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

Vishnuchitta 19
"To Him who is Rita, Truth, Supreme, Purusha; who has
a dark complexion shot with yellow; who is Manliness, whose
eyes hold the contraries, who is verily imaged as Creation:
to Him our homage".
Āmukta Mālyada has several digressions, and the first one is the
tale of Kandikya and Kesidhwaja. It is practically a verse trans-
lation of the concluding cantos in Vishnu Purana. We leave the
Pandyan court for the nonce to get back to remote days beyond
historical time. Yes, to the days when the Nimi dynasty ruled the
land. To this dynasty belonged the cousins Kandikya and Kesi-
dhwaja who waged a fratricidal war in which Kandikya was de-
feated and had to live in exile in a cottage. The victorious Kesi-
dhwaja began a sacrifice. The sacrificial cow, however, was killed
by a tiger. The learned elders told the King that Kandikya alone
was capable of spelling out the Prayaschitta for meeting such a
crisis.
Kesidhwaja went to Kandikya, who was understandably
incensed: "Having deprived me of everything, have you now
come here like Maricha wearing a deer skin, to deprive me of my
life? Beware!" Kesidhwaja then described his dilemma. Kandikya's
ministers, however, advised him to kill Kesidhwaja, as the former's
wife and children were in great distress due to the cousin's trea-
chery. But Kandikya preferred to listen to his cousin and gave
him the right directions to perform the prayaschitta. Kesidhwaja
did so and completed the sacrifice.
After sending away the priests and guests who had attended
the sacrifice, he came to Kandikya to offer guru dakshina. Kandikya
requested his ministers to advise him. They wanted him to ask for
the kingdom. "What an opportune moment to gain immense
wealth without a moment's struggle", they said.
Kandikya laughed. "Kesidhwaja is a man of wisdom. We
should rather ask him for the wealth of knowledge. We belong to
Nimi's dynasty. A kingdom is nothing to us". He then requested
Kesidhwaja to teach him the truth that would destroy the sorrows
of birth. It was not dharma for a Kshatriya to accept a kingdom
as charity. Only egoists desire power. Now Kesidhwaja said:
"O sinless brother! I am ruling and performing sacrifices
to cross the sea of samsara. The experience of sense-pleasures