Kalīlah wa Dimnah’ stirred & fired imagination of writers in West also: Prof. Abdul Ali

Kalīlah wa Dimnah’ stirred & fired imagination of writers in West also: Prof. Abdul Ali

Bhopal, January 21 (Pervez Bari): The diffusion of Indian literary wisdom through the Arabic monumental works, "Kalīlah wa Dimnah" and “The Arabian Nights” was not confined to the Arab world alone. It rather stirred and fired the imagination of writers in the West also. It only became an inseparable part of European folklore, but also contributed to the development of modern literary genres, particularly the novel, the story and drama. In view of the great impact it has exerted on European writers, Prof. Louis Massignon (July 25, 1883–October 31, 1962), a French scholar of Islam and its history, has rightly observed that it quickened the mentality of Europe which the Greek and Roman fables had made dull and languid.
When modern writers of the East in general and those of Egypt and Syria in particular, started studying and borrowing new Western ideas and literary forms, it was to a great extent the old Indo-Perso-Arabian wine in new European bottles.
The above observations were made by Prof. Abdul Ali of Aligarh Muslim University while delivering his keynote address in the three-day international seminar on “Arabic Panchatantra and Indo-Arab Cultural Relations” which concluded here in Bhopal recently. The seminar was organized by Barkatullah University, Bhopal, wherein eminent scholars from Kuwait, Lanka and from all over India participated.
Prof. Ali said that the “Panchatantra” (five chapters), a Sanskrit collection of animal fables, work is a frame story containing numerous fables aimed at teaching man political wisdom and shrewdness. It was intended to guide people to right behaviour as well as to instruct rulers in the law of polity. It also contains a fine analytical account of human psychology and sentiments. The original Sanskrit work, now lost, was a mixture of Sanskrit prose and stanzas of verse. It was written by a learned Brahmin named Vishnusarman in the 4th century in Kashmir.
Two hundred years later this book, he said, was first translated into Pahlavi (old Persian) by Burzoe at the instance of the Sassanid king Khusraw Anushirwan (531-579 AD), who is said to have taken keen interest in Indian literature and science. He was also well informed about the significance of the book “Panchatantra”. When he sent his personal physician Burzawaih to India in search of its scientific and medical works the latter brought with him, in addition to scientific works, the game of chess and “Panchatantra”.
Then about two hundred years later the same Pahlavi version of the book was translated into Arabic by Ibn al-Muqaffa (d. 760 AD) in the middle of eighth century under the title "Kalīlah wa Dimnah" after the two jackal-councellors to the lion king in the frame story. “Dimnah” is depicted as cunning, shrewd, jealous and evil while “Kalilah” is portrayed goody-goody This Arabic version of the book has got a special significance in the sense that the Persian rendering of it was also lost, as was the Sanskrit original.
The Arabic version, therefore, became not only one of the earliest secular prose works in Arabic, but also the basis of existing translations into the major languages of the world including, besides European tongues, Hebrew, Turkish, Ethiopic, Icelandic, Malay, Javanese, Laotian and Siamese. In the 19th century it was translated into Hindustani, thus, completing the circle which had started 1700 years ago in Kashmir. It is worthy of mention in this context that the five chapters of the original “Panchatantra” became six chapters in its Arabic version.
The overwhelming impact of the book "Kalīlah wa Dimnah" is clearly visible in a number of early collections of Latin stories. The renowned French writer Jean de La Fontaine (1621-95 AD) clearly admitted to having been greatly influenced by the stories of “Kalīlah wa Dimnah”. It s quite obvious that he took the basic material of his fables, ranking among the greatest masterpieces of French literature, from this great Arabic work of Indian wisdom and other Eastern sources.
Prof. Abdul Qadir Jafari, Head of Department of Arabic/Persian in Allahabad University, presented a paper entitled “Story Writing with special reference to "Kalīlah wa Dimnah” and its Persian versions”. Prof Jafari said Abu Abdullah Rudaki (d. 940 AD) transformed the Arabic "Kalīlah wa Dimnah” into Persian verses. Later it was rendered into Persian prose by Nasrullah Mustaufi. The high flown language, full of metaphorical and other ingenious devices, ended in rhymed constructions. Invariably, verses were abundantly mixed with prose. Being closer to poetry it naturally allowed all sorts of exaggeration.
Prof. Jafari said that in fact this widely known book "Kalīlah wa Dimnah” of Nasrullah Mustaufi (537/1144) was based on the model of Maqamat. Taking into account the typical character of Maqamat literature, it must be accepted that no genuine historian would have preferred it for narrative purpose. Sir Denison Ross wrote “It is a fact that Nasrullah’s text abounds in Arabic quotations, but otherwise the style and language are exceedingly simple while Kashif’s text furnished an example of that rhetorical hyperbole and exaggerated metaphor which though giving much pleasure to those who enjoy linguistic gymnastics and furnishing an admirable text books for students of Persian language, is wearisome in the extreme for those who merely wish to read the stories for their own sake.
He said 14 versions of "Kalīlah wa Dimnah” in Arabic and Persian are available and after an analytical study of these versions it can safely be said that the stories have been transferred from one book to another in such a manner that despite their uniformity in type they are different in style of presentation. In addition the reader also gets the feeling of repetition in their texts.
This book is so fascinatingly beautiful that despite the passage of thousands of years since it was written it has still appeal for the human mind and mirrors the gradual development of man and human society, Prof. Jafari concluded.
Dr. Laila Khalf Al-Sabaan, Professor of Linguistics in Kuwait University, presented a paper on “Indo-Arab relationship” with special reference to book "Kalīlah wa Dimnah". She talked about bilateral cultural relations between India and Arab world and the role of this book in bringing these two nations together.
She was all praise and thankful to Abdallah Ibn al-Maqaffa, the author of "Kalīlah wa Dimnah”, for providing an opportunity to Arabs and Indians to understand and come closer to each other. He gave them a chance to analyze and give boost to their literary works.
Dr. Laila, while emphasizing the significance of the book "Kalīlah wa Dimnah", said the translations of Indian, Persian and Greek books of literature in the Al-Ma'mun (The Abbasid Caliph) period were of great literary and cultural importance.
Dr. Joshna Nigam of Sanskrit Department in Barkatullah University in her paper said that while translating "Kalīlah wa Dimnah” the originality of the text has not been maintained as many changes have occurred, though animal characters have remained as t is.
Dr Joshna said in "Kalīlah wa Dimnah” together with advisory there is talk of through the characters of animals to teach humanity how to understand people, bow to choose reliable and trustworthy friends, how to meet difficulties and solve problems through tact and wisdom, and how to live in peace and harmony in the face of hypocrisy, deceit and many pitfalls in life. Besides there is mention of importance social values in life and political upheaval and its intricacies which have been underscored through tales in the book, she pointed out.
Dr. Maya Dube also of Sanskrit Department in Barkatullah University said in "Kalīlah wa Dimnah” factors influencing entire mankind and human society have been discussed to bring a revolution in practical, educational, literary and social life of man. The book has played a basic role in boosting cultural values between Indian and Arab world relations, she opined.
Dr. Syed Jahangir, ex-chairperson of Centre of Arabic Studies, the English & Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, chairing the sixth and last session of the seminar in his presidential address observed that for the success of this seminar it is sufficient that experts of Sanskrit, Persian and Arabic openly, without any inhibitions, discussed the topic and translated the books of Arabic and Sanskrit.
Dr. Jahangir congratulated Mohammad Hassan Khan, Head of the Arabic Department of Barkatullah University, and Prof. Mrs. Ayisha Rais, Professor of Arabic & Dean Faculty of Arts, Barkatullah University, and their colleagues for their untiring efforts in convening a successful seminar on such an important topic.
The Arab world through translating "Kalīlah wa Dimnah” introduced the ethos of Indian cultural and educational values to the world, he noted.
It may be recalled that Prof. Ravindra Jain in his presidential address in the inaugural session of the seminar had said that Arabs are very intelligent people and are ahead of Indians. They took full advantage of the literature in Sanskrit and Hindi which flourished in India during the period of the Rig-Veda and Upanishads (from 1500 B.C. to 500 B.C.) and translated it into Persian and Arabic.
In all 30 papers were presented in the seminar were in Arabic, Persian, Urdu, English and Hindi languages in total six sessions spread over three days. The foreign participants were Dr. Laila Al-Sabaan & Prof. Laila Usman (both from Kuwait University, Kuwait) and Prof. Humdoon Mohiuddin (Sri Lanka). Among other Indian scholars who presented their papers included Prof. Kafeel Ahmad Qasmi (from Aligarh Muslim University), Prof. Fayyaz-ul-Huq (from Allahabad University), Prof. Manzoor Ahmad (Kashmir University), Prof. Mustafa Shareef, Prof. Abdul Majeed, Dr. Abdul Jameel Khan & Dr. Syed Abdurrahman (all four from Osmania University, Hyderabad), Prof. Iqbal Hussain & Dr. Syed Jahangir (both from English & Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad), Dr. Fazlullah Shareef (Avanti College, Hyderabad), Maulana Shoeb Koti (Mumbai), Maulana Dr. Afroz Qasmi, Sr. Journalist Arif Aziz; Dr. Iftekhar Masood; Maulana Syed Sharafat Ali Nadwi, Maulana Ahsan Ali Khan Nadwi, Maulana Dr. Javed Zafar Nadwi, Ms Khaledah Siddiqui, Dr. Marzia Arif, Dr. Sangeeta Gundecha, Dr. Shamsa Arif, Dr. Mohammad Hassan Khan & Prof. Ayisha Rais (all from Bhopal) etc. (pervezbari@eth.net)