When he would see me on the street, he would halt his elephant
and help me up with his own hand.
For the mere asking, he gave me villages like Kokata, in any region.
On the day I dedicated my Story of Manu to him,
he himself carried the palanquin where i was seated.

The poet was Allasani Peddana, ‘King of Poets’, and the palaquin-bearer was Sri Krishna Devaraya, or Krsnaraya. Following up on an earlier post, on friendship between Bhoja and Kalidasa, Land of Lime now refers to the great friendship between Krsnaraya, often eulogised as Andhra Bhoja, and Peddana, the most revered member of the Ashtadiggaja (eight great elephants,… but actually referring to the eight great poet-scholars who adorned the Emperor’s court). The post features a translation of another poem, this one by Tenali Ramakrishna (or Ramalingaiah or now the comic book character Tenali Raman), another illustrious member of the Ashtadiggaja. The poem carries that dominant virtue which has come to characterize the legend woven around him now, his wit. But the truth remains, it was his scholarship which first won him the Emperor’s respect..and friendship. A great post!