April 2022
Dhairyapāramitā - The pinnacle of courage
Long ago lived a brāhmaṇa boy called Mālādhara. One day, he saw a siddha boy flying in the sky and developed an insatiable desire to fly. He fashioned wings out of foliage and tied them upon his person and tried to jump and leap about. Kumārasvāmin who was passing by in the sky noticed the boy’s futile attempts. Out of compassion, the lord took Mālādhara into his order. Thus it follows that true courage...
According to one set of friends, the letters “M N” in M N Krishna Rao’s name stand for Maḍi [orthodoxy, purity, conservatism, discipline, ritualism] and Niyama [rule, principle, order, justice]. It hints at Krishna Rao’s nature. In all dealings and in all aspects – rules, estimation, conviction, and principle – this was Krishna Rao’s specialty.
One morning, around nine, I was sitting at a friend’s house in Basavanagudi. Let’s call him V. Beside...
The Two Parties
This controversy raged on quite intensely. Several public meetings were held by the prominent citizens of the State, countless petitions were filed, and innumerable newspaper articles were published. People believed that M Venkatakrishnayya was the leader of the party that wanted the Mahārāṇī—and no one else—to be the regent. Rumours were rife that Ambale Annayya Pandita, who was Seshadri Iyer’s wife’s relative, was the leader of...
Abhijñānaśākuntala is one of the ripest fruits of Kālidāsa’s mature genius. The poet makes a candid confession in the prologue of this play:
आ परितोषाद्विदुषां
न साधु मन्ये प्रयोगविज्ञानम् ।
बलवदपि शिक्षिताना-
मात्मन्यप्रत्ययं चेतः॥ (१.२)
I cannot be convinced of my skills as a dramatist until discerning spectators are satisfied. Even well-trained people are beset by self-doubt.
In seeking the satisfaction of his...
ಭಾರತದ ಪ್ರಾಚೀನತೆಯನ್ನು ಸಾರುವ ಪದ್ಯ ಹೀಗಿದೆ:
ಯದಾ ಸರ್ವಂ ಮಾತರ್ಭುವನಮಿದಮಾಸೀಚ್ಛಿಶುನಿಭಂ
ವಚೋಹೀನಂ ದೀನಂ ಪಿಹಿತದೃಗಿವಾಜ್ಞಾನತಮಸಾ |
ತದಾ ಗಂಗಾತೀರೇ ಸ್ಫುರಿತವಿಮಲಪ್ರಾತಿಭದೃಶ-
ಶ್ಚತುರ್ವೇದೋದ್ಗಾನಂ ಜನನಿ ನಿಗಿರಂತಿ ಸ್ಮ ಮುನಯಃ || (೨೨)
ತಾಯೇ! ಯಾವಾಗ ಇಡಿಯ ವಿಶ್ವವೇ ಮುಗ್ಧವಾದ ಮಗುವಿನಂತೆ ಮಾತಿಲ್ಲದೆ ಅಜ್ಞಾನದಿಂದ ಕಣ್ಣು ಮುಚ್ಚಿಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದಿತೋ, ಆಗ ದಿವ್ಯದರ್ಶಿಗಳಾದ ಋಷಿ-ಮುನಿಗಳು ಗಂಗೆಯ ತೀರದಲ್ಲಿ ವೇದಗಳನ್ನು ಕಂಡುಕೊಂಡು ಹಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು!
ಇಂದು ಇಡಿಯ ಜಗತ್ತಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಲಭ್ಯವಿರುವ ಪ್ರಾಚೀನತಮ ವಾಙ್ಮಯ ವೇದಗಳೇ ಎಂಬುದು...
The Story of the Varāha-jātaka
There lived a boar in a cave in the Vindhya mountains. It was endowed with buddhāṃśa. The boar lived with a monkey in harmony and performed tasks that helped all the animals.
Once, there was torrential rain for five days. A lion appeared at the mouth of the cave with his wife and son and said – “We don’t get to eat any animal in this condition! Death is the best solution!” The female said – “Why don’t you both eat...
There were quite a few questions and uncertainties that bothered Mantap. Who do we converse with, when there are no puruṣa-veṣas on the stage? There is no other female character either. How is it possible to present certain sequences without the presence of a bench or a chair that can work as ratha[1]? How will an ekavyakti-strī-veṣa be received if it lacks even the prose conversations that are typical to the art form? The artiste will just need...
Why is Dharma Worthy of Worship?
Dharma is established and nurtured by the divine. Bhagavān who needs to have no thought for anything else thinks of dharma alone and of his own volition. This should bring the greatness of dharma to our minds. Dharma is Īśvara’s own property. Therefore, it is immensely worthy of our worship. We have to always remember that Īśvara is watching us all the time. An American poet says thus:
Though the mills of God...
“ಪ್ರಜ್ಞಾಭಾರತಿ” ಶ್ರೀಧರ ಭಾಸ್ಕರ ವರ್ಣೇಕರ್ (೩೧.೦೭.೧೯೧೮—೧೦.೪.೨೦೦೦) ಅವರು ಆಧುನಿಕ ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಸಾಹಿತ್ಯದ ಧ್ರುವತಾರೆ ಎಂದೇ ಕೀರ್ತಿತರು. ಅವರ ಕೃತಿಗಳು ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರಭಕ್ತಿ ಮತ್ತು ಉದಾತ್ತ ಕಲ್ಪಕತೆಗಳ ಬಿರುಕಿಲ್ಲದ ಬೆಸುಗೆಯ ಅಪೂರ್ವ ನಿದರ್ಶನಗಳು. ಅವರು ತಮ್ಮ ಸೃಷ್ಟಿಶೀಲ ರಚನೆಗಳಿಂದ ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತ ಮತ್ತು ಮರಾಠಿ ಭಾಷೆಗಳನ್ನು ಶ್ರೀಮಂತಗೊಳಿಸಿದ್ದಷ್ಟೇ ಅಲ್ಲದೆ ಆ ನುಡಿಗಳ ಪ್ರಕರ್ಷ-ಪ್ರಸಾರಗಳಿಗೆ ಕೂಡ ಅವಿಶ್ರಾಂತವಾಗಿ ದುಡಿದರು. ಕಾವ್ಯರಚನೆ, ಪತ್ರಿಕೋದ್ಯಮ, ವಿಶ್ವಕೋಶನಿರ್ಮಾಣ, ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿಪ್ರಚಾರ, ಸಾಂಸ್ಥಿಕ ಕಾರ್ಯನಿರ್ವಾಹ, ಸಮಾಜೋನ್ಮುಖ ಕಲಾಪಗಳೇ...
Business Acumen
In the past twenty years, how many commoners have risen from poverty to affluence? How many government officials and employees have maintained multiple accounts? This is one part. Another part is of incapability. Our factories resulting from the five-year plans expect professional and scientific capabilities as well as competence in business. This is called ‘know how.’ That capability comes with academic expertise and years of...