In the corpus of Dr. S.L. Bhyrappa’s twenty-three novels, seven stand out as Himalayan peaks in the order of their publication: Vamsha Vruksha, Daatu, Parva, Sakshi, Tantu, Sartha and Mandra. Of these, two share a basic and apparent similarity in the sense that they are the fine artistic and literary specimens of Dr. Bhyrappa’s profound meditations over nearly half a lifetime. These are Sakshi (1986) and Mandra (2002).
The culture of Greater India has its roots in śruti, smṛti, itihāsa, and purāṇa. Śruti means ‘Vedas.’ The Upaniṣads, which form a part of the Vedas, are the basis of Vedānta and other darśanas. Smṛti refers to dharma-śāstras.
After Sir K Seshadri Iyer, Rayalu Arokiaswamy Thumboo Chetty of Tiruchirapalli (Trichinopoly) became the Diwan of Mysore. His tenure as Diwan was for a mere seven-month-period.
Rājadharmapravīṇa[1] T R A Thumboo Chetty was a Christian of the Roman Catholic denomination. He was a person well-known for his integrity and non-deceitful nature. I have heard many people praise his benevolence and upright character.
Yudhiṣṭhira made his way into the enemy ranks and walked straight to Bhīṣma. He bowed down to the grandsire, touched his feet, and said with great humility, “Grandfather, I am going to fight against you in this war; please give me permission. I seek your blessings.”
Does the ancient Hindu religion have the life-essence to survive, giving answers to the questions posed by the new world?
Does that hallowed and sacred culture have the spine and bones to stand upright, head held high, in the face of Western knowledge and astounding feats [of modern science]?
Does Veda-Vedānta possess that elevated spirit of inherent goodness to remain afloat in the torrent of scientific powers, striking with belligerence, wave upon wave?
One day, at about three in the afternoon, Bindu Rao visited my house. I asked him, “When did you arrive?”
He said, “I left Chitradurga this morning and came here at around eleven, freshened up and had lunch at my younger brother’s place, then I came to see you. I’m now ninety-two years old. I felt like sharing that with you!”
Me: “How did you come here? In a vehicle[1]?”
BR: (pointing towards his legs) “What’s the need for a vehicle when I have these?”
Once when Rabindranath Tagore visited a large library in America, he expressed a desire to see the most prized books which were kept there. The officials there brought before him several books that were carefully wrapped in a cloth and delicately preserved. Among them, Tagore’s attention was drawn to a rare edition of the Bhagavad Gita.
नारायणं नमस्कृत्य
नरञ्चैव नरोत्तमम् ।
देवीं सरस्वतीं व्यासं
ततो जयमुदीरयेत् ॥Having saluted Nārāyaṇa,
the human and the divine;
Sarasvatī; and Vyāsa –
May Jayabe hailed!
ನಿದ್ರೆಯು ಪ್ರಕೃತಿಯಾದರೆ ಹಾಸಿಗೆಯು ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿ. ಮಂಚ-ಮಧುಮಂಚಗಳು ಮತ್ತೂ ಮಿಗಿಲಾದ ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿ. ಅಷ್ಟೇಕೆ, ಭೋಗಲೋಕದ ಸ್ವೀಕೃತಿ, ನಾಗರಕಜಗತ್ತಿನ ಸತ್ಕೃತಿ. ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಸಾಹಿತ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ಎಲ್ಲ ಸ್ತರಗಳೂ ಸೇರಿ ಶೃಂಗಾರಶಯ್ಯೆಯು ಪದರುಪದರಾದ ಸುಪ್ಪತ್ತಿಗೆಯೇ ಆಗಿದೆ. ಅಲ್ಲಿಯ ಕೆಲವೊಂದು ಶಯ್ಯಾಸ್ವಾರಸ್ಯಗಳನ್ನು ವಾಚಿಕವಾಗಿ ಮಾತ್ರ ಸಹೃದಯರೊಡನೆ ಹಂಚಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವ ಹವಣು ಇಲ್ಲಿದೆ.
