a few laughs, for the holidays

Ramakrishna S. Pillalamarri (pkrishna@ARL.MIL)
Fri, 22 Dec 95 16:21:35 EST

I have been going over a book "prahELikalu" by SrIbhAshyam vijayasArathi.
While it deals with these in samskRtam, I will list here only those that
have a wider reach.

prahELika is a witty, cryptic, saying, in the form of a poem. It can be
a riddle (as our samasyas are). For example:

karayugambu galadu, caraNambulA lEvu
kaDupu, veepu, naDumu, meDayu kalavu
Siramu lEdu gAni narula baTTuka mringi
sukhamu koorcu deeni sogasu ganuDi

jab mAngUn tab jal bhar lAyE
mErE man kee tapan bujhAyE
man kA bhAree, tan kA chOTA
yE sakhi sAjan? nA, nA, lOTA!

tanDulAni gRhamandu nasanti
tinDikaite bahumandi vasanti
kunDalella paritOshu luThanti
munDa nA koDukulella rudanti!

and a samasya, "rAmaScumbati rAvaNasya vadanam seetaaviyOgAturah"
and a type-4 solution.

kah kaantaara magaat pitur vacanatah, samSlishya kanTha sthaleem
kaamee kim kurutE ca, gRdhra nakhata Schinnam prarUDhanca kim
kaa rakshah kula kaalaraatri rabhavat, candraatapam dvEshTi kah
rAmah, cumbati, rAvansya vadanam, seetaa, viyOgAturah

Ramakrishna