Charyapada: Difference between revisions

The '''Charyapada''' is a collection of mystical poems, [[songs of realization]] in the [[Vajrayana]] tradition of Buddhism from the [[tantra|tantric]] tradition in [[Assam]], [[Bengal]], [[Bihar]] and [[Odisha]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=The writers of the Charyapada, the Mahasiddhas or Siddhacharyas, belonged to the various regions of Assam, Bengal, Orissa and Bihar.|url=https://sites.google.com/site/charyapada/|access-date=2020-07-14|website=sites.google.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Shaw|first1=Miranda|title=Passionate Enlightenment::Women in Tantric Buddhism|last2=Shaw|first2= Miranda|date=1995|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-0-691-01090-8}}</ref>

It was written between the 8th and 12th centuries in an [[Abahatta]] that was the ancestor of the [[Assamese language|Assamese]], [[Bengali language|Bengali]], [[Bhojpuri language|Bhojpuri]], [[Odia language|Odia]], [[Magahi language|Magahi]], [[Maithili language|Maithili]], and many other Eastern Indo-Aryan languages, and it is said to be the oldest collection of verses written in those languages. ''Caryāpada'' written in the script resembles the most closest form of Assamese language used today.<ref>{{cite book|last=Chatterji|first=Suniti Kumar|title= The Origin and Development of the Bengali Language|page=80}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Chakrabarti|first1=Kunal | last2=Chakrabarti|first2=Subhra|title=Historical Dictionary of the Bengalis |date=22 August 2013 |publisher=Scarecrow Press, UK|isbn=978-0-8108-5334-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QVOFAAAAQBAJ&q=proto-bengali+charyapada&pg=PA125|page=125}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Duggal|first1=Gita|last2=Chakrabarti|first2=Joyita|last3=George|first3=Mary|last4=Bhatia|first4=Puja|title=Milestones Social Science|publisher=Madhubun|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1eYwDAAAQBAJ&q=proto-bengali+charyapada&pg=PA79|page=79|isbn=9789325982673}}</ref> A palm-leaf manuscript of the ''Caryāpada'' was rediscovered in the early 20th century by [[Haraprasad Shastri]] at the Nepal Royal Court Library.<ref name="GuhathakurtaSchendel2013">{{cite book|last1=Guhathakurta|first1=Meghna|last2=van Schendel|first2=Willem|title=The Bangladesh Reader: History, Culture, Politics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=haGORCJRlOUC&pg=PA40|date=30 April 2013|publisher=Duke University Press|isbn=978-0-8223-5318-8|page=40}}</ref> The ''Charyapada'' was also preserved in the Tibetan Buddhist canon.<ref name="Kværne2010">{{cite book|last=Kværne|first=Per|author-link=Per Kværne|title=An Anthology of Buddhist Tantric Songs: A Study of the Caryāgīti|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Nf3YQgAACAAJ|year=2010|publisher=Orchid Press|isbn=978-974-8299-34-1}}</ref>  

The rediscovery of the Charyapada is credited to [[Haraprasad Shastri]], a 19th-century Sanskrit scholar and historian of [[Bengali literature]] who, during his third visit to [[Nepal]] in 1907, chanced upon 50 verses at the Royal library of the Nepalese kings. Written on trimmed palm leaves of 12.8×0.9 inches in a language often referred to as sāndhyabhāṣa or [[twilight language]], a semantic predecessor of modern Bengali, the collection came to be called ''Charyapada'' and also Charyagiti by some<!-- who? and why? This might be related to the Miranda Shaw quote above, but I can't be sure how or if so. -->. At that time, Shastri was a librarian of the [[Asiatic Society]] in Calcutta, and was engaged in a self-assigned mission to trace and track ancient Bengali manuscripts. His first and second trips to Nepal in 1897 and 1898 met with some success, as he was able to collect a number of folkloric tales written in [[Pali]] and [[Sanskrit]]. However, after he rediscovered the treasure manuscripts in 1907, he published this collections in a single volume in 1916. According to some historians,<!-- who? --> there may very likely have been at least 51 original verses which were lost due to absence of proper preservation.<ref name="DAS NIRMAL">{{cite book|last1=Das|first1=Dr. Nirmal|title=Charyageeti Parikroma (in Bengali)|date=January 2014|publisher=Dey's Publishing|isbn=978-81-295-1600-8|page=13|edition=9th}}</ref> Based on the original Tibetan translation, the book was originally called Charyagitikosh and had 100 verses. The scrolls discovered by Shastri contained selected verses.<ref>''‌‌চর্যাগীতিকা‌‌'': [[মুহম্মদ আবদুল হাই]] ও [[আনোয়ার পাশা]] (সম্পা.), ষষ্ঠ সংস্করণ, ১৪১৪ বঙ্গাব্দ, স্টুডেণ্ট ওয়েজ, ঢাকা, বাংলাদেশ।</ref>

 

The Tibetan translation provided additional information, including that the Sanskrit commentary in the manuscript, known as ''Charyagiti-koshavrtti,'' was written by Munidatta<!-- Who is Munidatta? That name sure comes up a lot later... -->. It also mentions that the original text was translated by Shilachari and its commentary by Munidatta was translated by Chandrakirti or Kirtichandra.<ref name="sen1">Sen Sukumar (1995). ''Charyageeti Padavali'' (in Bengali), Kolkata: Ananda Publishers, {{ISBN|81-7215-458-5}}, pp.29–30</ref>

 

Haraprasad Shastri, in his introduction to the ''Charyacharya-vinishchaya,'' referred to the enigmatic language of its verses as "[[twilight language]]" (Sanskrit: ''Sandhya-bhasha''), or ''Alo-andhari'' (half-expressed and half-concealed) based on the Sanskrit commentary of Munidatta. Vidhushekhara Shastri, on the basis of evidence from a number of Buddhist texts, later referred to this language as 'Intentional Language' (Sanskrit: ''Sandha-bhasha'').<ref>''Indian Historical Quarterly'', Vol.IV, No.1, 1928 CE, pp.287–296</ref>

 

 

 

 

A number of Siddhacharyas who wrote the verses of Charyapada were from Bengal. Shabarpa, [[Kukkuripa]] and Bhusukupa were born in different parts of Bengal. Some of the affinities with Bengali are:<ref>Chatterjee, S.K. ''The Origin and Development of Bengali Language'', Vol.1, Calcutta, 1926, pp.112</ref>

 

{{Odissi Classical Music sidebar}}The beginnings of Odia poetry coincide with the development of Charya Sahitya, the literature thus started by Mahayana Buddhist poets.<ref name="Mukherjee">Mukherjee, Prabhat. ''The History of medieval Vaishnavism in Orissa''. Chapter : ''The Sidhacharyas in Orissa'' Page:55.</ref> This literature was written in a specific metaphor named "Sandhya Bhasha" and the poets like Kanhupa are from the territory of [[Odisha]]. The language of Charya was considered as Prakrita. In his book (''Ascharya Charyachaya'') Karunakar Kar has mentioned that Odisha is the origin of Charyapada as the [[Vajrayana]] school of Buddhism evolved there and started female worship in Buddhism. Worship of ''Matri Dakini'' and the practice of "Kaya sadhana" are the outcome of such new culture. Buddhist scholars like [[Lakshminkara]] and [[Padmasambhava]] were born in Odisha.<ref>Kar. Karunakar. ''Ascharya Charyachaya''</ref> The ideas and experience of Kaya sadhana and Shaki upasana (worshiping female principle) which were created by Adi [[siddha]]s and have poetic expressions are found in the lyrics of Charyapada. These were the first ever found literary documentation of [[Prakrit]] and [[Apabhramsa]] which are the primitive form of languages of eastern Indian origin. The poets of Charyapada prominently are from this region and their thought and writing style has influenced the poems in early [[Odia literature]] which is evidently prominent in the 16th century Odia poetry written majorly in Panchasakha period.<ref name="encyclopedia">{{cite book|last=Datta|first=Amaresh|title=The Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature (Volume One (A To Devo)) |year=1987|publisher=Sahitya Akademi publications|isbn=978-81-260-1803-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ObFCT5_taSgC&q=charyapada+oriya&pg=PA647}}</ref> The ragas used in Charjyapada, especially in the songs written by Mahasiddhas whose origin has been described in Odisha (as per traditional biographies), bear great affinity with ragas used in the traditional of [[Odissi music]], starting from the Gitagovinda in the 12th century and classical Odia literature from the 14th to 19th centuries.

Many poems provide a realistic picture of early medieval society in eastern India and Assam (e.g. Kamarupa, by describing different occupations such as hunters, fishermen, boatmen, and potters). Geographical locations, namely Banga and Kamarupa, are referred to in the poems. Two rivers which are named are the Ganga and Yamuna. River Padma is also referred to as a canal. No reference to agriculture is available. References to female prostitution occur as well. The boat was the main mode of transport. Some description of wedding ceremonies are also given.<ref>''Social Life in Charjapad'' by [[Anisuzzaman]]</ref>