Kamayani

Front Cover
Author	Jaishankar Prasad
Original title	कामायनी
Country	India
Language	Hindi
Genre	Epic poetry
Publication date	1936
Media type	Print (hardback & paperback)
Preceded by	Lehar
Original text	कामायनी at Hindi Wikisource

Kamayani (Hindi : कामायनी) (1936) is a Hindi epic poem (Mahakavya) by Jaishankar Prasad (1889–1937). It is considered one of the greatest literary works written in modern times in Hindi literature. It also signifies the epitome of Chhayavadi school of Hindi poetry which gained popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Theme

Kamayani depicts the interplay of human emotions, thoughts, and actions by taking mythological metaphors. Kamayani has personalities like Manu, Ida and Śraddhā who are mentioned in the Vedic literature. The great deluge described in the poem has its origin in Satapatha Brahmana. Explaining his metaphorical presentation of Vedic characters, the poet said:

Ida was the sister of the gods, giving consciousness to the entire mankind. For this reason, there is an Ida Karma in the Yagnas. This erudition of Ida created a rift between Shraddha and Manu. Then with the progressive intelligence searching for unbridled pleasures, the impasse was inevitable. This story is so very ancient that metaphor has wonderfully mingled with history. Therefore Manu, Shraddha, and Ida while maintaining their historical importance may also express the symbolic import. Manu represents the mind with its faculties of the head and heart and these are again symbolized as Faith (Shraddha) and Intelligence (Ida) respectively. On this data is based the story of Kamayani.

Structure

The storyline originates from the Vedic tale of Manu Manu, the lone survivor post the deluge, initially devoid of emotions. As the narrative unfolds, he becomes entangled in a spectrum of emotions, thoughts, and actions, each chapter named after these elements. Shraddha, Ida, Kilaat, and other characters sequentially contribute to this portrayal. Some scholars interpret the chapter sequence as reflective of the development of a person's emotions through different stages of a mortal life. Following is the sequence:

Adaptations

• Tumul kolahal kalah me, an excerpt from the 12th canto 'Nirved' (निर्वेद) was set to tune by the music composer Jaidev and sung by Asha Bhosle. It was released by The Gramophone Company of India in 1971 under the title 'An Unforgettable Treat Asha Bhosle'.

• In 1999, the Films Division produced a short biographical film on Jaishankar Prasad. The film depicted his literary works as a novelist, story writer, poet, and essay writer. A Kathak musical of some verses from Kamayani was the highlight of the film. It was choreographed by the famous exponent of Kathak Uma Dogra, who also portrayed the role of Shraddha in it. ^[1]

• Doordarshan, the national broadcaster of India produced a six-part musical on Kamayani.

• Shakuntala Shukla and Vyomesh Shukla adapted Kamayani into a musical play. It was produced under the banner of Roopvani, Varanasi.^[2]

Translations

Kamayani has been translated into various languages. There exists a number of English translations of the book. Other languages into which it has been translated include Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, and Tamil. ^[3] Some specific cantos of Kamayani have been translated into English and Russian as well.^[4]