maintains "a balance between words and meaning". According to Rajashekhara, the ''Panchali'' style can be traced to the works of Shilabhattarika, and possibly in some of the works of the 7th century poet [[Bāṇabhaṭṭa|Bana]].{{sfn|Supriya Banik Pal|2010|p=152}}

Shilabhattarika has been quoted by several classical Sanskrit literary critics, and her verses appear in most major Sanskrit anthologies. She is known to have written at least 46 poems on topics such as "love, morality, politics, nature, beauty, the seasons, insects, anger, indignation, codes of conduct, and the characteristic features of various kinds of heroines."{{sfn|Supriya Banik Pal|2010|p=150}} However, most of her works are now [[lost work|lost]], and only six of her short poems are extant.{{sfn|Andrew Schelling|2003|p=142}}

''[[Sharngadhara-paddhati]]'', a 14th century anthology, praises her and three other female poets in the following words:{{sfn|Supriya Banik Pal|2010|p=150}}

{{cquote|Shilabhattarika, [[Vijja]], [[Marula (poet)|Marula]], and Morika are poetesses of renown with great poetic genius and erudition. Those who have command over all branches of learning, having participated in dialogues with other scholars and having defeated them in debates, are regarded as sound scholars and experts. Consequently, they alone are venerable in the scholarly world.|source=Dhanadevas, in Sharngadhara's ''Paddhati''{{sfn|Supriya Banik Pal|2010|p=150}}{{sfn|A. K. Warder|1994|p=421}}}}

== Example verses ==

The following short poem of Shilabhattarika is considered as one of the greatest poems ever written in the Sanskrit tradition.{{sfn|Alan Deyermond|1990|p=132}} Indian scholar Supriya Banik Pal believes that the poem expresses the speaker's anxiety to be reunited with her husband.{{sfn|Supriya Banik Pal|2010|p=150}} According to American author [[Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson]], the poetess, possibly a middle-aged woman, implies that the illicit, pre-marital love between her and her lover was richer than their love as a married couple.{{sfn|Alan Deyermond|1990|p=132}} An interpretation by the 16-century philosopher [[Chaitanya Mahaprabhu|Chaitanya]] suggests that the verse is a metaphor for a person's desire to be united with the "Supreme Lord - [[Brahman|the Absolute]]".{{sfn|Supriya Banik Pal|2010|p=150-151}}

{{poemquote
|text=Who deprived me of my virginhood that same, indeed, is my bridegroom;
those same are the nights of [[Chaitra]] (spring); and those same are the luxuriant ''[[Neolamarckia cadamba|kadamba]]'' breezes, fragrant with the blooming ''malati'' flowers;
and I too, am what I was;
yet my heart longs for indulging in sports of love, there beneath the cane arbour on the banks of Narmada
|sign=Shilabhattarika (Translation by R. C. Dwivedi{{sfn|R. C. Dwivedi|1977|p=9}})
}}

The following verse expresses the speaker's longing for his wife:{{sfn|Supriya Banik Pal|2010|p=151}}

{{poemquote
|text=Thought has arisen in the heart of one separated from his beloved
– seeing this, sleep has deserted him. Who would adore a faithless one?
|sign=Shilabhattarika (translation by Roma Chaudhari){{sfn|Supriya Banik Pal|2010|p=151}})
}}

In the following verse, a poor speaker expresses grief at not being able to provide his loved one with jewels or food:{{sfn|Supriya Banik Pal|2010|p=151}}

{{poemquote
|text=I am deeply anguished at the sight of my beloved’s bracelet bereft of jewels.
Yet now my heart breaks to see our earthen cooking vessel without any morsel of food left in it.
|sign=Shilabhattarika{{sfn|Supriya Banik Pal|2010|p=151}}
}}

The following verse, also quoted in the ''Subhashita Ratna Bhandagara'', describes the importance of learning and engaging in discussions with scholars:{{sfn|Supriya Banik Pal|2010|p=152}}

{{poemquote
|text=The talent of the man who engages himself in studies, cultivates
exercises on writing, possesses a clear view, participates in discussions
and debates with scholars, and exchanges his views
with senior experts will blossom forth in its rich abundance like
the lotus unfolding its petals at the touch of the sun’s rays.
|sign=Shilabhattarika{{sfn|Supriya Banik Pal|2010|p=152}}
}}

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

=== Bibliography ===

{{ref begin}}
* {{cite book |author=Alan Deyermond |chapter=Sexual Initiation in the Woman’s-Voice Court Lyric |editor1=Keith Busby |editor2=Erik Kooper |title=Proceedings of the 5th triennial Congress of the International Courtly Literature Society, Dalfsen, The Netherlands, 9–16 Aug. 1986 |series=Utrecht Publications in General and Comparative Literature |publisher=Utrecht |year=1990 |volume=25 |pages=125–158 |isbn=90-272-2211-8 |doi=10.1075/upal.25.12dey }}
* {{cite journal |author=Andrew Schelling |title=Nights of Jasmine and Thunder |journal=[[Mānoa (journal)|Mānoa]] |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/539313 |year=2013 |volume=25 |issue=2 |publisher=[[University of Hawaii Press]] |doi=10.1353/man.2013.0061 |pages=72–74 |s2cid=145271967 }}
* {{cite book |author=Andrew Schelling |title=Wild Form, Savage Grammar: Poetry, Ecology, Asia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zUpbAAAAMAAJ |year=2003 |publisher=La Alameda |isbn=978-1-888809-35-0 }}
* {{cite book |author=M. B. Padma |title=The Position of Women in Mediaeval Karnataka |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HV7aAAAAMAAJ |year=1993 |publisher=Prasaranga, University of Mysore |oclc=36806821}}
* {{cite book |editor1=Pavan K. Varma |editor2=Sandhya Mulchandani |title=Love and lust: an anthology of erotic literature from ancient and medieval India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zuFjAAAAMAAJ |year=2004 |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=9788172235499 }}
* {{cite book |author=R. C. Dwivedi |title=The Poetic Light |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iwgKAQAAIAAJ |year=1977 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass }}
* {{cite book |author=Supriya Banik Pal |chapter=Some Women Writers and their Works in Classical Sanskrit Literature: A Reinterpretation |editor=Philip F. Williams |title=Asian Literary Voices: From Marginal to Mainstream |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2XDYEgDWtCcC&pg=PA152 |year=2010 |publisher=Amsterdam University Press |isbn=978-90-8964-092-5 }}
{{ref end}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Sanskrit-language women poets]]
[[Category:Sanskrit poets]]
[[Category:Indian women poets]]
[[Category:9th-century Indian poets]]