Coup On Literature – 9 [Pothana Vs Sri Nadha]

Here I give a fact demo from our history of Telugu literature. In Telugu there were two great poets, one was Sri Bammera Pothana and the other was Sri Nadha. The former was devotional poet and followed idealism. The later was commercial poet and followed materialism. I compare their life styles, life goals and their achievements to establish you the truth. First I’ll explain about Potana.

After having certain experience by writing Bhogini and giving it as dedication to some king, Potana realized the real meaning of the life. He dedicated his life, his writings to God Sri Rama and done agriculture for life food. No king could get dedicated of his writing i.e. Bhagavatham in spite of their popularity among people. Some kings had harassed him and he experienced poverty to some extent. But he was determinant about his decision. He was firm follower of Sri Bhagavad Geeta and Bhuddi Yoga i.e. doing work by leaving result to God. Hundreds of his poems were on the lips of people including literate and illiterate. People who didn’t know to write or read, they knew about Potana and his poetry. They were able to reproduce his poems. This situation is still in continuity up to my generation and present child generation also. One of his poems,

“పలికెడిది భాగవతమట
పలికించెడి విభుండు రామభద్రుండట
నేపలికిన భవహరమగునట
పలికెద వేరొండు గాధపలకగనేలా!”

Meaning of the above is

What I speak is called as Bhagawatham
Who made me to speak is called as Sri Rama Bhadra
If I speak, may I get Mukthi.
In such case, I speak Bhagawatham only, why
Should I speak other?

In the context of Prahlada charitam, Bhakta Prahlada said with his father Hiranya Kasyapa, regarding the existence of God, Potana wrote a beautiful poem,

“ఇందుగల దందు లేడని
సందేహమ వలదు చక్రి సర్వోపగుతుం
డెందెందు వెదకి చూచిన
అందందే కలదు దాన వాగ్రణి వింటే ”

Meaning

Oh! King of danavas, do you hear, God is here or not there, don’t doubt like this. God is every where wherever you search for him, he is there.



When Hiranya Kasyapa forced Prahlada, his son to forget about God and praise himself i.e. to forget idealism and to follow materialism, Prahlada say a beautiful clarification through the pen of potanna, such as

“మందార మకరంద మాధుర్యమున దేలు
మధువంబు వోవునే మదనములకు
నిర్మల మందాకినీ వీచీకల దూగు
రాయంచ చనునే తరంగిణులకు
లలిత రసాల పల్లవ ఖాదియై చొక్కు
కోయిల సేరునే కుటజములకు
బూర్ణేందు చంద్రికా స్ఫురిత చకోరక
మరుగునే సాంద్ర నీహారములకు
అంబు జోదర దివ్య పాదారవింద
చింతనామృతపాన విశేషమత్త
చిత్తమేరీతి ని తరంబు జేరనేర్చు
వినుత గుణశీల! మాటలు వేయునేల?”

Meaning of this is

How can a honey bee go to grass flowers by leaving the sweet nector in hibiscus? How can a Royal Swan go to salt water lake by leaving the holy lake of Manasa Sarovar i.e. River Ganga’s birth place? How can a cuckoo go to other trees by leaving the fresh leaves of mango tree? How can a bird i.e. Chakoram which live by taking the moon light as food go to dark deserts by leaving full moon light? Here I’m not going to discuss whether such birds like Chakorams, which can live by taking moon light as food, are exist, is the nature or not, I’m accepting such imagination to describe the feeling of leaving a quality thing for a un quality thing. Like honey bee, Royal Swan, Cuckoo and Chakoram how can a human mind, which enjoy the divine drink of God’s love, God’s thought, go to other things? To explain this feeling, there is no need of thousand words.

This feeling can be understand by people as doctors enjoy after giving life to suffering patients, as teachers enjoy after making the students to learn knowledge, as nurses enjoy the tears in patients eyes after serving them, as social workers enjoy the satisfaction after helping the poor, such joy and satisfaction can be known by experience only, but not by explaining with words. No body can make a person, who is utterly unknown to the existence of ghee and who never see it, taste it, smell it, with explanation to know color, taste and smell of ghee. Anybody can know it by seeing, tasting, smelling, the ghee i.e. by experiencing its existence with sense organs by himself or herself only.

In recent Telugu cinema, Manmadhudu there was a jovial incident in between hero and heroine, when heroine offered coffee hero said, “I don’t like coffee.” Then heroine said “After taking coffee, then only you can say whether you like it or not.” Such that after experiencing the both, the joy of idealism i.e. joy of divine and the joy with materialistic views, we can say which is more welcomable.

With such experience, with self confidence, I’m telling you that we need both joys of idealistic and materialistic views in proper proportion in our life to make our life as fruitful and successful one. As the day and night composses one day, our life must consists both the joys of materialistic and idealistic approach to achieve Dharma, Ardha, Kama, and Mokshams in life. Dharmardha Kama Mokshams in life means follow the righteous way to earn money, with such wealth fulfill of our righteous desires and finally acquire Moksham. About Moksham I’ll explain under the caption of Bhagavad Geetha.

On the other hand, in the context of Gajendara Moksham, Potana had given sweet poems to Telugu people along with the thousands of such poems in the Bhagavatham. One from Gajendra Moksham in the context of prayer of Gajendra to God Vishnu as the elephant was tired, frightend and prayed like this.

“లా వొక్కింతయులేదు ధైర్యము విలోలంబయ్యె
ప్రాణంబులన్ ఠావుల్ దప్పెను మూర్ఛవచ్చె
తనువున్ డస్సెన్ శ్రమం బయ్యెడిన్
నీవే తప్ప నితఃపరం బెరగ మన్నింపందగున్
దీనునిన్ రావే ఈశ్వర కావవే వరద!
సంరక్షింపు భద్రాత్మకా!”

Meaning of the above poem is

“Oh God! I have no strength. I lost dareness. Life is getting tired and ready to leave the body. I am getting unconsciousness. My body was so tired. It is very tedious to me to fight with this crocodile. I pray to you only, not to anyone else. Please forgive me. I’m eligible to your excuse. Please come God. Please save me. Please protect me!”

Every body of us, in our terrible dangers we used to pray God like this only. How much depth and wet of the feeling is there in that poem?

With such continuous prayer, when God didn’t respond to the elephant, Gajendra sensed the doubt regarding the existence of God. In this context, Potana wrote the following poem.

“కలడందరు దీనుల యెడ
కలడందరు పరమ యోగి గణముల పాలన్
కలడందు రన్నిదిశలన్
కలడు కలం డనెడు వాడు కలడో లేడో!”

Meaning is

People say that God is with poor, with helpless and with calm-going persons and with hermits. People say that God is in every direction. But, the God, about whom people say that he is everywhere, really is he exists or not?

Each and every human being feels this doubt now and then in life.

In the context of God Vishnu saving the elephant from crocodile, Potana wrote like this

“సిరికిం జెప్పడు శంఖ చక్రయుగమున్
చేదోయి సంధింపడు
ఏ పరివారంబును జీరడు
అభ్రగపతిన్ బన్నింపడు
ఆకర్ణికాంతర ధమ్మిల్లము చక్కనొత్తడు
వివాద ప్రోత్థిత శ్రీకుచోపరిచేలాంచలమైన
వీడడు, గజ ప్రాణావనోత్సాహియై”

Meaning of it is,

In the urgency of saving of elephant from crocodile, God Vishnu didn’t inform Sri Lakshmi Devi, his wife, didn’t wore weapon’s, didn’t take his travelling vehicle i.e. Garuthmantha, even didn’t leave the pallu i.e. Veil of Sri Lakshmi Devi. Immediately, after hearing the prayer of Gaja Raja, he ran to save the elephant.

This poem shows us how much affectionate the God towards us.

In this context, I read a story about Potana and Sri Nadha. Sri Nadha was brother-in-law to Potana. One day, before the dinner, both the poets had a discussion on Gajendra Moksham in Bhagavatham.


Sri Nadha criticized the above poem as what he could do, Bhagawan Vishnu, when he comes to protect the elephant without weapons and all. Potana kept calm. After a while they were taking dinner.

At that time, Potana’s son was drawing water from the well with a rope and pot. It was dark. The well was behind the house. Suddenly there was a big sound as if some heavy body dropped in water. The shout of Potanna’s son followed as “Father! Uncle! Come immediately. Uncle’s son had fallen into the well. Come fast!”

A terrible disturbance, at a time the Ladies in the house frightened and started to cry. Potana and Sri Nadha and all immediately ran towards the well. Sri Nadha with spittle hand approached the well. He was calling out his son’s name and running around the well as in the part of the effort to save his son.

Then Potana’s son exposed himself to Sri Nadha, and said “Uncle! With the affection on your own son, you forgotten to bring the rope and anchors etc. tools to save your son from well. When ever you heard about the danger of your son, immediately you approached the well as you at that moment. You didn’t call any one, you didn’t wear any weapon. You have that much love on you child. Then why doesn’t God has that much love on us?”

These were the personal characteristics of both the poets. Sri Nadha had written so many writings as Shrungara Nishadham, Palnati Veera Charihra, Hara Vilasam etc. Bammera Potana took idealistic life style; where as Sri Nadha took materialistic life style. He tried to motivate Potana to follow the materialistic way on behalf of some kings to enable the dedication of Potana’s writings from him.

Sri Nadha’s life was filled maximum level of luxuries. He visited so many places in order to please various kings, to make them enjoy by his talent, by his writings, by his intellectuality, by this wisdom, so that to get awards and rewards from the kings. He got so many felicitations, respects and wealth. He got royal treatment from the king of Vijaya Nagara etc. when he had gone to Chennai he wrote such poems.

తొలుతనే వడ్డింత్రు దొడ్డ మిర్యపు చారు

As the Tamilians, serve the hot soup of pepper. When he visited Palanedu, he wrote.

“రసికుడు పోవెడెస గంగ పల్నాడు
ఇట రంభయైన ఏకులు వడుకున్”

No man who was connoisseur would go to Palnadu. Here, every lady how beautiful she was, would do hard physical work. In the same context, he described the food habit of people there, as ‘కలి యంబలి కలి చంగటి’ i.e. Javari food of all. This shows his particularity about physical needs. He spent a lavish and luxurious life. But at the ending of his life, Vaddera race kings took the succession of Reddy race kings. They didn’t consider his talent, and demanded for taxes. To earn for his needs, he took the fields of a village, Boddu pally on rent. He tried to do agriculture where as he criticized the agriculture of Potanna in his past life. But he lost his investment in agriculture and took punishment from the king. We can imagine the humiliation of Sri Nadha, at that time.

“పక్షులు దినిపోయే తిలలు పెసలు
బొడ్డుపల్లె యని మొస పోయితి
గొడ్డుపల్లెని దెల్వక”

Such that he cried about the birds attack on the harvested crop. He wrote so many poems, at that time, those writings and him self were praised by people. But now who was alive, Potana or Sri Nadha? Through his poems on illeterated tongues, Potana was alive. That’s all! If any body argue that why not Sri Nadha still alive? His writings are also famous now, people remember his name as a poet, otherwise you could not refer his name, so why not he is alive- we can say to them as follows. You please compare the life styles of the both of the poets; and their peacefulness, the context of their motivation on public towards the righteous way. How many people got how much inspiration from Potana to lead peaceful, faithful and righteous life in devotional and truthful way? Is it not great than leading our own life in luxurious way.

If we facilitate our own life by our efforts, it is okay. If we facilitate our people lives by our efforts, is it not double okay?

Poets, singers artists whoever praised the kings for the sake of luxuries had passed away along with the kings. But one Thyagayya, one Thukaram, one Annamayya, one Meera bai, one Tulasi Das are living for ever in the hearts of people.

I’m not saying that it is enough if we get fame in life that means living our famousness after our death. I’m saying that doing good, living for values, living for truth is enough meaning of life.