The Appeasement of Radhika: Radhika Santawanam

by Muddupalani, Sandhya Mulchandani (Translator)

An erotic narrative poem that explores desire and jealousy, love experienced and love lost, Radhika Santawanam is the most recognized work of nineteenth-century poet and courtesan Muddupalani.

It is a candid and unabashed exploration of the sexual awakening of a girl, of passion aroused and the anguish of separation. Celebrated as a literary masterpiece in Muddupalani’s lifetime, Radhika Santawanam was banned by the British in 1910 when it was published again, a century and a half later, with critics panning its graphic descriptions of lovemaking. And, after another hundred years, this epic is now available in its entirety for the first time in English translation

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Literature, India, Indian Literature, Literary Fiction, 18th Century

196 pages, Paperback

First published November 15, 2011

About the author

Muddupalani (fl. ca. 1750) was a Telugu speaking poet and devadasiattached to the court of Pratap Singh, the Maratha king of Tanjore. Muddupalani was well versed in both Telugu and Sanskrit literature, and came from a devadasi family; her mother and grandmother were also both devadasis and poets.

Her best-known work is Rādhikā-sāntvanam ("Appeasing Radha"), an erotic narrative poem that deals with the marital relationship of the deity Krishna, his first wife Radha and new wife Ila, and the appeasement of the jealousy of Radha. She received the concept of this poem when Krishna visited her in a dream and suggested that she write about the subject. The poem became the subject of a censorship controversy in the early 20th century, because of its sexual frankness, and especially, because it portrayed its women characters as taking the initiative in sex. Her other well-known work is Ashtapadi, a Telugu translation of Jayadeva's eponymous work.

(From Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Sookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Replace the Kamasutra book in your shelf with this one. (If you want to know what women enjoy, shouldn't you hear it from a woman?)

[S K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Knew about Radhika Santwanam as a kid as one of the famous literary works, but never really knew what it was about. I think it wasn't ever written about or discussed in academic textbooks because of the content. I was quite amused to know that Kandukuri Veeresalingam (one of the well-known reformers in AP) wanted this book to be banned because it had erotic content which is not *appropriate* for women. Hmmm.

It's all about love and longing - of Radha for Krishna when he marries Ila and leaves her alone. The thoughts are quite beautiful, but I feel the essence of the verses is lost in translation. There are quite a few places where I could clearly make out a mistake and guessed what it would've actually meant in Telugu original. I think I'd prefer the Telugu version... though this is quite readable and very different from what I regularly read.

[Archana Sivassubramanian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Muddupalani would have made the coolest classical rockstar of South India if she were alive today. She has written some poetry that's brazen, beautiful and bold. I am sure a lot of oomphness got lost in the translation, but even this version shizzles! Radhika Santawanam succumbs to the same mundanity that other poems of love and loss give in to but that monotony should be revered given the context, and the story of the book itself.

We break our ends over feminist admixtures of Woolf and Chopin and Naomi Wolf. We need to speak more about women like Muddupallani, Nagarathamma and Brinda/Muktha. This is not a feminist text,infact it's poetry is pretty sexist, if I can say that, but the very fact that women between the 16th and the 19th Century were instrumental in bringing out this literature makes this an important book in the history of women in India.

[Idyll · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Note: This is not a complete review]

I am reading this translation along with the telugu original, which is available on archive.org at:

https://ia600306.us.archive.org/9/ite...

I highly recommend reading the two in tandem. As the translator herself shares with us in the introduction, the beauty of the original verse is sometimes lost in translation, because there is no corresponding vocabulary in English for some of the erotic psychophysiological expressions Muddupalani uses in this narrative poem. It is also impossible to paraphrase some of the wordplay and onomatopoeia in the prose without losing the special flavor of the language. On the other hand, the translation helps clarify obsolete medieval-telugu adages and metaphors, and many words I am not familiar with.

Sometimes it's also amusing to read how the translator chose to render some of the subtle culture-specific expressions and extraordinary compound words in English. I pause to work out how I may have translated the same differently, and then I am able to appreciate the translator's ability to delineate the text in simple language even more!

[Revanth Ukkalam · Rating 5 out of 5]

"ఏమి చెప్పుదును మన్మధస్వామి మాయ?"
“ఔరా, శాబాసు, మేలు, భళారె, ఖూబు"

[Fortuna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. My lack of familiarity with Indian culture, history, religion, etc made most of the context fly over my head, but the content is still rather universal, so I'd recommend it along to people even if they might not understand too well.

[Enigma · Rating 4 out of 5]

oh muddupalani, you genius women with wit, intellect and poetic sensibility. She subverts the bhakti poetry tradition so well because here it's the deity who needs to fulfill the desires of the devotee. The bold assertion of women's sexuality and desires help in confronting women's agency of the times. The lore about the reintroduction of the book post early modern era is also quite interesting. Since British colonialist ideas of purity made the genre of erotic poetry a taboo, especially the one written by a woman whose writing highlighted women's subjectivity. The introduction covers this quite beautifully. I wish I knew Telugu because so many things have been lost in translation. But the translator did a great job.

[Milan Vohra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much much before there was the 50 shades of gray, much before there was Radha as Gopi, as devadasi.. there was Krishna.The ultimate lover. Somebody informed me that there's a saying in Malayalam that you can count all the grains of sand in the sea but you can't count the many loves of Krishna. The book is in verse - not my everyday kind of read. But I'm kind of glad I was introduced to it. The poignancy of Radha's blossoming love, the loss, jealousy, anger and maturity are great human insights and pretty relevant to any relationship even today.

[Ashutosh Khedkar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hot damn! The most sensuous book I have ever read.
Can't believe this was written 250 years ago. Someone, especially a woman writing this in 21st century India would create a huge controversy, yet this was written 250 years ago under the patronage of a Maratha Hindu king is so brilliant. And saddens me about the level of censorship happening right now.
Also written and translated by a woman. Plus the number of obstacles that had to be overcome to get this printed is fascinating! A must read.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muddupalani, an ancient Indian devadasi (sacred courtasan) wrote an epic poem about Krisha and Radha's love affair, it's primary theme revolves around its erotic content and portrayal of female desire.

The poem, a Telugu classic, depicts Radha's emotional and physical relationship with Krishna, exploring themes of love, jealousy, and desire. It was considered a groundbreaking work for its candid depiction of female sexuality and its portrayal of women taking the initiative in sexual encounters, which led to censorship and suppression.

I really enjoyed this, gorgeously sensual and I loved the sexual inuendos.

[Karandeep · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Indian classic, a ballad and a literature that exhibits a range of emotional experiences.

The book will need a certain background about Krishna and Radha to understand the progress of the poem, though most of it has been explained in the introduction, a bit of context won't harm.

Also, this poem has been translated with utmost grace and care has been taken to keep it elegant. One thing, I experienced a plethora of emotions those that were interpreted by my life experiences - this book does a wonderful job at that.

This poem exudes love in all forms and should be read.

[Hrishikesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's obvious that this work is a literary masterpiece. Even with the shortcomings of the English language, which, upon translation, fails to capture the emotion, imagery, even the poesy in places, the work is nothing short of beautiful. (this is in no way a criticism of the translation. The languages and cultures are just different and there is an obvious lack of equivalence when it comes to certain things about expressions)

[Pallavi · Rating 3 out of 5]

An important piece of work in the history of Indian literature. I found the introduction completely fascinating. I wished the translator had added footnotes throughout the text, rather than a glossary at the end. The text itself was repetitive and scandalous, but I enjoyed the vibrancy of the poem.

[Rafaele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muddupalani sabe muito bem o que é beleza e classe, os personagens são charmosos e encantadores e o livro é um deleite.

[Janga Pardhu · Rating 4 out of 5]

The original Telugu poem is certainly much better, but given the difficulty in reading such an old text, I'm glad this version exists.

[Vidya Sagar Vobbilisetti · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a lot of expectations, should have went in blind 😅

[Aishwarya · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Restless, lonely, overwhelmed with sadness
Dejected, betrayed, listless
She fainted over and again
Cursing Ila and Hari!" (Ch. 3)
....
"She dislikes sleeping on the bed
Preferring my chest
She dislikes sitting on a chair
Preferring my lap
She dislikes eating sweets
Preferring my lips
She cares not to call her maids
Prefers to call only me with love
Such an embodiment of goodness,
Have I forsaken,
Can this be anything but a curse from the almighty?" (Ch. 4)
.
Radhika (Radha) marries her protégé Iladevi to Nandagopala & waits for Krishna's return. Leaves withered, clouds darkened, it rained arrows on the soft petal skinned Radha, but her mightiest Yadava didn't return. She sends a message via., parrot to Kamsa killer but it returns dejected with a devastating news about how Hari has fallen head over heels for Iladevi & her newly learnt Kama Shastra skills. Distraught, Radha's love turns to despicable hatred over his betrayal. As Yadava realises how he has overlooked Radha's devotion & love, he hopefully returns to be accepted. Will Krishna conciliate outraged Radha?
.
The Appeasement of Radhika being an erotic epic has seen ban, more than once, written by a well versed courtesan Muddupalani to her Krishna, torn between his two lovers' sexual desire. Being an 18th century female poet, Muddupalani had the guts to write about female sexual gratification to male audience. Without the ardent effort of Nagarathnamma, another talented, educated courtesan, this book would've been lost over the ages. With Sandhya Mulchandani's attempt to translate this Telugu text into English, our souls wouldn't have been bathed in these delightful verses. And without Penguin's publication, I wouldn't be here suggesting this classic book to y'all. This book should be on your bookshelf, with pride.
.
Rating: 5/5 🌟