Siribhoovalaya
Encyclopedia
The Siribhoovalaya is a unique work of multi-lingual literature
written by Kumudendu Muni
, a Jain
monk
. The work is unique in that it employs not alphabets, but is composed entirely in Kannada numerals. The Saangathya metre
of Kannada poetry
is employed in the work. It uses numerals 1 through 64 and employs various patterns or bandhas in a frame of 729 (27×27) squares to represent alphabets in nearly 18 scripts and over 700 languages. Some of the patterns used include the Chakrabandha, Hamsabandha, Varapadmabandha, Sagarabandha, Sarasabandha, Kruanchabandha, Mayurabandha, Ramapadabandha, Nakhabandha, etc. As each of these patterns are identified and decoded, the contents can be read.
The work is said to have around 600,000 verses, nearly 6 times as big as the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata
. Totally there are 26 chapters constituting it a big volume of which only three have been decoded.The author expounds that many philosophies which existed in the Jain classics are eloquently and skillfully interpreted in the work. It is also claimed to consist of works in several languages including Marathi
, Telugu
, Malayalam
, Prakrit
, Sanskrit
, etc., apart from Kannada. Different languages can be realised by assigning different alphabets to different numbers. All the major works in Sanskrit like the Ramayana
, Mahabharata
, the Vedas
and the Upanishad
s are said to be present in the text and can be unravelled with further deciphering of the code.
It is also believed to contain valuable information about various sciences including physics
, astronomy
, medicine
, history
, space travel
, etc. Karlamangalam Srikantaiah, the editor of the first edition, has claimed that the work contains instructions for travel in water and space travel. It is also said that the work contains information about the production of modern weapons.
Though written in Kannada its numerical enunciation enables the people of other languages to comprehend it in a lucid manner. It is said that all arts, literature are entwined in a total of 718 languages enmeshed in a mathematical and scientific canvas thus regarding the work as highly magnificent and amazing.
pandit
, learned of ancient manuscripts in the possession of a certain Jain Vidwan Dharnendra of Yalava, a town situated between Nandidurga and Chikballapura (see Kolar district
). Overcome by curiosity, and in a bid to get closer to the manuscripts, Yellappa Shastri married Dharnendra Pandis's niece. Upon the pandit's death, his children put up all his belongings for sale. Yellappa Shastri immediately pawned his wife's bangles and salvaged the manuscripts for himself.
The contents of the manuscript, which ran into over 1200 pages, baffled Yellappa Shastri. However, after 30 long years of arduous research, he succeeded in deciphering it partially and proceeded to publish the first volume of the book in 1953.
Recently ie on 05-09-2010, SarvabhashamayiiBhaashaa Siribhoovalaya grantha saara book released at HUBLI.(Publisher: SHRI KASHI SHESHA SHASTRI CHARITABLE TRUST, BANGALORE) In this book Sri SUDHARTHI HASSAN reveals that this original research work was actually done by SRI KARLAMANGALAM SHRIKANTHAIAH. He unfolds the true story of the research works.
by the Yugantara press in Bengaluru
. It was authored and edited by Yellappa Shastry (an Ayurvedic pandit), Karlamangalam Srikantiah (a freedom fighter) and Anantha Subbarao (who invented the Kannada typewriter). It was released under the aegis of the Kannada Sahitya Parishat
, Bengaluru.
The second and most recent edition of the book was released on March 9, 2003, by Pustaka Shakti publications in the presence of the Governor of Karnataka
, Mr T N Chaturvedi, and other eminent personalities like Dr S S Marulayya, writer Vyasaraya Ballal and Prof S K Ramachandra Rao. It has been edited by Dr T V Venkatachala Sastry and Dharmapal, the son of Yellappa Shastri.
, the first President of India, called it one of the 'wonders of the world'. Giants of Kannada literature like Kuvempu
, DVG, Pu Ti Na, Masti
and Dr Srikantashastri, among others, evinced keen interest in the book when it was first released. Prof Suniti Kumar Chatterji
is said to have exclaimed that the work deserved a doctorate by several universities.
Dr S Srikanta Sastry, a highly respected name in the study of Indian history and culture, has commented on the work thus,
Kannada literature
Kannada literature is the corpus of written forms of the Kannada language, a member of the Dravidian family spoken mainly in the Indian state of Karnataka and written in the Kannada script....
written by Kumudendu Muni
Kumudendu Muni
Kumudendu Muni was a Jain monk who authored Siribhoovalaya, a unique multi-lingual literary work. However, not much is known about this monk. Scholars are divided about when he lived. Karlamangalam Srikantaiah, the editor of the first edition, claims that the work may have been composed around 800...
, a Jain
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
. The work is unique in that it employs not alphabets, but is composed entirely in Kannada numerals. The Saangathya metre
Meter (poetry)
In poetry, metre is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse or lines in verse. Many traditional verse forms prescribe a specific verse metre, or a certain set of metres alternating in a particular order. The study of metres and forms of versification is known as prosody...
of Kannada poetry
Kannada poetry
Kannada poetry is poetry written in the Kannada language spoken in Karnataka. Karnataka is the land that gave birth to eight Jnanapeeth award winners, the highest honour bestowed for Indian literature...
is employed in the work. It uses numerals 1 through 64 and employs various patterns or bandhas in a frame of 729 (27×27) squares to represent alphabets in nearly 18 scripts and over 700 languages. Some of the patterns used include the Chakrabandha, Hamsabandha, Varapadmabandha, Sagarabandha, Sarasabandha, Kruanchabandha, Mayurabandha, Ramapadabandha, Nakhabandha, etc. As each of these patterns are identified and decoded, the contents can be read.
The work is said to have around 600,000 verses, nearly 6 times as big as the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
. Totally there are 26 chapters constituting it a big volume of which only three have been decoded.The author expounds that many philosophies which existed in the Jain classics are eloquently and skillfully interpreted in the work. It is also claimed to consist of works in several languages including Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
, Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
, Malayalam
Malayalam language
Malayalam , is one of the four major Dravidian languages of southern India. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India with official language status in the state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry. It is spoken by 35.9 million people...
, Prakrit
Prakrit
Prakrit is the name for a group of Middle Indic, Indo-Aryan languages, derived from Old Indic dialects. The word itself has a flexible definition, being defined sometimes as, "original, natural, artless, normal, ordinary, usual", or "vernacular", in contrast to the literary and religious...
, Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
, etc., apart from Kannada. Different languages can be realised by assigning different alphabets to different numbers. All the major works in Sanskrit like the Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
, Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
, the Vedas
Vedas
The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism....
and the Upanishad
Upanishad
The Upanishads are philosophical texts considered to be an early source of Hindu religion. More than 200 are known, of which the first dozen or so, the oldest and most important, are variously referred to as the principal, main or old Upanishads...
s are said to be present in the text and can be unravelled with further deciphering of the code.
It is also believed to contain valuable information about various sciences including physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
, medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
, history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, space travel
Spaceflight
Spaceflight is the act of travelling into or through outer space. Spaceflight can occur with spacecraft which may, or may not, have humans on board. Examples of human spaceflight include the Russian Soyuz program, the U.S. Space shuttle program, as well as the ongoing International Space Station...
, etc. Karlamangalam Srikantaiah, the editor of the first edition, has claimed that the work contains instructions for travel in water and space travel. It is also said that the work contains information about the production of modern weapons.
Though written in Kannada its numerical enunciation enables the people of other languages to comprehend it in a lucid manner. It is said that all arts, literature are entwined in a total of 718 languages enmeshed in a mathematical and scientific canvas thus regarding the work as highly magnificent and amazing.
Discovery
Early in the 20th century, Yellappa Shastri, an AyurvedicAyurveda
Ayurveda or ayurvedic medicine is a system of traditional medicine native to India and a form of alternative medicine. In Sanskrit, words , meaning "longevity", and , meaning "knowledge" or "science". The earliest literature on Indian medical practice appeared during the Vedic period in India,...
pandit
Pundit (India)
A Paṇḍit is a scholar, poet and vocalist, particularly one adept in the Sanskrit language. Typically a Saraswat Brahmin by birth, a Pandit memorizes a substantial portion of the Vedas for chanting of Hindu prayers during ritual ceremonies...
, learned of ancient manuscripts in the possession of a certain Jain Vidwan Dharnendra of Yalava, a town situated between Nandidurga and Chikballapura (see Kolar district
Kolar district
Kolar district is a district in Karnataka state of India. The town of Kolar is the district headquarters. Kolar district is located in the southern region of the State and is the eastern-most district of the Karnataka State...
). Overcome by curiosity, and in a bid to get closer to the manuscripts, Yellappa Shastri married Dharnendra Pandis's niece. Upon the pandit's death, his children put up all his belongings for sale. Yellappa Shastri immediately pawned his wife's bangles and salvaged the manuscripts for himself.
The contents of the manuscript, which ran into over 1200 pages, baffled Yellappa Shastri. However, after 30 long years of arduous research, he succeeded in deciphering it partially and proceeded to publish the first volume of the book in 1953.
Recently ie on 05-09-2010, SarvabhashamayiiBhaashaa Siribhoovalaya grantha saara book released at HUBLI.(Publisher: SHRI KASHI SHESHA SHASTRI CHARITABLE TRUST, BANGALORE) In this book Sri SUDHARTHI HASSAN reveals that this original research work was actually done by SRI KARLAMANGALAM SHRIKANTHAIAH. He unfolds the true story of the research works.
Author
The work is attributed to Jain monk Kumudendu Muni.He claims that he was guru of amoghavarsha of Manyakheta and a desciple of virasena and jinasena of Dhavala. However, not much is known about this monk. Scholars are divided about when he lived. Karlamangalam Srikantaiah, the editor of the first edition, claims that the work may have been composed around 800 AD. Dr Venkatachala Sastry, however, dates him and his work to the 15th century. He also claims that Kumudendu Muni belonged to a village called Yalavalli near Nandidurga in Chikkaballapura Taluk in Kolar district. He further dates the work to around the 1550-1600 period and suggests it might be even more recent.Publication
The work was first published in 19531953 in literature
The year 1953 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* January 22 - The Crucible, a drama by Arthur Miller, opens on Broadway....
by the Yugantara press in Bengaluru
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
. It was authored and edited by Yellappa Shastry (an Ayurvedic pandit), Karlamangalam Srikantiah (a freedom fighter) and Anantha Subbarao (who invented the Kannada typewriter). It was released under the aegis of the Kannada Sahitya Parishat
Kannada Sahitya Parishat
Kannada Saahithya Parishath is an Indian non-profit organisation that promotes the Kannada language. Its headquarters are in the city of Bangalore, in the state of Karnataka, India. It strives to promote Kannada through publishing books, organising literary seminars and promoting research projects...
, Bengaluru.
The second and most recent edition of the book was released on March 9, 2003, by Pustaka Shakti publications in the presence of the Governor of Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, Mr T N Chaturvedi, and other eminent personalities like Dr S S Marulayya, writer Vyasaraya Ballal and Prof S K Ramachandra Rao. It has been edited by Dr T V Venkatachala Sastry and Dharmapal, the son of Yellappa Shastri.
Reactions
Dr Rajendra PrasadRajendra Prasad
Dr. Rajendra Prasad was an Indian politician and educator. He was one of the architects of the Indian Republic, having drafted its first constitution and serving as the first president of independent India...
, the first President of India, called it one of the 'wonders of the world'. Giants of Kannada literature like Kuvempu
Kuvempu
Kuppali Venkatappagowda Puttappa was a Kannada writer and poet, widely regarded as the greatest poet of 20th century Kannada literature. He is the first among eight recipients of Jnanpith Award for Kannada. Puttappa wrote all his literary works using the pen name Kuvempu...
, DVG, Pu Ti Na, Masti
Masti
Masti may refer to:*Masti Venkatesh Iyengar, a Kannada writer*Masti , a 2004 Bollywood movie starring Ajay Devgan and Vivek Oberoi*Masti , a 2007 Kannada movie starring Upendra and Jennifer...
and Dr Srikantashastri, among others, evinced keen interest in the book when it was first released. Prof Suniti Kumar Chatterji
Suniti Kumar Chatterji
Suniti Kumar Chatterji was an Indian linguist, educationist and litterateur. He was born on 26 November 1890 at Shibpur in Howrah...
is said to have exclaimed that the work deserved a doctorate by several universities.
Dr S Srikanta Sastry, a highly respected name in the study of Indian history and culture, has commented on the work thus,
Trivia
- There are 16,000 chakras in all. Out of which only 1,270 chakras are available
- There are 9 kahnda"s in all. The available 1270 chakra"s belong to Prathama khanda (I)called Mangala Prabhruta.(This is only a syllabus of the Siri Bhoovalaya which contains 59 chapters)
- Remaining 8 Khanda's work not available.
- Out of these, only 90 have been deciphered from the available chakras(1270)
- The number of letters(in the form numerals) used are 14 lakhs.
- It has been claimed that it is possible to decipher 6 lakh Shlokas or verses.
- Since no contemporary pandit is conversant with the esoteric metres employed in the work, the work of deciphering is being done with the help of computers.
- The whareabouts of remaining chakra's (16,000 - 1,270) = 14,730 arenot known. Yet to be traced.