Poems on Renunciation
Vairāgyaśataka
This poem is a collection of hundred verses on the merits of renunciation, the unconditional love of realized souls, the impermanence of life, the importance of attaining peace, the shallowness of relationships, the transitory nature of materialistic pleasures, the utter foolishness of hankering after wealth, the havoc created by desires, women as obstacles in the path of realization, the illusiveness of heaven, the joy of liberation and the indispensability of Śiva's grace for securing salvation. All the verses are composed in the Āryā meter. Some are translated below –
धीसचिवं धैर्यबलं सङ्कल्पविरोधिशान्तिधनम् ।
विश्वत्रयविषयमिदं वैराग्यं नाम साम्राज्यम् ॥
The kingdom of renunciation has wisdom for its minister, steadfastness for its army, desires for its enemies, tranquility for its treasury and the three worlds for its provinces. (2)
चरमौ मातापितरौ चरमा गृहिणी सुताश्चरमाः ।
कर्तव्येऽतिप्रेमणि कथमिव धीरा विरज्यन्ते ॥
These are their last parents, this is their last wife and these are their last sons. But instead of loving them all the more for this, the wise renounce everything. How strange! (14)
In the above verse, the poet plays around the idea that the wise, having attained liberation, would no longer be born again. Therefore, this being their last birth, one would actually expect them to be attached all the more to their near and dear ones. But then, if they did attach themselves, they would neither qualify as wise nor attain liberation.
अस्थानेऽभिनिविष्टान्मूर्खानस्थान एव सन्तुष्टान् ।
अनुवर्तन्ते धीराः पितर इव क्रीडतो बालान् ॥
The ignorant are like playful children, unpredictably adamant and unpredictably pleased. But the wise, like loving parents, attend to them with patience. (18)
अर्थानामधिकानां राज्ञा चोरेण वा ध्रुवो नाशः ।
अन्ने खल्वति भुक्ते वमनं वा स्याद्विरेको वा ॥
If you hoard excess wealth, a king or thief will surely take it away. If you eat more, won’t you end up with vomiting or loose motions? (37)
अज्ञानेनापिहिते विज्ञाने कर्म किं कुरुते ।
विकले चक्षुषि तमसा व्यादाय मुखं किमीक्षेत ॥
What use of actions when ignorance envelops knowledge? When darkness blinds the eye, can you see what’s there by opening the mouth? (69)
यावत्किल चेष्टन्ते तावत्पाशेन बध्यए ग्रन्थिः ।
निभृतं यदि वर्तन्ते कालेन स्रंसते पाशः ॥
The more you move the tighter will the knot become. But stand still and the noose will eventually loosen (72)
वङ्गाः कथमङ्गाः कथमित्यनुयुङ्क्ते वृथा देशान् ।
कीदृक्कृतान्तपुरमिति कोऽपि न जिज्ञासते लोकः ॥
People keep asking how this city is how that city is but none wants to know how the city of Death is? (75)
अलमलमनुभूताभिर्मातृभिरलमस्तु पितृभिश्च ।
भवितव्यं यदि नित्यवदर्धं मातुः पितुश्चास्तु ॥
Enough of all those mothers and fathers I have had. But if I still must, let me have half a mother and half a father. (83)
In the above verse, the poet has expressed his desire for liberation from the cycle of birth and death through the grace of ardhanārīśvara, an aspect of Śiva, whose right half is male, Śiva himself and left half, female, his beloved Pārvatī. And Śiva and Pārvatī are also the world’s parents.
धन्यास्ते बहुदेवाः स्वामिनि येषां न दुर्भिक्षम् ।
जातु न जानीमो वयमेकमपि स्वामिनं पूर्णम् ॥
Lucky are those men who worship many gods and therefore have no dearth of them. But my god is not even complete. (84)
This verse again plays on the ardhanārīśvara aspect of Śiva that makes him incomplete.
कलहः कदापि मास्त्विति कलितशरीरैक्योः शिवयोः ।
अहमस्म्यहमस्मीति प्राप्तः कलहो मम त्राणे ॥
“Let us never quarrel” – Thus decided Śiva and Pārvatī before merging in to a single form. But when I sought protection from them, each wanted to protect me first and a quarrel ensued! (95)
Śāntivilāsa
This is a short didactic poem in fifty-one verses, all written in the seventeen-syllable Mandākrāntā meter, that address the importance of śānti or tranquility of mind. By śānti is meant a state where the mind, though conscious, is in perfect rest as in suṣupti, deep sleep. The poem speaks of how even scholars, including the poet himself, have utterly failed to mature internally in spite of the myriad opportunities which life presented to them, of how the relationships which we hold close to over hearts are but mirages, of how scholars are forced to serve those in position for their daily needs, of how desires refuse to leave us, of the urgent need to realize the self, of the limits one must stick to while enjoying sensual pleasures, of the powerfulness of time, of the impermanence of heavenly pleasures and the importance of securing Lord Śiva’s grace to overcome the wheel of existence. Some of the poem’s verses are translated below –
राज्ञो भृत्या यदि परिचिता देशिकस्यैष लाभो
राजद्वारे यदि खलु गतं नैमिषं तत्प्रविष्टम् ।
राजा दृउष्टोऽथ च यदि परं ब्रह्म साक्षात्कृतं त-
त्त्यक्तो देहो यदि नृपकुले मादृशां सोऽपवर्गः ॥
If we know the king’s servants, we feel we have obtained a learned master. If we reach the palace-gates, we feel we have entered a holy grove. If we manage to see the king, we feel we have realized the Supreme Self and if we die working for the king, we feel that is liberation. (6)
आकौमाराद्गुरुचरणसुश्रूषया ब्रह्मविद्या-
स्वास्थ्यायास्थामहह महतीमर्जितं कौशलं यत् ।
निद्राहेतोर्निशि निशि कथा शृण्वतां पार्थिवानां
कालक्षेपौपयिकमिदमप्याः कथं पर्यणंसीत् ॥
All that skill which we acquired by serving the master since our childhood, never once losing interest in the Vedāntic texts, has been reduced, night after night, to an entertainment that is aimed at making kings go to sleep amidst story-telling sessions. (8)
आपृच्छ्यन्ते कृतजिगमिषासम्भ्रमाः प्राणवाता
नैवेदानीमपि विषयवैमुख्यमभ्येति चेतः ।
चक्षुष्यन्धे चलति दशने श्मश्रुणि श्वेतिमाने
सीदत्यङ्गे मनसि कलुषे कम्पमाने कराग्रे ॥
I can hear the conversation of Death’s messengers. I can also feel the noose tightening each moment around my neck. The vital airs, each wanting to leave the body first, are bidding me farewell. But the mind does not, even now, turn away from sense-objects. (10)
जातं जातं गतमपि गतं बाल्यतो लौल्यतो वा
नेतः स्थेयं क्षणमपि गृहे मुञ्चतः को मुहूर्तः ।
इत्यत्यन्तव्यवसितधियो निस्सरन्तोऽपि गेहा-
दावर्तन्ते झटिति रुदतां सान्त्वहेतोः शिशूनाम् ॥
“What has happened has happened and what has been lost has been lost, due either to childishness or fickle-mindedness. Now that I have decided I must not stay in this house even for a second, I must leave right away” – thus deciding firmly in their minds, some men leave their homes only to return back the very next moment to console their crying babies. (22)
नाहं याचे पदमुडुपतेर्नाधिकारं मघोनो
नापि ब्राह्मीं भुवनगुरुतां का कथान्यप्रपञ्चे ।
अन्यस्यान्यः श्रियमभिलषन्नस्तु कस्तस्य लोको
मह्यं शम्भो दिश मसृणितं मामकानन्दमेव ॥
I do not crave for the moon’s kingdom, Indra’s position or Brahma’s supremacy, what to speak of wanting to reach other worlds? If each of us starts desiring for the other’s position, where would those whom we want to displace end up? Therefore, O Śiva, I request you to grant me nothing else but my own pure joy. (49)
Stotras
Ānandasāgarastava
This work, a hymn in praise of goddess Mīnākṣī, the presiding deity of Madurai in Tamil Nadu, has one hundred and eight verses of exquisite lyrical beauty. Every verse, except the last one which is in the Āryā meter, is composed in the fourteen-syllable Vasantatilakā meter. While the first half of this poem is rich in devotional and philosophical content, the second half, from the fifty-third verse onwards, describes the physical beauty of the goddess. Some of these verses are given below in translation –
विज्ञापनार्हविरलावसरानवाप्त्या
मन्दोद्यमे मयि दवीयसि विश्वमातुः ।
अव्याजभूतकरुणापवनापविद्धा-
न्यन्तः स्मराम्यहमपाङ्गतरङ्गितानि ॥
Discouraged by the fact that I was so far removed from my Mother, and that I couldn’t manage to earn those few, but precious moments, when I could pour out my heart to her, I gave up trying. But then the waves of her side-glances were aroused by the gentle breeze of genuine kindness and I still cannot stop thinking of them. (1)
अङ्गीकुरु त्वमवधीरय वा वयं तु
दासास्तवेति वचसैव जयेम लोकान् ।
एतावतैव सुकरो ननु विश्वमात-
रुद्दण्डदण्डधरकिङ्करमौलिभङ्गः ॥
You can accept me or reject me, but I shall go around announcing that I am your servant and conquer the worlds with these words alone. And they shall also suffice to break the headgears of Death’s messengers. (6)
तस्मै प्रसीदसि गिरीन्द्रसुते य इत्थं
सम्पादयेत शनकैरपरोक्षबोधम् ।
यस्मै प्रसीदति स च क्षमतेऽवबोद्धु-
मित्थं परस्परसमाश्रयमेतदास्ते ॥
He that understands the supreme truth can obtain your grace and he that obtains your grace can understand the supreme truth. This, O daughter of the Himalayas, is the fallacy of mutual dependence. (12)
पुंसः क्षणार्धमपि संसरणाक्षमस्य
साङ्ख्यादयः सरणयो न विशन्ति कर्णम् ।
सङ्ख्याय गाङ्गसिकताः सकलाश्च सूक्ष्मा
भुङ्क्ष्वेति वागिव महाक्षुधयार्दितस्य ॥
To the ears of those that cannot bear the pangs of saṃsāra even for a moment, the paths laid out by sāṅkhya and other such philosophies never appeal. It is like asking someone who is overcome by severe hunger to eat after counting the grains of sand on the banks of Gaṅgā. (21)
त्वत्प्रेरणेन मिषतः श्वसतोऽपि मातः
प्रामादिकेऽपि सति कर्मणि मे न दोषः ।
मात्रैव दत्तमशनं ग्रसतः सुतस्य
को नाम वक्ष्यति शिशोरतिभुक्तिदोषम् ॥
I seek your guidance even to blink my eyes or take in a breath. Therefore even if I err in my actions, I cannot be blamed. The child eats what the mother provides it. So how can you hold it responsible for overeating? (38)
त्रातव्य एष इति चेत्करुणा मयि स्या-
त्त्रायस्व किं सुकृतदुष्कृतचिन्तया मे ।
कर्तुं जगत्तिरयितुं च विशृङ्खलायाः
कर्मानुरोध इति कं प्रति वञ्चनेयम् ॥
If you feel that I am a candidate for protection, please protect me. Why worry about the rights and wrongs which I have done? When you are free to create and destroy the universe, why cheat me by saying that you follow the dictates of karma? (42)
पाषणतोऽपि कठिने शिरसि श्रुतीनां
प्रायः परिश्रमवशादिव पाटलाभम् ।
अम्ब स्मरेयममृतार्णवमान्थलब्ध-
हैयङ्गवीनसुकुमारमिदं पदं ते ॥
Your feet are as soft as the butter that was churned out from the ocean of ambrosia. That they are also red, I surmise, is because you have placed them on the stony hard Vedas. (54)
साधारणे स्मरजये निटिलाक्षिसाध्ये
भागी शिवो भजतु नाम यशः समग्रम् ।
वामाङ्घ्रिमात्रकलिते जननि त्वदीये
का वा प्रसक्तिरिह कालजये पुरारेः ॥
The victory over Kāma was brought to effect by the eye in the forehead that belongs to both of you, Śiva and Pārvatī. We have no contention even if Śiva usurps all that fame. But in the victory over Yama, the god of death, it was the left leg, which belongs to you, that was the cause. What has Śiva contributed to it? (56)
One must recollect here the ardhanārīśvara motif of Śiva, an idea which Nīlakaṇṭhadīkṣita often turns to.
आकर्णमुल्लसति मातरपाङ्गदेशे
कालाञ्जनेन घटिता तव भाति रेखा ।
शैवालपङ्क्तिरिव सन्ततनिर्जिहान-
कारुण्यपूरपदवी कलितानुबन्धा ॥
O Mother! This line of mascara drawn across your eyes looks like a line of mossy weed all along the ever flowing stream of kindness. (92)
Śivotkarṣamañjarī
This is a short poem in fifty-two verses, all set to the nineteen-syllable Śārdūlavikrīḍita meter. It is in praise of Śiva and as can be made out from the title itself, aims at establishing his supremacy. The fourth line of every verse ends similarly with the words ‘sa svāmī mama daivataṃ taditaro nāmnāpi nāmnāyate’ that translates to ‘He is my master and Lord and I shall not address anyone else other than him even by his name”. One of these verses is given below in translation –
When one worships him by offering flowers, one is instantly liberated but Kāma, who proceeded to hit him with those very flowers, was reduced to ashes. He is interested in his devotee’s feelings alone and not on things superficial. He is my master and Lord and I shall not address anyone else other than him even by his name. (2)
Gnomic Verses
Anyāpadeśaśatakam
Verses that are written using the literary device of Anyāpadeśa are quite popular in Sanskrit and form a genre by themselves. These are verses that are apparently addressed to someone at hand but are meant for somebody else altogether. To give an example, a verse that speaks of sandalwood trees as harboring snakes could actually be about kings who offer shelter to the wicked. The present work has one hundred and one verses, all in the nineteen-syllable Śārdūlavikrīḍita meter. The translations of some of these verses are given below –
भ्रान्त्वा दिग्वलभीर्विचित्य विपिनान्यासाद्य दैवादिह
क्वापि क्वापि मुखेन केवलमथैकैकां शलाकां हरन् ।
कृत्वा नीडकुटीं चिरात्तरुशिरस्यध्यास्त यवन्नतां
काकस्तावदहो तदेव विपिनं दग्धं दवज्वालया ॥
A crow flew across the directions and searched every forest before zeroing on this place. It then brought twigs, one at a time, by catching them in between its beaks. And at last, when it had just then completed building a nest on the tree and was about to sit on it, a wildfire broke out in the forest. (5)
अस्तप्रत्युपकारगन्धमकृतस्वप्रार्थनापेक्षम-
प्यम्भोभिर्भुवमार्द्रयन्ति जलदा जीवन्त्यमी जन्तवः ।
दैवज्ञः पुनरस्ति वृष्टिरिति वागेका मयोक्तेति य-
द्विश्वं क्रीतमिवाधिगच्छ्ति तदेवाघूर्णते मर्मणि ॥
When clouds, without expecting any help in return and without waiting to be solicited, wet the earth with their waters, all beings get a fresh lease of life. But what pierces my heart is that this astrologer keeps bragging about how he had predicted the rain and walks around as if he has purchased the world. (7)
नेतव्यः समयः कियानिह सखे काक त्वया भ्राम्यता
हंसीभूय सुखेन भुङ्क्ष्व नलिनीनालानि पद्माकरे ।
व्यावर्तव्यमिहास्ति किं विमलता किञ्चित्तु कार्या तनो-
र्हंसत्वे यदि ते जनो विवदते दण्ड्योऽहमस्म्यग्रतः ॥
Crow, my dear friend! Why do you waste your time roaming around in this manner? Become a swan and freely savor lotus-stalks in any pond you like. What makeover do you need? - Just a bit of whiteness. That’s all. If people will argue about you not being a swan, you can refer them to me and I will take your brunt. (12)
गन्तव्यं शिशिरेण नाम भवितव्यं नु चूताङ्कुरै-
स्तानास्वाद्य पिकः करिष्यति तदा नाम स्वयं पञ्चमम् ।
आस्तामेष तथाविधस्त्वमसि किं काक स्वतन्त्रस्य ते
कालोऽयं स्वर एष भोज्यमिदमित्येषा कुतो यन्त्रणा ॥
The winter must end and the mangoes must put forth their shoots. The cuckoo will then eat them and sing the Pañcama note. On the contrary, you, dear crow, are not like the cuckoo. Since you are free, none dare tell you what is your season, what sound you must make or what you must eat. (48)
Miscellaneous Works of Nīlakaṇṭhadīkṣita
Mukundavilāsa
This work, a Mahākāvya on the life and exploits of Kṛṣṇa, unfortunately stops at the fifteenth verse of the fourth Sarga. The first Sarga describes the pitiable plight of Mother Earth who approaches Brahma for help and is then accosted by him to Viṣṇu. The Lord promises to incarnate for her sake. The second Sarga starts with a description of the city of Mathurā. The imprisonment of Devakī and Vasudeva by Kaṃsa after he hears an oracle that the eighth child of Devakī would kill him, the killing of the first six children by Kaṃsa the seventh child who transforms in to Yogamāyā when flung by Kaṃsa informing him that his killer was already born elsewhere form the remaining subject-matter of this canto. The third and fourth Sargas describe the birth of Kṛṣṇa and his childhood pranks.
Śivatattvarahasya
This work comments on the one hundred and eight names of Śiva as enumerated in a section of the Skāndapurāṇa called the Śaṅkarasamhitā
Caṇḍīrahasya
Written in the fourteen-syllable Vasantatilakā meter, this short poem in thirty-six verses describes the various exploits of Caṇḍī and also contains a description of the goddess’s physical beauty.
Raghuvīrastava
Composed in the Vasantatilakā meter, this short poem of thirty-three verses praises Rāma by alluding to various episodes in his life.
Gurutattvamālikā
In this work, Nīlakaṇṭhadīkṣita has praised his guru, Gīrvāṇendrasarasvatī in twenty-eight verses of which the first twenty-seven verses allude to the twenty-seven asterisms.
Saubhāgyacandrātapa
This is a work that deals with the śākta doctrine and tries to establish the superiority of śakti.
Kaiyaṭavyākhyāna
Also called Prak¡śa, this work, which is available only in parts, is a commentary on Kaiyaṭa’s gloss to the grammatical work, Mahābhāṣya of Patañjali.
