Laxmi Prasad Devkota
The measurement of literary excellence depends on heart-touching ability of writer and the level of impact they make to some people. While beholding the history of Nepali literature, we do not find such effective and popular works like the Nepali Ramayana by poet Bhanubhakta. Many people out there despise this creation and never tend to realize how close the verses are to their own heart.
We usually see literature as mere decoration; where words are cherry picked, made sophisticated or craftedby knitting parables like Kalidash does to give vibe of colourful and scholarly ostentation, a juicy charm or a miracle. We want to equate literature with metaphor and stylistic richness. We show intellectual and superficial interest, we regard alliteration as text and unwanted flashes as modernity. Our demand is like whim of wretched patience.We see essence in worthlessness and most of our twentieth century enjoysartificiality. We don’t want heart;we have very minimum ability to appreciate indigenous beauty.
I want heart. Let the verse of poet be mesmerizing rather than meteric andcountable. The inspiration of fame doesn’t lure me.I want the touch of heart. The poet shall build the craving to write from that place where human tears naturally melt, where the invitation of truth is welcomed by the sound of soul. Let the poet speak – like the bird chirp, not as the athlete exercise, let the heart call the heart via poetry, not the ostentation. The subject of poetry should include the flawless Mountainsfrom where the rivulets drift in spontaneous way. I find most of these qualities in Bhanubhakta’s writing that’swhy I have huge respect for this true Nepali poet. He wrote with the inspiration of heart to inspire many other Nepali hearts. The origin of his Nepali literature is related to native doko and grass. Bhanubhakta discovered the heart of the flower while awaking from a stone pillow. Hisgod spoke from grass-cutter’s realization, awakened the true Nepali heart and guides him to the land of beauty. To describe that moment, the poet has expressed his heartfelt feelings in the verse and that truth reflecting language and emotion in it brings tearsto the eyes. The poetic consciousness of Bhanubhakta wanted to make a stream in the land of the heart and he craved to be a feeder of thirsty travelers. The sentiments with which Emperor Ashoka may have planted a tree on the road, a true poet get his first writing impulse with similar sentiment.The story of grass-cutter is deeply entrenched in the hearts of all Nepaleseand we get motivated to return to the source of natural impulses and primary sentiment of human heart. Bhanubhakta decided to write Ramayana at a time when Nepali language was only on the lips of Nepalese, when it had no definite shape and purpose, when grammar was in the womb and when the so called Sanskrit scholars used to mock Neplailiterature.At that time, the act of singing Sanskrit hymns was the only source of emotional nourishment for every Nepali heart. We cannot experience all the difficulties of writer. All the creators get glimpse in darkness, listen the call of tranquillity and travel the beautiful temple at dusk. Emotions that burn the human soul can easily climb the mountain because the golden zenith has already found its heart. He gave pure shape to the darkness and when he sat down with new dream the golden glimmering morning from the east came to him.He wrote with the blue ink of the mountain. That writing was not a display of ostentation rather a journey of love and worship towards the inner heart of Nepal. The sweet tales of native childhood was reflected like truth, and murmured in confusion at mountain’s chest.
Bhanubhakta wrote Ramayana to make us children and narrate the stories. Lord Ram again went into exile, we again cried, Sita was lost again and again Ravana was killed by Ram.We tasted literary sweetness in native language. The soul of Nepal opened with the beginning of the alphabet and even the uneducated entered new school with tears and joyful heart. By reading such texts, Nepalis knew their ancestors and began to dream of their good moments.Here was something – something that wasn’t there before, a heavenly achievement. Many hearts became poets and began to articulate their pictorial expressions in verses and rhythms with touch of ancient. There was a village where the nectar of the god and divinity of India was squeezed. A small wish-fulfilling tree was planted in Nepali land where our highest emotions and fantasies were found blossomed and flourished. His language was echoing through the chest of hills and the words began to flow with the intoxication of rivulet. Every house enjoyed the festival of light and we; the modernist, the artificial, the robotic, hallow-hearted, inquisitor, the science-minded and frog-group are always far from understanding the significance of this great transcendence.
The one who intensely reside in the heart of the nation is the demigod in literature. Bhanubhakta was not only a virtuous person; he was a devotee of Nepali heart too. We often regarded him as old boy who had the child-like sweetness in voice and simplicity in heart. He used to write Ramayana in prison but his soul was out travelling in divine space. His sweetness irradiates in his that simplicity which we can find in a child’s belief and a devotee’s heart. His simplicity makes him important. He was as far from ostentation as the North Pole to South Pole. He was a true Brahmin and he is welcomed in the every Nepalis homes.He didn’t know what he was doing, but we always knew what he did for us. His language is close to Nepali tongue- he was not grammatically bound as his grammar followed the law of natural intellect and our tongue can easily sing his verses. His insight easily openedin our eyes. Whenever he invited our heart an unknown charm pulled us towards him.And we felt like wandering around the ancient utopian Ram’s kingdom where people regard truth as life. We can feel the echo of ancient sage’s wisdom in his translated creation.
His words travel to where the children rejoice, where Nepali flourishes, where the mothers tell old stories. His writing has no complexity, no artificiality; he neither extemporize words nor display scholarly egotism, his pen move in ease and his poetry never flew beyond Nepali mountains. His language is like of the budding poet. We start to learn by reading Bhanubhakta and end of being learned by despising him but those who understand can see different charm in their own home-light.
Bhanubhakta is incomparable; nobody has had such an impact in the field of Nepali literature like him.Many other tried to touch the heart of Nepalis by imitating him, but they failed, he’s the only one. We can find many varieties in others writing; more color, more questions, more doubts, but his writings is like himself – a kind of pure. He has solved the entire problem in easy way. The worship of truth and the closeness of the Nepali heart is the first sign of the poetic being.
He is our role model. We seek to invite him in today’s age like John Milton called Wordsworth. He is not only known for Ramayana, although that is his best work. His other poems speak for themselves. We can find the miracle of simple sweetness and kindness in them. His writing doesn’t display scholarly sophistication as every word comes out with permission of heart. There was no creative cleverness in his depiction of Balaju garden rather it wassimply mesmerizing- he represented the garden as small cool paradise where nectar flows in the air, flowers dancinglike fairies and birds chirping lovely tunes. As the joy of self-experience is automatically expressed, he too wrote what he actually beholds.
Like modern poets, he did not visit Balaju to become a poet rather his poetic instinct revived after reaching Balaju.That place had touched him; for a while he felt like Indra of Heaven and wrote about the place.His Kantipuri sweetness is a small sparkling mine which sometime comes out as flickering truth. He called our capital as Kanti-puri, which replicate the vision we sometimes see in the mountains during morning and evening. He writes warm poetic praises for Nepali men and women.
The beautiful little mermaid like immortal fairy descends down to earth wearing daffodils attire. We can understand as soon as we read such poem – how easily he came close to the heart of Kantipur. Today’s poets write with vast extension and metaphors. Some writers want to depict extra creativity in writing but since the glimpses of the heart are so beautiful, there is no need for conscious choice.
There seems to be no depth in poetry, but we have seen the depth of sea in Nepali rivulets. His poetry shines in simple light.The seriousness wants to remain silent in the rising sun in the Nepali mountains but it speaks in soft tone.We can’t find many of his poems, but another one comes to mind; where tear laughs and writes a forgive letter. I love him, for me he is the great man in the history of Nepali literature.
Translated by Biranchi Poudyal
[Translator Biranchi Poudyal is pursuing master’s degree in English from Tribhuvan University. He can be reached at biranchipoudyal@gmail.com.]