Jignasa Journal Of History Of Ideas And Culture Part 02

Author(s): Vibha Upadhyaya and Others
Publisher: University of Rajasthan

Page 128

344 / Jijñāsā
From a minor piece of poetry Kriḍāvinodah by Mohanrai Patur, a maidservant of Ram Singh, it becomes known that the ladies of the harem were also educated and trained in the art of poetry.
Though the promising career of Kunwar Kishan Singh, son of Ram Singh, was cut short in the prime of youth yet he has left manuscripts in evidence of his interest in the fine arts of music, poetry and painting. He acquired a valuable manuscript of Rasapradipa on Sangitaratnakara in Marathi by Nurkhan. The copy is decorated with four very fine illustrations representing the Deccan school of painting and was written at Jaisinghpura (Aurangabad) for Maharaj Kumar Kishan Singh in 1737 V.S. (1680 A.D.). Janardan Bhatt composed a work Kishanvilāsa comprising 710 dohas on moral conduct. A 456 ft. long horoscope of this Maharaj Kumar is embellished with very fine illustrations which stand as specimens of painting in Amber in the later 17th century.
Manuscripts belonging to the time of Vishnu Singh, grandson and successor of Ram Singh, represent his interest in Agamic works and drama. There are stray verses speaking about his bravery in operations against the Jats of Mathura and Agra districts. A reference to his founding Vishnupura is also noticed in Sawai Jai Singh Charit by Atmaram Kavi, who has given a detailed account of Jai Singh's life and achievements. The copy is contemporary but incomplete.
With his guru, Ratnakar Dikshit, Sawai Jai Singh performed the daily rituals, observed vratas, distributed the sixteen gifts (Sodasa Mahädana) and organised big Yajlas e.g. Vajapeya, Agnistoma, Pundarika and Asvamedha. In Rāmavilās Kavya, the author Vishwanath Bhatt gives an eye-witness account of the Vajapeya yajña performed by Ratnakar Dikshit in 1765 V.S. (1708 A.D.). The manuscript is dated 1766 V.S. (1709 A.D.). Ratnakar compiled a voluminous Dharmasastric book Jaisimhakalpadruma for Jai Singh.
Much ink has already been spilt by the scholars in the country and abroad in describing the interest, study and achievements of Sawai Jai Singh in the field of Astronomy. Books written by foreign authors also were collected by him for study and the same now constitutes a valuable section of the Pothikhānā.
Along with his studies in science and ritualistic activities Sawai Jai Singh developed his interest in devotional philosophy of the Vaisnavas. He collected all the principal works of the founder exponents of different sects. Having critically studied these works he made out that no material difference existed in these schools of devotion. He, therefore, composed a commentary Brahmabodhini on the Sūtras and tried to reconcile the views of the different acharyas. He also got some co-ordinating works written by his associate scholars. Appreciating his attempts, Venkatacharya of the Rāmānuja Sampradaya has said :
*As in the past, Nrisimha (fourth incarnation of Visnu) suppressed the antinomy between manhood and animality of a lion (by joining the head of a lion with the neck of a man) so does the wise and learned king Jai Singh make the representatives of different sects speak firmly with one voice rectifying their outward differences'.
In order to introduce uniformity in the method of worship in the various Vaisnava sects, he got a book Prabhur Vaidiki pūjā-paddhati written by Vrajanath Bhatt. Similarly, a work 'Vaidika-VaisnavaSadachar-vidhi' was compiled by Hari Krishna Mishra at his instance, laying down a common code of conduct for all the Vaisnavas. Earlier compositions on Dharmasastra were also collected for reference and thus the collection became rich with the gem works on the subject.
During his last years, Sawai Jai Singh became more and more inclined towards the Gauḍīya