The Shishupala Vadha (śiśupāla-vadha "the slaying of Shishupala") is a work of classical Sanskrit poetry, one of the six Mahakavya or "epic poems". It was composed in ca. 8th century by Magha, hence also called Magha-kavya.
The tale is that of Shishupala, king of the Chedis in central India, probably the same as Bundelkhand. Shishupala challenged Krishna to fight, upon which the latter struck his head off with his discus.
The poem is noted for its intricate wordplay, and textual complexity. The 19th canto contains the following stanza which is an example of what has been called "the most complex and exquisite type of palindrome ever invented"1. It was devised by the Sanskrit aestheticians, who termed it sarvatobhadra, that is, "perfect in every direction" - it yields the same text if read forwards, backwards, down, or up:
- सकारनानारकास-
- कायसाददसायका
- रसाहवा वाहसार-
- नादवाददवादना.
- (नादवाददवादना
- रसाहवावाहसार
- कायसाददसायका
- सकारनानारकास)
- sa-kA-ra-nA-nA-ra-kA-sa-
- kA-ya-sA-da-da-sA-ya-kA
- ra-sA-ha-vA vA-ha-sA-ra-
- nA-da-vA-da-da-vA-da-nA.
- (nA da vA da da vA da nA
- ra sA ha vA vA ha sA ra
- kA ya sA da da sA ya kA
- sa kA ra nA nA ra kA sa)
(note: hyphen indicates same word). The last four lines are the reversed version of the first four, given for clarity in associating the properties of the verse.
The stanza translates as:
- [That army], which relished battle (rasAhavA) contained allies who brought low the bodes and gaits of their various striving enemies (sakAranAnArakAsakAyasAdadasAyakA), and in it the cries of the best of mounts contended with musical instruments (vAhasAranAdavAdadavAdanA).
References
- ^ Martin Gardner, Mathematical Circus, p. 250
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