In this article we would talk about the Literature of Krishnadevaraya – Jambavati-Kalyanamu, and Amuktamalyada; his writing style and the contemporary way of living of his time.
The Reign of Krishnadevaraya
After Devaraya-II, the next golden era of literature in Vijayanagara Empire came during the reign of Krishnadevaraya. He was the second king of Tuluva dynasty who further strengthened the empire and brought prosperity to its citizen.
For any empire, the two most important factors to shift its citizen’s focus towards finer aspects of life – art, music and literature, are stability and prosperity.
Below is the genealogy chart of Tuluva Dynasty of the Vijayanagara empire.
Literature of Krishnadevaraya
Krishnadevaraya was not only a great monarch, soldier, and a statesman but was also an accomplished poet and scholar himself. He wrote with ease and command in both Sanskrit and Telugu. One of Raja Krishnadevraya’s literary work- “Amuktmalyada” is considered one of the five best works in Telugu Literature.
He is famous for nurturing and patronizing many scholars during his reign and his own contributions to the world of literature includes Jambavati-Kalyanamu, Amuktamalyada/Vishnucittiya.
Literature of Krishnadevaraya – ‘Jambavati-Kalyana’
It describes in detail the marriage of Jambavati, the daughter of the bear king Jambavan (yes the famous bear king who made Lord Hanuman realize his powers) with Lord Krishna.
Jambavati is considered one of the ashtabharya (eight-principal queen consort) of Lord Krishna; third in significance after Rukmini and Satyabhama.
This Sanskrit drama details the events as how Krishna met Jambavan, while searching for the lost jewel of Satrajit, the duel between the two and finally the marriage of Lord Krishna with the bear-king’s daughter Jambavati. This book is written in a style that requires high degree of poetic and dramatic skills.
Literature of Krishnadevaraya – ‘Amuktamalyada’
‘Amukta Malya Da’ literally means one who offered garland to God after wearing it. This is the story of Andal, the Alvar saint. Andal is the only female saint among the twelve Alvar saints of the South India.
Alvar literally means one who has immersed oneself deep into the nectar of numerous attributes of God and the word is used for the Tamil poet-saints of South India who supported bhakti to Lord Vishnu in their songs of longing, ecstasy and service.
Amuktamalyada talks about Goda Devi (the earlier name of Andal), foster daughter of Periyalvar, who used to wear flower garland meant for the God, see her reflections in the pond and after admiring herself with it, she offered it to the Lord.
It is a sacrilege to offer worn flower to God, so one day, when her father, Periyalar, also an Alvar saint, found it out, he scolded her for the misconduct and offered fresh flowers to the God. However, the God rejected his flowers, gave darshan to him in his dream and demanded the garland worn by Andal.
This well-accepted incident once again proves that God does not believe in rituals but pure love.
What makes Krishnadevaraya’s book Amuktamalyada special
In the book while unraveling the legend of Andal, Krishnadevaraya also detailed upon the principles of political administration that an ideal monarch must follow, and expressed his ideas, thoughts and observations through the descriptions of cities, towns, villages, men and women-folks, dress, dishes, and elegant life.
Why Krishnadevaraya wrote Amuktamalyada in Telugu
In the introduction of the book, Krishnadevaraya reveals that one day Lord Vishnu appeared in his dream and instructed him to write the story of His wedding with Andal at Srirangam, in Telugu
Capable of outclassing the sheen of the black clouds with his body color,
With eyes capable of breaking the pride of the petals of a lotus,
With finely woven cloths, outclassing the golden brightness of Garuda,
With Kaustubh, even brighter than the rays of the sun,
With lotus in one hand and the other hand granting assurance,
With delicate Lakshmi besides Him,
The lord appeared before me with a smile of divine grace to speak
The emperor was also given a reason by the Lord that why he must write in Telugu
If you ask me why in Telugu,
You are the Telugu Ruler of the Telugu Land,
All the kings serving under you being Telugu,
you shall know that Telugu is the greatest of all the languages here”
Literature of Krishnadevaraya – excerpt from the book ‘Amuktamalyada’
Story of Vishnucitta
The first chapter of the epic is about Vishnucitta (Periyalvar), There lived a man named Vishnucitta,whose name means “God in mind,” and it was literally true: for he had bound the god with Yoga the way a chain holds back a elephant.
His lips were always chanting the Visnu mantra, and he had gone beyond all opposites. Though he had never studied Veda or any metaphysics, the subtle but stable difference between God and living beings was firmly rooted in his mind.
The book defines the life in his sacred village Sri-Villipputtur, his elucidation of Vaishnav philosophy and the arguments he put forth in its support and against other schools of philosophy. Below are the verse that describes the simplicity and religious life of Vishnucitta’s village and village folks.
The Villipputtur citizens are fine hosts. They serve the Lord’s devotees with rice, dal, ghee, vegetables, milk and curd, for such is the Vaishnavite way of life.
Vishnuchitta belonged to a family which speaks highly of community singing and community feasting. Having imbibed the teaching of Vaishnavism, he led a regulated outer life which moved in rhythm with his inner life of divine consciousness.
He prepared flower garlands for the presiding deity of Villipputtur, and found great joy in this humble task.
(from the book: Classical Telugu Poetry: An Anthology, translated, edited, with an introduction by Velcheru Narayana Rao and David Shulman)
Periyalar’s attitude towards his wife
The book also describes how caring Periyalar was for his wife. According to it,
He used to store fuel, properly dried, lest his beloved wife, had to cook in the kitchen full of smoke emanating from the wet wood; for he could not bear the sight of water in her dark eyes.
Classical Telugu Poetry: An Anthology, translated, edited, with an introduction by Velcheru Narayana Rao and David Shulman
Why Vishnucitta went Madurai
The Pandya king under whose kingdom Villipputtur lies, once got tired of his Rajsik life and looked for a pure soul and guru, who can guide him about the real purpose of life and take him on a path that frees him from the cycle of life and birth; He announced a big bounty to anyone who can show him the true path to God.
Vishnucitta was then ordered by the God to visit Madurai and show the path of righteousness to the king:
Meanwhile, in Villiputtūr, as Visnu-citta was putting on the tulasi garland and chanting the god’s mantra, Mannanāru, the god himself, spoke to him in sweet and elevated tones.
“Mindful man, go today, quickly, to Madhura, to defeat the scholars blinded by pride who are boasting in the Pandya court. Announce my power, and take the prize. The king has broken with this world. Be kind to him, make him love me.
Classical Telugu Poetry: An Anthology, translated, edited, with an introduction by Velcheru Narayana Rao and David Shulman
The pious brahmin moves to Madurai to show the king the righteous path. In the below paragraph are the verses in which the capital city is described from his eyes.
There is abundance of the beautiful maids who sell flowers, the noble elephants of the royal stable, the speeding horses, the heroes of the land. However, for all the abundance, there is no falsity, pride, jealousy.
For this city of Madurai revolves on the pivot of Dharma. The vaishyas gather wealth through honest means and give away most of their earnings to charity.
The farmers work ceaselessly to produce mountains of paddy which are used to sustain the holy and the good; and the King himself is an ideal monarch, heroic, well-endowed, charitable, compassionate.
Classical Telugu Poetry: An Anthology, translated, edited, with an introduction by Velcheru Narayana Rao and David Shulman
Who was Goda-Devi (Andal)?
It is also explained in the book that Goda-devi, his foster daughter, was no one else but the incarnation of Bhudevi.
There is a belief that once Bhudevi asked Narayana, “My lord, whom do you love the most among human beings? Narayana replied, “I love all my devotees who have affection and regard for me. But those who offer me flower garlands, poo maalai, and verse garlands, pau maala, have a special place in my heart.”
This made her think and she remembered Vishnuchitta who was making such twin offerings to the Lord. Immediately she decided to incarnate as her daughter, Goda-Devi and follow the footsteps of the illustrious devotee of Srivillipputtur.
Description of the Beauty of Godadevi (Andal) in the book
The next chapter of the book talks about the arrival of Goda-devi in Periyalar’s life. He finds the girl child and takes her home as God’s Gift.
The baby grows into a beautiful lady. In the book, Krishnadevaraya has described Andal’s beauty in thirty verses using spring and monsoon as metaphors, and the author starts from her hair, going down till her feet.
Her tresses were a mass of bright curls as if they wished to defeat by numbers the single curly Sudarshana in Narayana’s hand.
The dark curls dancing around her face seemed to be the writings of Brahma to indicate that she was endowed with the best auspicious signs among all woman kind.
As her attendants raised her face to apply kajal to her eyes, she appeared like the moon on the fourth day of the lunar month. Indeed, was it not the moon that received its glow from her face?
The large eyes with quickening glances appeared as Cupid’s bow being readied for a strike.
The eyelashes were like the chains binding an elephant from falling into a well being drunk, as the eyeballs looked intoxicated. Goda Devi’s ears are like Lakshmi.
The description that began with the tresses now moves to the nose which is likened to a champak blossom; the bees that get frightened by the champak’s scent are again attracted by her sweet breath and take her teeth to be jasmine buds. Well, one can see the bees reflected in the teeth!
Though Goda Devi’s neck was fashioned like a conch by Brahma, it was constant application of sandal paste in her youth that rendered it white.
Music was evidently a major occupation for Goda Devi and her friends. The three folds on her throat signified her ability to sing effortlessly in the three reaches of base, middle and high.
Lotus stalks were her hands while her chest was like the nuptial crown tied by Cupid on the face of Rati Devi. The breasts rebelled at the control imposed by the dress and grew close to each other as the pair of chakravaka birds that had been released from Rama’s curse.
The line of hair from the navel to the breast had a darkling sheen and appeared like a snake moving on mountains The folds in the navel were golden sheets.
The behind, the thighs, the calves, the feet: loveliness was strewn everywhere with a prodigal hand. Her golden green complexion shone with a supernal beauty.
The marriage of Lord Vishnu and Goda-devi (Andal)
The epic ends with the marriage of Lord Vishnu with Goda-devi. Below is the English translation of the verse where the poet has described the marriage of Lord Vishnu with Andal
The body of Sri Ranganatha was effulgent like a dark cloud. As Sri Goda poured the sacred rice (talambralu) on him, her tender finger tips gently grazed him, and the resulting excitement caused him to sweat.
The sweat drops were like rain drops raining down from a rain cloud and the white rice particles looked like hail. To pour the sacred rice (talambralu) in Sri Ranganatha’s head, Sri Goda gathered the rice in her palms and raised her arms.
However, her breasts were uncovered in that act and she noticed her husband’s gaze feasting on the delightful sight. Overcome by modesty, she lowered her arms and threw the rice up on to his head.
Sri Ranganatha tied the sacred sutra around Sri Goda’s neck, as her body rejoiced at his touch. The bride and groom tied wedding bracelets on each other’s wrists.
(taken from http://telpoettrans.blogspot.com/)
Literature of Krishnadevaraya – ‘Amuktamalyada’ – The Writing style
This book is written in an involved complex style; similes are far-fetched but the final effect is majestic. The verses demand attention as unprecedented combination of words and images require unraveling. This book is considered one of the five best works in Telugu Literature.
As the poet moves from kitchen to the battlefields, from the courtesan quarters to the temple or the royal place an extraordinary realism and a sweeping imagination comes into play. Below is the description of the courtesan quarters:
With one grain of un-husked rice they scrape away red betel stains from their teeth, until they gleam like moonlight.
They make their bodies bright with turmeric, but with a touch so light it never yellows the towel.
They finger their breasts all over with fragrant sandal, thin and liquid, slipping their hands inside their saris.
When a necklace tears in the rush of loving, and pearls scatter everywhere, they pay no heed. They can know a man on sight—his caste and culture.
And if a lover becomes poor, or loses power, they go on caring. They live in style: the king sees them as his queens outside. Gifted with language, they make poems. Rich is the life of women who delight.
(from the book: Classical Telugu Poetry: An Anthology, translated, edited, with an introduction by Velcheru Narayana Rao and David Shulman)
Another Excerpt from the book – Amuktamalyada (Literature of Krishnadevaraya)
Another verse, about the description of the everyday life in hot summer days.
Travelers approach, faint with thirst, exhausted men calling,
(from the book: Classical Telugu Poetry: An Anthology, translated, edited, with an introduction by Velcheru Narayana Rao and David Shulman)
“Sister, Mother, please give us water”—
and as water is poured into their cupped hands,
they drink, then little by little, forgetting what they said,
they look up at the girls, at faces, breasts,
the supple curves fully in view
beneath their arms, and now they’re staring,
stealing looks, pretending to drink
as if still thirsty, when the girls notice and, hinting
to each other with their eyes, stop the flow
and smile.
Recently, Amuktamalyada is again in news as it has been translated in English and is re-published.
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