Rāmavarmamahārājacaritra of Vaikkath Pāccu Mūttatu

[Full title: Kerala Contribition to Śāstrakāvya Tradition (6): Rāmavarmamahārājacaritra of Vaikkath Pāccu Mūttatu]

Among the Keralite works of this type Rāmavarmamahārājacarita [Rāmavarmamahārājacaritra] of Vaikkattu Pāccu Mūttatu deserves a high place. It is a Mahākāvya in eight cantos and this can be described as historical, grammatical and poetic work. The work deals with the history of King Āyilyam Tirunāḷ of Travancore and also illustrates the main rules of Aṣṭādhyāyī in eight cantos in its order. The poetic descriptions lead this work to the title Mahākāvya also.

Parameśvara Śivadvija otherwise known as Pāccu mūttatu is the author of Rāmavarmamahārājacaritra [Rāmavarmamahārājacaritram]. He was born in June 1814 A.D. as the son of Nīlakaṇṭhan mūttatu at the Paṭiññāreḍam illaṃ which remains close to the northern side of the Vaikkom Mahādeva Temple of Kerala. He was affectionately called Pāccu by his parents and he later on became well known by the name Vaikkattu Pāccu mūttatu. He has made immense contributions to Sanskrit and Malayalam literature. He was a renowned Ayurvedic physician and was well trained in six Śāstras viz. Vyākaraṇa, Nyāya, Mīmāṃsā, Vedānta, Āyurveda and Jyotiṣa. He was very proficient also in the literary concepts like Kāvya, Nāṭaka, Alaṅkāra etc.

The poet has described the life and the administration of his Patron King Āyilyam Tirunāḷ of Travancore (1860-1880) and also gives a brief history of the erstwhile Travancore state. The poem contains eight cantos which illustrate the important sūtras of Aṣṭādhyāyī. The order of the rules is the same as maintained in Aṣṭādhyāyī.

There is no commentary for the work. Sri. V. Venkitaramasarma, the editor of the work, has note down that the Paniniyan rules which are referred to in the verses and occasionally gives short introductory statements as according to its content.

The work begins with an invocation to Ādiśeṣa who compose the magnificent work Mahābhāṣya.

śriyaḥ patiṃ svātmani talpake vahan yamakṣarāmnāyamayaṃ phaṇīśvaraḥ |
samātanod vyākṛtibhāṣyamadbhutaṃ padaṃ tadīyaṃ śirasā vahāmyaham ||^[1]

He then points out the merits of the King Śrīrāmavarma, the hero of the poem who is born in the asterism āśleṣa (āyilyaṃ in Malayalam) in the family of the Vañci kings.

The second canto consists 74 verses and is mainly concerned with the brother of the prince, born in the asterism Viśākha. The third canto describes the state policy. Fourth canto includes 63 verses and it gives an account of the Trivandrum city as well as the palace of the king. In the fifth canto the poet narrates the story of the king Kārttika Tirunāḷ Rāmavarma. In the sixth canto the poet describes the king’s attainment of the royal fortune in disguise of the description of the marriage ceremony. The seventh canto contains the graphic description of the Padmanabha temple. The last canto consisting of 61 verses begins with a description of the good administration of the king which brought prosperity to the people.

The opening verse of the poem indirectly refers to the akṣarasamāmnāya and this indicates the fourteen Śivasūtras given in the beginning of Aṣṭhādhyāyī.

In the second verse, the author incorporate the first three aphorisms of Pāṇini viz. vṛddhirādaic (1-1-1), adeṅguṇaḥ (1-1-2) and iko guṇavṛddhī (1-1-3).

guṇān savṛddhīn prathayan svayā dṛśā vibhāti varṇaiḥ pṛthagīḍyayā tribhiḥ |
padāgamaḥ kiṃ guṇavṛddhivācakaiścaturṣu varṇeṣu sa vañcibhūpatiḥ ||^[2]

This verse praises the king and says that the king in his own characteristic way has brought about guṇa and vṛddhi in the four castes i.e. Varṇas. Hence the verse is applicable to the aspect of the king as well as the grammatical rules.

The rule vipratiṣedhe paraṃ kāryam (1.4.2) is very significantly referred to by the poet in the verse:

yataḥ kvacit vipradhiṣedhasambhave paraṃ tu kāryaṃ nviti pāṇinīritaṃ |
tatastrivargaṃ savirodhamākṣipan nṛpaḥ pare brahmaṇi tatparaḥ kimu ||^[3]

When there is a conflict between two rules which are contingent to operate in one and the same instance, one might give preference to the rule which is later in order. The verse also means that among the four puruṣārthas viz. Dharma, Artha, Kāma and Mokṣa, the king decided to attain the fourth one neglecting the three others.

The ruleśeṣātkartari parasmaipadam (1.3.78) is incorporated and illustrated in the verse:-

kṛtaṃ parasmaipadamadya kartari sthitena śeṣāt kamalāpatau śubhaṃ |
itīva matvā nijavañcibhūpadaṃ nṛpaḥ karoti sma sa padmanābhasāt ||^[4]

Here the term karoti is given as the example for the rule.

The rules nerviśaḥ (1.3.17), parivyavebhyaḥ kriyaḥ (1.3.18) and viparābhyāṃ jeḥ (1.3.19) are described in the verse—

vanāntaraṃ yā nyaviśanta cīvaraṃ cirādavākrīṇata mauktikavrajaiḥ |
ripustriyo'sya vyajayanta dhāvane mṛgīdṛgābhādṛtabhūrimatsarāḥ ||^[5]

nyaviśanta, avākrīṇata and vyajayanta are examples for the above mentioned rules respectively.

dhruvaṃ tvapādānamapāyasambhave prapaśyatāṃ spaṣṭamupāyasambhave |
mataṃ samādhānamidīdamācaran nṛpo'karottatvapadānagocaram ||^[6]

The verse includes the describes the definition of the Apādānakāraka i.e.,dhruvamapāye'pādānam (1.4.24).

The rule smottare laṅ ca (3.3.176) is cited in the verse—

mahatāmapi puṣpitaṃ vacaḥ kvacidastvatra tu mā sma bhūdbhramaḥ |
agadaṃ pibate sitā diśecchiśave tasya hi kalyatā phalam ||^[7]

Thus, from the careful study of the work, it can be found that while illustrating the rule, the author incorporates the wordings of that rules also in the verse. The author maintained the order as the same as in the Aṣṭādhyāyī. While illustrating the rules he has not given preference to any rule on the basis of their importance on their nature as Vidhisūtra, Niyamasūtra etc. But it is to be noted that the rules regarding the Vedic language are completely omitted.

Besides its grammatical nature, the work comprises some historical elements also. As it is a historical poem, it deals with the history of Āyilyam Tirunāḷ, the king who ruled travancore from 1860-1880. The first and last cantos of the work are mainly concerned with the life history of the king Āyilyam Tirunāḷ and in the other parts, the poet refers to some of the former kings of the state, like Mārttāṇḍa Varma, Kārttika Tirunāḷ Rāmavarma, Svāti Tirunāḷ and Utram Tirunāḷ. It mentions some important events during their reign.

The work undergoes the category of the Mahākāvyas also as it satisfies almost all the aspects of a Mahākāvya. It strictly follows the rules in this regard. The predominant sentiment of the poem is vīra.

Though the work is adorned with poetic beauty and bears historical aspects, the author has given more attention to the grammatical contents of the work. So the work is charecterised as a Vyākaraṇaśāstrakāvya. Thus the work can be described as a historical, grammatical and poetic work.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Śrīrāmavarmamahārājacaritraṃkāvyam [Śrīrāmavarmamahārājacaritra-kāvya], Parameśvaraśvadvija,v. 1.1

[2]:

ibid, v.I.2

[3]:

ibid, v.I.37

[4]:

ibid, v.I.35.

[5]:

ibid,v. I.26.

[6]:

ibid, v.I.38

[7]:

ibid,v. III..48