k¢l¢vfØbnm¯ KALIVIDAMBANAM
     
  ON   POETS  
An¦t|   caz¤vadà   DnyaEgaE   mhanym¯   .
sÏy|   vWѤÝy¢mÏyEx   yaEgaE   da¢r¢d#ykark:   ¡32¡

An¦t|

untruth

caz¤vad:

eulogy

c

and

DnyaEg:

attainment of wealth

mhanym¯

leads to

sÏy|

truth

vWѤÝy|

erudition

i¢t

thus

ex:

this

yaEg:

combination

da¢r¢d#y

of poverty

kark:

causative factor

 
A   poet   attains   wealth   if   his   works   are   full   of   deceit   and   eulogies.   Truth and   scholarship   are   the   sources   of   his   penury  (32).  
katyI|   Ѥ¢vIn£tÏv|   kapIÎym¢vvEktam¯   .
svI|   majI¢Ót   kvy:   Sal£na|   m¤¢¾¢k|kra:   ¡33¡
 |b:katyI|     |?b:

Ѥ¢vIn£tÏv|

arrogance

kapIÎy|

pettiness

A¢vvEktam¯

foolishness

svI|	all (these)

majI¢Ót

gloss over

kvy:

poets

Sal£na|

those of this nature

m¤¢¾¢k|kra:

working for paltry rewards

 
haughtiness,   pettiness   and   stupidity   by   indulging   in   flattery,   all   for   the sake   of   paltry   rewards   in   return   (33).  
n   karNmpEXÓtE   kvy:   ÞtaEt¤m¤ïta:   .
¢k|¢cdÞt¤vta|   tExa|   ¢jºa   PrPraytE   ¡34¡   

n

no

karN|

ground

ApEXÓtE

is sought

kvy:

poets

ÞtaEt¤|

to eulogise

uïta:

while attempting

¢k|¢ct¯

some one

AÞt¤vta|

praising

tExa|

their

¢jºa	tongue (words)

PrPraytE

always eager

 
Poets   given   to   eulogy   need   no   reason   for   doing   so.   Due   to   this   habit their   lips   are   always   restless   owing   to   their   desire   to  praise   someone  .34  
Þt¤t|   Þt¤v¢Ót   kvyaE   n   ÞvtaE   g¤Nd¢SIn:   .
k£z:   k¢àd¢lnaIm   ¢kyt£   tæO   vNIna   ¡35¡

Þt¤t|

the one that has already been praised

Þt¤v¢Ót

(they again) praise

kvy:

poets

n

not

Þvt:	on their own

g¤Nd¢SIn:

appreciating the qualities

k£z:

insect

k¢àt¯

a certain

A¢l:

bee

nam

by name

¢kyt£

how many

tæO	in respect of that

vNIna

description (exist) !

 
Poets   repeatedly   go   on   describing   objects   which   have   been   dealt   with   by earlier   poets,   without   direct   knowledge   of   their   own.   There   is   an  insect   called   the   bee   and   what   a   phenomenal   amount   of   description   there  is   about   it   !   (35)  
ekWv   k¢vta   p¤|sa|   g#amayaáay   h¢ÞtnE   .
AÓttaE{°ay   vÞæOay   taØb¥lay   c   kÚptE   ¡36¡

ek	one (good composition)

ev

alone

k¢vta

poem

p¤|sa|

for poets

g#amay

for a village

Aáay	for a horse

h¢ÞtnE

for an elephant

AÓtt:

at the end (bad composition)

A°ay

for food

vÞæOay

for clothes

taØb¥lay

for betel leaves

c

and

kÚptE

becomes eligible

 
One   single   piece   of   poetry   is   capable   of   fetching   a   village,   a   horse   or   an elephant   (as   reward),   whereas   a   poet   of   no   merit   may   at   best   obtain   a   meal,   a set   of   clothes   or   some   betel   leaves   and   nuts   (36).  
SÖdaÁympr|   b#'   s|dBIN   p¢rÝk]tm¯   .
¢v@£ytE   k¢tpyWv¦ITaÓyW¢vI¢ny¤ÇytE   ¡37¡

SÖdaÁy|

known as sabdha

Apr|

the other

b#'	ultimate reality

s|dBIN

in the context

p¢rÝk]tm¯

ornamented

¢v@£ytE

is sold

k¢tpyW:

by a few

v¦Ta	wastefully

AÓyW:

by others

¢v¢ny¤ÇytE

is joined

 
The   supreme   Reality,   manifested   as   sound   and     ornamented
as   poetry,   is   sold   by   some   (poets).   This   again,   is   laid   waste   by   others by   poor   expression   (37)  
vNIy¢Ót   nraBasaÓvaN£|   lÖD¯va¢p   yE   jna:   .
lÖD¯va¢p   kamDEn¤|   tE   laÄñlE   ¢v¢ny¤¸tE   ¡38¡

vNIy¢Ót

indulging in description

nraBasan¯

(of) the pranks of mortals

vaN£|

the muse

lÖD¯va

having obtained

A¢p	with great difficulty

yE

whoever

jna:	people (poets)

lÖD¯va

having obtained

A¢p	with great difficulty

kamDEn¤|

the wishyielding cow

tE

they

laÄñlE

to the yoke

¢v¢ny¤¸tE

tie

 
Those   endowed   with   the   art   of   poesy,   but   yet   indulge   in   the   description of   the   activities   of   mortals,   are   (comparable   to)   those   who   put   the unattainable   celestial   cow   to   the   yoke   (for   mundane   agricultural   activity)     (38)  
p#S|sÓtaE   nraBasaÓp#lpÓtaE{ÓyTaÓyTa   .
kT|   trÓt¤   kvy:   kamparØyva¢dn:   ¡39¡  

p#S|sÓt:

those who praise

nraBasan¯

the pranks of mortals

p#lpÓt:

prattling

AÓyTa

in different ways

AÓyTa

variously

kT|

how

trÓt¤

cross

kvy:

poets

kamparØyva¢dn:

the ocean of fleeting desires

 
Those   who   praise   the   deeds   of   humans   and   prattle   in   various   ways   in   this regard,   how   will   they   ever   cross   the   ocean   of   fleeting   worldly   pleasure?     (39).  
yÏs|dBI   yѤÚlEKE   yÄñyE¢nB¦t|   mn:   .
smaDEr¢p   tt¯   Çyay:   S|kraE   y¢d   vÎyItE   ¡40¡

yt¯

when

s|dBI

in the context

yt¯

if

uÚlEKE

in the description

yt¯

where

ÛyHÂyE

by secondary meaning (suggestion)

¢nB¦t|

full

mn:

mind

smaDE:

deep absorption

A¢p

even

tt¯

that

Çyay:

superior

S|k	ka Lord SanKara (Siva)

y¢d

should

vÎyItE

be described

Where   the   mind   is   totally   absorbed   in   the   lasting   joy   of   contemplation   of Lord   Sankara,   where   is   the   need   for   a   poet's   description   of   the   Lord       (40)                                                                 
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