sAndra-sthUla-naloparodha-viShamAH shakyAvatArAH
puras toyottIrNa-nivR^itta-nakra-jaThara-kShuNNa-sthalI-vAlukAH |
vyakta-vyAghra-padA~Nka-pa~Nkti-nichitonmudrArdra-pa~NkodarAH
saMtrAsaM janayanti ku~nja-saritaH kAchAbha-nIlodakAH ||
sAndra: thick; sthUla: large; nala: reed; uparodha: barrier; viShamAH: rough; shakya: possible; avatArAH: descents; puraH: first; toya: water; uttIrNa: descended; nivR^itta: climbed back; nakra: crocodile; jaThara: belly; kShuNNa: roughed up; sthalI: bank; vAlukAH: sands;
vyakta: adorned; vyAghra: tiger; pada: foot; a~Nka: print; pa~Nkti: track; nichita: full of; unmudra: opened; Ardra: wet; pa~Nka: mud; udarAH: cavities; saMtrAsaM: terror; janayanti: evoke (plural); ku~nja: forest; saritaH: streams; kAchAbha: glistening like glass; nIla: dark blue; udakAH: waters;
The forest streams with dark blue waters glistening like glass,
with thick, large reed-barriers, accessible via rough descents,
with sand banks roughed up by the bellies of crocodiles,
that have descended forth into the water and climbed back,
entirely covered with tracks of tiger footprints,
where sinkholes have opened in the wet mud,
evoke terror! [perhaps by abhinanda]
varAhAn AkSheptuM kalama-kavala-prIty-abhimukhAn
idAnIM sImAnaH prativihita-ma~nchAH svapatibhiH |
kapotaiH potArthaM kR^ita-nibiDa-nIDA viTapinaH
shikhAbhir valmIkAH khara-nakhara-khAtodara-mR^idaH ||
varAhAn: boars (accusative) ; AkSheptuM: to drive away; kalama: rice ; kavala: mouthful; prIti: desire; abhimukhAn: coming; idAnIM: now ; sImAnaH: boundaries; prativihita: guarding against; ma~nchAH: platforms ; svapatibhiH: landowners (instrumental);
kapotaiH: doves (instrumental); potArthaM: for rearing chicks; kR^ita: make; nibiDa: abundant; nIDA: nests; viTapinaH: fig trees; shikhAbhir: tops; valmIkAH: termite mounds; khara: jackal; nakhara: claw; khAta: dug up; udara: hole; mR^idaH: mud (plural);
To drive away boars coming with desire
of having their fill of the rice crop,
now landowners set up watch-platforms
at the boundaries of their fields;
the fig-treetops have abundant nests,
of doves wishing to rear their chicks,
and mud of termite mounds have holes,
dug up by the claws of jackals. [by shatAnanda]
toyAntar-lIna-mIna-prachaya-vichaya-navyApR^ita-troTi-koTi
prAg-bhAga-prahva-ka~NkAvali-dhavala-ruchaH paryaTat-kha~njarITAH |
kUjat-kAdamba-rAjI-pihita-parisarAH shAradInAM nadInAM tIrAntA
ma~nju-gu~njan-madakala kuraba-shreNayaH prINayanti ||
toyAntar: within water ; lIna: lurking; mIna: fish;-prachaya: increasing; vichaya: examination; navya: fresh; ApR^ita: engaged; troTi: beak; koTi: extremity; prAk: front; bhAga: part; prahva: stooping; ka~NkAvali: flock of herons; dhavala: white; ruchaH: shining; paryaTat: wandering around; kha~njarITAH: wagtails;
kUjat: cooing; kAdamba: duck; rAjI: rows; pihita: covered; parisarAH: environs; shAradInAM: of autumnal; nadInAM: rivers; tIrAntA: banks; ma~nju: pleasantly; gu~njan: buzzing; madakala: intoxicated; kuraba: Barleria cristata; shreNayaH: arrays; prINayanti: please (causative plural)
Banks of autumnal rivers, with their line of brilliant white herons,
with their necks stooping forward, currently engaged in probing,
with the tips of their beaks, a school of fish lurking within the waters,
with wagtails wandering around, and their environs covered
by rows of quacking ducks, with arrays of Barleria cristata
pleasantly buzzing with intoxicated bees, are the cause of much pleasure!
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
These poetic sketches belong to that large body of kAvya which we have repeatedly alluded to on these pages – sketches which bring out the kavI as a naturalist.
Some earlier examples might be revisited here:
● The crows and the parasitic koel by kavi vallaNa
● bhavabhUti’s avifauna and flora
● The kingfisher by vAkpati-rAja
● The great master kAlidAsa
We thought of our own tumultuous life and realized that we experienced some of these sights as of few years ago. More than two decades ago we saw the crocodiles. As of just over an year ago we saw the bumble bees enter the Barleria cristata flowers. From the earliest days from when we started observing the dinosaurs of the current era, aided by the man from the puraMdara fort, we noted the herons probing the autumnal streams for guppies and doves building their chaotic tangles of nests. We have seen many a towering termite mound throughout our existence. But three sights are no longer the share of the sAdhAraNa mAnava of bhAratavarSha: The tiger, or even is spoor, the boar or the jackal. For these one needs to stray far from the overgrown urban sprawls and journey to those inaccessible refugia that may be counted on ones fingers. This indeed marks the change from the bhArata of the kavI-s to that of today’s mahAnAgarin-s.
mAnasa-taraMgiNI 