Palkuriki Somana (c. 12-13th century), one of the towering figures of Telugu literature, was an elder contemporary of the Persian Sufi poet Jalaluddin Rumi and a younger contemporary of the Japanese monk-poet Saigyo. Living during the Kakatiya dynasty, Somana’s work was instrumental in steering classical Telugu poetry in a transformative direction. He is justly regarded as one of the earliest and most energetic poets of social protest in Telugu, as he vehemently condemned various forms of social discrimination. While his work has seen a recent resurgence in interest following the formation of the Telangana state, a comprehensive critical assessment of his poetics remains overdue.
In his Indian Literary Criticism: Theory and Interpretation (2002), G.N. Devy sought to locate a new medieval Indian poetics within the Bhavarthadipika. However, scholars of Indian poetics should note that before Jnaneshwara gave voice to the soul-stirring emotions of his time, Somanatha had already grappled with the politics of poetics. Somana observed a direct relationship between form and content: to challenge social divisions, he believed one must find appropriate modes of expression to carry out the task effectively. Consequently, in his earnest rejection of the 11th-century Brahmanical resurgence in Telugu poetry, he embraced deshi forms—utilising native meters, colloquial idioms, and brevity. He utilized all major deshi meters—including satakamu, ragada, gadya, and udaharana—to compose works within the traditional genres of puranamu (epic), charitra (hagiography), and bhasyamu (commentary).
After completing his first major work, Basavapuranamu, Somana aspired to create a masterpiece that was both passionate and erudite. He realized that while challenging social gaps is a political act, bridging those gaps is a poetic one. He sought to compose a work that would serve as the hallmark of his artistry (kavyakala) and be remembered for its maturity of expression (kavyaproudhi). This lifetime achievement was Panditaradhya Charitra.
Composed entirely in dvipada (a deshi meter), it stands as perhaps the first and only truly multilingual poem in Indian literature. Tikkana, Somana’s younger contemporary, is known as ubhayakavimitra—”a friend to both schools of poets.” This title refers to his ability to reconcile seemingly opposing worlds: Telugu and Sanskrit, Brahmanical and Virashaiva, and the elite and the masses. One can surmise that Tikkana followed the path blazed by Somana in reconciling these disparate poetic traditions.
When Poetry Declines into Howling
When a poet falls back on hollow fillers and crude errors,
distorts the sequence with poor composition,
lacks the proper verb, or weakens the idiom;
when the verse sounds irrelevant, unsavory, or strained,
cluttered with exaggeration and self-contradiction;
when the structure is loose, incomplete, and inattentive,
turning vulgar in diction or speaking in riddles
that skip the cadence—then,
failing to express the truth,
poetry becomes mere howling.
Like mixing raw grain into curd,
it lacks purpose and ends in senseless babbling.
The Golden Weld: A Vedic Marvel
As a goldsmith encases a flawed diamond
within a setting of pure gold,
the Telugu in my verse is seamlessly welded
to the ancient strength of Vedic Sanskrit.
By binding them in precise and compact meter,
I ensure the composition remains consistent.
I do not deem it improper;
rather, it is a marvel to have woven
a Vedic phrase into the ease of a couplet,
fitting the vast into the slender.