VISWANATHA’S ROMANTIC RANDEM:

A RANZ-DES-VACHES OF LAND, NATURE AND LOVE

PROF. SALVA KRISHNAMOORTHY

Presidency College, Madras

Classicism Vs Romanticism

Whether Truth is an aesthetic criterion and if so whether it is unimodal or multi-modal is still a point of controversy in modern aesthetics. Yet all the schools of literature in general and poetry in particular claim not merely an empressment with but make an encaenia of it. The hoary Indian tradition positively confirms this. Valmiki declared that Srimad Ramayana does not contain any falsehood. Vyaasa affirmed that Mahabharata is a ‘Satyavaak Prabandha.’ The multi-modal nature of Truth has also been appreciated and apprehended on various ontological bases not merely in metaphysics but in literature too. Thus we know that Satyam, Sivam and Sundaram are but different modalities of one and the same thing.

The klou of difference between classicism and romanticism essentially rests on their approach in becoming the custos of Truth. Classicism observes an empathetic interval between the poet’s emotional experience and its imaginative reconstruction. The romantic theory dispenses with this interval on the plea that Truth has to be apprehended in a composition simultaneously with experience. The result is a sfumato performance. For the rest the stress on the personal experience, abstract idealism, renaissance mood is merely a matter of historical accent, not intrinsic to romanticism as such. For, romanticism shorn of its historical text, is a natural concomitant of all poetry pertaining to the formative stage of any poet. Indian tradition has provided for it under the branch of Madhurakavita and smaller genres. Even so the empathetic interval called ‘Samaadhi’, is a must. Indeed Wordsworth, the romanticist, when he defined poetry as ‘emotion recollected in tranquillity’ has clearly implied the interval if only to get away from the tumult of emotions and the heat of imagination!

Romantic poetry in Telugu that emerged since the second quarter of this century is generally called Bhaavakavita. Considering the observance of empathetic interval it cannot be called romantic poetry in any strict sense except perhaps in one or two cases. Generally it can be better described as Kaantivaada-kavita. For, Kaanti, one of the Gunas mentioned in the Alankaara saastra, provides for the ‘fine excess’ as well as the outlandish streak that pervades this genre of poetry. The witty definition that classicism is classicism attained and romanticism is classicism attempted seems to be substantially true.

Viswanatha

Kalaprapurna, Kavisamraat late Dr Viswanatha Satyanarayana, erstwhile Bharatiya Jnan Pith Award winner, has been a unique force on the Telugu literary scene for over half a century. He was, like a colossus, the master of all that he surveyed in the domains of Telugu literature. Though a sensitive artist his rugged strength made him seem a cabochon. He was a born classicist. Yet his growth as a poet coincided with the surge of romanticism in Telugu. The external characteristics of preoccupation with the historical past, with nature and love have led many to the antilogy of classifying his early works as romantic poetry. If it is romanticism at all it is merely that natural precursor of classicism referred to earlier and not the Western romanticism. And one should not forget that these characteristics and the ebullient / depressive emotions are not exclusive to romanticism. Nor are they extrinsic to classicism.

Viswanatha’s early works in reference are (i) Andhra Prasasti (2) Andhra Paurushamu (3) Ritusamhaaramu (4) Girikumaaruni Prema Geetaalu (5) Sringaara Veedhi (6) Kinnerasaani Paatalu and (7) Kokilamma pelli. A brief survey of these is attempted in the following paragraphs.

Key to Viswanatha’s Early Poetry

It is not easy to appreciate Viswanatha’s formative conspectus of classicism until one discovers the key symbol that suggests the central core of his poetic being. The key symbol, however, is the river/stream/water on the mundane plane. It is used relentlessly, It is his anchorage and it is celestial. It signifies wonder; it signifies wisdom. It signifies his feeling emotion et al. Needless to say it signifies Ananda, the Bliss. The poet in him remained an aquatic being all through. It was his esse. Reading his works one is reminded of the Vedic chant: Yo ’apaam aayatanam veda aayatanavaan bhavati; Pushpavaan prajaavan pasumaan bhavati.

He was an esprit fort. His love of Telugu was such that he wrote the following Sloka among the dedicatory verses of Ritu-samhaara addressed to late Dr C. R. Reddy.

Jayanti taastaa atikalidaasa

Trilinga bhashaakriti nirjharinyah

payas samaaslishta sarojamaalaa

sudhaa ca yaasaam rasaraajadhaanih.

Land

His love of Telugu language can only be matched with his love of the Telugu land. For him every dust particle of the Telugu country exudes heroism and is nothing short of solidified heroism of the Vedic genre. He claimed its antiquity claiming Agastya and Valmiki also into the Telugu fold. He wrote two slender volumes on the Telugu land. Andhra Paurusham (The Heroism of Andhras), and the Andhra Prasasti (The Excellence of Andhras). These are perhaps his earliest works and bear witness to the poet’s preoccupation with the historical past of the Andhras. But it must be observed that he is subjective in a restrained way. He records only his reactions. He does not exhort others. There is sentiment but no sentimentalism. There is a spiritual assertion and a heroic confrontation of tragic dimensions with the historical past, suggesting an urge and effort to rise again to the same level.

Andhra Paurushamu a colloctanea of forty-seven verses, singularly enough for romanticism opens with an invocatory verse capturing the ethos characteristic of classicism. It also expresses the poet’s preference for a dhvanikaavya of the Indian tradition. Paraphrased it runs to this effect: “O! Universal Mother! Rajarajeswari! May you be pleased to sound the string-notes that uninterruptedly rang in the neepa woods while you played the veena to grace the worlds with your celestially askant-look the sweat drops on your body being removed by the breeze of the chaamara–fan held by the hand of Sri Padma.” This implied reminiscent mood becomes articulate, pathetic at the havoc time has wrought, yet optimistic about Divine grace, thinking about the heritage of heroism of the Velama chieftains, of Prataparudra, of Krishnadevaraya and Paapaaraaya of Bobbili. Then follows a bout of pessimism about the present; followed by a lamentation over the loss of prosperity of the Reddy kings. His only consolation is an awareness of the heroism of Reddies, Kapus, Kammas, etc. Alternately eulogising and lamenting over the kingdoms of Vijayanagar, Warangal, Kondaveedu, the present decadent state of Andhras is criticised. Palanadu is touched upon. Then his thoughts turn to the greater Andhra and the influence Telugus had over Maharashtra and Bengal nearer home; and Sumatra and Borneo in the Far East. Another bout of criticism on the internecine quarrels, cultural unawareness, and hand-to-mouth existence of Andhras. He closes on a query regarding the present decadent state. What caused it? A wrong note in the chanting of Veda? Loss of chastity in women? Dereliction of duty on the part of Brahmins? Or is it that Andhravishnu is angry? These are but references to the poet’s scale of values so devoutly cherished!

Andhra Prasasti follows a chronological pattern. With the avowed aim of disseminating the cultured fragrance of a classical composition the volume tells a dozen stories. Thus Andhravishnuvu dramatically recounts the story of the destruction of Nisumbha by Andhravishnu sometime at the dawn of history. This story has a reference ontologically to the first stage after catharsis. In Indian literature it is Sivetarakshati. In metaphysics it is a cognitive-experience-base called sattvaapatti, a Jnana-bhumika. The next story recounts how Deepakarni was presented with a boy by one Yaksha called, Saata. This boy being borne by Saata in the form of a lion came to be called Saatavaahana. He is the founder of the famous era named after him. This story recaptures some of the beauties of Dushyantopakhyana in Nannaya’s Andhra Mahabharata. This has an ontological base reference to what is called Sadyahparanirvriti in literature and Samsaktinaamika in metaphysics. Gautamiputra Saatakarni describes the defeat of Nahapaana Mahakshatrapa of Saurashtra at the hands of Saatakarni resulting in the stabilisation d Andhra suzerainty. Its ontological base reference is to Kaantaasammitatva in literature and Padaartha bhaavana in metaphysics. Maadhava Varma is a dramatic poem which describes the sense of justice displayed by the king of that name. He had to put his own son to death for having caused the death of a youth under the wheel of his chariot howsoever unintentionally. Even the Gods were so pleased at the king’s sense of justice that there occurred a serein of gold at Bezwada, the capital. Vegikshetramu is a piece of overwhelming emotional experience alternated by stupefaction and cognitive experience. Mukhalingamu somehow falls into utter pessimism. Nannayabhattu gives a word-picture of the beginning of translation of Mahabharata into Telugu at the court of Rajarajanarendra early in the eleventh century. Prolaraju described the patriotic effort of the hero of that name whose progeny flowered into the Kakatiya dynasty. Prolaraju Vadha describes how he was killed in a Siva temple by his own son in a blinding religious fervor. Kondaveeti Pogamabbulu (The cloudlets of Kondaveedu) is a piece of pure poetry, effervescent yet reverberating. Thematically it is a song of loyalty with haunting melody and distilled charm. It recaptures with a rare finesse the historical glory of Kondaveedu kings. This piece is justly famous and is everyone’s favourite. Chandravanka Yuddhamu describes the vindication of honour of a proud horse in Palanaadu. It almost led to a real fight between two friends and had to be resolved by a mock-killing. Yamadamstrica (The fang of death) describes how Aliya Ramaraya succeeded in taking the fort of Kalyani. Unsuccessful for a month, Ramaraya early one night threw his gem-studded sword, in the presence of his commanders, over the ramparts making it fall inside the fort. The commanders were surprised at this. Ramaraya asked “What kind of a king am I with my sword in the enemy’s camp?” Sadasivanayaka of Kaladipura undertook to retrieve it and lo! by the next morning the fort had fallen! Such was the initiative of the Telugu kings and commanders.

Nature

We are familiar with Kalidasa’s Ritusamhara in Sanskrit and the English poem ‘The Seasons’ by Thompson. Viswanatha, who considered Telugu poetry superior to Kalidasa’s, competes with him with his own Ritusamhara in Telugu. It is a work of great merit. His acute powers of observation, sensibility and verbal etching can be seen vividly in this work. Just as he interpreted the Telugu land in terms of its Vedic heroism and spirituality, he interprets the seasons in Telugu land in terms of its mundane activity. For each season he gives something like a monochrome, unforgettable for its vividness. Thus in Vasanta the heralding is done by the jasmine apart from the cooing of Kokila. The gardener and the Brahmin also come for delightful picturisation. In Greeshma not merely the harassing nature of the season but the thirsty crow, the lizard, the dog, the calf, the snake, the fire accidents so common in Andhra, come for notice. In Varshartu the seize laid by the rain clouds is exhilaratingly picturesque. Their movement is like herds of elephants, and wild buffalos. Their sounds are like those of angry tigers, rowing waterfalls and machine-guns. The rains, seem like handing in happiness to youngsters. The peepal tree, the gingelly, turmeric and paddy fields–common sights in Andhra–come for a fine description. During Sarat the season of moonlight, the Krishna flows unperturbed like the bull and even love of a housewife. The cranes of Kolleru lake, the water reptile, the crab, the irrigation canal, the furrow, the village tank, the cattle, the trading Lambadi girl, the wife of the farm hand going for harvesting, the various crops of the season on drylands, the homeward cows, the daffodils, the slight chill, the moon, the buffalo-ride of the Kapu boy, the Panchama girl, the moonlight of the season–all these and many more arrest the attention of the poet. During the Hemanta not merely the mist, snow and fog of the winter hut the dew drop sitting pretty on a gourd-flower, on a blade of grass, on a spider’s web, on the face of a calf, on each leaf and flower enchants us. They beautify the betel-leaf creepers, the sugar-canes and the daffodils. In Sisira the fright of chill affords the people a little pleasure also. People smear ghee on their lips, oil on their bodies. Cocoanut oil freezes. Clothes get cold. Warming up for carnal pleasures alone drives the chill away. The tobacco, green-gram and jute fields get spoiled by the chill while the ants lay their eggs. Inimitable in its style, content and composition this work is a mine of beautiful similies and metaphors.

Love and Romance

Viswanatha has treated the subject of Love in more than one of his compositions. Sringaara Veedhi (The boulevard of Love) Kinnerasaanipaatalu (The songs of Kinnerasani), Kokilamma pelli (The wedding of the cuckoo), Girikumaruni Premageetaalu (The romantic songs of Girikumara) generally deal with Love and Romance. While an objective framework is maintained in the first three works with accent on the subjective attitude of characters, the fourth alone is in a subjective frame. Unlike other romantics, Viswanatha does not write about his lady-love in any mundane sense. Girikumaruni Premageetalu the only work in a subjective frame is a romance between the poet and his poesy. What is surprising is that the poet has chosen the episode of Krishna to treat the mundane love, without detriment to its spiritual undertones Sringaara Veedhi employs both the subjective and objective modes of narration. The topic with the foregoing title describes Radha’s pangs of separation, her confidant entreating Krishna to come to her and Krishna’s final return to her. While Niruktamu Snanasundari and Kupitacaalanamu appear to be out of place in this work. Brahmarageetamu describes the Lord’s music; Sakshatkaramu obliquely refers to Krishna’s descent into the poet’s mind; Yamunanadi is a panegyric to the river of the same name. Radhaswapnamu has spiritual undertones though mundane at the base. Praatasstavamu the waking up of Krishna by Yasoda, is a natural and delightful piece popular with readers.

Elemental Passion and Concupiscence

Viswanatha has done a unique piece in Sringaara Veedhi under the title Sri Krishnadevuninirvedamu (Sri Krishna’s disillusionment). Even after his amorous exploits with Gopikas and life with his eight consorts Krishna becomes insatiate. While with one woman his mind hops to another. A blind force of lust sans mind seizes him. He joins his eight consorts one after another and each finds out he is not happy. Their amour-propre is hurt. He makes amende honorable to each. Radha too fails to make him happy. Rukmini is worried. She summons Kubja, an amicus curiae from Mathura. Just when Krishna is thinking of her, Kubja appears before him. Even she is unsuccessful. His lust knows no bounds. He wishes every creeper, deer, cuckoo become a woman. Obsessed thus one day he meets a woman and craves her company. The woman with the clothing of death, swording looks, snaky plait of hair and poisonous glamour is willing. They indulge themselves in the sex play. It was all heat, fire of kisses and the dance of Death. In shameless nudity their amatory game goes on. Krishna casually asks her name. She mumbles something. He hears only the word Maaya! And lo! the disenchantment comes! The Sun and the Moon shine in his eyes. A third eye appears between his eyebrows. The blind lust is burnt out. This is one of the most powerful pieces of Viswanatha.

Kinnerasaani Paatalu and Kokilamma Pelli

It has been pointed out that the key symbol in Viswanatha’s early poetry is the river / stream / water. Kinnerasaani is a small stream that conjoins the mighty Godavari somewhere before it touches Bhadrachalam, the well-known pilgrim centre of Andhra. According to the outline of the story conceived by the poet Kinnera, ill-treated and stigmatised by her mother-in-law, leaves home. Her husband goes and entreats her to come back. The sensitive girl unable to bear the accusation, melts away in his arms in anger and sorrow into the form of a stream. For the rest the composition is a series of lyrics in eight parts, which describe its origin, its gait, its dance, its music, the tides of the sea, Kinnera’s sorrow, its confluence with Godavari and its Vaibhava. At the surface level the conjugal affection of a Telugu girl, her desires and ambitions, her chastity, her devotion and piety form the subject matter. Kinnera’s helpful service to pilgrims to Bhadrachalam ends the poem. But it is also a fact the poet has treated Kinnera as a symbol of Telugu, its sweetness, plasticity, music, etc. The Telugu poesy that was Viswanatha’s Kinnera also has culminated into Srimadramayanakalpavriksha which earned him the award from Bharatiya Jnan Pith in 1973. It is also a known fact that the poet has prepared himself for this mighty task right from his early days of poetic career.

Kokilamma Pelli is again Viswanatha’s ode to Telugu. It refers to his emergence as a Telugu poet. This poem has been treated in extenso by the present writer in the special number of Triveni issued in honour of Viswanatha in 1973.

Girikutnaruni Prema Geetaalu

While there is less and lessof physical love in the above two works it is almost scarce in Girikumaruni Prema Geetaalu. This is a romance between the poet and his poesy and records the poet’s education. He had the desire and ambition to be a poet, but he is not sure of his equipment and training. He finds that the stronger his desire the worse is his defeat. Yet the desire haunts him. He discovers that pain is a necessary evil and prepares himself for the extreme. He learns about the contemplative sleep, the nourishing sea of tranquillity. Yet he finds himself in a halfway status. However the sacred fire is kindled. It is the gift of the Universal Mother. He wins her perennial grace. He has thoughts of posterity too. He gets glimpses of Dharma megha more than once and has also a glimpse of his own self.

He is like wind and his poesy a flower. His touch produces ananda. He is water and his poesy the force of the stream. Both travel to the sea. His love of poesy is the sea. Ambition is the churner. Mind is the serpent-rope. The resultant fire and poison are given to her. Yet both become one with immortality. He finds her in the moon. He is the shining stream of cognitive consciousness and she the mud below it. Yet she emerges in the harvest of the paddy field.

He discovers that external search for poesy is futile, and ultimately finds her in his own heart. He pledges perennial devotion to her feet. Without poetic activity he feels the pangs of separation. Sometimes it is a frightening situation. Yet he is optimistic.

There is godliness about her. Her glances make him a Siva under Abhisheka. Their reflections in the Lingam of the Siva temple make them appear as Sadaasiva (Arthanaareeswara).

There is need for the contemplative/empathetic interval. The love lyric does not come to him when he is with someone. Only in solitude does she enthrall him with her graces. He finds the need for natural enjoyment as against the analytical approach. Poesy and the word in their mutual desire to serve each other seem to exude milk. The poet becomes tranquil.

His poesy, though a single raindrop at a particular time yet becomes nourishing like the rainy season. Sometimes it is like a pearl of unusual quality difficult for estimation. Yet the motive of its genesis is known only to the October raindrop that fell into the shell. At times it is like a felter, another time gratifying like a flower. While she remains only a thorn on the tree she makes him sprout buds, flowers and fragrance. She makes him feel like a bridegroom under the marriage pandal; makes him walk the way of deliverance. He is touched by the mentorship of the muse though in a rustic form.

He takes a vow at her feet to bring down the Divine river for the future Telugu poets to drink. To him his poesy is exactly like a Telugu girl. He wants to melt her and cast her into a song of honey. The confluence of the pure delicious stream of poesy and mundane imagination is like the beautiful consummation of a marriage.

He is pained at his own lack of religiosity but consoles himself with the pardon of the Gods. Duality has gone. Peace reigns. He is tired of unending expansion. His bliss contracts into a small bit in his soul. He finds his own identification with Sankari, the confluence of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. He is blessed and enlightened. He is an adornment to Saraswati. Such is the outline of the thoughts of the poet in this work.

Viswanatha’s romanticism–if it should be called romanticism at all–has a native robustness about it; native to the land and natural to any poet. It is merely the precursor of the emergence of classicism. Its harmony and music are soul-stirring and gratifying.

Ours is an age of poetasters and pretenders; of ismic-poets and istic-scholars. Viswanatha has been too big a genius and too great a poet for our times. The Telugu country has not seen a poet of such stature after the Vijayanagar period. It is a pity that some people tried to denigrate him immediately after his demise. That gives only a measure of their scholarship, civilisation and culture. But pray who can pollute the Sun in the Heavens or even the Fire nearer home!

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