Dear Friends, I labored over my first attempt at a śloka (shared below) for several hours, partly inspired by Madhav Deshpande's lovely poems, partly probably by something funny that I ate. Finally I dared to share it with Madhav-mahodaya and he gave me some crucial help with pāda c. Then I shared it with Arindam Chakrabarty who wrote a very clever response. Finally Madhav-mahodaya himself wrote a concluding verse. Here are the three for your holiday entertainment:

Jesse:

मा रामे रमतां प्राज्ञो दशग्रीववदाचरेत् ।
समा शिरोमनःसङ्ख्या पापे नित्यं कुरूत्सवम्।।

Arindam-mahodaya:

मुण्डे मुण्डे मतिर्भिन्ना लोकोक्तिवशतः सखे
दशधा दीर्यते बुद्धिर्बिभेमि रावणादतः।
स्वपत्नीं प्रेरयन्नग्नौ वने चानपराधिनीम्
रावणारिं वरं वन्दे रावणात्पापकृत्तरम्।।

Madhav-mahodaya:

दशग्रीवो दशमना विंशत्या सहित: करै: ।

द्वाभ्यां पदाभ्यां स्खलितोऽपतद्रामस्य पादयो: ।।

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