Entitle: Adi Kavi

Bhanubhakta Acharya

Bhanubhakta Acharya (भानुभक्त आचार्य), known as the Adi Kavi of Nepal, is the poet and writer who translated the great epic Ramayana from Sanskrit to Khas (old Nepali) language. The term 'Adi Kavi' means 'first poet'. Besides having many contemporary great poets in the country, he is honored with the title of Adi Kavi. This is because of the contributions he has made in the field of poetry and Nepali (Khasi) literature. This title was first referred to him by the poet Motiram Bhatta. According to him, Bhanubhakta is called Adi Kavi not only because he was the first poet of Nepal, but also because he was the first poet who wrote (or composed) with an understanding of the Marma (inner essence) of the poetry.

Quick Information

Date of Birth:	1871 B.S. (1814 A.D.)
Date of Departure:	1925 B.S. (1868 A.D.)
Birth Location:	Chundi Ramgha, Tanahun District, Nepal
Father’s Name:	Dhananjaya Acharya
Mother’s Name:	Dharmavati Acharya
Popular Compositions:	Ramayana (Nepali translation), Prashnottar, Kantipuri Nagari
Awards:	Adi Kavi
Occupation:	Poet

Bhanubhakta was born on 29th Ashad, 1871 B.S. in Tahanu district of Nepal. He was born to a rich Brahmin family.

Education

Bhanubhakta received education from his grandfather 'Shri Krishna Acharya' at home. He had good knowledge of Sanskrit and Nepali.

Contributions

The poets of ancient times used to write poems in Sanskrit language. Only Brahmins had allowance to study, and be the teachers, scholars and priests of the society because of their caste. And their education was based on Sanskrit. Therefore, many poets had written poems that was Sanskritized, while Bhanubhakta started to write in Nepali language which gained the popularity among the Nepalese readers. Because not only Brahmins, but also people of every other caste who lacked the knowledge of Sanskrit, started to read Acharya's poems with complete understanding of the meaning.

Being born in a Brahmin family, Bhanubhakta had a strong leaning towards religion. He was highly impressed by the Lord Rama's heroic exploits ahd he wanted the deity to be more accessible to the people who spoke Nepali. Since most of the people did not use to understand Sanskrit, he translated the epic into Nepali language. This is the greatest contribution he has made in the Nepali literature. The translation he produced was so lyrical that rather than sounding like a poem, it sounded more like a song.

All the ideas and experiences of Bhanubhakta were derived from his native land. This lent such a strong Nepali flavor to his writing that only few poets were able to compete his simple creations in terms of content. A sense of religion, simplicity, and the warmth of his country are the strongest features of his poetry.

Bhanubhakta concentrated most of his efforts on the Ramayana. He also wrote short poems among which majority deal with the events which he felt profoundly about, and others sing the praises of his gods. His poems like Prashnottar, Kantipuri Nagari, etc. are also popular among the Nepali literature.

Notable Awards

Motiram Bhatta honored Bhanubhakta with the title of 'Adi kavi' while writing his biography in 1981.

Bhanubhakta did not study western literature, so all his ideas and experiences were derived from his native land which made his writings more Nepali-flavored. Belonging to a rich family, he never had any financial trouble and had an unremarkable life until he met a grasscutter who wanted to give something to the society so that he could be remembered after death. The young Bhanubhakta, being inspired from the grasscutter's words, wrote these lines:

भर् जन्म घासँ तिर मन् दिई धन कमायो,
नाम क्यै रहोस् पछी भनेर कुवा खनायो ।
घाँसी दरिद्र घरको तर बुद्धि कस्तो,
म भानुभक्त धनी भैकन किन एस्तो ।
मेरा इनार न त सत्तल पाटीकै छन्,
जे धन चीजहरु छन् घर भित्रनै छन् ।
त्येस् घाँसी ले कसरी आज दिए छ अर्ती,
धिक्कर हो मकन बस्नु नराखी किर्ती ।।

He gives his life to cutting grass and earns (little) money,
He hopes to make a well, so that he will be remembered after death,
Simple living and high thinking, wonderful is his intellect,
I have achieved nothing though I have much wealth.
Neither I have constructed well, nor any rest house,
Whatever riches I have, all are inside the house,
This poor grass cutter has opened my eyes today,
My life is worthless if the memory of my existence fades away.

Bhanubhakta departs from his body without receiving any reputation for his contribution. The credit of discovering Bhanubhakta goes to Motiram Bhatta. Bhatta took pains to collect the miscellaneous works of Bhanubhakta and published a collection. He also wrote the Acharya's biography in 1981. This is when Bhatta referred the poet as Adi Kavi.

Bhanubhakta's physical body may not be among us today, but he is eternal in the heart of every Nepali people. He and his books have become household words. People have understood the essence of the epic, and about the attributes and glories of their God. As an honor to him, every year his birthday is celebrated as a festival of Bhanu Jayanti (by Nepalese people) by conducting various programs, usually academics and poem recitation.

NOTES:
All dates except date of birth (and those which are immediately followed by B.S.), are in A.D.