15. Vrttaratnavali by Ilathur Ramaswami Sastri

The Vritta-Ratnavali [Vrttaratnavali]^[1] is a work on Chandasastra written by Ilattur Ramasvami Sastri [Ilathur Ramaswami Sastri] who was a prominent figure in the court of Ayilyam Tirunal Rama Varma. In the beginning of the work, the poet gives four introductory verses of which the first three are devoted to praise his patron.

Ullur^[2] has quoted the third verse in his work. The first two are the following.—

śrīmān mārtāṇḍagotrāmṛtajaladhibhavo lakṣmaṇopāsyamānassadvṛttassatpatastadanugatapadaśśevadhīssatkālānam
bhūjātānandadāyī śubhaguṇabharatassādhusantāpahārī sarvajñoktasambhūto jayati kuvalayollāsado rāmarājaḥ ||

mārtāṇḍavaṃśamaṇirāśritalakṣmaṇo'yaśśatrughnayuk janakajanmatapaḥ phalātmā
jīyānnirastadaśakaḥ kharadūṣaṇāri preyo harīśasamadṛk bhuvi rāmarājaḥ ||

The poet himself wrote a commentary also. The verses contain praises to Srirama and Rama Varma of the Aslesa asterisom by a skilful employment of pun Ramavarma is described as Vidusamutta Sabhuta, Sadvrtta and Satpathastha. He is said to have had no differential treatment of Siva and Visnu. The third refers to the king’s feet of burning the dry grass in the form of Pratipaksa, a fact of great significance. The work was written after the arrest and interment of not only Kerala Varma Valiya Koyil Tampuran, but also of a gang of men who were suspected to have offended Ayilyam Tirunal. Therefore the expression Pratipaksa has to be taken to mean the persons whom the king treated as his opponents. It is true that Ayilyam Tirunal considered his opponents as worthy as dry grass.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Printed in 1053 ME in the Govt. press Tvm.

[2]:

Kerala Sahitya Caritram, Ullur -Vol. IV -P 208