Sahitya
Ratnakar Munshi Raghunandan Das
Munshi Raghunandan Das was a versatile literary genius of Mithila (North Bihar). He was a born genius and a born poet. While yet a boy he started comparing poems. He was poet, playwright and a skilled prose writer of Maithili. Well versed in Persian, Urdu, Brajboli and Hindi, he was also proficient in Sanskrit. He started his literary journey with his poetic composition in Brajboli but very soon he switched over to Maithili, his mother tongue and a language he loved most.
Munshi Raghunandan Das was greatly influenced and inspired by the Indian reformation movement, which swept the country in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. He, along with other scholars and thinkers of Mithila strove hard to revive the ancient glory of Mithila known for her great thinkers, scholars and philosophers. So all his literary works have a message for the slumbering people of Mithila.
Munshiji became very popular among the masses of Mithila after he wrote “Mithila Natak”, a drama, which was staged at different places by Umakant Drama Company of Sherpur. The drama written in didactic and allegorical form describes the evils of Kali Yuga, allegorically the evils of Mithila of that time. Through this drama the writer wants to awaken the indolent spirit of the people of Mithila. However, the drama ends with an optimistic note, assuring a bright future for Mithila. This drama has been rightly compared with “Bharat Durdasa” a Hindi Drama written by Bhartendu Harishchandra, an eminent poet and playwright of Hindi.
Munshi Raghunandan Das got immortal name and fame in the literary circle and in the elite class of Mithila by his famous epic “Subhadraharan” which remains a monumental work in Maithili Literature. Like “Fairy Queen” of English literature, “Subhadraharan” is the first epic of Maithili literature though it was published very late in 1959 long after the death of the poet. This epic was published in parts in the Mithila Mihira, a popular magazine of Maithili. Munshiji recited a part of this epic on the occasion of Maithili Sahitya Parishad meeting at Darbhanga. The scholars present at the meeting unanimously awarded the title of Sahitya Ratnakar to the poet for the poetic excellence of this epic.
Subhadraharan is written in the classical and traditional style of Sanskrit epic, written in thirteen cantos, the epic observes all the rules of Sanskrit epic. The theme of this epic is derived from the Aadi Parva of Mahabharat. Prince Arjun voluntarily goes into banishment for twelve years after he breached the agreement of not entering the sleeping apartment of Draupadi when she was living with other brother. For rescuing the cows of a Brahmin, Prince Arjun had to enter into the sleeping room of Draupadi as his arms were kept in that room.
The epic describes the exploits and adventures of Prince Arjun during the exile like Prince Arthur in “Fairy Queen”. The poet beautifully depicts the natural beauty of these places where Prince Arjun goes and stays. Prince Arjun is enticed away by Ulupi, a Nag Kanya when he went to have a bath in the Ganga. At the persistent requests of Ulupi, he fulfills her amorous desires. Arjun also visits Mithila and was greatly charmed by her natural beauty. He then goes to Manipur where he falls in love with Chitrangada, the princess of Manipur. Later, at the request of the King of Manipur, he marries Chitrangada. After staying there for three years, he goes to Dwarka to meet his loving and trusted friend Krishna. In Dwarka, he met Subhadra. Both fell in love with one another at first sight. Balram wanted to marry Subhadra with Duryodhan. So at the hint of Satyabhama and Krishna, Arjun carries away Subhadra when she goes to worship Goddess Girija at the Raivat Mountain. Balram is greatly offended and enraged and sends his army men to fight with Arjun and rescue Subhadra. But when Krishna tells him that Subhadra loves Arjun and cannot live without him, he relents and agreed to marry Subhadra with Arjun. In the presence of Pandavas, the marriage is happily solemnized and Subhadra goes to Indraprastha with Arjun. The period of exile ends by that time.
Plato, the Greek philosopher, held the view that beauty of the physical world was a symbol of divine beauty. A beautiful body is filling raiment of a beautiful soul. “All that is fair is by nature God”, he says. Munshi Raghunandan Das depicts the beauty and charms of nature – river, mountain, different seasons, morning, twilight, evening, night etc. in the same spirit. He also artistically describes the physical beauty of Prince Arjun, Ulupi, Chitrangada and Subhadra inspired by the same spirit. However, his description of beauty does not go beyond the bounds of decency and decorum. The poet is past master in painting the beauty of nature, man and woman.
The poet’s descriptive power is sweet, subtle and sublime. The similes and metaphors used by him are highly imaginative and suggestive. I cannot resist citing two examples: -
Describing the dead of night, the poet says: -
“ After shining for sometime the moon turns pale.
It seems that the moon has gone into sleep under the quilt of darkness.
The stars are gradually coming in search of their husband (moon)
Some of them even go down to earth as shooting stars to find him out.”
Describing the setting sun, the poet says: -
Watching the misdeeds of Karna, the Sun thinks,
“It is a dishonour that his son has become the follower of Karuvas.
The Sun, therefore, drowns himself in the ocean but is saved by his friend Varun who brings him to his house (East).”
The pictorial quality of the poetry can easily be discerned in these lines.
Subhadraharan is the masterpiece of Munshi Raghunandan Das. Writing about Raghunandan Das, Professor Radhakrishna Chaudhary says, “The poet rises to Olympic height in this epic. Subhadraharan would occupy a special place in the world of Maithili literature, comments Shri Ganganand Singh, the then education Minister of Bihar. Commenting on Subhadraharan Dr. Umesh Mishra says, “Munshi Raghunandan Das has become immortal by his epic, Subhadraharan. His fame would continue to live till eternity. The whole Maithili people would always remain grateful to him for this literary work.”
According to Narendra Nath Das, the son of Munshi Raghunandan Das and a great scholar of Hindi, Sanskrit, Maithili and Urdu, there is some influence of “Shishupal Badh”, a great poetic work by Magh, an eminent Sanskrit poet, on Subhadraharan in some episodes but the treatment of the subjects by Munshi Raghunandan Das is completely different. No one can dare to say that Munshiji has imitated the feeling or imagination of Magh in any way. Munshiji remains original in his ideas, imagination, language and style. The narration, descriptive and pictorial quality of the epic is par excellence. Truly speaking, this epic remains a shining moon in the firmament of Maithili literature. The poet deserves Sahitya Academy award on the poetic excellence of this epic, even posthumously.
The next important contribution of Munshi Raghunandan Das is his Maithili Translation of “Uttar Ramcharit”, a famous drama written by Bhavabhuti, a great Sanskrit poet. This translation work was highly acclaimed and fully approved by great Sanskrit scholars like Pandit Ganganath Jha and Pandit Chetnath Jha. “Uttar Ramcharit” in Maithili was staged many times in the Raj Palace on the occasion of “Jhoolan”. An important contribution of Munshiji was that he gave stage-sense to the Maithili drama.
Munshi Raghunandan Das was a man of varied interests and so he wrote on different subjects. The corpus of his writing is very large but regretfully many of his works have not yet seen the light and those published could not be reprinted. Munshiji translated “Bhartrihari Nirved” (drama) into Hindi. It was written and published in Kashi. He wrote “Sudarshan Natak” (drama) in Maithili. He composed “Dutangad Vyayang” (drama) in Maithili. He translated Vrat Kathas (stories related to festivals) into Maithili in the verse form. He composed “Birbalak” (a narrative poetry- Khand Kavya). Beside these works, he composed hundreds of devotional songs, Maheshvanis, Uchtis, Malhars etc. He wrote Maithili Shikshavali for children.
Munshi Raghunandan Das imparted training to folk-singers of Mithila in presenting the songs of Jayadeva, Vidyapati and other devotional poets in their proper rhythm and tuning. He taught them how to explain the meaning of those songs through physical posture. Darbari Das, the famous folk-singer was the true disciple of the poet.
Munshi Raghunandan Das was an ardent social reformer. He was dead against dowry system. He liked simplicity and sublimity on the occasion of marriage. He believed in the dictum of plain living and high thinking. Like the ancient Rishis he himself led a very simple life.
Munshi Raghunandan Das was born in1861 in a respectable, well to do Karn Kayastha family of Sakhwar in the district of Darbhanga. He died in1946 at the age of eighty five. He was illustrious descendant of Shridhar Das, a famous scholar and Minister of Lakshaman Sen, Saint Bodhi Das and Amiyakar or Amiyakar Das, a noted poet and Minister of the Court of Shiva Singh and a contemporary of Vidyapati. Munshiji’s family was blessed with both Lakshami (wealth) and Saraswati (learning). His family has produced a number of scholars, poets, politicians and social reformers. Munshiji’s son Shri Narendra Nath Das, a scholar M.L.A., wrote “Vidyapati Kavyalok” which is a landmark work in the study of Vidyapati.
The literary works of Munshi Raghunandan Das need a fresh study, a fresh appraisal, a fresh evaluation and a fresh critical examination. This lost and forgotten gem of Maithili literature should get his rightful place in the world of Maithili litterateurs. The lovers of Maithili are requested to arrange for the publication of the collected and selected works of Munshiji. The Maithili Department of L.N.M.U., Darbhanga should recommend the books of Munshiji for the study of students both in Undergraduate and Post Graduate courses of study. Seminars should be organized in different parts of Mithila to highlight the literary excellence of the poet.
Dr. Janak Kishore Lal Das
Former Professor of
English,
R.N. College,
Pandaul, L.N.M. U.
Village: Kanakpura,
Dist.: Madhubani