January 2023
Apahāravarmā declared that the bag would fulfil people’s wishes only when everything that has been snatched away was returned to its owners. He made sure that Kāmamañjarī gave back her belongings to her patrons. Dhanamitra complained to the king that his enchanted bag was stolen by someone and was given to Kāmamañjarī. She, in turn, transferred the blame to Arthapati and the king banished him from the kingdom.
Once, when Apahāravarmā was...
17. Asañjātavirodha-nyāya
Interpretation should happen in such a way that there is no room for inconsistencies. Even in treatises which are honest there might be statements which contradict each other. If that happens one of them should be slightly modified to remove such inconsistency. The important premise should drive the secondary premise in this case.
Giving away horses is forbidden. To drive this point home in the vedas an event is...
Note
sarvagatamirdum ātmaṃ
nirvikṛtaṃ sarvaśaktam adu niṣkarmam ।
nirvairaṃ sarvasamaṃ
nirvṛtidaṃ patrasumajalārpakariṃgam ॥
The ātmā, though all-pervading,
is immutable, and though omnipotent, is actionless.
It is without a rival, and is the same everywhere.
It yields supreme bliss to even those offering a leaf, a flower or water.
Summary
The objects of the world function because of Brahma. Because of this, we confuse those objects for...
ರಾಕೇಂದುಬಿಂಬಮೈ ರವಿಬಿಂಬಮೈ ಯೊಪ್ಪ
ನೀರಜಾತೇಕ್ಷಣ ನೆಮ್ಮೊಗಂಬು
ಕಂದರ್ಪಕೇತುವೈ ಘನಧೂಮಕೇತುವೈ
ಯಲರು ಬೂಬೋಡಿಚೇಲಾಂಚಲಮ್ಮು |
ಭಾವಜು ಪರಿಧಿಯೈ ಪ್ರಳಯಾರ್ಕು ಪರಿಧಿಯೈ
ಮೆರಯುನಾಕೃಷ್ಟಮೈ ಮೊಲತ ಚಾಪ-
ಮಮೃತಪ್ರವಾಹಮೈ ಯನಲಸಂದೋಹಮೈ
ತನರಾರುನಿಂತಿ ಸಂದರ್ಶನಂಬು ||
ಹರ್ಷದಾಯಿಯೈ ಮಹಾರೋಷದಾಯಿಯೈ
ಪರಗು ಮುದ್ದರಾಲಿ ಬಾನವೃಷ್ಟಿ |
ಹರಿಕಿನರಿಕಿ ಜೂಡನಂದಂದ ಶೃಂಗಾರ-
ವೀರರಸಮುಲೋಲಿ ವಿಸ್ತರಿಲ್ಲ || (ಶ್ರೀಮಹಾಭಾಗವತ, ೧೦.೨.೧೮೩)
ನರಕಾಸುರನನ್ನು ಸಂಹರಿಸುವಾಗ ಸತ್ಯಭಾಮೆಯ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿತ್ವ ಶೃಂಗಾರ-ವೀರಗಳನ್ನು ಕೃಷ್ಣ ಮತ್ತು ನರಕರತ್ತ ಒಮ್ಮೆಲೇ...
9. Ardhajaratīya-nyāya
Scholars are especially fond of using this nyāya. But there is some debate regarding the import of this nyāya. There are no significant differences though. Jaratī means an old woman. What does it mean if a woman is half old? If a young lady has wrinkled skin and other signs of old age can she still be considered young? Or should she be addressed as old? Who will be willing to love her? She might be ridiculed. Likewise in...
Chapter 4. The story of Puṣpodbhava
One day, when Puṣpodbhava was searching for prince Rājavāhana, he saw a man falling from the sky. He rushed and managed to catch him just in time and slowly helped him to the ground. Puṣpodbhava was elated when he saw that the man was none other than his father Ratnodbhava. Right then, he heard the voice of a woman. When he rushed to see who that was, he found that it was his long lost mother! She was about to...
Bharata, through the words of Brahmā, defines nāṭya thus – trailokyasyāsya sarvasya nāṭyaṃ bhāvānukīrtanam. Nāṭya or theatrical presentation is an artistic activity which captures the exalted imitation of the emotions of the three worlds[1]. Emotions are, after all, the very essence of life. According to the above definition, theatrical activity is not mere imitation of the world – it is not mere lokānukaraṇa; the aesthetic tradition of India...
The Importance of Feeling
During dhyāna, it is not syllables that are important, neither are sound or meaning. Feeling is paramount. The syllable is a means to bring the right feeling to the mind. Mūrtis and pictures of deities, worship with incense sticks and lamps are also the means to bring to mind the emotion associated with the divine. Therefore, the mind should be made to focus on the meaning of the syllable — the feeling associated with...
ತೆಲುಗಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಸೀಸಪದ್ಯದ ಬೆಳೆವಣಿಗೆ
ಸಾನೆಟ್ಟಿಗೆ ಸಂವಾದಿಯಾಗುವಂತೆ ಕಾಣುವ ಸೀಸಪದ್ಯದ ಈ ಗುಣ ನಮ್ಮವರ ರೂಪಣವೇನಲ್ಲ. ಸಾವಿರ ವರ್ಷಗಳಿಗೂ ಮುನ್ನವೇ ತೆಲುಗಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಆ ಬಂಧಕ್ಕೆ ಇಂಥ ಕಟ್ಟಡ ಒದಗಿತ್ತು. ಇದಕ್ಕೆ ನನ್ನಯ, ತಿಕ್ಕನ ಮುಂತಾದ ಮಹಾಕವಿಗಳ ರಚನೆಗಳೇ ಸಾಕ್ಷಿ:
ಧರ್ಮತತ್ತ್ವಜ್ಞುಲು ಧರ್ಮಶಾಸ್ತ್ರಂಬನಿ
ಯಧ್ಯಾತ್ಮವಿದುಲು ವೇದಾಂತಮನಿಯು
ನೀತಿವಿಚಕ್ಷಣುಲ್ ನೀತಿಶಾಸ್ತ್ರಂಬನಿ
ಕವಿವೃಷಭುಲು ಮಹಾಕಾವ್ಯಮನಿಯು |
ಲಾಕ್ಷಣಿಕುಲು ಸರ್ವಲಕ್ಷ್ಯಸಂಗ್ರಹಮನಿ
ಯೈತಿಹಾಸಿಕುಲಿತಿಹಾಸಮನಿಯು
ಬರಮಪೌರಾಣಿಕುಲ್ ಬಹುಪುರಾಣಸಮುಚ್ಚ-
ಯಂಬನಿ ಮಹಿ...
• Just as a person has a mother tongue that lends itself for his natural expression, a certain pitch is natural for a singer. This sahaja-śruti, i.e., natural pitch is usually comfortable for the singer and he can bring out the best of his creativity and melody. Singing is an art – mere vocal acrobatics including speed, leaps and jumps are unaesthetic. Acrobatics may help an artiste show off his strength but are certainly not artistic. While I...