June 2021
It may be apt to recall the maxim of the English philosopher John Stuart Mill. It is not enough if one person forms an opinion or follows a certain set of actions because of faith in the words of others’ words. One should yearn to understand the exact reasons why a certain thing is good through one’s own analysis. Then the thing becomes truly beneficial. A belief that arises from blind faith may not be as fruitful.
The same words are stated by...
ಈತನ “ಬಾಲರಾಮಾಯಣ”ದ ಪ್ರಸ್ತಾವನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಭಾಷಾಸಾಮರಸ್ಯವನ್ನು ಮತ್ತೂ ಪ್ರಸ್ಫುಟವಾಗಿ ಕಾಣಬಹುದು:
ಗಿರಃ ಶ್ರವ್ಯಾ ದಿವ್ಯಾಃ ಪ್ರಕೃತಿಮಧುರಾಃ ಪ್ರಾಕೃತಧುರಾಃ
ಸುಭವ್ಯೋऽಪಭ್ರಂಶಃ ಸರಸರಚನಂ ಭೂತವಚನಮ್ |
ವಿಭಿನ್ನಾಃ ಪಂಥಾನಃ ಕಿಮಪಿ ಕಮನೀಯಾಶ್ಚ ತ ಇಮೇ
ನಿಬದ್ಧಾ ಯಸ್ತ್ವೇಷಾಂ ಸ ಖಲು ನಿಖಿಲೇऽಸ್ಮಿನ್ ಕವಿವೃಷಾ || (೧.೧೧)
ಕಿವಿಗಿಂಪಾದ ದೇವವಾಣಿ ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತ, ನಿಸರ್ಗಮಾಧುರ್ಯವುಳ್ಳ ಪ್ರಾಕೃತ, ಭವ್ಯವಾದ ಅಪಭ್ರಂಶ, ರಸಮಯವಾದ ಪೈಶಾಚಿಯೇ ಮೊದಲಾದ ಬಗೆಬಗೆಯ ಚೆಲುವಿನ ಭಾಷಾಮಾರ್ಗಗಳಿವೆ. ಇವೆಲ್ಲವುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಸೊಗಸಾಗಿ...
Sultanpet Riots
The second disturbance that occurred during Mirza’s reign as Dewan was related to the unfortunate event that occured on Arcot Srinivasacharlu Street. There was an old building which belonged to the municipality on that road. For some time it was used as an income tax office and an octroi depot. Later, a portion of Sultanpet’s S R Nanjundaiah School found refuge there. Facing that building was the house of Mohammad Abbas Khan...
The Story of King Indradatta
There lived a king named Indradatta in the country of Cedi. He had a grand temple constructed in a tīrtha-kṣetra called Pāpaśodhana and often visited the place. Many pilgrims visited the place to take a dip in the tīrtha. Once, during his visit to the place, he spotted a lady belonging to a merchant’s family. He fell in love with her and visited her residence. Her husband was not in town. She said ‘Mahārāja! You are...
Huzūr Secretary
The Mahārāja didn’t find any use for the European secretary. But someone nominated by the British government was not to be left out. The Mahārāja wanted a secretary who would be knowledgeable in national and local affairs, gauge the pulse of the citizens, and give him important news in a timely manner. The Mahārāja didn’t want someone who would behave like an aristocrat who had descended from the heavens and spoke in a cavalier...
Family Lineage
Srikanta Sastri’s family history deserves to be mentioned here.
Several among Sastri’s ancestors were eminent scholars; they had attained excellence in music and literature and were spiritually inclined[1]. For several of them, it may be said that knowledge of Sanskrit and enthusiasm for music, theatre, dance, and other arts was in their blood. The accomplishment of those ancestors and the treatises that they composed has today...
ಜಿನಸೇನ ಆರಂಭಶೂರರಾದ ಕವಿಗಳನ್ನು ಹೀಗೆ ಪರಿಹಾಸ್ಯ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾನೆ:
ಯಥೇಷ್ಟಂ ಪ್ರಕೃತಾರಂಭಾಃ ಕೇಚಿನ್ನಿರ್ವಹಣಾಕುಲಾಃ |
ಕವಯೋ ಬತ ಸೀದಂತಿ ಕರಾಕ್ರಾಂತಕುಡುಂಬಿವತ್ || (೧.೧.೭೧)
ಕೆಲವು ಕವಿಗಳು ಕಾವ್ಯದ ಆರಂಭವನ್ನೇನೋ ಉತ್ಸಾಹದಿಂದ ಮಾಡಿಬಿಡುತ್ತಾರೆ, ಆದರೆ ಅದನ್ನು ಕ್ರಮವಾಗಿ ರಚಿಸಿ ಮುಗಿಸುವಲ್ಲಿ ಸೋಲುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಇವರ ಪಾಡು ತೆರಿಗೆಯ ಭಾರಕ್ಕೆ ತತ್ತರಿಸುವ ಸಂಸಾರಿಯಂತೆಯೇ ಸರಿ!
ಕ್ಷೇಮೇಂದ್ರನು ಈ ಅಂಶವನ್ನು ಗಮನಿಸಿ ಕವಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಎಚ್ಚರಿಕೆ ಹೇಳಿದ್ದಾನೆ.[1] ಆದರೆ ಅವನಿಗಿಂತ ಮುನ್ನವೇ ಜಿನಸೇನ ಇದರತ್ತ ಗಮನ ಹರಿಸಿರುವುದು ಸ್ತವನೀಯ. ಇದು...
Concern for the Society
Even a bird’s eye view of Ramachandra Rao’s literary contribution reveals that his mind always traversed the path of the highest peaks of scholarship. Yet he never thought twice before involving himself in activities that would be potentially helpful to the society at large. In middle age, he wrote several introductory works on various subjects. In the Bhārata-bhāratī series of the Rashtrotthana Parishat, he wrote...