Bhanubhakta’s Pioneering Work In Nepali Literary

 Yuba Nath Lamsal

Known among the Nepali speaking population across the globe as Aadikabi or pioneer poet, Bhanubhakta Acharya is, indeed, one of the greatest personalities Nepal has ever produced. His contribution to the promotion of Nepali language and literature is definitely huge and heavy. During Bhanubhakta’s days, circumstances were not easy as they are today. Opportunities of education were not easily available in Nepal. Schools had not been established. Reading and wiring were the strict privilege of the upper caste Brahmins that, too, was limited to religious study. The study of liberal art and other streams of learning were not available. One had to travel as far as Banaras of India if he wanted to pursue education. It was so with Bhanubhakta as well.

A son of Dhananjaya Acharya who belonged to a religious Brahmin family, Bhanubhakta Acharya learnt basic skills of reading and writing at home under the custodianship of his grandfather, Sri Krishna Acharya, who was a Sanskrit scholar of his time. Later his grandfather took young Bhanubhakta to Banaras for further study, where he studied Sanskrit literature. During those days, there were no literature and reading materials in Nepali language. Sanskrit was the lingua franca of studies. However, his genius and instinct made him a writer in Nepali language, making known him as Aadikabi (pioneer poet).

Born in Chundi Ramgha of Tanahu district, Bhanubhakta had never thought in his early childhood that he would one day become an acclaimed writer and a towering personality in the history of Nepali language and literature. It happened so accidentally making an ordinary village boy a literary icon of Nepali language.

As is the case with several great personalities in the world, an ordinary incident inspired young Bhanubhakta to do something that would keep his fame and name alive and alight even after his death. His encounter and conversation with a grass cutter was a turning point in his life that proved to be a historic event for Nepali literature.

The death of his grandfather, Sri Krishna Acharya, shocked Bhanubhakta greatly. He had to return home upon hearing the shocking news giving up his study in Banaras.

It is said that once when young Bhanubhakta was roaming around in his own village, he happened to meet a grass cutter in a local Chautari (a traditional village resting place constructed under the shade of Banyan and Pipal trees by raising a platform little above the surface). In course of conversation, the grass cutter told him that he eked out on cutting grass and selling it to the needy people. He had a village pond dug with the meager money saved out of his little earning so that people would collect water from the pond. He did so with the motive of social welfare so that people would always remember him.

This incident almost shocked young Bhanubhakta. He came from a better off family in the village whereas the grass cutter was poor and had no personal and family property. For the first time in his life, he felt ashamed for doing nothing for the society. As he had a poet inside him, he wrote a poem describing that particular incident and hailing the grass cutter and reviling and regretting for failing to do anything for the society.

He was still clueless what he should do that would make the society remember him forever. But ultimately, his poetic genius told him to write the Ramayana epic in Nepali language. The Ramayana, description of Lord Ram’s life, works and activities, was originally written by saint Valmiki in Sanskrit verses. Sanskrit was not the lingua franca of the ordinary people. So, he wrote the Ramayana in a simple Nepali language and in charming rhythmic verses that enable even an ordinary person, who is just literate, to read, understand and remember easily. Soon after its publication, this epic became so popular among the Nepali people that it was read in every household. With the popularity of Ramayana, Bhanubhakta also became a household name in Nepal as well as Nepali speaking community everywhere.

Apart from the Ramayana, he has written several other books like Badhu Siksha (education to daughter in-law), Prasnottari, Ram Gita and Bhakti Mala.

There is also an interesting incident that made him write Badhu Siksha. Once he happened to visit a friend’s house in the evening, where he wanted to spend a night. To his dismay, his friend, Gajadhar Soti, had been away from house. The friend’s daughter in-law did not recognize Bhanubhakta and did not allow him to stay there. Instead, she misbehaved the poet. Describing this incident, he wrote Badhu Siksha.

Bhanubhakta was humorist and satirist too. There is one incident that reveals his art of satire in literature. Bhanubnhakta, who was once a clerk in the government office, was caught on charges of financial irregularities and put behind bar. But, he was later found innocent. When asked how he was doing in the jail, Bhanubhakta had replied most satirically that everything was fine and entertaining. He said this way: ‘Mosquitoes and fleas are friends of mine here, where mosquitoes sing and fleas dance while I entertain myself watching their music and dance’.

Even after he was declared innocent, he was not released from jail immediately. He appealed to the authorities to release him soon but the authorities kept on asking to wait until ‘tomorrow’. Frustrated with the false promise of releasing ‘tomorrow’ he wrote an appeal to the higher authorities in most satirical manner that really touched the higher officials and he got released.

The story about grass cutter and village pond is subject of debate. According to some critics, the village where he was born practice of buying grass has never been in place, neither are there any commercial grass cutters. Also the village has plenty of water from rivers and rivulets and there is no need of digging a pond. This is a mere imagination and fabrication of Motiram Bhatta, who popularized Bhanubhakta as a pioneer poet of Nepal. Motiram Bhatta, who spent a long time in Banaras, had seen the scarcity of water there and practice of grass cutting and selling. He conceptualized the same condition about Bhanubhakta’s village in order to promote and popularize Bhanubhakta and his works. Anyway Motiram Bhatta was guided by a good intention of promoting Nepali literature for which Bhanubhakta had to be established as the pioneer poet.

The publication of the Ramayana ushered in a new era in the history of Nepali literature. This is the beginning of a modern era of Nepali literature that inspired many new writers to make contribution for the promotion and development of Nepali literature. Bhanubhakta passed away in 1868 at the age of 54. But, Bhanubhakta always remains in the heart of Nepali speaking population not only in Nepal but also across the globe.