Every literature is credited for
its rich variety of contributions in all kinds of genres. Telugu literature is
specially acclaimed for its rich poetic output by famous poets like Nannaya,
Tikkana, Errana, Potana and Srinadha. Among all the well-known poets of Telugu
literature, Potana has a pivotal place for translating Sanskrit Bhagavata Puranam into Andhra Mahabhagavatam that stands unique
and distinctive in multifarious aspects. The well-coveted work is known for
Bhakti, the deep devotion and total surrender to God. It is
also known for its lucidity as it is within the reach of a common man. Every
Telugu speaker quotes some verses from it in one or the other context. Finally,
it has won encomiums for its figurative language. It therefore secures for him unrivalled
fame as the crown jewel of Telugu literature for its unmatched merits.
Potana, popularly known as
Bammera Potana, was a farmer as well as a scholar of Telugu and Sanskrit
languages, hailing from Bammera, a village from Warangal district of Telangana region. He adopted
the farming vocation to be independent rather than to be dependent on the
patron-kings. His maiden contribution, Bogini
Dandakam was however dedicated to his patron-king, Sarvajana Singha
Bhoopala, a popular Sanskrit playwright. He, who was devotional to Lord Shiva in his
youth, became the deep devotee and ardent adorer of Lord Vishnu, treating both
the gods with equal devotion and adoration. He firmly believes in the opinion that
it is a blemish on the part of people if they fail to worship Lord Shiva with folded
meditative hands and Lord Vishnu with mouthful hymnal chants:
Chetularanga Shivuni pujimpadeni
Noru novvanga Hari keerthi salupadeni
As a poet, Potana considered
poetry not only a divine art and worthy offering to Lord Rama, one of the incarnations
of Lord Vishnu; .but also a supreme source for all to achieve salvation. He therefore
dedicated his magnum opus, Andhra Mahabhagavatam
to the Lord. He did not believe in hero-worship or king-worship. His sole aim
was salvation through divine-worship and divine grace. Like Rabindranath
Tagore, he felt that his appropriate offering to God is his supreme art of
poetry. He, both as a poet and man, deeply loves compassion and truth and all
should practice them to be worthy as human beings as not to be traitors to
their mothers:
Dayayu satyambulonuga thalupadeni
Kaluganetiki tallula
kadupuchetu.
For Potana, through compassion
and truth one can attain the status of divinity. He teaches morals and advises
all to follow them scrupulously for the freedom of the soul. He at the same
time feels that compassion and truth are really relevant and essentially
concomitant for social reform especially in the present days of false values. He identifies with the devotional characters
of Mahabhagavatham like Prahlada and
the elephant king, Gajendra who seek deliverance through the Divine grace as
the Divine is the ultimate powers for the granting of salvation. A deep
devotion and total surrender in the Divine bestows on Prahlada protection
against the demon, Hiranyakasipu’s ordeals and hazards. Prahlada overcomes all
these in deep meditation to Lord Srihari (Vishnu).His father Demon commands him
to relinquish his meditation to Lord Srihari but he does not obey. He
positively takes them all and remains unshaken in mind and unhurt in body. He
treats his deep adoration to Sri Hari as the fittest and the most welcome one
in quest of salvation despite a series of interludes. He gives the most
convincing and fitting reply against his father’s blind wish through a series
of living allusions. He cannot be away from his most wishful mellifluous
meditation to Lord Srihari in the way the bee does not hover round grass
flowers while reveling the sweet honey of the hibiscus, the regal swan does not
like to swim in the ocean while swimming in the breeze of the Ganges, the cuckoo
does not search for the old leaves while relishing the juices of tender
leaflets, and the chakora (partridge) does not fly in gloomy places while being
inspired by the full-moon:
Mandara makaranda madhuryamunadelu
madhupambu vovune madnamulaku
Nirmala mandakini veechikala dugu rayancha
sanune tharanginulaku
Lalitha rasala pallava khadiyai chokku
koyila cherune kutajamulaku
Boornendu chandrika spuritha chakora
marugune sandhraneeharamulaku.
Prahlada’s deep meditation to God
is not averted by deadly commands of his father Hiranyakasipu as his sole goal
is communion with God. For him life is God and He is to take care of life. He
seeks deliverance for his father demon also.
During the avatars like Lord Varaha, Lord Rama and Lord Krishna, the
Lord saves devotee and grants him salvation. Potana
has a strong faith that He comes to our rescue by punishing evil-doers and
peril-creators in the way Lord Krishna comes to the rescue of Dhrowpadhi. Like
a shepherd He looks after His sheep at all times for their safety as He is the
Savior of not only mankind but also other livings. He comes to the rescue of a
true devotee and grants him salvation too. God possesses overflowing compassion
for him who surrenders by seeking refuge in Him. Potana himself gets the divine
grace for his true devotion. For the description of ‘vaikuntam’ he started and
completed only the first line: Ala
Potata, as a poet, never takes
any credit for translating Andhra
Mahabhagavatham. He said that he was instrumental in this yeoman
contribution. He states the fact that it
is Bhagavatham that speaks; and Lord
Rama who makes him speak it:
Palikedidhi Bhagavathamata
Palikincheduvadu
Ramabhadrundata
Through Bhagavatam, Potana has the sole goal of salvation, the freedom of
the soul, his deliverance after a series of interludes. As a devotee, he
aspires for ardent adoration for God, as man he aims at deep devotion and as a
poet he wants freedom to offer his work to Lord Rama in quest of salvation. His
sacred work of Mahabhagavatham leads
him to salvation. Why does somebody else
speak so?
… …
… … … Ne
Palikina
bhavaharamagunata
Palikeda verokandu
gadha palukaganela.
As a poet, Potana portrays in Andhra Mahabhagavatham, the sense of
devotion towards God on the part of a true devotee and presents the ways to
attain salvation. For his true devotion to God, he is called Bhakta Potana.
When he is in deep meditation, Lord Rama appears in the form of a king and
apprises him of the need for the translation of Vyasa’s Sankrit Mahabhagavatham into Telugu. He readily
accepts to undertake the stupendous work with excellent dexterity and ardent
dedication. He skillfully handles the concept of devotion, Bhakti. The wide
popularity of the book is ascribed to the theme of salvation. It is God’s infinite
mercy alone that grants His devotee salvation and captures a special mention in
Bhakti literature especially in Andhra
Mahabhagavatham.
Potana starts his Andhra Mahabhagavatham with the
invocation in the epic tradition of Milton ’s
Paradise
Lost: ‘to justify the ways of God to man’. Potana’s epic of epics
reflects the theme in the other way round that it is to justify ways of God to
a true devotee, the Bhagavatha. He prays
to God in the form of a hymn like Milton
who stats his epic with an invocation. He admits that God can bestow on His
devotee the shower of blessings for due reward through divine grace. He prays
for kaivalya. God is now here to save the universe and care for His devotees.
He punishes the sinners. He creates the universe as a part of His lila. He is
none but Lord Krishna, Son of Yasoda:
Kaivalyapadambu jerutakai chintinchadani
lokara
Kshaikarambagu bhakti
palana kala samrambhakun danavo
Drekasthambaku
kelilola vilasaddrugjala sambhuta na
Nakunjata
bhavandakumbbhaku maha nandangana dhimbakun
Andhra Mahabhagavatham is of a series of epics in twelve cantos
with the inroads into the salvation of the soul. It reflects technical
brilliance and artistic excellence in portraying the theme of salvation. It is
distinctive for its use of figures of speech especially similes and metaphors.
Potana employs the figures of speech for telling effect and realistic picturesque.
The use of figurative language and samasas, excellent clusters of words is an
integral part of Andhra Mahabhagavatham
to enrich his bhakti lyrics. He describes the battle of Satyabhama, accompanied
by Lord Krishna, presenting it visual effect with snapshot details. The battle
is the rain in the field with infinite arrows shot by her. He uses a series of metaphors
for dramatic effect in the quatrain. Satyabhama is lightning, Lord Krishna is
the dark blue cloud, the arrows are constant rain drops, etc. The battle as a
whole is the rainy season with the constant shower of rain:
Jyavallidhwani garjanambuga sural saranga
yudhambugan
A villu indra
sharasanamuga sarojaktundu meghambugan
A vidyullata bhangi ninthi surajiddavagni
magnambugan
Bravutkalam chese banachaya
mambashsheekara shrenigan.
There is no exaggeration to say
that the sound echoes the sense in the stanza. Andhrabhagavatham refects the same telling effect as it is embedded
with alakaras (figures of speech) and
samasas (clusters of words) to facilitate the readers with the felicity of
expressions. For example, ‘sarojakshundu’ is the word with the combination of
two words: ’saroja’ and ‘akshundu’ mean ‘lotus’ and ‘one who possesses the
eyes’ respectively. The cluster of words means ‘a person of lotus-like eyes’
i.e. ‘Lord Krishna’. Here the two words with individual meanings mean together some
something else. It is ‘anya padartha pradhnam’. Such cluster or samasa is
called ‘bahuvreehi’ and the most preferred one for felicity of expression.
Potana is fond of extensive use of ‘samasas’ along with the figurative
language, ‘alankaras’ like alliteration for musical effect and similes and
metaphors for telling effect to result in the comprehensive understanding of
the subject of liberation. Both the saint-poet and the devotee-reader feel that
it is superbly suitable to the subtle subject of Bhakti literature like Andhra Mahabhagavatham and it is an
undeniable fact and unquestionable trait for the epic stature.
In the Bhagavatham, the three
different characters- God, devotee and demon- are portrayed in every episode
like Milton who similarly creates the characters: God, Adam and Satan in the
Paradise Lost. The first one as per Potana and Milton is God who is the savior
of His devotees at all odds and frauds; obstacles and hurdles; ills and perils.
The second is the Bhagavatha, the bhakta or the true devotee like Prahlada for
whom the demon Hiranyakasipu is the worst hazard in the path of devotion for
his communion with God. In the Paradise Lost, Adam, who is innocent to
represent the race of man eats the fruit of the forbidden tree to result in his
disobedience on the beguiling force of Satan. The third one is the demon like
Hiranyakasipu, Narakasura or Ravanasura, a representative of some or the other
evil trait. He creates hazards in the path of devotion of good characters like
Prahlada but they face them at ease against his surprise and surmise. In
Milton, Satan, in spite of his unconquerable will, fails to go against God’s
will in quest of retaliation and eventually experiences his defeat.
Andhra Mahabhagavatham reflects the message that God has infinite
grace to shower blessings on man in deep devotion and ardent adoration to Him for
the sense of salvation or liberation which is the only essential goal for his
communion with Him. Man in true devotion passes through a series of interludes
to lay inroads into the path of salvation, the freedom or deliverance of the
soul or liberation to be away from the petty circles of earthly life. The
Bhagavatham is the tale of tales, telling about the bhagavatha (the true
devotee of God). It is God to be pleased when His true devotees are rewarded
and awarded; revered and honored. If it is contrary or any offence is committed
to His true devotee, all the demons responsible for the sinful guilt and crime
against God are punished. The Ambarisha-Durvasa episode of the Bhagavatham is
the best example for this. It is Sage Durvasa, who offends Ambarisha, an
absolute devotee and emperor of extreme humility; is duly punished in spite his
approach to every god for protection. It is Hiranyakasipu, who compels Prahlada
to forget Lord Vishnu, is slain in spite of all possible means to escape death.
Every episode of the Bhagavatham narrates the story of a Bhagavatha, a true devotee
who is rescued by God as He has divine grace for His devotees to grant them
salvation which every pure heart and
high soul craves to secure in the path of
Bhakti.
TRIVENI
Vol:82, Jul-Sep. 2013
