[[Mohan K.V 2013-06-23, 09:07:54 Source]]
सदास्वादरोमन्थः
Dear readers,
Thank you again for your continued support. We continue to receive your encouraging letters, and that alone is the fuel that keeps us going!
In edition #36 on the Bhoja-prabandha, we had not mentioned the source of the title phrase (“Bhavannāmnā kāni…”). Śatāvadhāni Dr. R. Ganesh kindly wrote in to ask us to do so: the line is a direct quote from Kālidāsa himself, and appears in the play Abhijñāna-śākuntalaṃ, in the first act where Priyamvada inquires thus of Duśyanta. Ballāladeva has yet another brilliant aucitya to his credit, using Kālidāsa’s own inimitable words to introduce him!
Further, Dr. Ganesh also kindly pointed out that we had made a mistake in the attribution of a quote in edition #34, on the Vikramacarita. The quote about golden frames over ordinary portraits was by Prof S. V. Ranganna of the Maharaja College of Mysore. Our sincere thanks for this correction.
As always, we welcome any thoughts, feedback and suggestions from you all. Please email us at kvm….@gmail.com and shree…@gmail.com
Thought for today
Bertrand Russell once said, “To acquire immunity to eloquence is of the utmost importance to the citizens of a democracy.” In these sophisticated days though, it’s easier said than done. One Sanskrit poet saw right through a convenient arrangement:
उष्ट्राणां च विवाहेषु गीतं गायन्ति गर्दभाः ।
परस्परं प्रशंसन्ति अहो रूपमहो ध्वनिः ॥
uṣṭrāṇāṃ ca vivāheṣu gītaṃ gāyanti gardabhāḥ |
parasparaṃ praśaṃsanti aho rūpamaho dhvaniḥ ||
“In the wedding of camels, the donkeys are the singers. Each praises the other – ‘Oh, what beauty!’ ‘Oh, what a voice!’”. Camels are considered extremely ugly, and donkeys extremely hoarse. The exclamatory particle ‘aho’ probably cannot hope to find a better application!
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