Pothana

Bammera Pothana (1450–1510) was a Telugu poet best known for his translation of the Srimad Bhaagavatam from Sanskrit to Telugu. He was a Telugu and Sanskrit Scholar. His work, Srimad Bhagavatamu, is popularly called as Pothana Bhagavatam in Telugu. Pothana was born into a Niyogi Brahmin family at Bammera Village in Jangaon District of Telangana. Historians has some differences about the exact birth place of Pothana, some claim it is as present day Bammera Village in Jangaon District of Telangana and some claim it as present day Vontimitta in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh. His father was Kesana and his mother Lakkamamba. He was considered to be a 'Sahaja Kavi' (natural poet), needing no teacher. He was known to be very polite and was an agriculturist by occupation. Though he was a great scholar, he never hesitated to work in the agricultural fields. At an early age he wrote Bhogini Dhandakam, a poem written in the praise of king Sri Singa Bhoopala's concubine Bhogini. This was his first poetic venture which had the seeds of his great poetic talents. Bhogini Dhandakam is the earliest available Dhandaka (rhapsody which uses the same gana or foot all through) in Telugu. His second work was Virabhadhra Vijayamu which describes the adventures of Lord Virabhadhra, element of Lord Shiva. The main theme was the destruction of 'Daksha Yagna' performed in the absence of Lord Siva by Daksha Prajapathi. As a young man, he was a devotee of Lord Siva. Later, Pothana became a devotee of Lord Rama and more interested in salvation. In the view of Pothana, there is no difference between Siva and Vishnu and the same was reflected in his padyam "ChethuLAranga Sivuni Poojimpadeni Nooru Novvanga hari keerthi salupadeeni dhayanu satyamulonuga thalupadeni kaluganetiki thallula kadupuchetu". One early morning during a lunar eclipse, on the banks of river Godavari, Pothana was meditating on Lord Siva. At that auspicious moment, Supreme Lord Rama appeared dressed like a king and requested Pothana to translate Bhagavatam into Telugu (Andhramu) and dedicate it to Him.