April 2021
The next morning Satyavrata saw him and said, “Sir! I have thought of a plan for you to accomplish your desired objective. It is as follows: There is an island called Ratnakūṭa in the middle of that ocean. The ocean-king has performed a pratiṣṭāpana of Viṣṇu there. On the day of Āṣāḍha-śuddha-dvādaśī, they celebrate a grand festival of the local deity and several tourists from various islands gather there. From one of them you should be able to...
Commitment
Pondering about his work in the press reminds me of a sad incident. Around 1902 or 1903 he lost his son. His daughter and son-in-law Dakshinamurthy too expired (may be due to plague). During one of these troubled times before the body would be taken to the crematorium Venkarakrishnaiah said to someone “Oh dear! today’s article isn’t ready yet? Go get paper and pen.” thus he made sure it was ready. This was his commitment to work....
Atop Narahari Rao’s Hillock
Sitting in the eastern slope of Narahari Rao’s Hillock in Basavanagudi, Venkannayya, Srinivasamurthy, and I – with A R Krishna Shastri joining us occasionally – would read several episodes from the Gadugina Bhārata [of Kumāra-vyāsa]. Venkannayya was assigned the task of recitation. Srinivasamurthy and I would make small heaps of stones and take turns at hurling them at the raw mangoes hanging from the trees nearby. At...
The problem of the Indian Native States occupied DVG’s mind for over three decades (1915 to 1945). Before independence, our country comprised two parts: 1. British India consisting of provinces under direct British rule, 2. Native States ruled by Indian Princes. The struggle for freedom was largely confined to British India during the early years of the twentieth century. The champions of independence, fearing unnecessary delay and complication...
Scholar of Literature
When Venkannayya lived in Mysore, his life was somewhat comfortable. He expected a spacious living room wherever he stayed. A soft blanket and a nice jamakhana [thick floor mats made from cloth] should be there; so also a soft pillow as a backrest. When I visited him once, he was seated with the aforesaid arrangements. T N Srikantayya (Ti Nam Sri), D L Narasimhachar (DLN), and a few other students of his were also present....
The Story of Aśokadatta and Kapālasphoṭaka
Long ago, there lived a brāhmaṇa by name Govindasvāmī in an agrahāra on the banks of the river Kālindī. He had two sons: Aśokadatta and Vijayadatta. Once, that region was afflicted by a great famine. Having gifted away the few possessions he owned to his near and dear ones, he left for Kāśī along with his wife and two sons. On the way, he chanced upon a great ascetic and enquired about the future of his...
Elucidation of the Beauty of the Śāstras
Sharma has helped us not only by unknotting difficult minutiae of vyākaraṇa, sāhitya, and vedānta śāstras but also by throwing light on the beauty of each of these streams. Because of this holistic approach, Sharma’s personality could come to the forefront and displayed its brilliance. Thoroughness in scholarship and maturity of personality – the confluence of the two is extremely rare to see. Sharma was...
At this point, as an example of the severity of the result of one’s own experience, we can recollect the episode of the blind king Dhṛtarāṣṭra. Vyāsa offered to give him the capability to witness the scenes in the battlefield.
yadi tv-icchasi saṅgrāme draṣṭum-enaṃ viśāmpate।
cakṣur-dadāni te hanta yuddham-etan-niśamaya॥
(Bhīṣma-parva 2.6)
Dhṛtarāṣṭra replied –
na rocaye jñāti-vadhaṃ draṣṭuṃ brahmarṣi-sattama।
yuddham-etat-tv-aśeṣeṇa śṛṇuyāṃ...