Page #1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
Desis Employed in Padma Vijaya's Samarāditya-Kevali-Ras
- Muni Rajhans Vijay Samaraicca-Kahā written by Haribhadrasüniśvara (8th century) is a celebrated work of tales that has attaracted many scholars to work upon it. (Its Gujarati translation was done by Hemasāgaraūri in 1966)
Pradyumnasūri of the 14th century, Digambara Brahma Jinadāsa (1520 v.s.), Padmasāgaraji of the 1650 V.S., and Ksamā Kalyaānaji of the 1839 v.s. are some of the writers to have worked upon the Samaraicca Kaha.
In this tradition Padmavijayaji Mahāraja of the 2000 v.s. has written Samarāditya Kevali Rās. He was a disciple of Uttamavijayaji in the lineage of Hiravijayasunśvaraji, who is said to have enlightened the Mogui Emperor Akabara. Padmavijayaji has composed about fifty-five thousand verses out of which 86 have been so far published.
Padmavijayaji has written a number of works in Gujarati, out of which Samarāditya Kevali Rās is significant. The author commenced writing in 1839 V.$. on the third day of the black fortnight of the Asvin inonth and completed in 1842 v.s. in Vasantapancami.
The Rās has been edited and published in 1842 v.s. on the basis of a manuscript in the L.D. Institute of Indology.
Samarāditya portrays nine births (of a mortal) in nine divisions. There are in all 199 Dhal (a mode of singing) in which Räs is composed.
The original Samaraicca Kaha being in Prakrit was out of reach for a majority of the people. So the author recast it into Gujarati in order to make it accessible to a wider section of the public. lle added a versified musical form also to il
Page #2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
In his composition he employed the Desi - a folksong mode of singing. The mode of singing being familiar to the people will ring in their ears and only words would have to be substituted. It may be noted that, on account of this feasibility in the Jaina literature of those times, a vast body of literature of this type has proliferated.
When we take into consideration the fact that this work has been written by a person who has relinquished the world since childhood and yet possessed a deep knowledge of the Desis and folksongs and even of classical music, we are astonished.
As stated above, the poet of this Ras has utilised in all 199 Dhal, a mode of singing. The poet has not repeated a single desi excepting two or three Dhals. viz.
à chhe, läl, ekaviśāni
copaini
(1)
(ii)
(iii)
desi employed twice
18
"
"
thrice.
Some of these desis consist of the Vedic, folk-songs and even Jaina desis. Language wise there are Gujarati, Rajasthani, Vraj and other Hindi languages desis.
Since fifteenth century, Ras form has been quite popular in old Gujarati literature. The Rās form used to be cast into a Dhal. At the beginning of such a Dhal, there would be an indication as to the mode of singing according to the prevalent desi. Though composed in the same metre of matramela, it could be sung in different desis. At times metre and classical rag also would be indicated.
Let us illustrate :
copai
truṭak'
dhamāl
godi
Ir
(copai metre) (troṭaka metre)
(räg)
(räg)
Page #3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
bangālo
(rāg) māru
(rāg) rāmagiri
(rāg) adhiyāni
(desi) ekviśāni
(desi) kadakhāni
(desi) candrāulāni
(deşi of dhruvākhyāna) candalīyāni
(desi) jogisar celāni
(desi) zunmakhadāni
(desi) dhanara dholani
(desi) narāyanani
(desi) pārdhiyani
(deši) fatemalāni
(desi) batauni
(desi) bharanini
(desi) mākhinā gitani
(desī) lalanāni
(desi) lālanani
(desi) māruņini
(deši) sürati mahināni
(desi) hamcadini
(deši) , hāndani
(desi) khambhāti
(deši) During the five hundred years from fifteenth to ninteenth century, there might have been thousands of such songs in vogue. An Jaina poets have utilized those popular songs' tarja in their compositions by noting the first line or a refrain of those popular songs. In this way we are enabled to have a glimpse the richness of the songs. Sometime a desi used to be named after a metre or a work. In this way the lines or refrains which have been preserved are noteworthy even from the point of view of poetry. As noted above, these lines include the languages of Rajasthani
Page #4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
Punjab and Vraj. These lines may alos serve as recognition-tags, as in the following:
ai pritamśun ekwar, saluni bolo ho' 'āj anand thayo, premanān vādal varsyän,
dahādo sohito' *ăvo hari lāsariyāvālā Odhav mādhavane kahejo" kahān avoji orā re, kahun ek vātaldi
These lines preserve the rare remnants of the folksongs of those days and hence very valuable. These desis are signiticant from the historical point of view also.
Some of the folksongs, garbā, rās can be traced to these lines and accordingly we can get an idea about their age.
If a tradition of singing these desis is maintained, then it should be recorded and studied, as their essence lies in its being lyrical. Similar is the case with its classical rág which was mentioned at times. Deśis also used to be cast in classical råg. To cite a few instances
pāsasi ho aho mere lalanā, division 5 Dhal 2 This is sung in Dhamāla rāg also. be karjodi tām re bhadrā vinve, division 5 Dhal 9 This desi is also sung in gaudi răg.
One more thing to be noted about this rāg or desi is that they are not moulded into any rāg or deśi without any rhyme or reason. Propriety of the occassion is always kept in view. As we know, Sikharini and vasantatilakā are appropriate for devotional compositions, or mandakrānta is fit for the message-theme, or upajāti or āryā is fit to be the vehicle for descriptive theme or vasantatilaki is suitable for love-in-separation. The same view is kept in the classical music also. If there is a description of battle. kadakhani desi is suitable as in the titth division. T9th Dhal.
Page #5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________ So these desis are to be preserved at any cost and would be academic crime if they are substituted with some modern cheap filmi song-lines (as is being done sometime). So the importance of these desis can hardly be over-stressed. The writer has profited from the following earlier writing in Desis : Jain Gurjara Kavio. M. D. Deshai. Revised ed. by Jayant Lothari, Vol. 8, 1997. Prachin Gujarati Chando. R. V. Pathak. 1948. Brhat Pingal. R. V. Pathak. 1955. Gujarati Sahity-no Itihas. Vol. 2. Desio-ni Saci. Niranjana Vora. (Translated from Gujarati by Dr. Vijaya Pandya)