Pothana imparted the knowledge of the divine to the Telugu people along with lessons in ethics and politics through Andhra Maha Bhagavatamu. He was very skillful in using alankaras (figures of speech) like similes and metaphors. He was quite fond of using rhythm and repetition of sounds giving a majestic grace to the style of writing. A poem of Pothana unwilling to dedicate his works to local kings was inscribed on the pedastal of god Rama’s statue in the Kodanda Rama temple. He indicated at one stanza that he belonged to ‘Ekasila Nagaram’,meaning single stone city which is located in Kadapa(YSR) district. There is yet another version about his birthplace. Rachakonda and its king ceased to exist by the mid-15th century, absorbed into the Bahmani kingdom. The Rachakonda kingdom was under intense turmoil at the time, under attack by the Bahamani’s from the west, Karanata (Vijayanagar) empire from the south and the Reddy Rajas from the east. Even if he did, it is unclear who the Karanata villains were, very likely the rulers of Karnaata Samrajyam (the contemporary term for the Vijayanagar empire) who were raiding Rachakonda at the time. The poem containing the derision against the “ Karanata Kiraata Keechakulu” is a chatuvu (apocryphal) attributed to Pothana with no proof that he actually wrote it. It was common practice for many poets of the time to dedicate their devotional works to God himself and not necessarily to their patron-kings. It is known that Pothana was patronized by this king in his early career, Pothana dedicated his first great work to this king, the king himself was a scholar, his contemporary reputation was immense (vide Srinatha’s poems). It is said that Pothana remarked, ‘It is better to dedicate the work to the supreme Lord Vishnu than dedicate it to the mortal kings.’ He was of opinion that poetry was a divine gift and it should be utilized for salvation by devoting it to the God. But, Pothana refused to obey the king’s orders and dedicated the Bhagavatamu to Lord Rama, whom he worshiped with great devotion. The king himself is a scholar and wrote many works including Rudranavasudhakara, a well known Sanskrit drama.
The Padma Nayaka king of Rachakonda,(Nalgonda District) Sarvajña Singha Bhoopaala, wanted Pothana to dedicate ‘Andhra Maha Bhagavatam’ to him. This inspired him to translate Vyasa’s Sanskrit Bhagavatam into Andhra Maha Bhaagavatamu. At that auspicious moment, Supreme Lord Rama appeared dressed like a king and requested Pothana to translate Bhagavatam into Telugu(Andhramu) and dedicate it to Him. In the view of Pothana there is no difference between Shiva and Vishnu and the same was reflected in his Padyam “ChethuLAranga Shivuni Poojimpadeni Nooru Novvanga hari keerthi salupadeeni dhayanu satyamulonuga thalupadeni kaluganetiki thallula kadupuchetu”.One early morning during a lunar eclipse, on the banks of river Godavari, Pothana was meditating on Lord Shiva. Later, Pothana became a devotee of Lord Rama and more interested in salvation. The main theme was the destruction of a yagna performed in absence of Lord Shiva by Daksha Prajapathi.Īs a young man, he was a devotee of Lord Shiva. His second work was Virabhadhra Vijayamu which describes the adventures of Lord Virabhadhra, element of Lord Shiva. Bhogini Dhandakam is the earliest available Dhandaka (rhapsody which uses the same gana or foot all through) in Telugu.
This was his first poetic venture which had the seeds of his great poetic talents. Literary careerĪt an early age he wrote Bhogini Dhandakam a poem wrote in praise of king Sri Singa Bhoopala’s concubine Bhogini. Though he was a great scholar, he never hesitated to work in the agricultural fields.
He was known to be very polite and was an agriculturist by occupation. He was considered to be a natural Poet (Sahaja Kavi), needing no teacher. His father was Kesanna and his mother Lakkamma. Pothana was born at Bammera village, Palakurthy mandal, Warangal district in Telangana state (Currently in Jangaon district in Telangana state). His work, Andhra Maha Bhagavatamu, is popularly called as Pothana Bhagavatam in Telugu. Pothana (1450–1510) was an Indian Telugu poet best known for his translation of the Bhagavata Purana from Sanskrit to Telugu.