Book Title: Jignasa Journal Of History Of Ideas And Culture Part 01
Author(s): Vibha Upadhyaya and Others
Publisher: University of Rajasthan
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60 / Jijñäsă
Malik Muhammad Jayasi (1477-1542) composed Padmavat in 1540. He was a Chishti sufi and lived in Jais, presently in Rai Bareilly district of Uttar Pardesh. Jayasi was the disciple of Shaikh Muhi-ud Din, who in turn, was the disciple of Shaikh Burhan-ud Din of Kalpi. The story of Padmavat has a political tinge as it is based on the siege and capture of Chittor by Ala-ud Din Khalji in AD 1290. Ratansen, the ruler of Chittor falls in love with Padmāvati, the princess of Simhala after learning about her beauty from the parrot he had purchased. In order to find Padmāvati he leaves his kingdom turns into a yogi, and, after great pains and troubles ultimately meets Padmāvati and marries her, and finally reached Chittor with his beloved. On the other hand, Nagamati, Ratansen's first wife, suffers from pangs of separation or viraha in absence of her husband. When Ala-ud Din invades Chittor and the fort of Chittor falls in his hands, both Nagamati and Padmāvati became sati on their husband's funeral pyre. Ala-ud Din won Chittor but not Padmāvati. Padmăvat thus ends in tragedy. Yash Gulati who wrote Sufi Kavita ki Pahachan, has attempted to explain the sufi message ingrained in the story of Padmāvat and remarked, Chittor stands for the body, the king symbolizes the mind, Simhala signifies the heart, and the parrot represents the teacher who shows the king the path to Padmini, the ultimate intelligence.''In fact, the story of two human lovers is represented in sufi lore in an allegoric fashion in order to depict the love of the soul for the Ultimate Truth and its final union with Him losing his own identity. The theme of losing his own self or identity is called fana in sufi philosophy.
Figure - 4
idagi विडोवरमहावाडिया CORER
923
मवानुमान होगका रियालिलिये राम
AURO
LORER
Who, Who is more beautiful, I or padmavati? Queen Nagamati asks to her parrot, and it gives a displeasing reply.
Courtesy : Library of Congress (http://www. Loc.gov/rr/asia)
