Sri Raghava Yadhaveeyam information

Rāghava-yādavīya is a short Sanskrit poem (laghukāvya) of 30 stanzas, composed by Veṅkaṭādhvarin in Kanchi around 1650 CE.^[1] It is a "bidirectional" poem (anuloma-pratiloma-akṣara-kāvya) which narrates the story of Rāma when read forwards, and a story from Krishna's life (that of the Pārijāta tree) when each verse is read backwards.^[2]

For example, the second stanza, where both the narratives begin, describes the city where Rama was born:^[3]

साकेताख्या ज्यायामासीद्या विप्रादीप्तार्याधारा ।
पूराजीतादेवाद्याविश्वासाग्र्या सावाशारावा ॥

sāketākhyā jyāyām āsīd yā viprādīptāryādhārā /
pūr ājītādevādyāviśvāsāgryā sāvāśārāvā //

"On earth [jyāyām] there was a city Sāketa that was illuminated by the wise (Brahmans) [viprādīptā] and sustained by Vaiśyas [āryādhārā]. The son of Aja (i.e. king Dasharatha) won [ājītā] it. This distinguished (city) distrusted (only) non-gods and the like [a-deva-ādya-aviśvāsa], and (was filled with the satisfied) sound of the eaters of sacrifices [sāvāśārāvā], i.e. the gods."

but when the syllables are read backwards, it describes Krishna's city:^[3]

वाराशावासाग्र्या साश्वा विद्यावादेताजीरा पू ।
राधार्याप्ता दीप्रा विद्यासीमा या ज्याख्याता के सा ॥

vārāśāv āsāgryā sāśvā vidyāvādetājīrā pūḥ |
rādhāryāptā dīprā vidyāsīmā yā jyākhyātā ke sā ||

"By the water [ke] near the lake [vārāśau] there was a distinguished city (named Dvārakā) equipped with horses, a place of (learned men) who had carried off the victory in the battle for knowledge [vidyā-vāda-ita-āji-irā], brilliantly [dīprā], (because) they had received Rādhā's lord (i.e. Krishna); (it was) the remotest frontier of knowledge and its fame widespread on earth [jyā-khyātā]."

It has been published several times^[4]^[5] along with a commentary by the author himself.^[1] In 1972, it was published from the Institut Français d’Indologie in Pondicherry, with the Sanskrit text edited by M. S. Narasimhacharya and a study and translation by Marie-Claude Porcher.^[6]

All 30 stanzas are written in the vidyunmālā metre, containing 32 syllables that are each long (guru).^[3]

^ ^a ^b Yigal Bronner (2010), Extreme Poetry: The South Asian Movement of Simultaneous Narration, Columbia University Press, pp. 125, 270, 294, 318, ISBN 978-0-231-15160-3
^ Rāghavayādavīya par Veṇkaṭādhvarin, Institut Français de Pondichéry
^ ^a ^b ^c Lienhard, Siegfried (1984). A History of Classical Poetry: Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit. A history of Indian literature: Classical Sanskrit literature. Harrassowitz. pp. 148–149. ISBN 978-3-447-02425-9. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
^ Sudesh Narang, ed. (2005). Rāghavayādavīyaṃ Kāvyam. J. P. Publishing House. ISBN 978-81-86702-32-1. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
^ Kizhattur Srinivasachari, ed. (1966). Sri Raghava-Yadavīyam:. Little Flower Company. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
^ M. S. Narasimhacharya and M. C. Porcher, ed. (1972), Rāghavayādavīya of Veṅkaṭādhvarin, Pondicherry: Institut Français d’Indologie, ISBN 978-81-89968-58-8

[bronner-1] Yigal Bronner (2010), Extreme Poetry: The South Asian Movement of Simultaneous Narration, Columbia University Press, pp. 125, 270, 294, 318, ISBN 978-0-231-15160-3

[2] Rāghavayādavīya par Veṇkaṭādhvarin, Institut Français de Pondichéry

[Lienhard-3] Lienhard, Siegfried (1984). A History of Classical Poetry: Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit. A history of Indian literature: Classical Sanskrit literature. Harrassowitz. pp. 148–149. ISBN 978-3-447-02425-9. Retrieved 2023-12-18.

[4] Sudesh Narang, ed. (2005). Rāghavayādavīyaṃ Kāvyam. J. P. Publishing House. ISBN 978-81-86702-32-1. Retrieved 2023-12-18.

[5] Kizhattur Srinivasachari, ed. (1966). Sri Raghava-Yadavīyam:. Little Flower Company. Retrieved 2023-12-18.

[msnmcp-6] M. S. Narasimhacharya and M. C. Porcher, ed. (1972), Rāghavayādavīya of Veṅkaṭādhvarin, Pondicherry: Institut Français d’Indologie, ISBN 978-81-89968-58-8