SCHOLARLYWORKSOFVASISTHAGANAPATIMUNI

VasisthaMunineverwrotefornameorfame.Tapaswashispreoccupation.Asapartoftapas,hetooktoliteraryactivities.HewasapoetofmagnituderankingnexttoKaviKalidasa.Hisworkscoverawiderangeofsubjects.HisimportantworksinSanskritareenlisted:

1. UMASAHASRAM:ThisisthemagnumopusoftheMuni.Alaudof1000versesinpraiseofGoddessUma,theconsortofLordSiva.

2. INDRANISAPTASATI:Alaudof700versescastinthevariousmetricalmouldsderivedfromthe7chandasofVeda.EachverseofchiseledbeautylikeacrystalreflectsthegloryoftheGoddessIndrani.

3. PRACHANDACHANDITRISATI:Alaudof300versesinpraiseofGoddessPrachandachandi.4. UMASATAKAM:100versesinpraiseofGoddessUma,theconsortofLordSiva.5. SIVASATAKAM:100versesinpraiseofLordSiva.6. UMATRISATI:300namesofGoddessUmafordailyrecitalcomposedasstotras.7. INDRASAHASRANAMA:1000namesofIndraasoccurringintheVedacalledandmadeintoa

powerfulstotra.ThereisauniquecompositionconferringallthebenefitsofVedaadhyayanaonthereciter.

8. GITAMALA:AgarlandofstotrasontheVedicdeitieslikeAgni,Vayu,Chandra,andSurya.9. RAMANACHATVARIMSAT:40versesinpraiseofBhagavanSriRamanaMaharshiwhichare

reciteddailyatSriRamanasramam.10. HERAMBOPASTHANAM:StotrasdealingwiththeworshipofLordGanesha.11. VISVAMIMAMSA:ThisdealswiththeprincipleofIswara,Sakti,allthegodsandgoddesses,the

individualsoul,thedivinedescentandthemeansofworshipaspropoundedintheUpanishads.ItalsodealswiththeconceptsofHeaven,Hell,variouslokasandthefinalliberation.

12. RAMANAGITA:ArecordofthequestionsaskedbydevoteesandanswersgivenbySriRamanaMaharshi.

13. TATVAGHANTASATAKAM:100versescomposedextemporeinonehourasapartofavadhananearUdupi.AgoodexampleoftheMuni'smetaphysicalwritings.

14. MAHAVIDYASUTRAM:The10CosmicpowersoftheGreatGoddess,theTantricdasamahavidyasaredealtwithintheseaphorisms,andtheirmysteriesunraveled.

15. RAJAYOGASARASUTRAM:OntheessenceofRajaYoga,theseSutrasarecomposed.16. SABDAPRAMANACHARCHA:TheoriginoftheVedaisdiscussed.17. PANCHAJANACHARCHA:Workcondemninguntouchabilitywiththeauthorityofthesastras.18. VIVAHADHARMASUTRAM:Onmarriageasasacrament.19. ISOPANISHATBHASHYA:AsimpleandlucidcommentaryontheintricateUpanishad.20. UPADESASARABHASHYA:AcommentaryontheMaharshi'supadesasaram.21. CHIKITSANUSASANAM:Workonmedicine.22. AYURVEDASANGRAHAH:Workonmedicine.23. PRANATOSANAM:Workonmedicine.24. SODASASLOKI:Workonastrology.25. HORANIRNAYASANGRAHAH:Workonastrology.26. TRIBHAVAPHALACHANDRIKA:Workonastrology.27. INDRAGITAMU:BookinTelugudvipada,astotraonIndra.

Apartfromthese,arecertainworksoftheMuni,incomplete.InthiscategorycomesthefamousnovelPURNAandtheworkofcriticismonMAHABHARATA.KavyakanthahasalsowrittenonanidealconstitutionSAMRAJYANIBHANDANAMforacountry.

Alltheworksdisplayhisinspiration,originality,anduniqueness.

Reference:BhagavanandNayana,S.Shankaranarayanan,CopyrightbySriRamanasramam,Tiruvannamalai