Yamaka Bharata
ध्यायेत्तं परमानन्दं यन्मातापतिमयदपरमानन्दम् ।
उज्झितपरमानन्दं पत्याद्याद्याश्रमैस्सदैव परमानन्दम् ।।
Sri Madhwacharya's Yamaka Bharata is a short metrical work of 81 verses. It is a unique poetical marvel which is rightly proclaimed as a ”World Wonder” by the poet Sri Narayana Panditacharya in his Sumadhwa Vijaya. Its name stems from the fact that it employs a unique embellishment of the word called "Yamaka" in all its 81 verses to bring out the esoteric meaning of "Sri Mahabharata".
What is a Yamaka?
A Yamaka is a special poetical repetition of a sequence of syllables in a verse, each of which having a different meaning. The length of the sequence may wary from two to a thirty two letters. It is a sub-category of the "Anuprasa Alankara".
Yamaka Bharata
Yamaka Bharata is a poetic presentation of the story of Bharata in Yamaka style. Being a rich and juicy fruit, it splashes spontaneous overflow of indepth and inherent devotion to Lord Sri Krishna.
An Abridgment of Mahabharata
As a poem, it commands unsurpassed admiration. It is an unmatched piece of abridgement of the voluminous epic Sri Mahabharata. It succinctly captures the story of Lord Sri Krishna, highlighting it as the main theme of the epic Sri Mahabharata.
A Concise Tatparya Nirnaya
The Yamaka Bharata is also an abridged version of the magnum-opus Sri Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya composed by Sri Madhwacharya himself which runs into more than 5000 verses divided into 32 chapters.
A Multi-Faceted Literary Marvel
For the devotees it is a devotional poem capable of arousing and accelerating the flow of devotion in their hearts. For the reciters, it is a holy poem, the recital of which has the power to yield desired fruits. For the practitioners, it is a sacred “Mantra” impelling them to advance further on the path of their spiritual progress leading to God-Realization.
Varied Meanings
Yamaka Bharata is full of verses carrying more than one meaning. One can imagine the depth of the meaning encapsulated in this work after noticing the fact that it contains a verse affording more than twenty meanings, all cogent and significant. In one verse only a single letter "Bha" is employed 32 times to make a verse which is again pregnant with multitude of meanings. In another verse the sequence योनिर्ममेशेषपुराणविद्यां is repeated each quarter of the verse, again, having different meaning in each of the instances with appropriate variations in the division of the letters in the sequence.
Central Theme
The central theme of this work is to uphold the Supremacy of Lord Sri Vishnu as the essence of all scriptures including Sri Mahabharata. This work can be conceived to be having three sections.
> 1. The first section opens by asking the devotee to reach a state of bliss by meditating upon the Supreme and blissful Lord. The majesties of the Lord at the time of Creation are bought out to propel devotion. The incarnation of Bhagavan Vedavyasa and the composition of Sri Mahabharata is narrated. (Verses 1 - 3)
2. The second and the largest section is devoted to narration of the story of Lord Sri Krishna and about how He protected, guided and enlightened the Pandavas. (Verses 4 to 69) 3. The third section comprises of the conclusive part where the author establishes the Supremacy of the Lord in all His various forms as the authentic meaning of all Scriptures. (Verses 70 to 81)
Commentaries on Yamaka Bharata
The Yamaka Bharata is embellished with a commentary of Sri Narahari Teertha. The unique feature of this commentary is that it is also in poetic form. Sri Narahari Teertha also brought out the meaning simultaneously in a prose format. Without the learned commentary, understanding the Yamaka Bharata would be a herculean task comparable to a dwarf reaching out with stretched hands to grab the fruits of a very tall tree.
Conclusion
As a master-poet, Sri Madhwacharya has demonstrated to the world through this work that “Yamaka Alankara” can be unleashed effectively to cause and enhance the beauty of a poem. Towards the end, Sri Acharya clarifies that this composition is not in any way to demonstrate his poetic skill but is a manifestation of the flow of devotion towards Lord Sri Krishna in his heart. In short, it is a Devotional Masterpiece which sprang from the pen of Acharya Madhwa. Words cannot completely describe the literary beauty of this work; it can only be experienced by the devout connoisseurs.
नारायणनामा सुखतीर्थपूजितस्सुरायणनामा ।
पूर्णगुणैरधिकज्ञानेच्छाभक्तिभिस्स्वधिकपूर्णः ।।