C P Brown: Andhra Literature

16. ANDHRA LITERATURE

Let us now see the state of the Andhra Literature in 1800 – 1900 despite all the wars over half a millennium. CPB made a statement that the Telugu literature would have died but for him.

The biographers endorse that deliberate Lie. The question arises therefore as to the motives of CPB as well as that of the biographers. CPB ‘s motives are to denigrate the Telugu culture, and language, and tarnish the poets so that the people lose their pride in their culture and past as well as their respect for their Gurus, the Brahmins. I have already shown that he has no competence to comment on the state of the literature as profound and vast as the Telugu literature. I shall now show some creations.

Extract from the History and Culture of Indian people, Vol 9.BVB. TELUGU - Of the 18th century.

Ananda Rangaratchandam of Kasturi Rangakavi was the result of a fruitful research on prosody. His Sambanighantuvu is a lexicon of pure native Telugu.

Kuchimanchi Jaggakavi is as much famous as notorious for his poem called Chandralekha Vilapamu.

Gogulapti Kurmanath Kavi was undoubtedly a great poet of the century. His Mrityunjaya Vilasamu is in a class by itself in Yakshagana literature.

Telangana consists of nine districts in the present Andhra Pradesh, which was formerly in the Nizam’s dominion. There was a marked flourishing of literature in that area during the 18th century – a number of small royal principalities like Surapuram, Gadwal, Palvancha, Domakonda, Jataprole, Vanaparti, etc. contributed to the growth of literature. Independent of any patronage, Lingamurty of Parashuram Panthulu family, originally belonging to a Maratha stock, composed a great work called Sitaramanjaneya Samvadamu wherein good poetry is coupled with lucid exposition of the advaita philosophy in all its aspects. It became since its appearance a handbook of every teacher and preacher of philosophy in the Telugu country.

Kiriti Venkatacharya, a distinguished scholar poet of this family composed 13 works. his Achalatmaja Parinayamu is in double entendre, wherein the marriage stories of Sita and Parvati are woven into one – a feat of scholarship and a kind of intellectual gymnastics.

The Telugu literary muse had its heyday in Tamil Nadu and also in Karnataka even from earlier times.

Shahji Bhosle (1684-1712), wrote twenty plays in Telugu. Ekoji II composed the Ramayana in dvipada metre.

Telugu literature received some attention and patronage in Karnataka even before the 18th century at the hands of some Kempa Gowda princes and Chikadevaraya Wodeyar.
His son and successor on the Mysore throne was Kanthirava Narasa Raju (1704 – 14) who was the author of eight works – more or less of the Yakshagana type, and scores of sringara padas.
Gunuguturi Venkata Krishnayya of Kolar composed his Nala Raghava Yadava Pandaveeyamu, every verse of which has a four-fold meaning to suit the four stories running concurrently. Such an achievement is only in Sanskrit and Telugu.

Koti Raya Raghunath Tondaiman’s poem called Parvatiparinayam is the product of a creative genius of a high order, rich in scholarship, descriptions and chamatkars and crafty in poetic diction.

Nudurupati Vengana, his court poet, compiled a masterly lexicon on indigenous Telugu in verse form called Andhra Bhasharnavam.

There are a few poems beaming with an original touch of their own, which are products of a rich imagination and results of a real craftsmanship, e.g., Radhamadhava Samvadamu, Shashanka Vijayam, Ahalya Sankrandanam. The literature of the period was mostly influenced by the padas of Kshetrayya of the previous century in structure and spirit.

AN ALPHABETICAL INDEX OF TELUGU MANUSCRIPTS was prepared in 1932 by Government Oriental Manuscript Library (GOML). This book contains 3870 titles. Details of name, author, subject, paper oblique, Pl, complete or incomplete and a reference number are given. More than 60% of them are complete. More than 40-50% are palm-leaf. The subjects covered are Prabandhas, Philosophy, Grammar, Chandas, Seivam, Medicine, Satakas, Christavam, Stotras, Dictionaries, Erotika, Yakshagana, Astronomy, Astrology, Dvipada, Songs, Musicalogy, Mathematics, Puranas, Danurveda, Ratnapariksha (Gemmology), Dance, Kuchupudi (dance), Alankara Sastra, Vastu, Dharma Sastra, Humour, and History. Out of this extraordinary Panorama of Cultural writings Brown had collected about 30 or 40 out of which 20 are purely erotic poetry, which was already being rejected by the society. This one book from GOML disproves totally the statement of Brown that the literature was dying.

Bangorey’s job was to find out as to how many of these 3870 were collected by Brown. Why did he not do so? I think it was a deliberate omission to cover up the lies of Brown. There is Truth in TAYLOR’S statement that CPB was planning a plunder of the EIC. This can be easily found out even now.

I now give very few samples of some manuscripts, which have aspects of the societal Life for general interest. My brief comment is in brackets
2517. Kumaramuni Katha 2516, 2517; 2518, 2519 - all these about a girl who marries as per her own will; written in totally spoken language; in an excellent condition. {How do they stay that Brahmins hid the books.}
2501 A fisherman’s wife commits Sati. The British Collectors not only give permission but also witness it when she dies. She donates all ornaments of her husband to write his story! She performs miracles witnessed and felt by the White Collector – caste-ridden society? 2547.