4. Pradyumnabhyudaya by Ravivarma Kulasekhara

The Pradyumna-Abhyudaya [Pradyumnabhyudaya]^[1] of Ravivarma Kulasekhara (1299-1314 AD) is a drama in five acts. The author Ravivarma Kulasekhara ruler of Kollam, identifiable with Ravi Varma Kulasekhara alias Sangramadhira.

Author

Ravivarman Kulasekhara is the famous king of Quilon who became the emperor of Kerala and the over lord of the Pandyas and the Cholas. He was born in 1266-67 AD, as the son of King Jayasimha of Kerala and Umadevi, and belonged to the Yadava family of Quilon (Kolamba). He gained possession of the neighboring kingdom of Venad from Vikrama Pandya, the younger brother and coreigent of Manavarman Kulasekhara I, who had conquered the district during the last quarter of the thirteenth century. Ravivarman defeated Vikrama Pandya in battle and married his daughter. “He took possession of Kerala in his 33rd year (1299-1300 AD), he vanquished Virapandya, made the Pandya and the Colas subjects of the Keralas, and crowned himself as king of Malabar on the banks of the Vegavati at the age of fortysix (1312-13 AD). Subdued the Pandyas, Colas and Keralas chased Vira Pandya to Konkana, thence to the forests conquered the northern country and returned to Kanci, where is the fourth year of his reign he made a gift of some lands to the temple of Arulalanatha. But achievements proved ephemeral. Vira Udaya Marthandavarman proclaimed himself as the ruler of Venad, and he was helped by Virapandya. Such revolts in Kerala forced Ravivarma to leave Kanci and returned to Kerala.

Ravivarma was a poet and a patron of latter. In some of the inscriptions he is addressed as Daksina Bhoja. Two well known poets, Sanidra bandher and Kavibhusana flourished in his court, former is the author of a learned commentary on Alankarasarvasva^[2] which contains many verses in praise of Ravivarman; the latter must have also written some works, but we know only the eighteen verses of the Srirangam inscription as his^[3]. Still it is quite possible that Ravivarman himself is the author of the drama Pradyumnabhyudaya, though it could have been revised by the scholars of his court.

Theme

The Pradyumna-Abhyudaya describes in five acts the story of Pradyumna killing Vajranabha and marrying his daughter Prabhavati. The story is taken from the Harivamsa, but the author has made several alteration in the story. The plot of the drama seems to have some topical allusion. The hero Pradyumna defeats his enemy Vajranabha in battle, and marries his daughter, this may have a reference to Ravivarma’s fight with Vikrama Pandya, and his subsequent marriage of the daughter of the vanquished enemy to his non-extent work Haravilasa and he is to be identified with the author of Balaramayana and other works. This Rajasekhara lived in the beginning of the 10 C. From these dates the royal dramatist’s date may be fixed at about 900 AD. In other words he is to be identified with Ravivarman Kulasekharan who must have ruled over Kerala between the years 885 to 913 AD. Later on Raja had admitted that the problem needs further study.

Historical content

In the first act, Sutradhara says that the drama was first enacted at the instance of the Rajaparishad that flourished under the patronage of Ravi varma.

The passage is—

ārye! samādhiṣṭho'smi sakalakalākuśalasya candrakulamaṅgalapradīpasya samastasāmantaśekharī kriyamāṇaśāsanasya vividhaśākhāvalambanadharmatarumūlakaṇḍasya praṇayijana cintāmaṇeḥkolambapurapariṣkārasya devasya ravivarmaṇaḥ pādapadmopajīvinyā rājapariṣadā |^[4]

This passage furnishes the following significant points for the history of Sangramadhira: Ravivarma was proficient in all arts. He had a court of poets and scholars of Quilon. Many rulers had been held under his vassalage. Dharma was his guideline. The city of Quilon was greatly developed by him. The drama was enacted at the instance of the royal court.

It has been further made clear that the performance was arranged on the occasion of Yatrotsava of Sripadmanabha to be identified with the Arat festival. Since there had been two half yearly festivals in the temple, the reference may apply to both of them. But, we are inclined to identify the same with the Painkuni festival that has been described by poets as the Vasantotsava, even though it occurs just before the dawn of the Vasanta season, since the Sutradhara proceeds to say that the Vasantha has just arrived. 

He says—

aye sakalajagadānandakaraḥ kathamayaṃ vasantaḥ samprāptaḥ |

From this we may take the festival to be the same as the Painkuni Utsava.

Kings

About the dramatists and the drama the Sutradhara says—

asti kila..........^[5]

Then the Nati adds—

rakṣa vīraśriyā sarasvatya api abhiramata yasya yadunāthaḥ |^[6]

This is following by a verse glorifying the king, cited by the Sutradhara:—

saṃgrāmabhūmiṣu sabhāsu ca dhīra yasya
śastreṇa buddhivibhavena ca taikṣṇyabhājā |
darpaṇāndhakāri taddhiyo nṛpatīn budhāṃśca
jitvā kṣitau viharate jayasiṃhasūnuḥ |^[7]

This refers the son of Jayasimha was a hero not only in the battlefield but also in the assembly of the learned. Both his weapon and intellect were sharp. He won his enemy, kings, and opponents with Sastra and buddhi respectively.

Another piece of useful information furnished by this Nataka is that the king is described as Tribhuvanavijaya^[8]. The appellation Tribhuvanavijaya applied to Sangramadhira is very significant for history. Here Tribhuvana means the Cera, Cola and Pandya kingdom. This springs from the old supposition that Tamilakam was formed by three political units headed by three crown kings as Mudimannar. In the post-sangam period of history, Rajaraja Cola I was the earliest to be qualified for the cognomen of Mummudiccola, meaning the Cola who had three crowns. Rajaraja son Rajendra also justified the Cognoman by taking to other countries by conquest. At the same time the cognoman tribhuvanacakravarttikal as assumed for the first time of Kulottunga Cola I. The expression: “Emperor of the three worlds” implies only that he was the lord of the Cera, Cola and Pandya kingdoms. In subsequent times the attribute Tribhuvanacakravarttikal was assumed by all Cola and Pandya irrespective of whether they deserved it or not. The reference to the munravani in the passage—arallomunravanisaye cerna bhasavisesam—has to be explained as a reference to the three avanis or kingdoms of the south, namely Ceranadu, Colanadu, and Pandinadu. This makes as understand that the king wrote the drama after his eastern compaign was undertaken a fact that would undermine the extent supposition that Sangramadhira never returned home after the eastern compaign and that the drama was written before he undertook the eastern expedition.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Travancore Sanskrit Series -VIII, 1910 Tvm

[2]:

Travancore Sanskrit Series -40, Vide infra

[3]:

Vide supra

[4]:

Pradyumnabhyudaya Pp 1 -2

[5]:

astikila saṃgītaśāstra pāradṛśvanā nikhilaguṇaratnarohaṇagiriṇā kavijanamayūrakālameghena sāhityavidyā vicakṣaṇena dakṣiṇabhojarājena mahārājaparameśvareṇa saṃgrāmadhīrāparanāmadheyena śrīravivarmadevena viracitaṃ pradyumnābhyudayaṃ nāma nāṭakam || (P-2)

[6]:

Pradyumnabhyudaya -P 2

[7]:

Act 1 Verse 4, P 2

[8]:

bharatajaladhikarṇadharaḥ prabandho yadukṣmāpati?[Ṛ]
strabhuvanavijayī murāreḥ kumāraḥ smaro nāyakaḥ ||