विदेह

Gajendra Thakur

A PARALLEL HISTORY OF MAITHILI LITERATURE- PART 4

The Linguistic Foundation: Evolution and Contest

The genesis of Maithili as an independent speech form represents the first major point of contention in its history. Emerging from the Magadhi Prakrit or Eastern Apabhramsa between the 8th and 11th centuries A.D., Maithili is a senior member of the Eastern Indo-Aryan language family, alongside Bengali, Assamese, and Odia. Institutional historians often emphasize the role of learned scholars in refining the tongue, yet the parallel narrative highlights its survival through strolling bards and common folk who maintained the language despite centuries of "dialectization" by colonial officials and Hindi expansionists.

The Branching of Magadhan Speeches

Linguistic evolution in Eastern India was not a series of isolated events but a parallel development of sister dialects. While Magadhi Prakrit was the court language of the Mauryan Empire and the tongue of the Buddha and Mahavira, it eventually fractured into regional variants.

 

Language Period	Developmental Stage	Key Characteristics
500 BC - 100 BC	Pali (Early Prakrit)	Canonical Buddhist language
100 BC - 500 AD	Middle Indo-Aryan	Dramatic Prakrits, vernacular usage
500 AD - 1100 AD	Apabhramsa/Avahatta	Transitional "popular" speech
1100 AD - Present	New Indo-Aryan	Emergence of Maithili, Bengali, Assamese

The distinction between Maithili and its neighbors, particularly Magahi, is often framed by social bias rather than purely linguistic criteria. George Abraham Grierson noted that while Maithili enjoyed the influence of "learned Brahmanas" for centuries, Magahi was condemned as the "uncouth" speech of the south.⁹ The parallel history seeks to bridge this gap, recognizing that the "boorish" elements of the language are actually the repositories of original, unadulterated Maithili forms that have survived institutional sanitization.

 

VII

Scriptural Identity: Mithilakshara vs. Devanagari

The Maithili script, known as Mithilakshara or Tirhuta, is of great antiquity, evolving from an eastern variety of the Gupta script distinct from the Nagari forms. It is an ornamental script, often associated with Tantric Yantra motifs, and was used throughout North-Eastern India, including Tibet and Nepal. The 20th-century transition to Devanagari is often celebrated by institutionalists as a move toward pan-Indian unity, but parallel historians view it with suspicion, as it facilitated the "dialectization" of Maithili under the umbrella of Hindi.

The Early Medieval Synthesis: Siddhacharyas and the Natha Cult

The earliest recorded specimens of Maithili are found in the Charyapadas, the mystical songs of the Buddhist Siddhacharyas composed between the 8th and 12th centuries. These songs, written in "Sandhyabhasha" (twilight language), were designed to provide hints for the esoteric Sahajiya cult.

The parallel history of Maithili places these songs at the center of its narrative, arguing that they represent a proto-vernacular stage where Maithili, Bengali, and Assamese were still a common linguistic pool. The Charyapadas were not merely religious texts but social documents that criticized caste distinctions and ritualistic pomposity, themes that the institutional history often downplays in favor of their linguistic archaism.

The Subaltern Natha Literature

Closely linked to the Siddhacharyas was the Natha cult, a heterodox tradition of accomplished yogis like Matsyendranath and Gorakshanath. These Naths often belonged to the lower strata of society-sweepers, arrow-makers, and cowherds-and their literature, captured in ballads like Goraksha Bijoy, reflects a fusion of Shaiva philosophy and secret yogic disciplines.

The Varnanaratnakara of Jyotirishwar Thakur, the oldest prose work in any North-Eastern Indian language (14th century), meticulously records the names of eighty-four Siddhas, confirming the deep integration of this heterodox tradition in the Maithili cultural landscape. The parallel history emphasizes that this early prose was "stuccato" and "rimed," serving as a handbook for storytellers and common narrators, rather than just a courtly exercise.

Vidyapati Thakur: The Contested Icon

Vidyapati Thakur (c. 1360-1448) is the epicenter of the struggle between official and parallel Maithili histories. To the institutional scholar, he is the "Abhinava Jayadeva," the courtly poet who perfected the Padavali and enjoyed the patronage of the Oinwara kings. However, the parallel history movement, particularly through the Videha movement, critiques the "casteist attire" placed upon him.

The Rejection of Sectarian Labels

Vidyapati was a polymath who wrote in Sanskrit, Avahatta, and Maithili. While official histories often label him a "Shaiva" due to his family lineage, the parallel tradition highlights his universalist and realist inclinations. His Purushapariksha, for instance, is perhaps the first text in the Indian subcontinent to discuss notions of masculinity and political realism, yet it is often ignored by historians who prefer to view him solely as a singer of divine love.

The parallel history asserts that Vidyapati's "Desila Bayana" (country speech) was a conscious choice to bridge the gap between the elite and the masses. The movement argues that institutional attempts to claim him as a purely Brahminical icon by organizations like the Chetna Samiti have essentially "murdered" the trans-sectarian and humanist spirit of his poetry.

The Trans-Border Legacy: Maithili in Nepal, Assam, and Bengal

A major blind spot in institutional Maithili historiography is the "Maithili Diaspora," where the language functioned as the primary literary and courtly medium outside the borders of Tirhut for centuries.

 

 

 

VIII

The Malla Kings and the Nepal Tradition

After the Muslim conquest of Tirhut, many Maithila scholars fled to Nepal, where they found sanctuary under the Malla kings of Bhatgaon, Patan, and Kathmandu. Maithili became the language of education and culture in the Nepal Valley.

 

Nepal Ruler	Literary Contribution	Impact on Parallel History
Vishwamalla	Earliest Maithili drama (Vidya Vilap)	Proves the early maturity of Maithili theatre
Jagajyotirmalla	Authored Haragaurivivaha (1629)	Integrated Shiva-Parvati themes with court drama
Jitamitramalla	Multi-lingual playwright	Demonstrated Maithili's role as a regional bridge
Ranjitamalla	Prolific Maithili poet-king	Represented the zenith of the Nepal-Maithili school

Parallel historians point out that modern scholars often wrongly categorize this as "Nepali" literature, effectively erasing the Maithili roots of this heritage.⁹ This "Nepal Legacy" is a core pillar of the parallel tradition, representing a time when Maithili was an official state language.⁹

Brajabuli and Brajavali: The Artificial Syntheses

In Bengal and Assam, Maithili provided the staple for an artificial literary language known as Brajabuli (in Bengal) and Brajavali (in Assam).

• Brajabuli: Popularized by Vidyapati's followers, it became the vehicle for the entire medieval Bengali Vaishnava lyric movement. Bengali poets like Narottama Dasa and even Rabindranath Tagore (under the pseudonym Bhanusingha) utilized this Maithili-based dialect.
• Brajavali: Created by Srimanta Sankardeva in the 15th century, it mixed Maithili with Assamese to propagate the Ek-Sarana-Naam-Dharma movement through Borgeets and Ankia Nats.

The official history of Bengali and Assamese literature often absorbs these developments, while the official history of Maithili often overlooks them. The parallel history, however, insists that these "Mongrel Languages" are legitimate and vital branches of the Maithili literary tree, demonstrating its historical role as a civilizational lingua franca.

The Drama Traditions: Kirtaniya and Ankia Nat

Maithili literature is unique for its early development of the vernacular drama. The tradition of Kirtaniya Natak in Mithila, beginning with Umapati's Parijataharana, was based on the "Naradiya" style of kirtan. These plays were intended for the common folk, using a stylized mix of Sanskrit, Prakrit, and Maithili songs.

 

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