जम्बूसामिचरिउ की कथानकसूष्टि और हिन्दी काव्य-परम्परा
By डां. (श्रीमती) पुष्पलता जैन
Summary
The text discusses the *Jambūsāmicariu*, a 10th-11th century Apabhraṃśa epic by the poet Vīra, focusing on its narrative structure and its place within the Hindi poetic tradition. The work is considered a key text for understanding the poet’s personality and literary output, composed within a year. The central figure, Jambūsvāmī, is a revered personality in the Jain tradition, with the lineage from Ṛṣabha to Jambūsvāmī being undisputed between the Digambara and Śvetāmbara sects. After Jambūsvāmī, the traditions diverge in their lists of śrutakevalins. The earliest systematic biography of Jambūsvāmī is found in the *Vasudevahiṇḍī* by Saṅghadāsagaṇi (5th-6th century). The text refutes the idea that Guṇapāla’s *Jambūcariyaṃ* was the primary source for Vīra’s work, arguing they were likely contemporaries and that Vīra’s epic is more directly based on the *Uttarapurāṇa*. The epic is structured in eleven *sandhis* and is interwoven with numerous *antakathās* (subsidiary tales), many of which could be removed without affecting the main narrative. These tales incorporate folk elements, including descriptions of love, war, nature, and daily life, as well as proverbs. The poet’s skill is shown through his use of metaphors and a vocabulary that includes words still found in modern Hindi dialects like Bundelkhandi. The text identifies common narrative conventions of Apabhraṃśa *caritakāvyas*, such as auspicious beginnings, dream interpretations, supernatural events, and descriptions of battles and nature. These conventions significantly influenced early Hindi epics like *Pṛthvīrāj Rāso* and *Dholā-Mārū
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Conclusion
The analysis of Jambūsāmicariu reveals that while its narrative framework shares common structural features with other Apabhraṃśa charita-kāvyas, the work’s true significance lies in its linguistic and stylistic contributions to the emerging Hindi literary tradition. The extensive use of regional dialect words, many still current in Bundelkhandi, demonstrates how Apabhraṃśa served as a vital bridge between Prakrit and early Hindi. The poet Vīra’s deliberate avoidance of overly complex ornamentation in favor of a flowing, engaging narrative—incorporating folk tales, proverbs, and vivid descriptions of everyday life—created a model that influenced later Hindi epic poets. This study confirms that Jambūsāmicariu is not merely a derivative religious text but an innovative work that helped shape the narrative conventions, linguistic resources, and aesthetic sensibilities of early Hindi literature, establishing a foundation for the region’s subsequent poetic traditions.