Kshemendra (IAST: Kṣemendra; c. 990 – c. 1070 CE) was an 11th-century Sanskrit polymath-poet, satirist, philosopher, historian,^[1] dramatist, translator^[2] and art-critic^[3] from Kashmir in India.^[4]

Biography

Kshemendra was born into an old, cultured, and affluent family.^[5] His father was Prakashendra, a descendant of Narendra who was the minister to Jayapida.^[6] Both his education and literary output were broad and varied. He studied literature under "the foremost teacher of his time, the celebrated Shaiva philosopher and literary exponent Abhinavagupta".^[5] Kshemendra was born a Shaiva, but later became a Vaishnava.^[6] He studied and wrote about both Vaishnavism and Buddhism.^[7] His son, Somendra, provides details about his father in his introduction to the Avadana Kalpalata and other works. Kshemendra refers to himself in his works as Vyasadasa (IAST: Vyāsadāsa; Slave of Vyasa), a title which was perhaps won or adopted after the completion of his Bhāratamañjari.^[6]

Kshemendra was in great demand as a skilled abridger of long texts.^[6] His literary career extended from at least 1037 (his earliest dated work, Brihatkathāmanjari, a verse summary of the lost "Northwestern" Bṛhatkathā; itself a recension of Gunadhya's lost Bṛhatkathā — "Great Story") to 1066 (his latest dated work, Daśavataracharita, "an account of the ten incarnations of the god Viṣnu").^[8]

Extant works

Around eighteen of Kshemendra's works are still extant while fourteen more are known only through references in other literature.^[6] In addition to the genres listed below, he also composed plays, descriptive poems, a satirical novel, a history, and possibly a commentary on the Kāma Sūtra.^[9]

Abridgements

• Ramāyaṇamanjari — Verse abridgement of the Ramayana (Sanskrit)
• Bhāratamanjari — Verse abridgement of the Mahabharata (Sanskrit)
• Brihatkathāmanjari — Verse abridgement of the Brihatkatha (Sanskrit)

Poetics

• Auchitya Vichāra Charchā
• Kavikanthābharaṇa
• Suvrittatilaka

Satires

• Kalāvilasā — "A Dalliance with Deceptions"
• Samaya Mātrikā — "The Courtesan's Keeper" (Sanskrit)
• Narmamālā — "A Garland of Mirth"
• Deśopadeśa — "Advice from the Countryside"

Didactic works

• Nitikalpataru
• Darpadalana
• Chaturvargasaṃgraha
• Chārucharya
• Sevyasevakopadeśa'
• Lokaprakāśa
• Stūpāvadāna — See Saratchandra Das (ed.), 'Stupavadana', Journal and Text of the Buddhist Society of India, vol.11, pt.1, p. 15.

Devotional works

• Avadānakalpalatā — Former lives and good deeds of Buddha (English)
• Daśavataracharita — Ten incarnations of Vishnu (Sanskrit)

Historical Work

• Nrpavali^[10]

Notes

References

• Kshemendra (2011). Three Satires: From Ancient Kashmir. Translated by Haksar, A. N. D. Penguin Books. ISBN 9780143063230.
• Warder, Anthony Kennedy (1992). Indian Kāvya Literature: The art of storytelling. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 9788120806153.

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