The Samaya Mātrikā ( en: ''The Courtesan's Keeper'') is a

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposin ...

written by the 11th-century Kashmiri poet Kshemendra. Originally written in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

, the work has since been translated into English by A. N. D. Haksar.

Description

History

''Samaya Matrika'', or ''The Courtesan's Keeper'', was written by the Kashmiri poet Kshemendra. The poet was born in Kashmir in the 11th century, and much of his body of work was set in the Kashmir region. He studied both

Vaishnavism Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole Para Brahman, supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, ''Mahavishnu''. It is one of the majo ...

and

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

, and was versed in several

vedic upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed ...

texts.Warder, Anthony Kennedy (1992). ''Indian Kāvya Literature: The art of storytelling''. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publ. . pp. 365 After years of recording, abridging, and translating various texts, the poet began to produce his own works, one of which would become ''Samaya Matrika''.Kshemendra (2011). ''Three Satires: From Ancient Kashmir''. Translated by Haksar, A. N. D. Penguin Books. . The work was produced post 1037, the year in which the author began to transition to writing original content. While many of his works were poems, historical epics, and abridgments of Hindu texts, ''Samaya Matrika'' was written to be a work of satire. The work pokes fun at the upper class (nobles and merchants), the clergy, the poor, the seasonal harvest, and the government. In doing so, the document has been cited as providing historians an insight into the day-to-day lives of people in the Medieval-era Kashmir valley. The story takes place in an urban setting, and there are notably a few mentions of far-away Chinese and Turkish peoples.

Plot

The work of satire follows the exploits of Kankali, a worldly Kashmiri

courtesan A courtesan is a prostitute with a courtly, wealthy, or upper-class clientele. Historically, the term referred to a courtier, a person who attended the court of a monarch or other powerful person. History In European feudal society, the co ...

who is given ward-ship over a younger woman, Kalavati. The two travel throughout Kashmir, with Kankali using her

shapeshifting In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shapeshifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through unnatural means. The idea of shapeshifting is found in the oldest forms of totemism and shamanism, as well as the oldest existen ...

abilities to instruct her younger ward in the ways of the world; these lessons and observations in turn show Kalavati the general silliness of people. Kankali is also keen to point out the contradictions seen in people's behavior, such as priests re-selling temple offerings and monks breaking their vows. Alternatively, Kankali shows her ward the unsung nobility of others, such as a porter who carries water to nearby fields for farming and a noble magistrate who shirks personal wealth to deal fairly with the people.

References

{{reflist Indian satire Kashmiri literature 11th-century Sanskrit literature