Friday, June 20, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Aaam Hyderabaadi: Potana-The Poet
Aaam Hyderabaadi: Potana-The Poet
You may like to visit http://potanabhagavatamu.blogspot.com/ and http://srimadramayanamofvalmiki.blogspot.com/ which have been created for the benefit of Telugu speakers (not able to read or write Telugu, but can follow if it is transliterated into English.
Dr. N. V. Koteswara Rao
nvkrao@mail.com
You may like to visit http://potanabhagavatamu.blogspot.com/ and http://srimadramayanamofvalmiki.blogspot.com/ which have been created for the benefit of Telugu speakers (not able to read or write Telugu, but can follow if it is transliterated into English.
Dr. N. V. Koteswara Rao
nvkrao@mail.com
Potana
పోతన క్రీస్తు శకము ౧౩౭౮ (1378) నుండి ౧౪౬౦ (1460) కాలము వాడని పలువురు సాహితీ వేత్తల అభిప్రాయము.
Many literary experts opine that Potana belonged to the period 1378 - 1460 A.D. His work on Bhagavatam had influenced many of his successors of Bhakti Vedanta Tatvam. The different versions of Bhagavatam in other Indian languages came out subsequent to Potana's in Telugu. In Tamil -Ariyappapulavar (1700 A.D.), in Kannada - Vittalnatha (1530 A.D.), in Marati - Ekanatha (1580A.D.), in Oria - JagannathaDas (15th Century A.D.), in Malayalam - Vijutachchan (15th Century A.D.), in Bangla - MaladharaDas (16th Century A.D.), in Assamese - SankaraDeva (1449-1568 A.D.) translated Bhagavatam.
The great devotee Thyagaraja was influenced by Potana Bhagavatam and he used to regularly read Potana Bhagavatamu as a part of his daily worship. Bhakti is the quickest path for Mukti. Potana Bhagavatam contains stanzas that make one feel immersed in the ocean of Bhakti. Potana is a great analyst and staunch believer in human values. He didn't want to budge an inch on his values in spite of his poverty stricken farmer's state. He was proud that he earned his livelihood as a farmer than as a poet. He felt that the knowledge of poetry is God given for a Divine purpose and one should submit it to God with all humility and should never sell it off to any king.
He was of the opinion that if one sells the great literary work to get some earthly benefits he may have to face the hammerings of Lord Yama after his death.
He puts very poetically:
ఉ. immanujeShwraaDhamaula kicchi purmbulu vaahanambulun
sommulu konni pucchukoni, chokki, Sareeramu vaasi, kaaluchE
sammeta vrEtulam baDaka sammati tO harikicchi cheppe nI
bammera pOtaraajokaDu bHagavatambu jagaddhitambugan.
ఉ. ఇమ్మనుజేశ్వరాధముల కిచ్చి పురంబులు వాహనంబులున్
సొమ్ములు కొన్ని పుచ్చుకొని, చొక్కి, శరీరము వాసి, కాలుచే
సమ్మెట వ్రేటులం బడక సమ్మతి తో హరికిచ్చి చెప్పే నీ
బమ్మెర పోతరాజొకడు భాగవతంబు జగద్ధితంబుగన్.
He submitted his great work as a present to Lord SriHari.
Potana translated (nay, created in his own Bhakti Paravasyam, taking Vyasa Bhagavatam as a general guide line - as much as TulasiDas did his translation of Ramayana) into Telugu as inspired by Lord Rama in his Divine Vision, as Potana says in his introduction. His purpose was to get Mukti (liberation) by translating into Telugu.
He explicitly express his desire in writing Bhagavatam in Telugu is only for attaining Moksha in the opening stanza:
Sree kaiavlya padambu chErutakunai chintinchedan..
Potana was a great Karma Yogi. He so expresses :" It seems, The one that speaks is Bhagavatam and the one who makes it speak is Ramabhadra ( Lord Rama ) , by uttering it one gets out of the birth and death cycle, so I shall utter Bhagavatam only ( why tell any other story?)".
One should not only read but study Potana and Bhakti through Potana Bhagavatam.
You are invited to comment.
Thanks.
nvkrao
18.06.08
Many literary experts opine that Potana belonged to the period 1378 - 1460 A.D. His work on Bhagavatam had influenced many of his successors of Bhakti Vedanta Tatvam. The different versions of Bhagavatam in other Indian languages came out subsequent to Potana's in Telugu. In Tamil -Ariyappapulavar (1700 A.D.), in Kannada - Vittalnatha (1530 A.D.), in Marati - Ekanatha (1580A.D.), in Oria - JagannathaDas (15th Century A.D.), in Malayalam - Vijutachchan (15th Century A.D.), in Bangla - MaladharaDas (16th Century A.D.), in Assamese - SankaraDeva (1449-1568 A.D.) translated Bhagavatam.
The great devotee Thyagaraja was influenced by Potana Bhagavatam and he used to regularly read Potana Bhagavatamu as a part of his daily worship. Bhakti is the quickest path for Mukti. Potana Bhagavatam contains stanzas that make one feel immersed in the ocean of Bhakti. Potana is a great analyst and staunch believer in human values. He didn't want to budge an inch on his values in spite of his poverty stricken farmer's state. He was proud that he earned his livelihood as a farmer than as a poet. He felt that the knowledge of poetry is God given for a Divine purpose and one should submit it to God with all humility and should never sell it off to any king.
He was of the opinion that if one sells the great literary work to get some earthly benefits he may have to face the hammerings of Lord Yama after his death.
He puts very poetically:
ఉ. immanujeShwraaDhamaula kicchi purmbulu vaahanambulun
sommulu konni pucchukoni, chokki, Sareeramu vaasi, kaaluchE
sammeta vrEtulam baDaka sammati tO harikicchi cheppe nI
bammera pOtaraajokaDu bHagavatambu jagaddhitambugan.
ఉ. ఇమ్మనుజేశ్వరాధముల కిచ్చి పురంబులు వాహనంబులున్
సొమ్ములు కొన్ని పుచ్చుకొని, చొక్కి, శరీరము వాసి, కాలుచే
సమ్మెట వ్రేటులం బడక సమ్మతి తో హరికిచ్చి చెప్పే నీ
బమ్మెర పోతరాజొకడు భాగవతంబు జగద్ధితంబుగన్.
He submitted his great work as a present to Lord SriHari.
Potana translated (nay, created in his own Bhakti Paravasyam, taking Vyasa Bhagavatam as a general guide line - as much as TulasiDas did his translation of Ramayana) into Telugu as inspired by Lord Rama in his Divine Vision, as Potana says in his introduction. His purpose was to get Mukti (liberation) by translating into Telugu.
He explicitly express his desire in writing Bhagavatam in Telugu is only for attaining Moksha in the opening stanza:
Sree kaiavlya padambu chErutakunai chintinchedan..
Potana was a great Karma Yogi. He so expresses :" It seems, The one that speaks is Bhagavatam and the one who makes it speak is Ramabhadra ( Lord Rama ) , by uttering it one gets out of the birth and death cycle, so I shall utter Bhagavatam only ( why tell any other story?)".
One should not only read but study Potana and Bhakti through Potana Bhagavatam.
You are invited to comment.
Thanks.
nvkrao
18.06.08
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
A boon for Telugu fans - " Potana Bhagavatamu" published by Ramakrishna Matam, Hyderabad and TTD, Tirupati
Potana Bhagavatamu needs prose rendering to enable an average Telugu reader to understand the poetic translation of Potana from Sanskrit. The Poet demonstrated his scholarship in Sanskrit and Telugu through his poetic work in Telugu. Most of his Sanskrit usages in Telugu need Telugu prose rendering in simple Telugu. This need has been amply met by the expert work undertaken by TTD ( Tirumala Tirupati Devastanams) administration by inviting renowned Telugu scholars to provide the prose rendering.
During 2007, the TTD and Ramakrishna mutt have jointly published this great work with Telugu prose rendering and valuable preface bringing it out in five attractively bound volumes at a very concessional price of Rs 250/- for the entire set of five volumes. This is a very good step in popularising Bhakti amongst the people for a happy living.
This set of five volumes are worth keeping in each house for enabling the present and future generations to have access to this great work which may otherwise vanish in the decaying trends of human values in the modern society. Though some editing of stanzas is seen when compared to the earlier publication of the text by the Vavilla Press it is worth having these volumes. Apart from possessing these volumes ( as the price is within the reach of a large population) it is important to learn some of the stanzas from this great work and memorize them to get out of some of the day to day worries. While appreciating the way the stanza is composed one would get the oneness with the Unknown as Prahlada says. Potana's greatness is in his sweetness of words and the rhythmic composition that is heart rendering which reflects his devotion. His translation is endowed with his devotional emotion taking the content and spirit from VyasaMaharshis original work in Sanskrit called as SrimadMahaBhagavatam.
Each Telugu fan must necessarily go through this great work in his life time, irrespective of age.
The aim of this blog is to get the cooperation from the like minded to attract articles to popularise Bhakti amongst the people at large irrespective of caste. community, race or religion- which is the very purpose of VyasaMaharshi. All interested in this effort may contribute their articles.
An attempt is being made to include the Telugu rendering of the whole text through voice attachments to these postings, within the limitations of space. As the interest developes in the readers we shall provide audio CDs in due course.
Please offer your comments.
Thanks.
nvkoteswara rao.
17.06.08
During 2007, the TTD and Ramakrishna mutt have jointly published this great work with Telugu prose rendering and valuable preface bringing it out in five attractively bound volumes at a very concessional price of Rs 250/- for the entire set of five volumes. This is a very good step in popularising Bhakti amongst the people for a happy living.
This set of five volumes are worth keeping in each house for enabling the present and future generations to have access to this great work which may otherwise vanish in the decaying trends of human values in the modern society. Though some editing of stanzas is seen when compared to the earlier publication of the text by the Vavilla Press it is worth having these volumes. Apart from possessing these volumes ( as the price is within the reach of a large population) it is important to learn some of the stanzas from this great work and memorize them to get out of some of the day to day worries. While appreciating the way the stanza is composed one would get the oneness with the Unknown as Prahlada says. Potana's greatness is in his sweetness of words and the rhythmic composition that is heart rendering which reflects his devotion. His translation is endowed with his devotional emotion taking the content and spirit from VyasaMaharshis original work in Sanskrit called as SrimadMahaBhagavatam.
Each Telugu fan must necessarily go through this great work in his life time, irrespective of age.
The aim of this blog is to get the cooperation from the like minded to attract articles to popularise Bhakti amongst the people at large irrespective of caste. community, race or religion- which is the very purpose of VyasaMaharshi. All interested in this effort may contribute their articles.
An attempt is being made to include the Telugu rendering of the whole text through voice attachments to these postings, within the limitations of space. As the interest developes in the readers we shall provide audio CDs in due course.
Please offer your comments.
Thanks.
nvkoteswara rao.
17.06.08
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