The Rise of Wisdom Moon. Krishna mishra

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      reasons, Krishna·mishra’s sectarian inclinations appear to me to be weaker than is generally assumed, and the Vaishnavism of his work, while by no means to be denied, may be explained without reference to strong sectarian bias.

      The Vaishnava current in “The Rise of Wisdom Moon” is underscored principally by these features: the heroine of the drama is the character Vishnu·bhakti, Hail Vishnu in our translation; at the conclusion of act four, Intuition undertakes a pilgrimage to the shrine of Vishnu in Varanasi (4.123); in act five, Thought is instructed in meditation upon Vishnu as an alternative to absorption in the absolute Brahman (5.103 [27]); and references to a number of Vishnu’s incarnations are found throughout the work. Taken together with arguments that have been most clearly presented by Paul Hacker, to the effect that early Advaita Vedanta, as represented above all by Shankara, was mildly Vaishnava in its leanings, it is undeniable that Krishna· mishra clearly expresses a similar partiality here, though “fanatic” is no doubt too strong a characterization of his leanings (Hacker 1965).

      The Vaishnava reading of the text is mitigated by a number of positive gestures to Shaivism, and indeed to other sectarian traditions, at various points in the play. This despite the wholesale rejection, in act three, of the transgressive Kapalika current of Shaivism as altogether heretical. Nevertheless, the second of the opening verses of benediction is dedicated to Shiva, with distinct allusions to systems of yoga that were often placed under that divinity’s patronage. (The first of the benedictions concerns the nondual Brahman, and therefore has no distinct sectarian orienta- ________

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      tion, apart from its affirmation of Advaita Vedanta.) In act five (5.32), as Intuition’s armies advance, the Shaiva traditions, on an equal footing with the Vaishnava, are arrayed within the victorious ranks. And the ultimate equivalence of the three great Hindu divinities—Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva—is unambiguously asserted some lines later:

      The Light, at peace and limitless,

      without duality, unborn,

      By the admixture of qualities varies,

      and is praised as “Brahma,”

      “Vishnu,” or “Uma’s Lord.” (5.40 [9])

      Moreover, the play’s many references to Vishnu’s incarnations—including boar, dwarf, man-lion, Axman Rama, and Rama—all follow well-established conventions whereby these avatars were analogized to the figure of the King. For Vishnu as the preserver of the world is the member of the trinity who provides the best template for righteous kingship, upholding the order of the cosmos and granting peace and security to its creatures.

      These last observations allow us, I believe, to put Krishna· mishra’s Vaishnavism into its proper perspective. The rulers of the Chandella dynasty generally seem to have favored the worship of Shiva, but they were tolerant monarchs, who extended their patronage to the several major Brahmanical and Hindu traditions and to Jainism, and even countenanced a Buddhist presence within their domains as well.18 Vaishnavism was, however, a strong current within Chandella religion, and several of the monarchs appear to have regarded Vishnu as their personal tutelary divinity. ________

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      One of these was Kirti·varman (Mitra 1977 [1958]: 189). It becomes possible to imagine, therefore, that “The Rise of Wisdom Moon,” in its leanings towards Vaishnavism, is primarily expressing an allegiance to the ruler in whose honor the play was written and produced.

      We may press this point somewhat further. To mention our play and the famed temples of Khajuraho in a single breath may appear to be an incongruent pairing, for the great north Indian temple-complex, after all, is widely associated with the celebration of the erotic, while Krishna· mishra’s drama represents orthodox Vedanta, a philosophy that values detachment from worldly delights in favor of the inner realization of an immutable, transcendent self. But Khajuraho’s marvels and “The Rise of Wisdom Moon” both issued from the court of the Chandella monarchs, and the period during which our play was composed was not far removed from the height of development at Khajuraho.19 It is not difficult, in fact, to imagine that the play might have been performed among the temples and palaces there. While sexual frankness characterizes many of the scenes adorning the outer walls of Khajuraho’s temples, in the interior they are almost all dedicated to the great gods of the Hindu pantheon, in forms that arouse not the slightest hint of tantric transgressions.20 By the same token, “The Rise of Wisdom Moon,” though surely ridiculizing our erotic proclivities, also sees a place for them in the order of things and can hardly СКАЧАТЬ