Dr Rajesh Bhat
Human races envy Kashmiris for their magnificent , well documented and ancient literature. Unfortunately, with the decline in the popularity of Sanskrit, a large portion of Kashmiri literature has yet to reach the common masses to make them feel of their strong roots.
Fortunately, a modest effort has recently been made by a Kashmir-born writer, who, with his knowledge of both Urdu and Sanskrit, brought before us the Nastalique version of the 11th century “ Samay Matrika”, now in Kashmiri.
Samay Matrika, originally in Sanskrit , is a treatise penned down by the great Ksemendra, the illustrious son of Kashmir who in addition to this has other immortal Sanskrit classics to his credit. Interestingly all his works are deeply passionate about the state of the nation and nothing escapes his critical eye as regards acts of omissions and commissions committed by those in whose hands the destiny of the nation was placed.
The period pertains to somewhat prior to and after 990 A.D, when as ill luck would have it Kashmir got its share of weak kings and their establishment given to rampant licenticious and debauch behavior.
Ksemendra laments the times, warns those whom he calls responsible, reveals their fragile and fragmented existences, points to failings and helplessness of society to adhere to codes of morality. Virtually no strong Central Government, flawed and inept bureaucracy and free for all situation sucks out the vitality out of the system.
Kanwal Krishan Lidhoo, Programme Executive, Radio Kashmir , beautifully and meticulously records each and every detail in his wholesome translation of this epochal treatise. He has placed his own reasons to retain the title and the translation in Kashmiri Nastalique. He proposes to make it available to everyone in Kashmir valley where he believes intellectual bigotry of last many decades has tarnished the otherwise scientific base and sense of history.
Samay Matrika revolves around a concubine “The Kutnee” which is the central character in the novel, a veteran and embodiment of deceit, materialistic degeneration and everything that comes assembled out of “kaliyuga” the dark age. This mammon of a woman manages to have her way at everything that comes in her way due to people being ignorant, oblivious and drunk with power. She is poignantly aware that the grandeur of the previous ages has yielded to infirm and weak times wherein everyone including the king, the courtier, the judge, the priest, the revenue official, the doctor etc. so on and so forth has a price. Wherein husbands instead of coming to terms with their wives seek pleasures outside and in the process get themselves dissipated. And it is this that makes very interesting reading.
Ksemendra’s mention of geography vividly resembles the present Kashmir and also Banaras or Varanasi. Both seem to have influenced and dominated each other and is thus a pleasantly interesting field for students of history to explore.
The author, while translating Samay Mtrika into Kashmiri, has taken utmost care not to change the basic structure of all the eight chapters comprising 634 shlokas in total , by no means a daunting task considering the fact that that it had taken the author five complete years to collate and accomplish the task. However, prior to each chapter he has chosen to offer his own observations and explanation which is both pleasant and refreshing and open to individual interpretation.
The book is modestly priced at Rs.250 comprising 194 pages.
Kanwal Lidhoo in his humility calls it a pedestrian translation and sincerely urges others to takeoff from where he has left. The book surely deserves an award should it get one .
Seldom comes a literature in public to offer insights to common masses. Samay Matrika is one such book which creates a vivid picture of events leading to changing of political and religious landscape of Kashmir.
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