May 2021
Gist
ಸ್ಮಿತದಿಂ ಸೌಹೃದವೀಕ್ಷಾ-
ಮೃತದಿಂ ಫಲ್ಗುಣನ ಸಂತವಿಡುತವನುಲಿದಾ
ಮತಿಮೋಹವ ನೀಗುವ ಜೀ-
ವಿತತ್ತ್ವವ ಪಾಡಿದಂ ಜಗದ್ಗುರು ಕೃಷ್ಣಂ || 1 ||
With a smile and a nectar-like glance of friendship,
the world-teacher, Kṛṣṇa, sang the essence of life,
curing Phalguṇa’s (Arjuna’s) mind delusion
that caused him to utter words of unhappiness.
ಅವಿಚಾರದ ಕೃಪೆಯೇಂ ತ-
ತ್ತ್ವವಿಮರ್ಶಾಧಾರಮಿರದ ಧರ್ಮಾಸ್ಥೆಯದೇಂ
ಸವಿಷಾದ ವಿರಕ್ತಿಯದೇಂ
ನವಕುಸುಮಾಸ್ತರಣಗುಪ್ತಗರ್ತಂ ಸುಖಮೇಂ || 2 ||
What is...
ಭವಭೂತಿ
ಮಹಾಕವಿ ಭವಭೂತಿಯ ರೂಪಕಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಆತನ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿತ್ವ ಮತ್ತು ಕೃತಿತ್ವಗಳಲ್ಲದೆ ಕಾವ್ಯಮೀಮಾಂಸೆಯ ಸೂಚನೆಗಳೂ ಗಣ್ಯವಾಗಿವೆ. ಅವುಗಳನ್ನು ಪರಾಮರ್ಶಿಸಬಹುದು. “ಮಾಲತೀಮಾಧವ”ದ ಪ್ರಸ್ತಾವನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ತನ್ನೀ ರೂಪಕದ ವೈಶಿಷ್ಟ್ಯವನ್ನು ಹೀಗೆ ಹೇಳಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಾನೆ:
ಭೂಮ್ನಾ ರಸಾನಾಂ ಗಹನಪ್ರಯೋಗಾಃ
ಸೌಹಾರ್ದಹೃದ್ಯಾನಿ ವಿಚೇಷ್ಟಿತಾನಿ |
ಔದ್ಧತ್ಯಮಾಯೋಜಿತಕಾಮಸೂತ್ರಂ
ಚಿತ್ರಾಃ ಕಥಾ ವಾಚಿ ವಿದಗ್ಧತಾ ಚ || (ಮಾಲತೀಮಾಧವ, ೧.೪)
ರಸಸಮೃದ್ಧಿಯಿಂದ ಕೂಡಿದ ಗಹನವಾದ ಸಂವಿಧಾನಕ, ಸ್ನೇಹ-ವಿಶ್ವಾಸಗಳಿಂದ ಪ್ರೇರಿತವಾದ ವರ್ತನೆಗಳು,...
Kaliṅgasenā who was pleased looking at the dolls forgot her hunger. She refused to eat anything that was offered to her. Her worried mother thought that she must have developed some kind of disease in her body and took her to the doctor. Upon looking at her, he said – ‘She has become like this because of extreme joy. Look at her eyes! They have blossomed so well! Look at her face! She seems to be laughing!’ When the mother asked her the reason...
Ratnana Padagaḻu(‘The Sayings of Ratna’)
The literary work that firmly placed Rajarathnam in the hearts of the people of Karnataka is Ratnana Padagaḻu, which was published in 1930s. Yeṇḍkuḍka (drunkard) Ratna launched a new genre in Kannada literature. But the best was also the first and the only: Rajarathnam’s. In the beginning, there were a few efforts to imitate this work, but it didn’t take much time for those attempts to flop! There wouldn’...
2. Faith in Ancient Traditions
Seasoned by Critical Analysis[1]
It has been thirty years since Venkannayya left for his heavenly abode. Even so, that sorrow is still fresh in my heart. The sadness of bereavement is not unfamiliar to me. But I feel that the wound caused by Venkannayya’s demise will never heal. What could be the reason for this unusual depression?
If I set out to give reasons for love and sorrow, it would be a grave injustice to...
Volume Three (1923–1927)
DVG congratulated the Hindu Mahasabha on its attempt to consolidate our community. He explained the salience of the endeavour and the perils of neglecting it:
When Mahomedans and Parsis and Christians are developing a vivid sense of religious community, the avoidance of that sense by Hindus alone would be clearly suicidal. Further, the Sanghatan movement, by fusing the narrower prejudices of caste and...
Satkāvya and Adhyātma
Among the readers, those who have seen a Nāgarakaṭṭe of the yesteryears might recognise the twin serpents sculpted in stone there. The sculpture depicts two serpents, intertwined like a braid, facing each other, and affectionately staring at each other. Similar to those two serpents, there were two abiding interests that occupied Venkannayya’s inner life. One was satkāvya [good literature] and the other was adhyātma [...
Kaliṅgasenā grew up. Once while she was playing on the terrace, Somaprabhā, the daughter of Mayāsura saw her and thought, ‘Who is this girl who is radiant like the Moon? I think we were friends in our past lives; or else why would I feel so much affection towards her!’ She came down and became friends with her. Then she said, “Living with princes is an ordeal; they are quickly angered from even trivial mistakes; I’ll narrate you the story of the...