This is an account of how three Sanskrit verses and a great sense of humor kept three generations connected through remembering and re-telling of funny tidbits.
My grandfather was reportedly a pretty good scholar of Sanskrit and some sacred Hindu literature as well as ceremonial rites (he used to preside over all the family ceremonies - house-warming, sacred thread investiture, special family worship like yajñas and homas... he was also one of the priests at my father's wedding ceremony). He would project a very austere and dignified bearing with his bright white dhoti which always had crisp creases and was never sloppy, and his Śrīvaiṣṇava Iyengar nāmam (mind you - it's the tenkalai version which is the more elegant one with a strong square and a base!). He was fun and not stern with his grandchildren at all, but we all had a big dose of respect for him. I got to see him more closely than my cousins as he lived with our family quite a long time. Oh by the way, my father was fifth of ten children - five sons and five daughters.
What I didn't know about my grandfather was filled in by my father. For example, he had a penchant for well-tailored suits! Who would've thought that someone so seemingly steeped in hallowed conservative tradition was also so open-minded! Also, he used to play tennis, and collected ties and fancy fountain pens in equal numbers. Let me assure you that for his time (early 20th century) he would have been a culture shock to his peers who would've been conservative to a large extent. It is apparent that my grandfather's traits were passed on mostly to my father among all his children.
My dad, just like my granddad, was very cosmopolitan in his outlook and he managed to keep tradition and modern influences very well-balanced. He was a star basketball player in college, loved traditional Indian cuisine, and was one of the very rare few of his generation to collect and listen to all kinds of Western music - from Mozart to Metallica! Even I was surprised and skeptical of his interest in all these widely differing genres of music, but hey - to each his own. At the same time he was also quite familiar with Sanskrit literature and had read the Upanishads. On the other hand he was the eccentric who introduced wine into our family circle and even made grape wine at home a couple times. He is still remembered for that more than anything else because any alcohol was a taboo of the highest level. Of course he is also acknowledged for his dedication to his family (he remained single until all his sisters got married so that he could financially support them).
Clearly, among the traits passed on from granddad to dad was a good sense of humor that didn't consider anything too sacred but didn't take cheap shots just for the sake of making something funny.
Also, I had my own view into my dad's traits, and I found not only the sense of humor but also that I found him funny in ways in which he tried to show off his knowledge of Sanskrit. But what made it funny was that sometimes he wouldn't remember a complete verse, but instead of getting defeated by that, he would turn it into a challenge for me. Here's where we get into the first verse.
शुष्को वृक्षस्तिष्ठत्यग्रे śuṣko vṛkṣastiṣṭhatyagre
So my dad blurted this phrase and asked me to repeat it. Granted, it's a tongue-twister, but I'm not his son for nothing... so I said the phrase and that was it. He said his dad used to recite the whole verse but he himself only remembered the first half of the first line. After this first time, we'd both have some fun just saying it fast and slow, in different tones, like a jingle. We'd bring this up in social gatherings and throw it out there for others to pronounce. And then for many years this phrase slipped to the back of my mind until I was reminded of it in an online Kannada lecture by Shatavadhani R. Ganesh. He was giving an example of poetics and he recited the whole verse, and I jumped when I heard it. I stepped the video back and replayed it, this time with alert ears and a pen and paper. So now I finally have the full verse!
The second verse has a really funny twist to it given by my granddad and luckily it has come down to me. To understand the joke requires some knowledge of South Indian food, Sanskrit poets and Hindu deities. So here goes...
उपमा कालिदासस्य coffee coffee सरस्वती upamā kālidāsasya coffee, coffee sarasvatï
This is so hilarious that I'm still chuckling as I write this and say it over and over again. The humor will probably be evident to someone who is familiar with Upma or Uppittu which is a South Indian delicacy. It is a savory dish made from semolina and vegetables and spices, and is a popular breakfast dish. Kālidāsa is the most celebrated classical Sanskrit poet and dramatist. Sarasvati is the Hindu goddess of wisdom and learning.
It is a common practice in South India to top off a breakfast of Upma with a cup of coffee. What my granddad has done here is to take the first two words "upamā kālidāsasya" from a verse and added his own joke. So he's having Kālidāsa serve him Upma first, and then Goddess Sarasvati will follow with the cup of coffee! And there's a tune to it, and it's a nice little jingle. Not only that, the syllable count exactly fits the original Anuṣṭup meter, which has 8 syllables in each quarter of a verse or each half of each line.
It took me a long time before I found the original verse.
The third verse is what my father told me. This time he had the full verse. What was amusing was the subject of the verse and the little story behind it, which I think is only a folk tale.
Let me start from the top and write down the full verses. As a bonus, I've written a Sanskrit commentary on two of them.
1. Dry tree
शुष्को वृक्षस्तिष्ठत्यग्रे तदुपरि कश्चित्सर्पोऽप्यस्ति ।
नीरसतरुरिह विलसति निकटे तदुपरि मणिमयकुटिलभुजङ्गः ॥
Meaning (same for line 1 and 2): There is a dry tree nearby, perched on it is a snake.
Now, the meaning may not show this verse to be special in any way. However, for well-versed (pun intended) experts, line 1 is not as "juicy" (rasamaya) as line 2, which is more mellifluous to the ear. The sounds are softer and "curvy" in line 2, whereas they are sharp and jagged in line 1. This verse reportedly decided which of poet Bāṇabhaṭṭa's two sons would complete his incomplete posthumous novel (which is supposed to be the first "novel" in the world - Kādambarï - which has become the word for novel in all Indian languages).
अथ संस्कृतभाषाभाष्यम् -
इति वर्तते श्लोकोऽयं यो बाणभट्टमहाकवेर्पुत्रयोर्मध्ये आगतां स्पर्धामनिर्णयत् । यदा कादम्बरीकृतिमपूर्णां त्यक्त्वा बाणो पञ्चत्वं गतः तदा पण्डितैरिदं विवक्षितं यत् कोऽस्तीदानीं यो कादम्बरीं सम्पूर्णयिष्यति । बाणस्य पुत्रौ विद्वांसौ सन्तावपि कस्मिन् काव्यरसोऽधिकतरोऽस्तीति निश्चेतुं कञ्चिद्वृक्षं वर्णयत्विति कृतम् । प्रथमा पङ्क्तिरग्रजस्य द्वितीया चानुजस्य वर्तते । अनुजः पितुरेवाद्वितीयः प्रतिम इति सर्वैः पण्डितैर्निर्विवादं निश्चितं स्म । स एव कादम्बरीं पूर्णां करोत्विति चादिशन् ॥
2. Kālidāsa's similes
उपमा कालिदासस्य भारवेरर्थगौरवम् ।
दण्डिनः पदलालित्यं माघे सन्ति त्रयो गुणाः ॥
Kālidāsa is known for his inimitable similes, Bhāravi for his depth of meaning, Daṇḍi is famous for his wordplay, but in Māgha all three qualities are seen.
This verse is special because it is a compact reference to four of the greatest poets, and it summarizes what each one is best known for, although it attempts to raise Māgha above the other three.
3. How to get a good meal
भोजनं देहि राजेन्द्र घृतसूपसमन्वितम् ।
माहिषं च शरच्चन्द्रचन्द्रिकाधवलं दधि ॥
"O King, provide us a meal full of ghee (clarified butter) and rich soup. And also give us yogurt made from buffalo's milk, white as the light of the full moon on a clear autumn night. "
The legend behind this verse goes like this: Three novice poets were desperate for a source of income, and heard of King Bhoja's munificence toward artists - considering that the famous Kālidāsa was in his court. So they decided to compose a beautiful verse. It turns out their talent is quite mediocre and they could only manage to compose a single line begging the king for food in uninspired language. In their despair, they turn to Kālidāsa himself to complete the second line of the verse, and he did so. When this verse was read out to King Bhoja, he being something of a poet himself, detected a difference in the style of the first and second lines. Suspecting plagiarism, he threatened the poets with punishment. The poets confessed to using Kālidāsa's help, and didn't make it to king's Bhoja's court after all.
अथ संस्कृतभाषाभाष्यम् -
इदं पद्यं यदि किंचित् हास्यास्पदमिव दृश्येत् ननु तत्र न कश्चन संशयः स्यात् । बह्व्य एव सन्ति कालिदासस्य दन्तकथाः । इयमप्येका वर्तते यत् केचन नवीनकवयः भोजराजस्यास्थाने प्रतिष्ठामिच्छन्तोऽचिन्तयन् - यद्यस्माभिरेकमतिरमणीयं पद्यं रचितं तर्हि राजसम्मुखे तच्छ्रावयित्वा प्रतिष्ठां लब्ध्वा आस्थानकवयो भविष्याम इति । परं नैव मनोरथः केवलः साधयति काव्यप्रतिभां खलु । ते कवयः प्रथमां तु पङ्क्तिं साधारणामेवारचयन् किं तु नैव पद्यपूरणं कर्तुं शक्ताः । विवशास्ते कालिदासमेवाश्रयन् । स कालिदासः साधारणां तां भोजनभिक्षखाद्यवस्तुवर्णिनीमपि पंक्तिं नीत्वा तादृगेव खाद्यवस्तुमाश्रित्यासाधारणां द्वितीयां पंक्तिं रराच ।
परं भोजराजः स्वयं किञ्चित्कृतकाव्यपरिश्रमः पद्यस्य प्रथमाद्वितीययोः पङ्क्त्योः मध्येऽसंरब्धत्वमवगाहयत् । न एकैव शैली दृश्यतेऽस्मिन् पद्ये द्वितीयायां पंक्तौ दध्नः तादृगतिरमणीयं वर्णनं तु केवलं कालिदासस्य कृतिर्भवितुं शक्नोतीति च निश्चयं गतः । तेषां कवीनामनैतिकमाचारं दण्डयितुमिच्छन् राजापृच्छत्तान्कवीन् - सत्यं वदत कस्येयं कृतिरिति, अथवा मरणमनुप्राप्स्यत इति । भयभीतास्ते कवयः सत्यमेवावदन् । अतएवोक्तं "उपमा कालिदासस्य" इति नान्यः कश्चित्कविरुपमाप्रयोगे कालिदाससमक्षं प्रतिभासति । पुनः पुनरपि पठ्यते उक्त्वा पुनरालोच्यते मयेयं पङ्क्तिः न संतृप्तिः नैव श्रमः ध्यात्वा ध्यातुं वास्याः सौन्दर्यम् ॥
