Prof. Dr. Nagarajaiah Hampana
The unique description by poet Nāgacandra deserves to be discussed in detail. He is the one and only Kannada poet who has devoted nearly six four-lined verses to record rare qualities of Sarasvatī. Further more, it is Nāgacandra alone who has delineated Nāṭya-Sarasvatī. In fact his portrait of deity dancing with her gentle gait is remarkable. He takes delight in giving a graphic account of Vacaśrī-nartakīnṛtya and states that his poem is indeed a stage for her dance! Nāgacandra states:
'The words of wisdom of this Universe are embodied in the book held by her. Her excellent speech and skill dispelled the laziness that had enveloped Brahma. I bow to that venerable deity (Sarasvatī) in the very beginning of my poem'.
Scholar poet and an eminent anthologist (compiler) Mallikārjuna (1200), also father of Keśiraja, celebrated Grammarian, has quoted a verse in praise of Sarasvatī from an unknown medieval Kannada poem.
The inscription from Dāvaṇagere, dated 1280 CE, has recorded an exceptionally graphic description of Bhāratī: 'Bhāratī extended the Universe created by Brahma to become a rosary in her hand. She is meditating day and night for the welfare of her devotees. Let that Bhāratī reside in my tongue'. Probably the following Sanskrit maxim must have inspired the author of the above Kannada inscription:
Vacāṁsi Vācaspati matsareṇa
sārāṇi lubdhuṁ graha maṇḍalīva
muktākṣa sūtratvamupaiti yasyāḥ
saprasādāstu sarasvatīvaḥ.
Because of their jealousy with Vācaspati alias Brahma, all the planets wanted to acquire the sap of excellent learning and became a rosary in the hands of Sarasvatī. Let that goddess be compassionate to us.
Poet Janna (1235) refers to the deity as Jinendra Vāg-vanite in his Kannada classic the Anantanātha Purāṇam.
