Question

Which one of the following is not Kannada work?
A) Ratnakaravarni's 'Bharatesha Vaibhava’
B) Chamarasa's 'Prabhulingaleele'
C) Lakkannadandesha's 'Shivatatva Chintamani’
D) Vidyaranya's 'Shankara Vijaya’

Answer 1

Hint: The Vijayanagar Empire made significant contributions to literature. In Kannada, Sanskrit, Telugu, and Tamil, various works were created. The notable Kannada works of the time are Ratnakaravarni's 'Bharateshavaibhava,' and Chamarasa's 'Prabhulingaleele.' Human medical science, veterinary science, poetics, astrology, and cooking books were published in Kannada. In Sanskrit, Vidyaranya penned 'Shankaravijaya' and 'Sarvadarshana Samgraha.' In Krishnadevaraya's court, there were eight famous poets known as the Asthadiggajas. Tamil poets were also present in his court.

Complete answer:
Let us now consider each options:
A) Ratnakaravarni's 'Bharatesha Vaibhava’: Ratnakaravarni was a Kannada poet and writer who lived in the 16th century. He is regarded as a pioneer in the local shatpadi and sangatya metric traditions, which became famous in Kannada literature during the reign of the Vijayanagara Empire in modern-day Karnataka. Thus, this is an incorrect option.

B) Chamarasa's 'Prabhulingaleele':Prabhulingaleele is an epic poem written in the shatpadi metre by Indian Virashaiva poet Chamarasa. Shatabdi is a Kannada prosody native metre that has been widely employed in Kannada poetry. It normally has six padas of syllables in each line, split into groups of a defined number of matra (beats). Thus, this is an incorrect option.

C) Lakkannadandesha's 'Shivatatva Chintamani’: It is a 15th-century classic written in Kannada by a Veerasaiva general of Devaraya II, Emperor of Vijayanagara, and deals with the lives of several Veerasaiva saints who attempted to liberalise caste-bound society with simple teachings through their jobs. Thus, this is an incorrect option.

D) Vidyaranya's 'Shankara Vijaya’: Harihara I and Bukka Raya I, the founders of the Vijayanagara Empire, referred to Vidyaranya as a kingmaker, patron saint, and high priest. He was also a well-known Sanskrit author. Madhavia Shankara Vijaya, also known as Samkshepa-Shankara-Vijaya, was written by Vidyaranya. The book is about Shankara Bhagavat-life Pada's and accomplishments. Thus, this is the correct option.

Hence, option D) Vidyaranya's 'Shankara Vijaya’ is the correct answer. That is, Vidyaranya's 'Shankara Vijaya’ is not a Kannada work.

Note: Parasara-Madhaviya and the Sarvadarsanasangraha, "Compilation of School of Philosophies," a compendium of all known Indian schools of philosophy, are two of Vidyaranya's most notable works. The Sarvadarsanasangraha "sketches sixteen systems of thinking so as to demonstrate a continuously ascending succession, culminating in the Advaita Vedanta (or non-dualism)," according to Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.