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Bhanubhakta Acharya (Nepali: भानुभक्त आचार्य) (1814-1868) was a Nepali poet who translated the Ramayana from Sanskrit to Nepali. He was born in 1814 in Chundi Ramgha in the district of Tanahu, and was educated at home by his grandfather, Shri Krishna Acharya. His father Dhananjaya Acharya was a government official who worked for General Amar Singh Thapa, Governor of Palpa in western Nepal.
Bhanubhakta is considered the first poet writing in Nepali language. Poets before him in Nepal usually wrote in Sanskrit. One of his writings is well known for its colorful, flowing praise of Kathmandu valley and its inhabitants.
घासी दरीद्र घरको तर बुध्दि कस्तो
म भानुभक्त धनी भइकन आज यस्तो
He gives his life to cutting grass and earns little money,
he hopes to make a well for his people
so he will be remembered after death,
this high thinking grass cutter lives in poverty,
I have achieved nothing though I have much wealth.
– Bhanubhakta
Bhanubhakta Acharya is a luminous star of Nepali literature. He was an outstanding poet, who dedicated his entire life to enriching Nepali literature. Perhaps Bhanubhakta is the only littérateur of Nepali literature whose literary reputation has been well established both at home and in several parts of India.
Bhanubhakta’s life was not a bed of roses. He did face several trials and tribulations in his life, but nothing could deter him from his mission to contribute to the Nepali literature. He remained active throughout his life to enrich it. We can learn a lot from his life.
Bhanubhakta, son of Dhananjaya Acharya, was born in Chundi Beshi of Ramgha in 1814. This village lies in the Tanahun district in Gandaki zone. A voracious reader, he was quite a handsome boy but very different from his friends. He was not interested in sports and preferred to be always alone. Nevertheless, he had immense love and interest in nature and he could communicate with it. Later on, when he began writing poetry, he was truly inspired by nature.
Bhanubhakta was a prolific writer. He had such creative ability that he could even turn general conversation into a melodious poem. This kind of talent is very rare in any human being but he had such ability right from childhood. He wrote many poems but, unfortunately, today we do not have all of this writings. In fact, we have lost most of his exclusive poems. It has been assumed that Bhanubhakta wrote a lot of poems between 1820 and 1846.
As a young poet, Bhanubhakta went to India once to buy books and to meet his old literary camaraderie. He spent a few months in Banaras and then returned to Kathmandu. When he arrival, he was overwhelmed by Kathmandu’s beauty. He was fascinated at seeing beautiful temples, neat and clean streets, exclusive handicrafts, big markets, crowds of people, beautiful houses and palaces etc.
The beauty of Kathmandu had captured the very heart and soul of the young poet. He at once decided to reside in Kathmandu to pursue a career in writing. One of his friends came out to help him who made an arrangement to stay in a room in the house of Dharmadutta, a famous astrologer at that time. He came in touch with many learned people of Kathmandu. They were all acquainted with the writings of each other and it directly, or indirectly, benefited Bhanubhakta.
While staying in Kathmandu, Bhanubhakta was informed of a lawsuit against him at his village. He had to get back to his village, Ramgha, as early as possible. It was only at his village where he learnt about the lawsuit. Read the rest of this entry »
Kathmandu, July 12 : Maoist Chairman Puspa Kamal Dahal alias ‘Prachanda’ has warned that Nepal could head towards disintegration if it does not stick to the path of consensus politics to prevent such an upheaval. [Inset: Prachanda. Photo from Rediff.com]
