Nagulapalli Sreenivas alluded to a literary meeting with Sri K. Venkata
Sivaiah in the DC area, a few weeks ago. There, in addition to a lecture
he delivered on the mention of highly advanced ideas in technology, medicine,
and jurisprudence in our ancient epics, he read a few of his poems. Among
them are the following, one on "mother telugu", and another on Niagara
Falls, which he visited recently. I obtained the texts of both, and here
they are, for the interested.
manam manam telugulam
manam manam telugulam
mana dESapu velugulam
manakunnadi dhee balam
manakunnadi Sree balam
manakunnadi bhuja balam
manakunnadi daiva balam
mana bhAshaku EmirA!
madhuramaina bhAsharA!
mana bhAshaku EmirA!
teepi teepi bhAsharA,
tEneloluku bhAsharA!
tolijAmuna velugulA
jalatArula jilugulA
selayELula parugulA
pAlavelli nurugulA
madhura madhura madhuramurA
lalita lalita lalitamurA!
gunna mAvi pUtalA
kOkilamma kUtalA
kanne pilla valapulA
kanna talli pilupulA
madhura madhura madhuramurA,
mana bhAshaku EmirA!
tEneloluku bhAsharA!
teepi teepi bhAsharA!
While the above poem needs no elaboration from me, perhaps the following
does. In fact, it was provided by the author himself. I will very briefly
mention what he said.
Niagara Falls
EmA sundara dRSya vaibhavamu! saddheerALi sampAtamA?
haimAdRyunnata SRngajAta jalapAtAbhOga lAvaNyamA?
dheemAdyat paramEshThi kalpita sarit deevyallasallAsyamA?
EmA bhOgamu vEgamun! nayagarA hRdyAmbu pAtamabahO!
sat+heera+ALi sampAtamu - fall of a bunch of good pearls
tana muttAtala nuddharimpaga, tapOdharmambu tA bUni, gan-
ganu pUjimpa bhageerathunDu, karuNA kallOlinee rUpayai
ghana Sailammula durgamATavula bal garjinci langhince nAn
ghana vEgammuna dUki pOvunu nayAgar-ganga iddhAruNin
an allusion to bhageertha's herculean(!) effort to bring
Ganga to earth, to provide salvation to his ancestors. It is
a "kavi-samayam" (or tradition?) to consider all large
bodies of water as Ganga.
sAgara vArilO lavaNa sAramu menDaguTan tadeeya vA-
rbhOgamu ritta vOyenani, pushpa maranda rasacchaTal marud-
vEgamunan samudruniki preeti nosangeDu kArya mokka sad-
yAgamaTancu tA janu, nayAgara-ganga dhwaninci dUkucun
The author wonders if Niagara-Ganga is carrying flowers and branches
along in fast-paced journey, in an effort to "sweeten" the salty
waters of the ocean, to improve his (samudra's) image and "worth".
Siramuna dAlci tad jaDala cikkula pAlonarince, kAni bhU-
dhara suta kicce dEhamunu, taddayu kUrmi mahESwarunDu; dur-
bharamagu jeevitammu nide pAyudu neeradhi nancu, ganga vE-
giramuna pOyenAn kaDu teginci nayAgara sAgu vArdhikin
The author is wondering if Niagara-Ganga is on a suicidal path
towards the ocean, as Lord Siva tricked her by tying her up in knots
in His hair, all the while ceding half of his body to pArvati!
ararE! yaj~namu cEsi, satya vacanA hlAdApti sampoortikai
nirayambaina kulAntamaina padamul nEnittu mUDancu, pen
harusammOpaga neeyagA navabRtha snAtun balin jEya nir-
jara kallOlini ee nayAgara nadee krAntin bhuvin dUkebO!
A reference to bali cakravarti's sacrifice of "three steps" to
Vamana. The author is positing that Niagara is attempting to pierce
through to pAtALa, to provide bali with the needed "avabRtha" bath,
after the conclusion of a "yaj~na". Note the insertion of a short
phrase from the poem from bhAgavatam, where bali says to his
mentor SukrAcArya,
"nirayambaina nibandhamaina dharaNee nirmUlanambaina dur-
maraNambaina kulAntamaina nijamun rAnimmu, kAnimmu pO ..."
kanamalUru venkaTa Sivaiah - August '96
Ramakrishna