AN INSIGHT INTO SOCIETY THROUGH KALIVIḌAMBANA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29121/granthaalayah.v13.i6.2025.6289Keywords:
Society, KaliviḍambanaAbstract [English]
The Kaliviḍambana or the ‘Mockery of the Kali Age’ is a wonderful work of Nīlakaṭḥhadīkṣita. Nīlakaṇṭhadīkṣita occupies a high position among the galaxy of Indian writers of eminence. In the work, a realistic picture of the society is met with. In the work, the author criticizes the immoralities prevailing in the Kali (present) age. The poet observed that different professionals of his time used fraud and deception in their professions. He depicts a degenerated society where people lead an immoral life. The poet uses satiric humour to expose hypocrisy prevailing in the society. The work attracts the attention of the readers due to its amazing insights about the society presented with lively humour.
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na bhetavyaṁ na boddhavyaṁ na śrāvyaṁ vādino vacaḥ/
jhaṭiti prativaktavyaṁ sabhāsu vijigīṣubhiḥ// Kaliviḍambana .1
jigīṣunā hriyaṁ tyaktvā kāryaḥ kolāhalo mahān/ ibid.5
stotāraḥ ke bhaviṣyanti mūrkhasya jagatītale/
na stauti cet svayaṁ ca svaṁ kadā tasyāstu nirvṛtiḥ// ibid.7
yadi na kvāpi vidyāyāṁ sarvathā kramate matiḥ/
māntrikāstu bhaviṣyāmo yogino yatayo’pi vā// ibid.10
avilambe kṛtyasiddhau māntrikairāpyate yaśas/
vilambe karmabāhulyaṁ vikhyāpyābāpyate dhanaṁ//ibid.11
sukhaṁ sukhiṣu duḥkhaṁ ca jīvanaṁ duḥkhaśāliṣu/
anugrahāyate yeṣāṁ te dhanyā khalu māntrikāḥ// ibid.12
cārān vicārya daivajñairvaktavyaṁ bhūbhujāṁ phalaṁ/
grahaacāra parijñānaṁ teṣām āvaśyakaṁ yataḥ// ibid.14
putra ityeva pitari kanyaketyeva mātari/
garvapraśneṣu kathayan daivajño vijayī bhavet// ibid. 15
āyuḥ praśne dīrghamāyurvācyaṁ mauhūrtikairjanaiḥ/
jivanto bahumanyante mṛtāh prakṣanti kaṁ punaḥ// ibid.16
bhaiṣajyaṁ tu yathākāmaṁ patthyaṁ tu kathinaṁ vadet/
arogyaṁ vaidyamāhātmyād anyathātvanapathyataḥ// ibid.25
stutaṁ stuvanti kavayo na svato guṇadarśinaḥ// ibid.35
jāmātāro bhagineyā mātulā dārabāndhavāḥ/
ajnātā eva gṛhiṇāṁ bhakṣayantyākhuvad gṛhe// ibid.42
bhāryā jyeṣṭhā śisuḥ śyālaḥ svaśruḥ svātantrya vartinī/
śvaśurastu pravāsī ca jāmātur bhāgya kāraṇaṁ// ibid.45
bhārye dve bahavaḥ putrā dāridryaṁ roga saṁbhavaḥ/
jīrṇau ca mātāpitarau ekaikaṁ narakādhikam// ibid.49
antako’pi hi jantūnāṁ antakālaṁ apekṣate/ ibid.51
na paśāmo mukhe daṁṣṭrāṁ na pāśaṁ vā karāṅcale/
uttamarṇaṁ avekṣyeeva tathāpyudvijate// ibid. 52, 59-65
dhanabhāro hi lokasya piśunaireva dhāryate/
kathaṁ te taṁ laghūkartuṁ yatante’parathā svataḥ// ibid. 70
āmadhyāhnaṁ nadīvāsaḥ samāje devatārcanaṁ/
satataṁ śuciveṣaścetyetad dambhasya jīvitaṁ// ibid. 91
daṇdtamānā vikurvanti lālyamānāṣtatastarāṁ/
durjanānāmato nyāyyaṁ dūrād eva visarjanaṁ// ibid. 94
viṣeṇa puccha lagnena vṛścikaḥ prāṇināṁ iva/
kalinā daśamāṁśena sarvaḥ kālo’pi dāruṇaḥ// ibid. 99
Nīlakaṇṭhadīkṣita. (2007). Kaliviḍambana (Dr. Sunanda Y. Shastri, Ed.). Sharada Jnana Peetham.
Nīlakaṇṭhadīkṣita, Kṣemendra, & Bhallaṭa. (2025). Three satires (S. Vasudeva, Trans. & Ed.). New York University Press & JJC Foundation.
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