कल्पवल्ली: Collection of Contemporary Sanskrit Poems

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Kalpavalli (The Divine Creeper) is an anthology of contemporary Sanskrit poetry which presents to its readers almost all the genres of modern Sanskrit poetry. Both lyrical and metrical streams have been included in this collection. Devotion, patriotism, nationalism, global harmony, cosmic peace, fraternity and self-realization are some of the other features of this volume.

A unique feature of this collection is that a galaxy of the finest Sanskrit poets belonging to every age group has been represented. The title of this collection is also undoubtedly very significant because Kalpavalli and the Sanskrit language both are immoral.

Abhiraja Rajendra Mishra, born in 1943 at village Dronipur, district Jaunpur (U.P.), is an eminent scholar of repute. A teacher by profession, he endeared himself to the student community as a voracious reader, scholar, orator and researcher at Allahabad University (1966-90) & Shimla University (1991-2003) and was Vice Chancellor of the Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, Varanasi from 2002-2005.

He has published two epics, sixteen minor poems, four Nataka-Natikas, seven short-story collections, eight collections of one-act plays and nine books of lyrics and ghazals. He has received several awards and honours for his writings including the most prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award (1988), Vachaspati Samman (1993) and the Presidential Certificate of Honour (1999).

Nandivak

In my preface to Devavanisuvasah (The Felicitation Volume of Dr Ramakanta Shukla) for the first time I proposed A.D. 1784 as the origin of the Modern Sanskrta Literature. In this year, Sir William Jones established the Asiatic Society of Bengal at Calcutta and translated the immortal dramatic work of the great Sanskrta poet Kalidasa in English which was further translated in German language by John Faster in 1793. The same version could be perused by the Poet Laureate Goethe who became enchanted with its thematic splendor and intrinsic beauty. The panegyrizing criticism of Abhijnana Shakuntalam by Goethe attracted a large number of western scholars to study Sanskrta and thus a renaissance took place in the dormant and stagnated creativity of Sanskrta.

The onward literary progress of Sanskrta has been divided in three stages i.e.

1.Renaissance period (Punarjagaranakala) 1784-1884

2.Foundation period (Sthapanakala) 1885-1946

3.Golden period (Swarnakala) 1947 onward.

The post independence Sanskrta literature represents the Golden period. It is justified upto a great extent as it has deviated from the ruffling trends of the traditional old poetry. The new literature however emerges with various new trends, new genre and techniques befitting to the cotemporary multi-lingual literature and modern Indian society. We know very well that most of the Sanskrta works, irrespective of genre and sentiment etc have been composed under the rules and regulations of the old rhetoric and dramaturgy which have lost their value upto some extent and have become irrelevant now. The directives like etc have failed to prove their utility as the monarchic pattern of administration has come to an end. With the gallant emersion of democracy, the noble and popular public leaders have taken place of monarchs and therefore, it was but natural for Sans poets of the day, to chose their epic-hero from them.

The Sanskrta mahakavyas of the Golden-period are mostly related with such noble leaders who have been the fighters of freedom. Gandhivijayam of Pt Brahmananda Shukla, Tilakayashornavah of Shri Madhava Hari Ane, Shri Subhasacharitam of Vishvanatha Keshava Chhatre, Neharuyashahsaurabham of Balabhadra Prasad Shastri. Vainayakam of G.B. Palasule and Swatantrya Sambhavam of Dr Rewaprasad Dwivedi deserve to be mentioned here. It never means that the Puranic characters have been neglected forever. They are still preferred as usual. But the monopoly has stopped. The epics like Sitacharitam, Janakijeevanam, Bhargavaraghaviyam, Gurugovinda Singh Mahakavyam, Bhismacharitam, Sindhurajavadham, Chhatrapati Samrajyam, Kshatrapaticharitam and Jhansishvaricharitam etc have been composed in traditional way without any alteration in the rhetorical, directive. It is to be noted here that this timely alteration in the selection of hero has been documented by the new poetics writers.

The likewise changes are to be seen in modern prose and drama also. The and norms are rare now. Actually they have been displaced by the short story large story and novels which are getting popularity day by day. In visible poetry also the one-act play has become dominant and prevalent on the stage. Above all, the lyrical poems are earning the favour of listeners over the metrical poems. The musical notes, the melodious tunes and the rhythmic impression of modern Sans lyrics keeps the audience spell-bound. The Persian Ghazals (Galajjalika as named and defined by me in Abhirajayashobhusanam) are on the acme of popularity. Originated by M.M. Pt Mathuranath Shastri of Jaipur (1889-1964) and nurtured by Acharya Janakivallabha Shastri, Pt Ramanatha Pranayee, Pt Prabhata Shastri and Acharya Bachchulala Awasthi the galajjalika trend has captained the modern Sans poetry now.

With these prefatorial remarks, now I came to the point. The Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi has tried its best to promote the cause of all the Indian languages under its perview, through various sources. The publication of the anthologies of poems, short-stories and drama is one of them. In Sanskrta also, several selections have been published under the editorship of Prof. V. Raghavan and Prof. Radhavallabha Tripathi etc. In the galaxy of such earlier publications I have been entrusted by the Akademi to prepare a new anthology of the representative Sanskrta poets of the day.

It’s really a difficult task for any editor. Everybody, who composes poems anyhow, wants to be incorporated, which is not possible at all. A poem must to be an accumulation of blind and deaf words. Actually it must be a multitude of sentient and conscious words which may provide some eternal motivation. Without talent it is not possible. A poet should be talented rather than erudite and scholastic.

However, I have made a humble, as well as, discretionary effort to select the poems of the representative poets of the modern era. Some of them have left us very recently but to me, they are still alive through their poems.

The anthology, namely Kalpavalli presents almost all the genres and technical formats of the modern sanskrta poetry. The lyrical and metrical-both streams have been included in this collection. Devotion, patriotism, nationalism, mass-communication, global harmony, cosmic-peace, fraternity and self realization are some of the salient features of the modern Sans poetry and I have focused my eyes onthese elements while selecting the poems.

I express my heart-felt deep sense of gratitude to Sahitya. Akademi for entrusting me to prepare this anthology. Hope, it will meet the literary need of Akademi. It would be an awarding success to me if the anthology wins the favour of readers.

I feel extremely obliged to the editors of formerly published anthologies, text books, and to the authors of original Sanskrta poems. I have selected poems of my interest from their works. A separate list of such works and their authors is provided in the end of this anthology.