 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Andhra Mahabharatam" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(October 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Andhra Mahabharatham ఆంధ్ర మహాభారతం | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Author | Nannayya Thikkana Yerrana |
| Language | Telugu |
| Chapters | 18 Parvas |
| Verses | 21,507 Poems |
Andhra Mahabharatham (ఆంధ్ర మహాభారతం) is theTelugu version ofMahabharatha written by theKavitrayam (Trinity of poets), consisting ofNannayya,Thikkana andYerrapragada (also known as Errana).The three poets translated theMahabharata from Sanskrit intoTelugu over the period of the 11–14th centuries CE, and became the idols for all the following poets.[1] More than calling "Andhra Mahabharatham" as a translation of Sanskrit Mahabharatha written by Veda Vyasa, this Andhra Mahabharatham was an independent translation. Thus, this translation is not a stanza by stanza translation. These three poets wrote Andhra Mahabharatham in Telugu literature style, but keeping the same exact essence as that of Sanskrit Mahabharatham
.jpeg)
There are many doubts about whether Mahabharata is the first work of poetry started byNannaya in Telugu. Literary historians are of the opinion that all the mature poetry does not emerge at once, so there must have been some poems before that. However, no other writings have been found, except for references to songs and poems (Nannechodudu) and some verses found in inscriptions. So Nannaya was adored by the world of Telugu literature as the original poet. Prajnannaya Yugam Dwadasi Nageswara Sastry writes this in concluding the chapter[2] - "On the whole Telugu language literature existed before Nannaya. Oral literature was more prevalent. Edictal poetry was in use. Telugu language was good in public affairs. But scriptural language could not have been created. Conditions were suitable for such creation. No. It could be the reason for that is the familiarity with Sanskrit Prakrits.
Nannaya wrote Adi Parvam, Sabaparvam and a part of Aranyaparvam between 1054 and 1061 CE, when he died. Later in the 13th century,Tikkana left the remainder of Aranyaparvam and wrote 15 parvams from Virata Parvam toSvargarohana Parvam. After that in the 14th century,Errana Aranyaparva completed the remainder. Thus, these three poets of that age are worshiped by the Telugu poets askavitrayam. This way, Telugu people are fortunate to be able to read Andhra Mahabharatham, written by three poets - over a period of two and a half centuries, as a single book as if a single mahakavi has written it at a time. The Sanskrit Mahabharatha is famous for being a book of 100 parvas and having a breadth of 100,000 verses. Parvanukramanika told by Nannaya in Adi Parvam is also close to this point. There are hundred of main parvas and subparvas together. In it,Harivamsa Parvam is included in Bhavishya Parvam. Together these two are considered as an independent text called Khilavansa Purana. Nannaya does not include the Harivamsa in his genealogy. He arranges hundred parvas in his Ashtadasa Parva Vibhaktam. Upaparva section is not followed in Telugu. The Tikkanadus followed Nannaya's decision.Errana wrote the Harivamsa as a separate treatise. In this way, the Sanskrit Mahabharata of 100 subparvals was transformed into the Andhra Mahabharata of eighteen parvas in Telugu. It is divided into Asvasas in Telugu. The division can be seen in the following table.[3]
| Parvam | Number of subparvas | Number of Shlokas in Sanskrit Mahabharatham | Number of Shlokas in Andhra Mahabharatham | Verse Prose no |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.Adi Parvam | 18 | 9,984 | 8 | 2,084 |
| 2.Sabha Parvam | 9 | 4,311 | 2 | 618 |
| 3.Aranya Parvam | 16 | 13,664 | 7 | 2,894 |
| 4.Virata Parvam | 4 | 3,500 | 5 | 1,624 |
| 5.Udyoga Parvam | 11 | 6,998 | 4 | 1,562 |
| 6.Bhishma Parvam | 5 | 5,884 | 3 | 1,171 |
| 7.Drona Parvam | 8 | 10,919 | 5 | 1,860 |
| 8.Karna Parvam | 1 | 4,900 | 3 | 1,124 |
| 9.Salya Parvam | 4 | 3,220 | 2 | 827 |
| 10.Sauptika Parvam | 3 | 2,874 | 2 | 376 |
| 11.Stri Parvam | 5 | 1,775 | 2 | 376 |
| 12.Shanti Parvam | 4 | 14,525 | 6 | 3,093 |
| 13.Anushasanika Parvam | 2 | 12,000 | 5 | 2,148 |
| 14.Ashwamedha Parvam | 2 | 4,420 | 4 | 976 |
| 15.Ashramavasa Parvam | 3 | 1,106 | 2 | 362 |
| 16.Mausala Parvam | 1 | 300 | 1 | 226 |
| 17.Mahaprasthanika Parvam | 1 | 120 | 1 | 79 |
| 18.Svargarohana Parvam | 1 | 200 | 1 | 97 |
| 19.Bhavishya Parvam | 2 | (Omitted) | -- | -- |
| Total | 100 | 1,00,500 | 63 | 21,507 |
Nannayabhatta (1022–1063 CE – also referred to as Nannaya), started to translate the Sanskrit Mahabharata into Telugu on the request of the East Chalukya kingRajaraja Narendra. This marks the beginning of Telugu literature, which has yet been uncovered. This work has been interpreted in the Champu style and emotes such simplicity and polishing and of such high literary excellence, that several scholars do not dismiss the possibility of the existence of literary works in Telugu during the pre-Nannaya period.
Tikkana (orTikkana Somayaji) (1205–1288) was a 13th-centuryTelugu poet and minister ofNellore Chola ruler Manumasiddhi II. Born into a Telugu-speakingNiyogi Brahmin family. He was the second poet of the "Trinity of Poets (Kavi Trayam)" that translatedMahabharata into Telugu.Nannaya Bhattaraka, the first, translated two and a half chapters ofMahabharata. Tikkana translated the final 15 chapters, but did not undertake translating the half-finishedAranya Parvamu. The Telugu people remained without this last translation for more than a century, until it was translated byErrana.
Yarrapragada Erranna was aTelugu poet in the court of KingProlaya Vema Reddy (1325–1353). The surname of Erranna wasYerrapragada orYerrana, which are epithets of the fair-skinned Skanda in theTelugu language, but became attached to his paternal family due its having notable members with fair or red-skinned complexions. He was honoured with the titlePrabandha-paramēśvara ("Master of historical anecdotes") andŚambhudāsuḍu ("Servant of Lord Śiva").[4]TheSanskritMahabharata was translated intoTelugu over a period of several centuries (from the 11th to 14th centuries CE). Erranna was one of thekavitrayam ("Trinity of Poets") who rendered theMahabharatam from Sanskrit into Telugu. The other two poets wereNannaya andTikkana of theAndhra Mahabharatam ("Andhra Mahabharat"). Tikkana translated the remaining books starting from the 4th, leaving the third book titled theAranya Parvamu ("Book of the Forest") half-finished, for Erranna to complete.Tikkana did not touch this part because it was considered to be inauspicious to translate this book, which was left half-finished byNannaya. Erranna started the remaining half of theAranya Parvamu with the style of Nannaya and ended it with the style of Tikkana as a bridge between the parts translated by Nannaya and Tikkana. Just like Nannaya and Tikkanna, he used halfSanskrit and halfTelugu in his Telugu translation of the Sanskrit Mahabharata. He translated theHarivamsamu[5] andRamayanamu from Sanskrit, dedicating both works to the founder of the Reddy Dynasty, King Prolaya Vemareddy.
Nrusimhapuranamu was his own independent work.[6] Erranna received his inspiration for the Nrusimhapuranam from his grandfather Errapotanna. According to tradition, one day when Erranna was meditating, his grandfather appeared and advised him to write theNarisimhapuranamu. This work was based on theBrahmandapuranamu and theVishnupuranamu.
According to theViṣṇu Purāṇa, King Hiraṇyakaśipu was the powerful demonic sovereign of the Earth millions of year ago at the beginning of theYuga Cycle. The subjects of the Earth were described asManavas ("descendants of Manu"; "humans"). The subjects of King Indra were described asDevatas. King Hiraṇyakaśipu fought a war with KingIndra and, having emerged victorious, took over the heavenly planets. Under the rule of King Hiraṇyakaśipu, most of the Devatas either "converted to" or disguised themselves as Manavas for the fear of King Hiraṇyakaśipu. Another contemporary of King Hiraṇyakaśipu was also gate keeper of Śvetadvīpa, the Vaikuṇṭha planet in this universe, in a previous life, Śrī-hari who ruled in theKṣīra-sāgara (the "Sea of Milk").
