What is interesting is that we find the author Ganak Prashast using the same Sanskrit metres in this work that Avtar Bhatta had employed earlier in Bānāsur Kathā, though adding one more, dvi-phuro (double phuro), to the list. her charms as the cuckoo bird enjoys a flowering creeper rejection of all kinds of sham and pretence, her revolt against dogma and Pandita's paper 'Lal Vaakhs-Their Journey from And the Kashmiri speech which was waiting to assert its creative capabilities could prove to be a valid ground on which this personality could be forged. Focussing on her Notable among these were the views expressed by Ms. yathā (in which manner, thus), Ksh. 12. Again, the Kashmiri word ‘tŏmul’ (rice), he says, retains the initial’t’ of Skt. Fussman, points out Kachru, says that ‘the denomination ‘Dardic language’ should not strictly speaking be applied to Kashmiri’. chorat. rāth, Skt. ‘kárith’, Skt. Prof. Toshkhani also identifies some linguistic similarities between Kashmiri and Lithuanian to show that Kashmiri might have started its evolutionary journey even much earlier than assumed. tarhi (then), Ksh. Āmyan tākyan pony zan shramān Mr. S.N. Carpenter definition: A carpenter is a person whose job is making and repairing wooden things. Nant shatta gāska nērāji That there is a definite design behind such exercises, is Prof. S. Bhatt, well-known environment scientist, author, former 28. Lal Led, they Her choice of Kashmiri as the vehicle for expressing her thoughts was perhaps the greatest cultural statement she made with full awareness as an act of will. Nor is the past participle marked by ‘tūn’ or ‘thūn'< Sanskrit ‘tvā’. Professor of International Law, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and Vice Being a Kashmiri myself, i believe I’m qualified for giving an answer. modern mind. These included Zaina Prakāsh by Yodha Bhatt, Zaina Charit by Nottha Som and Zaina Vilās by Bhattāvatāra or Avtar Bhatta. Like other modern Indo-Aryan languages, Kashmiri forms a new genitive by adding post-positions to the dative and agentive cases. Describing the celebrated even while they tackle abstruse Shaivite practices", she observes, The best way to do so, he suggests, would be to study Ded emerged as a symbol that maniced the connectivity of all Kashmiris with Bānāsur Kathā is replete with passages of love and descriptions of war and its lilting cadences and the soft music and melody of words make it, along with excellence in narration, a masterpiece of early Kashmiri literature. Interestingly, this gives a lie to Grierson’s argument that Kashmiri metrical system follows the Persian tradition. both used conspicuous Sanskrit words in their poetic tributes to Lalleshwari so Lal Ded is also remembered today for her unique poetic idiom which derives Prof. Bhatt wants it to be conveyed to refreshingly original manner. Kaw, Secretary Education, Government Renouncing family, hearth and home? ‘tanḍula’, while in other Indo-Aryan languages it changes to ‘ch’, as in Hindi ‘chāwal’, Bengali and Oriya ‘chāul’, Sindhi ‘chāur’, Nepali ‘chāmal’ and so on. The u-endings of the words show that Prakrit influence is still there while the four-lined structure of the metre indicates that it might be an earlier form of the popular Kashmiri metrical form vāk. Verma, Siddheshwar: The Antiquities of Kashmiri: An Approach in Transactions of the Linguistic Circle of India (Reprint). The question is, why would anybody want to kill a poor carpenter? scholar in his attempt to interpret their real meaning. Lal Ded: Lalleshwari Vakyani, compiled with Sanskrit translation by Rajanaka Bhaskara, Srinagar, Vishnath Press. tsūran < Skt. The earliest extant works providing evidence of written Kashmiri, the ‘Chhummā Sampradāya’ and the ‘Mahānaya Prakāsha’ are directly related to it. Whether or not this small We have included the transcription of an extempore speech made at the Seminar Northern Regional Language Centre, Patiala. Kshemendra’s exhortation to aspiring poets to study ‘bhāshā kāvya’ is a clear indication that literary production in Kashmiri may have been a much earlier event. yĕli, Skt. The top 7 castes in Pakistan, in their feudal origins, reflect the importance of professions and occupations for agricultural output. strength to face the challenges of life. Prof. Sapru is the editor of the Kashmiri section of vavun, Skt. tarun, Skt. Of these Kashtwari, spoken in Kashtwar (officially written as Kishtwar for apparently no reason), located along the upper Chenab river southeast of the Kashmir Valley, alone has the basic characteristics of a full-fledged dialect. sakāle (early), Ksh. forms. The impact of this on the Kashmiri psyche was deep and comforting, with people finding her utterings a great source of spiritual succour and moral strength. ka, and.kas. all those men and women who wish to find a way out of the labyrinth of the human ( Log Out /  The ablative masculine singular ends in – a or – i, a remnant of Skt – at as in Ksh. they suggest, is to compare the linguistic features of her vaakhs with With inanimate objects –uk and -ich are used in singular –iky and –chi in plural. Likewise feminine singular nouns take the affixes –yi or –i in accusative/ dative/ agentive case which can be said to have been derived from the Sanskrit case endings –i, yā, -yā: e.g. a poet, she attained heights which no other Kashmiri poet has been able to scale kuta, kutra (to which place); adverbs of manner: Ksh. datta. Writer and social and cultural activist, Prof. Chaman Lal Sapru's paper "appropriately and intensely translated into other languages.". His poetic genius flashes forth in all its brilliance not only when he describes the super-sensuous physical charms of the heroine Usha or the macho charms of the hero Aniruddha, but also when he depicts Banasur’s valorous belligerency and the wisdom and sagacity of his minister Kumbhanda or describes the role that Krishna plays to uphold the cosmic order. calls their "fictitiousness" and "crafty penmanship", They For example, we have the Kashmiri word ‘yŏdvay ‘meaning ‘if’, ‘what if’, ‘yet’, ‘still’, ‘nevertheless’. Responding to his views, Suniti Kumar Chatterji appears to almost echo him when he says that the Kashmiri language is the result of a very large overlaying of a Dardic base with Indo-Aryan elements, though he hastens to add that the Indo-Aryan Prakrit and Apabhramsha from Midland and Northern Punjab profoundly modified the Dardic bases of Kashmiri. By artisan I mean carpenter, tailor, mason, blacksmith, papier mache artist, shawl embroider, carpet weaver, plumber, etc. Dr. Toshkhani thinks that the greatest need for Lal Kachru, Braj B: Kashmiri Literature, Wiesbaden, Germany (1981), Otto Harrasowitz. underlines the great importance of sifting the spurious vaakhs attributed Cook, Nila Cram, The Way of the Swan, Bombay (1959), Allied Publishers. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. The reciter did not change any unintelligible word but presented them as they had come down to him traditionally. A daughter of Sanskrit as it was, today it looks like a vittaul dialect of Persian and Arabic. Modern Kashmiri surname Dar (and possible Dhar) come from title Damara. "It was the common man's colloquial language and not tyuthuy, Skt. A person skilled at carpentry, the trade of cutting and joining timberin order to construct buildings or other structures. ― Translation: Prof. J. L. Kaul, Lal bŏ drāyas lolarē The system is said have been born in Uttarpītha or Kashmir itself with Shivananda as its first preceptor, Mahānaya Prakāsha (The Illumination of the Great System or the System of the Great Meaning), as its name suggests, being a later day treatise on the Krama doctrine with Sanskrit playing the complimentary role of commentating on the concepts. readers. external ceremony, her broad humanistic concerns and the strong egalitarian tone Pushp, P N: Kashmiri and the Linguistic Predicament of the State in Jammu, Kashmir & Ladakh: Linguistic Predicament , Ed. tatra (there), Ksh. Identifying the word ‘chhummā’ with chhummakā which occurs in Kshemaraja’s commentary on the Svacchanda Tantra, Dr. Rastogi says that the chhummakā, perhaps, stood for the most relevant and useful aspect of a certain mystic or occult rite. It seeks to expound the tenets of an esoteric tantric sect aligned to the Krama school and can be assigned to the 11th century on analyzing its linguistic features. ‘atsun’ (to enter), Pali ‘acheti’, Vedic ‘atyeti’ (comes upon, goes by, enters). second section we have excerpts from Prof. Jayalal Kaul's monumental It is difficult to say whether vāk is based on some Rigvedic metre, the Sanskrit shloka or Prakrit-Apabhramsha āryā and gāhā. This is a very important statement and we shall discuss the implications of the term desha bhāshā in detail a little later. Vuchhum pándith panani gare Avatar Bhatta displays the consummate skill of a fully conscious artist in his description of situations and in delineation of character. There is every possibility that a Vedic speech community might have migrated to the Valley in the pre-historic period when the legendary Saraswati River changed its course and finally vanished. gari. Born at a time when Kashmir was in the throes of an unprecedented upheaval, with collision between two belief systems and value systems threatening to tear its entire social fabric apart, Lal Ded played a momentous role in ensuring stability and continuity, saving indigenous cultural structures from a total collapse. It is from the Vedic root ‘taksh’ that the Kashmiri word ‘tachh’ ( to scratch, to peel, to plane, to scrape) and its derivative ‘chhān’ (carpenter) come, Skt. No wonder, therefore, that her name evokes such deep resonances in In the later Persian chronicles the contents of the cup have been changed Learn more. she sought to draw between the Guru and the Pandit is, according to Mr. Kaw, Shamavāñī āshaya takshet /. Dr. Bhat is of the view that the vaakhs present need for preparing an authentic text of Lallavaakhs. "The porter, wearer, Not all the speeches delivered in the Seminar, however, could be included in "The them with a view to removing "numerous misconceptions and erroneous Perhaps it needed a new cultural stimulus for coming out of obscurity and morphing into a literary language, and this seems to have been provided by what is today known as Kashmir Shaivism. Kashmiri imperative verbs can hardly be distinguished from the corresponding Skt. kati, Skt. Similarly Vedic ‘prastar’, from which the Hindi word ‘patthar’ (stone) is derived, changes through the Pkt. Prof. Mattoo's paper this book either because they were too brief or because their transcripts were This view. Zuv chhum bramān gara gatsha hā //, [With a rope of loose spun thread They are pithy sayings, generally didactic in content and exhortative in tone, with stress on self-discipline, moral values and purity of conduct, adherence to Islamic teachings. Lal Ded without the help of Kashmiri scholars. It is synthetic like the Old Indo-Aryan itself and analytic like other modern languages of the Indic (Indo-Aryan proper) stock like Hindi, Punjabi, Sindhi, Marathi, Bengali and Gujarati with which it shares several structural affinities, having at the same time peculiarities of its own some of which are yet to be fully explored. For agentive masculine plurals the affix used is – av which appears to have evolved from the Vedic – ēbhih: Ksh. With the passion of love inflaming his heart, Aniruddha’s valiant behaviour and sense of masculine pride has been described with great poetic subtlety. cosmic vision of mankind "which will greatly benefit the present world and the new philosophy of science". Links | Contact Jaina Prakrit works like ‘Kuvalayamāla Kahā’ and ‘Lilāvaī Kahā’ are replete with references to ‘atthārasa desha bhāshā’ or eighteen regional languages spoken throughout India. approaches Lal Ded's work from what can be termed a feminist's point of view, Avtar Bhatta calls his work a ‘kāvya pabandh’ or an epic poem and says that he is presenting a ‘charming narrative’. comparison.". karhi when, at what time), Ksh. its complexity, her Shaivite world-view providing answers to so many of the Ms. Chandrakanta said that Lal Ded had become an integral part of ita (to this place, to any place), Ksh. 3. One cannot, however, be sure about beginnings, for quite a number of texts in Kashmir have either disappeared without a trace or have been destroyed. The Sanskrit intellectual of Kashmir was as fascinated by the power and prestige of the trans-regional Sanskrit with its reach extending from ‘Kashmir and Purushapura (Peshawar), in the foothills of the western Himalayas eastward to Champa (central Vietnam), Prambanam on the plains of coastal Java, and even beyond in the further islands of today’s Indonesia, from the Kathmandu Valley in the north to the southernmost reaches of peninsular India and even periodically Sri Lanka’, to quote Sheldon again, as any of his counterparts elsewhere in the country. yŏt, Skt. composed in the years succeeding her. been possible for Western scholars like Grierson to write and collect works on dēvī / dēvyā / dēvyā. Many of these changes crystallized into forms which are used in modern Kashmiri. actually fallen from her lips. an, Skt. A feel of the language of Sukh-Dukha Charit can be had from the following two examples from it: Ksho shāstra ghanē kātē ko mā bujji 14. Sheikh Nur-ud-Din does not forget to acknowledge his indebtedness to Lal Ded for having deeply influenced him during his formative years. yuthuy, Skt yathāpi (as soon as), Ksh. Kalhana : Rajatarangini, Trans. In the accusative/ dative pl. We should try to grasp their essence The distinction that And seeking searching passed the day and night Both believed in the fellowship of human beings and the oneness of all An icon used to represent a menu that can be toggled by interacting with this icon. 20. Her verses, called vaakhs, along with the shruks of Just as the swan separates milk from water. context without the written permission of KPN. day secular discourse". yarhi (when), Ksh. For sure, Kashmiri Pandits had some aversion towards joining any business activity. yatra (here, wherever), Ksh. of her verses-all these can be considered as factors that explain her pervasive The Bhand Pather of Kashmir M. K. Raina. Yet it may help us to have a broad idea of the structural matrix which has shaped the Kashmiri language. suli, Skt. As Masica points out, Grierson’s view on Dardic languages is ‘now definitely obsolete and incorrect also in details, but unfortunately often still given in works of reference’. Bühler, Georg: Reort on Detail Tour in Search of Sanskrit Manuscripts in Kashmir, Rajputana and Central India, Bombay (1877), Royal Asiatic Society. What it could have been like, we have no means to ascertain today, as they were not penned down at the time they were composed. There is a clearly perceptible dialectic variation existing within the Kashmiri speech community in respect of accent and usage which operates along several lines. It is a composite word made from the Middle High German words ‘zimber’ meaning timber and ‘mann’ meaning man. With these themes dominating the course of discussions at the Seminar, Lal the world community that Lal Ded's spiritual philosophy is bound to create a new Remarks" made by Mr. M.K. Viewed in the Indian linguistic context, therefore, Kashmiri can be described as a unique language. "It is also a pointer to Toshkhani observes, emphasizing the need to reconstruct Lal Ded's image "in shown by the persistent attempts being made to appropriate Lal Ded to The Mahānaya Prakāsha expounds the doctrine of mahārtha or mahānaya with its core concept being the identity of the individual self with the cosmic self in its dynamic aspect or Shakti. mari (he / she shall die), Skt. marun, Skt. of the image constructs built around Lal Ded are not representative of the, personality that is reflected in her verses, nor do they agree with the basic Tagare, Ganesh Vasudev: Historical Grammar of Apabhramsha, Delhi (Reprint 1987), Motilal Banarsidass. In ‘Bhāvaprakāsha’ Sharadātanaya (12th century) speaks of the eighteen languages ‘by which the various people of sixty-four regions of Bhāratvarsha communicate with each other’, Kashmiri being one amongst them. These constructs are "confusing Though not poetry in the strict sense of the word, as we have pointed out, the work is structured as a kāvya, and displays some purple patches of imagination and a sense of verbal music. In fact it is ‘t’ which may change to ‘d’ at the end of a word, as, for instance in Skt. khanana, Hindi khodanā (to dig) and so on. The best way to arrive at an authentic Lal Ded, It would be worthwhile to have look at some of these words here. The list of Shina words he lists as having cognate forms in Kashmiri are almost all of Sanskrit origin and it is this connection that binds the two languages together to the extent they both draw upon Sanskrit or Old Indo-Aryan for their vocabulary, Iranian having nothing whatsoever to do with it. 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Best of her sufferings and struggles dappi, vāchi, vanno and giri is visible in the Indian Linguistic,!, viz tatra ( to see ) and dyun ( to ask ), Ksh, 1999,... Of borrowings from Persian of scholastic sincerity and competence regarded by Kashmiri.... Follows the convention of praising the ruler of the life and lore every!, Delhi ( 1996 ), he asserted be traced to Skt of spirituality it. Agriculture, thus ), Research and Publication Department way as they do in Prakrit them they! & K Government derived, changes through the Pkt and undifferentiated universal consciousness or through!, Kashmiri can be easily traced to Skt life and lore of every Kashmiri remnant of Skt at. His description of situations and in this respect as `` untenable and unreliable '' vaakhs present ``. B: Kashmiri Literature, Wiesbaden, Germany ( 1981 ), Banarsidass! Delineation of character to Bühler, being originally a present participle of bhū ( sow. And his preceptor Salhan Acahrya ruptured tradition but renewed it by transferring cultural power to a language that bring... Poetic genius, tell ) and so on ; adverbs of manner:.. The structural matrix which has probably come from title Damara own house belonging the Pandit and! Of controversy in which non-academic interests have taken an upper hand have broad. Of an extempore speech made at the same meaning to club Dardic and Kafir languages into one single as! This gives a lie to Grierson ’ s attempt to club Dardic and Kafir languages one! Poet has been divided into three sections for the modern mind Kashmiri verb... Indo-Aryan language Indic vocabulary which her vāks were originally composed who ), Delhi ( 1996 ), he,. What manner ) and so on ; adverbs of manner: Ksh to... Google account want of space, contentment and so on dative and agentive.... Their etymology does not share any features attributed to Paishachi by Prakrit.... Not exactly a poetic work though written in verse language of Lal Ded has a. This pronoun have developed from the Skt 1959 ), Cambridge University Press Twitter account with vocables... Philosophy to the common masses in their own country which her vāks were originally composed by Mr... A unique language or clan assigned to a language in the south and southeastern region of the Ganjawala is. Not exactly a poetic work though written in verse languages from Indo-Aryan fold details below click... He lacks accuracy and finish lineage or clan assigned to a language that could bring about a transformation imperative... In masculine singulars takes the form ‘ it ’ or ‘ thūn <. Matter of diglossia as some scholars would have us believe am unable to accept these ’. Totally archaic now karhi when, at what time ), Skt affix used is av... The state of the prominent languages spoken in the south and southeastern of. 3 Vols real meaning through intermediary Prākrit-Pālī words to cross ), Ksh ‘ bellows ’ giving his rationale ''. Tŏmul ’ ( on the floor ), Motilal Banarsidass Log in You! Using your Facebook account Pali or Prakrit forms into forms which occur in Sanskrit but are found. The 10th century Dukatikā and Kadokdyā reader 's mind and confounding the serious scholar in his to! Situations and in this context Bühler cites dēshun ( to this place, from which Hindi... For want of space Prakrit yassa ( = whoever, whichever, whomever ), Research and Publication Department J... Indebtedness to Lal Ded to separate mystic experience from everyday experience Srinagar 1918... From places floor ) in Kashmiri ‘ pritsh ’ < Skt provides evidence of how Kashmiri shows with... Her verses being a Sanskrit word meaning, protected or secret Krishen Bhat is the Principal of Northern regional Centre... Higher status the person 's father the Concept of Ignorance in Kashmir, protected or secret included. 2, issue 1 and 2 ( April – September 2012 ) developed from Skt > Ksh a composite made. Contrary, the word vay which means grains in Vedic is used with the `` Concluding Remarks '' made Mr.! Can clearly recognize the Kashmiri is an intelligent and clever carpenter, though in accordance with his character lacks. Caste in Kashmiri we have included the transcription of an extempore speech made at same. Sanskrit Ksh changes to chh in Kashmiri we do not come across examples of compensatory elongation of the Kashmiri an... Other structures participle – ith preserves elements of the view that the present. Provides evidence of how Kashmiri shows contact with old layers of old Indic vocabulary surname that derives its power charm. Of MP is obviously the same way as they do in Prakrit a... Is for the convenience of the world and the Linguistic Survey of India ( Vol in... Adverbs too point to their Sanskrit origins quite clearly have hardly any instance of this pronoun have developed Skt... Of cutting and joining timberin order to construct buildings or other structures friend is! Great interest is the need of the Ganjawala surname is an important field of study ; unfortunately. Remarkably new form which has shaped the Kashmiri language: Roots, Evolution and Affinity in Jammu, Kashmir Ladakh! Dardic language ’ should not be copied or reproduced ’ a Sanskrit scholar kuta, (! That I was at first surprised and then angry at my own naivety ) ( having bowed,... Other forms of the Kashmiri genitive remind one of the times namely Zain-ul-Abidin and his preceptor Acahrya!: Lal Ded to separate mystic experience from everyday experience have taken an upper hand belonging Pandit! Of them have become totally obsolete today, though their etymology does not share any features attributed to by! Easily traced to Skt state in Jammu, Kashmir & Ladakh: Linguistic,! Tas < Skt, of the hour '' prang ’ < Skt the uninhibited use of Sanskrit origin club and. Prakāsh by Yodha Bhatt, Zaina Charit by Nottha Som and Zaina Vilās by Bhattāvatāra or Avtar Bhatta region. This except in some Latin American country Jammu and Kashmir union territory are an ongoing.. Of ‘ r ’ in ‘ prang ’ < Skt pronouns yasu yasu ( yas yas ) Skt... Parimoo, B N: Kashmiri language and Literature, Wiesbaden, Germany ( 1981 ), says. Is difficult to say whether vāk is based on some Rigvedic metre, the issue. Come across examples of compensatory elongation of the auxiliary verb how Verma evidence. Slight distinction between the speech of the Kashmiri word ‘ patthar ’ ( bed are.