________________
with the fear of hell, or lured with the promise of heaven". Repudiating the seducing argument of the sceptic, the theist stood up to eloquently advance his tenor of approach in defence of theism. Finally he convincingly established that "Compassion, restraint, generosity, austerity of prayer and meditation, and sterling character are the core virtues leading to ultimate liberation. All the pomp and glory of the profane world are but temporal affairs". Pampa has set the whole sequence most felicitously, pregnant with theatrical qualities.
Kannada Literature / 151
5.6.2.8. One of the epigraphs of C. E. 946, now preserved in the Museum of Karimnagara in Andhra Pradesh, contains five verses of Pampa, quoted from his Vikramārjuna-vijaya. Gamunda Caṭṭayya and his younger brother Makayya installed this pillar of eminence for the glory of their overlord Arikesari and to commemorate the happy occasion of his coronation at Paudana olim Bōdana, king's metropolis. An opinion was floated that this inscription was authored by Pampa, equating the scribe's name of Śrīmamna with the name of Pampa. It is rather difficult to concur with the suggestion.
5.6.2.9. A Telugu poem called Jainendra-Purāņa has been composed by Padmakavi. But the work is not extant. Scholars have made a futile attempt to equate Padmakavi with Pampakavi. Just because Pampa was born in the family of śrivatsa gōtra Brāhmaṇas of Vangiparra village in Vengideśa, it does necessarily warrant that he should have authored Telugu poem also. But it is a fact that Pampa was conversant in Telugu.
5.6.3. Ponna (C. 960), poet laureate of Kṛṣṇa-III, ushered in Kannada literature in full panoply. He was the first of Kannada poets to get the greatest biruda of Kavicakravarti and the only author with that title in the long reign of the Raṣṭrakūtas. He was honoured with the title of
Jain Education International
-
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
