A Treasury of Sanskrit Poetry
A Treasury of Sanskrit Poetry I n English Translation
Compiled by A.N.D. Haksar
INDIAN COUNCIL FOR CULTURAL RELATIONS NEW DELHI
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Foreword
With a continuing tradition of at least three millennia, the vast literature of Sanskrit forms an important part of India's cultural heritage . Translations from
Sanskrit classics like Shakuntala have figured among the earliest publi c at i ons of
the Indian Council for Cultural Relati on s. Some years ago the Council brought out
Glimpses (!lSanskril Literalure,
a
broad informative survey of this m agn ifi cent literature by respected scholars, attuned to general interest both in India and abroad. Included in it was a sampling of tran s l ations from celebrated Sanskrit works which could g iv e readers a flavour of the language ' s literary genius. The appreci ative response to that publication, in India as well as outside ,
encouraged the Counc il to follow up with the present volume. This is a c omprehensive anthology of Sanskrit poetry in the best English translation
available. The first ever of its kind, it br ings togethe r excerpts from a full r ange of original works translated by a galaxy of distinguished sch olars and writers Indian and foreign, incl udi ng famous names such as Sri Aurobindo and Swami Vivekananda, and Nobel Prize Poets Octavio Paz and William Butler Y cats.
Drawing from sacred and secular, classic and folk literature, this collection features a w ide variety of poetry in translation. It has been c om piled by former Indian Ambassador A.N.D. Haksar, himself a well known translator from Sanskrit into English, who had also edited the earlier volume for the Council.
Exp ress ing dee p grat itude for his efforts, the Counci l h as gre at ple asu re in placing its fruit before the public whose comments are welcome as always .
M.K. Lokesh Acting Director Genera l
Acknowledgements
The compiler and the publisher gratefully acknowledge permission from the following to reprint excerpts from works in copyright: Sahitya Akademi. New Delhi for excerpts from Chandra Raj an. The Complete Works ofKalidasa. Vol. I, and V. Raghavan "Kalividambana", Indian
L it erature. June 1970; Bennet Coleman Co. Ltd., New Delhi and Prof. P. Lal,
Kolkata, for P. Lal, "The Messenger", Femina. Bombay issue, 8-12 January 1985; Bennet Coleman & Co. Ltd., for excerpts from Pritish Nandy, "Amazing Amaru", 4 October 1990 and "Beguiling Bilhana", 14 November 1990, reproduced by arrangement with The Illustrated Weekly
of India; Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata, for of God and Other Poems. 1977; Sanskrit Love Poetry. 1977, Columbia
excerpts from Swami Vivekananda, In Search Mr. J.M. Masson for excerpts from
University Press, New York copyright © by W.S. Merwin and J.M. Masson; Motilal Banarasidass Publishers, Delhi for excerpts of translations by Barbara Stoler Miller and David Gitomer in Barbara Stoler Miller ed. Theatre of Memory: The Plays ofKalidasa. 1999 reprint, first published 1984 by Columbia University
Press; Vedanta Press, Hollywood, California, for excerpts from "The Shattering of Illusion". in ,%ankara 's Crest-Jewel qf Discrimination by Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood, 1947; Y.K. Publishers, Agra, for verses from The
Indian Poetic Tradition by S.H. Vatsyayan, V.N. Misra and Leonard Nathan, 1993; Cassel & Co.. London for verses from "Pushan" by Romesh Outt and "Black Marigolds" by E. Powys Mathers in An Anthology of World Poetry. ed. Mark Van Doren. 1929; Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series, Varanasi, for excerpts from Nvmns of the Ri� Veda (1889) tr. R.T.H. Griffith (reprint 1963) and Hymns of the Samaveda. tr. R.T.H. Griffith (1893); Mr. Jean Le Mee for excerpts from his Hymnsfi'om the Rig Veda. Jonathan Cape Ltd., London, 1973; Rupa & Co., New
Delhi for excerpts from
A.L. Basham, The Wonder That Was India. 1959,
(Evergreen Encyclopedia, Vol. E-148), Grove Press Inc., New York; Oxford University Press, New Delhi, for permission to reproduce excerpts from The Thirteen Principal Upanishad�. ed. R.E. Hume, and from Vinay Dharwadkar ed. The
Col/ected Essays ofA.K. Ramanujan (1999); Motilal Banarsidass, New Delhi.
for all of the following: excerpts from The Buddha Charita or Acts of the Buddha. ed. E.H. Johnston (Lahore 1936), reprinted 1972, copyright © by Motilal Banarsidass; verses from Gita�ovjnda qfJayadeva. tr. Barbara Stoler Miller, 1984 (copyright © by Columbia University Press, 1977,
Love Songs of the Dark Lord);
Acknowledgements. ix
and verses from A.K. Warder, Indian Kavya Literature, Vols. 3,4,5 and 6, 1977,
1983, 1992 ; Penguin Books, UK, for verses from Poems from the Sanskrit, (Penguin Classics 1968), tr. John Brough, copyright © John Brough 1988; Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd .• for excerpts from The Hitopadda by Nariiyana, and Simhasana Dvatrim,fikii: Thirtytwo Tales olthe Throne ol Vikramaditya, both tr. A.N.D. Haksar; The Adyar Library and Research Centre, Chennai, for verse translations from A.K. Warder, The Science qlCrilicism in India (1978); Harper Coli ins Publishers India Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi. for extracts from A.N.D. Haksar, Shuka Saptati, 2000; Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, Pondicherry. for passages from
the following writings of Sri Aurobindo: The Translations and The Century 0/ Lile. and from Sri A urobindo, A Biogr aphy and a history, vo!. I, by K.R.S.
Iyengar; Jaico Publis hing House. Mumbai, for excerpts from Arthur W. Ryder, Panchatantra, 1949, ( publis hed by arrangement with the University of Chicago
Press), originally published in the USA in 1925; Ms. from Barbara
Stoler Miller, The
G we nn A. Miller for excerpts Thief; Columbia University
Hermit and the Love
Press, New York (1978); Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chcnnai, for exce rpts from Bhagavad Gita , tr. S wami Prabhavananda and C hris tophe r Isherwood; Ms.
Nayantara Sahgal , Dehradun, for exce rpts from R.S. Pandi t . Ritusamhara, National Information and Publications Ltd., Mumbai (1947); and Ravi Dayal Publishe rs ,
New Delhi, for excerpts from Arvind Kri sh na Mehrotra, The Ahsent Excerpts from "A T ale of Two (j ardens Col/eclcd Pocms
Traveller (1991).
",
1957-1987 by Octavio Paz, translated by Eliot Weinburger, reprinted by permission of New Directions Publishing Corp., copyright (�') 1986 by Octavio Paz
and Eliot Weinburger ; lines from 'Taittiriya" and "Chandogya" in The Tell Principal Upanishad� by W.B. Ycats and Shree Purohit Swami, re print ed with the
permission of A.P. Wall Ltd., London, on behalf of Michacl B. Yeats and Shri Purohit Swami; poem reprinted by permission of the publishers frolll Sal7skrit
Poctry ./fom
Vidl'akara 's
'Trea.\·lIry·,
ed.
and tr.
by D aniel 11.11.
I n galls ,
Camb ridge , Mass.: the Belknap Press of Harvard University Pr ess . copyright ©
1965, 1968 by the President and Fellows of Harvard C()II\!g�, C ambridge, Mass.; poems reprinted by p ermission of the pub l isher from 711c Saundaryalahri
(Harvard Oriental Series 43), ed. and tr. by W. Norman Brown, copyright © 1958 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. Excerpts of translations by Sheldoll Pollock are from Sheldon Pollock, "Public Poetry in Sanskrit", in Glimpses a/Sanskrit Literature, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, New Delhi © 1995 leCR; translations by George Keyt are from Gita Govinda 1947, Kutub Publishers, Mumbai; of Kalidasa by A.W. Ryder are from Arthur W. Ryder, Kalidasa: Shakuntala and other Writings,
1912, E. P. Dutton and Co., New York; by Edwin Gerow and Peter Dent from The Elek Book of Oriental Verse, 1979, Paul Elek Ltd., London; and by Romesh
C. Dutt, from his The Ramayana and the Mahabharata, Temple Classics 1899, E. P. Dutton, New York, reprint 1910. Other selections in this book are from Nalopakhyana, tr. Sir M. Monier Williams, Oxford Univ ersit y Press, 1879;
x •
A
Treasury o/Sanskrit Poetry
Indian Idylls, Ir. Sir Edwin Arnold, Trubner and Co., London, 1883; Song Celestial tr. Sir Edwin Arnold, Sacred Writings Vo!. 2, The Harvard Classics (New York, P.F. Collier and Co., 19 10); and Shakuntala tr. A. Hjalmer Edgren ( 1894), reproduced in Six Sanskrit Plays, ed. Henry W. Wells, Asia Publishing House, 1964 . Trans lations from Bhartrihari by A.N.D. Haksar are reprinted with his copyright permission. We are grateful to all whose works have been used to compile this book.
Acknowledgements. xi
Contents
Foreword Acknowledgements Introduction
VII
ix xxiii
THE VEDAS Rig Veda
I.
Ushas: The Dawn
1
2. 3.
Hymn of Creation
2
The Wind
4.
Night
3 3
5.
The Dawn
4
6.
The Sun
5 7 9
7.
Indra
8.
Aranyani: Forest Spirit
9.
Push an
10
10.
The Gambler
II
11.
Thoughts
13
Siima Veda
12.
Soma
14
Atharva Veda
13.
Earth, the Mother
15
14.
Courage
17
Yajur Veda
15.
A Prayer
17
THE UPANISHADS Kena Upanishad
16.
By Whom?
18
Katha Upanishad
17.
The One Essential
18
Brihadiiranyaka Upanishad
18.
Tree and Man
19
19.
The Hymn of Sweetness
20
Contents. xiii
Chhiindogya 20.
Upanishad
You are That
21
Taittiriya Upanishad 21.
Learn and Teach
Munqaka 22.
21
Upanishad
Two Birds
22
VYASA Mahiibhiirata 23.
The Humiliation of Draupadi
23
24.
Death of Abhimanyu
28
25.
Oblation to Karna
30
26.
The Mother to Her Son
33
27.
The Bridal of Damayanti
34
28.
Savitri and the God of Death
36
Bhagavadgitii 29.
The Sorrow of Arjuna
42
30.
The Vision
44
VALMIKI RiimiiyafJa 31.
Rama and Sita
45
32.
Sita's Vow
47
33.
City in Mourning
49
34.
The Sandals
51
35.
Winter in Panchavati
52
36.
The Season of Rain
54
37./
The Asoka Garden
57
ASVAGHOSHA Buddhacharita 38.
The Great Departure
59
39.
The Leave Taking
61
40.
The Grief of Yasodhara
63
41.
The Final Penance
65
42.
The Army of Mara
66
43.
The Enlightenment
67
OHASA Svapna Viisavadattii 44.
Flight of Cranes
68
Chiirudatta 45.
Moonrise
xiv. A Treasury �f Sanskrit Poetry
68
f;'rom Subhashita Ratnakosha of Vidyakara 46.
The Magic of Moonlight
68
47.
End of the Rains
69
HALA Catha Sat/asai (Prakrit) 48.
Verses
70
SDDRAKA
Mricchaka�ika 49.
The Storm
73
50.
On Being Poor
74
VISHNU SARMA
Panchatantra 51 .
Kings
75
52.
The Penalty of Virtue
76
53.
Fate
77
54.
True Friendship
77
55.
Fool and False
78
56.
Poverty
78
57.
Procrastination
79
KALlDASA
Meghadiita 58.
The Yaksha's City
80
59.
The Yaksha's Message
81
Kumarasambhava 60.
The Bride's Adornment
84
61.
Omens of War
86
62.
Advent of Spring and Love
87
Raghuva�sa 63.
The Foresakcn City
90
Ritusamhara 64 .
The Pageant of the Seasons
91
Abh(jnanasakunla/a 65.
Remembrances of Shakuntala
93
Vikramorva.fiya 66. 67.
The Search for Urvasi
94
Signs of Urvasi
95
68.
Twilight
95
Contents. xv
SyAMILAKA
Piidatiidilaka 69.
On Laughter
96
SUBANDHU
Vii.l'avadatta 70.
97
Villains
BHARAVI
Kiratarjunfya 71 .
The Water Sport
98
72.
Of Fools
99
73.
In Praise of Good Words
99
MAGHA
.�isupalavadha 100
74.
The Carousal
75.
The Morning After
101
76.
The Island City of Dvaraka
101
BHARTRIHARI
Satakatrayam 77.
Verses on Life
103
78.
Verses on Love
104
79.
Verses on Renunciation
105
DHARMAKIRTI
From Suhha.l'hilu
RUlnukusha
80.
To ask no favours
107
81 .
Prestige
107
82.
The Lonely Path
IOS
VlsAKHADATTA
Mudriiraksha.l'a 109
83.
Royal Power
84.
The Good Man
109
85.
Autumn Skies
109
BANA
Harshacharilu 86.
The Horse
1 10
From Subhashila Ratnakosha 87.
The Traveller at the Well
110
88.
Forest Fire
111
xvi. A
Treasury of Sanskrit Poetry
D1VAKARA From Surngadhara Paddhati 89.
The Spread of Fame
1 12
AMARU Amarusataka 90.
Love Poems
1 13
DANDlN From Subhushila Ratnakosha 91.
Epigrams
117
KlJMARADAsA Jiinakiharana
92.
The Quarrel
1 18
From Sub hiis h ila Ralnakosha 93.
As the Wind Blows
1 18
BHATT . . A NARA Y ANA . Ventsamhiira 94.
The Challenge
1 19
95.
Ve nge ance
1 19
From Subhiishila Ralnakosha 96.
True Strenb>1h
119
SANKARA SaundQ/:valahari 97.
In Praise of the Goddess
1 20
Moha MlIilgara 98.
The Shat tering of Illusion
121
YASOVARMAN From SlIhhiishiliivali of Vallabhadeva 99.
The Intolerance of Fate
1 23
SARAIIA Dohiiko.�a (Apabhra�sa) 1 00. The Boatman
1 24
Contents. xvii
RAVIGUPTA From Subhiishitiivali 101. Wickedness
125
KOOHALA Lifiivai (Prakrit) 102. A Mistress of Arts
126
GOVINDA Svayambhuchanda (Apabhra�sa) 103. Cattle in the Moon Light
127
BHAVABHOTI Ut/ara Riima Char ita 104.
Deep in Love
128
105. Great Hearts
128
106. Mountain River
129
107. The Beloved
129
108.
129
B i tter Grief
Miilati Miidhava 109.
Her Glances
130
110.
Medley of Emotions
130
I I I. The Proud Poet
131
VIDYA From Subhiishita Ratnakosha 112. To the River Murala
132
113. To Her Friends
132
114. Jumna's Bank
132
From Saduktikarnamrita o/Sridharadiisa 115.
Love in the Countryside
133
DAMODARAGUPTA KuUanimata
1 16. The Harlot's Experience
134
MLJRARI
A nar�hariighava I 17.
The Lord of Lanka
135
118.
In Praise of ValmTki
135
119. The Courtier
135
120. The Moon Knows
136
xviii. A
Treasury a/Sanskrit Poetry
SILA BHATTARIKA From Subhiishita Ratnakosha 12 1. A Memory 122. The Messenger
137 137
ASAGA
Vardhamiinacharita 123. Pen Pictures
138
VIKATANITAMBA From Subhiishita Ratnakosha 124. Recollection
\39
From Subhiishitiivali 125. The Advice
139
From Subhiishita Ratnakosha 126. River of Beauty
140
VALLANA From Subhiishita Ratnakosha 127. The Month of May 128. When he had taken off my clothes 129. Beauty
141 141 141
ABHINANDA Riimacharita 130. Hanuman
leaps over the Ocean
From Suhhiishita Ratnakosha 13 1. Country Scene 132. Friendshi p
142 142 143
NARAYANA Hitopadda 1 33. On Nobility
134. 135. 136. 137. 138.
144
On Transience
144
On Friends
145
On Governance
145
On Hunger
146
Reflections
147
DAMODARAMISRA Hanumanniitaka 139. The Moon Disguised 140. The Arrows of Love
148 148
Contents. xix
RAJASEKHARA
Viddhasiilabhanjikii 14 1. The Dancer
149
142. Growing Up
149
KSHEMIsv ARA
Chandakausika 143. The Sacrificial Tree
150
SIDDHA
Upamitibhavaprapancha Kathii 144. The Beggar Unmeritorious
15 1
ANANTA
From Siirngadhara Paddhati 145. The Poet's Fame
152
KALASAKA
From Subhiishifiivali 146. Love Recal l ed
153
BHOJYA DEVA
From Subhiishita Ratnakosha 147. Apparition on the River Bank
154
148. The Mango Grove
154
ATULA
Mushikavam.�a 149. A March through Kerala
155
KSHEMENDRA
Kavikan�hiibharana 150. The Poet
1 56
I 51.
156
Pundarika
SOMADEVA
Kalhiisarilsiigara 152. The Merchant's Daughter
1 57
BILHANA
Chaurapancha.�ikii 153. Memories of Love
xx •
A
Treasury of Sanskrit Poetry
159
DHANESVARA
Surasundari (Prakrit) 154. When the Rain's Came
161
155. The Shipwreck
162
JAYADEVA
Gitagovinda 156. Song in the Melody Gurjari
165
157. Song in the Melody Ramakari
166
J 58. Song in the Melody Vasanta
167
HARIBHATTA
From SlIbhiishitiivali J 59. The W i se and the Great
169
MANOVINODA
From SlIbhiishita Ratnakoshu 160. B irds
170
NA Y ACHANDRA SllRI
/{ummira Muhiikiivya 16 1. The Dancer on the Rampart
17 1
RUPA GOSVAMIN
UiJvalunllumuni 162. The Cowherd's Daughter
173
163. In Love
173
JAGANNATHA Rasagangiidhara 164. The Retort
175
Bhiimini Viliisa 165. A Word of Warning
175
NiLAKANTHA DiKSHITA
Kalividumbana 166. Satire on Physici ans
176
ANONYMOlJS VERSES FROM ANTHOLOGIES
From SlIbhiishitiivali ol Vallahhadeva 167. Do not go
177
168. My Love
177
169. Love all you can
178
Content.I·. xxi
From Paddhati orc�iirngadhara 1 70. Gentle Deer
178
171. The Burglar
178
172. The Compliment
179
173.
179
A Marvel
174. The Teacher
179
175
180
The InvitatiC'n
176. Rain in the Forest
180
177. A Come-hither Glance
180
OTHER ANONYMOUS VERSES
c�lIka Saptati 178. Sp rin gt i m e
in the Forest (Prakrit)
181
Simhiisana Dvatrimsikii 179. Gnomic Verses
182
A SEASONAL ANTHOLOGY
From Suhhiishita Ratnakosha of Vidyiikara 180. The Six Seasons
183
POETRY FROM INSCRIPTIONS
The Mandasor Epigraph (436 CE) 181. The Weavers of Lata
185
The Changu Narayan Pillar. Nepal (464 CE) 182. The Queen and the Prince
186
The Merhahu Rock Inscription. .lava (e. 7th Century) 183. The Spring
188
APPENDIX The Progress of Translation
189
The Poets
193
The Translators
198
Endnotes
202
xxii. A
Treasury afSanskrit Poetry
Introduction
This anthology endeavours to bring together a representat i ve selection of Sanskrit verse i n th e b est Eng l ish translations available. Its objective is to make
some of the poet ic wealth of the ancient language acces sible in this way to a w ider circle of modern readers than has been the case so far
.
It
is also intended
to p rov ide them a broad perspective of this c omparatively less known aspect of Sansk rit literature: not thr ough learned discourse, but by letti ng the po etry s p e a k
for itself. Final ly, l i k e any anthology, it is m eant primarily for the re adi ng pleasu re of those who may peruse its pages. Translations from Sanskrit into E n gl i sh have a history of over two cen t uries. The fi rst to be published was that of the
Bha�avadgita, by the British
East I ndia Company scholar C harl es Wilkins, in 1784. The first I ndian to
translate from Sanskrit into English was Raja Ram Mohan Roy, whose rendition of the
J.\:a Upanishad appeared in
18 1 6. Two e a rly translations deserve note for
t heir s ub seque n t im pac t Sir Williams Jones' rendering in 1789 of K a l i dasa s .
'
famous play ,�akuntala was among the first works to stim ulate Western interest in San s krit studies. A major role i n setting their di rect i o n was later provided by
the fitly translated volumes of the Sacred Books
of the East (1875-1904) ed i ted
by Max Muller. Other translations a re n u m erous enou gh to till a considerable bi bl iograph y; many are of great merit but th ey have tended to conc en trate in p a rt ic u la r areas of academ ic interest. Modern Sanskrit studies, wh i c h g radual ly took shape from the 19th
centu ry onwards, foun d a sp ec i a l focus in history, linguistics, relig io n and p h i losophy . C o l on ial sch ol arsh i p s ou ght to learn about India's past thr ough its old langu age : about the orig i ns and the evolution of the Indic ci v i lizat io n the ,
development of i ts institutions and, increasingly, about its re l i g i ous and phi l os o ph i c al insi gh t s. Indian scholars versed in western te c hni ques made their
own contribution to the gro wth of what came to be know n as Indology. This di s c ipl i n e p a id close attention to Vedic studies and to the latcr texts of sch o larly r a ther tha n ma i n ly l i ter ar y interest. As a r es u lt in contrast to works ,
like the Upanishads and th e Bhagavadgitii, re lat i ve ly little of the p u rely
poetical literature of Sanskrit has been readily available i n E ng lish translations. In present popular p erception it is best known as the language of re l i g i o n and philosophy. While its s acred writ i n gs also include poetry of high quality the fu ll ,
Introduction. xxiii
beauty of the Sanskrit Muse still remains to be unveiled for other than specialist audiences. Appropriate translation is the best, if not the only, way of making the poetic riches of any language available to those who do not know it. The qualification has been added to distinguish between literal and literary translation. The first transmits information about ideas and the linguistic form in which they are presented: its main concern is fidelity to the original text, even if the readability of the rendition is thereby impaired. The second needs to convey also the flavour and the feel of the original, apart from being accurate and readable. It must qualify as literature in its own right. Poetry obviously requires translations of the second kind. Can poetry at all be translated from Sanskrit into as dissimilar a language as English? The trans-cultural difficulties involved are compounded by differences of linguistic construction and literary convention. Earlier scholars like Arthur Berriedale Keith contended that Sanskrit poetry was essentially untranslatable. "English efforts at verse translation," he asserted, "fall invariably below a tolerable mediocrity, their diffuse tepidity contrasting painfully with the brilliant t:ondcnsatlOn of style, the elegance of metres, and the adaptation of sound to sense of the originals.' I While this criticism related mainly to form, the savant Sri Aurobindo struck a similar note with respect to content. "To translate the Veda is to border upon an attempt at the impossible," he observed. "For while a literal English rendering of the hymns of the ancient Illuminates would be a falsification of their sense and spirit, a version which aimed at bringing out all � the real thought would be an interpretation rather than a translation." The comments of Keith and Aurobindo highlight what the American Sanskritist Arthur Ryder described as "the cruel inadequacy of poetical ) translation." Yet some of Aurobindo's and Ryder's own renderings of Sanskrit verse demonstrate that the obstacles to be overcome are not entirely insuperable. What is important is the end result. A translation of poetry must eventually stand on its own merit to please or move the reader. That several from Sanskrit into English have succeeded in doing so is evident from the testimony of reputable observers. The Mexican poet and critic Octavio Paz's insightful essay on the beauties of Sanskrit poetry was based in part on his readings of various translations. He wrote that he had "read excellent translations of Kalidasa in English, ..4 and quoted from others of Bilhana's love poems. The British Indologist A.L. Basham listed in his Sanskrit bibliography over a dozen works as "a few only of s the best literary translations in English." The Chinese philosopher Lin Yutang wrote about Romesh Dutt's 19th century verse renditions: "My love and true respect for India was born when I first read the Indian epics, the the
Mahabharala.
xxiv. A
Ramayana and
in the present translations" which were "two masterpieces."
TreasUlY ofSanskril Poetry
"
A century earlier, the great European poet J.W. von Goethe had expressed fulsome praise for
Siikuntala on reading it in a
German rendition of Sir William
Jones' translation. Goethe's well-known epigram remains perhaps the best comment on the translatability or otherwise of Sanskrit poetry: If you want the bloom of youth and fruit of later years, If you want what el,chants, fultills, and nourishes, If you want heaven and earth contained in one name .�akuntalii and all is spoken. 7
I say
Good literary translations of the
full range of Sanskrit poetry are
nevertheless not easy to come by, and more need to be encouraged to make its wealth and variety better known. The present anthology contains excerpts from translations by over forty writers. These include, apart from some distinguished scholars and poets, two winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature and two figures whose national eminence extends beyond their literary accomplishment. If translations by some other writers have not been included, it is either because they were from texts without poetic content; or their source was untraceable; or other translations of the same passage had already been selected. Some translations may have been missed out by inadvertence or due to lack of information which the compiler can only regret. It is noteworthy that while a few poetical works, for example those of Kalidasa, have been translated by many hands, others have received much less attention, and many have not been translated at all. The last category includes, regrettably, most of the satiric and comic verse in Sanskrit, and much of the epigrammatic poetry collected in anthologies. It may be added that, of the several excellent and still available anthologies of Sanskrit verse compiled s between the 10th and the 16th centuries, only one has been fully translated into English so far. The poetry represented here stretches over a period of about 3000 years or more, depending on the dating of the Vedic texts, which is still uncertain. Including this
.I:ruti literature and the two famous epics, the translated excerpts in
this compilation are drawn from 63 separate works, five Sanskrit and Prakrit verse anthologies 9, and three inscriptions located respectively in India, Indonesia and Nepal. The collection teatures 59 named poets whose provenance, where known, ranges from Kerala to Kashmir, and from Gujarat to Bengal. Many others are anonymous, while the works of some are known only from anthologies. More recent poetical works from the 17th century onwards, for example those of authors like Venkatadhvarin, Paramananda and Ghanasyama, have gone unrepresented as they are still unavailable in translation. The selection of excerpts was made on three broad considerations: poetical content; availability of suitable translation; and the need for covering a wide
Introduction. xxv
enough time span. Some well know texts were excluded on one of the first two grounds. In considering the suitability of translations where they were available, literal and prose renderings were omitted in favour of those in verse form, except in a few cases which were i ncluded mainly to provide representation to otherwise neglected authors. The reader will find a rich variety of poetry in these translations. They include m.ture hymns and mystical utterances of profound speculation; epic narratives with evocative descriptions and d ialogues; songs and musings; lyrics on many aspects of love; heroic and tragic, erotic and satiric verses; devotional and philosophical poetry; sophisticated compos itions from the courts and simple poems of the countryside. The narrative and descriptive verses are presented in longer extracts to convey their sense more fully. A natural counterpoint is provided by the epigrammatic
subhiishita or "well said" single stanza, which
expresses a gamut of compressed emotion or thought, and is a characteristic of classical Sanskrit poetry. The anthology also includes excerpts from Prakrit and Apabhramsa. While the evolution and chronology of their relationship with Sanskrit continues to be a su bject of research, their interconnection is intimate and a part of the same poetic tradition. Sanskrit and Prakrit verses occur frequently in the same works and are quoted in the same classical commentaries on literature. The presence here of Prakrit and Apabhramsa poems in translation is in keeping wi th this tradition; but each has been identified as such in the table of contents. To enable them to be seen simply as poetry, the translations are presented here without further comment except some explanatory information in a few cases contained in the endnotes. The order follows generally accepted chronology. The source of the original has been indicated in each case, together with the translator's name. Ti tles provided by translators for the excerpts have been retained in most cases; where no titles were provided the compiler has devised them, mainly for purpose of reference. Sanskrit verse itself has no traditi on for such titles. Standard
practice
has
been
followed
in the
use
of
diacri tics
in
transli teration, except in some cases where better known spellings have been preferred or those used by individual translators retained. The letters
ri and sh
are used instead of � and �, for example the popular name is written as
Krishna, which i s also common usage, rather than as Kr:�fJa, which is jarring. Similarly ch is used instead of c, to write the number five as pancha, not panca. The lett�r fJ is shown simply as n where thi s is the current common usage. An appendix contains different translations of the same text to give some idea of how they have changed over time. Also included are separate lists giving brief detai ls of the translators, and of the poets who have been translated. Chronological and other details of the latter, it should be noted, are not known with any certainty in most cases.
xxvi . A
Treasury o.fSanskril Poetry
The compiler would like to thank the Indian Council for Cultural Relations for accepting his proposal for this proj ect, and the Council's Director General and officers for their support and assistance in its implementation, specially in securing pennission for use of copyright material. He is grateful to Shri H.K. Kaul and his colleagues at the India International Centre library, and to Smt. M. Vij ayalakshmi of the Sahitya Akademi library for their help in his researches; and in particular to Dr. Anthony K. Warder, Professor Emeritus of Sanskrit, University of Toronto, for valuable references from his monumental work
Indian Kavya Literature.
Above all he thanks his wife Priti for her unfailing
support, encouragement, patience and always constructive criticism for which no words can be adequate. The preparation of this anthology has been largely a labour of love for the compiler, and if it can interest readers to explore further the treasure trove of Sanskrit poetry, in translation or the original, that will be h is greatest reward.
New Delhi, Republic Day
2002
A.N.D.H.
Introduction .
xxvii
THE VEDAS
Rig Veda Ushas: The Dawn
Of al l the l ights the l ightest, this l i ght has come, This radi ance, conceived in a great dazzle of colour, Rushing ahead of the imminent rise of the sun; And N i ght has now gi ven over Her place to the Dawn. She comes up shi ni ng leadi ng a shining calf. The Dark One has g i ven over Her mansi ons to Dawn. For they are undy i ng kin and fol l ow each other N i ght and the Dawn, e xch a n g in g hue for hue. ,
They are s isters whose endless road i s the very same road, And they take i t as surely as if They were guided by Gods; No clashing there, no halting for N i g ht or Dawn, Un l ike, yet lovely, and i n Thei r thoughts as one. Her colors flash out as she leads Her exultant dance, She has opened her gates for us, and opened them w i de; Revealing the worl d, She shows us how rich we are. A l l of the li v i ng open the i r eyes to the Dawn. Men who were stretched on the ground, She l itis up to act; Some rise with the g ol den thou g ht of wealth as an end, Some, who see l i ttle, go on to gape at what's far. 1\1 1 of the l iv i ng open thei r eyes to the Dawn. You for conquest, and you for a name in this world, You arisen to ti nd some momentous good, You moving off toward a d i fferent way to l i ve. All of the liv i ng open their eyes to the Dawn. Chi l d of the ki ngdom of Light it's to us She comes; A faultl ess g i rl arrayed in Her l ustrous robes, Lady who oversees our earthly goods, o Dawn, 0 l ucid Portent, shine on us now. ,
I. 113
, ·.N. Misra. I.. Nalhan and S f'ulsyavan
*****
Rig Veda . 1
2
Hymn of Creation
not non-existent nor existent: there was no realm of air, no sky beyond it. W hat covered in, and where? and what gave shelter? Was water there, un fathomed depth of water?
Then was
not then, nor was the re aught immortal : no s i gn was there, the day ' s and night s divid e r That o ne thi ng, breathless, breathed by its own nature: apart from it was nothi ng what s oev er Death was
'
.
.
there was : at tirst concealed i n darkness, was indiscri m inated chaos. All that existed then was void and forml ess: by the great power of warmth was born that unit. Darkness
this All
Thereatier rose desire
i n the be gi nn i ng Des i re, the primal seed and germ ,
of spirit.
Sages who searched with their heart ' s thought d i scovered the existent's
k i n s h ip i n the non-exi stent. Tr ans ver se ly was
their severing l i ne extended: what was above it then, and what below i t? There were begetters, there were mighty forces, free acti on here and energy up yonder.
knows and who can here declare i t, whence it was born and whence comes this creation? The gods are later than thi s world ' s production. Who knows, then whence i t lirst came i nto being? Who verily
,
He, the Ii rst
origi n of this creation, whether he formed it al l or did not
form it.
Whose eye controls this world i n h ighest heaven, he veri ly knows it, or perhaps he
knows not.
X. 129 lUll
* * ***
2
•
A Trea,I'w)'
olSanskrit Poetry
Griffith
3 The Wind o the W i n d's char i ot, 0 i ts power and gl ory! Cras h i ng it goes and hath a voice of thunder. It makes the reg i ons red and touches heaven, and as it moves the d ust of earth is scattered. A l on g the traces of the Wind they h u rry, they com e to h i m as dames to an assembly. Borne on his car with these for h i s attendants, the god speeds fo rth, the un iverse's mo narch. Travelli n g on the paths of ai r s m i d-regi o n, '
no s ingl e day doth he take rest or s l u m ber. Holy and earl i est-born, friend of the waters, where d i d he spring and from what region came he? Germ of the wor l d , the d e i t i es' vital sp i rit
,
th i s god moves ever as h i s wi l l i ncl i nes h i m. His voi ce i s heard, h i s shape is ever viewl ess. Let us adore th i s Wi nd with our oblati on.
X.168 R. T H
Ciriffith
*****
4 Night The goddess Night has l ooked abroad with her eyes, everywhere d rawi ng near. She has put al l her gl ories on. The i m mortal goddess now has fil led w i de space, i ts depths and heights. Her radiance drives out the dark. A pproachi ng, the goddess has expelled her sister Dawn. Now darkness a l so d i sappears.
Rig Veda. 3
And so you have drawn near to us, who at your comi ng have come home, as birds to their nest upon the tree. The clans have now gone home to rest, home the beasts, and home the b i rds, home even the hawks who l ust for prey. Guard us from the she-wolf and the wolf, and guard us from the thief, 0 Night, and so be good for us to pass. For darkness, blotting out, has come near me, black and pa l pable. o Dawn, dispel it l i ke my debts. I have offered my hymn as a cow is offered, Daughter of '·Ieaven. 0 Night, accept it, as a victor praise.
X.I27 AL Basham
*****
5 The Dawn
L i ke a youthful maiden, Dawn shi nes brightl y forth, Stirring to motion every l iv i ng creature. Di vine Fire was kindled for the use of men; Dawn created l i ght, driving away the dark. Send i ng out her beams, she rose up facing al l , I n bri l l i ant robes, resplendent, radi ating Golden-coloured and glorious to behol d, Mother of plenty, m istress of the days she shone. B l essed, bearing the sun, the eye of the gods, Lead i n g her white horse, magnificent to see, Dawn reveal s hersel f, arrayed i n beams of l i gh t, And w i th boundless glory she transforms the world. 4
•
A
Treasury o/Sanskrit Poetry
o fa i r one banish the enemy w i t h l i gh t ! ,
A n d prepare for us broad pastures free from fear! Ward off hatred, b ring us your priceless treasure !
o bountif u l , shower b less ings on the s i n ger ! II l umi ne us with your glorious splendour
,
o di v i ne Dawn! Enrich and lengthen our l i ves. o Goddess f u l l of grace! Grant us fu lti IIment A n d cows, horses, and chari ots in abundance!
o daughter of heaven, Dawn of noble birth
,
Whom the men of glory cel ebrate i n hym ns, Establis h in us wealth sublime and mighty !
o god s , protect us a l ways with your b lessings!
VII. 77 Jean Le AH:e
*****
6 The Sun The beam s ascend toward the god Who h o l d s the knowl edge of al l l ives
,
So that a l l thi ngs beh o l d the Sun. Off l ike t h i eves, t he conste l lations Stea l th i l y retreat with the nights Before the all-beholding Sun. Now h i s beams are m ade apparent Radiant above the worl d of men Bl azing and l u m inous l i ke tires. Trave l l i n g on, i n view of al l. Creator of I i ght are you. 0 Sun, S h inin g through al l ethereal space. Now facing a l l the hosts of gods, Now facing al l men you arise, Now fac ing al l for al l to see. Rig Veda. 5
o Pu ri fi er with your eye ,
You see life q u ive ri ng
w ith i n The world of creatures, Supreme Lord. Cross i ng sky and obscure regions You measure out the day w i th n i ghts, o Sun who sees all ge n er ations ,
,
.
Seven m ares draw you, 0 Lord, In your chariot. Sun Divine, o Rad iant One with hair aflame. He has yoked t h e s plendi d Seven, The dau ght e rs of the Sun's chariot, And with this willing team, m o ve s on
.
Emergi n g up above the dark, Toward the higher li g ht we turn ; We h av e attai ned t he go d of gods. The Sun itself� the h igh est l ight. R i s i n g tod a y 0 Love's glory, ,
M oun ti n g to the highest heaven, Expel, great Sun my heart ' s disease, And drive the jaundice far away ! ,
To s pa r ro w s and to parakeet s o let us pass my jaund ice on !
,
Li kew i se unto the yel low birds, o let u s pass my j aun di c e o n The
.
Son of the I ntin ite has
Risen with all his s t ren gt h an d
Overcome evi l for my sake, And let me not be o v e rc o me!
m ight
,
1.50 .Jean Le MI!e
*****
6. A
Ji"eu.I'lIry o{Sunskrit Poetry
7
Indra Let me proclaim the valiant deeds of lndra, the first he d id , the wielder of the thunder,
when he slew the dragon and let loose the waters, and p ie rce d the bellies of the mountains. He slew the dragon ly ing on the mountain, for Tvashtri made him a heavenly thunderbolt.
The waters suddenly, l ike bellowing cattle, descended and flowed on, down to the ocean.
In h is strength h e chose the soma from three cups he drank the essence. The Generous seized his thunderbolt,
and smote the tirstborn of drago ns. When, lndra, you slew the firstborn of d ra gons , and frustrated the arts of th e sorcerers, creating sun and heaven and dawn, you found no enemy to withstand you. lndra sl ew Vritra, and VyafT\sa, stronger than Vritra,
w ith his thunderbolt, w ith h is migh ty weapon. Like the branches of a tree felled by the axe the dragon lay strewn over the earth. Like an enraged coward he called a challenge to the great h ero , the strong ' s oppressor, charging. But he did not escape the force of his blows-
the foe of Indra crushed the clouds together [in fal ling]. Footless and handless, he still gave Indra battle, until the thunderbolt struck him hard on his back.
The bullock sough t to be match for the bull, But Vritra, lay, his members scattered afar. The waters, flowing for man's good, pass over h im , as he lies thus, broken like a reed.
Rig
Veda. 7
Beneath the waters which he had encompassed in his great might, Vritra, the serpent lay. The strength of the mother of V ritra was exhausted, and Indra bore away her weapon. The mother lay above, the son below. Danu lay l ike a cow beside her calf. Fallen i n the midst of water-courses, never pausi ng, never resting, floods overwhelm the hidden corpse of Vritra. In a long darkness lay the foe of l ndra. Lorded by Dasas and guarded by the dragon the waters l ay, pe nned in as cows by a Pa�i. When the opening of the waters was closed up the s layer of Vritra threw it open. o I n d ra you became a ,
w
re a th of vapour,
when he i mpa led you on his lance. A l one
you won the cows, hero, you won the soma, and you let l oos e the Seven Streams to flow. Thunder and lightning avai l ed him nothing, nor the mist he scattered abroad, nor hai l . When Indra and the d ragon fought h e conquered as he, the Generous, w i l l i n future conquer.
,
And what avenger of the dragon did you see, Indra, as fear entered your heart when you had ki l led h i m, when you crossed over nine and ninety streams, as a frightened hawk crosses the ski es? I ndra is king of al l that moves or rests, of tame and fierce, the wielder of the thunder. He is the king of mortals, whom he rules, encircling them as a wheel 's rim the spokes.
1 . 32 A . L. Basham
*****
8
•
A
Treasury of Sanskrit Poetry
8 A rany ani : Forest Spirit
Lad y o f the Forest ! Lady of the Forest! who see m to vanish from sight i n the distance, why do you never come to the v i l l age? s u r ely you are not afrai d of men ! When the grasshopper repl i es to the d istant lowi ng of catt le, as t h o ug h to the sound of t i n k l i n g bells the Lady of the Forest m akes m erry . Somet i m es y o u c atc h a gl i m p s e of h e r and think i t i s catt l e g raz i n g or a hOLJse, far away , a n d at e ve n i n g you hear the L ad y of the Forest l i ke the d i stant sound of m o v i n g w a gon s .
,
.
I kr vo i ce is as the s o u nd
of a m an cal l i ng h i s cattl e, a s t h e c rash o f a fe l l ed tree. 1 1" you s t a y i n t h e forest in the eveni ng, you w i l l hear her l i ke a far voice c ry i ng. m
H ut t h e Lady o f t h e Forest w i l l no t
s l ay enemy d raws near. She eats the sweet wi I d fru i t s , and then she re st s w herever she w i 1 1 . u n l ess an
N o w I h a ve pra i sed t h e Lady o f t h e Porest, who is per fu m ed w i th bal m , and fr ag r a nt who i s wel l fed , a l though s h e ti l i s not. t h e m ot h e r of a l l thi ngs of the w i l d
.
X
.
1 46
,., I.. Hasham
Rig
Veda . 9
9 Pushan
Pushan, God of golden day, Shorten thou the shepherd ' s way, Vanquish every foe and stranger, Free our path from every danger; Cl oud-born Pushan, ever more, L e a d liS as YOll led before ! Sm ite the w i l d wolf, fi erce and v i le, Lurking i n the dark defi l e, Sm ite the robber and the thief, Stea l i ng forth to take our l i fe; C loud-born Pushan, ever more Lead us as you led before ! Thou dost p a th l e ss forests
know Thou canst quel l the secret foe, Tholl di dst lead our fathers right, Wonder-worker, orb of l i g h t; ,
G rant from t h y u n fa i l i ng store
Wea l t h and b l ess i ng e v e r more !
Th o u h as t treasures m a n i fol d
,
arms of gol d ; Fore m ost of t h e Sons of L i g h t Shepherd s ' god and leader bright. G ranl from thy un fa i l i n g store Wealth and b l e s s i ngs ever more !
G l i tter i n g weapons,
.
VI
54
Romesh Dull * * * * *
1 0 . A ]i-('(I,\"III:I ' ofS'lIl1skril PoellY
10 The Gam bler
The dan gl i ng nuts, born where the wind blows the lofty tree, del i ght me with their rol l i ng on the board. The cheering vibhidaka has brought me joy, l i ke a draught of soma from Mount Muj avant. She did not scold me, or lose her temper. She was k i nd to my fri ends and me. But because of a throw too high by one I have rejected my loving wife. Her mother hates me; my wife repels me a man in trouble fi nds no one to pity h i m . They say, T ve n o more use for a gambler Than for a worn-out horse put up for sale. ' When the conquering die has got his possessions others embrace the gamester's wife. H i s father, his mother, his brothers say of h i m : ' We don ' t know him ! Take him a s a bondman ! ' I th i n k to myself: " won ' t go w ith the others ! I ' l l stop behind when my friends go to play ! ' B ut then the brown ones raise thei r voice�, and off I go, l i ke a m istress to her lover. The gambler goes to the hal l of assembly. ' Shal l I win?' he wonders. His body trembles. The dice run counter to his hopes, and give his opponent the l ucky throws. The dice are armed with hooks and pierci ng, they are deceptive, hot and burning. L i ke children they give and take again, they strike back at their conquerors. They are sweetened with honey through the magic they work on the gambler. Rig
Veda .
11
T h ey p l a y in a
troo p of three times fi fty. god Savitr, they are true to their laws. T h ey w i l l not bend to the wrath of the m i ghty, and even a king bows low be fo re them. L i k e th e
ro l l down, the dice l e a p u pw a rd s the man with arms. arc heaven l y co a l s strewn over the board, t h o ug h t hey are c oo l they burn up the heart.
The d i ce
,
unarmed they w i t hsta n d They
and
,
The forsaken w i fe of the gambler sorrows, and the m ot h er o f t he son who wanders afar. l i', debt, i n fear, i n need of m oney, he goes by n i g h t
to the house of others.
when he sees a w om a n anot her m an ' s w i fe, i n thei r p l e as a nt h o m e I n the m o rn i n g he yokes the chestnut horses I n t he e v e n i ng he fa l l s by the hearth, a beggar.
T h e gam b l e r g r i ev e s
,
.
So to the ge n era l of your great army,
the c h i e f of your h o s t out to him my ten fingers : risk m y al l ! I a m s pea k i ng the trut h ! '
to h i m who is k i ng,
,
I say, stre t c h i ng 'I
' Do n ' t play w i t h d i ce , but p lo u g h your furrow ! De l i g h t i n your property, prize it h i g h l y ! Look to your c a tt l e and l ook to your wife, You
gam bler! ' Thus noble Savitr tel ls me.
w i t h us, be k i n d to us! w i t h your fierce magi c ! M a y y o u r wrath a n d hatred n o w come t o [ . st ! M a y n o m a n fal l i n to the snares o f the brown ones !
So m a k e friends
Do n o t force us
X. 34 A . L. Basham
* * * * *
1 2 . A Treasury of Sanskrit PoetlJ!
1 1 Tho ughts Our t h o u g h t s wander in a l l d i rect i ons A nd m a ny a re t h e wa y s o f m en : The cartwri ght hopes for acc i d ents, The phys i c i a n for t h e c r i pp l e,
A nd the pri est for a ri ch patro n . F o r th e s a k e o f S p i r i t, 0 M i nd ,
L e t g o of al l these wander i n g t h o ug hts ! W i th h i s d ry grass and feather fan A n d a l l h i s too l s of fas h i oned stone, The b l ac k s m i t h seeks day afte r d ay The c u s t o m er endowed w i th go l d .
For t h e sake of S p i r i t, 0 M i nd, Let go of al l these wande r i n g t h oug h t s ! [ ' m a s i nger, father ' s a d octor, M other grinds fl our w i t h a m i l l stone . O u r t h o u ght s a l l turn upon profit
A n d cow l i ke w e al l p l od a l ong.
For t h e s a k e of S p i r i t 0 M i nd Let go of a l l these wand e r i n g t h oughts ! .
The horse wou l d d raw
a
s w i ft carriage.
T h e enterta i n e r a good l au g h .
The pen i s seeks a ha i ry s l ot A nd the frog s ee k s a stag n a n t p o n d . F o r the s a k e o f S p i r i t. 0 M i nd Let go of al l these wanderi ng tho u g h ts !
IX. 1 1 2 Jean Le Mee
* * * * *
Rig Veda .
13
Siima Veda 12 Soma
Hero, the Soma being shed, I pour the j u i ce for thee to dri nk: Sate thee and fi n i sh thy carouse ! Let not the fools, or those who mock, beguile thee when they seek thine aid : Love not the enemy o f prayer! Here l et them cheer thee wel l supplied w i th m i l k to great m un i ticence : Drink as the w i l d b u l l drinks the l ake ! Here is the Soma j uice expressed : 0 VasLl, drink ti l l thou art full: U ndaunted god, we give it to thee ! Washed by the men, pressed out w ith stones, strai ned through the tilter made of wool, 'Tis l ike a courser bathed i n streams. This juice have we m ade sweet for thee l ike barley, blend i ng it with m i lk. I ndra, I cal l thee to our feast. So. lord of affl uent g i fts, this j u ice hath been expressed for thee with
strength: : l ; i nk of it, thou who lovest song! I ncline thy body to the j uice which suits thy godlike nature wel l : Thee, Soma-lover! let i t cheer! o I ndra, let it enter both thy tlanks, enter thy head w i th prayer. With bounty, hero! both thine arm s ! Strong, mountain-born, t h e sta l k hath been pressed i n t h e streams for rapturous j oy: Hawk-l ike he settles i n h i s home. Fair is the j uice beloved of gods. washed in the waters, pressed by men: The m i lch-kine sweeten it with m i l k . Then, l i ke a steed, have they adorned the i nc iter for eternal l i fe, The heath ' s j uice at the festi val. As a good cow to him who m i lks, we cal l the doer of good deeds To our assistance day by day. Come thou to our l i bations, drink of Soma, Soma-drinker! Yea. The rich one ' s rapture gi veth kine. So may we be acq uai nted with thine i n nermost benevolence: N eglect us not, come hitherward ! 14 . A
TreaslIry (�fSanskrit Poetry
Pass by the wrathful offerer; speed the man who pours l i bations, drink The j uice which he presents to thee ! What is the word addressed to him, god great and excel lently wise? For thi s i s what exalteth h i m . H i s wealth, w h o hath no store of kine, hath ne' er found recited loud, Nor song of prai ses that is sung. W i th wealth to our l i bation come, be not thou angry with us, l i ke 11. i. i i i , iv an d I. iii. A great man with a youthful bride. R. r H
Griffith
* * * * *
A tharva Veda 13 Earth, the M other
May that Earth, which holds on Her ample lap the ocean, The ri vers, the l akes; which bears the crop-yielding soi l , And is ground for a l l that breathes and stirs and l ives, M ay She also bear the fruits of what we have done. That Earth was born from vast waters, at fi rst was water. And anc i ents attended Her gro w th w ith their own creations. I l er heart is set on the real, high i n the heavens, A n d what i s undy i ng of Hers i s g u a rd e d by Truth. W hatever there i s at the core of Your bei ng, whatever There is in Your air. whatever the power that leaps From Your le n gth set us, Mother, among that wealth. Raise us up. Y our are my Mother. I am Your chi ld. ,
M other, g i ve me that fragra n ce You Yourself make, The perfume that comes from green gro w i n g thi n gs, fro m wa te rs The same that heavenly players and dancers desire. Annoint me with it, so none may wish me hurt. ,
Atharva Veda . 1 5
Your very same fragrance that fi l ls up the lotus pool, The perfume You had as gift at the marriage arranged For Dawn by the Gods, the very first perfume of al l : Anoint m e with it, s o none may wish m e hurt. You who uphold the men who, though mortal , Are singing and dancing together i n exultation, And uphold the men who, mortal, go out to k i l l With furious shouts and the wai l o f trumpets at war: o may You, Mother, drive my opponents away, And make me a man without a rival in al l the world. You Who nurture the five kinds of crops And are cause for their grains to swe l l out to ri peness. o Earth, Wife to the lavish cloud, It's to You, To Your open hand, that I bow. Though men cry out in many strange tongues, and profess A tl urry of faiths, You take them al l to Y oursel f. G ive us a thousand streams of Your wealth, G i ve, l i ke a cow whose udder is fu l l . Make u s the masters o f crowded highways And of narrower paths, that few, in a hurry, take, The ways of goodness as wel l as the ways of evi l . May these b e cleared of those who would hurt u s o r rob us. And may we receive what is good to recei ve. B i rds must come swinging round You when they take fl ight: The hawk, the swan, and everything that fl ies, And the w ind that, circl ing the sky, goes pl unging ahead To drive down the rai n, rock the trees, and flare up the tire. You are the One who i ssues the wind i ts force. Darkness and golden l i ght, the night and day Were conceived out of You together, 0 Earth Wrapped in the circling seasons, wound in time. Render us good in all our scattered homes.
XII. I
V N. Misra. L. Nathan and S. Vatsyavan
*****
16
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14 Courage
As the sky even, and even the earth Do not falter and are not afrai d, So, my l i fe ' s breath, have no fear. As the day even, and even the ni ght Do not falter and are not afraid, So, my l i fe ' s breath, have no fear. As the sun even, and even the moon Do not fal ter and are not afraid, So, my l i fe ' s breath, have no fear. As spirit even, and even action Do not falter and are not afrai d, So, my l i fe ' s breath, have no fear. As the truth even, and even chaos Do not falter and are not afraid, So, my l ife ' s breath, have no fear. As the past even, and even the future Do not falter and are not afraid, So, m y l i fe ' s breath, have no fear.
I. 1 5
/ '. N Misra, L Nathan and S Vatsvayan * * * * *
Yajur Veda 15 A Prayer From the U nreal lead us to the Real. From darkness lead us unto L ight.
From death lead us to I mmortal ity. Reach us through and through our Sel f. And evermore protect us - Oh Thou Terrible ! From ignorance, by thy sweet compassionate Face.
X I V . 3 ( S . Br.)
Swami Vivekananda
Yajur
Veda .
17
THE UP ANISHADS
Kena Upanishad 16 By Whom?
By whom impe l l ed soars forth the m i nd proj ected? By whom enjoi ned goes forth the earl iest breath i ng? By whom i m pe l l ed this speech do peopl e utter? The eye, the ear-what god, pray, them enjoi neth?
That which is the hearing of the ear, The thought of the m i nd, The voice of speech, as also the breathi ng of the breath, And the sight of the eye ! Past these escapi ng, the wise, On departing from this world, become immortal . There the eye goes not; Speech goes not, nor the m i nd . We know not, we understand not How one would teach It. Other, i ndeed, is It than the known, And moreover above the unknown. Thus have we heard of the ancients Who to us have expl ai ned I t .
I . 1 -4 Nohrrl Ernesl lIume
* * * * *
Katha Upanishad 17 The One Essential
As the one air, entering into this world, Becomes the form of what it houses in, The one Essential, housed i n a l l things born, A l so takes that thing's external form. 1 8 . A Treasury of Sanskrit Poetry
As the one sun, the si ngle eye of a l l , I s not darkened b y flaws i n things it sees, The one Essential, housed in al l things born, A nd past al l grief, is not darkened by grief. The only Lord, housed i n al l thi ngs born, He who makes from one a swarm of shapes, The wise who see H i m in themselves, His sel f: Thei r joy i s joy that lasts, no other joy . I t is t h i s the Absol ute Joy, they think, and can ' t b e said, ,
How i s it otherwi se known, if it shines or does not shine? In H i m no sun, no moon, not one star, N o l i ghting how much l ess these common fi res. B ut when He blazes up, then al l m ust show; Then everything flares up immense with him. ,
I l . 2 . 1 O- 1 S
/ ', N, Misra, L. Nalhan and S. Valsyavan * * * * *
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 18 Tree and Man
As a tree of the forest, J ust so, surely, is m an. H i s hair are leaves, H i s skin the outer bark. From his skin blood, Sap from the bark flows forth . From him when pierced there comes forth A stream, as from the tree when struck. H i s pieces of flesh are under-layers of wood. The fi bre is muscle-l i ke, strong. The bones are the wood within. The ma rrow i s made resemb l i ng pith. Brihadiiranyalw Upanishad . 19
tree, when it is fel led, grows up From the root, more new agai n; A mortal, when cut down by death From what root does he grow up? A
Say not ' from semen' For that is produced from the l i v i ng, As the tree, forsooth, spri nging from seed, Clearly arises without having died. [ f with its roots they should pull up The tree, it would not come into being again . A mortal, when c u t down b y deathFrom what root does he grow up?
Il l . 9 . 2 R
Roberl Ernesl lIume *****
19 The Hymn o f S weetness
The bl issful wlllds are sweet to us. The seas are showering bliss on us. May the corn i n our fields bring bl iss to us. May the plants and herbs bri ng bl iss to LIS. May the cattle give LIS bl iss. o Father i n Heaven be ThoLl blissful unto LIS! The very dust of the earth is ful l of bl iss. [ t is al l bliss - all bliss - all b l i ss.
VI. 16
Swam i / 'ivekananda
* * * * *
20 . A Treasury of Sanskrit Poetry
Chhiindogya Upanishad 20 You are That
Uddalaka asked his son to fetch a banyan fruit. ' Here it is, Lord ! ' said S vetaketu. ' Break it, ' said Uddalaka. ' I have broken it, Lord ! ' ' What d o you see there? ' L ittle seeds, Lord ! ' ' B reak one of them, my son ! ' ' I t i s broken, Lord ! ' ' What d o you s ee there?' 'Noth ing Lord ! ' said S vetaketu. Uddalaka said: ' My son ! This great bany an tree has sprung up from seed so smal l that you cannot see i t. Bel ieve i n what 1 say my son ! That b e i n g i s the seed; a l l e l se but H is expression. He i s truth. He i s Sel f. S vetaketu! You are that . ' '
,
V I . I 2 . 1 -3
Silrce 1'1Irohil S1l"(Jnl i and IV B rea/s * * * * *
Taittir�va Upanishad 21 Learn and Teach
Do your duty; learn and teach. Speak truth; learn and teach. M editate; learn and teach. Control sense; learn and teach. Control m i nd; l earn and teach. K i ndle fire: learn and teach. Feed fi re; learn and teach . ChhiindoK)'a Upanishad . 2 1
Be hospitable; learn and teach. Be hu m ane ; learn and teach. Serve the fa m i ly; learn and teach.
Procreate; l earn and teach. Educate your chi l dren; learn and teach.
I. 9
Shrce Purohit Swami and w. E. reats
* * * * *
Mundaka Upanishad 22 Two B i rds Two birds. twin images in pl umage,
friends. ever inseperable, c l i ng to a tree.
One eats the fruit, eats of th e sweet a n d eats of the bi tter, while the other watches. watches w i thout eati ng. B uried in the bole of the self-same tree one suffers. engulfed in his impotence. Yet as he watches the watching bird, the adorable one, and sees the sweet bitter gl ory as H i s alone, He ri s e s free from grief. ,
111. 1 AK Ramanujan
* * * * *
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VYASA
Mahiibhiirata
,J " _
The H um i l i ation o f Draupad i
l i m p id waters bri ghtly shine H ast i n a ' s w a l l s ! d u l y h onoure d l i v e s w i t h i n t he pa l ac e h a l l s,
G l assed on G an g a s '
Queen Dr a up ad i
But as s t ea l s a l o w l y j a cka l
Rase
in a lord l y l i o n ' s den, D u ry odh a n s humble menial came to p r o u d D ra upa di s ken '
'
.
q uoth the menial, roy a l Pand u ' s r i ghteou s son, Lost h i s game and l ost his reason, E m p res s thou art staked and won,
" Pardon, Em pres s , "
"
,
Prince Duryodhan claims thee, lady, and the victor bids me say, Thou shalt serve h i m as h i s vassal, as h i s slave in pal ace stay ! " "Have I
heard thee, menial, ri ght l y ?" q uestioned s h e i n a ngui s h keen, k i n g and husband stake h i s w i fe and lose his q ueen,
" Oath a c ro wn e d
Did m )' noble lord a nd m on a rc h se ns e a n d reason l ose at d i c e , Other stake he did not wa g e r wedded wife to sacrifi ce ! " ,
"Other stakes were d u l y wagered," s o h e s p ake w i t h bitter groan , " W e a l t h and
em p ire every ,
obj ect
which Y udhishthi r cal led his own,
Lost himself and a l l his brothers, bondsmen are those princes brave, Then he staked his wife and em p re ss thou art pri nce Duryodhan ' s s l ave ! " ,
Rose t h e q ueen i n queenly an ge r and w i th woman ' s pri de s h e spake : " H i e thee. m eni a l to thy master. Qu e e n D ra u p a d i 's answer ta k e, ,
,
If my lord. hi mself a bondsman, then hath Slaked his q ueen and w i fe, Fa l s e the stake, for owns a bondsman neither w e a l t h nor other ' s l i fe,
S lave can wager wife nor chi ldren, and such a c t i o n i s u n d o ne Take my word to pr i n c e Duryodhan, Qu een Drau p ad i is unwon ! " ,
W rathfu l was the proud Duryodhan when he heard the answer bold, To h i s younger, w i l d Duhsasan, th u s h i s a n gry m a n d a te t o ld :
Mahiihhiirata • 23
"Little-m i nded is the menial, and his heart i n terror fa i l s, For t he fear of wrathful Bhima, l o ! his coward-bosom q ua i ls, Thou Duhsasan, bid the princess as our humble slave appear, Pand u ' s sons are humble bondsmen, and thy heart it owns no fear! " Fierce Duhsasan h eard the mandate, blood-shot was his flaming eye, Forthwith to the inner chambers d i d w i th eager footsteps h ie, Proud ly sat the fair Draupadi , monarc h ' s daughter, monarch ' s w i fe, U nto her the ba se Duhsasan spake the message, i nsult-rife: Lo t u s eye d Panchala-pri ncess ! fairly staked and won at game, Come and meet thy lord Duryodhan, chase that mant l i ng bl ush of shame,
"
-
Serve u s as thy l ords and m asters, be our beauteous bright-eyed slave, Come lInto the Counci I C h ambe r wait upon the young and brave ! " ,
Proud Draupad i shakes w i t h tremor a t D uh s a s an ' s hatefu l s i ght, And she shades her eye and forehead, and her bloodless cheeks are white,
At h i s words h e r chaste heart s ickens, and with w i l d averted eye, U nto rooms where dwelt the women, Queen Draupad i seeks to ll y, Va i n l y sped the t rem b l i ng pri ncess in her fear and in her shame, By her streaming wavy tresses fi erce D u hsasan held the dame! Sacred l ocks ! w i th holy water dewed at rajasuya rite, A nd by mantra consecrated, fragrant, flowi ng, raven-bright, Base Duhsasan by those tresses held the fai nt and flying queen, Feared no more the sons of Pandu, nor their vengeance fi erce and keen, Dragged her in her s l ipping garments by her long and tra i l i ng hai r, A nd l i ke sapl i ng tem pest-shaken, wept and shook the t rembl ing fai r ! Stooping in h e r shame and anguish, pale w i t h wrath and woman 's fear, Tremb l i n g and in stifled accents, thus shc spake with strcam i ng tear: "Leave me, shameless prince Duhsasan ! elders, noble lords are here, Can a m odest wedded woman thus in l oose atti re appear?" 24 . A Treasury a/ Sanskrit Poetry
Va i n t h e words and soft entreaty which the weeping p ri n cess made, V a i n l y to the g o d s and mortals she in bitter an g u i s h p ra y e d , For w i t h cruel words of i n s u l t sti l l Duhsasan mocked h e r woe: Loo s e l y c l ad or vo i d of c l o t h i n g , to the c o un c i l ha l l you go,
"
-
S l a ve-wench fai rl) staked
and conq uered,
wait
upon thy m a s t e rs brave, wi l l ing s l a v e !
L i ve among ou r house h o l d m e n i a l s , serve us as ou r
"
" Lllose-au i red, w it h t ra i l i ng
tresses, came Dra u p a di weak and fa i nt
,
S t ood w i t h i n the C o u nc i l C h a m ber, ten r i'u l made her p i teous p l a i n t :
"E l ders ! versed i n h o l y saslra, and i n every h o l y rite, Pardon if D m u p a d i cometh in t h i s sa d un s e e m l y p l i g h t Stay thy s i n fu l deed,
.
D u hs a s a n nameless wrongs and i ns u l ts spare, is a woman ' s ha i r ,
To u c h m e not w i th h a nd s un c l e a n l y sacred ,
,
H onoured e l d ers, r i gh teo us nobles, h a ve on me protection g i ven, Tre m b l e s i nner, seek n o mercy from t h e wrathfu l go d s in h e a ven ! H e re i n g l o ry , son o f D h a r m a s i ts my noble ,
S i n nor shame nor h u m a n fr a i l ty S i l ent a l l ' ) and w i l l
no
N o t a hand or vo i c e i s
c h i eftain
l i fte d
ri ghteo u s l o rd sta i n s Y u dh i s h t h i r ' s deed or word,
rise
t o save a
,
woman ' s l i fe ,
to defend a v i rt uous w i fe')
Lost i s K u ru ' s ri ghteo u s g l o ry, l os t i s I3 h a ra t ' s a n c i e n t name, Lost i s K s hatra ' s k i n g l y p rowes s, w a r l i ke wort h and k n i g h t l y fam e , Wherefore e l s e
do
K u ru warri ors t a m e l y v i e w t h is i m p i ous sc e n e
W he r e fo r e g l e a m no t
r i ght e ou s
,
weapons to protect an o u t rage d q u e e n ?
13 h i s h m a , hath he lost h i s v i rtue, Drona, hath he lost h i s m i ght. Hllth the Illonarc h of the Kurus c e a s e d to bat t l e
for the r i ght,
ye Ill u te and voiceless, counc i l lors of m i gh ty fame, and palsied right arm watch t h i s deed of Kuru ' s shameT
W herefore a re Vacant eye
Mahiihhiirala •
2S
III Spake Draupad i slender-waisted, and her words were stern and high, A nger flamed withi n her bosom and the tear was i n her eye, A nd her spark l i ng speaking glances fel l on Pandu's sons l i ke fire, S ti rr e d in them a m ighty passion and a t h i rst for vengeance d i re, Lost the i r empire wealth and fortune, l ittle recked they for the fal l , But Draupad i ' s plead i ng glances l i ke a poniard smote them al l ! Darkly frowned the ancient B h i shma, wrathfu l Drona bit h i s tongue, Pale Vidura m arked w ith anger i nsults on Draupadi fl ung,
Fulsome word nor fou l dishonour could thei r truthfu l utterance taint, A nd they cursed Duhsasan ' s acti on, when they heard Draupad i ' s plaint. But brave K arna, though a warrior,-Arj un ' s dead l y foe was he, 'Gai nst the humbled sons of Pandu spake h i s scorn in scornful glee: .. 'Tis no fault of thi ne, fai r pri ncess, fal len to this serv i l e state, W i fe and son ru l e not thei r actions, others rule their hapless fate, Thy Y udhishthir sold his birthri ght, sold thee at the i m pi ou s play,
And the w i fe fal ls w ith the husband, and her d uty - to obey ! L i ve thou i n this Kuru household, do the Kuru pri nces ' w i l l , Serve them a s thy lords and m asters, w i t h thy beauty please them sti l l , Fai r Onc! seek another husband who i n foo l i s h reckless game W i l l not stake a l oving woman, w i l l not cast her forth in shame ! For they censure not a woman, when she i s a menial slave, I f her
woman ' s fancy wanders to the young and to the brave,
For thy l o rd is not thy husband, as a s lave he hath no w i fe, Tholl art free w i th truer lover to enjoy a wedded l i fe, They w hom at the s wayamvara, thou had ' st chose, Panchala's bride,
They have l ost thee, sweet Draupad i, lost thei r empire and the i r pri d e ! "
26 . A Treas/lI:l' ojSal1.1'kril Poclry
Bhima heard, and quick and fi ercely heaved his bosom in his shame, And his red glance fel l on Karna l i ke a tongue of withering flame, Bound by elder's p l i ghted promise Bhima could not smite in i re, Looked the pai nted form of Anger flam i n g w i th an anguish d i re ! " K i ng and elder!" uttered Bhi m a and his words were few and brave, "Vain were wrath and ri ghteous passion in the sold and bounden slave, ,
Would that son of chariot-dri ver fl i ng on us this insult keen, H adst thou, noble k i ng and elder, staked nor freedom nor our q ueen?" Sad Yudhi shth i r heard in anguish, bent in shame his lowly head, Proud Duryodhan laughed in triumph, and in scornful accents said: "Speak Y udhishth i r, for thy brothers own their elder's righteous sway, Speak, for truth i n thee abideth, v i rtue ever marks thy way ,
Hast thou l ost thy new-bui lt empire and thy brothers proud and brave, H ast thou lost thy fai r D rau p adi is thy wedded wife our slave?" ,
L i p nor eye did move Yudhi shthir, hatefu l truth m i ght not deny, K arna l aughed but sai ntly Bhi shma wiped his old and manly eye. ,
M adness seized the proud Duryodhan, and i nfl amed by passion base, Sought the prince to s tain Draupad i with a deep and d i re disgrace ,
On the proud and peerless woman cast his wicked lustful eye, S o u g ht to hold the high born princess as his slave upon his knee ! Rhima penned his wrath no longer l i ghtn i ng- l i ke his g lance he fl ung, And the ancient hal l of Kurus with his thunder accents rllng: ,
"May I never reach those mansions where my fathers l i ve on high M ay I never meet ancestors in the bright and happy sky, If that knee by whic h thou sinnestily enters the hearts of lonely wives to warm himself at the fire of their grief.
1 1 37
D. H H Ingal/s
*****
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BHATTA NAAAYANA .
.
.
Venisamhiira 94 The Chal lenge
He who dragged the daughter of Panchala, weeping by the hair; who tore away her robe before the kings and elders; he from whose breast I swore to drink the blood l i ke wine has fal l en in my hands, 0 Kauravas. Come save h i m i f you can. ,
Ill. 47 D. H. H. Ingal/.\·
***** 95 Vengeance
Whoever, proud of hi s courage, carries arms in the Pandava troops, Whoever belongs to the Pandava c1an--- the king had shed the lustre of his fame
< .
over this whole world, but then he left for the realm of the gods- it was peaceful, like a trip to
a pleasure garden- but his wife suddenly col lapsed,
1 86 . A Treasury o/Sanskrit Poetry
wild with the fever of gri ef < > utterly immob i l ized a woman who before separation from her h u sband was ever b usy with rites and rituals and the feeding of the gods. N ow thi s Queen Raj yavati'- cal l ed the king's wife but real l y his roy al power i ncarnatewas about to fo l l ow her husband, her thoughts fi xed on the othe r world She came to her son, Prince Manadeva, a man of fau ltl e ss conduct i n beauty l i ke the autumn moon and l i ke the moon a del i ght to all the people. The wo rds catching i n her throat, drawing s i ghs so s l ow l y , her face stai ned w ith tears, she said, with deep emotion, "Your father has gone to heaven. o my son, there is no reason for me to l i ve now that your father has passed away . My dear son, rule the ki ngdom, I w i l l take the path my husband took, before the day is out. . . .
.
,
"How cou ld I l i ve without my husband, held back by the hope which l ong years of mutual pleasure sti l l arouseof being reunited w ith him, when that could never be more than a dream or m irage? I am going she said with determ i nati on. But then her broken-hearted son touched h i s head to her feet in devotion and fi rmly spoke. ,"
"What use would I have for pleasures, what possible joy in l iving if I were parted from you? First I w i l l give up my l i fe- and only then can you go from this world to heaven." These words of h i s, moi stened with tears from h i s l otus eyes, were the cord s of a net that trapped he r l i ke a b i rd. And trapped she stayed
. . .
She/don Pol/ock
* * * * *
The Mandasor Epigraph . 1 87
The Merbabu Rock inscription, Java (e. 7th Century CE)
1 83 The S pring
Her younger sisters are the pure white lotuses, she gushes from the rock face here and from among the pebbles there, and there pours out her cold clean water, this spring that like the Ganga makes all it touches pure. She/don Pollock * * * * *
1 88
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Appendix
The Progress of Translation Translations from Sanskrit i nto English over the years have reflected both the scholarship and the sensibil ities of individual translators as well as the prevalent level of Sanskrit studies and the then ambience of Engl ish usage. Th is progression is i l l ustrated here by bringing together some wel l known translations of the same text, also indicating their years of pub l i cation. Detail s of the translators are given i n a separate l i st. The texts selected as samples are celebrated verses from the dialogue of Kiil idiisa's famous play Abhijniinasiikuntaia, original ly translated into Engl ish by the polymath Sir W i l li am lones. The first is Act 1 1 , verse 1 1 , i n which the hero, K i ng Dushyanta, descri bes his first encounter with Shakuntala, a girl from a herm itage, with whom he has fal len in love. . . . . . yet she did look at me, wishing to be unpercei ved; then she smi l ed. and started a new subject of conversation. Love is by nature averse to a sudden communication, and hitherto neither ful l y displays. nor wholly conceals, himself in her demeanour William lones. 1 789 towards me. She did look towards me, though she quick withdrew Her stealthy glances when she met my gaze; She smi l ed upon me sweetly, but disguised With maiden grace the secret of her smiles. Coy l ove was half unvei led; then, sudden checked By modesty, left half to be divined. Monier Williams. 1856
When I was with her, her glance was sti l l ci rcumspect, Though she would smile when 1 spoke of external things;
The Progress o/ Translation . 1 89
Modest her beari ngs: her love was not yet revealed, Nor was it quite concealed. John Brough, /965
Her eyes were caste down in my presence, but she found an excuse to smile modesty barely contained the love she could neither reveal nor conceal. Barbara Slo/er Miller. 1 984
The second sample is Act I V , verse 6, acclaimed by ancient Indian critics as a classic. In it Shakuntala's foster-father, the hermit Kanva, is saddened at her departure from the hermitage to join Dushyanta in his capital. This day must Shakuntala depart: that is resol ved; yet my soul is smitten with anguish. My speech i s interrupted by a torrent of tears, which my reason suppresses and turns i nward; my very sight is di mmed, - Strange that the affl iction of a forester, reti red from haunts of men, should be so excessive ! - Oh ! with what pangs must they, who are fathers of famil ies, be afflicted on the departure of a daughter! William Jones, / 789
This day my loved one leaves me, and my heart I s heavy with its grief; the streams of sorrow Choked at the source, repress my falteri ng voice, I have no words to speak; mine eyes are dimmed By the dark shadows of the thoughts that rise Within. my soul . If such the force of grief In an old herm it parted from his nursel ing, What anguish must the stricken parents feel Bereft forever of an only daughter? Monier Williams, 185 6
Shakuntala m ust go today; I miss her now at heart; I dare not speak a loving word Or choking tears wil l start. 1 90 • A Treasury of Sanskrit Poetry
My eyes are dim with anxious thought; Love strikes me to the l i fe: And yet I strove for pious peace I have no chi ld, no wife. What must a father feel, when come The pangs of parting from his chil d at home? Arlhur W Ryder 1912 .
My heart is touched with sadness since Shakuntala must go today, my throat is choked with sobs, my eyes are dulled with worry i f a disciplined ascetic sutfers so deeply from love, how do fathers bear the pain of each daughter's parti ng? Barbara Sloler Miller. 1984
The fi nal example is Act V, verse 2, in which Dushyanta, who has forgotten Shakuntala, is struck by a subl iminal memory as he hears another woman singing in the palace. Perhaps the sadness of men, otherwise happy, on see i ng beautiful forms and l i stening to sweet melody, arises from some faint remembrance of past joys and the traces of connections i n a former state of existence. Wil/iam Jones. 1 789
Not seldom in our happy hours of ease, When thought is sti ll, the sight of some fair form, Or mournful fal l of music breathing low, W i l l stir strange fancies, thrilling al l the soul With a mysterious sadness, and a sense Of vague yet earnest longing. Can it be That the dim memory of events l ong past, Or friendships formed in other states of being, Flits l i ke a passing shadow o'er the spirit? Monier WilIiams.
1856
The Progress of Translation • 1 9 1
Though you 're contented now, some lovely thing, The hal f-heard sound Of words in a song can conjure a desire from nowhere That your mind can 't grasp, because the life before is crying To the present l i fe what it has loved, but cries from very deep V N. Misra, L. Nathan and S Vatsyayan, 1 983
Seei ng rare beauty, hearing lovely sounds, even a happy man become strangely uneasy . . . . perhaps he remembers, without knowi ng why, loves of another life buried deep in his bei ng. Barbara Stoler Miller, 1 984
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The Poets Abhinanda
Ninth century CE Pala court poet. Author of the epic poem Ramacharita.
Amaru
Reputed
author of Amrusataka, the celebrated
collection of love poems dated to about the 7th century CE. Ananta
A king in 1 0th century CE Kashmir.
Asaga
Digambara Jaina monk from 9th century CE Karnataka. Author of the epic Vardhamana Charita.
Asvaghosha
Major Buddhist philosopher and
writer, dated to
the I st century CE. His most famous work is the biographical poem Buddhacharita. Atula
Author of the epic dynastic history Mushikavamsa from 1 1 th century CE Kerala. Court poet of the 7th century CE King Harsha of Kannauj . H is biographical work Harshacharita and romance Kadambari established him as the leading prose stylist of Sanskrit.
Bharavi
Author of the epic Kiratiirjunlya which is dated to the 6th century CE during the Pallava empire. Acclaimed by later critics and cited along with Kalidasa in the 634 CE A ihole inscription.
Bhartrihari
Reputed author of the well known Satakatrayam, the three centuries of verse epigrams on life, love and renunciation. Sometimes identified with the distinguished 6th-7th century CE grammarian of the same name.
Bhasa
Dramatist
praised
by
celebrated
later
writers
including Kalidasa and BiiI)a. Dated usually to the 1 st-2nd century CE. Svapnaviisavadatla is the best known of the plays ascribed to h im. Bha�a Naray�a
Author of the acclaimed 7th century CE play VelJisamhara about the Mahabharata war.
Bhavabhiiti
A major Sanskrit dramatist and poet, usually placed in 8th century CE central India. His best known plays are Uttara Rama Charita and Malatimadhava.
The Poets . 1 93
Bhojya Deva
Identi fied with the 1 1 th century CE king Bhoja of Dhara, who was wel l known as a patron of poets and a writer on poetics himself.
Bilhar:Ja
Poet from 1 1 th- 1 2th century CE Kashmir, author of Vikramimlcadevacharita,
about the deeds
of a
Karnataka ruler, and a col lection of love poems, Chaurapanchasikii . Dar:J�in
Well known critic and prose stylist, placed in 7th century CE Kinchipuram during the Pal lava empire. Author of Kiivyiidarsa a major work on poetics, and ,
the prose romance Damodaragupta
DiiSa Kumiira Charitam.
Minister of the 8th century CE king Jayipida of Kashmir, and author of
Ku��animata a verse novel
about the l ives of courtesans. Damodaramisra
Reputed author of the
1 0th century CE play
Hanumannataka on the deeds of Rima. Dhanesvara
Author of the Prakrit verse novel
Surasundari
probably from 1 1 th century CE Raj asthan. Dharmakirti
Celebrated Buddhist philosopher and logician dated to the 7th century CE.
Divikara
A noted poet at the court of King Harsha of 7th Century CE Kannauj .
Govinda
Writer from c . 8th century CE, whose Apabhramsa verses
are
quoted
in
the
collection
Svayambhuchandas. Hila
Satavahina dynasty king in the 1 st-2nd century CE. Traditionally regarded as the composer of the Giithii Sattasai, an anthology of Prakrit verses on everyday l i fe
and
love,
whose
individual
authors
are
unspecified. Haribha�a
Buddhist monk and writer dated to 1 2th century CE Kashmir.
Jagannitha
Poet and scholar associated with the court of the 1 7th century Mughal emperor Shahjehan. Author of the
poetical
works
Bhiimini
Viliisa
and
Rasagangiidhara, among others. Jayadeva
Author of the famous
Gita Govinda, a work of
devotional lyrical poetry from 1 2th century eastern India. Kalasaka
A king in I O- I I th century CE Kashmir.
194 . A Treasury a/Sanskrit Poetry
Kil idasa
Widely
considered
the
outstanding
poet
and
dramatist of classical Sanskrit. Usually placed at the Gupta imperial court in the 5th century CE, though there are several other opinions about his date and provenance. Kouhala
Or Kutuhala. Probable author of the 8th century CE Prakrit verse novel
Kshemendra
Li/avai or Lilavati.
Poet, polymath and prol ific author from
1 1 th
century CE Kashmir. Kshemisvara
Author
of
the
Naishadhananda,
plays
Chan4akausika
probably during the
and
1 0- l I th
century Gurjara-Pratihiira king Mahipiila's reign in west-central India. Kumiradisa
Author
of the
7th
century
CE
epic
poem
JanakiharafJa . which was lauded by later critics like Riijasekhara. Migha
Author of the 6th-7th century CE epic poem Sisupa/avadha, much praised by later critics.
Manovinoda
A poet found only in some anthologies. Probably from late 1 2th century CE Bengal.
Muriiri
Author of the play A nargharaghava, probably from 9th century CE Kashmir.
Niiriiyal)a
Compiler of the Hitopadesa collection of fables and verses under the Piila potentate Dhavala Chandra, probably in the 1 0th century CE.
Nayachandra Suri
Jaina monk, author of the Hammira Mahaluivya on the life and death of the last Chauhan dynasty ruler of Ranthambor, who was defeated by Sultan Alauddin Khalji of Delhi in 1 30 1 CE.
Nilakantha Dikshita
Proli fic poet from 1 7th- 1 8th century Madurai. His works include the epic SivalilarfJava and the satire Kalividambana.
Riijasekhara
Critic, poet and dramatist of the 1 0th century CE, often quoted in anthologies. Author of the plays Karpuramanjar; and Viddhasa/abhanjikii, and a work on poetics, Kavya Mimamsa.
Ravigupta
Buddhist philosopher of c. 8th century CE, quoted in various anthologies.
The Poets .
195
Rupa Gosvimi n
Fol lower of the
1 6th
century
saint Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu of Bengal. Anthologist and author of
Ujjvalani/ama'Ji. a work on poetics. Sankara
The great Vedanta philosopher, usual ly dated to the 8th century CE. He is also credited with some wel l known devotional poetry.
Saraha
Buddhist siddha and teacher of c. 8th century CE, regarded
as
the
author
of
the
Apabhramsa
Dohiikosa , a col lection of verses.
SivBn:li Siddha
A poet found only in some anthologies. S v etam bara laina monk from Srimila i n modem
Gujarat.
Author of the a l l egor i cal verse novel
Upamitibhavaprapancha Kathii i n 906 CE. Sila Bhattarika
Ni nth century CE poetess known only through anthologies.
Somadeva
Eleventh
century CE
Kashmiri
author
of the
Kathiisaritsiigara, the famous col lection of stories in verse. Subandhu
Author of Viisavadattii, a c. 6th century CE prose romance with 1 3 i ntroductory verses.
Siidraka
Sitavihana dynasty ru ler of the 2nd-3rd century
CE. His p l ay Mricchaka(ika i s wel l known in translation as The Little Clay Cart.
Syimilaka
Author of the sati rical monologue Padataqitaka ( The Kick), probably from the 5th century CE.
Val lana
Pila empire poet of the 9th century CE, also mentioned as Bal lana.
Vilmiki
Known i n trad i t i on as the iidi kavi or ' fi rst poet ' and
the author of the Riimiiyana. Th i s epic poem is ascribed to the period 400-200BCE.
Vatsabha�i
Composer of the Mandasor i n scr i pti o n , 436 CE.
Vidya
A Sanskrit poetess whose verses are avai lable on l y in anthologies, Placed in t h e 8th century CE, and also known as V ijji and Vi dyaki.
Vik a!Bn i tambi
N i nth
century
CE
poetess
acclai med
by
the
celebrated l ater critic Rijasekhara. V i sikh ad atta
Author of the 7th century CE political
Mudriiriikshasa
196 . A Treasury ofSanslcrit Poetry
and
Devichandragupta,
plays
drawn
respectively from the history of the Maurya and the G upta dy nasties . Vishnu
S iirmii
Reputed
compiler
of
the
Panchatantra.
t he
celebrated collection of fables dated to the 4th century CE. Vy a s a
The traditional author of the Mahiibhiirata. The kernel of this long epic poem is believed to have been composed in the 5th century BCE.
Yasovarman
Ide ntified with the 8th century CE ruler of Kannauj of
the
same
name.
Author
of
the
play
Riimabhyudaya.
Y o ges v ara
Piila period poet. praised by Abhinanda.
The Poets .
1 97
The Translators
Amold, S i r Edwin
Poet,
j o u rn a l ist
and
scho lar
( 1 832- 1 904).
His
translations from the Sanskrit include those o f the Hitopade.�a and the
Gitagovinda
and the Song
Celestial, a verse ren dering of the Bhagavadgita. A u robin do, Sri Basham, A rthur L.
Celebrated savant and I n d i a n nationalist ( 1 875- 1 950) I ndologist
( 1 9 1 4- 1 986).
Was
Reader
in
I n d ian
H i story, U n iversity of London , and Professor of Asian C i v i l i zat ion, Austra l ian N ational U n ivers ity. H i s m aj or work i s The Wonder that was India ( 1 954). I n do logist ( 1 9 1 7- 1 9 84). Was Professor of Sanskri t ,
Brough, John
U n i vers ity of Cambridge. Translated Poems from
the
Sal1.lkrit ( 1 968). Brown, W . Norm an
Indologist ( 1 892- 1 975). W a s Professor o f Sanskrit, U n i v ersity o f Pennsy lvan ia. I3ritish poet and trans lator.
Dent, Peter Dutt, Romesh
C.
Admin istrator and scho lar ( 1 84 5 - 1 909). I n d i an C i v i l
Se rv i ce 1 87 1 - 1 89 1 . H is verse translations from the ,
Ramayana and the Mahahharata were !i rst publ ished i n 1 899. P r e s id e n t I n d ian National Congress, 1 899. ,
E d gre n A. Hj a l mar ,
Swedish Sanskritist. His trans lation of Kalidasa' s Shakuntala appeared i n 1 894
G erow, Edwin
Professor of Sanskrit, U n i vers ity o f Ch icago . I I is p u b l i shed works include Indian Poetics ( 1 977).
G i tomer, Dav i d
I nstructor
in
the
Departm ent
of M iddle East
Languages and Cultures, Columbia U n i v e r s i ty New ,
Y o rk .
G r i ffith, R . T. I ! .
Was Principal, Benaras Col lege. Trans l ated Hvm/lS of the Rig Veda ( 1 889), and of the Sama Veda ( 1 9 0 7 )
H aksar, A .N . D .
.
Former Ind ian d i plomat who has tran s l ated from t h e Sanskrit t h e , Da.ia Kumara Charita the Simhamna Dviitrim.�ikii and th e Shllka Sap tati among others
w o rks
.
1 9 8 . A Treasury of Sanskrit Poetry
H ume. Robert E .
Was Professor of the History of Religion, Union Theological Semi nary, New York. Translator of The Thirteen Principal Upanishads ( 1 92 1 ).
I ngalls. Daniel H . H .
Was Wales Professor of Sanskrit, Harvard University. His works incl ud e a translation of the Subhiishita Ratnako,j'ha of Vidyakara ( 1 965).
I sh e r wood . Chri sto p h er
J o h nston. E . H .
Novel ist, p l a yw r i g ht and poet ( 1 904- 1 986). British scho lar o f Buddh i s m , best remembered fo r his translation of the Buddhacharila of Asvaghosha
( 1 93 6 ) . Jones, S i r W i l l i am
Li nguist, j u r i st a nd p o ly math ( 1 745- 1 794). Fo und ed the Asiatic Soc i et y in Calcutta, 1 784. F i rst translator from S a n s k r i t of ,�akunlalii ( 1 789),
Gila
GOl'inda
( 1 792) and Manusmriti ( 1 79 4) . Keyt, George L a / . P.
N oted S r i La n k a n artist and poet . Poet
t eac h e r , whose
and
st i m u lated
Indian
Writers Wo r k s h op has
creative
writing
Tran scrcator of Sanskrit Love l.yrics
in
E n g l i sh .
( 1 966) and
oth e r
works . l .e M et: . J ea n
Born in Franer. 1 9.1 1 . S t u d i ed S a n s k r i t at Co l u m h i a U n i vers i t y . a n d t a u g h t at t h e Cooper U n i o n for t h e
A d v ancement Tra n s l ated
lV' asson , J . M o u s s a i e ff
of
S c i ence
and
A rt,
New
Y or k .
11\'/IIlls ti'oll1 th£' Rig V£'da ( 1 975 ) .
Was Professor of S a n s k r i t . U n i v e rs i t y of To ro n t o .
ira n s l ator, w i t h W . S . M er w i n . of -";ansAril l. o ve
ro£'t!'v ( 1 97 7 ) . r-.. 1 a t hers. E . Powys
D i s t i n g u i s h ed t ra n s l ator of Sansk r i t . A ra h i c . Ch i nese a n d J a panese
verse.
Mehrotra A r v i n d K r i s h n a I n d i a n poet. whose works i n c i u dr Nille ["closures ( 1 975 ).
Midd/I.'
Earlh
( 1 984)
and
Th" A hsent
1'1'(/\'£'1/£'1' ( 1 99 1 ). M c rw i n . W . S .
A m e ri ca n poet , p l ayw right, tra n s l ator a n d P u l i tzer
P r i ze w i n ne r .
M i l l er. I3arhara Stoler
Was Pro fessor o f Ori en ta l Studies at Barnard College, C o l u m b i a U n i vers i t y . / ler t r an s l at i ons i ncl ude the Gitago llinda of J ayadeva ( 1 979) and The Hermit and
thc M i s ra. V i d y a N i was
Love
Thief( 1 978).
Taught Sanskrit and L i ngu i s t i cs at u n i vers i t i e s i n Agra, Go ra k h p u r , Bcrk e l cy and Seat t l e . N oted w r i t er
The Translators . 1 99
on Indian culture and philosophy, and former Chief Editor, Navbharat Times. Vice Chancel lor, Dr. Sampurnanada University, Varanasi . Nandy, Pritish
Poet, editor and member of the Rajya Sabha.
Nathan, Leonard
American poet, Professor of Rhetorics at the University of California, B erk el e y .
Pandit, Ranjit Sitaram
Indian scholar (d. 1 944) whose translations include the Ritusamhiira of Kalidasa and Kalhana 's Riijataringini.
Paz, Octavio
Mexican poet, scholar and diplomat ( 1 9 1 4- 1 995). Winner of t h e N obel Prize for Literature, 1 9 9 0 .
Pollock, Sheldon
George V. Bobri n skoy Professor of Sanskrit and 1ndic Studies, University of C h icago . H i s books include Aspects of Versification in Sanskrit Lyric Poetry
( 1 977). Prabhavananda, Swam i
Monk of the Ramakrishna Mission w h o w o rke d l o n g years in California and tran s lated several Sanskrit texts.
Raghavan, V.
Was Professor of Sanskrit, an em inent S a ns k rit i st
U niv e rs ity of Madras, and
.
Rajan, Chandra
Taught Engl ish Literature at Lady Shri Ram College, Delh i University and at the U n i versity of Western On ta ri o, Canada. Her translations include the Complete Wurks uf Kalidasa, volume I, and the Panchatantra.
Ramanujan, A.K.
Poet, s ch o l ar and translator, ch iefly of classical Tamil and Kannada poetry ( 1 929- 1 993). A u t ho r of The Interior Landscapes ( 1 967).
Ryder, Arthur W .
American Sanskritist ( 1 877- 1 938). H i s include Shak u ntala and other writingl ( 1 9 1 2) and Panchatantra ( 1 925)
tran s l ations (l Kalidasu
Swam i, Shree Purohit
Indian scholar who collaborated with W.B. Yeats in translating The Ten Princ ipal Upan ishads ( 1 937).
Vatsyayan, Sacchidanand
Distinguished Hindi poet, novelist and critic ( 1 9 1 1 1 987).
V ivekananda,
Swam i
Famous saint, scholar and Indian n ationalist ( 1 8631 902).
200 . A Treasury ofSanskrit Poetry
Warder, Anthony K .
Professor
Emeritus
of
Sanskrit,
Uni versity
of
Toronto. Author of the multi-volume Indian Kiivya
Literature. W i l l i ams. S i r M. Mon ier
Indologist ( 1 9 1 8 - 1 899). Was Boden Professor of Sanskrit, Oxford Uni versity.
His Sanskri t- Engl ish
Dicti onary (I 89Q) i s sti l l current. Yeats, W i l l iam Butler
Irish poet ( 1 865 - 1 939). W i nner of the Nobel Pri ze for Literature, 1 92 3 .
The Translators .
20 1
Endnotes I n trod uction
I.
,
A . B . K e i t h A H i sto ry of Sanskrit Literature, Oxford U n iv ersity Press, London, 1 94 1 .
..,
Sri Aurobindo, The Secret of the Veda, Sri A urobindo B i rth Centenary
,
,
L i brary Pon d i ch erry 1 972 3.
,
A . W . Ryder, Kalidasa: Shakuntala and Other Wr i t i ngs Dutton & Co, New
York, I 9 1 2
4.
,
Octav io Paz, I n Light o f A s i a The Harville Press, London, 1 997, tr. E l iot
,
We i nb erg e r 1 997 5.
A . L . Basham, The Wonder that was India, Random House, New York, 1 954
,
) ,
6.
Lin Yut ang The Wisdom of n d ia Random House, New York, 1 942
7.
Quoted i n Barbara Stoler M i l ler, The P lays of Kalidasa : Theatre of
e
Memory, Columbia Un i v rs i ty Press, New York, 1 984 8.
.
SlIbhiishila Ralnakosha of Vid y ak ara Translated by D . H . H . In galls as A n A n th olo gy of Sanskrit Court Poetry. H arvard Oriental Series. Vol . 44
9.
Catha Sal/asai (Cathasapta.sati) of H iil a , c .
1 st-2nd century C E ;
SlIbhashita Ratnakosha of V i dy ak ara, c . 1 1 t h century C E , Bengal;
Sadllktikarnamrita of Sridh aradasa, c . 1 205 CE, Bengal; Paddhati o f
;
Sarngadhara, c . 1 3 63 CE, R aj as than Subhashitavali o f Val labha Deva,
r
c. 1 5th ce n tu y CE, Kashm ir.
Verse Excerpts 7.
I n d ra is a pro mi nent Vedic god, often identi fied with thunder and the onset of rain . In one legend he slays the c l oud-dragon Vritra to release the
,
w aters . Tvashtri, another Vedic d e i ty is associated wi th bu i l d i n g and
e
n.
construction . Dasa and Pan i r fer probab ly to groups of demo s 1 0.
Split nuts of the v ibhitaka tree were used as dice for gambl ing. Here th e y
are called ' the brown ones ' . The tree has been identi fied as
Bellerica.
202 . A
Treasury o/Sanskrit Poetry
Terminalia
12. 22.
Soma was the potent j uice of an as yet unidentified plant u sed in Vedic ritua l s . In a game of dice with his cousin and adversary the Kuru prince Du ry odhan the Pandava king Yudhishthir staked and lost his brothers, h imse l f and finally his queen Draupadi, who was then summoned to the Kaurava assembly. Duhsasan is the brother and Karna the friend of Duryo d han . B h ima and Arj un are Yudhishthir's brothers. Bhishma, Drona and Vidura are Kuru elders. Abhimanyu the young son of the Pandava prince Arjun and his wife Subhadra, was surrounded and slain during the Mahabharata war. Salya, S ak un i and J ayadrat ha were among the w arr iors opposin g him along with Duhsasan, cf. 22. Pritha better known as Kunti, was t he mother of the Pandava princes, cf. 22. U nknown to them, their enemy, the Kuru warrior Karna, was also her son born of the sun god Surya. The moth e r is the queen V idura exhorting her son, disheartened by defeat, to tight again . The acc o unt is relat ed by K u n ti to Arjun. Savitri, the wife of Satyavan was with him when he was overtaken by death whi le ga t hering wood in the forest . As re counted in 3 I to 3 3 , Rama considered it his duty to go into exile and leavc the kingdom of Ayodhya to his broth er Bharat in ful fi llment of a pledge made by his father. His wi fe Sita, and another brother Lakshman, insisted on going with him. Unsuccessfu l in persuading him to relent, Bharat beggcd Rama for his sandals, so that the k ingdom may be governed in h is name t i l l he returned. During their forest cxile, Sita was abducted by the Rakshas king Ravana and taken to his island kingdom of Lanka. Rama's dcvotcd friend, the ape Hanuman, located her there in a grove of Asoka trees. Yasodhara is the wi fe of t he S akya prince Siddhar1 ha. Ch andaka is the loya l charioteer who drove h im to the forest when he re noun c ed th e world. Mara is the Tempter and embodiment of Desire who tried in vain to d i stract S i dd ha rt ha from his p e nan c e and m e di tation wh ich led even t ually to his Enlightenment descri bed i n 43 . Living i n exile, the Yaksha, a kind of demigod asks a cloud to go to his celestial home and deliver to his beloved wife a message g iven in 5 9 . The ma rri a ge of the goddess Uma with the great god S iva is described in th is epic poem. King Dushyanta recalls his m c eting with the herm i t maid Shakuntala, when they fel l in love Pururava se arche s in the forest for his beloved wife, the nymph U rvasi who has disappeared. ,
,
,
24 .
25.
26.
28 .
34.
37.
40. 42.
,
,
,
,
58. 60. 65.
,
.
66.
,
Endnotes
•
203
81 94.
J 1 0. 1 1 7.
1 1 8. 1 30 . 140.
1 5 8. 1 65 .
Valmiki and Vyasa are celebrated as the authors respectively o f the epics Ramayana and Mahabharala. Draupad i was a Panchala princess. She was humiliated by Duhsasan, as recounted in 23. Bhima, who swore vengeance at the time, captured the Kaurava prince during the Mahabharata war. Rahu is a legendary planet which causes eclipses of the sun and the moon . The sons of Dasaratha are Rama and Lakshman. They m arched on Lanka to rescue Sita, earlier abducted by Ravana, the king of Lanka, as mentioned in 37. Ravana has twenty arms, equally adept in the martial and the fine arts. cf. 8 ! . cf. 37. The god of love traditionally wields five floral arrows to sm ite the heart. Hari and Keshava are other names of the divine cowherd Krishna, also described in 1 56 and 1 57. cf. 1 5 8. The cowherd is Krishna.
204 . A
Treasury o/Sanskrit Poetry
