आमुक्तमाल्यदा (विजयनगर सम्राट् श्रीकृष्णदेवराय - गोदा देवी आण्डाल भक्ति एवं साम्राज्य-नीति)

6 Goda's Garland of Devotion
the doubts as to whether Krishnadeva Raya wrote Āmukta Mālyada,
or whether it was only from the pen of Allasani Peddanna. What
matters who wrote the plays of Shakespeare? The plays are the
reality: the rest is illusion, as far as the sahṛidaya is concerned. Such
too is the significance of the theme of this epic. History associates
Krishnadeva Raya with several Vaishnavite temples, and we expe-
rience a thrill to learn from the epic more about the soldier who was
such a great devotee as well, and in all probability also a great poet.
The second part of the Preamble gives us an account of
Krishnadeva Raya's ancestry as well as the splendour of his reign.
This was the dynasty that saved many Hindu temples from deci-
mation by Islamic marauders during the 15th-16th centuries.
Here an ingenious device is used to overcome the fault of self-praise.
When the vision of Andhra Vishnu withdraws and the Raya
wakes up, he decides to consult his courtiers on the significance of
the dream. In the morning, he pays his respects to the assembled
chieftains, ministers and scholars, and gives an account of the
auspicious dream. They are happy and consider the dream (śubha
svapna) a precursor to many good things. The very fact of the Lord
appearing in the King's dream signifies a further accession of faith
towards Narayana. Again, the command to write an epic means
that the King will be blessed with an increase in knowledge. The
presence of Lakshmi assures illimitable prosperity for the royal
household. The lotus in her hand is a pointer to the King becoming
an Emperor. The Lord's reference to the many kings and several
languages would bring lasting friendships; and the theme of the
'used garland' promises the King a rare joy in his personal rela-
tionships with his Queens. Besides, the Lord had spoken of increased
good when the epic was completed: this could only signify blessed
parenthood. Considering all this, the King must go ahead with the
task of writing the epic.
The courtiers then launch upon an account of the King's
ancestry. They begin with the Moon. We hear of the famous kings
of the lunar dynasty, Pururavas and his son Turvasu. The latter
takes us to the Tuluva dynasty which could boast of kings like
Timmadeva Raya, Eswaradeva Raya and Narasimharaju. Nara-
simharaja's second wife, Nagamma, was the mother of Krishnadeva
Raya.