मधुराविजयम् /87
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THE POETESS AND THE CHARACTERISTICS
OF THE POEM
EVER so many men of letters in Sanskrit literature have written
many epics and rose to fame. There were many eminent women
of learning in Sanskrit literature who wrote epics and became
tamous like the renowned poets. In 950 A. D. Rajasekhara in his
‘Kavya Mimamsa', by extracting a few stanzas of each, acquainted
us with some poetesses in Sanskrit fit to occupy top rank in Epic
Poetry. Though history also affirms the same, barring the few
poems so extracted, the rest of their poetry became extinct now. A
study of the available secular Sanskrit Kavyas establishes that
amongst all such poetesses Gangadevi occupies the foremost place.
Instances there are of some epic poetesses even after
Gangadevi. In 16th century, Tirumalamba in the court of
Atchutaraya, commemorated the marriage of Atchutaraya with
Varadambica by her Champu Kavya 'Varadambica Parinayam'.
In the 17th century, Ramabhadrambika wrote ‘Raghunadha-
bhyudayam' eulogising Raghunadharaya's fame. Another
Madhuravani, also of his court, rendered into Sanskrit poetry
the 'Andhraramayana' written by Raghunadharaya. This
book further established that several other poetesses were also
attached to his court. Thus there was some Kavya poetry after
Gangadevi. None of it was capable of attracting the attention of
men of refinement and culture as this great epic, with the natural
beauty and sweetness in style, and with the depth and sublimity of
thought and sentiments, devoid of pedantry, that it possesses.
The primary aim of that literature was to patronage that low
OF THE POEM
EVER so many men of letters in Sanskrit literature have written
many epics and rose to fame. There were many eminent women
of learning in Sanskrit literature who wrote epics and became
tamous like the renowned poets. In 950 A. D. Rajasekhara in his
‘Kavya Mimamsa', by extracting a few stanzas of each, acquainted
us with some poetesses in Sanskrit fit to occupy top rank in Epic
Poetry. Though history also affirms the same, barring the few
poems so extracted, the rest of their poetry became extinct now. A
study of the available secular Sanskrit Kavyas establishes that
amongst all such poetesses Gangadevi occupies the foremost place.
Instances there are of some epic poetesses even after
Gangadevi. In 16th century, Tirumalamba in the court of
Atchutaraya, commemorated the marriage of Atchutaraya with
Varadambica by her Champu Kavya 'Varadambica Parinayam'.
In the 17th century, Ramabhadrambika wrote ‘Raghunadha-
bhyudayam' eulogising Raghunadharaya's fame. Another
Madhuravani, also of his court, rendered into Sanskrit poetry
the 'Andhraramayana' written by Raghunadharaya. This
book further established that several other poetesses were also
attached to his court. Thus there was some Kavya poetry after
Gangadevi. None of it was capable of attracting the attention of
men of refinement and culture as this great epic, with the natural
beauty and sweetness in style, and with the depth and sublimity of
thought and sentiments, devoid of pedantry, that it possesses.
The primary aim of that literature was to patronage that low