Harivar Vipra is an Assamese writer of the ancient age. He translated the Asvamedha Parva of the Mahabharata, and he may rightly be regarded as the precursor of the Vaishnava literary dawn that followed subsequently. His Vabruvakanaryuddha is a poem of war and adventure, of local colour and tender emotions, that is woven round the mythological theme of Arjuna`s encounter with his own son, born of Chitrangada of Manipur. The dialogues of fearlessness not only brings alive the epic processes of the Kavya, but also intensifies its dramatic incidents and situation.
The appeal of scenes like Arjuna calling himself a "tiger" and his contestant a mere "goat" in the tiger`s grip, and Vabruvahana twitting at Arjuna and belittling the latter`s bravery displayed against the Kauravas (Kapasa Katiya Sasa Diwaya Lawara) is intensely popular. The fighting scene is described with gusto and the style displayed throughout show the poet at his exuberant best. The pangs of Chitrangada at the slaughter of her husband in the battlefield, is beautifully enunciated as condemns her son Vabruvahana as "far worse than Parasurama" who is guilty of matricide. The Kavya presents a contrast between youth and age, pride and prejudice, passion and war and, above all, between Arjuna`s past achievements and heroism in battle and present predicament at the hands of his own son. This lyrical re-appraisal is one of the best parts of the poem. In contrast to these scenes of failure and futility are presented scenes of music and great festivity when Arjuna is revived to life, and the two combatants, father and son, are united into understanding and affection once again.
Lava-Kusaryuddha is another noted work of Harivar Vipra. It is the story of Lord Rama and his two sons in exile and the fight that ensued between the father and his sons. The emphasis is less on episodes like the abduction of Sita by Ravana or her ordeal of fire and more on events that followed as a sequel to these. The author shows his poetic qualities at their best when he describes Rama`s crisis of conscience on the one hand and the compelling force of an ideal on the other. Though Rama`s loyalty to an ideal ultimately proved stronger than his own personal emotions, the latter, however, proved stronger when he started weeping desperately like a child over Sita`s banishment to the forest. The poet portrays with skill and craftsmanship the forest scene with different varieties of trees, at least seventy, laden with fruits and flowers.
