Kesiraja


Kēśirāja, also spelled Keshiraja, was a 13th-century Kannada grammarian, poet and writer. He is particularly known for authoring Shabdamanidarpana, an authoritative work on Kannada grammar. According to Dravidian scholar Sheldon Pollock, because of this work he is considered the "greatest theorist of Kannada grammar". He was also a scholar in Sanskrit as well and a court poet in the Hoysala Court.

Early life

Kesiraja was born in a literary family, comprising several well-known Kannada writers. His father, Mallikarjuna, was a Kannada poet and brother-in-law of the epic writer Janna. Kesiraja was also the grandson on his mother's side of another noted poet, Śankara, who was priest of the Yadava capital and poet laureate to Hoysala King Narasimha I. In some of his works, Kesiraja has referred to himself as Kesava.

Shabdamanidarpana

Shabdamanidarpana, was authored by Kesiraja in 1260 CE. This work remains a comprehensive, authoritative work on Kannada grammar. The rules mentioned therein were penned in kanda metre and followed a vrutti style. Though Kesiraja followed the model of Sanskrit grammar of the Katantra school, and that of earlier writings on Kannada grammar, his work has an originality of its own.
The text of Shabdamanidarpana begins with poetry ehalting earlier generations of writer who are cited by Kesiraja as authoritative examples:
An attempt at vocabulary building is provided in several parts of the work. There is a list of verbal roots and words containing ḷ and ḹ sounds. There is also a chapter called "PrayŌgasāra" where Kesiraja has quoted a number of rare words along with their meanings.

Passion for grammar

Kesiraja had a passion for grammar, which is evident from his writings through his work Shabdamanidarpana.

Literary works

Apart from his extant grammar Shabdamanidarpana, Kesiraja authored several other writings in Kannada, though they are deemed lost: