Amdhra yakshagAnam - 3
PALANA (nparinand@cas.org)
Wed, 21 May 1997 19:08:05 -0400
The sweetness of Telugu oozed out from Sri Palkuriki Somanadha's poetry
(paMDitaaraadhya caritra):
padamulu parvata padamu laanaMda
padamulu SaMkara padamul nivaaLi
padamulu vaalESu padamulu gobbi
padamulu vennela padamulu sejja
varNanamaNigaNa varNanapadamulu.
Somanadha was an ardent lover of Telugu Language per se:
tETa tenuMguna dvipada raciMtu
oppadu dvipada gaavyOkti naa valava
jaanu denugu viSEshamu prasannataku
upamiMpa gadya padyOdaatta kRtulu
dvipadayu samama BaaviMpa
urutara gadya padyOktulakaMTe
sarasamai baragina jaanu denuMgu
carciMpagaa sarvasaamaanyamaguTa
gUrceda dvipadalu gOrkidaivaara
(paMDitaaraadhya caritra; basava purANam)
Those above examples are picked at random to show the affinities of Palkuriki
Somanadha's outstanding mastery over the Telugu Language and exceptional
expertise in Poetry Writing. Needless to say, Somanadha's unimaginable love
towards Telugu gushes out. As a matter of fact, those examples also provide
some connecting links between Amdhra yakshagAna and Telugu Poetry.
Sixteenth and seventeenth centuries laid the hallmarks in de novo creation and
perpetual popularization of Amdhra yakshagAna. Pedda Kempa Rayadu wrote the
"gaMgaa gaurI vilaasamu" (mid 16th century). The yakshagAna by name
"cikkadEvaraaya vilaasamu" was written by Cikkadevarayalu (in between 16th and
17th centuries). Kanthiva Narasaraju, the son of Cikkadevarayalu, wrote the
most famous "koravaMji" musical dance drama in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and
Prakrut in 17th century and in addition he also wrote 7 yakshagAnas.
Annadanamu Vemkatamba wrote the "rAmAyaNa bAlakAMDa" yakshagAna in the 17th
century which was mainly written to be sung by women. The "guDugUci caritra"
yakshagAna was written by Pinna Bayalacharya in 1767. Nudurapati Venkanna
authored the "parvatI kaLyANamu". In the 19th century, several yakshagAna
writers such as, Yellaya, Marupeddi Cemgalva Sastri, Calla Narayana Kavi, and
Nedadur Venkatacharya wrote several yakshagAnas.
Telangana was also famous for yakshagAna poets and yakshagAnas. In between
17th and 18th centuries, several yakshagAnas emerged out in that region e.g.
dharmapuri rAmAyaNamu (Seshachala Kavi, 1780), rAmAyaNamu (Rapaka
Sriramakavi), basavamahimaamRta vilaasamu (Kanuri Virabhadrakavi, 1800),
basavakaLyANamu (Chelvuru Sanyasa, 18th Century). The most famous yakshagAna
poets of Telangana was Cervirala Bagayya who wrote 34 yakshagAnas e.g.
babruvAhana, kRshNagaaraDi, mAyAsubhadra, kaamBOjaraaju kadha, baalanaagamma
etc. Surprisingly, the yakshagAna writing was not confined to or dominated by
the Andhra writers only. To support this statement, an example can be given
here saying that Mahammod Abdulla, a student of Cervirala Bhagayya, wrote the
"hanumadraama samgraamamu". Telangana was a land of yakshagAnas and they were
performed very frequently in that area.
Tamilnaadu was a land where yakshagAna performances used to be staged.
Melattur is such a place where vIdhibhAgavata plays were staged during festive
occassions (Spring Festivals). There was a close affinity between the
Kuchipudi Bhagavatars and Melattur Bhagavatars. Historical evidences indicate
that the Andhra yakshagAna plays were performed in Tamilnadu.
Originally, the poets used to write yakshagAnas with a devotional/religious
theme. Gradually, these poets were nurtured by the Maharajahs and subsequently
they (poets) started writing Romantic yakshagAnas.
More ardent poets started regading their yakshagAna works as the treatises as
they had embedded the essential features of "prabandha" in those songs/works.
yakshagAnAs such as, mRtyuMjaya vilAsamu (Gogulapati Kurmanadhudu, 17th
century), kanyakApurANamu (Yitikela Timmayya, 18th century), and vIraBadra
vijayamu (Mallanaradhyudu) fall in this treatise category. Gradually the
yakshagAnas were regarded as plays/dramas also.
The yakshagAna poet used to have a lion's share in the act while staging the
play. The poet himself used to narrate the story during the play. Some times,
the poet used to act on the stage also - this is a speciality with yakshagAnas
and no where else one can see a poet/writer of a play participating in his own
play (written by himself) other than those interested in modern times. Just
like anything and everything evolves with time, the traditions and rituals of
Sanskrit drama were introduced into yakshagAna plays. The Maharashtra king
poet was also a very good yakshagAna play director who used to write the
yakshagAna play according to the roles. Sahaji also used to introduce a
special role specially for wit and humor.
YAKSHAGANAS WERE BORN IN THE ANDHRA DESA!
Andhra yakshagAnas and their writers are older than their counterparts in
Tamilnadu and Karnataka. According to Nelaturi Venkataramanayya it is
understood that the yakshagAnas germinated in Tamilnadu and Karnataka after
Andhras migrated and carried their talents with them to those lands. Even
before the 14th century, the writing of yakshagAnas started in the Andhra
Desa and Sistla Ramakrushna Sastri showed that the yakshagAnas were
transported from the Andhra Desa to Tamil and Kannada Landa. To substantiate
this, another fact should be mentioned here that the Telugu yakshagAna plays
like the sauBaricaritramu (Prolugamti Cennasauri) and sugrIva vijayamu
(Kamdukuri Rudrakavi) are much older than the yakshagAnas of the Kannada Desa.
It should be proudly emphasized that the Andhra Desa is the Mother Land of
Andhra yakshagAnas and Tamilnadu and Karnataka are the Vacationing Lands for
the Andhra yakshagAnas.
paTapaTa pagileMguMBini
taTapaTa padhikula manaMbu tallaDa paDiyen
ciTapaTa segasen daSiKi
kaTakaTa grIshmaMbokimta kanabaDu naMtan
baDicanu deMcu cAyadhara bAmdhula tApamu tIra nakkaDa
kkaDadarujAla mUlamula grammucu nilvagadAni gruccukO
vaDigarapALi yottidinavallaBuDallana sAgenAMgana
yyeDa nati dIrGaBAvamu vahiMce nahaMbula hOmahOgatin
aTTi vEsavi beDidaMpu veTTa katana
nEla naMdaM virisina neRiyalaMdu
daraNi pAdaMbu leDa neDadavula
mella divicikonipOva divasaMbu dIrGamayye
(raGunAdha nAyakuDu - vAlmIki caritra, 16th century)
With that I conclude the essay.
More forthcoming.
--pAlana
References:
1) S.V. Joga Rao: Andhra Yaksha Gana Caritra
2) Dr. G. Nagayya: Telugu Sahitya Samiksha
3) Dr. B. Rama Raju: Telugu Janapada Geya Sahityamu
4) Dr. S. Gangappa: Sahitya Samalochana
PS: If you use this other than for "just" reading, please let me know.
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Disclaimer: Opinions expressed above are mine only.