Kakawin Bhāratayuddha is an

Old Javanese Old Javanese or Kawi is the oldest attested phase of the Javanese language. It was spoken in the eastern part of what is now Central Java and the whole of East Java, Indonesia. As a literary language, Kawi was used across Java and on the island ...

poetical rendering of some books (''parva'') of the ''

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...

'' by Mpu Sedah and his brother

Mpu Panuluh Mpu Panuluh was a Javanese literary poet who lived during the Jayabaya reign of the Kadiri Kingdom in Java, Indonesia. He is especially well known for completing writing of ''Kakawin Bhāratayuddha'' which was pioneered by his brother, Mpu Seda ...

in Indian meters (''kāvya'' or ''

Kakawin Kakawin are long narrative poems composed in Old Javanese, also called "'' Kawi''", written in verse form with rhythms and meters derived from Sanskrit literature. Poets used a formalized literary language, rather than the vernacular. Poets c ...

''). The commencement of this work was exactly 6 November 1157 by Sedah, and finished by Panuluh. The year of the composition is given in a chronogram ''sanga-kuda-śuddha-candramā'' which gives the year 1079 Saka. This is the equivalent of 1157 AD. Bhāratayuddha means "India's War" or "War of Bharat". It is about the great war between the Pāndavas and the

Kaurava ''Kaurava'' is a Sanskrit term which refers to descendants of Kuru, a legendary king of India who is the ancestor of many of the characters of the epic ''Mahabharata''. Usually, the term is used for the 100 sons of King Dhritarashtra and his wif ...

s on the

Kuru Kuru may refer to: Anthropology and history * Kuru (disease), a type of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy associated with the cannibalistic funeral practices of the Fore people * Kuru (mythology), part of Meithei mythology * Kuru Kingdom, ...

field.

Manuscripts of Bhāratayuddha

With some hundred

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printing, printed or repr ...

s that are listed in the catalogues of public libraries in various countries, Kakawin Bhāratayuddha is by far the most-often copied extant Old Javanese work.

Bibliography

* J. G. H. Gunning, 1903, ''Bhârata-yuddha: Oudjavaansch Heldendicht''. ‘s-Gravenhage:Martinus Nijhoff. (Text edition in Javanese characters). * S. Supomo, 1993, ''Bhâratayuddha'',

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

:International Academy of Indian Culture. * P. J. Zoetmulder, 1974, ''Kalangwan. A Survey of Old Javanese Literature'',

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

:Martinus Nijhoff. (Recension, pp. 256–262)

Manuscripts of Bhāratayuddha

Bibliography

See also