Retelling the Mahabharata in Bengali: A Journey
A bit more on the Bengali translation of the Mahabharata.
Paragal Khan was a governor for Sultan Alauddin Husain Shah around the fifteenth or sixteenth century in Bengal. Paragal was curious about the Mahabharata and wanted to read it. So, the first translation of the Mahabharata was made for him by a poet called Kavindra Parameshwar Das. That work is said to have been composed around 1519 AD and was called Kavindra-Mahabharata. Some say it was called the Paragali Mahabharata. After this, there were many other translations.
The most important one was the one that was completed by Kashiram Das in the early seventeenth century.
Kashiram Das was supposed to have hailed from the present-day Burdwan district of Bengal. He had an elder brother, Krishna Das, and a younger brother called Gadadhar Das. All three brothers were poets – the elder brother, Krishna Das, had translated Shrimad Bhagavad Purana into Bengali. That work was called 'Shri Krishna Vilas'. The youngest brother composed Jagannath Mangal – a collection of devotional poems on Jagannath.
Historians believe that Kashiram Das was not able to complete the translation. He had completed translating Virat Parva when he passed away. It is believed that Nandaram Das, a nephew of Kashiram, completed the remaining translation
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As mentioned earlier, this work is not a word-to-word translation of Vyasa's work. He was probably a Vaishnava, which is why his work is full of bhakti – devotion.
In the 19th century, missionary William Carey requested Sanskrit scholar Jayagopal Tarkalankar to edit and publish a version of the Mahabharata. Jayagopal did that; Serampore College published the work in four parts. Later in that century, Jayagopal edited and brought out another version which was more refined, and he published independently in two parts.
This was the beginning. From then on, multiple publications began bringing out their own editions.
Like Krittibas, Kashiram also added some parts which are not part of the original text:
How Krishna got the Parijata tree. This is mentioned in Shrimad Bhagavad Purana, Harivamsha, and Vishnu Purana. Parijata as a tree is mentioned in the Mahabharata, but the event itself is not mentioned. Kashiram not only expanded the story but also brought out the tensions between Rukmini and Satyabhama beautifully.
The story of Hiranyaksha, Prahlada, and Hiranyakashipu. This is part of Shrimad Bhagavad Purana and Vishnu Purana. Prahlada is mentioned in the Mahabharata as a noble king, but his story is not part of the original text.
In many mangal-kavyas of Bengal, Shiva is often portrayed as someone who remains intoxicated. Vyasa's Mahabharata portrays Shiva as a yogi. During the description of the churning of the ocean event, Kashiram introduces a tale: when Shiva sees Mohini and loses all consciousness and collapses to the ground. Regaining his senses, he moves forward with both arms outstretched to embrace Mohini. Mohini runs to save herself and starts abusing Shiva, but Shiva refuses to leave her. Kashiram Das concludes this episode with a description of their union.
The story of Shrivatsa and Chinta. This is not found in the Sanskrit Mahabharata and is not present in any known Sanskrit Purana either. It was a local folk tale of Bengal, and Kashiram Das was the first to record it in written form within his Mahabharata.
When Krittibas composed his Ramayana, Vaishnava influence in Bengal was just starting. By the time Kashiram Das wrote his Mahabharata, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was no more, and his influence was at its peak. Kashiram made Krishna's role more prominent than it is in the Sanskrit epic. This helped make his work gain great popularity.
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