Sound of Words in Sanskrit - · PDF fileSound of Words in Sanskrit ... level but they could...

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1 Sound of Words in Sanskrit The sound of words in Sanskrit can resonate every day sounds, like clinking pots. Words dance. Slokas are decorated not simply by simile, metaphor and the like but by ¿abd¡la´k¡r¡Å based on sound, also called citrak¡vyaÆ, spectacular poetry, which appeals to the intellect. Slokas are written in pictures. The sound of words is a fascinating and difficult subject. Contents 1 From noise to decorations by sound 1.1 Noise to sentence 1.2 Script 1.3 Sound of words 2 Just sound 2.1 Repetition of sound 2.2 Repeated words 2.3 Repetition of lines 2.4 Palindrome types 2.5 Rules 3 Entertainment for poets 3.1 Humor 3.2 Question and answer 3.3 Hide 3.4 Crooked speech 4 Poems in pictures 4.1 Move in all directions 4.2 Moves of a horse's hooves 4.3 Net 4.4 Cow's urine pattern 4.5 Conch 4.6 Umbrella 4.7 Wheels 4.8 Lotus 4.9 Snakes swallow Slokas 5 See also 6 Further reading

Transcript of Sound of Words in Sanskrit - · PDF fileSound of Words in Sanskrit ... level but they could...

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Sound of Words in Sanskrit

The sound of words in Sanskrit can resonate every day sounds, like clinking

pots. Words dance. Slokas are decorated not simply by simile, metaphor and

the like but by ¿abd¡la´k¡r¡Å based on sound, also called citrak¡vyaÆ,spectacular poetry, which appeals to the intellect. Slokas are written in

pictures. The sound of words is a fascinating and difficult subject.

Contents 1 From noise to decorations by sound

1.1 Noise to sentence

1.2 Script

1.3 Sound of words

2 Just sound

2.1 Repetition of sound

2.2 Repeated words

2.3 Repetition of lines

2.4 Palindrome types

2.5 Rules

3 Entertainment for poets

3.1 Humor

3.2 Question and answer

3.3 Hide

3.4 Crooked speech

4 Poems in pictures

4.1 Move in all directions

4.2 Moves of a horse's hooves

4.3 Net

4.4 Cow's urine pattern

4.5 Conch

4.6 Umbrella

4.7 Wheels

4.8 Lotus

4.9 Snakes swallow Slokas

5 See also

6 Further reading

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= = From noise to decorations by sound = = ______

Noise to sentence There is noise all round us. The barking of dogs and mewing of cats are

noises made by domestic animals. The frightening roar of tigers and hissing

of snakes are sounds made by wild animals. The chirping of swallows and the

sweet notes of cuckoos are noises made by birds. The rustle of the grass and

loud peals of thunder are noises made by nature. The roar of cannon and the

alarm clock chimes are made by articles of human innovation. All these are

noises which the human ear recognizes as specific sounds.

Now we come to systematic sounds made consciously by man.

The sounds �Ì, •ò, –Ì, —Ì, ˜Ì are called pa-varga or °À¶hya, labials formed by the

lips. The sounds tÌ, yÌ, zù, ŒÌ, �Ì are called ¶a-varga or d¡ntya, dentals formed by

the teeth. The sounds hõ, lö, n÷, qø, sÌ are called ¶a-varga or m£rdhanya, formed

by the roof of the mouth. The sounds ZÌ, \ô, `Ì, cÌ, eÌ form ca-varga or t¡lavya,

palatals, formed by the palate. The sounds Fò, LÌ, OÌ, QÌ, Ró are called ka-varga orka¸¶hya, gutturals, produced from the throat. Nasals n¡¿ik¡Å are the last

letters in each group. These 25 letters are called varga vyaµjan¡ni, groupedconsonants.

Four letters ™Ì, œú, ¡ô, ¥Ì are called antastha. Four other sounds ²Ì, −Ì, ¨Ì. ·þ, arecalled £Àm¡ni, syballants. These eight letters together are called anvarg¢ya

vyaµjan¡ni, do not belong to any group.

All 33 letters are called vyaµjan¡ni, consonants.

+, <, =, @ñ, ¡ßô are called hrasva svar¡Å, short vowels and +Ì, <Ê, >ð, @ñ, D, +Ìâ are

called d¢rgha svar¡Å, long vowels. The total number of vowels is 13.The svar¡Å and vyaµjan¡ni together are called var¸¡ni.

In addition to these, anusvara, one dot like FÉò and visarga, two dots like Fò:occur at the end of words.

Compound letters are formed by combining two or more consonants and

vowels.

A word is composed of syllables uttered in a particular sequence which is

endowed by common consent with a specific meaning. The sound uttered

and the meaning of the word are intertwined and inseparable. A cat is a cat

and not a dog. Modifications due to local usage, mispronunciation and other

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mutations do not matter much as they are recognized as such and the

meaning still adheres to the mutated word. In Sanskrit there are a large

number of ®k¡kÀara pad¡Å, one-letter words, like +: for Vishnu and Fò: forwater.

A word is sound with meaning. The word is the sole pillar on which the

whole edifice of language, human thought and communication rests. Man

alone is endowed with the word.

Words can be joined together by sandhi to form a single word. Specific rulesare laid explaining alterations to be made in the process of combination. The

basic words remain in their original form; œú̘Ì: + Fßò−sÌ: = œú̘ÌFßò−ÌsÌÌæ. Another

mode of combination of words is by sam¡sa where two or more words arecombined to form a new single word. Here changes to the original words can

occur. A very large number of words can be strung together like a long

garland, the limit being the poet's inventivity. A really long word can run up

to three lines of printed matter. Very long words and sentences are

considered a matter of beauty in Sanskrit prose.

A sentence is composed of a number of words in a specific sequence

expressing a single idea. Here again it is possible to have a single-word

sentence or a large number of words extending to two or three pages of print.

Syllables can be written on paper in ink. Devanagari is the script normally

used for Sanskrit.

As the written letter and uttered sound are identical they are considered

interchangeable. Both are called akÀara, permanent. While the uttered sound

is ephemeral, the written word lasts a long time with edicts inscribed on rocks

lasting for millennia. The interchangeability of the uttered sound and written

word led to the idea that the written word is a form of sound in graphic form.

One is reminded of the ancient Norseman's expression for a written word -

"Drawing sound".

In English, prose is the preferred form of expression. Poetry has very few

metres; still it is rare. Not so in Sanskrit where there are innumerable metres

for composing padya, poetry, Slokas. Mantras, sacred verses, in the Vedas arein poetry. All literature, even mathematics, is couched in poetry. Sanskrit is

the only language in which a dictionary is set in Slokas and committed to

memory by students. Gadya, prose, is relegated to elucidation, explanationand commentary. Literature in prose is scarce. One of the reasons for this

preference for poetry is that poems can be more easily memorised than prose.

Errors cannot be introduced inadvertently due to the strict requirements of

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metre. In days gone by, when books were written on palm leaves with a

stylus, or birch leaves, or bark, when there were no punctuation marks except

the full stop, there was a possibility of words running into one another and

metamorphosing into other or meaningless words. Human memory has no

such limitations. Even accented and chanted pieces are transmitted without

any distortion. The Vedas running into thousands of Mantras, the Ramayana

with 24,000 Slokas and the voluminous Mahabharata with 100,000 Slokas

were all committed to memory in this fashion. Memory was stretched to the

ultimate limit. The main difference between prose and poetry is that Slokas

are metrical, while prose is not.

There are over 100 metres. A Sloka has four p¡da, lines, uniformly. Thenumber of syllables in a line varies from 4 to 21. The popular metre

anuÀ¶ubh, in which the Ramayana and Mahabharata are composed, consists of8 letters in a line. Two long metres are ¿¡rd£lavikr¢·it¡ with 19 syllables and

sragdh¡r¡ with 21 syllables.

Sound of wordsThe sound of words in Sanskrit has as great an importance as the meaning of

words. As mentioned earlier, sound and meaning are intertwined in a word.

Flowers, garlands, make-up, gems, jewelry and ornaments are used to

decorate the human body. A pretty woman becomes prettier by decoration;

without ornamentation even her husband ignores her. Slokas have also to be

decorated. The decorations are of two varieties. The meaning appeals to the

heart. Arth¡la´k¡r¡Å, decorations in meaning, like simile and metaphor, arecommon in all languages. Meaning affects rasa, the mood or emotions. Thisled the experts in rhetoric to decide that they are really what matter.

However, there are also ¿abd¡la´k¡r¡Å, decorations based on sound, whichappeal to the intellect. Rhetoricians, could relegate ¿abd¡la´k¡r¡Å to a lowerlevel but they could not ignore the subject altogether for the reason that long

ago eminent poets had composed Slokas in this manner. They complained

that ¿abd¡la´k¡r¡Å are difficult to comprehend without the guide of acommentary. They cannot be skipped. They have to be broken into pieces,

chewed and digested. The experts complained vociferously that it required

tremendous effort on the part of the poet to compose in this style. They

protested that this was a subject impossible to teach. All of them agreed that

citrak¡vyaÆ, stunning poetry, induces in the listener a sense of astonishment

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and awe. They were unanimous that citrak¡vyaÆ is for the purpose of showing off his learning, and that it reflects the great intellectual merit of the

poet, his mastery of vocabulary and technique and his superb word-craft.

The sound of words can be louder than the thrashing waves of the ocean and

sweeter than the warbling of a nightingale. It can resonate every day sounds,

like clinking pots. Words dance.

= = = Just Sound = = =______________________

Simple repetition Similarity in sound of groups of letters is anupr¡sa. The sounds are repeatedat irregular intervals. References are given in brackets.

k¡l¢ kalp¡ntak¡l¡kulamiva sakalaÆ l°kam¡l°kya p£rvaÆ (ca¸·¢ ¿atakaÆ 41).Earlier, the Goddess, looking at the whole world like the chaos at the end of

Kalpa, eon, was black.

p¡rvaty¡ pr®tap¡lasvapuruÀaparuÀaÅ pr®Àit°'sau p¤ÀatkaÅ (ca¸·¢ ¿atakaÆ 14)..Parvati sent the arrow which was ferocious like the special messenger of

Yama.

jha¸ajjha¸itaka´ka¸akka¸itaki´ki¸¢kaÆ dhanu- rdhvanadguruga¸¡¶an¢k¤takar¡lak°l¡halam .vitatya kirat°Å ¿ar¡navirataspharacc£·ay°-

rvicitramabhivartat® bhuvanabh¢mam¡y°dhanam . (uttarar¡macaritaÆ -6.1). The fight, striking terror in the whole world, is raging between the two

combatants, Lava and Chandraketu, with their hair fluttering, showering

arrows by stretching their bows. The bells tied to the bows are ringing like

tinkling bracelets. They are making a frightful sound with their twanging

strings and points.

Repeated linesRepetition, with the same sound but not the same letters, having a different

meaning is yamakaÆ. It contains extremely difficult ¿abdabha´ga, breaking orsplitting of words, and ¿l®Àa, double meaning. There are yamakak¡vy¡Å,

books written using only yamakaÆ. Repetition of the whole Sloka is

¿l°kayamakaÆ. Repetition of one line once, twice or thrice in the remaining

three lines is p¡dayamakaÆ. Repetitions are underlined.

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bh¢t¡bh¢t¡ sann¡sann¡ s®n¡ s®n¡gaty¡gaty¡ .dh¢r¡dh¢r¡ha tv¡ santr¡saÆ tr¡yasv¡sv¡ .. (k¡vy¡la´k¡ra -3.43). A messenger is narrating this Sloka to a king. Oh brave King who removes

mental illness! The leaders of the enemy army tell my master this: they are

afraid and have approached you but cannot move. Dispel their fear. Coming

to you for refuge is itself wealth. Each two letters are repeated in ¡vali,straight line.

cakraÆ dahat¡raÆ cakranda hat¡ram .kha·g®na tav¡jau r¡jann¡rin¡r¢ .. (k¡vy¡la´k¡ra -3.4).Some one is telling a king. The wives of the enemy kings, who have been

killed by you in battle by your sword, are crying loudly. The first line is

identical with the second. This is p¡dayamakaÆ.ras¡s¡ra ras¡s¡ra vid¡ ra¸avid¡ra¸a .bhavat¡rambhavat¡raÆ mah¢yatamah¢yata .. (k¡vy¡la´k¡ra -3.39).Oh, best man on Earth! You are like a heavy downpour of rain in love arts.

You are learned. After the commencement of any work, you are tenacious.

You have belittled the enemy. The enemy has now been banished from

palaces. Half a line is repeated here.

narakaÆ k¡lam¡l¡bhara¸¡ hi taras¡ ¿rit¡Å naraka´k¡lam¡l¡bhara¸¡hitaras¡¿ri t¡Å .. (¢¿vara¿atakaÆ -13) .Oh Siva, you go to war quickly for obtaining Lakshmi. You have pleasure in

wearing skulls as ornaments. The whole line is repeated here.

sam¡nay¡sa m¡na'y¡ sam¡nay¡sam¡nay¡ .sam¡nay¡ sam¡nay¡ sam¡na y¡ sam¡nay¡ .. (k¡vy¡dar¿a -3.71) .Oh friend! In all matters you have the same opinion as myself. You please

arrange for my meeting with this incomparable woman, who is angry with me.

She is moral, radiant and fit to be honoured. The entire Sloka contains only

one word sam¡nay¡ repeated eight times.

Repetition of a word is padayamakaÆ. kamalabhyamal¢kavidhau kamalaÆ vaya ¡nana¿°kamalaÆ kamalam .kuruÀ® na vi¿a´kamalaÆ kamalaÆ savit®na lasatkamalaÆ kamalam ..(¢¿vara¿atakaÆ -95).The water of Ganga is difficult to get because of Chandra on the head of

Siva. Why does not Brahma's face be watery? You make all go into a

rhapsody as the Sun renders the lotus, where Lakshmi dwells. The word

kamalaÆ is repeated in padayamakaÆ.

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Repetition of letters is var¸¡v¤tti yamakaÆ.bhavatu viditaÆ ¿abd¡ vakturvivakÀitas£cak¡Å smaravatiÆ yataÅ k¡nt® k¡nt¡Æ bal¡tparicumbati .na na na ma ma m¡ m¡ m¡Æ spr¡kÀ¢rniÀ®dhaparaÆ vac° bhavati ¿idhil® m¡nagranthau tad®va vidh¡yakam .. (k¡vyam¢m¡Æs¡ -8).It is true that words are an indication of the speaker's desire. After the lover's

quarrel subsided, when the love-sick hero forcibly tried to kiss his lover, she

uttered words of denial, "No! No! Do not touch me!" These words of

prohibition, after her pride had diminished, actually voice her desire and wish

to spur the hero in the course of his action. Rajasekhara gives this as an

example of the Buddhist principle that the word is an indicator of the

speaker's intention or desire.

Repetition of every single letter, is pratyakÀarayamakaÆ. susurarasasabh¡bh¡ svasvad¡d¡vavakra- kramamanunutatattv¡ tv¡tataprapraj¡j¡ .nanava vadhadan¡n¡µcaµcal¡ l¡bhabhavya- vyasa satatamamand¡nd¡sasa´ga´gat® t® .. (¢¿vara¿atakaÆ -37).You discard unprofitable items keeping only those which always produce

fruit. You love your devotees. I am your follower. Show me favour quickly.

You shine in the assembly of Gods. You give one's own wealth to each

devotee. You created Saptarshis. You have no birth. You shake the Asuras.

You are always to be worshipped. Only seven Slokas of this type have been

found.

It is incredible how every possible doubling is effected right from a single

letter to the whole Sloka.

Palindrome typesSentences which remain the same on reading backwards are called

palindromes in English. They are trivial; in Sanskrit they are a literary art

form called anul°mapratil°maÆ. Letters return through the same door throughwhich they went and remained the same.

In ¿l°kapratil°maÆ the whole Sloka is inverted.viditaÆ divi k®'n¢k® taÆ y¡taÆ nijit¡jini .vigadaÆ gavi r°ddh¡r° y°ddh¡ y° natim®ti naÅ ..natim®ti na y°ddh¡ y° r°ddh¡r° vigadaÆ gavi .nijit¡jini taÆ y¡taÆ k®'n¢k® viditaÆ divi .. (¿i¿up¡lavadhaÆ -19.90).The soldier, Sri Krishna, who would never bow before the enemy, entered the

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army, which always won. He was famous even in Heaven. Who could stop

him on the Earth? The meaning remains the same after inversion.

In gatapraty¡gataÆ the Sloka can be read backward from the end and remainsunchanged. The second line is the reverse of the first line.

n¡¸ur®¸arug¡n¡y° g°bh¡g°'kali m® mah® . n¡din°'madan¡ dh¢Å sv¡ na m® k¡cana k¡mit¡ .t¡mik¡ na ca k¡m®na sv¡dh¢n¡ daman°din¡ .. (k¡vy¡dar¿a -3.75). My mind is all

the time occupied in contemplation of nadabrahmam, primordial sound.. Ihave no desire for any worldly objects. I do not act under the influence of

my senses.

h®mam®'likag° bh¡g° y° n¡g¡ru¸ar®¸un¡ .. (citraprapaµcaÆ -26).Some one is telling his beloved. Your eyes have the splendour of the eyes of

a big deer. The pupils in your eyes look like powdered Arunachala Mountain

and elephants.

In arthapratil°maÆ the second p¡da, line, is the reverse of the first p¡da, while

the fourth p¡da is a reverse of the third p¡da. k¡hal¡vasar¡r¡vavar¡r¡sabal¡hak¡ .

bh¡lik¡'naghadh¡r¡k¡ k¡r¡dh¡ ghanak¡libh¡ .. (citraprapaµcaÆ -25).

This Sloka is about clouds. Making a splendid noise like k¡hala drums, theclouds are dense black, in which the stars move, and pour rain continuously.

Chitraprapancham is an ancient unpublished work by Visvesvara.

When each line is anul°mapratil°maÆ the Sloka is termed p¡dapratil°maÆ. n¡n¡j¡vavaj¡n¡n¡ s¡ janaughaghanaujas¡ .par¡nih¡'h¡nir¡pa t¡nviy¡tatay¡'nvit¡ .. (¿i¿up¡lavadhaÆ -19.40).Sisupala's army was filled with splendour and was confident. It ignored the

different battle formations, full of soldiers. It came near Krishna's army.In pratipadabhittil°maÆ every two letters are inverted.lat¡t¡lataruruta¿°bhibhiÅ ¿°bhan° nabhaÅ .y¡t°'t°y¡dhar°'r°dhak°l° l°k°ttam° mataÅ .. (citrabandhar¡m¡ya¸aÆ -2.38).Rama entered Chitrakuta, which is the best of mountains, with splendid

promenades, full of springs and rivers and where the boar had no enemies.

The sky is visible as the tall palm trees do not touch the sky. Creepers were

woven in warp and weft. Only two Slokas of this type have been found.

Strict rulesA variety of Slokas are constructed so that they follow a set of strict rules

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called niyamaÆ.uruguÆ dyuguruÆ yutsu cukru¿ustuÀ¶uvuÅ puru .lulubhuÅ pupuÀurmutsu mumuhurnu muhurmuhuÅ .. (sarasvat¢ka¸¶h¡bhara¸aÆ-2.276). The Gods praised their mentor Brihaspati, who makes long speeches, for the

reason that he is pleased, becomes rich and is deluded again and again by

laudatory verses. They sought his protection in war. This is hrasvaikasvaraniyamaÆ, only one short vowel is used. ag¡ g¡Æ g¡´gak¡k¡kag¡hak¡ghakak¡kah¡ Å .ah¡h¡´ga khag¡´k¡gaka´k¡gakhagak¡kaka .. (k¡vy¡dar¿a -3.91).Oh King, you are capable of entering the waves of the River Ganga, which is

resounding loudly and flowing backwards. You are free from sorrow. Your

fame has reached up to the Sumeru Mountain. You are not interested in

worldly pleasures and have destroyed evil men. You will soon reach Heaven.

This is an example of ®kasth¡na niyamaÆ, only gutturals are used. Dandi accomplished a tour de force in narrating the story of Prince Mantragupta

in Dasakumaracharita in a highly circumspect manner. As the lips of the

prince were bitten by a princess, the entire story is in nir°À¶hyavar¸¡Å, without

the use of any labials �Ì-¥ÌOÌÊ as well as the vowels =, >ð.+Ìâ, +Ìæ and ¥Ì. Ruchikara accomplished the same gargantuan task in his Niroshthya Ramacharita

Mahakavyam. Similarly Narayana eliminates all nasals in Surpanakha's speech in his

Niranunasika Champu as her nose was cut off and she could not pronounce

nasals.

ath¡gr® hasat¡ s¡cisthit®na sthirak¢rtin¡ . s®n¡ny¡ t® jagadir® kiµcid¡yastac®tas¡ .. (kir¡t¡rjun¢yaÆ -15.7).Skanda, the commander of the army, stood in front, a little frustrated with the

fleeing soldiers. He turned round, stood laughing and ordered the soldiers to

fight. This Sloka is nir°À¶hyaÆ, labials are avoided.kaÅ khagaugh¡´acicchauj¡ bh¡µjh°'¶au¶h¢·a·a¸·ha¸aÅ .tath°dadh¢npapharb¡bh¢rmay°'rilv¡¿iÀ¡Æ sahaÅ .. (sarasvat¢ka¸¶h¡bhara¸aÆ-2.263).This unique Sloka consists of a question and its answer. Who adorns famous

flocks of birds? Who destroys consciousness? Who devours enemy armies?

Who is a learned man? Who troubles soldiers and their lord? Who fills the

Oceans All these sentences constitute only one question. The answer is also

given: Maya, the king of Daityas, sons of Diti, who kills enemies and also

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pardons them.

This Sloka is called kramasthasarvavyaµjanaÆ, where all the consonants in the

alphabet, from Fò to ·þ, appear in the proper sequence.n£naÆ nunn¡ni n¡n®na n¡nan®n¡nan¡ni naÅ . n¡n®n¡ nanu n¡n£n®nain®n¡n¡n¡nin° nin¢Å .. (k¡vy¡dar¿a -3.95).Our lives were not taken by this shining face. This is not certain. That is, he

took our lives. Therefore the person who wants our lives to be taken by this

enemy with superior strength, our Lord, is not at fault. This is not certain

either. That is, he is at fault. An enemy soldier praises another in this

beguiling manner. This is ®kavar¸a niyamaÆ or ®k¡kÀar¢, with only oneconsonant.

¿a¿ik®¿¡Æ¿ak°'¿°kakau¿ik¢k® ¿i¿uÅ ¿uk¢ .¿aÆ ¿a¿¡kaika¿°'¿£kak®k¢¿¡k¡¿akau¿ikaÅ .. (haravijayaÆ -43.41).Kumara, son of Siva, ordered that each and everyone of the enemy was

to be killed happily without pity. The great peacock was roaming everywhere.

Siva and Gauri were happy. Kumara was playful like a child. This is dvivar¸aniyamaÆ, with only two letters. r® r® r°ddha ruddha r°rugag°g°'g¡´gag°'gaguÅ .

kiÆ k®k¡k¡kukaÅ k¡k° m¡ m¡ m¡mama m¡mama .. (k¡vy¡dar¿a -3.92).Oh hunter's son! You are flaunting your prowess. You earned the sin of

wounding a Ruru deer in its heart. So you are after money. You wander

about in the hills and talk irrelevantly. Can a crow make the sound of a

peacock? So you are unfit to marry me. You do not come near me. A

woman chides a hunter's son who is in love with her in these words. As only

four letters œú, OÌ, Fò, and ˜Ì are used in this Sloka, it is caturakÀar¢, with only

four letters. The usual practice is not to mix all the consonants together butto use only one consonant in each p¡da. So this is also called ®k¡kÀarap¡daÅ,with only one letter in each line.

= = = = Entertainment for poets = = = =_________

In an assembly of poets literary diversion is provided in different forms.

Humor

prah®lik¡ was widely renowned for centuries. It includes an enigma or riddle.It is useful for amusement, for enjoyment in an assembly, for a secret

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conversation in an assembly with highly intelligent people who are conversant

with it and in confusing other men.

k®na kaÅ saha sambh£ya sarvak¡ry®Àu sannidhim .labdhv¡ bh°janak¡l® tu yadi d¤À¶° nirasyat® .. (k¡vy¡dar¿a -3.122).What or who is with a man in all his actions, but if seen at the time of eating

(in food), it is promptly removed? The answer is also hidden in the Sloka. Fò: is hair.t¢kÀ¸¡graÆ ka¶hinaÆ kucadvayamidaÆ tanva´gi yacc°ddh¡taÆ tadvakÀaÅ parih¡ya kiÆ priyatamaÅ p¤À¶h® sam¡li´gyat® .kiÆ kurmaÅ sakhi narmak®liÀu may¡ daÀ¶® ras®n¡dhar® ruÀ¶°'yaÆ gaman°dyatastadadhun¡ panth¡nam¡n¢yat® .. (bh¡va¿atakaÆ -15).

The nipples of the two hard uplifted breasts are stiff. The lover discards such

breasts and embraces her from behind. Why? The answer is given by the

heroine to her friend. What shall I do friend? He was angry because I had

bitten the sweet lips in play and wants to go away. So bring me a traveller for

company.

¡p¡¸·u p¢naka¶hinaÆ vartulaÆ suman°haram .karair¡k¤Àyat®'tyarthaÆ kiÆ v¤ddhairapi sasp¤ham .. (bh¡¸·¡g¡ra -185.10).It is white, hard, large, round, beautiful and attracts even old people to touch

it with their hands. What is it? Answer: ̟ͥ¥Ì, FÙòZÌ, the Bilva fruit or breasts.hat° han£mat¡''r¡maÅ s¢t¡ harÀamup¡gat¡ .rudanti r¡kÀas¡Å sarv® h¡ h¡''r¡m° hat° hataÅ ..Rama was killed by Hanuman. Sita was happy. All the Rakshasas, demons,

wept because Rama was dead. All this is absurd. The real meaning is that

Hanuman destroyed the garden and the Rakshasas cried that their leisure was

lost.

Question and answerIn pra¿n°ttaraÆ the question and hidden answer are stitched together inproper order. The question, Where is it possible to cross the stream?

the heroine's answer is, Oh traveller, the river is easily fordable where the

Vetasa creeper is found. The lusty lady displays to her lover, who is a

stranger, her true feeling of love for him and that she will meet him near the

Vetasi creeper. In one sentence the question and the answer are given. This

form was very popular with poets.

k® bh£Àayanti stanama¸·al¡ni k¢d¤¿yum¡ candramasaÅ kutaÅ ¿r¢Å .kim¡ha s¢t¡ da¿aka¸¶habh¢t¡ h¡r¡mah¡d®varat¡tam¡taÅ .. (¿¡r´gadharapaddhati-553).

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What adorns breasts? ·þÌœúÌ:, necklaces. How are Uma, Chandra and Lakshmi?

˜Ì·þÌzâù¥ÌœútÌÌ:, praying intensely to Siva. What did Sita, afraid of Ravana, say t̘ÌÌtÌ:,

at night? ·þÌ œúÌ˜Ì ·þÌ zâù¥Ìœú tÌÌtÌ ˜ÌÌtÌ:, Oh Rama, Oh brother-in-law, Oh father, Ohmother!

padaÆ kiÆ pratiÀ®dh¡rthakaÆ ch®dakartrarthakaÆ ca kim .gr¢Àm® sar° bhav®tk¢d¤kk¡ sthir¡ k¡ vadh£Å priy¡ .. (kav¢ndrakar¸¡bhara¸aÆ-1.13).

What is the word for prohibition? ˜ÌÌ, do not. What is meaning of cutting? ¡Üô,

to cut. How is the lake in Summer? +�Ì™Ì:, without water. What is steady? ŒÌœúÌ,

Earth. All these letters make up ˜ÌÌ¡Üôœú�Ì™ÌÌâŒÌœúÌ. What maiden is appreciated?

˜ÌÌ¡Üôœú�Ì™ÌÌâŒÌœúÌ, a maiden with breasts like Bilva fruit.kau r¡japarivr¡jau p£jyatarau kathaya sa´garahitau yau .kau v¡ pa¸·itagucchau ¿l¡ghyata rau bhramarahitatay°p®tau .. (s¡hityaratn¡kara-7.144).

How are a king and a Sanyasi fit for worship? sa´garahitaÆ, interested in waror without attachment to worldly objects. How are a Pandit and a bunch of

flowers admirable? bhramarahitaÆ, without confusion or good for bees.nirarthakaÆ janma gataÆ naliny¡ yay¡ na d¤À¶aÆ tuhin¡Æ¿ubimbam .utpattirind°rapi niÀphalaiva d¤À¶¡ vinidr¡ nalin¢ na y®na .. (bilha¸ak¡vyaÆ -32).The life of the lotus which has not seen the Moon is a waste. The first half is

by Bilhana who is enamoured of the Princess.

It is a waste of Moonrise if the lotus is asleep and does not see when the

Moon has risen. The second half is the reply of the Princess who is inclined

favorably towards him. It is also £ktipratyukti, repartee.

Hide

Concealment is g£·haÆ. One complete verse can be concealed in the womb

of another verse or verses in garbha ¿l°kaÅ, pregnant Sloka. The last p¡da isconcealed in the letters of the first three p¡daÅ in g£·hacaturthap¡daÅ.dyuviyadg¡min¢ t¡rasaÆr¡vavihata¿rutiÅ .haim¢Àum¡l¡ ¿u¿ubh® vidyut¡miva saÆhatiÅ .. (kir¡t¡rjun¢yaÆ -15.43).The multitude of Siva's golden arrows, moving in the sky and heaven,

sounding loud enough to break the ear drums, shone like lightning. The

letters †Ù, Í¥Ì, ͘Ì, tÌÌ, in the first p¡da and the letters ²ÌÉ, ¥Ì, ·þ, tÌ, in the secondp¡da constitute the last p¡da of this g£·hacaturthap¡daÅ. p¡¸·av¡n¡Æ sabh¡madhy® duryy°dhana up¡gataÅ .

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tasmai g¡Æ ca hira¸yaÆ ca sarv¡¸y¡bhara¸¡ni ca .. (anantad¡sa).Duryodhana arrived in the assembly of the Pandavas. He was given villages,

gold and all kinds of ornaments. This is the common meaning. If you read

zÙù™ÌÌäŒÌ�Ì as +zÙù: gave and ™ÌÌâŒÌ�Ì warrior, the meaning is that the warrior who

arrived was given the various items. This Sloka is kriy¡guptiÅ, the verb ishidden.

bhrama dh¡rmika visrabdhaÅ sa ¿unak°'dya m¡ritast®na .g°d¡var¢nad¢k£lalat¡gahanav¡sin¡ d¤ptasiÆh®na .. (dhvany¡l°ka -1).

A woman has arranged a tryst with her lover in an arbour near the bank ofGodavari River. A Sanyasi has come to pluck flowers. The surface meaning

of what she tells him is, "The mad dog has been killed by the lion which is on

the bank of Godavari River. You can roam about and collect flowers freely

here". The real deeper implication of her statement is to prevent the Sanyasi

from going near her trysting place. This Sloka is an illustration of a statement

made as a rule being really a prohibition. This Sloka is abhipr¡yag£·haÆ, themeaning is hidden.

¿va¿r£ratra ¿®t® athav¡ nimajjati atr¡haÆ divasakaÆ pral°kaya .m¡ pathika r¡tryandha ¿ayy¡y¡m¡vay°Å ¿ayiÀ¶h¡Å .. (dhvany¡l°ka -1).Oh traveller, my mother-in-law sleeps there soundly. I sleep in the other

corner looking forward to the end of the day. Please do not stumble against

our beds blinded by darkness. This is what a licentious housewife tells her

guest. In the guise of prohibiting him from stumbling in the dark, she was

actually showing him where she was waiting for him. Here the prohibition is

an order.

pr®kÀam¡¸amanimiÀ¡kÀaÆ pr®kÀya vadhv¡ jha¶iti bhikÀ¡caram.

dar¿ayitv¡ k¤t® ¿¢rÀ® kut° dv® j¡tikusum®? .. (vidagdhamukhama¸·anaÆ -4.13). The housewife stared at the Bhikshu, mendicant, without batting an eyelid and

quickly kept two Champaka flowers in her hair. Why? She was telling the

Bhikshu by her action, "Oh Bhikshu, you and my family are both spotless like

the Champaka flowers. If we act in an improper manner, it will be dirty like

the hair". This Sloka is niÀ®dhah¤dyaÆ, prohibition is hidden.

Crooked speechWriting the word in such a special manner that it has several meanings is

¿l®ÀaÅ. Deliberate misunderstanding of one's words for the purpose ofmaking a clever retort is vakr°kti. kiÆ gauri m¡Æ prati ruÀ¡ nanu gaurahaÆ kiÆ

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kupy¡mi k¡Æ prati may¢tyanum¡nat°'ham .j¡n¡mi satyanum¡nata ®va sa tva- mitthaÆ gir° giribhuvaÅ ku¶il¡ jayanti .. (k¡vy¡la´k¡ra -2.15). This is a humorous dialogue between Siva and Parvati. Siva asks Parvati, "Oh

Gauri, why are you angry with me"? Parvati splits OÌÌæÍœú ˜ÌÌÉ as OÌÌæ: <˜ÌÌÉ, whichchanges the meaning to, "You cow, why are you angry with these innocent

people". She queries, "Am I a cow? With whom am I unhappy"? Siva

clarifies, "I infer that you are angry with me". Parvati splits +�ÌÙ ÌÌ�ÌtÌÌâ as +�ÌÙ ÌÌ

�ÌtÌÌâ (not Uma, love), and understands Siva as saying, "I am not in love withany one who is not Uma". She replies, "I know that you are certainly not in

love with any one except Uma". May Parvati's words of devious meaning

win! This Sloka is sabha´ga¿l®Àavakr°kti, vakrokti with splitting words anddouble meaning.

n¡tha may£r° n¤tyati turag¡nanavakÀasaÅ kut° n¤tyam .nanu kathay¡mi kal¡pinamiha sukh¡l¡p¢ priy® k°'sti .. (v¡gbha¶¡la´k¡ra -4.15).A wife remarks to her husband, "The peacock is dancing", to which her

husband rejoins, "How is it possible for a Kinnara (with the face of a horse)

to dance on the breast of Mayu, (a Rakshasa)"? "I am talking of a peacock".

"Oh darling, where is a man on this Earth who talks of happiness"? This

Sloka is also sabha´ga¿l®Àavakr°kti. ah° k®n®d¤¿¢ buddhird¡ru¸¡ tava nirmit¡ .trigu¸¡ ¿r£yat® buddhirna tu d¡rumay¢ kvacit .. (k¡vyaprak¡¿a -9.346)."Oh, what sort of difficult intellect have you"? "I have heard of three types

of intellect, ²Ìu¥Ì, t̘ÌÌâ, œú`ÌÌâ OÌÙsÌÌ:, but never one of wood, zùÌGû ". This dialoguebetween master and pupil is abha´ga¿l®Àavakr°kti, vakrokti without splittingwords but with double meaning.

s¡dhu d£ti, punaÅ s¡dhu kartavyaÆ kimataÅ param .yanmadarth® vil£nasi dantairapi nakhairapi .. (ala´k¡rakalpalat¡v¤tti -Page 45).Well done, messenger! Again, well done! What more can you do on my

behalf, who, for my sake, have been mangled by teeth and nails? (The maid

had slept with her lover and bears the marks). This is a heroine addressing her

maid whom she had sent as a messenger to her lover. This Sloka is also

abha´ga¿l®Àavakr°kti.yadi m® vallabh¡ d£t¢ tad¡'hamapi vallabh¡ .yadi tasy¡Å priy¡ v¡caÅ tanmam¡'pi priyapriy¡Å .. (k¡vyam¢m¡Æs¡ -7).If my lady messenger is attractive (to the hero), he will find me also attractive.

If her speech is endearing to him, he will find that my speech is also

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endearing. By k¡ku, change of tone, it is a censure of the hero, who made

love to the messenger. = = = = = Poems in pictures = = = = = _______

A verse is composed so that it can be inscribed in a picture according to

specific rules. If the drawing is removed the letters retain the shape of the

picture. Since drawing and sound are equivalent, as mentioned earlier,

citrabandhaÅ is included in ¿abd¡la´k¡r¡Å. uddh¡ra are the rules for drawingthe picture and the inscription of the letters in the picture. Repeated letters

are dropped. It is extremely difficult to compose. It is pictorial poetry.

Move in all directionsA chess board with sixty-four squares is used. One letter of the Sloka is

written in each of the first thirty-two squares. In the last eight squares, the

fourth line is written. In the remaining squares from the bottom, the third

line, next the second line and finally the first line are written. On completion,

the first line of the Sloka can be read in four directions. Top and bottom

horizontal line is read as usual from left to right. The bottom line is read from

right to left. The first vertical line is read from top to bottom and the last

vertical line is read from bottom to top. The other three lines of the Sloka are

read similarly. As it can be read in all directions it is called sarvat°bhadra, easymovement everywhere. The two necessary and sufficient conditions for this

are that the first four letters of the Sloka should be the beginning letters of

the four p¡d¡Å and that each p¡da is pratil°m¡nul°maÆ.

²Ì̘ÌÌ™Ì̘Ì̘ÌÌ™ÌÌ ˜Ì̲ÌÌ ˜ÌÌœúÌ�ÌÌ™ÌÌ™ÌÌ�ÌÌ œú̘ÌÌ *

™ÌÌ�ÌÌ¥ÌÌœúÌœúÌ¥ÌÌ�ÌÌ™ÌÌ ˜ÌÌ™ÌÌœú̘ÌÌ ˜ÌÌœúÌ™Ì̘ÌÌ ** (FòÌ¥™ÌÌzù¨ÌÊ -3.82)

This matchless beauty, devoid of deceit, inducing love in me, happily

bewildering me and catching me in a net with the tinkling sound of her

anklets, who is the playground of my sport, is ready to kill me, assisted by the

ever present Moon. This Sloka is ®kasvara niyamaÆ as well as sarvat°bhadra.

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Moves of a horse's hoovesThere are four divisions in an army and a game of chess - œúyÌ chariot,

OÌ`Ì elephant, tÌÙœúOÌ horse and �Ìœú foot soldier. The horse in Indian chess is theknight. When a horse stands on the top of a chess board, its hind hooves are

in squares marked 1 and 2 in the diagram while the front hooves are on

squares 3 and 4. turagapada, moves of a horse is based on the successivemovement of the four hooves of a horse facing East depicted on a grid of 32

squares so as to cover half a chessboard. The derived Sloka can be identical

with the original Sloka or may be an entirely new Sloka.

–ÌÌ¡ôÌ ²ÌÙFòÌ¡ô¥ÌÌ¡ôÌ FòÌ FòÌÑ�tÌ¡ôÌ¡ôFò¡ôÌÍ¡ôtÌÌ *

²Ì²¥ÌÌ ²ÌÙtÌ¥ÌtÌÕ ²ÌÌœúÌ zùÏ�ÌFòÌ ¥ÌêtÌOÌÏŒÌtÌ ** (²Ìœú²¥ÌtÌÕFòslöÌ—ÌœúsÌÉ -2.306)Oh miser! This beautiful maid is sixteen years old. Her hair is black.

She is resplendent with k¡kapakÀa, (curl on the forehead looking like a crow'sfeet), which enhances her looks. She has a son. She is well adorned. You are

wealthy. So you accept her in your heart. A maid tells this to a lover.

Following turagapadany¡ya, moves of a horse's hooves, this Sloka istransformed into another.

prast¡ra ¿l°kaÅ Derived Sloka.

–ÌÌ¡ôÌ ¡ôÍ¡ôtÌtÌÕ¥Ìê²¥ÌÌ ²ÌÙFò¡ôÌ œúÌOÌtÌÏ�ÌFòÌ *

²ÌÙzùÑ�tÌFòÌ ¥ÌÏŒÌtÌÌ¥Ì̲ÌÌ FòÌ¡ôÌ tÌ¡ô¡ô̲ÌFòÌ ** (²Ìœú²¥ÌtÌÕFòslöÌ—ÌœúsÌÉ -2.308) This is a new Sloka derived from the one above by following the

moves of a knight in chess. She is expert and pleasant, knows arts and can

satisfy you with love. She has flashing white teeth. She can adorn your

house. She can outshine all actors. You should enjoy her.

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FòÌUó��ÌÙ¡ôÌâ ÌtÌ�Ì™Ì̲tÌ�Ì�ÌÕÍn÷tÌÌÍ�Ì

¥ÌKÌ:²yÌ¡ôÌâÑtyÌtÌœú™ÌÌfÌ�Ì�ÌÕÍn÷tÌÌÍ�Ì *

�ÌÌ™ÌÌzù�Ì̙̗̙ÌtÌÌâ �̘ÌÙÍZÌ�Ìë·þÌœúÕ

˜ÌÌ™Ì̘Ì�Ì̲™Ì —Ì¥ÌtÌÌâ%˜–ÌÙ ÌÙZÌÌÉ �Ìë²ÌÌœúÕ ** (²Ìœú²¥ÌtÌÕFòslöÌ—ÌœúsÌÉ -2.324)May Indra, who desires to press the breasts of Sachi, daughter of Puloma,

who wishes to get up hurriedly to embrace her, who killed Namuchi and who

spreads the clouds, remove your illusions and protect you from dangers. This

is ayugma p¡dag°m£trik¡ bandhaÅ, where the first and second as well as thethird and fourth p¡da form the g°m£trik¡, cow's urine, bandhaÅ.

FòÌ ¥Ì �ÌÌ ˜ÌÌ

Uó KÌ: ™ÌÌ ™ÌÌ

��ÌÙ ²yÌ zù ˜Ì

¡ôÌâ ¡ôÌâ �ÌÌ �ÌÌ

˜Ì ÑtyÌ ™Ì ²™Ì

tÌ tÌ —Ì —Ì

�Ì œú ™Ì ¥Ì

™ÌÌ ™ÌÌ tÌÌâ tÌÌâ

²tÌ fÌ �Ì ˜–ÌÙ

�Ì �Ì ˜ÌÙ ˜ÌÙ

�ÌÕ �ÌÕ ÍZÌ ZÌÌÉ

Ín÷ Ín÷ �Ìë �Ìë

tÌÌ tÌÌ ·þÌ ·þÌ

Í�Ì Í�Ì œúÕ œúÕ

Lotus

²ÌÌœútÌÌœúÍ·þtÌÌŒ™Ì̲ÌÌ ²ÌÌ Œ™ÌÌtÌÌ KÌt̲ÌÌŒ¥Ì²ÌÌ *

²ÌÌŒ¥Ì²Ì̘̌™ÌÊŒÌÕœú̲ÌÌ ²ÌÌœúÌŒÌÕÍtÌœútÌÌ œú²ÌÌ ** (·þœúÍ¥Ì`Ì™ÌÉ -43.61) By meditating steadfastly on Devi you are brave and without fear. The letter

²ÌÌ is repeated eight times, while four sets of two letters adjacent to it arerepeated twice. caturdalapadma, lotus with four petals, bandhaÅ.

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˜ÌÌœú˜ÌÌ ²ÌÙ−̘ÌÌ ZÌÌGûGûZÌÌ ˜ÌÌœú¥ÌŒÌÜu̘ÌÌ *

˜ÌÌuÌŒÌÜuÌÊt̘ÌÌ¥Ì̲ÌÌ ²ÌÌ ¥Ì̘ÌÌ ˜Ìâ%²tÌÙ ˜ÌÌ œú˜ÌÌ ** (²ÌÌÍ·þt™Ìzù�ÌÊsÌ-10.16) That woman has now come. She is very pleasant, glorious like Lakshmi, very

mischievous and without a house. Someone tells the hero this to which lover

replies "May that woman be my Kamala Lakshmi"! This is a˦adalapadma,

lotus with four petals, bandhaÅ.

Conch

ŒÌâ™Ì˜ÌÌŒÌÙ™™ÌÊ Ì™™ÌÌÊzùÌ œúÌŒÌÌ ˜Ì̥̘̌ÌÌœú ²ÌÌ *

²ÌÌœú˜ÌÌ%¥ÌŒÌ˜ÌÌŒÌÌœúÌ ŒÌâ™Ì˜ÌÌŒÌÙ™™ÌʲÌÌæ—ÌOÌÌ ** (+¡ôSóÌœúFòÌæ²tÌÙ—Ì -7.59)Radha went to Madhava, holding the honours of Spring season and

protecting the glory of her hair. Notice that of 32 letters only 19 are used in

¿a´kha, conch, banadhaÅ.

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Umbrella

tÌ�ÌÙtÌÌÉ tÌ�ÌÙtÌÌÉ œúÌŒÌÌFßò−sÌ™ÌÌâ©ÌÍœút̬ÌÙÍtÌ: *

ÀþuÌÌ�ÌÌ�ÌÌÉ ²ÌÙŒÌÌͲÌ�ŒÌÙŒÌÌœúÌ tÌÌÉ �ÌÙ tÌtÌÌÉ �ÌÙtÌ ** (+¡ôSóÌœúFòÌæ²tÌÙ—Ì -7.56)Listening to the life story of Radha and Krishna removes weakness

caused by afflictions of the heart. Oh men, praise the stream of Amrita in

detail! The first eight letters and the last eight letters are anul°mapratil°maÆ.

This is chatra, umbrella, bandhaÅ.

Wheels ¨Ì柙̡ô²ÌÑzÆùˆù`ÌœúÌ`̆ÙÍt̨ÌÌÍ¡ô`ÌhõÌZ\ôhõ̲•Ùòœú�˜ÌÌæÍ¡ô: *

²ÌÙœú�ÌÙt̘ÌÍ·þ˜ÌÌ `ÌâtÌÌ ²˜Ìœú²™Ì FòÌâ ˜ÌÌâzù—ÌÜ©Ì FòÌÍ™Ì�ÌtÌ: ** (ÍZÌwÌœúvÌÌFòœú -6.16)There are five questions to which the answer is ¨Ìæ¡ôœúÌ`̲ÌÙtÌÌzùÍ™ÌtÌ, the daughter of

the king of mountains. The answer can be seen in the middle of the chariotread vertically downwards. This Sloka is ratha, chariot, bandhaÅ.

²•Ùò œú �˜ÌÌæ Í¡ô: ²ÌÙ œú �ÌÙ tÌ ˜Ì

ÍtÌ ¨ÌÌ Í¡ô `Ì hõÌ Z\ô hõÌ

Ÿ™Ì ¡ô ²ÌÑzÆùˆù `Ì œúÌ `Ì †Ù

¨Ìæ

Í·þ ˜ÌÌ `Ìâ

tÌÌ ²˜Ì œú ²™ÌFòÌâ ˜ÌÌâ zù —ÌÜ ©Ì FòÌ Í™Ì �Ì

tÌ:

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Fò̘Ì�ÌÌ �Ì̘ÌFòÌ zâùÍ¥Ì Í¥ÌzâùFòÌ t¥Ì˜Ì˜Ìt¥ÌFòÌ *

FòÌ t¥ÌÉ �ÌÙ tÌâ%yÌÊ �ÌÌ¥ÌæÍ˜Ì ˜Ì�̲ÌÌ Í¥Ì«Ì²ÌÉ�ÌÙtÌâ ** (̨ͨÌÙ�Ìë–ÌÌâŒÌFòÌ¥™ÌÌ¡ôSóÌœú) This verse has the letter FòÌ at the centre with two letters on each spoke of

which one letter is at the junction of the spoke with the rim. This Sloka is caturaracakra, wheel with four spokes, bandhaÅ.

·þœúÌâ%²tÌÙ œúÌâ·þ�Ì̘ÌÌâ �ÌÌ ·þ¥™ÌFò¥™Ì·þ²Ì⠲̲Ìâ *

·þœú²™Ì œú·þtÌÌâ �ÌëÕtÌÌâ ·þœútÌâ œú·þ²ÌÕœú²ÌÕ **This wonderful Sloka by an unknown poet is inscribed along with the

diagram on rock in the Trimurti temple inside the historic Chitorgrh fort.

The letter ·þ is at the Karnika. Only one letter is on the rim and on letter ineach spoke. This is the sole example of Chakra, wheel with eght spokes,

bandha, with a single letter on each spoke and in each quadrant in anu˦ubh metre.

̫ͥÌ̥̜úÌâŒÌÌ™Ì Í¥ÌœúÌâŒÌ–ÌÌŒÌFòÌ Í¥Ì�Ìu̘ÌÌ`ÌÌ¡ôÍ¥ÌFòtÌÊ�ÌÌâÏ`ÌtÌÌ: *

ͥ̌ÌÜzù™ÌrùɘĮ̀ͥÌÙrùFòÕÏtÌ—ÌÌ Í¥Ì—ÌÌÑ�tÌ ²Ì�tÌ: ²Ì̥ͥÌâFò¥Ìæ—Ì¥ÌÌ: **Inscribed Sloka

¥ÌÌZÌÉ ²˜Ìßt¥ÌÌ ™ÌtÌÕ�‡âùsÌ FòÌ¥™ÌFòŸ�Ì¡ôtÌÌ FßòtÌÌ *

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tÌÌœú¬ÌÕœú˜ÌœâúsÌâ™ÌÉ —ÌÌ¥Ì�ÌÕ™ÌÌ ²ÌtÌÌÉ OÌsÌæ: ** (FòÌ¥™ÌFòŸ�Ì¡ôtÌÌ -3.5)Sadhus have great knowledge. They descend to the Earth to kill enemies and

prevent misfortunes with great vigor like the Sun They refrain from the left

hand path. They shine with the radiance of great fame. The letter Í¥Ì is at thenave. Each spoke is written starting from the nave to the rim. The first Sloka

gives the eight spokes and the second the rim. The name of the author

™ÌtÌÕ�‡âùsÌ, by Yatindra, and the name of the book FòÌ¥™ÌFòŸ�Ì¡ôtÌÌ are in the rim.

This Sloka is aÀ¶¡racakra, wheel with eight spokes, bandhaÅ.

FòÌ¥™ÌÌ™ÌÌѲyÌtÌ ˜ÌÌ¥ÌOÌÊ-¥™ÌÌ`Ì-™ÌÌtÌ-OÌ-˜ÌÌOÌÊFòÌ *

Fò̘ÌzùÌ `ÌOÌtÌ: ѲyÌt™Ìæ œúWó�ÌÙWó¥Ì�ÌÌzÙùFòÌ ** (�ÌÌzÙùFò̷̲þ³ÌÉ -924) The Paduka sandal, grants all that one wants. Rama's Paduka is the source of

Kavyas like Ramayana. It is here to protect the world. Its path shines with

brilliance. It moves in a small path to receive Lakshmi. This Sloka is

garu·agaticakra bandhaÅ, which depicts the flight of a Garuda, kite, which

flies sometimes high, sometimes low, and sometimes in a circle. Twodiagrams are given.

Êrù G û rù

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`ÌÌtÌ°ü°ü°ü°ü�̘̙ÌÌâzùÌœúOÌëÌ¥ÌÌFòÌœú�Ì™ÌÌâŒÌœúÌ *

`ÌÌOÌ°ü°ü°ü°üFò˜Ì·þÌâzùÌœúOÌëÌt†FòÌÉt™ÌÙ�̲ÌÌŒÌ�ÌÌ ** (ÍZÌwÌ�Ìë�ÌfÌÉ -47) Your breast is like a huge mountain. Your neck shines like gold. Its luster is

enhanced by your liberality. This Sloka is dvicatuÀkacakra, two squares in a

circle, bandhaÅ. The first half of the Sloka is written at each intersectionalong the sides of a square and the corners of the squares. The second half is

written in the triangular areas and read with the letters at the corners of the

squares already written.

Snakes swallow Slokas

�ÌÌOÌ –Ì�ŒÌ:, snake Bandha, is extremely difficult; more like an exercise intopology, where a snake appears to have swallowed the Sloka from the rear

and coiled itself in a geometric symmetric shape ensuring that the letters it

had swallowed and which are lying one beneath the other are identical.

Tracing the serpent from the head to the tail is facilitated by following the

letters of the Sloka. At every fold the letter is read a second time till the tail

crosses the neck.

¬ÌÕœú̘ÌÌâ ·þ˜™ÌÊŒÌ̘ÌÌ ²ÌtÌt̲ÌÙ ÌÍ·þ˜Ì¬ÌÕ�ÌtÌÌâ bÌ�Ìë—ÌÜtÌ:

²ÌÙOÌëÕ¥Ì�ÌëÕtÌ™Ìâ tÌt²Ì·þ`̘̙̘̘ÌÙÉ —ÌÌ¡ô²Ìt²ÌÌ™ÌFâò�Ì *

�ÌÌ™ÌÌ�˜ÌÌÉ —ÌÜ—ÌßzùÕ¨ÌÌâ ¥Ì�Ì̷͘þ ͘ÌÍ·þÍœú¥ÌêÌtÌ–ÌÌŒÌ̆—ÌÌ¥Ìâ

t̲™ÌÌ™ÌzÉÉbÌ™ÌÌ™Į̘̘̘̀Ì̲͌ÌÙLÌÌâ%zùÕÍ�Ìt̲™ÌÌÍœúŒÌÌœúÌ ** (˜Ì�zù̘̜ú�zùZ̘�ÌÜ -Page 50) Sri Rama has a beautiful place. He is praised all the time by Brahma, Budha,

Chandra and others. To please his friend Sugriva, he killed Vali in no time

with his flaming arrows. He went to the forest where there is no happiness to

obey the order of Dasaratha and for doing good deeds. He holds the Chakra

to protect the weak. May Sri Ram save us! In the eight corners of the loops

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of the snake are inscribed the letters ¬ÌÕ·þ™ÌOÌëÕ¥Ìâ Ì �ÌÌÍ·þ, Sri Hayagrivesa save us!

This is n¡m¡´kita ku¸·alita n¡ga, coiled snake with inscribed name, bandhaÅ.

–Ì¡ôzù�˜ÌŒÌÙœú �ÌëZÌÙœú �ÌëOÌÙsÌÌt˜ÌOÌÙsÌÉ ¨ÌœúsÌÉ œú²Ì—Ìâzù�ÌÙt̘ÌÆ *

˜Ì�ÌÙFò¬ÌÙt̘Ì�ÌëÍt̘Ì�Ìë—Ì¥ÌÉ ¨ÌÙ—ÌzÉù ²ÌÙ�ÌzÉù ˜ÌŒÌÙ·Éþ Fò¡ô™Ìâ ** (ÍZÌwÌFòÌ¥™ÌÉ -68)I pray to Madhava, who is steadfast, very brave and full of virtues. He gives

refuge. He is praised in songs. Brahma meditates on him. His auspicious

feet do good. This is k¤À¸asarpa, cobra, bandhaÅ.

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¬ÌÕÍ�Ì¥ÌÌ²Ì ˜Ì·þ˜Ì̬̙Ìâ œútÌÉ tÌÉ œútÌÕ¨Ì ²ÌÙtÌ �ÌÌÍ—Ì`ÌÌ`ÌFò˜ÌÆ *

FÉò`̲ÌÉ—Ì¥Ì ²ÌÙ ÌÌÍ�ÌtÌÉ ²ÌzùÌzù̲ÌO̷̬̘þ ²ÌÌzùœų̙̘́ÌÆ **

�ÌÌ¡ôFòÌ⠗̥̘ÌÙLÌÌ `ÌœúÌ�ÌtÌÌâ tÌÌâ�Ì zâù¥Ì <tÌœúÌâzùœú̬̙Ì: *

™Ì: ¬Ì˜ÌÌ ²Ì·þ ²ÌÙ ÌÕ¡ô¥ÌÌ�ÌÆ �ÌzùÌzùÌ�ÌzùÌ `̙̘ÌÙ−ÌÌâÍ—ÌtÌÌâ¥ÌtÌÌtÌÆ ** (ÍZÌwÌFòÌ¥™ÌÉ -62,63) I take refuge in Srinivasa, father of Kama. Brahma springs from his navel.

He is interested in his devotees. I will not worship any other God like

Brahma. Srinivasa rules over those afraid of enemies. May he protect us

now! The two Slokas are in ¿¡lin¢ v¤ttaÆ containing 11 letters in each p¡da

and form dvin¡ga, double snake, bandhaÅ.

= = = = = See also = = = = = _________________

Linked article on Sanskrit

= = = = = = Further reading = = = = = =_____

More detailed information on this subject is available in three volumes of

Chitram by V.Balasubramanyan, published in 2006 by Rashtriya Sanskrit

Sansthan, Deemed University, 56-57 Institutional Area, Janakpuri, New

Delhi 110 058, India. It contains a detailed bibliography.