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322
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[DECEMBER, 1898.
DISCURSIVE REMARKS ON THE AUGUSTAN AGE OF TELUGU LITERATURE,
BY G. R. SUBRAMIAH PANTULU.
(Continued from p. 304.) ANOTHER version of the same story relates that the king informed Timmana, when he read the poem, of the annatural and improbable nature of the events related in it, and tbat the poet made no response. Not long after, however, the king had to experience similar incidents in bis own barem when he, unable to restrain his lust, acted exactly as was narrated in the poem.
Nandi Timmana is more familiarly known as Mukku Timmana, on account of his long nose, or, according to an obviously apocryphal story, on account of a beautiful stanza on the nose, which was purchased from him by Ramarajabhushana, for four thonsand pagodas, and incorporated in his Vusucharitra. It is sufficient to remark as to this improbable tale that they were not contemporaries. As has been already noted, he was the poet who accompanied the queen from her father's household, and numerous instances are on record to shew that his ancestors were pandits at the court of Vijayanagara, and received presents from the king. Among them, Nandi Mallays and Malayamaruta, who flourished at the court of Narasaraya, the father of Krishṇaraya, jointly wrote the Varáha purána, and dedicated it to Narasaraya.
Ayyalarázu Ramabhadra was a Niyogi Brahmana of Wonţimitta (Ekasilânagara in Sanskpit), in the Cuddapah District. This place is famous as being also the birth place of Bammera Potaraja, the celebrated writer of the Telugu Bhagavata. Ramabhadra had leanings towards Vaishṇavism, being the disciple of Mummadi Varadáchârya. He was the son of Akkaya and the grandson of Parvatanna. In his early days he composed a fataka called the Raghuvirasataka on the local Viraraghavastâmi temple. He entered Vijayanagara during the last days of Krishnadêvarêya, and was requested by the king to translate into Telugu metre the Sakalakathúsdrasangraha, but as the king breathed his last before the completion of the poem, the poet merley entered in the introduction that it was written at the special request of the deceased king. This poem appears to be in nine cantos, giving a detailed account of the family history of Sri Rama, Purúravas, etc., and though it vividly brings before us the poet's genius and quick-wittedness, it smacks of youthful days, being in certain portions ungrammatical and non-rhetorical., He seems to have begun to write about 1580 A. D.
He was very poor, and as he had about & dozen children, he was familiarly known as Pillala children) Ramabhadrayya. As he was in great distress, and sorely puzzled to find a livelihood, he resolved, while the trouble was weighing on his heart, to flee to the woods, leaving his wife and children to their own fate. His intimate friends prevailed apon him to go back to his family, saying that & wise man should be above the joys and sorrows of this world, and advised him to seek his fortunes elsewhere. The poet acted up to the advice thus offered, and left his birth-place for Vijayanagara the same evening, and not long afterwards reached it, arriving with his family, wet-through, in the midst of a violent thunderstorm and taking refuge in a temple, where were some students, who had been asked by their master to compose a verse on the after-deeds of forelorn lovers, and were shirking the task. Our poet after enquiry promised to extricate them out of their difficulty, if they would relieve bim and his family. The students gladly agreed to the proposal, and warmed the new-comers by the fire and dressed them in their own clothes. The poet in his gratitude composed a verse and gave it to them. They then took it and gave it to their master, who proved to be no other than Râmarajabhushann. He read the verse, was much pleased, and asked them who the author was. On their informing him that it was the work of one of their own number, he reprimanded them, and insisted on their speaking the truth. When the truth was told, he desired to be taken to the poet, which was accordingly done. Râmarâjabhûsbaņa approached the strange
[From epigraphical records we know that Ekabilanagara was the Banakit name of Worangal in the Nizar's dominions and the onpital of the Kakatiya kings. The well-known rhetorical work Pratdparuriya confirms this statement. - H. K. S.
