''Ananta Kandali'' (1540–80), was Kamrupi Brahmin poet from Hajo, Kamarupa or current Kamrup district. His father, Ratna Pathaka, was a renowned scholar and
expounder of the Bhagavata at the Madhava temple. Ananta Kandali's real
name was Haricarana, but he is popularly known by his scholastic title
`Ananta Kandali'.
A prolific writer, he gained many a literary distinction and acquired titles like `Ananta Kandali'. He became a disciple of Sankaradeva and attracted towards Vaisnava cult.
The poet's Sahasra Nama Vrttanta finds a prominent place in the Krtana. He also made metrical rendering into Kamrupi of the Bks. IV, V, VI, IX, and a section of Bk. X of the Bhagavata purana, already referred to. The translation of the Bhagavata is not wholly faithful to the original text; minor changes have been made here and there: for example, in Bk. VI, he explains fully the story of Dadhici, whereas in the original it has been only simply alluded to; in Bk. X, the poet describes the marriage of Revati and Balarama also; in the Parijata-harana and Usa-harana episodes, the poet follows Harivamnsa more than the Bhagavata; in the Rajasaya episode, he freely introduces descriptions from the Mahabharata.
He also composed a concise Ramayana full of Vaisnavite bias, as also a drama, entitled Sitar Patala pravesa, based on the Ramayana. In his version of the Ramayana, he tried to metamorphose the version of Madhava Kandali by identifying Rama with Vishnu and Krishna. Ananta Kandali was competent to write verse in Sanskrit, yet he decided to write it in the spoken language so that non-Brahmins and women could comprehend and appreciate his composition.
A prolific writer, he gained many a literary distinction and acquired titles like `Ananta Kandali'. He became a disciple of Sankaradeva and attracted towards Vaisnava cult.
Works
His initial works consist of translation of chapters of Bk. VI and the latter part of Bk. II, covering 41 chapters of the Bhagavata Purana. His poetical works are Mahiravana Vadha (describing how Hanuman killed Mahiravana), who had abducted Rama and Lakshmana to offer them to the goddess Candi (this work was written with the pseudonym of Sricandra Bharati), Harihara Yuddha, Vrttrasura Vadha (on the killing of the demon Vrttrasura; it is based on the Bk. VI of the Bhagavata), Bharata-savitri, Jiva-stuti and Kumara-harana. The last poem narrates the romantic episode of Usa and Aniruddha, and the poet's fame rests chiefly on this work; in popularity Kumara Harana stands on a par with Sankaradeva's poem Rukmini Harana.The poet's Sahasra Nama Vrttanta finds a prominent place in the Krtana. He also made metrical rendering into Kamrupi of the Bks. IV, V, VI, IX, and a section of Bk. X of the Bhagavata purana, already referred to. The translation of the Bhagavata is not wholly faithful to the original text; minor changes have been made here and there: for example, in Bk. VI, he explains fully the story of Dadhici, whereas in the original it has been only simply alluded to; in Bk. X, the poet describes the marriage of Revati and Balarama also; in the Parijata-harana and Usa-harana episodes, the poet follows Harivamnsa more than the Bhagavata; in the Rajasaya episode, he freely introduces descriptions from the Mahabharata.
He also composed a concise Ramayana full of Vaisnavite bias, as also a drama, entitled Sitar Patala pravesa, based on the Ramayana. In his version of the Ramayana, he tried to metamorphose the version of Madhava Kandali by identifying Rama with Vishnu and Krishna. Ananta Kandali was competent to write verse in Sanskrit, yet he decided to write it in the spoken language so that non-Brahmins and women could comprehend and appreciate his composition.
