Yerrapragada
Errana or Errapregada (Telugu: ఎర్రాప్రగడ) was a Telugu poet in the court of Prolaya Vemareddy (1325–1353), the founder of Reddy dynasty (1325–1424) of Kondaveedu, who ruled Guntur, Prakasam, Nellore, and Kurnool districts of the state of Andhra Pradesh. Errana was also known as Yellapregada or Errapregada. He was honored with the title Prabandha Parameshwara (the supreme lord of Prabandha) and Shambudasusu.[1]
Birth and Ancestors
Errana was born in Gudluru village in Pakanadu (presently Prakasam district) and lived in Chadalawada, Guntur district. He belonged to Shrivatsa gotram and Apastambha sutram of the Brahmin caste. His father was Surana and mother was Potamma. His grandfather was Errapotana whose name was given to him and his grandmother was Perama. His great-grandparents were Bolana and Polama and his great-great-grandfather was Bhimana. His family religion was Aradhya Shaivism. His teacher was Srisankaraswamy, an orthodox Shaiva. Although Errana was a devotee of Lord Shiva and his family was Shaiva family, he worshipped Lord Vishnu also.
Contributions
The Sanskrit Mahabharata was translated into Telugu over a period of several centuries (11th to 14th centuries AD). Errana was one of the kavitrayam (the trinity of poets) who translated Mahabharatam. The other two poets were Nannaya and Tikkana of Andhra mahabharatam. Tikkana translated the remaining books starting from the 4th, leaving the half finished third book, Aranya Parvamu (the Book of Forest), for Errana. Tikkana did not touch this part because it was considered to be inauspicious to translate this book, which was left half-finished by Nannaya. Errana started the remaining half of the Aranya Parvamu with the style of Nannaya and ended it with the style of Tikkana as a bridge between the parts translated by Nannaya and Tikkana. Just like Nannaya and Tikkana, he used half Sanskrit and half Telugu in his Telugu translation of Sanskrit Mahabharatamu. He translated Harivamsamu and Ramayanamu from Sanskrit and dedicated to king Prolaya Vemareddy. Nrisimhapuranamu was his own independent work. Errana got his inspiration for Nrisimhapuranam from his grandfather Errapotana. According to legend, one day when Errana was meditating, his grandfather appeared and advised him to write Narisimhapuranamu. This work was based on Brahmandapuranamu and Vishnupuranamu.
According to Vishnupuranamu, Hiranyakasyapa was a powerful king of Bharatavarsha (the mythological country that encompassed the entire Indian subcontinent) and was a contemporary of Indra, the king of Ilavritavarsha, also known as Swarga, which was located in the North. The subjects of Bharatavarsha were called Manavas (the descendants of Manu - humans). The subjects of Indra were Devatas. Hiranyakasyapa fought a war with Indra and occupied Ilavritavarsha. Under the rule of Hiranyakasyapa, most of the Devatas either converted to or disguised as Manavas for the fear of Hiranyakasyapa. Another contemporary of Hiranyakasyapa was Lord Vishnu, who ruled the land beyond Ilavritavarsha in the ksheerasagar (sea of milk).