[INDOLOGY] My encounters with the new Pune

[Jesse Knutson]

Dear Madhav-mahodaya, As I have already told you off list, I find these
poems really beautiful and extraordinary. I especially loved
'gallIbhūṣaṇa...', but also found these ones about running into your old
playmate really delightful. The poems appeal to me so much because of their
simplicity, unabashed modernity, and playful wit. They definitely merit
publication as a collection and it will really be a gift to modern Sanskrit
literature. भवदीयः,J

2016-06-23 11:27 GMT-10:00 Madhav Deshpande <mmdesh at umich.edu>:

> My encounters in the new Pune
>
> यदा यदाहं गच्छामि पुरीं पुण्यां तदा तदा ।
> प्राचीनता मदीया मां विष्टभ्नाति पदे पदे ।।
> "Whenever I go to the Pune City, then my ancientness obstructs me at every
> step."
>
> हनूमन्तो गणेशाश्च मार्गे मार्गे पुराभवन् ।
> न तानाधुनिको वेत्ति कोऽपि वाहनचालक: ।।
> "In earlier times, there were Hanuman and Ganesh temples on every street,
> but none of the modern drivers know them."
>
> “कथयस्व नवं किञ्चिन्नाम यद्विदितं मम ।
> किञ्चित् चीनान्नभवनं प्रथितं कञ्चिदापणम् ।।
> The driver says: "Tell me some new name that I know, some place of Chinese
> food, or some famous shop,"
>
> पिझ्झागृहं नाट्यगृहं नृत्यस्थानं सुरापणम् ।
> वद किञ्चित् मम ज्ञातं स्थानं यद् गन्तुमिच्छसि” ।।
> "Or, some Pizza place, or drama house, or dance studio, or a wine shop.
> Tell me some place that I know where you wish to go."
>
> इत्युक्ते मूकतां यामि, न जानामि नवं पुरम् ।
> कथं कुत्र गमिष्यामि नवेऽस्मिन् पुण्यपत्तने ।।
> When he says this, I become silent. I don't know this new city. How can I
> go anywhere in this new Pune?
>
> यस्यां पुर्यामहं जात: शिक्षितश्चाप्यहं पुरा ।
> न सा पुरी मां जानाति, न च जानामि तामहम् ।।
> The city where I was born and educated many years ago, that city does not
> know me, and I don't know it.
>
> स्मरामि यां पुरीं नित्यमत्र सा विस्मृतिं गता ।
> या पुरी वर्तते तत्र तदन्यत् पुण्यपत्तनम् ।।
> The Pune city that I always remember is mostly forgotten here. The city
> that exists here is a different Pune city.
>
> स्मरामि यां पुण्यपुरीं सा मे मनसि जीवति ।
> यां पुरीमधुना यामि, न सा मे मनसि स्थिता ।।
> I remember the Pune city that lives in my mind, and the city that I visit
> now is not in my memory.
>
> भूतकालात् समायातो न जाने नवपत्तनम् ।
> नवा पुरी पृच्छति मां “कस्त्वं,” किं करवाण्यहम् ।।
> I arrive from an ancient past and don't recognize the new city. The new
> city asks me: "who are you?" What shall I do?
>
> “कस्त्वं कुत: समायात:, मराठीं भाषसे पुन: ।
> वाणी तथापि ते भाति किञ्चित् प्राचीनकालिकी ।।
> The driver says to me: "Where have you come from? You do speak Marathi,
> and yet your speech appears to be somewhat old fashioned."
>
> भवान् टिळकवद् ब्रूते ब्रूते वा विष्णुशास्त्रिवत् ।
> नास्मिन् पुरेऽधुना कोऽपि मराठीं भाषते तथा ।।
> "You speak like Lokmanya Tilak or like Vishnushastri Chiplunkar. In this
> city no one now speaks like that."
>
> कुत्रेदृशी मराठी वाक् प्राचीनाद्यापि वर्तते ।
> पुराणीं भाषते कस्मात् मराठीमधुना भवान्” ।।
> "Where does this old fashioned Marathi continue to be spoken? Why do you
> even now speak this old fashioned Marathi?"
>
> इति श्रुत्वा न जानामि किं वक्तव्यं मयाधुना ।
> प्राचीने काल एवाहं निर्गत: पुण्यपत्तनात् ।।
> Hearing this, I don't know what to say, since I did leave the Pune city
> long ago.
>
> मया सह समायाता मराठी वाक् पुरातनी ।
> अहं तामेव जानामि भाषे तामेव सम्प्रति ।।
> The old Marathi language came with me. I only know that old Marathi
> language, and continue to speak the same."
>
> “अस्त्वेवम्” इति मामुक्त्वा स मे वाहनचालक: ।
> करुणापूर्णहृदयोऽनयन्मां काङ्क्षितं स्थलम् ।।
> "Let it be" said the driver to me and he, with a compassionate heart,
> brought me to the desired place.
>
> केन मार्गेण नीतोऽहं कुत्रायात: कुतो गत: ।
> न च किञ्चिद्विजानामि, गत्वाप्याकाङ्क्षितं स्थलम् ।।
> Even after reaching the desired place, I still don't know by which roads
> the driver took me there, how I came or went.
>
> न मां कोऽप्यभिजानाति नाभिजानामि कञ्चन ।
> इति मत्वा सुखं यामि यत्र तत्र पुरोत्तमे ।।
> No one recognizes me, and I don't recognize anyone. Thinking thus I wander
> in this city here and there.
>
> कश्चिन्मामवदत्पार्श्वात्त्वं मित्रमिव भाससे ।
> कुत्रत्यस्त्वं किं च नाम त्वदीयमिति पृष्टवान् ।।
> Someone said to me from the side: "You look like my friend. Where are you
> from and what is your name?"
>
> अनार्बरेऽमेरिकायां वसामि चिरकालत: ।
> तव मित्रेण साम्यं मे भवेदापातत: खलु ।।
> I said: "I have been living in Ann Arbor, USA, for a long time, and so my
> similarity with your friend may be purely accidental."
>
> देशपाण्डे माधवेति मित्रं मेऽमेरिकां गतम् ।
> पञ्चाशद्वर्षत: पूर्वं तत्समो भाससे कथम् ।।
> He said: "My friend Madhav Deshpande went to America fifty years ago, but
> why do you look like him?"
>
> तच्छ्रुत्वोक्तं मया “सोऽहं माधवोऽमेरिकाश्रित: ।
> न तु त्वामभिजानामि, कस्त्वं, जानासि मां कथम्” ।।
> Having heard that, I said: "I am Madhav Deshpande from America, but I
> don't recognize you. Who are you, and how do you know me?"
>
> रे रे कथं न जानासि मां शालासुहृदं सखे ।
> बण्डुरहं येन सार्धमखेलस्त्वं दिवानिशम् ।।
> He said: "Oh Friend, how come you don't recognize me, your school-mate? I
> am Bandu with whom you used to play day and night."
>
> परिष्वज्य तदा बण्डुं मया प्रोक्तमिदं वच: ।
> नाभिज्ञातो मया त्वं हि खल्वाटो दृश्यसेऽधुना ।।
> Having embraced Bandu, I said to him: "I did not recognize you, because
> you now look totally bald."
>
> कथं त्वामभिजानीयां गते काले महत्तरे ।
> तथापि दैववशतो मिलिताविति सुन्दरम् ।।
> "How will I recognize you after such a long time. Still, by God's grace,
> we did meet each other, and that is beautiful."
>
> इत्थमस्यां पुण्यपुर्यां सुहृदां मिलनं क्वचित् ।
> जायते दैववशतस्तन्ममास्ति सुखावहम् ।।
> Thus, in this Pune city, a meeting with friends does occasionally happen
> by good fortune, and that makes me happy.
>
> --
> Madhav M. Deshpande
> Professor of Sanskrit and Linguistics
> Department of Asian Languages and Cultures
> 202 South Thayer Street, Suite 6111
> The University of Michigan
> Ann Arbor, MI 48104-1608, USA
>
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>



-- 
Jesse Ross Knutson PhD
Assistant Professor of Sanskrit and Bengali, Department of Indo-Pacific
Languages and Literatures
University of Hawai'i at Mānoa
461 Spalding


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