March 2021
Joint Endeavours
I have mentioned earlier about my first meeting with T S Venkannayya and A R Krishna Shastri. That was in 1915–16, just after the establishment of the Pariṣat. Even so, my friendship with Venkannayya became deeper only a few years later. He shifted his house to Shankarapuram sometime in 1920–21 perhaps. We would meet at least once a day. On so many occasions, we would spend half the day together.
At that time, my biography of...
ಶ್ಯಾಮಿಲಕ
ಗುಪ್ತಯುಗದ ಮತ್ತೊಬ್ಬ ವಿಶಿಷ್ಟಕವಿ ಶ್ಯಾಮಿಲಕ. ಈತನದಾಗಿ ನಮಗೆ ಉಳಿದಿರುವುದು “ಪಾದತಾಡಿತಕ” ಎಂಬ ಭಾಣವೊಂದೇ. ಇದೊಂದು ರೂಪಕವೇ ಅವನ ಪ್ರತಿಭೆ-ವ್ಯುತ್ಪತ್ತಿಗಳನ್ನೂ ಲೋಕಪರಿಜ್ಞಾನವನ್ನೂ ಸಮರ್ಥವಾಗಿ ತಿಳಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ಇದರ ಪ್ರಸ್ತಾವನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಅವನಾಡುವ ಎರಡು ಮಾತುಗಳು ಕಾವ್ಯಮೀಮಾಂಸೆಯ ದೃಷ್ಟಿಯಿಂದ ಮಹತ್ತ್ವದ್ದಾಗಿವೆ.
ಮೊದಲಿಗೆ ಆಲಂಕಾರಿಕರು ಹೇಳುವ “ಪದಪಾಕ”ವನ್ನು ಅವನು ವ್ಯಾಪಕಾರ್ಥದಲ್ಲಿ ಸಮಗ್ರಕಾವ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ಅನ್ವಯಿಸಿ ಕಂಡಿರುವ ಪರಿ ಸ್ಮರಣೀಯ:
ಇದಮಿಹ ಪದಂ ಮಾ ಭೂದೇವಂ ಭವತ್ವಿದಮನ್ಯಥಾ
ಕೃತಮಿದಮಯಂ ಗ್ರಂಥೇನಾರ್ಥೋ...
Early next morning Śiva came to the maṭha. Mādhava hailed a messenger in the morning and ordered him – “Take this pair of clothes, hand it over to the rāja-purohita Śaṅkara-svāmī and tell him, ‘A prince named Mādhava, having been defeated by his cousins, has come from the Dakṣiṇāpatha, bringing along with him the immense wealth that once belonged to his father. There are other men of royal birth who have come with him as well. He to serve his...
Feeling of Oneness
Sharma took interest in getting to know the progress in the life and career of the students who had graduated from the college with a vidvat. He made it a point to enquire about their well-being through his circle of acquaintances or by writing letters.
Yet another unique quality that we will need to recollect at this juncture is the commitment with which Sharma wrote letters. Today, the world has lost the practice of writing...
Gist
ಭರತಕುಲದುಭಯವಾಹಿನಿ
ಕುರುರಂಗದಿ ಸೇರಿ ಸಮರಶಂಖಂ ಮೊಳಗಲ್ ।
ನರನುತ್ಸಹಿಸದೆ ಕೃಷ್ಣಂ
ಗೊರೆದಂ ತನಗಾದ ಧರ್ಮಸಂಕಟಭಯಮಮ್ ॥
When the two armies of Bharata’s descendants
met at Kurukṣetra, and the war-conch sounded,
Arjuna, having lost his will
told Kṛṣṇa of his fear and doubt about his dharma
Substance
When the armies of the Kauravas and Pāṇḍavas gathered at Kurukṣetra, known as dharma-kṣetra—the abode of dharma—Arjuna beheld his elders and relatives in front...
ಕಾಳಿದಾಸನ ಪರಿಣತಪ್ರಜ್ಞೆಯ ಫಲವಾದ “ರಘುವಂಶ”ಮಹಾಕಾವ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾವ್ಯಮೀಮಾಂಸೆಯ ಮೌಲ್ಯಗಳು ಸಾಕಷ್ಟಿವೆ. ಅವನು ಮಂಗಳಶ್ಲೋಕದಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಲೋಕೋತ್ತರವಾದ ಕಾವ್ಯದರ್ಶನವನ್ನು ಮಾಡಿಸುತ್ತಾನೆ:
ವಾಗರ್ಥಾವಿವ ಸಂಪೃಕ್ತೌ ವಾಗರ್ಥಪ್ರತಿಪತ್ತಯೇ |
ಜಗತಃ ಪಿತರೌ ವಂದೇ ಪಾರ್ವತೀಪರಮೇಶ್ವರೌ || (೧.೧)
ಮಾತು ಮತ್ತು ಅರ್ಥಗಳಂತೆ ಅವಿಭಾಜ್ಯರಾಗಿ ಜಗತ್ತಿನ ಜನನೀಜನಕರೆನಿಸಿದ ಪಾರ್ವತೀ-ಪರಮೇಶ್ವರರನ್ನು ಮಾತು ಮತ್ತು ಅರ್ಥಗಳ ಪ್ರಾಪ್ತಿಗಾಗಿ ವಂದಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ.
ಈ ಶ್ಲೋಕದ ಸ್ವಾರಸ್ಯ ಬಹುಮುಖವಾದುದು. ಇಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಮೊದಲ ಬಾರಿಗೆ ಅರ್ಧನಾರೀಶ್ವರತತ್ತ್ವ ಮತ್ತು...
Magnanimity of Seshadri Iyer
But Seshadri Iyer was a great person. He wouldn’t bring the political animosity to the personal relations. He had accepted the greatness of Venkatakrishnaiah wholeheartedly. Two or three of Seshadri Iyer’s children were dedicated students of Venkatakrishnaiah. While Krishna Iyer was the deputy commissioner, the recommendations of Venkatakrishnaiah were honored.
Venkatakrishnaiah was upbeat in providing letters of...
Caturdārikā-lambaka
मदघूर्णितवक्त्रोत्थैः सिन्दूरैश्छुरयन्महीम्।
हेरम्बः पातु वो विघ्नान् स्वतेजोभिर्दहन्निव॥
(Kathā-sarit-sāgara 5.1.1)
Gaṇeśa’s intoxicated nodding of head is making sindhūra applied on his face fall off, whose sprinkling on the ground is colouring the earth – it appears as though, his tejas is sprinkling forth to remove obstacles
Vatsarāja’s only worry was his son’s well-being. To ease his concerns, Yaugandharāyaṇa...