Kirātārjunīya

देवाकानिनि कावादे
वाहिकास्वस्वकाहि वा ।
काकारेभभरे का का
निस्वभव्यव्यभस्वनि ॥

This poem is a palindromic poem and each line reads the same when read from both the sides.

Translation: "O man who desires war! This is that battlefield which excites even the gods, where the battle is not of words. Here people fight and stake their lives not for themselves but for others. This field is full of herds of maddened elephants. Here those who are eager for battle and even those who are not very eager, have to fight.

The Ambigram Poem

तं भूसुतामुक्तिमुदारहासं
वंदे यतो भव्यभवं दयाश्रीः |
श्रीयादवं भव्यभतोयदेवं
संहारदामुक्तिमुतासुभूतम|

चिरं विरंचिर्न चिरं विरंचिः
साकारता सत्यासतारका सा |
साकारता सत्यसत्यसतारका सा
चिरं विरंचिर्न चिरं विरंचिः || 2||

Shishupaalavadha - The slaying of shishupaala

This poem is noted for its intricate wordplay, and textual complexity. The 19th canto contains the following stanza which has been called "the most complex and exquisite type of palindrome ever invented" - it yields the same text if read forwards, backwards, down, or up:


सकारनानारकास
कायसाददसायका.
रसाहवावाहसार
नादवाददवादना.
नादवाददवादना
रसाहवावाहसार.
कायसाददसायका
सकारनानारकास.

sa-kA-ra-nA-nA-ra-kA-sa

-kA-ya-sA-da-da-sA-ya-kA

ra-sA-ha-vA vA-ha-sA-ra

-nA-da-vA-da-da-vA-da-nA.

(nA da vA da da vA da nA

ra sA ha vA vA ha sA ra

kA ya sA da da sA ya kA

sa kA ra nA nA ra kA sa)

(note: hyphen indicates same word). The last four lines are the reversed version of the first four, given for clarity in associating the properties of the verse.

The tale is that of Shishupala, king of the Chedis in central India, probably the same as Bundelkhand. Shishupala challenged Krishna to fight, upon which the latter struck his head off with his discus.

The stanza translates as:

[That army], which relished battle (rasAhavA) contained allies who brought low the bodes and gaits of their various striving enemies (sakAranAnArakAsakAyasAdadasAyakA), and in it the cries of the best of mounts contended with musical instruments (vAhasAranAdavAdadavAdanA).