SCHOLARLYWORKSOFVASISTHAGANAPATIMUNI

VasisthaMunineverwrotefornameorfame.Tapaswashispreoccupation.Asapartoftapas,hetook
toliteraryactivities.HewasapoetofmagnituderankingnexttoKaviKalidasa.Hisworkscoverawide
rangeofsubjects.HisimportantworksinSanskritareenlisted:
1. UMASAHASRAM:ThisisthemagnumopusoftheMuni.Alaudof1000versesinpraiseof
GoddessUma,theconsortofLordSiva.
2. INDRANISAPTASATI:Alaudof700versescastinthevariousmetricalmouldsderivedfrom
the7chandasofVeda.Eachverseofchiseledbeautylikeacrystalreflectsthegloryofthe
GoddessIndrani.
3. PRACHANDACHANDITRISATI:Alaudof300versesinpraiseofGoddessPrachandachandi.
4. UMASATAKAM:100versesinpraiseofGoddessUma,theconsortofLordSiva.
5. SIVASATAKAM:100versesinpraiseofLordSiva.
6. UMATRISATI:300namesofGoddessUmafordailyrecitalcomposedasstotras.
7. INDRASAHASRANAMA:1000namesofIndraasoccurringintheVedacalledandmadeintoa
powerfulstotra.ThereisauniquecompositionconferringallthebenefitsofVedaadhyayanaon
thereciter.
8. GITAMALA:AgarlandofstotrasontheVedicdeitieslikeAgni,Vayu,Chandra,andSurya.
9. RAMANACHATVARIMSAT:40versesinpraiseofBhagavanSriRamanaMaharshiwhichare
reciteddailyatSriRamanasramam.
10. HERAMBOPASTHANAM:StotrasdealingwiththeworshipofLordGanesha.
11. VISVAMIMAMSA:ThisdealswiththeprincipleofIswara,Sakti,allthegodsandgoddesses,the
individualsoul,thedivinedescentandthemeansofworshipaspropoundedintheUpanishads.It
alsodealswiththeconceptsofHeaven,Hell,variouslokasandthefinalliberation.
12. RAMANAGITA:ArecordofthequestionsaskedbydevoteesandanswersgivenbySriRamana
Maharshi.
13. TATVAGHANTASATAKAM:100versescomposedextemporeinonehourasapartofavadhana
nearUdupi.AgoodexampleoftheMuni'smetaphysicalwritings.
14. MAHAVIDYASUTRAM:The10CosmicpowersoftheGreatGoddess,theTantricdasamaha
vidyasaredealtwithintheseaphorisms,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.Inthiscategorycomesthefamousnovel
PURNAandtheworkofcriticismonMAHABHARATA.Kavyakanthahasalsowrittenonanideal
constitutionSAMRAJYANIBHANDANAMforacountry.
Alltheworksdisplayhisinspiration,originality,anduniqueness.

Reference:BhagavanandNayana,S.Shankaranarayanan,CopyrightbySriRamanasramam,Tiruvannamalai