VedicChronicles

Introduction Raghava Yadivyam is a Sanskrit poem written by the 17th century poet Venkatadhvari. The poem is unique in that it can be read in two different ways: forwards and backwards. When read forwards, the poem tells the story of Lord Rama from the Ramayana. When read backwards, the poem tells the story of Lord Krishna from the Mahabharata. The Name of the Poem The name of the poem, Raghava Yadivyam, is also interesting. The word “Raghava” refers to Lord Rama, while the word “Yadava” refers to Lord Krishna. This suggests that the poem is a synthesis of the characters of Lord Rama and Lord Krishna. What Makes the Poem So Unique The unique feature of Raghava Yadivyam is that it is an anuloma-viloma-kavya. This means that it is a poem with two meanings, one that can be read forwards and one that can be read backwards. This is a very rare feat in Sanskrit poetry, and it is one of the things that makes Raghava Yadivyam such a unique and special work. The way this is achieved is through