శ్రీ రామాయణము - మొదటిసంపుటము/Introduction
INTRODUCTION.
The Rāmāyana by Kaṭṭā Varadarāja Kavi presented to the Telugu public for the first time is a unique production of Dwipada Kāvya literature in general and Rāmāyana literature in particular. The Telugu Dwipada Kāvya belongs to Dēśi or indigenous literary compositions like the Udāharana, Yakshagāna, Śataka, Danḍaka, Vachana, and Sankirtana. They exhibit the genius and individuality of Telugu in south Indian literatures more vividly than the so called classical types of Prabandha and Purāṇa. But Dēśi literature has not been properly studied by scholars and has remained an unexplored and neglected field for a long time. It is only during the last two or three decades that through the incessant and earnest efforts of research scholars, [1]literateurs began to realise the importance of these types of literature for the evolution of Telugu poetry. Among these types, Dwipada stands most prominently as the basis of subsequent types of literature, and after the publication of the two first great Dwipada works Basava Puranamu and Panditäradhya Caritra of Palkuriki Sõmanatha, with critical introduction, this has now become a recognised type and a subject of advanced study and research in academic circles.
Varadarājā's Rāmāyanamu is not only the biggest Dwipada work but also the first of the available exact translations (Yathā vālmīkamu) in Telugu Dwipada Kavya literature. It was written immediately after the age of Krsnadevaraya. Fortunately for us, the only manuscript copy of this work is proserved in the Tanjore Library.[2] (The Tanjore Maharaja Serbhoji Saraswati Mahal Library.) No other copy of this rare work seems to be available in any of the Manuscript libraries in and outside the Telugu country. It is therefore a matter of sincere gratification that this great work is published by the authorities of the Tanjore Palace Library under the patronage of the Madras Government.
The present publication of the first two Kandas viz., Bala and Ayodhya, are important from another point of view. It helps us to settle the correct text of Ranganatha Rāmāyanamu, the most popular Dwipada work which preceded Varadarāja by three centuries. In 1942, the Andhra University brought out a critical edition of Ranganatha Ramayanamu, edited by the well known Telugu scholar Sri V. Prabhakara Sastri. In that edition two appendices are given besides the text:--
(1) additional passages in the printed text and found in manuscripts.
(2) additional passages found in manuscripts only.
Incidentally, on examining the above excerpts, I found that many of the additional passages are from Varadaraja's Ramayanamu especially in the Ayodhya Kānda. There are also slight differences in the readings of those portions and the present printed text. I presume that if a thorough examination of all the available manuscripts of Ranganadha Ramāyanamu is undertaken, it will not only help in the comparison of the readings of Varadaraja's work, but also help to determine the advisability of retaining the present eliminated portions of Ranganādha Rāmāyanamu as for example, the story of Sulochana.
The author Varadarāju though not mentioned in the usual "lives of Poets", is already known to the literary world through the efforts of research scholars[3] and through the publication of his Prabandha [4]Srirangamāhātmyam in 1921. He is a Kshatriya of the solar race and a descendent of the famous Karikala Choda, who constructed the anicut (Kattu in Telugu) on the Kāvēri, from which his house or family name Katta is derived. He is the son of Haridāsarāju and Krsņāmba and his grandfather was Rangappa Raju, an ally of Ramadevarāyulu of the Aravidu dynasty. The latter ruled at Chandragiri from 1614 to 1633 and is a cousin of our Varadaraju. An inscription[5] states that Varadarāja's father was living in 1637 A.D. and hence it can be said that Varadaraju was living about 1650 A.D. This is confirmed from another source. The last Telugu poet whom Varadaraju mentions is Allasani Peddana the poet laureate in the time of Krishna Devaraya (1509—30), and one verse from Varadaraja's work is quoted by Ganapavarapu Venkatakavi who was a protege of Muddalagiri, the Madura Nayaka Prince who ruled in 1674 A.D.[6]
Varadaraju is a staunch vaishnavite and a disciple of one Etirājācharya. He is a sincere devotes of God Sri Venkateswara of Tirupati, and the following are his works that have come to our knowledge:— (1) SRIRANGA MAHATMYAM:
As has already been referred to, this is a printed work and is a translation of Satādhyāyi from Garuda Purānamu describing the greatness of the shrine at Srirangam. In this, the story of Ramayana is incidentally referred in connection with the establishment of Vaishnava faith by Vibhishaņa. It is in ten cantos and written in classical style which is much appreciated by scholars.
(2) PARAMA BHAGAVATA CHARITRA:[7]
This is also a Prabantha in 8 cantoes and deals with the lives of the 14 devotees (Parama Bhakthas-Prahlada, Nārada, Parašara, Pundarika, Vyasa, Ambarisa, Śuka, Saunaka, Bhisma, Dalbhya, Rukmangada, Arjuna, Vaśīstha, and Vibhāşana). Unfortunately the whole work is not available and the Aśvasas dealing with the lives of Rukmangada and Pundarika are alone available in the Tanjore Palace Library. Even these two cantoes contain good poetry.
(3) DWIPADA RĀMĀYANAMU.
The magnum opus of Varadaräju is Rāmāyanama which is an ever-flowing fountain of poesy in Telugu. No theme or story has attracted the attention of Telugu poets more than the story of Rāma as narrated by Sri Valmiki and as embodied in the various recensions of the first bard of the divine muse. Râmayana occupies the foremost place in Telugu literature and we have more than three to four hundred works relating to Rāmāyaṇa and the story is represented by every branch of Telugu literature like Kavya, purana, Prabandha, Dwipada, Śataka, Vachana, Yaksagana, Dandaka, Pada, Gēya and Sankirtana i.e., from the highest classical type of Maha Kavya to the ordinary folk-song sung by the unlettered women and children. From the literary point of view, Ramayana literature began from the 13th century and the bulk of it is produced in the succeeding centuries which is in no small measure due to the propagation of Rāmabhakthi through the earnest devotion of Bhadrachala Rāmadāsa and the divine music of Tyagaraja.
The story is of abiding interest through all ages and climes, and even in these days of modern disintegration in Telugu literature, the greatest modern poets[8] have been handling the time-honored old theme in claşsical model with great success which shows how strong is the hold of Rama cult on the Telugu mind and Telugu genius. There are many Ramayanas in Telugu before the the present work both in Dwipada and Champu but Varadaraju has not made mention of any of the previous Ramayana writers. The following are the particulars of those works that are known to us from the latest researches.
1. Ranganadha Ramayana. (Dwipada) by Gona Buddha Reddy. The work is already referred to and needs no introduction to the Telugu public. It is much appreciated for its racy Desi style and also quoted by Laksanakaras. The date of the work is 1270-1280 A. D.
2. Dwipada Ramayanamu. Tallapäka Annamayya (1408-1503 A.D.) Tallapaka Chinnanna in the biography[9] of his grand-father states that Annamayya, the first great Sankirtanacharya of Tirupati wrote a Dwipada Rämäyana in Telugu, but the work is not available now. A portion of the work however seems to be preserved in the Tanjore Library in number 335 styled as "Rama Katha."[10] It may also be surmised that some of the additional portions in the appendices of the Andhra University edition of Ranganatha Ramayana may also contain the Dwipadas from Annamaya's lost work.
Among Campu Kavyas Bhaskara Ramāyanamu is a well known and oft-quoted work written at the beginning of the 13th century. This is not a true translation of Vālmīki Rāmāyuna and corresponds in many places with Ranganatha Rāmāyana.
(2) Errā Pregada Ramāyana. This is the first attempt of an exact translation in verge which however is not available now and is only known through the quotations from Lakshana Granthas. The date of the work is about 1310 A. D.
(3) Koravi Satyanarana alias Bhīmana. Koravi Göparāju the brother's son of Bhimanna states that Satyanarana wrote a Ramayana in verse, but it has not also come to light. This may be a later contemperaneous work, with the above.
(4) Sakalavarnana Purna Ramāyanāmu. By Chitrakavi Ananthakavi (not available.)
(5) Rāmābhyudayamu. Ayyalarājıı Ramabhadra Kavi wrote the story of Rama as a Kavya in 8 cantos, and the style is greatly admired. It may not be out of place to state here that there are only two more Dwipada Kavyas in Telugu after Varadarāju, One by Bhösala Ekoji[11] who ruled at పుట:శ్రీ రామాయణము - బాలకాండము.pdf/22 పుట:శ్రీ రామాయణము - బాలకాండము.pdf/23 పుట:శ్రీ రామాయణము - బాలకాండము.pdf/24
- ↑ (i) Udaharana literature. This was first brought to the notice of scholars by the present Editor by the publication of Tripurantakodaharanamu of Tippana from the original manuscript copy obtained from the Tanjore Library in 1937. A complete history of this Literature with original texts has just been publishod by him.
(ii) Yakshagana Literature : Introduction of Sri V. Prabhakara Sastri to Sugriva Vijayam--a Yakshagana.
(iii) Sataka Literature: Late Vanguri Subba Rao through Sataka Kavula Charitra.
(iv) Dwipada Literature: This branch of literature is now being worked at by the present Editor. A bibliography of all the Dwipada works has already been prepared with full particulars of works and authors. Lives of many unknown Dwipada Kavya writers have been brought to light, and chapters relating to the technique, and critical notes on Dwipada works are under preparation. The other types are still to be worked at. - ↑ Vide Telugu Catalogue No. 351 pp. 111-121. Description of the manuscript:--"M. 6 S-18 x 13. L 412 11-8 G. 19776. Complete. Mode of writing good, bat not free from mistakes. There are lacune in some places, Condition slightly injured."
- ↑ (i) M. Ramakrishna Kavi M.A., Andhraraja Kavulu (Telugu Royal poets) First Andkra Patrika Annual 1910,.
(ii) N. Venkata Rao M.A. "Forgotten Telugu poets. Katta Vardaraja Kavi” Bharathi 1930.
(iii) Do. Katta Varadaraja Kavi and Dwipada Ramayana 1940 Andhri (Pithapuram) - ↑ Printed as No. 8 of Amudritandhra grantha Sarpaswamu series, Sri Rama Vilasa Press, Chitrada (East Godavari Dist.)
- ↑ Vide Dr. N. Venkataramanayya M.A., Ph.D., "Main literary trends in 17th Century Telugu literature" - Bharathi.
- ↑ N. Venkatarao M.A. Vidyavathi Dandakanu of Ganapavarapu Venkatakavi dedicated to Muddalagiri. Edited for the first time in the Bulletin of the Govt. Oriental Manuscripts library. Vol. I No. 1. 1948 Madras.
- ↑ In the Telugu catalogue of the Tanjore library, the above two cantoes are given separate numbers as 177 Parama Bhagavatha Charita und 188 Pundarika charitra in the pages 41 and 47. This separation led some scholars to presume that Pundarika charitra is a different work from Parama Bhagavata Charitra, but in fact they are one and the same
- ↑ (i) Sri Venkata Parvatiswarakavulu - the harbingers of the modern era; and they are twin poets, who have aptly chosen Ramayana of Valmiki to sing in Telugu verse like Kusa and Lava who first sang in Sanskrit.
(ii) Sri Visvanatha Satyanarayana the many sided modern poetical genius has just finished Sundarakanda.
(iii) Sri K. Aswatha Narayana Rao of. Kalagodu, Bellary district, recently wrote the Ramayana in the biggest Dandaka type. - ↑ 1. Vide Annamacarya Caritra edited by Sri V. Prabhakara Sastri. Sri Venkateswara Oriental series, Tirupati Page 46.
- ↑ 2. Catalogue of Telugu books in the Tanjore Manuscripts library, page 117
- ↑ I. Vide catalogue of Telugu books Tanjore library page 191. It is wrongly stated in the catalogue that the Ekoji is the half-brother of the famous Shivaji and ruled at Tanjore from 1676-1683. I have corrected this mistake 15 years back and stated that the author of this Ramayana is Ekoji II, the son of Tuljaji, and not Ekoji I as can be known from a study of the introduction of the work. This author Ekoji known as Bava Sahib ruled from 1735-36 and hence should not be confounded with the first ruler of Tanjore - Vide My Telugu article on Tanjore Maharatta Princes and Telugu literature - Chandrika (now defunct)