Re:alaMkAramulu - #2 AkshEpAlaMkAramu

rveluri@smtpgate.anl.gov
Tue, 17 Feb 98 16:32:59 -0600


Madhava Kumar Turumella <Madhava@memrbksa.com> on 
2/15/98 11:19 PM while enumerating 100+ alaMkaarAlu
reiterates: 

[cut]

"---The Sanskrit sloka is from the book "caMdrAlOka" written
by Kalidasa, and the Telugu translation in prosody is from the book
"AMdhra caMdrAlOka".  "AMdhra caMdrAlOka" is a translation of kalidasa's
work by Sri ADidaM soorakavi.---"

While every one on telusA is keen on learning the 100 odd alaMkArAlu,--
courtesy Sree Madhav Kumar Turumella,-- I hate to assume the evil role
of 'paanakaMlO puDaka'! But, after all, being truth seekers we all are,
let me take the opportunity to add the following to the above statement
in quotes.

The authorship to the original sanskrit text, for aaMdhra caMdrAlOkamu
was attributed to kaaLidAsa by aDidamu soorakavi.
 
aDidamu soorakavi writes in the beginning:

baalurakunaina teliyagaa kaaLidaasu
munu racimciMce caMdraalOkamunu triliMga
bhaasha cEsiti neekRpa bhavyamuganu
deeni karuNiMci kaikommu dEva dEva

No wonder, every one thought that the original was written
by kaaLidaasa. Until akkirAju umAkAntam came on to the 
telugu literary scene!

akkiraaju umAkAntam has established in his commentary that the original
candrAlOka was a chapter borrowed from jayadEva's tome  by appaya 
deekshitAr, who made some  additions and created a smaller book called 
kuvalayaanandam. It appears that soorakavi has translated this 
kuvalayaanandam into telugu!  vidyaasEkhara umAkantam makes no bones 
about soorakavi's error in assigining the authorship to kaaLidAsa! 
On top of it, umaakantam makes it clear in his inimitable and 
shattering style that soorakavi's wish to make candRalOkam amenable
to telugu boys was a miserable failure!! 

Thus, he justifies his own prose commentary to soorakavi's translation!

Now, we can all resume the lessons on the poetic embellishments or
ornaments, Sree Madhava Kumar started off!!

Regards.

V Rao Veluri

ps: Evidently, Sree Madhav Kumar likes aDidamu soorakavi and his 
nemesis rEkapalli sOmanatha kavi equally!!