Ekavyakti-Yakṣagāna: Structure and Content (Part 6)

We used the traditional accompaniments of Yakṣagāna, namely caṇḍè and maddalè. To enhance the melody, however, we included flute and violin as accompaniments. From the early days, I felt the need to include a svara-vādya to add to the melody of the Yakṣagāna himmeḻa. I have even spoken about this on various platforms. Shivaram Karanth, Padmacharan, Mahabala Hegade, and others were of the same opinion. Shivaram Karanth has used violin and saxophone for accompaniments. It is worth mentioning here that when I shared my thoughts with Prof. M Rajagopalacharya, he had expressed his agreement with my idea. Vidvān H S Venugopal usually provided flute accompaniment for our presentations and his presence added tremendous value for every performance. The Kanchana Sisters (Smt. Sriranjani and Smt. Shruti Ranjani) provided violin accompaniment for a few of our concerts. Their mellifluous ālāpanas added richness to bhāgavatikè.

I will need to tell something exclusively about the percussion instruments used as a part of the himmeḻa. The maddalè artiste, A P Pathak does not play the instrument looking at Mantap’s feet, but plays it by looking at the emotions on his face. Therefore, his accompaniment caters to Rasa rather than limiting itself to tāla. The muktāyas (concluding rhythmic phrases) he plays are also aesthetically appealing and add to the beauty of the song rendered by the bhāgavata. There is no competition between the artistes here. Instead, they all work together and complement each other to bring out the best effect overall.

Caṇḍè is known as a masculine instrument. Idagunji Krishna Yaji plays it with such adeptness that it aptly suits the strī-veṣa. He makes his caṇḍè speak in the tone of the kaiśikī-vṛtti. He makes the caṇḍè provide its gentle rhythms throughout the performance, without disrupting the aesthetics. The soft and aesthetic usage of caṇḍè and maddalè in tune rāga and bhāva in our presentations has won the hearts of the connoisseurs.

The contribution of Vidvān Yallapura Ganapati Bhat, who has been the bhāgavata for all our presentations, is extremely important. He has two unique strengths which other bhāgavatas lack. He has mastery over Carnatic music, is intimately familiar with Hindustani music and knows the strengths and weaknesses of both the systems. This has helped him handle śruti, laya, and mūrchanā (scale of a rāga) extremely well. Sri Ganapati Bhatt learnt classical music from Matapadi Rajagopalacharya and bhāgavatikè from Neelaavara Ramakrishnayya. As he knows both the forms well, he can bring aspects of Carnatic music in an aesthetic manner in bhāgavatikè. He never dilutes the bhāgavatikè with gimmicks and ensures that his singing is full of life. He constantly contemplates upon the various possibilities of every rāga. Therefore, there is no dearth of variety in his singing. He can sing continuously for two hours, render thirty to forty rāgas with all their nuances, and closely follow Mantap’s spontaneous abhinaya. This is an unimaginable task and is of a unique nature, at least as far as Yakṣagāna is concerned.

Traditionally, the music that accompanies Yakṣagāna does not have svara-kalpana. Those with conservative minds even brush it aside calling it non-traditional. Their stance is not an objective one – they are motivated by personal biases. Moreover, much of their opposition is because of their inabilities and lack of wisdom. All tiṭṭus (genres, regional styles) of Yakṣagāna have the tradition of reciting biḍtigès and dastus (reciting purely rhythmic patterns at length); while doing so, in many cases, the bhāgavata and the maddalè artiste engage in a competition of savāl-javāb. The Nāṭyaśāstra has provided us with a bounty of śuṣkākṣaras (purely rhythmic syllables) that can be used for rhythmic patterns. On similar lines, why would we be deviating from tradition if we were to use svaras, which are softer and more melodious than the jatis (dastus)? Music that employs soft notes will admirably suit strī-veṣa. In our performances, we bring in both jatis (dastus) and svaras. Many have displayed displeasure about our attempts at introducing these changes –it is often because of their blind adherence to what they believe is tradition and sometimes it is because they cannot bring such beauty in their art.

Many oppose bringing in rāgālāpana in Yakṣagāna presentations – this is because of their lack of awareness, shortcomings in talent and a conservative mind. It is only rāgālāpana that can work well with pure, unalloyed and impactful sāttvikābhinaya. In rāgālāpana, as rhythmic patterns and tāla cycles are absent, art transcends time. With time, space is also transcended, thereby leading us to get a glimpse of the Eternal Reality, the Parabrahma. We are lead on this path through the medium of Rasa, that is beyond the spatio-temporal framework. Art that does not reach this dimension cannot qualify as true art. Therefore, it hardly makes sense to waste our energy over tāla which is rather prosaic. In our productions, therefore, we have stressed on rāgālāpana. It is such ālāpana that helps establish the sthāyi-bhāva of different characters and also aids the artiste to step into the shoes of various characters. Sri Ganapati Bhat’s strengths have worked towards enriching bhāgavatikè in this dimension as well.

Ganapati Bhat possesses very good knowledge of literature – and that is one of his strengths. He has undergone training in alaṅkāra-śāstra in the Saṃskṛta-pāṭhaśālā in Udupi and obtained a vidvat. He can recite poems set to different vṛttas and kanda-padyas effortlessly, without yati-bhaṅga (violation of cesura). His recitation is pleasing to the ear; he is accurate in splitting words. His pronunciation of the alpaprāṇas and mahāprāṇas (soft and hard syllables) is devoid of all ambiguity. He is sure of the manner in which different syllables need to be accurately pronounced. He is also adept at in rendering songs set to different tālas and makes sure that the splitting of words is grammatically correct. Because of these merits, his bhāgavatikè is the very life of Ekavyakti-yakṣagāna.

It is my firm conviction that the bhāgavatikè must first undergo a change if we wish to bring a transformation in Yakṣagāna. The entire theatrical presentation depends on bhāgavatikè. This is true of all performing arts, particularly the nṛtya and nāṭya traditions. I, therefore, discussed in length about the bhāgavatikè used as a part of our presentations. There are many more dimensions that must be discussed. Based on the details I have presented, capable scholars and artistes can extrapolate further.

~

We now come to the last component of the vācikābhinaya – impromptu speech. This refers to the lines spoken by the artiste playing the role of a specific character. In our early presentations of Ekavyakti-yakṣagāna we did not include spoken words. The first few presentations of Bhāminī, Śrī-kṛṣṇārpaṇa, and Yakṣa-darpaṇa were without dialogues. Our Yugala-yakṣagāna Haṃsa-sandeśa was without any speech and so was the Yakṣa-navodaya of the Ekavyakti-yakṣagāna genre. Yakṣa-kadamba, Jānakī-jīvana, and later versions of Yakṣa-darpaṇa included quite an amount of speech. Although short in its length, Veṇu-visarjana is not devoid of speech. Vijaya-vilāsa too has speech in some segments. Many believed that we were sambhāṣaṇa-vairis, i.e., opposers of spoken word in Yakṣagāna! In fact, this was one of the parameters used by people to declare that our presentations could not be classified as Yakṣagāna at all. Our intention was simply the following: at instances where the bhāgavatikè can work well and communicate all that is necessary, the need for spoken word does not arise. Moreover, this being Ekavyakti-yakṣagāna, there are no other characters on stage and there’s no need to introduce conversations. It would suffice if a sentence or two is uttered in between padyas as reactions, to suggest the presence of other characters. Often even that much of speech was unnecessary. What’s more, artistes performing traditional Yakṣagāna today employ so much of speech that it feels like verbal diarrhea leading to the constipation of dance. This can even lead to unaesthetic consequences. In fact, when an artiste engages in excessive conversation, he tends to compromise upon the stylized nāṭya-dharmī and tends towards the realistic loka-dharmī. Loka-dharmī in itself is not harmful, but if the artiste is not careful, his speech may even become adharmī, i.e., unaesthetic and unethical. Artistes end up speaking out of turn and transgress the limits of aucitya of the character. They end up portraying the character in a manner that violates Rasa. One of my intentions was not to allow such defects to creep into our presentations. We used āśu-sambhāṣaṇa (extempore, impromptu speech) at several places as required by the concept and within the bounds of auctiya. Learned connoisseurs will be able to understand and appreciate the kind of speech that we introduced as a part of productions such as Veṇu-visarjana, Jānakī-jīvana, and Yakṣa-kadamba (Māyā-śūrpaṇakhā, Pūtanā and Viṣayè). The speech rendered is emotionally rich and poetic in nature. The short conversations that take place between the artiste and the bhāgavata is also worth noting. Gentle hāsya, heart-touching karuṇa, vibrant vīra, and graceful śṛṅgāra are predominant in our presentations.

~

The nirdeśaka (director) of the production speaking before and after the show can also help in Rasa-niṣpatti – evoking Rasa. Though his speech is not directly a part of the presentation, it streamlines the connoisseurs’ attention to the aspects that are important and unique. The nirdeśaka sets the context of the episode being portrayed and narrates the story in brief. The words of the nirdeśaka also work as arthopakṣepas between different important segments of the presentation. In other words, his words connect different segments and bring out certain details which cannot be aesthetically presented on the stage.  Rasikas who have attended our concerts have given us positive feedback on the value added by the words of the nirdeśaka. The details provided by him in the presentation of Bhāminī are multifold. He not only talks about the progressive change of the emotion from śṛṅgāra to śānta but also about the correlation between the mental states of the nāyikā to management theories and mechanical engineering. He also relates the mental states of the heroine to everyday situations of common men. In Śrī-kṛṣṇārpaṇa, the nirdeśaka tells the audience the manner in which a cowherd boy rose to be a socio-political visionary and in Jānakī-jīvana, he describes the skill with which Vālmīki writes his epic poem and the manner in which Śrīrāma’s character plays on the life-canvas of Sītā.

 

To be continued...
This series of articles are authored by Shatavadhani Dr. R Ganesh and have been rendered into English with additional material and footnotes by Arjun Bharadwaj. The article first appeared in the anthology Prekṣaṇīyaṃ, published by the Prekshaa Pratishtana in Feburary 2020.

 

Author(s)

About:

Dr. Ganesh is a 'shatavadhani' and one of India’s foremost Sanskrit poets and scholars. He writes and lectures extensively on various subjects pertaining to India and Indian cultural heritage. He is a master of the ancient art of avadhana and is credited with reviving the art in Kannada. He is a recipient of the Badarayana-Vyasa Puraskar from the President of India for his contribution to the Sanskrit language.

Translator(s)

About:

Arjun is a writer, translator, engineer, and enjoys composing poems. He is well-versed in Sanskrit, Kannada, English, Greek, and German languages. His research interests lie in comparative aesthetics of classical Greek and Sanskrit literature. He has deep interest in the theatre arts and music. Arjun has (co-) translated the works of AR Krishna Shastri, DV Gundappa, Dr. SL Bhyrappa, Dr. SR Ramaswamy and Shatavadhani Dr. R Ganesh

Prekshaa Publications

Among the many contributions of ancient Indians to world thought, perhaps the most insightful is the realisation that ānanda (Bliss) is the ultimate goal of human existence. Since time immemorial, India has been a land steeped in contemplation about the nature of humans and the universe. The great ṛṣis (seers) and ṛṣikās (seeresses) embarked on critical analysis of subjective experience and...

One of the two great epics of India and arguably the most popular epic in the world, the Ramayana has enchanted generations of people not just in Greater India but the world over. In less than three hundred pages The Essential Ramayana captures all the poetic subtleties and noble values of the original and offers the great epic in an eminently readable form that will appeal to the learned and...

The Bhagavad-gītā isn’t merely a treatise on ultimate liberation. It is also a treatise on good living. Even the laity, which does not have its eye on mokṣa, can immensely benefit from the Gītā. It has the power to grant an attitude of reverence in worldly life, infuse enthusiasm in the execution of duty, impart fortitude in times of adversity, and offer solace to the heart when riddled by...

Indian Perspective of Truth and Beauty in Homer’s Epics is a unique work on the comparative study of the Greek Epics Iliad and Odyssey with the Indian Epics – Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata. Homer, who laid the foundations for the classical tradition of the West, occupies a stature similar to that occupied by the seer-poets Vālmīki and Vyāsa, who are synonymous with the Indian culture. The author...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the sixth volume of reminiscences character sketches of prominent public figures, liberals, and social workers. These remarkable personages hailing from different corners of South India are from a period that spans from the late nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century. Written in Kannada in the 1970s, these memoirs go...

An Introduction to Hinduism based on Primary Sources

Authors: Śatāvadhānī Dr. R Ganesh, Hari Ravikumar

What is the philosophical basis for Sanātana-dharma, the ancient Indian way of life? What makes it the most inclusive and natural of all religio-philosophical systems in the world?

The Essential Sanātana-dharma serves as a handbook for anyone who wishes to grasp the...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the fifth volume, episodes from the lives of traditional savants responsible for upholding the Vedic culture. These memorable characters lived a life of opulence amidst poverty— theirs  was the wealth of the soul, far beyond money and gold. These vidvāns hailed from different corners of the erstwhile Mysore Kingdom and lived in...

Padma Bhushan Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam represents the quintessence of Sage Bharata’s art and Bhārata, the country that gave birth to the peerless seer of the Nāṭya-veda. Padma’s erudition in various streams of Indic knowledge, mastery over many classical arts, deep understanding of the nuances of Indian culture, creative genius, and sublime vision bolstered by the vedāntic and nationalistic...

Bhārata has been a land of plenty in many ways. We have had a timeless tradition of the twofold principle of Brāhma (spirit of wisdom) and Kṣāttra (spirit of valour) nourishing and protecting this sacred land. The Hindu civilisation, rooted in Sanātana-dharma, has constantly been enriched by brāhma and safeguarded by kṣāttra.
The renowned Sanskrit poet and scholar, Śatāvadhānī Dr. R...

ಛಂದೋವಿವೇಕವು ವರ್ಣವೃತ್ತ, ಮಾತ್ರಾಜಾತಿ ಮತ್ತು ಕರ್ಷಣಜಾತಿ ಎಂದು ವಿಭಕ್ತವಾದ ಎಲ್ಲ ಬಗೆಯ ಛಂದಸ್ಸುಗಳನ್ನೂ ವಿವೇಚಿಸುವ ಪ್ರಬಂಧಗಳ ಸಂಕಲನ. ಲೇಖಕರ ದೀರ್ಘಕಾಲಿಕ ಆಲೋಚನೆಯ ಸಾರವನ್ನು ಒಳಗೊಂಡ ಈ ಹೊತ್ತಗೆ ಪ್ರಧಾನವಾಗಿ ಛಂದಸ್ಸಿನ ಸೌಂದರ್ಯವನ್ನು ಲಕ್ಷಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ತೌಲನಿಕ ವಿಶ್ಲೇಷಣೆ ಮತ್ತು ಅಂತಃಶಾಸ್ತ್ರೀಯ ಅಧ್ಯಯನಗಳ ತೆಕ್ಕೆಗೆ ಬರುವ ಬರೆಹಗಳೂ ಇಲ್ಲಿವೆ. ಶಾಸ್ತ್ರಕಾರನಿಗಲ್ಲದೆ ಸಿದ್ಧಹಸ್ತನಾದ ಕವಿಗೆ ಮಾತ್ರ ಸ್ಫುರಿಸಬಲ್ಲ ಎಷ್ಟೋ ಹೊಳಹುಗಳು ಕೃತಿಯ ಮೌಲಿಕತೆಯನ್ನು ಹೆಚ್ಚಿಸಿವೆ. ಈ...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the fourth volume, some character sketches of the Dewans of Mysore preceded by an account of the political framework of the State before Independence and followed by a review of the political conditions of the State after 1940. These remarkable leaders of Mysore lived in a period that spans from the mid-nineteenth century to the...

Bharatiya Kavya-mimamseya Hinnele is a monograph on Indian Aesthetics by Mahamahopadhyaya N. Ranganatha Sharma. The book discusses the history and significance of concepts pivotal to Indian literary theory. It is equally useful to the learned and the laity.

Sahitya-samhite is a collection of literary essays in Kannada. The book discusses aestheticians such as Ananda-vardhana and Rajashekhara; Sanskrit scholars such as Mena Ramakrishna Bhat, Sridhar Bhaskar Varnekar and K S Arjunwadkar; and Kannada litterateurs such as DVG, S L Bhyrappa and S R Ramaswamy. It has a foreword by Shatavadhani Dr. R Ganesh.

The Mahābhārata is the greatest epic in the world both in magnitude and profundity. A veritable cultural compendium of Bhārata-varṣa, it is a product of the creative genius of Maharṣi Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Vyāsa. The epic captures the experiential wisdom of our civilization and all subsequent literary, artistic, and philosophical creations are indebted to it. To read the Mahābhārata is to...

Shiva Rama Krishna

சிவன். ராமன். கிருஷ்ணன்.
இந்திய பாரம்பரியத்தின் முப்பெரும் கதாநாயகர்கள்.
உயர் இந்தியாவில் தலைமுறைகள் பல கடந்தும் கடவுளர்களாக போற்றப்பட்டு வழிகாட்டிகளாக விளங்குபவர்கள்.
மனித ஒற்றுமை நூற்றாண்டுகால பரிணாம வளர்ச்சியின் பரிமாணம்.
தனிநபர்களாகவும், குடும்ப உறுப்பினர்களாகவும், சமுதாய பிரஜைகளாகவும் நாம் அனைவரும் பரிமளிக்கிறோம்.
சிவன் தனிமனித அடையாளமாக அமைகிறான்....

ऋतुभिः सह कवयः सदैव सम्बद्धाः। विशिष्य संस्कृतकवयः। यथा हि ऋतवः प्रतिसंवत्सरं प्रतिनवतामावहन्ति मानवेषु तथैव ऋतुवर्णनान्यपि काव्यरसिकेषु कामपि विच्छित्तिमातन्वते। ऋतुकल्याणं हि सत्यमिदमेव हृदि कृत्वा प्रवृत्तम्। नगरजीवनस्य यान्त्रिकतां मान्त्रिकतां च ध्वनदिदं चम्पूकाव्यं गद्यपद्यमिश्रितमिति सुव्यक्तमेव। ऐदम्पूर्वतया प्रायः पुरीपरिसरप्रसृतानाम् ऋतूनां विलासोऽत्र प्रपञ्चितः। बेङ्गलूरुनामके...

The Art and Science of Avadhānam in Sanskrit is a definitive work on Sāhityāvadhānam, a form of Indian classical art based on multitasking, lateral thinking, and extempore versification. Dotted throughout with tasteful examples, it expounds in great detail on the theory and practice of this unique performing art. It is as much a handbook of performance as it is an anthology of well-turned...

This anthology is a revised edition of the author's 1978 classic. This series of essays, containing his original research in various fields, throws light on the socio-cultural landscape of Tamil Nadu spanning several centuries. These compelling episodes will appeal to scholars and laymen alike.
“When superstitious mediaevalists mislead the country about its judicial past, we have to...

The cultural history of a nation, unlike the customary mainstream history, has a larger time-frame and encompasses the timeless ethos of a society undergirding the course of events and vicissitudes. A major key to the understanding of a society’s unique character is an appreciation of the far-reaching contributions by outstanding personalities of certain periods – especially in the realms of...

Prekṣaṇīyam is an anthology of essays on Indian classical dance and theatre authored by multifaceted scholar and creative genius, Śatāvadhānī Dr. R Ganesh. As a master of śāstra, a performing artiste (of the ancient art of Avadhānam), and a cultured rasika, he brings a unique, holistic perspective to every discussion. These essays deal with the philosophy, history, aesthetics, and practice of...

Yaugandharam

इदं किञ्चिद्यामलं काव्यं द्वयोः खण्डकाव्ययोः सङ्कलनरूपम्। रामानुरागानलं हि सीतापरित्यागाल्लक्ष्मणवियोगाच्च श्रीरामेणानुभूतं हृदयसङ्क्षोभं वर्णयति । वात्सल्यगोपालकं तु कदाचिद्भानूपरागसमये घटितं यशोदाश्रीकृष्णयोर्मेलनं वर्णयति । इदम्प्रथमतया संस्कृतसाहित्ये सम्पूर्णं काव्यं...

Vanitakavitotsavah

इदं खण्डकाव्यमान्तं मालिनीछन्दसोपनिबद्धं विलसति। मेनकाविश्वामित्रयोः समागमः, तत्फलतया शकुन्तलाया जननम्, मातापितृभ्यां त्यक्तस्य शिशोः कण्वमहर्षिणा परिपालनं चेति काव्यस्यास्येतिवृत्तसङ्क्षेपः।

Vaiphalyaphalam

इदं खण्डकाव्यमान्तं मालिनीछन्दसोपनिबद्धं विलसति। मेनकाविश्वामित्रयोः समागमः, तत्फलतया शकुन्तलाया जननम्, मातापितृभ्यां त्यक्तस्य शिशोः कण्वमहर्षिणा परिपालनं चेति काव्यस्यास्येतिवृत्तसङ्क्षेपः।

Nipunapraghunakam

इयं रचना दशसु रूपकेष्वन्यतमस्य भाणस्य निदर्शनतामुपैति। एकाङ्करूपकेऽस्मिन् शेखरकनामा चित्रोद्यमलेखकः केनापि हेतुना वियोगम् अनुभवतोश्चित्रलेखामिलिन्दकयोः समागमं सिसाधयिषुः कथामाकाशभाषणरूपेण निर्वहति।

Bharavatarastavah

अस्मिन् स्तोत्रकाव्ये भगवन्तं शिवं कविरभिष्टौति। वसन्ततिलकयोपनिबद्धस्य काव्यस्यास्य कविकृतम् उल्लाघनाभिधं व्याख्यानं च वर्तते।

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the third volume, some character sketches of great literary savants responsible for Kannada renaissance during the first half of the twentieth century. These remarkable...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the second volume, episodes from the lives of remarkable exponents of classical music and dance, traditional storytellers, thespians, and connoisseurs; as well as his...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the first volume, episodes from the lives of great writers, poets, literary aficionados, exemplars of public life, literary scholars, noble-hearted common folk, advocates...

Evolution of Mahabharata and Other Writings on the Epic is the English translation of S R Ramaswamy's 1972 Kannada classic 'Mahabharatada Belavanige' along with seven of his essays on the great epic. It tells the riveting...

Shiva-Rama-Krishna is an English adaptation of Śatāvadhāni Dr. R Ganesh's popular lecture series on the three great...

Bharatilochana

ಮಹಾಮಾಹೇಶ್ವರ ಅಭಿನವಗುಪ್ತ ಜಗತ್ತಿನ ವಿದ್ಯಾವಲಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಮರೆಯಲಾಗದ ಹೆಸರು. ಮುಖ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಶೈವದರ್ಶನ ಮತ್ತು ಸೌಂದರ್ಯಮೀಮಾಂಸೆಗಳ ಪರಮಾಚಾರ್ಯನಾಗಿ  ಸಾವಿರ ವರ್ಷಗಳಿಂದ ಇವನು ಜ್ಞಾನಪ್ರಪಂಚವನ್ನು ಪ್ರಭಾವಿಸುತ್ತಲೇ ಇದ್ದಾನೆ. ಭರತಮುನಿಯ ನಾಟ್ಯಶಾಸ್ತ್ರವನ್ನು ಅರ್ಥಮಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು ಇವನೊಬ್ಬನೇ ನಮಗಿರುವ ಆಲಂಬನ. ಇದೇ ರೀತಿ ರಸಧ್ವನಿಸಿದ್ಧಾಂತವನ್ನು...

Vagarthavismayasvadah

“वागर्थविस्मयास्वादः” प्रमुखतया साहित्यशास्त्रतत्त्वानि विमृशति । अत्र सौन्दर्यर्यशास्त्रीयमूलतत्त्वानि यथा रस-ध्वनि-वक्रता-औचित्यादीनि सुनिपुणं परामृष्टानि प्रतिनवे चिकित्सकप्रज्ञाप्रकाशे। तदन्तर एव संस्कृतवाङ्मयस्य सामर्थ्यसमाविष्कारोऽपि विहितः। क्वचिदिव च्छन्दोमीमांसा च...

The Best of Hiriyanna

The Best of Hiriyanna is a collection of forty-eight essays by Prof. M. Hiriyanna that sheds new light on Sanskrit Literature, Indian...

Stories Behind Verses

Stories Behind Verses is a remarkable collection of over a hundred anecdotes, each of which captures a story behind the composition of a Sanskrit verse. Collected over several years from...