Restoring श to its right place

there is a complaint among those 

with refined speech that anything goes

these days that a lighter sibilant श

is confused with fellow fricative ष

and such are the pronuciation woes

There are 3 sibilant alphabets in many Indian languages. For now, I will give examples in Hindi and Telugu alphabet.

1. sa, स, స - pronounced like the first syllable in saturday

2. Sa, श, శ - pronounced like the second syllable in issue

3. sha, ष, ష - pronounced like the third syllable in promotion

Now coming back to the issue I highlighted in the lines above, many confuse the 2nd and 3rd to an extend that the lighter second sound is gradually disappearing. At least that is true in Telugu and some think it is due to the Hindi influence. The purpose of this post is to point out that there might be Hindi influence here but if someone is replacing శ with ష, then that's because they weren't pronouncing श the way it is supposed to be pronounced.

Just like I chose progressive syllabary to illustrate the pronunciation from a frictional passage aspect of producing the sound it is pertinent to keep the following in mind.

1. sa, स, స - the placement of tongue for this is close to that of dentals (दन्त्य, त थ द ध. దంత్యములు - త థ ద ధ)

2. Sa,  श, శ - the placement of the tongue for this is close to that of palatals (तालव्य, च छ ज झ, తాలవ్యములు - చ ఛ జ ఝ)

3. sha, ष, ష - the placement of the tongue for this is to close to that of cerebrals (मूर्धन्य, ट ठ ड ढ, మూర్ధన్యములు - ట ఠ డ ఢ)

Even when seeing the way the tongue touches the palate you can see a progression of where the frictional sound proceeds forth from. For the first one, it is close to the teeth. For the second one it is moves a little inside but not all the way. For the thir one it is  close to the throat area. 

If we keep the above progression in mind, then there would be no reason to confuse the pronunciation of the second sibilant with the third.

In the same boat

"in the same boat"
i laughed at a pretty lady who cooed
with visible pride in her transient beauty
and the Almighty smiled at me as he showed
pity on the impermanence of my brainy uppity

Janya raagam and related classification - First in the line rule, points for and against it

In the classroom our music flows

unhindered a weekly cycle it follows

and sometimes musical theory too

engenders debates on topics old and new

Today, it was time to discuss the Janya raagams and how they are categorized into the known mELakarta system. This is a topic worthy of indepth research and I would not be surprised if there are many people who have already done so. Not having access to such information at this time, I am laying out the key points that were discussed.

Before going into various facets of this discussion, it is pertinent to note that a majority of raagas have very well known parent-child relationship.  Parent in this case is one of the 72 mELakarta sampoorNa raagas, and the child then is one that has lesser than 7 swaras in aarOhaNam or avarOhaNam. Many parent-child relationships are widely accepted without any debate based on the collective knowledge that has been carried over from one generation to the next for many centuries and has thus reached us. The point of debate is about only those that have some confusion or the other.

First one in the list rule: This came up as a point delineated by a musical exponent recently. For example, if you are trying to find out where Mohana falls, then the question would be either hari kAmbhOji (28) or dheera SankarAbharaNam (29). This rule expostulates that the raagam with lesser meLakarta number should be chosen in such case. So, going by this rule Mohana raagam becomes a child of hari kAmbhOji.

This rule might appear simplistic if we consider the following points.

Raaga swaroopam: Each raagam whether a mELakarta or a janya has a swaroopam, an identity. While a part of this identity is influenced by the notes that are present in this raagam, a bigger influence probably would be the parent raagam. It is likely and happens in many cases that the child raagam explores areas that a parent actively does not, but I would think it is rare to find a child raagam that would go into the domain of another mELakarta raagam prominently. On this point, I would like to find out if any exponents have a differing view. 

If we agree on this point, then Raaga swaroopam forms a big factor in deciding the parentage.

Nomenclature: There are two known naming systems - one that Sri Muttuswami Deekshita followed and the other that is being widely used these days. I will focus on the latter. It is known that the latter has a mathematical basis on the kaTapayaadi sankhya. Using that it becomes easy for a person to arrive at the Raaga's name if the notes in aarOhaNam and avarOhaNam are known. Work has been done by earlier luminaries in Carnatic music to align the names to this system by adding prefixes where there was no complete alignment. Hence we have "hari", "dheera", "mEcha" and such prefixes for kAmbhOji, SankarAbharaNam, kalyANi raagas. It is quite likely that when this system was develped all known raagas till that point would have been classified using rules that would probabaly consider the following factors

1. Raaga swaroopam (as mentioned above)
2. Parental name
3. Axiomatic relationship

The three points above are a cautious conjecture on my part which partly is also due to lack of access to any authoritative treatises on this subject. If anyone can point me to prior work in this area, I would be grateful. The idea is based on the thought that any classification system while taking care of the known elements would also make a provision for the ones that are not yet known and would be invented or discovered (as the case may be) in the future. Periodic table of elements is a good example.

Raaga swaroopam is already covered, so let us focus on Parental name and Axiomatic relationship theories.

Parental names: We know that the names of the raagas have a basis and follow a mathematical principle. It is not necessary to go into details of that because many have expounded this theory and you can simply search and find a lot of information.  For the purposes of this post, I will include a link from Wikipedia (please see here) and move on. If the parental names are not based on whim, then it behooves us to believe that the names of the child raagas are not accidentally chosen. While there would be exceptions like in any system, there would be rules a majority have to follow. In this case, I am wonder is this the rule that would make Saraswati raagam a child of Vaachaspati as opposed to Hemavathi?

Axiomatic relationships: These would be those that would have existed prior to the imposition of the classifiction systems and thus would be fit into the requiremetns laid out by the system or otherwise noted as exceptions. In any case, I believe these would have been widely accepted at that time that preempts any debate. 

Another point to note is that new janya raagas are not not just born, someone creates them and popularizes them by writing and composing swarajatis, varnams or kritis using them. The most recent vAggEyakAra we all know is Sri M BalamuraLikrishna who is credit with many new raagas. In some cases like lavangi which comes only with 4 notes, where will you place it in mELakarta system? 

Well, there might be many open questions than answered ones in what I wrote. Some of these, no doubt be answered if and when I get a chance to explore the theoretical side of Carnatic music. 

To that extent this is a work in progress article.

 

First day of Devi Navaratri - 2017

Today I found the following slokam on FB, thanks to Sri Kompella Ramakrishna Murthy. The slokam is as follows

अनायासेन मरणम्
विना दैन्येन जीवनम्
देहन्ते तव सायुज्यम्
देहिमे पार्वतीपते।

అనాయాసేన మరణమ్
వినా దైన్యేన జీవితమ్
దేహన్తే తవ సాయుజ్యమ్
దేహిమే పార్వతీపతే

I translated it this way

peace when passing on
life deviod of misery
my manifest form's unity
with your divinity,
for these i beseech you
O pati of Parvati

Ghalib and Anonymous

Ghalib lived during the last mughal Bahadur Shah Zafar II's times. He outlived the mughal regime in Delhi and saw British establish their stranglehold on the city. In the aftermath of suppression of rebellion by sepoys, a large portion of his work was supposedly destroyed. Much of his literary output was kept alive by those that loved his poetry, wrote or sang his lines till they were etched in the collective memory of a generation. Thus his Urdu writings were handed down to the next generation.

Here is a couplet introduced to me by my friend Biren Bhuta.

उनकॆ दॆखेसे जो आजाती हैँ मुहँ पर रौनक

वो समझते हैँ कॆ बीमार का हाल अच्छा हैँ

My translation is as follows:

the sight that bestows radiance and peace
in me by her is perceived as salubrity in disease

Another one sent by my friend Puneet Sharma goes as follows. Provenance of these lines is unknown.

तू मत देख कोई शक्स गुनहगार है कितना..,
बस यह देख वो तेरे साथ वफादार है कितना

हो सकता हैं उसे कुछ लोगो से नफरत हो
पर ये देख उसे तुझ से प्यार हैं कितना…

My translation is as follows:

wouldn't it be better to see
in a person his loyalty
than an apparent deficiency
though he might have hurt
others that do not matter
to see his demeanor that
remains firm and friendly

Emily Dickinson's Peace

Thanks again to Dr Mythili Abbaraju. Today she wrote a free verse translation of Emily Dickinson's poem below, the title of which is unknown to me. I called it Peace. My translation is in a Telugu metre called tETageeti. 

I many  times thought peace had come,
When peace was far away;
As wrecked men deem they sight the land
At centre of the sea,

And struggle slacker, but to prove,
As hopelessly as I,
How many the fictitious shores
Before the harbor lie

అలసి జలనిధిలో మునక లగునపుడు
నావికు కనుల కగుపడు రేవు మిథ్య
యగుచు జతనము సడలజేయగల కల్ల
యై చెలఁగు నటులనె మదీయాత్మ వేల
యలజడులలోన జిక్కుచుఁ విలవిలమను
సమయముల నిరుద్వేగప్రశమన మొందు
భ్రాంతి నొందుచు నున్నది శాంతతీర
మెంతయో దూరమైయున్న వింత గనదు

Clear night - Walt Whitman

Thanks to Dr Mythili Abbaraju for an introduction to the lines by Walt Whitman below.
 
This is thy hour O Soul, thy free flight into the wordless,
Away from books, away from art, the day erased, the lesson
done,
Thee fully forth emerging, silent, gazing, pondering the
themes thou lovest best,
Night, sleep, death and the stars.

( Clear midnight, Walt Whitman )

Here is my translation in Telugu

సీ. కర్మమార్గము గాని, ధర్మసూత్రము లేని, కలజనుల్ విహరించు కలలదీవి
మాటలు మలిగిన మౌనమార్గములకు, వ్రాతలను కళలవాసరములఁ
జదివిన పాఠముల్ వదిలిన వీథులఁ, జరియించు కోర్కెలు దరినిజేర
నిజరూప మెంతయుఁ నిశివేళఁ జనియింప, నవలోక నాలోచ నాదికముల
తే. కెగసి పోవు సమయమయ్యె నేగిరమ్ము
వేగిరమ్ముగ నిదురించు వేళవచ్చె
దీర్ఘనిద్రకు చెల్లెలు తెరలివచ్చె
చూడచక్కని చుక్కలుచూపవచ్చె

A scientific mind

" పరలోకం అనటం తోటే ముఖాలు ముడుస్తారేమోయి ? గణిత శాస్త్రంలో ఒక్క నియమితమైన వస్తువు యొక్క వెల కనుక్కోవలసి వస్తే , ఒక లేని అంకమును సంకల్పించుకొని దానిమీద గణితం చేసి ఆ యదార్థమైన దాన్ని తెలుసుకొంటారు. అందుచేత నీవు ఊహింపతగినది అయిన పరలోకం ఉందనుకో; అప్పుడీ లోకం యొక్క నిజమైన వెల నీవు కట్టగలవు "

- పులుల సత్యాగ్రహము నుంచి. ( విశ్వనాథ )


విశ్వనాథవారి వాక్కులే ప్రేరణగా...

O dear mind ever precise
fed on rational thought and word
nurtured on questions wise
and a belief in self seen touched or heard

Dear mind ever in the agruing act
look at those exponents in fields scientific
that venture into complex and abstract
in an effort to make sense of "the unspecific"
Much closer home in Math, to be able
to find the value of a known entity
you create an unknown variable
to arrive at the answer in its entirety
Why then the dear one your stubborn refusal
to accomodate the thought of a world spiritual

అటజనికాంచె A gem from allasAni peddana's manucharitra

"in an instant the pious one reached and espied

heavenly water gates birthing whorls and eddies

unending resounds abounding a beautiful sky

footfalls of lumbering elephants shaking the trees

deceived peafowls unfurling a riot of feathery hues

a snowy peak's divine beauty no longer abstruse"

That's a translation of a beautiful and immensely popular poem from allasaani peddana's swarOchishamanu sambhavamu popularly and perhaps incorrectly known as manucharitra. 

The original poem is as follows

అటజని కాంచె భూమిసురు డంబరచుంబి శిరస్సరజ్ఝరీ

పటల ముహుర్ముహుర్ లుఠ దభంగ తరంగ మృదంగ నిస్వన

స్ఫుట నటనానుకూల పరిఫుల్లకలాప కలాపి జాలమున్

గటక చరత్కరేణు కరకంపిత సాలము శీతశైలమున్

Thanks to Sri BhairavabhaTla Kameswara Rao for explaining this poem so beautifully in his blog (telugupadyam.blogspot.com). He mentions that onomatopoeic quality of the highlighted lines and I tried to capture that sabdaalankaaram in my translation though it can never match up to the unparalleled way peddana wove his magic. 

The background of the poem is when Pravara travels to Himalayas with the help of a magical paste he manages to get hold of from a wandering saint. As an inert Brahmana till then who hasn't moved from his city, he has an abiding interest in seeing the sights of the world. The moment the saint agrees to give him a handful of the paste, without a second thought he heads to Himalayas. What follows is an interesting encounter with a heavenly beauty Varudhini. But before that, a bit about what Pravara saw at the foot of the snowy peak. And that's where peddana excels in paining a motion picture for the readers using the right amount of sabdaalankaaram making the poem a gem.

The first highlighted and underlined part 'paTala muhurmuhur luTha" tells us about the water falling on mountain rocks both in its meaning and also through the hard sounding syllables. The part I wanted to bring this out was in "heavenly water gates birthing whorls and eddies".

In the same way 'abhanga taranga mrdanga' tells us about the musical quality of the sound emanating that confuses the peafowls to think that the skies are melting and unfurling their beautiful shimmering feathers.  And this part in "unending resounds abounding".

That's my effort as I tried to capture the beauty of the original gem in my translation. It is up to the readers to decide whether I succeeded in my attempt or not. 

On the Gorakhpur tragedy

Holding a mirror

Soy, O boy reading the angst ridden lines
of a mother in a tongue i'm not so fluent
a pang of guilt reminded me of the times
when my conscience played truant

So what if I had to open
a dictionary to comprehend
a realisation that to care to know
effort ensues to go with an emotional flow

Shall we then spare a second
to understand where it all started
for it would be time well spent
to see why political discources
are deemed normal in the wake of departed

let us then not be deceived
that need of the hour is a game
played to assign suitable blame
when the ravaged bereaved
ungrieved souls haven't yet healed

but i am cautious too,
to lay bare my thoughts
with no guile or pretence
in a group that can at times be cold
and weigh thoughts by an opinion poll

when an odd joker in the pack
stands up and says hark
not knowing a diddly squat
am glad we managed to bell the cat

in peroration, while we preach moderation
i beseech you to care for rhyme and reason

(Posted in IIMC34 group on 15th August in response to a post on Gorakhpur tragedy)

Heads to be chopped off

A poetic problem given by Sri Dhanikonda Raviprasad on Facebook translates to

Heads should be chopped off
As scribes unite in this noble task

--

Over centuries Faiths sprung on Earth
Fulfilling unspoken needs of the populace
At times of moral vacuum, from the dearth
Arose Seers populating spiritual pathways

Each with their own mantras and liturgies
Diverse means leading to the same blissful end
Varied rites of passage, dispensing peace
Rays of hope for those on the inner mend

Deviant scribes that seek a gainful standoff
Awoke too, piety their garb, solemnity a mask
pens of such boneheads should be chopped off
As writers all around unite in a noble task

Teaching the world to live and to let live
From virtues we learn and the follies, forgive 

Notes from armchair world

Here is a thought having seen many arguments on Facebook or WhatsApp discussing the wrongs perpetrated in this world. May be it applies to folks like me sitting in the sidelines and making these comments too :-)


There is an irony lurking in this my friends
running as an undercurrent ever present
as arguments framed to gain credence
championing injustices of past and present
when done and dusted finds the agents
cooling their heels in nice watering holes
to wash away the heat of the arguments
forwarding sardar jokes or writing FB lols
as it slowly laughs itself to death saying
in matters changing the world, those who do
do not pause for a minute to argue

Saradindu Bandopadhyay's By the Tungabhadra

History in schooling days was "a few pages a king"
Their victories pithy lines, failings a few words
No interest the dead prose held, no joys it'd bring
For the wards looked for grades,  all else blurred

I learnt such lessons, coming on top in memorising
Lacking an interest that glues in the learning
Forgot them easily when the next year's came in
For, the wards looked for grades, History was boring

And by a fortunate chance I outgrew that influence
as my interest spurred me and grew on feeding
on stories historical dependable research their essence,
bringing to life many that led great lives, king after king

coming on the heels of Kalki's magnum opus for me
reading Saradindu's story found me in delight giddy

A comment from a friend Suvojit while discussing historical fiction resulted in my search for Saradindu's By the Tungabhadra. The background information of the novel was interesting to begin with and a Bengali author of renown picking a South Indian Kingdom as backdrop piqued my interest further. To me, like with most Telugu people Vijayanagara saamraajyam began and ended with SrinKrishnadevaraya. His larger than life persona has permeated many movies, books and embedded itself in the collective Telugu people's memory to an extent that it eclipsed the brilliance of other greats who ruled Vijayanagara ably for many years.

Saradindu's novel is a fictional story of love and intrigue set in the times of the second Devaraya also known as Praudha Devaraya. I did not read any Saradindu's works prior to this though I was reasonably acquainted with Satya sodhana of Byomkesh Bakshi.

Reading the comments and praise the novel had gathered from those that have read the original version, especially the usage of classical Bengali with a great deal of precision to create Vijayanagara's atmosphere, makes me long for an ability to read and understand the novel in its true form. Adding to that were a few quibbles I found about the translation. More on that later.

Firstly, the story moves at a good pace right from the beginning and true to one of Saradindu's twelve tenets, it does not get bogged down at any place with elaborate or unnecessary descriptions of places or characters beyond the minimum required to conjure a real image in the mind of the reader. Historical details are cleverly embedded into the storyline and do not appear artificial or forced in any instance. The plot is very interesting with a good number of twists and turns.

The author's choice of names is interesting too. One of the key characters is called maNikankaNa which reminded me of 'maNikankaNanyAyam' (also called parvAtAdhikyatAnyAyam) which refers to stating the obvious by tautaulogy. Then it dawned upon me that this simple garrulous girl's name was probably an eponymous choice by the author. Also his usage of Jayadeva's lines and some linguistic feats like punning on danDapANi add to the beauty of narration.

That said, I found the translation a tad underwhelming at places. There is no sense of grandeur that Saradindu apparently induced into the original. Then the translator mentions danDapANi is a.pun on sticks and water when referring to the name of a person found floating in water with two sticks. Clearly the translator confuses paani (water) with pANi (holding in one's hands). Then in one passage describing sunset he refers to lotuses blooming and lilies folding when it should be the other way. These being some obvious slips on metaphor, I am not sure if he has made any transgressions on translation. With all this, it is a good deal of credit to the original material that the story still shines through.

The atmosphere created by the story is lingering that I wish to explore Kalki's Sivagamiyin Sabadam immediately.

Brown's passing

A childhood ritual followed annually
as we moved up a class, got new books
new to us but hand-me-downs verily
revolved around giving them new looks

Unused pages from used notebooks changed
into homemade ones as the name connotes
to keep the pristine look unchanged
of classwork they were our "rough notes"

new notebooks would be diligently draped
and labels with names stuck on their visages
brown covers cut aptly and shaped
before we wrote on, to the smell of new pages.

Only a few deserving books were colored brown
the rest were blurbed with newspapers of renown

years ago those skills I gained
lay dormant to come alive again
when my little one approached holding
her new book its edges folding
the cute pouty face evidently pained

I realized as I warmed up to the task
Brown's passing has come to a pass
as kids nowadays prefer
a shiny see-through cover
that protects but doesn't mask

Hope

It is not often that I pass through those streets
Neatly paved, lined on either side with verdant trees
The well tended bungalows, an array of visual treats
Cars lined up in front rows of ones, twos or threes

It is not often, but each time I feel a pang, familiar
A suppressed wish that at these sights springs again
Asking me if the desire to home in here will ever inhere
delighting in the bosky environs, my purse unrestrained

In those moments, an inner voice makes itself heard
Caution dripping in each dispiriting word it chooses
They, the fetters that stop me from being a free bird,
my lofty dreams would otherwise dismiss as loser's ruses

On that day, the bus stopped to let a shiny car go
rolling gracefully as it slid past to join a running flow

At that moment, I happened to see a careworn face
defeat writ large all over, not a trace of hope in view,
in the backseat of the shiny car, that was zooming apace,
all his ample riches unable to stop him feeling blue

Thoughts and a world weary sight collided in my mind
exploding in a moment of clarity, the penny dropped
What use would be a fine bed if I couldn't find
myself in the depths of sleep, at night as I flopped

What use would a car and gardens be, if I could not
wallow in their beauty and luxury, lost in childlike innocence
How would I live my dreams that now tie me up in a knot
if all enveloping luxuries give me a life that makes no sense?

I silently prayed, wishing for a life, every day that brings,
A new desire to sail forth,  eternally in my heart as hope springs

TS Eliott's Dry Salvages

Here is a translation of an extract from The Dry Salvages by TS Eliott

Thanks to Nagaraju Pappu for the introduction to this poem, the core idea of which (these lines) is not aligned with my own natural disposition. However the poem is amenable to a nice translation I felt. Thanks also to Suresh Kolichala for making an apt amendment in the last line and thus bringing the translation much closer to the poet's original thought.

స్వానుభవమయిన సంకటోత్పన్నమయిన వేదన పదపడి నలియగును
నాటి జ్ఞాపకములు నేటి కార్యంబులధాటికి సడలుచు తరుగునట్లు
పరులకు జనియించు ప్రాణగొడ్డంబులు మనలోనపుట్టించు మనికితమ్ము
చెరుగక నిలుచును చిరకాలముగ చెంత, తనదికాని వెతకు తరుగులేదు

Now, we come to discover that the moments of agony
are likewise permanent
With such permanence as time has. We appreciate this better
In the agony of others, nearly experienced,
Involving ourselves, than in our own.
For our own past is covered by the currents of action,
But the torment of others remains an experience
Unqualified, unworn by subsequent attrition.
People change, and smile: but the agony abides.

Potana's Balichakravarty poem

Padyam to poem #6

Potana in his Srimadandhra Bhagavatam wrote many great poems of which one that has an Ozymandian ring is the below beautiful gem.

“కారే రాజులు? రాజ్యముల్‌ కలుగవే? గర్వోన్నతిన్‌ బొందరే?
వారేరీ? సిరి మూట కట్టుకొని పోవంజాలిరే? భూమిపై
పేరైనం గలదే? శిబి ప్రముఖులున్‌ ప్రీతిన్‌ యశఃకాములై
ఈరే కోర్కెలు? వారలన్‌ మరచిరే ఇక్కాలమున్‌ భార్గవా!

Here is my translation

The situation is Vaamana coming to Bali chakravarty asking for a boon. Sukracharya, the Guru of Asuras, warns him. Then Bali responds

Weren't there many kings,  O Bhrigu's son?
Glowing with pride and impertinence they thrived on
Lording over vast lands, outshining everyone
Did that save them from sinking, into an oblivion

All that they achieved when they were alive
The riches they accumulated from their victories
Do those, after they passed on, eternally thrive?
Do their names even live in people's minds at least?

And then, think of those like Sibi and others
The Greats of yore, who strived for unending glory
Through good deeds, that doesn't in time disperse
Stayed with us, till now from times bygone hoary

Isn't a life that keeps your name alive in your death
A truer one, than that kills you even before your last breath?

Sankara Jayanti poem

Seesam to Poem #5

Yesterday, Vaisakha Suddha Panchami, was Adi Sankara Jayanti. My father while reminding me this said it would be good if I can write a poem on Adi Sankara. While I was mulling over where to begin, a help came from Dhanikonda Ravi Prasad's posting in FB's Chandassu group. His weekly problem for metrical resolution went thus "Sankara, the one who allays all doubts". That gave me the required line to build the rest of the narrative.

To be very honest, I do not know in great detail Adi Sankara's achievements except those that are widely known. His life story was what I gathered from Amar Chitra Katha and also from bits of information by parents shared from their pravachanam listening experiences. So, I began and wrote a poem that in Corporate speak is "at 50,000ft". Here is the English version and the original Telugu one at the end.

Outgrowth raring to go, tearing out in many a varied way
Debilitating the core, necessitated the arrival
The peerless cure, Advaitha doctrine, that held sway
Took root and prevented the rot, A gift from Sankara Swamigal

The one who wrote and read, treatises and abstract sutras
At a tender age showing maturity beyond his years
Became the guiding light through his Bhaja Govinda mantras
For ages to come, for many a seeker allaying all fears

Fierce ignorants, asserting their own supremacy
Through Saiva or Vaishnava garbs, created
An unneeded confusion, layminds of the land at sea
Found their doubts vanish, banished, thirst for truth sated

The eternal path of Dharma thus gave the world its own
A son of unmatched brilliance that shone, to a universal renown

సీ. వేఱ్వేఱు శాఖల భేదభావంబుల
వృక్షంబు క్షీణింప వేగవచ్చి
అద్వితీయోషధి అద్వైత మనిదెల్పి
మూలంబు నిల్పిన మేలుకాడు
పిన్న ప్రాయంబున నెన్నియో గ్రంథము
లాకళించుకొనిన యతులితుండు
కైవల్య కాంక్షిత కలజనాళికి భజ
గోవింద కృతి నేర్పె కోవిదుండు
తే. వైష్ణవము శైవమున్ బౌద్ధవాదనములు
మిన్ను దాకుచు సామాన్యు లెన్నలేని
సంశయముల లోబడగఁ దైవాంశడయ్యు
శంకలను దీర్చువాడెగా శంకరుండు

Sri Ramanavami poem

Seesam to poem #4

Last month with chaitra suddha navami nearing my parents asked me to write a poem on Lord Rama.

So, I tried to show one reason why Rama is revered as God-incarnate on earth by taking a slightly circuitous route. In the first line, his not being worried about losing riches because embodiment of riches (his Grihalakshmi, who indeed is SriLakshmi's avatar) is by his side. In the second line, his not being worried about facing demons or difficulties becuase the one with anantha tejas (anantha is another name for Adi sesha, who took Lakshmana's form and it is in his shadow that Lord Vishnu sleeps) is by him like a shadow. In the third line, him taking on a mightier enemy with confidence that the primal destructive force (Rudra, whose deity portion is attributed to Lord Hanuman) is by his side.

In the end, with such supreme forces by his side, it is no wonder that the world bowed to this Great man. Here is the poem and the original Telugu seesam below.

Untold riches within his reach, disappeared one morning,
causing him nary a whit of discomfiture
The embodiment of all heavenly riches, his only yearning,
Was by his side, his happiness assured

Countless demons and innumerous obstacles beseiged
causing him not a bit of trepidation
The one who follows him like a shadow, beseeched
To be by his side, Ah, a brother's elation

Faced an enemy infinitely muscled and powerful while unjust
sprung in him not a hint of doubt
The incarnation of the immortal destructor, a presence blest
Was with him, the root of enemy's rout

Surrounded by such celestials, the  Scion of Sun dynasty
Was revered as God on earth, the Universe bowed to him justly

సీ. ఎనలేని సంపద లొనగూడి నట్లుండి, మాయమై పోయినన్ మథనపడడు
సిరులదేవతవంటి సీతమ్మ తోడుగా నడచిన చాలని నమ్మియుండి
వేవేల రక్కసుల్ వెనువెంట నిక్కట్లు వేగాన మూగినన్ వెతలబడ డ
నంత తేజు డనుజు డంతటన్ నీడగా నిలచిన మేలని నెమ్మదించి

తే. పోరు కుద్బలుఁ గెలువంగ పూనివచ్చె
శత్రుభీకర రుద్రుండు మిత్రు డనుచు
ననిమిషాంశపు పరివార మటులయుండ
పుడమియం దాత డవతార పురషుఁ డయ్యె

మ. పరికింపన్ సిరిరూపు సీతయన, శ్రీప్రాణేశ్వరుం డాతఁడే
అరయం దమ్ము డనంత రూపుడన, నయ్యక్షాని కం డాతఁడే
చిరజీవుం డనుమయ్య రుద్రుఁడన, నా శ్రేష్ఠాత్ము నిష్ఠాతఁడే
స్థిరపూజ్యుల్ పరివారమై చనుట జేజేపట్టె ముల్లోకముల్

Ponniyin Selvan

What can I say about the One
The mighty Raja Raja Chozhan
Depicted so well by Kalki's pen
In a work you could read again n again
That goes by the name Ponniyin Selvan

 Ponnyin Selvan - completed

I picked up Ponniyin Selvan on a whim.  Following my interest in historical fiction, Kindle showed Ponniyin Selvan on my recommendation list. I knew it was a 5 volume set and a significant investment of time. The fact that the first two books were available on Kindle Unlimited pushed me towards it - and Pavitra Srinivasan's translation, a few pages in, ignited my interest immensely. Only later after reading other translations did I realize how wonderfully she has preserved what I perceive as the original tone of Kalki's work. The original work was serialized in a magazine and I, to some extent, experienced reading the book in a serialized form owing to the incomplete checks I did prior to embarking on the project. I only saw 2 volumes of Pavitra Srinivasan's translations and blithely assumed that all other volumes would also be available. Only upon finishing the first two did I realize that Pavitra was still working on the third volume. I began searching all over for the other three volumes and quickly stumbled upon Indra Nelameggam's translation - the first part of third volume - available freely on the internet. I downloaded it to my kindle and read it. My appreciation of Pavitra's nuanced translation grew thousand fold upon reading Indra's underwhelming work. Sometimes, when translating works pertaining to a particular period in history set in a geography known for its linguistic achievements, a language with immense historical signficance, it is best to leave some form of the original words as they were, not only to retain the flavor of the original work but also to allow the user to get into the book's atmosphere. At the sametime, some amount of sensitivity is called for. Calling Thevarams as Psalms is a ridiculous way of translating. There were more such jarring examples, but I won't get into those. Suffice to say that I could not go any further than that first part and did not have the heart to go for any more freely available translations. Then I came across CV Karthik Narayanan's translation on Kindle. I started again at the first part of Volume 3 and ploughed on. The going was much better with CVKN's pen. His translation was far more balanced and mature. Somehow, I am still partial to Pavitra's translations and will come back to those when they are available.

Now coming to the 5 volumes, they are "First floods", "The cyclone", "The killer sword", "The crown" and finally "The pinnacle of Sacrifice". Of all the books, I found the first one the most satisfying. It brought back fond childhood memories of reading Chandamama stories and such. It laid the foundation stone for my interest in the series, that did not waver much after reading subsequent books.

Kalki Krishnamurthy is adept at portraying human emotions, the frailities of human nature, internal conflicts and the problems they create at one level, and the political strife, the majesty of great warriors, the intelligence and survival instincts of those holding important positions in great empires at another level. Also, his books contain some wonderfully independent and intelligent women - in fact, the key character that drives the narrative towards the doomsday that every reader would pray not happen, is an extraordinarily beautiful woman that does not have historical backing but only Kalki's fertile imagination to thank for her existence. The hero is not always right, he does not always win, he is beset with self doubt and the brave warrior he is, he quavers at times when faced with insurmountable odds. Fate, that propels all lives forward, with nary a care of any individual's comfort is shown as it should be - the all powerful and uncontrollable thing that shapes lives of people and kingdoms. The intrigues and people caught in the web, their helplessness, the exaperation of people trying to do good, all these are captured very well. 

I have become a big fan of Kalki's works. Thinking of picking up his other translations soon.

PS: Realized later that this post would not be complete without heartfelt thanks to pustaka team (http://pustaka.co.in), their timely publication of Book 5 Volume 2 ensured that I got the book soon after I finished Volume 1.

4 Incarnations of Lord Vishnu

This one was an interesting problem in its original form. Using మూడు (Three), ఆరు (Six), ఏడు (Seven), పది (Ten) one has to write a verse about itihaasa, puranas, Ramayana or Mahabharata. And the meaning of the words should not signify the numbers they stand for.

My response: I wrote a seesa padyam with each of the 4 lines signifying Third, Sixth, Seventh and Tenth incarnation of Lord Vishnu and at the same time took care not to use the words as cardinal numbers. Translating the original poem into English would not bring out the word play to the same extent, so to demonstrate what was done - I chose a different path in English. I used the words "Three", "Six", "Seven", "Ten" and embedded them in the poem below - but none of those appear as numbers. So, three appears in "zenith reeking" and so on. You can find the other numbers easily.  The first part covers Third incarnation, Varaha avatara. The second one covers, Sixth and Seventh avataras - Parasurama and Rama. The third part is Kalki, while the last lines reveal the trick in the lines above.

Original Telugu poem is also pasted below.

At the zenith reeking deathly demonic powers
He appropriated one day many a sacred book
As though an answer to Brahma's fervent prayers
The lord restored them eviscerating the crook

Virtuosi, xenos to him were the kings of the land,
Carried on a murderous spree decimating'em all,
To the king of kings eventually, a boon so grand,
Begot him a son causing Great Ravana's fall

Mother earth grieves, man's sins and evil intentions
Growing everyday, a burden crushing her very heart
For a brighter future, in the last of his incarnations,
Ending Kali, Comes the One, heralds a brave new start

O the learned ones, the embedded numbers above you knew
Signify the virtuous births in the ages gone by of Lord Vishnu

దత్తపది - మూడు, ఆరు, ఏడు, పది. ఈ పదాలు సంఖ్యాపరంగా కాకుండా వాడి పద్యము వ్రాయాలి

నా పూరణము - విష్ణుని అవతార సంఖ్యలు వాడుతూ..

 సీ. ఘనుని బిల్వ నసుర కాలమ్ము మూడుట, కంజున కొకప్రక్క కష్ట మూడు
గండ్రగొడ్డలి పడి క్షత్రియు లారుట, వంగిన వంశము లంగలార్చు
నోడింప పదునాలు గేడులు పట్టుట, రణభూమి రావణు రాణు లేడ్చు
తిమిరము సమయింప దివినుండి దిగునట, కలిని వీడుకొలుపఁ దిలకు డొకడు

తే. మొదటి పాదమున జెలఁగు మూడు గాను
ఆపయిన పదపడి వచ్చు నారు గాను
పిదప తెలియు నేడును పదియు వరుసఁ
దరచిచూచిన హరి యవతారసంఖ్య 

4 Krishnas

I haven't mastered the 5-foot iambics of the sonnet yet, but trying my hand at it by translating my last week's poem on 4 Krishnas.

The problem: Duryodhana has a sneaking suspicion that Karna has switched sides. Describe his feelings in a metrical verse of your choice.

My response was: There are 4 key personages in Mahabharata with Krishna in their name - Draupadi the dark one (hence the female Krishna), Krishna bhagawan, Arjuna the dark one (hence Krishna), Krishna Dwaipaayana (Veda vyasa born on a dark island). Using these names, I tried to describe Suyodhana's feelings. Here you go, the original Seesa padyam in Telugu is also below.

Thanks to Dhanikonda Ravi Prasad garu, for triggering such an interesting thought..

Krishna the enhancetress, turned him an ingrate
To cavort as her sixth prince consort
He slips away, leaving Suyodhana the Great
How Alas, did he succumb to the deceiving thought?

Krishna the deceiver, fanned his avarice
Isn't the vast and mighty Anga sufficient?
Krishna, once the eunuch, caused him agonies
Were his later exploits with Siva so effulgent?

Krishna the recluse, is he part of this too?
Did his barbs of condescending righteousness
Pierce my friend's armour and so he flew
To the other side with false Dharmic sense

Krishna, darkness thy name, enveloped me from all sides
Your blackdeeds twisted my friend, fie! to switch sides

సీ. అక్కటా వగలాడి కా కృష్ణ కారవ వరుఁడైన సుఖమంచు భ్రమసినాడొ
అంగదేశము చాల కా కృష్ణు మాయలం బడి లోభనమ్ముల సడలినాడొ
అలనాటి ఆడంగి యా కృష్ణు పాశుపతాస్త్రపు కథలకు నడలినాడొ
అడవులం జీవించు నా కృష్ణు నెచ్చటో కలసి నా కెదురేగ కదలినాడొ
తే. కృష్ణ శబ్దమ్ములోనున్న కితవ మేమొ
నలుపు చీకట్లు వ్యాపించెఁ నాల్గు దిశలఁ
కర్ణు డావల బోయనే కష్ట మొదవెఁ
గృష్ణ వర్ణాభిధానలు కీడు సలుప

Yogi Adityanath

Here is the first of my Seesam to Poem series

"Hoisted him up on the hotseat
A Yogi sprung from anonymity
Administrations and ministrations cleat
For a large state, what a pity!

Saffron robes in the highest office
By god, do they even fit in there
The one who owns a religious edifice
Is a CM, for those who care

Come tomorrow will he shine
Will he clean up the crime and grime
Standing up and showing some spine
To wash away the apathy and the slime"

That we can't see, that we won't say
Our job is to break news anew everyday

సీ. పట్టమున్ గట్టిరి పదవి చేపట్టంగ యోగిపుంగవునకు యోగ్య తేది
మంత్రిగా నిల్పిరి మంత్రముల్ చదువుట నేర్చినవానికి నేరు పేది
కార్యాలయంబుల కాషాయవస్త్రంపు టధ్యక్షుఁ కార్యంబు లరయు టెట్లు
హిందువై గర్వింబుచిందించువానిని ముఖ్యమంత్రిగ తలమోయు టెట్లు

తే. సుంత వ్యవధినిచ్చి పనులఁ గొంతచూచి
చర్చజేయఁగ మా కంత సమయమేది
తొందరించి బురదజల్లి తొలగిపోయి
క్రొత్తవేటకు జనుటె ఆసత్తిమాకు