The poet was imbued with high ideas, noble aims and love of freedom; these characteristics he shared with great men of old. The king offered him the post of the paNDita (पण्डितः) in the High Court, the highest position that a saMskR^ita scholar (संस्कृतविद्वान्) could then aspire to, but the poet did not accept it on the ground that (it) would prove a bar to his spiritual sAdhanA-s.
To all who went to him he was exceedingly kind and courteous; he had not the slightest trace of jealousy for other scholars.
A boy introduced himself to the poet with a manuscript of his prose work in hand. The poet received him kindly, and after going through the manuscript he expressed his appreciation of the ability of the boy to write chaste poetic prose in saMskR^ita (संस्कृतम्), called him bAla-bANa (बालबाणः) and recommended him to the notice of the king. The boy later became mahAmahopAdhyAya dr. gaNapati-shAstrI (महामहोपाध्यायः गणपतिशास्त्री), the famous editor of the trivendram saMskR^ita series (त्रिवेन्द्रं संस्कृत सीरिज). (This incident was related to me by Dr. gaNapatI-shAstrI (गणपतिशास्त्री) himself.).
A nampUtiri paNDita (नम्पूतिरि-पण्डितः), author of a commentary on the shekhara (शेखरः) of nAgojI-bhaTTa (नागोजीभट्टः), paid his respects to the king. The poet introduced the paNDita (पण्डितः) as a great vaiyAkaraNa (वैयाकरणः) and the latter received a liberal royal reward. The nampUtiri (नम्पूतिरि) thanked the poet saying that he was not honored so much by the royal present as by the recommendation of a poet and scholar of rAmaswAmI-shAstrI’s (रामस्वामीशास्त्री) eminence.
At one time there occurred a rift between the king and kerala-varmA (केरलवर्मा) as a result of which the latter was interned at alleppy (अल्लेप्पी). As the poet was remarkable for wit and conversation, the king sent him to kerala-varmA (केरलवर्मा) to settle their differences. The keraladautya (केरलदौत्यम्) or the embassy of the poet to kerala-varmA (केरलवर्मा) is graphically described by the latter in the fourth canto of his vishAkhavijaya (विशाखविजयः). The conversation between the two poets, guru and disciple, couched in alternate halves of anuShTup-shloka-s (अनुष्टुप्छन्दः) offers interesting reading. The guru asks his disciple to apologize to the king, the disciple however thinks that his guru’s blessings would give him sure relief from his straits rather than any amount of humbling himself before the wrathful ruler. The poet at last invokes the grace of his family Goddess on behalf of his disciple and retires.
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अथानुयुज्य कुशलं कुशलः शास्त्रिपुङ्गवः ।
तेन सल्लापमकरोदित्थमर्धसमस्यया ॥
भवते कुप्यति कुतः कुलशेखरभूपतिः ।
यावदत्र भवान्वेद तावदेव ह्यवैम्यहम् ॥
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क्षमापतेः पदे नत्वा क्षमापयतु तं भवान् ।
न मां दिदृक्षते स्वामी नमाम्यस्य पदे कथम् ॥
प्रेष्यतां पत्रिका तर्हि प्रश्रयाद्दर्शनार्थिनी ।
भवत्वेवं भवन्तो मामनुगृह्णन्तु सन्ततम् ॥
मोचयेत्सङ्कटाद्युष्मान् शङ्करी भक्तकिङ्करी ।
शेश्वीयाताश्वासदायी (?) शश्वद्विश्वास एष मे ॥
}