You are here: SriPedia - SriRangaSri - Archives - Mar 2003

SriRangaSri List Archive: Message 00049 Mar 2003

 
Mar 2003 Indexes ( Date | Thread | Author )
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]


Sri
Srimathe Nigamantha Mahadesikaya Namaha

Dear Members,

A review on the new book "Singing the body of God" by Stephen
Hopkins
was published about a week back in 'The Hindu'.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/br/2003/03/04/stories/2003030400090300.htm


Regards,

Malolan Cadambi

A master poet

SINGING THE BODY OF GOD: Steven Paul Hopkins; Oxford University Press, YMCA Library Building, Jai Singh Road, New Delhi - 110001. Rs. 595.

AMONG THE all-time greats in the realm of religion and philosophy, Vedanta Desika occupies a unique and hallowed position and shines like a dazzling star in the poetical and philosophical firmament. He is a great poet in three languages viz. Sanskrit, Tamil and Prakrit, philosopher, guide, teacher, saint and theologian ? all combined in one. There is no phase in the literary field that he has not touched and embellished ? kavyas (long poems), philosophical works, stotras in praise of God and gurus, lucid commentaries on works of earlier acharyas and even on some of his own, and Tamil Prabandhas ? his total works numbering nearly 120.

The book under review commences with an overall survey of the state of Vaishnavism in Tamil Nadu during the period of Desika; its flourishing and thriving in the scholastic centres of Kanchipuram and Srirangam; and Desika's interaction with other scholar-contemporaries. Desika's life history is briefly recounted next, along with the author's comments here and there.

With this background material, the author starts on a detailed examination of three of Desika's Tamil Prabandhas (out of 24), in praise of Lord Varadaraja of Kanchi and Lord Devanatha of Tiruvahindrapuram. Translating many of these verses in English in simple verse form, the author adds his own appreciative comments, also comparing and contrasting these with the verses in the Divya Prabandha of Alwars.

In this book, the author mainly deals with Desika, as a master-poet in three languages, although now and then he touches on the philosophical import of the poetry.

The author's English translation of the Tamil and Sanskrit verses is marked by elegance and beauty; and is faithful to the original. He succeeds in bringing out the grandeur, sublimity and subtle nuances in Desika's majestic poetry and his translation almost reads like the original.

He has adopted the Tamil orthographic system for Sanskrit names and has transliterated Varada Desikan as Varata Tecikan, Swaminatha Iyer as Caminataiyar, Desika Prabandham as Tecika Pirapantam, Sangam as Cankam and so on, making the reading difficult. The author could have stuck to the original Sanskrit names for transliteration.

It has been commented in the book more than once that there is a slight variation between the philosophical works of Desika and his devotional poetry, on the issues of God's grace, human effort and self-surrender. This is not correct because poetry, and more so devotional poetry, by its very nature, is allowed certain amount of poetic licence, poetic excess and exaggeration. The aim of devotional poetry is to praise unstintedly God, His magnanimity and His mercy as all-pervasive and so, such devotional poetry has to be understood in the proper perspective, duly understanding the in-built philosophy, shorn of poetic exaggeration.

The author's observation that Desika's Tamil poetry never stood alone as such and was extracted from his other works and published as a separate book only in 1940s is far from true. Several editions of this Prabandha had indeed appeared much earlier than 1940s. Again, out of 24 Tamil Prabandhas, only six are extracted from his other works and the remaining 18 are original works.

In fact, the Guru Parampara records that even as early as in the 14th century, Desika's son, Nayinaracharya, had covenanted that Desika Prabandha should be recited during the period when the Divya Prabandha should not be recited.

While the effort of the author is laudable, there are several factual mistakes in the book. To mention a few. Desika's father was Anantasuri and not Pundariksa (sic) (Pundarikaksha), who was actually his paternal grandfather. Desika, at the age of five, "did not better the elder acharyas in debate", as stated; but only reminded them of the philosophical passage, which they were discussing earlier and had subsequently forgotten. Desika's work Paduka Sahasram is essentially in praise of Ranganatha's sandals and not Rama's, as stated.

Again, Apulllar and Nayinaracharya were not contemporaries and the former passed away long before the latter was born. Garuda and Vainateya are not different, but one and the same. Adverting to the genesis of Paduka Sahasram, Desika's adversary offered to write on the Lord's feet and not on His sandals. A drama is "nataka" and not "natya".

It was at Srirangam that Desika was given the title "master of all arts and sciences" (Sarvatantra Svatantra) and not at Tiruvahindrapuram. Desika did not write commentaries on all the Prabandhas of Alwars, but only on some of them.

The benedictory verse of Nadadur Ammal on Desika was not "lifted wholesale from a scene in Sankalpa Suryodayam" but it is the reverse; the verse has been incorporated in Sankalpa Suryodayam.

The book seems to contain more of rhetoric and high-flown language, with a plethora of quotations from works of contemporary western and Indian scholars. It is useful in showing how a westerner studies and admires Desika's genius as a poet par excellence.

V.N. GOPALA DESIKACHARIAR




_________________________________________________________________
Download Norah Jones, Eminem and more! http://www.msn.com.sg/ringtones/





[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index ] [Thread Index ] [Author Index ]
Home Page
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia
srirangasri-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To subscribe to the list