Talk:The Nāyaṉmār Saints:Pōthana
By Vishal Agarwal
Pothana (1400–1475 CE) is considered one of the greatest saint-poets in the Telugu language. He was born in a family of Brahmana farmers in Warangal in the state of Telangana in South India. From childhood, he had an inborn talent for composing beautiful verses in Telugu.
Pothana was greatly devoted to Bhagavān Shiva. Once, while meditating on Shiva, Bhagavān Rāma appeared to him in the form of a king and said, “Pothana, you are a great poet. I want you to translate the Śrīmad Bhāgavata Purāṇa into Telugu verses and spread its message.” Although Pothana worshipped Shiva, he decided to translate this Purāṇa, which is devoted to Bhagavān Viṣṇu.
Pothana’s Telugu work came to be known as Andhra Mahā Bhāgavatāmu. It had beautiful poetry, and soon many people began to read and sing its verses. When the King of Warangal came to know of Pothana’s Telugu work, he sent a message: “Poets must dedicate their writings to their king. Therefore, you must also dedicate your work to me, and add a verse in my praise at the beginning of the book.”
Pothana’s cousin thought that if he were to dedicate the Andhra Mahā Bhāgavatāmu to the king, the latter would be pleased and would give expensive gifts to Pothana. He tried to convince Pothana, but Pothana did not agree. Pothana believed that there is no one greater than Bhagavān; so why should one dedicate it to a king on this earth, instead of to Bhagavān – the Lord of the Universe?
To impress Pothana and convince him, his cousin decided to display his yogic powers. One day, he had himself carried in a palanquin to Pothana’s village. Upon arrival, he ordered his servants to set the palanquin down – and miraculously, it began flying towards Pothana. At that time, Pothana was ploughing his fields with the help of his son and two bullocks. When Pothana saw his cousin arriving in the flying palanquin, he asked his son to free the bullocks from the plough. Miraculously, the plough continued moving and tilling the field by itself. Seeing this, Pothana’s cousin stopped the palanquin, got off, and apologized, saying, “I thought my magical powers would impress you and convince you to dedicate your book to the king. But it seems you have even greater powers than I have.”
Meanwhile, the king was upset that Pothana had refused his request. He began troubling Pothana in various ways. First, he sent soldiers to arrest him – but Bhagavān Viṣṇu appeared as a boar and chased them away. Then, the king ordered Pothana’s house to be burned down – but instead, the king’s palace caught fire. Finally, he ordered the villagers to force Pothana to leave. However, soon after Pothana left, an enemy attacked Warangal, and the king lost much territory and wealth.
Realizing that he had harmed a saint, the king approached Pothana and begged for forgiveness. He even gifted to Pothana the village where he had lived.
Pothana composed many other works in praise of Bhagavān Viṣṇu. His Gajendra Mokṣa story, in particular, is recited by Telugu-speaking people even today for its beautiful verses that inspire deep devotion to Bhagavān Viṣṇu.