Poets and their Modesty - 1
Introduction
In the world of everyone proclaiming their excessive pride over their little achievements, we have the greatest of Saṃskṛta poets to balance them out with their self-effacement. Saṃskṛta poets in the introductory verses of their works never fail to portray their unpretentiousness with regard to the tale they are going to describe or the earlier poets who have already attained unmatched fame through their magnificent works.
Showcasing one’s modesty is not a tradition, but rather a personal choice. Inversely, poets like Jagannātha Paṇḍita, Bilhaṇa, etc., have praised their scholarship in their works which shall be posted in next series.
Kālidāsa
Starting off with Kavikulaguru Kālidāsa -
क्व सूर्यप्रभवो वंशः क्व चाल्पविषया मतिः।
तितीर्षुुर्दुस्तरं मोहाद् उडुपेनास्मि सागरम्॥Raghuvaṃśa 1.2
How great is the lineage started from Sun and how limited is my intellect! It is under a delusion that I am willing to cross the ocean with a small boat!
Yet another from the same Kavikulaguru
“प्रथितयशसां भास-सौमिल्लक-कविपुत्रादीनां प्रबन्धान् अतिक्रम्य वर्तमानकवेः कालिदासस्य क्रियां कथं बहुमानः?”
Mālavikāgnimitram Pāripārśvika’s dialogue
How respectful is it to overstep the works of already famous Bhāsa, Saumillaka and Kaviputra for presenting the work of contemporary poet Kālidāsa?
Rājānaka
A very similar verse is employed by a poet called Rājānaka Jayadratha -
चरितं क्व महेशस्य क्व चोद्योगो मितात्मनः।
इति भक्त्याऽसवास्वादक्षीवे का स्याद् विचारणा॥Haracaritacintāmaṇi 1.6
How great is the life of Maheśa and how (small) is the effort limited self? Thus, one shall not ponder more upon the efforts (as they are mere result) of excitement born out of experiencing bhakti.
Devavimalagaṇī
Another quite similar verse, but indravajrā, is found Devavimalagaṇī’s work -
पारे गिरां वृत्तमिदं क्व सूरेस्तनुप्रकाशा क्व च शेमुषी मे।
प्रक्रम्य मोहाद् अहम् अङ्गुलीस्तत् प्रमातुम् ईहे चरणं मुरारेः॥Hīrasaubhāgyamahākāvyam 1.6
Where does the biography of this sūri stand beyond the reach of words and where does my little bright intellect stand? I am wishing to advance my fingers to measure the feet of Murāri just out of delusion!
Jagggu Vakulabhūṣaṇa
Another one is from an 18th century poet named Jaggu Vakulabhūṣaṇa -
कालिदासादिभिर्मान्यै रसवत्सु कृतेष्वपि।
महाकाव्यस्य यत्नो मे काव्ये हास्यपदं व्रजेत्॥Adbhutadūtam 1.3
In the light of the works -full of rasa, authored by great poets like Kālidāsa, et al., my effort in composing a mahākāvya shall even get ridiculed as kāvya.
Soḍḍhala
Next up is from 11th century poet named Soḍḍhala from Gujarat -
मूढेन पश्यत मया नु यशःकृतेऽद्य क्षोदेष्वनीश्वरमहो सृजता प्रबन्धम्।
रत्नं निकामदृढरोहणशैलमग्नम् उद्धर्तुमेष स मृणालनलो गृहीतः॥Udayasundarīkathā (Ullāsa 1)
See, what I am up to for procuring fame by composing a work - though being incompetent in even grinding, I have taken up this stem of lotus to remove the precious stone desired and strongly plunged in the Rohaṇa mountain (in Ceylon).
Kṛṣnānanda
Next up if by a poet named Kṛṣṇānanda who lived not later than 14th century C. E.
अत्रेतिवृत्ते रचितप्रबन्धे क्रुद्धो मुधा माऽस्तु कविः पुराणः।
किं स्पर्धया व्योम्नि सहस्रधाम्नः खद्योतकः स्वां द्युतिम् आतनोति॥Sahṛdayānanda 1.7
May no earlier poet be angry after reading this itivṛtta work of mine. In competition with the sun in the sky, doesn’t a firefly shine as bright as it can?
Primary sources:-
Kālidāsa Granthāvalī, Ed. by Revāprasāda Dvivedī, Published by Chaukhambha Vidyabhawan, First Edition-1996
Haracaritacintāmaṇi by Rājānaka Jayadratha, Ed. by M. M. Pt. Śivadatta, Published by Nirnaysagar Press, 1897
Hīrasaubhāgyamahākāvyam by Devavimalagaṇī, Ed. by M. M. Pt. Śivadatta, Published by Nirnaysagar Press, 1900
Adbhutadūtam by Jaggu Vakulabhushan, Published by Jaggu Vakulabhushan with financial assistance from Ministry of Education, Gov. of India, 1968
Udayasundarīkathā by Soḍḍhala
Sahṛdayānanda by Kṛṣṇānanda, Ed. by M. M. Pt. Durgāprasāda, Published by Nirnaysagar Press, 1930