Hindi sahitya ka itihas aur kaal vibhajan/ the history of Hindi literature

 Hindi sahitya ka itihas aur kaal ka namakaran

No language or way of life arises abruptly. All ideas take time to germinate and spread among a large number of people hence channeling a language and literature in a certain direction. So, there is no such date from which Hindi language and literature emerged, it emerged over time and there is a great debate about who what the first Hindi writer or which language should be included as Hindi and which should be excluded in the early stages of the langauge. Similarly, any language or thinking takes a long time to disappear. Literature is known to be affected by changes in the society. 

The need for kaal-vibhajan 

Kaal vibhajan means to divide the entire timeline of Hindi literature into various parts depending on political factors, social factors, name of a great political leader like Gandhiji or the name of a great writer who helped shape the literature of the successors in a certain manner (eg. Bharatendu Harishchandra), etc.

Kaal vibhajan makes the study of the literature simpler and more convenient. 

It also helps to understand the literature of any given period in a systematic manner and not in an abrupt manner. 

It helps to understand which factors helped shape the literature of a given period in a particular way. 

It also tells us which factors lead to the development of a certain kind of literature. 

Hindi literature has been affected by many factors at any given time, however, sometimes Bhakti, sometimes politics, sometimes Shringaar have had the greatest impact of the literature of a given period. 

There are many incidences which have a great effect on the society of any given period. But, only those factors which affect the hearts and minds of the people as a whole helps shape literature of the succeeding periods. That is why at some positions, a political leader like Gandhiji lends his name to literature while at others, the likes of Munshi Premchand who help define a certain kind of literature, novels in this case, help to give name to the kaal.

Aitihasik Kaal Vibhajan (Kaal vibhajan on the basis of history)

Aadi kaal, Madhya kaal, Adhunik kaal

On the basis of the shashak or the ruler (political causes)
Elizabeth yuga, Victorian yuga, Maratha yuga

On the basis of people who bring a fresh language

Dwivedi yuga, Bharatendu yuga, Munshi Premchand brought about a special style and defined the style of Hindi Upanyas which is like the novel. Upanyas in Hindi Sahitya is divided into three sections- Poorva Premchand Yuga (Pre Premchand times), Premchand Yuga (THe times of Premchand), and Premchand Uttar Yuga (The times after Premchand).

On the basis of political leaders-

Gandhi yuga, Nehru Yuga, Stalin Yuga

On the basis of national, social, cultural movements-

Bhaktikaal, Punarjagran Kaal, Sudhar Kaal

Consider these examples of the various kaals_

Madhya Kaal- It brought about a new thinking related to the Bhakti movement

Dwivedi kaal (Sudhar kaal)- A change in vocabulary and words witnessed the transition from Reeti kaal to Punarjagaran Kaal.

Reeti kaal- It brought about a certain reeti or rule of composition with itself

Chhaya-waad and Pragati-waad are more such examples. 

Garsa da Dasi-

He was a French man who tried to write a history of the Hindi literature. He did not indulge in Kaal vibhajan but wrote a historical account of Hindi and Urdu authors.

Shiv Singh Saroj- It was a book which described 1000 Hindi poets and writers.

Kaal Vibhajan did not come into picture till his times. 

George Griyadson wrote 'The Modern Vernacular Literature of Hindustan' and it was published by Asiatic Society of India. 

Kaal Vibhajan started with this book. It was a primitive attempt towards Kaal Vibhajan. It was imperfect along many lines but it did inspire the future historians to do a more scientific Kaal Vibhajan. His Kaal Vibhajan looked like this:

• Chaarankaal (700 AD to 1300 AD)
• The Dharmik punarjagaran of the fifteenth century (Understanding of divinity grew afresh during these times)
• Prem Kavya of Jayasi (Jayasi wrote many poems about love)
• The Krishna Sampradaya of Braja (The Braja bhasha is a rich language full of poems adoring Krishna)
• The Mughal Court
• Tulasi-das
• Prem-Kavya (Prema means love and kavya means verse)
• The paravartees of Tulasi-das (Those who came after Tulasi)
• The eighteenth century
• India under the crown of Queen Victoria

It is very unscientific because this Kaal Vibhajan sometimes gives priority to the rulers like Victoria and the Mughals and sometimes it has named a complete kaal after a major kavi like Tulasi-das and sometimes it names a period after the tendencies (Prem-Kavya) and sometimes to a certain culture like (The Krishna lovers of Braja) and sometimes after the century like 'The Eighteenth Century'. 

But this does tell us about when the heart of the society was touched more by the ruler and when by a poet and when by no one and it was just 'The eighteenth century'. 

• It lacks the ek-rupata, it talks now about Victoria and then about Tulasidas. It does not take any particular critieria into account. 
• It does not tell about the tendencies in literature of a certain kaal. The pravritti of poetry of a certain kaal is lost when you call it 'Braj ka Krishna Sampradaya'. 

But, it was a good first attempt in that direction. 

Mishra Bandhu Vinod

The life of 5000 Hindi poets and the poetic analysis.

 

[SB1] The Kaal Vibhajan by Mishra Bandhu

·         Arambhik Kaal

o   Poorvarambhik kaal 700 to 1300 Vikrami Samvat

o   Uttar arambhik kaal 1334 to 1444 Vikrami Samvat

·         Madhyamik kaal

o   Poorv Madhyamik kaal 1445 to 1550

o   Praudh madhyamik kaal 1561 to 1680

·         Alankrit kaal

o   Poorv Alankrit kaal 1681 to 1790

o   Uttar Alankrit kaal 1790 to 1689

·         Parivartan kaal 1890 to 1925

·         Vartamaan kaak 1926 till date

 

Moolyankan-

It is more developed and has a wider scope than the kaal vibhajan by George Griyarson

The naam-karan is neither scientific nor uniform. ‘Alankrit kaal’ expresses the tendencies of sahitya. While all other names like ‘Parivartan kaal’, ‘Vartamaan kaal’, etc express the phase of development of Hindi Sahitya.

Apabhhramsha sahitya is also included in Hindi sahitya.

It encouraged the kaal vibhajan that would take place during the future.

 

Acharya Ramchandra Shukla

 

Aadi kaal (Veer-gatha kaal- 1050 to 1375)

Poorv Madhya kaal (Bhakti kaal  1375 to 1700)

Uttar Madhya kaal (Reeti kaal 1700 to 1900)

Adhunik kaal (1900 to present)

 

Dwivedi ji was against the name ‘Veer-gatha kaal’. It was because these works on veer-gatha or the tales of the bravery were  not available during the times of this kaal vibhajan. Few such works which still were available were still being debated for their authorship and truth that their contents contained. Besides, during these times of ‘Veer-gatha kaal’, such compositions which had remotely nothing to with veer-gatha or the tales of bravery were composed in bulks. For example-

Amir Khusro ki rachna

Siddha works, etc.

Yet, how can these times be called the ‘Veer-gatha kaal’ of sahitya?