Meghadootam

by Impedimenta Fri Jul 18, 2014 8:24 am

Shijith is touring the US with his group. Can't wait to catch them in NJ/NY

http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/message-in-a-cloud/article6221052.ece?secpage=true&secname=entertainment

by indophile Fri Jul 18, 2014 9:31 am

The following verse is one of my favorite ones in meghaduta. It's almost like painting a picture (somewhat like Tyagaraja's vaachaama gocharame). The whole of meghaduta is written in a single chandas (meter) called mandakraanta. It's the same meter in which the popular verse - shaantaakaaram bhujagashayanam meghavarnam subhaangam - is written. There is another great work in single meter - Soundarya Lahari in Sikharini meter. Now the meghaduta verse.

tvAmAlikhya praNayakupitAm dhAturAgaiH shilAyA.m
AtmAna.m te charaNapatita.m yAvadichChAmi kartum.
asraistAvan muhurupachitair dR^iShTirAlupyate me
krUrastasminnapi na sahate sa~Ngama.m nau kR^itAntaH..

Meaning:
tvAmAlikhya = having painted you; praNayakupitAm = displaying a sulky disposition resulting from a lovers' quarrel; dhAturAgaiH = with mineral colors; shilAyA.m= on a rock; AtmAna.m = mysef; te = your; charaNapatita.m = fallen on your feet;yAvadichChAmi kartum = as I wish to do; asraistAvan muhurupachitair dR^iShTirAlupyate me = my vision is clouded by non-stop tears; krUras = cruel; asmin= in that (in that
picture); api = even, also; na sahate = cannot bear;sa~Ngama.m = togetherness; nau = the two of our's ; kR^itAntaH = the decider of for end, i.e., Yama the god of death, also our fate.

After painting your likeness on a rock with mineral colors, appearing as if sulky from a lovers' quarrel, and (in order to complete the picture) when I wish to paint my figure in the picture as if coaxing you by falling on your feet, my vision gets clouded again and again with non-stop tears. Cruel fate does not permit our togetherness, even in that picture.

by SomeProfile Fri Jul 18, 2014 3:57 pm

The concept of chhandas boggles my mind. It's tough enough to find the right words to express the ideas and sentiments in a poem, and then arrange them in a way that sounds pleasant. On top of that, to find the words and arrangements that conform to a particular chhandas pattern, and to do it for each and every single line in a poem or epic! How is that even possible for a normal human brain? Not only do you need an immense vocabulary, but you need a computer-like brain in order to pick the right words and arrange those words to conform to the chhandas pattern. Did the old Sanskrit poets undergo some kind of special mental training to be able to do that?

by MaxEntropy_Man Fri Jul 18, 2014 4:04 pm

SomeProfile wrote:The concept of chhandas boggles my mind. It's tough enough to find the right words to express the ideas and sentiments in a poem, and then arrange them in a way that sounds pleasant. On top of that, to find the words and arrangements that conform to a particular chhandas pattern, and to do it for each and every single line in a poem or epic! How is that even possible for a normal human brain? Not only do you need an immense vocabulary, but you need a computer-like brain in order to pick the right words and arrange those words to conform to the chhandas pattern. Did the old Sanskrit poets undergo some kind of special mental training to be able to do that?

google aruNagirinAthar. the guy's skills to do precisely this was UNREAL! i may post a few things here. you don't have to be a tamilian to understand his skill.

by MaxEntropy_Man Fri Jul 18, 2014 4:10 pm

watch this from around the 1:20 mark

by MaxEntropy_Man Fri Jul 18, 2014 4:16 pm

aruNagiri converted into pure sound:

by SomeProfile Fri Jul 18, 2014 4:18 pm

Thanks. Will look up aruNagirinAthar.

Recently, I read this article on the "most complex poem ever created". The poet mAgha, did crazy stuff like write an entire verse using a single consonant while still sticking to the chhandas pattern:

dādado duddaduddādī dādado dūdadīdadoḥ
duddādaṃ dadade dudde dādādadadado’dadaḥ

Meaning: “Sri Krishna, the giver of every boon, the scourge of the evil-minded, the purifier, the one whose arms can annihilate the wicked who cause suffering to others, shot his pain-causing arrow at the enemy.”

Now that is showing off of a whole another level!

Source: http://whatalotofbirds.wordpress.com/2014/07/05/maghas-shishupala-vadha-the-most-complex-poem-ever-created-sanskrit-poetry-krishna-mahabharata/

It is also interesting to think of chhandas as a concept that introduces a whole new dimension to the poem. While the words, the way they rhyme and alliterate, the figures of speech, the puns and contexts, etc., all contribute to the meaning and feel of a poem, the length and pattern of the chhandas also has a major influence on the mood and speed of a poem.

by MaxEntropy_Man Fri Jul 18, 2014 4:25 pm

SomeProfile wrote:

dādado duddaduddādī dādado dūdadīdadoḥ
duddādaṃ dadade dudde dādādadadado’dadaḥ

that is some crazy stuff! i'll look him up.

by Guest Fri Jul 18, 2014 4:28 pm

Is Meghadootam same as Meghasandesam? I mean, both mean the same. I remember hearing it as Kalidasa's Meghasandesam.

by Guest Fri Jul 18, 2014 4:35 pm

Impedimenta wrote:Shijith is touring the US with his group. Can't wait to catch them in NJ/NY

http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/message-in-a-cloud/article6221052.ece?secpage=true&secname=entertainment

Kudos to the attempts to revive Sanskrit, the most beautiful language ever!

by Kris Fri Jul 18, 2014 9:05 pm

SomeProfile wrote:The concept of chhandas boggles my mind. It's tough enough to find the right words to express the ideas and sentiments in a poem, and then arrange them in a way that sounds pleasant. On top of that, to find the words and arrangements that conform to a particular chhandas pattern, and to do it for each and every single line in a poem or epic! How is that even possible for a normal human brain? Not only do you need an immense vocabulary, but you need a computer-like brain in order to pick the right words and arrange those words to conform to the chhandas pattern. Did the old Sanskrit poets undergo some kind of special mental training to be able to do that?

>>It may be that these guys were real outliers, kind of like Ramanujan in mathematics. One other possibility may be damage to the brain caused by trauma or temporal lobe epilepsy which results in unusual networking activity within the brain. There was/is a nun who experienced elaborate religious visions because of this and I recall seeing something about people suddenly being able to draw or paint exquisitely after accidents that caused brain damage. My memory is vague on this, but I think the neurologist Vilayanur Ramachandran in San Diego has done some work on this. Nevertheless, humanity is certainly better off due to these types of contributions. Years ago I read some Manipravalam verses and remember being blown away, but chhandas takes it to a whole new multi-dimensional level.

by Vakavaka Pakapaka Sat Jul 19, 2014 12:49 am

Kinnera wrote:
Impedimenta wrote:Shijith is touring the US with his group. Can't wait to catch them in NJ/NY

http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/message-in-a-cloud/article6221052.ece?secpage=true&secname=entertainment
Kudos to the attempts to revive Sanskrit, the most beautiful language ever!

Be careful, Wacko Vaico, DKhead K'nidhi and Jaya may be reading! You mean...... the second most beautiful language (the first one being Tamizh)?

:-)

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