Manuscript Repositories in India – 1

‪#‎Manuscripts‬ Narendra Modi Smriti Zubin Irani
I’m frequently visiting manuscript repositories in Pune and Chennai. Some of these are Government funded, while some are not.
Government controlled ones have not seen any appointment in near past and are struggling for manpower. Non-government repositories are struggling for funding.

Irrespective of controller of these organizations, scanning of manuscript is not completed in many of these repositories.
Libraries where people from Government went to scan manuscripts, it was seen that they were handling manuscripts carelessly in unprofessional way and hence damaging manuscripts. So, some organizations stopped scanning. Scanners were also putting scans 1
unorganized.


Some manuscript libraries don’t have any option to allow independent scholars like me, a monk of-course. They only allow PhD 1
students, which I’m not.

Some libraries have rate cards so absurd that you can only laugh on them and then cry on your lack of money.

I think that these repositories took these manuscripts from our ancestors and maTha-s(मठ , आश्रम), etc. assuring that they will be saved from moths, etc. and will be provided to scholars easily, so that they could study and research.
I can’t see any trait of this idea in many curators/rules of libraries.

I’ve seen that many palm-leaves are decaying from decades, and people sitting in libraries are not even trying to transcribe to paper.
I’ve seen paper manuscripts falling from hand and turning to dust, while people handling them don’t seem to have any shame/pain.
I’ve seen ink of paper manuscripts fading to extent of illegibility, and people who are there to save it do not care to transcribe/scan it.
I’ve seen that after damaging them or losing them, libraries just mark them misplaced, so that they could use it as eternal excuse for future generation of researchers/ scholars.

It must be noted that many manuscripts have/may have a single copy left in this world. In that condition, any type of damage/decay is just ensuring that it will be lost for ever.

Palm-leaf manuscript give you very small chance to recover any work in it’s entirety.
And, about every manuscript has been missing a page or two or two hundred of them.
So, you can never recover a work with manuscript in many cases.

So, I request all people to go to manuscript libraries you know, use your camera/scanner, use your money to take pictures/scan of these manuscripts or get a xerox copy of them.

These libraries are themselves poor or lack manpower/or have irresponsible persons in power; so let us try to get most important/most interesting/most decayed manuscripts first.

Some libraries have scanned manuscripts, but they sell them on such a high price that only an art-collector could buy them.
Government has them scanned, but it doesn’t appear that it will be sharing with us easily.

Please, help us get our thing back from these libraries and save them.

khaNDana-khaNDa-khAdya with shAradA commentary

khaNDana-khaNDa-khAdya(खण्डनखण्डखाद्यम्) of shrI-harSha(श्रीहर्षः) is studied by advaitin-s after acquiring proficiency in laghu-prasthAna(upaniShad, gItA, brahma-sUtra).
It is dedicated to refute the whole thinking system of naiyAika-s, the followers of gautama(गौतमः).
It goes to an extent where anything said to define anything seems polluted with flaws.

And, the state of things having no perfect definition or marks, is what
vedAntin-s know as anirvachanIyatA(अनिर्वचनीयता). This is the nature of this whole
world and it’s cause – avidyA(अविद्या).
This nature is common to things seen in illusion. So, vedAntin-s call this world illusion.
As
illusion of any kind is found to be refuted by correct knowledge of it’s
adhisThAna(अधिष्ठानम्), the substratum(the thing which was not known); hence
vedAntin-s say that this illusory world and it’s cause are destroyed and
refuted by knowledge of brahman(which is substratum of this illusion).

The
khaNDana-khaNDa-khAdyam(खण्डनखण्डखाद्यम्) helps vedAntin-s reach the decision that world
is similar to illusiory things and dream by refuting validity of every
possible definition of things which we grant as real and permanent.

As
the work was created when technical language of naiyAyika-s(नैयायिकाः) was quite
simple, it refutes only those definitions which were based on that
simple language.

As a result of this treatise the whole logic
system of that time collapsed. This caused naiyAyika-s(नैयायिकाः) to think about
errors in their definitions and the language used. As a result a new
complicated language was born in mithilA(मिथिला). ga~Ngesha-upAdhyAya(गङ्गेश उपाध्यायः) was the
man who first used such language. He is hence known as starter
of a new era of tarka-shAstra(तर्कशास्त्रम्). His famous work is tattva-chintA-maNi(तत्त्वचिन्तामणिः)
which was in a way answer to vedAntin-s(वेदान्ती).

As mere change of language
didn’t cause change in definitions, so vedAntin-s neglected refutation of this new work. Actually, new generation of naiyAyika-s(नैयायिकाः)
came near to vedAntin-s(वेदान्तिनः) while trying to define things more correctly. They reached many
times the same conclusion which was familiar to vedAntin-s(वेदान्तिनः), but to save
themselves from this incapability they named it akhaNDopAdhi(अखण्डोपाधिः).
vedAntin-s(वेदान्तिनः) hence didn’t get bothered.

But, in some places new logics were presented to refute anirvachanIytavam(अनिर्वचनीयत्वम्) and they were not refuted by older vedAntin-s(वेदान्तिनः) properly.
Moreover, some works of shrI-udayanAchArya(उदयनाचार्यः), such as laxaNAvalI(लक्षणावली), were complex in nature and hence became base for new tArkika-s(नव्यतार्किकाः).
Seeing
all this a scholar paramahaMsa-saMnyAsI(विद्वान् परमहंसः संन्यासी)
shrI-sha~Nkara-chaitanya-bhAratI(स्वामी शङ्करचैतन्यभारती), who was a devI-upAsaka(श्रीविद्योपासकः) and knower of kAshmIra-shaiva-Agama (काश्मीरशैवागमविशारदः), started to write a refutation.

He took
khaNDana-khaNDa-khAdya(खण्डनखण्डखाद्यम्) as base and started to write a commentary on it.
He explained it at places where it was obscure or appeared
wrong.(Actually khaNDana-khaNDa-khAdyam is really such a difficult work
to study for anyone). He adopted language of navya-naiyAyika-s(नव्यनैयायिकाः). While
taking in consideration the refutation of khaNDana(खण्डनखण्डखाद्यम्) by navya-naiyyAyika-s(नव्यनैयायिकाः)
at all places he presented refutation of their amendments(परिष्कारः). They were
mostly the same definitions but with more complex words and assumptions.
So, it took some more space to refute them. New logics presented by
tArkika-s(तार्किकाः) were also refuted by this saMnyAsI(संन्यासी) with his ingenious logics(नूतनोद्भावनाः).
Nothing was left. It was complete in every way.

As the commentary
shAradA(शारदा टीका) also appeared difficult to understand and explain at some
places, the author(शारदाकारः) wrote a sub-commentary called rAjahaMsa(राजहंसः). It’s like
Tup-TikA(टुप्टीका) of shrI-kumArila-bhaTTa(श्रीमान् कुमारिलो भट्टः) in nature.

Both these, shAradA(शारदा) and rAjahaMsa(राजहंसः), were published by apAranAtha-maTha(अपारनाथमठः) of vArANasI(वाराणसी) in 1938-1940. Author(शारदाकारः) himself was the editor. (I heard that author was only 24 years old at that time!!!!)

In
addition to it, the author wrote an introduction to this book(added in
second volume), titled darshana-sarvasvam(दर्शनसर्वस्वम्), which took shape of another
book in future because of it’s depth and newness of style. Again
the language of this was so difficult that it needed a commentary rAjahaMsa(राजहंसः) by the
author(दर्शनसर्वस्वकारः) himself at some places. Later it was commented by his grand-disciple
shrI-sudhAmshu-shekhara-shAstrI(सुधांशुशेखरशास्त्री). He also translated it and published.
This work was taught at BHU, Varanasi(बनारस हिन्दू विश्वविद्यालय) and
sampUrNAnanda-saMskR^ita-vishvavidyAlaya(सम्पूर्णानन्दसंस्कृतविश्वविद्यालयः) at
AchArya-level(M.A.).(Although, BHU has removed it from it’s syllabus as
they have no capable teacher for it. Shame !!)

An interesting event took place after it was published. shrI-ananta-kR^iShNa-shAstrI(अनन्तकृष्णशास्त्री) saw
it at that time and doubted it’s originality and flawlessness. He said
that such language and work is not possible in present time and this
commentary must be work of some old person which is popularized by the
saMnyAsI in his name. He wrote letter to saMnyAsI and challenged him to
prove his ability. shrI-sha~Nkara-chaitanya-bhAratI(शङ्करचैतन्यभारती) said that he may
come to vArAnasI, but he shouldn’t expect any shAstrArtha(शास्त्रार्थः). Anyway, shAstrI
came to vArAnasI at lalitA-ghATa(ललिताघाट). svAmI met him in the temple of
shrI-rAjarAjeshvarI(राजराजेश्वरीमन्दिरम्)(which is very famous even now). shAstrI asked him to
explain something related to vedAnta. svAmI explained. He again asked.
He again replied. He then said that svAmI is actually capable of
writing such thing. After he showed his contentment, svAmI started to
talk again and showed many errors in his own explanations, which were not
caught by shAstrI. shAstrI was amazed. He prostrated before him and
went.
This is a famous story we know.

As it is already a
long time since it was published, the shAradA(शारदा) was unavailable for many
of us.

The introduction part, darshana-sarvasvam(दर्शनसर्वस्वम्), though got extra
attention of shrI-sudhAmshu-shekhara-shAStrI(सुधांशुशेखरशास्त्री), Retd. Prof. of vedAnta, BHU and
was published with a new sanskrit commnetary and hindi explanation by
shrI-shAstrI. It was also taught at some Universities. So, it withstood
extinction.

shAradA(शारदा) was not so lucky. In a scenario where
khaNDana-khaNDa-khAdyam(खण्डनखण्डखाद्यम्) is not studied by more than handful people due
to complexity of subject and language, what could we expect about study
of shAradA(शारदा). This lack of study causes absence of demand of book and
hence the book was never published again, until shrI-shAstrI took the
work again.

He started to translate the khaNDana-khaNDa-khAdyam(खण्डनखण्डखाद्यम्)
according to shAradA commentary(शारदा). rAjahaMsa(राजहंसः) of shAradA(शारदा) was published as a
different book in original edition with reference to corresponding pages in the
shAradA-publication. It caused difficulties for AchArya and shiShya-s
both, and probably for Goddess shAradA(देवी शारदा) too as she was bereft of her beloved
rAjahaMsa(राजहंसः). So, shrI-shAstrI took rAjahaMsa(राजहंसः) to shAradA(शारदा) and created a single
book comprising both works.

shAstrI is old and a devotee of
shrI-vishvanAtha(श्रीविश्वनाथः). He spends long time at shrI-vishvanAtha temple, his
guru’s place and upAsanA. So, the translation work was slow.

One
of the saMnyAsI students of shAradA-kAra(शारदाकारः), shrI gaNeshAnanda jI(स्वामी गणेशानन्दगिरिः), motivated shrI
shAstrI to complete the work sooner and helped in many ways. The first
volume was out within a few years.

shrI-shAstrI was teaching
brahmachArI bhUmAchaitanya(ब्रह्मचारी भूमा चैतन्यः) the recently published first volume and
working on second volume since five years.
Due to his old age and
illness, etc. the second volume took a little long to get completed. It
was just published a few moths ago.

I was excited about it. I thought this post will help shAradA(शारदा) to live long with us in this world. Why I’m saying this ? Because, no more than a few people study or can understand it, and hence it is not required by many. In this case the book is not taken by sellers and purchasers and sits in stores of publisher till destroyed. I’m just wishing to let more scholars and interested people know about it.

Here is a post by svAmI abhiShekachaitanya on darshana-sarvasvam.

medha-3 for linux

A few of us are used of typing with medhA keyboard layout. It follows phonetics mostly and is easy to use.
To have a fun and to learn something about computing I switched to linux and felt that medhA is not with me.
So, tried a little. Created a custom layout. Applied it. Trials and errors were there.
But, I had a working keyboard.

Here is it for all who need it.

1. Copy and paste it and save as a text file sa(no extension)

…………………………………………………………………………..

//medha for linux
default alphanumeric_keys
xkb_symbols “sa” {

name[Group1]= “sanskrit”;
// Number rows
key <TLDE> { [ U0950, U0901, U0951 ] };
key <AE01> { [ U0967, U0909, U0952 ] };
key <AE02> { [ U0968, U090A, U1CDA ] };
key <AE03> { [ U0969, U0960, UA8F3 ] };
key <AE04> { [ U096A, U090C, U1CF2 ] };
key <AE05> { [ U096B, U0961, U1CF5 ] };
key <AE06> { [ U096C, U0914, U1CF6 ] };
key <AE07> { [ U096D, U0943, U1CE9 ] };
key <AE08> { [ U096E, U0944, U1CEA ] };
key <AE09> { [ U096F, U0962, U1CEB ] };
key <AE10> { [ U0966, U0963, U1CEC ] };
key <AE11> { [ U093D, U094C, U1CEE ] };
key <AE12> { [ U1CEF, U1CF0, U1CF1 ] };

// First row
key <AD01> { [ U0925, U0920, U1CF3 ] };
key <AD02> { [ U0948, U0910, U1CF4 ] };
key <AD03> { [ U0940, U0908 ] };
key <AD04> { [ U0930, U090B ] };
key <AD05> { [ U0924, U091F ] };
key <AD06> { [ U092F, U097A ] };
key <AD07> { [ U0941, U0942 ] };
key <AD08> { [ U093F, U0907 ] };
key <AD09> { [ U094B, U0913 ] };
key <AD10> { [ U092A ] };
key <AD11> { [ U0947, U090F ] };
key <AD12> { [ U0927, U0922 ] };
key <BKSL> { [ ] };

// Second row
key <AC01> { [ U093E, U0905 ] };
key <AC02> { [ U0938, U0936 ] };
key <AC03> { [ U0926, U0921 ] };
key <AC04> { [ U092B ] };
key <AC05> { [ U0917, U0918 ] };
key <AC06> { [ U0939 ] };
key <AC07> { [ U091C, U091D ] };
key <AC08> { [ U0915, U0916 ] };
key <AC09> { [ U0932, U0933 ] };
key <AC10> { [ U091E ] };
key <AC11> { [  ] };

// Third row
key <AB01> { [ ] }; // z
key <AB02> { [ U0937 ] };
key <AB03> { [ U091A, U091B ] };
key <AB04> { [ U0935 ] }; //
key <AB05> { [ U092C, U092D ] };
key <AB06> { [ U0928, U0923 ] }; //
key <AB07> { [ U092E, U0919 ] }; //
key <AB08> { [ U094d, U0906 ] }; //
key <AB09> { [ U0902, U0965 ] };
key <AB10> { [ U0903, U0964 ] };

// space, space, Zero-Width-Non-Joiner (ZWNJ), Zero-Width-Joiner (ZWJ):
include “nbsp(zwnj3zwj4)”

// begin modifier mappings
//    modifier_map Shift  { Shift_L };
//    modifier_map Lock   { Caps_Lock };
//    modifier_map Control{ Control_L };
//    modifier_map Mod3   { Mode_switch };
include “level3(ralt_switch)”
};

………………………………………………………………………………………….

2. add this to evdev.xml
…………………………………………………………………………….
<variant>
<configItem>
<name>sa</name>
<description>sanskrit</description>
<languageList>
<iso639Id>sa</iso639Id>
</languageList>
</configItem>
</variant>
…………………………………………………………………………….

3. Open termial and run this as superuser
………………………………….
setxkbmap -layout ‘us,sa’
………………………………….

4. Set switching keys in keyboard options.

That’s all.

Note that I was unable to put ligatures in this keyboard. So, if you want to type प्र you have to press p + , + r . Just pressing shift + p will not work (as was in the case of ‘medhA for windows’).
Another thing, I was not able to activate this keyboard with GUI and any change made there caused loss of medhA. I hope someone will help me.

Update: Follow Github “https://github.com/lalitaalaalitah/medhA-keyboard_layout/tree/master/Linux” for any updates.

karma, chitta-shuddhi & GYAna

A: chitta-shuddhi !! What’s this ?
B: Lack of impurities of mind.
A: And what are those impurities ?
B: kAma, krodha, etc.
A: Is it possible to totally eradicate these ?

B: Certainly not. That’s why you see great people slipping. And that’s why sha~Nkara says – sunipuNAnAmapi sUxmAparAdhadarshanAt.
See story of purANa-s, you will find ample proof.
That’s why shrI-vidyAraNya shows that even jIvanmukta-s are not free of these ashuddhi-s :
yadA tu jalAddravatvaM vahnervoShNatvaM nivAryeta tadA chittAtkarttR^itvAdinivAraNasambhavaH .
Translation by Goodding :
When one can remove fluidity from water, or heat from fire, then there is the possibility of removing the notion of being a doer, etc. from the mind.
A: So, what is this purity which is natural to jIvanmukta-s and is practiced by sAdhaka-s :
B: abhibhava (overcoming) of these impurities to maximum extent. This is done by yoga and sadvAsanAbhyAsa (practicing good qualities).
So, everyone can practice this chitta-shuddhi.
And, clearly there is no thing like 100% chitta-shuddhi.

A: Why should one try to reach this chitta-shuddhi ?
B: For GYAna.
A: Any proof that it is needed for birth of knowledge ? Any shruti, etc. ?
B: vairAgya, etc. are needed for GYAna, because shruti says : shAnto dAnta uparatastitixuH, etc.
A: But, shruti doesn’t say that chitta-shuddhi is for GYAna. It says vairAgya, etc. are needed.
B: It is intermediate state. Chitta-shuddhi happens between vairAgya, etc. and GYAna. Without chitta-shuddhi there can be no GYAna.
Or,
vairAgya is itself a type of shuddhi.
A: Be it so. But in first case, we have no specific word for chitta-shuddhi in shruti.
In second case, overcoming falsehood, etc. are needed for saving oneself from sins and gaining trust of others, etc. So, truth which is eradication of falsehood(a type of ashuddhi) is not unique to GYAna. So, you can’t say that any type of chitta-shuddi will work for GYAna.
You must have specific type of shuddhi which is otherwise known as sAdhana-chatuShTaya.
viveka is a type of shuddhi which means overcoming aviveka(indiscrimination of eternal and others)
vairAgya means overcoming rAga in anitya, etc. And so on.
So, it comes that generalized chitta-shuddhi is not the need of GYAna. The specific type of chitta-shuddhi which is needed is well depicted by shruti and AchArya, etc.

Now, what’s the use of karma ?
shruti says that karma-s are needed for GYAna as – yaGYena dAnene tapasAnAshakena.
So, we hold that karma helps in gaining viveka, vairAGYA, guru, etc.

Someone says that karma-s are not unique cause of chitta-shuddhi. That’s true. But, generalized chitta-shuddhi is not essential for GYAna too.

gomatIdAsaH -15

The edition of the first two poems is based on a paper transcript in the possession of shrI rAmasvAmI ayyar (रामस्वामी अय्यर) ; for editing the AryAdvishatI (आर्याद्विशती) , a malayAlam (मलयालम्) edition printed seventy years ago (from 1962, i.e. 1892) was taken as the basis, and a palm-leaf manuscript belonging to brahmashrI subrahmaNya vadhyAr (ब्रह्मश्री सुब्रह्मण्य वढ्यार ?) of shenkotta (शेनकोट्ट) was also consulted; and the last two pieces are based on a paper transcript made by me (G. Harihara Shastri) in 1900 from the author’s own manuscripts.

shrI k. v. sharmA (श्री के वी शर्मा) of the Madras University (मद्रास यूनिवर्सिटि) procured for collation manuscripts of ashvatthagaNanAthAShTaka (अश्वत्थगणनाथाष्टकम्) , tripurasundarIgIta (त्रिपुरसुन्दरीगीतम्) and lalitAgIta (ललितागीतम्) from the library of the late mahAkavI ullUr S. parameshvara aiyar (उल्लूर एस परमेश्वर अय्यर) of trivendram (त्रिवेन्द्रम्) , through the kindness of the latter’s son shrI P. rAmanAthan (श्री पी रामनाथन). To both these friends my thanks are due.
The Sanskrit Text has been reproduced(in original book) in tamil (तमिल) transliteration for the benefit of those who are not conversant with devaAgarI (देवनागरी) script. The first letter of each of the five classes of saMskR^ita (संस्कृत) consonants is marked with 2, 3 and 4 to indicate respectively the second, third and fourth letters of the particular classes; and for sibilants , the tamil grantha (तमिल ग्रन्थ) characters are made use of.
I’m thankful to shrI rAmasvAmI ayyar (श्री रामस्वामी अय्यर) to have invited me to associate myself with the present edition and write this introduction on the life and works of the author. This task is also a matter of pleasant duty for me, since I’ve had the good fortune to be related to the family of illatUr rAmasvAmI shAstrI (इलत्तूर रामस्वामी अय्यर) , to have seen him during my young days and to have been initiated into saMskR^ita (संस्कृतम्) studies by my uncle shrI yaGYanArAyaNa shAstrI (श्री यज्ञनारायण शास्त्री) who was one of his direct disciples. The publication has blessings of His Holiness jagadguru shrI sha~NkarAchArya (जगद्गुरुः श्रीशङ्कराचार्यः) of shR^i~ngerI shAradA pITham (श्रीशृङ्गेरीशारदापीठम्) and of His Holiness jagadguru shrI sha~NkarAchArya (जगद्गुरुः शङ्कराचार्यः) of kA~nchI kAmakoTI pITham (काञ्चिकामकोटिपीठम्) .
It is hoped that this volume will be welcomed by the saMskR^ita (संस्कॄतम्) loving public and especially by those interested in the cult of shrIvidyA (श्रीविद्या) .

गोमतीदासरचिता श्रीमातुः स्तोत्रमालिका ।
कामेश्वरीभक्तलोककण्ठाभरणमेधताम् ॥

Madras,
20-2-1962                                                                                                                G. Harihara Sastri

gomatIdAsaH – 14

The works of the poet are little known to the Sanskritist outside kerala (केरलम्). After his death the bulk of his works was left uncared for a long time. It is one of the ironies of fate that a grandson of the poet and a budding Sanskritist who began to resuscitate the works was snatched away in the bloom of his youth, a few decades ago (count this from the date of this article, i.e. 1962).

The only work which was brought to light during the poet’s life time was vR^ittaratnAvalI (वृत्तरत्नावली). It was printed in malayAlam (मलयालम्) characters in trivendram (त्रिवेन्द्रम्) , but it had no publicity beyond kerala (केरलम्).
Fortunately the descendants of the poet are now busying themselves in rescuing the remnants of their family heritage. shrI rAmasvAmI aiyar(श्रीरामस्वामी ऐय्यर), B. A., L.T, of ilattUr (इलत्तुर), a pious grandson and namesake of the poet, and an earnest devotee of shrIvidyA (श्रीविद्या) is presenting in this volume (in which this introduction was published) some of the stotra-s (स्तोत्राणि) of the author which are held in great veneration by his disciples and those in their line.The volume now issued (of which this introduction was a part) contains the following stotra-s (स्तोत्राणि) :

    1.   ashvatthagaNanAthAShTaka (अश्वत्थगणनाथाष्टकम्)
    2.   dharmasaMvardhanIstotra (धर्मसंवर्धनीस्तोत्रम्)
    3.   AryAdvishatI (आर्याद्विशती)

      1.   AryAShTottarashatakam (आर्याष्टोत्तरशतकम्)
      2.   AryAshatakam (आर्याशतकम्)

    4.   tripurasundarIgIta (त्रिपुरसुन्दरीगीतम्)
    5.   lalitAgIta (ललितागीतम्)

To gaNanAtha (गणनाथः) is given the first place, because he is the God to be worshiped first and also because , he is the presiding deity of the temple at the foot of the ashvattha (अश्वत्थः) tree at ilattUr (इलत्तूर) , which is hallowed by the memories of author.

gomatIdAsaH – 13

tripurasundarI gIta (त्रिपुरसुन्दरीगीतम्) or tripurasundarIkeshAdipAdastava (त्रिपुरसुन्दरीकेशादिपादस्तवः) is an exquisite poem in twenty stanzas portraying the beauty of the Goddess from head to foot.
lalitAgItam (ललितागीतम्) or lalitAprAtaHsmaraNastava (ललिताप्रातस्स्मरणस्तवः) is a song in praise of the Goddess to be sung at dawn.
kR^iShNadaNDaka (कृष्णदण्डकम्) depicts the eternal divine love of shrIkR^iShNa (श्रीकृष्णः) and gopI-s (गोपी) of bR^indAvana (बृन्दावनम्) .
aShTaprAsashatakatraya (अष्टप्रासशतकत्रयम्) or a century of stanzas each, in praise of devI, shiva and viShNu respectively. They are composed extempore at the instance of vishAkham-tirunAl (विशाखं तिरुनाल्) . The meter employed throughout is shArdUlavikrIDita (शार्दूलविक्रीडितम्) . In each stanza an identical syllable recurs eight times in fixed places; and this alternative scheme is maintained in alphabetical order in each shataka (शतकम्) .
{
This stotra (स्तोत्रम्) is published in devanAgarI (देवनागरी) by shrI R. Harihara Subramani, 14, Brahman Street, Saidapet, Madras-15.
}
A good number of stray verses , full of wit and beauty of expression , have been composed by the author, on diverse occasions and they are in memory of village elders in kerala (केरलम्) .

gomatIdAsaH – 12

xetratattvadIpikA (क्षेत्रतत्त्वदीपिका) is a work on geometry in saMskR^ita (संस्कृतम्) in the light of Hutton’s Geometry in English.
ma~njubhAShiNi (मञ्जुभाषिणी) is a commentary on the shrI-kR^iShNa-vilAsa-kAvya (श्रीकृष्णविलासकाव्यम्) of sukumAra-kavi (सुकुमारकविः). This was written at the instance of vishAkham tirunAl (विशाखं तिरुनाल्) in the year 1872.
The author is said to have composed devotional songs on the deities of all the sacred shrines he visited; these are numerous and only a few of them are noticed here.
ashvatthagaNanAthAShTaka (अश्वत्थगणनाथाष्टकम्). When the construction of a temple was undertaken for gaNapati (गणपतिः) at the foot of an ashvattha tree (अश्वत्थवृक्षम्) at ilattUr (इलत्तूर) , the author composed the stotra (स्तोत्रम्) invoking the blessing of the God for its successful completion. The poem contains nine stanzas in sragdharA (स्रग्धरा) meter, each beginning with one of the syllables, in order, of the mUla mantra (मूलमन्त्रम्) of the deity and the long drawn line of twenty one syllables in each quarter breathing an air of plaintive appeal to the God.
dharmasaMvardhanIstotram (धर्मसंवर्द्धनीस्तोत्रम्) in fifteen stanzas in shArdUlavikrIDita (शार्दूलविक्रीडितम्) is an eulogy of the tutelary Goddess at ilattUr (इलत्तूर). Each stanza begins with one of the syllables, in order, of the AdividyA (आदिविद्या) of the shAkta-tantram (शाक्ततन्त्रम्).
AryAdvishatI (आर्याद्विशती) consists of two stotra-s (स्तोत्रम्) , AryAShTottarashataka (आर्याष्टोत्तरशतकम्) and AryAshatakam (आर्याशतकम्). The first contains 109 AryA-s (आर्याः), each one being a separate prayer to the Goddess as in the AryAshataka (आर्याशतकम्)  of mUka-kavi (मूककविः). The second following the model of saundaryalaharI (सौन्दर्यलहरी) of shrI-sha~Nkara (श्रीशङ्करः) , describes, in the first forty-one AryA-s (आर्याः) the bliss derived by the meditation of shrIpura (श्रीपुरम्), the nine chakra-s (नव चक्राणि) , the sixteen nityA-s (षोडश नित्याः) and the presiding Goddess, tripura-sundarI (त्रिपुरसुन्दरी), and in the remaining verses (42-102) the beauty of the Goddess from head to foot. This lyric poem is full of rhythmic melodies surging up from faith, devotion and spiritual ecstasy. In simplicity of style, elegance of diction and spontaneous alliteration adding to the lightness and rapidity to the flow of verses , it compares favorably with the poems of mUka (मूकः). There is another AryAdvishatI (आर्याद्विशती) also called lalitAstvaratnam (ललितास्तवरत्नम्) and shR^i~NgAravimarsha (शृङ्गारविमर्शः) , in 213 smooth-flowing AryA-s (आर्याः) attributed to the sage durvAsas (महामुनिः दुर्वासाः). It dwells upon the layout of shR^i~NgAra (शृङ्गारम्) and the beauty of the Goddess. It is possible that our author was familiar with this devotional poem.

gomatIdAsaH – 11

pArvatIpariNaya (पार्वतीपरिणयः) is a yamaka-kAvya (यमककाव्यम्) in forty-five stanzas mostly in upagIti (उपगीतिः) meter. The theme is the same as in kumArasambhava (कुमारसम्भवम्) ; there are stanzas reminiscent of the genial fancy of kAlidAsa (कालिदासः) and yamaka-s are handled without the slightest trace of artificiality.
The two small poems ambarIshacharita (अम्बरीशचरितम्) and gAndhAracharita (गान्धारचरितम्) , like the previous one, are imaginative recreations of paurANika stories (पौराणिककथाः). They were written for the use of bhAgavata-s (भागवताः) who minister to thereligious and moral instincts of the people.
kAshIyAtrAnuvarNana (काशीयात्रानुवर्णनम्) is a charming poem in 120 AryA-s (आर्याः) describing the pilgrimage of vishAkham tirunAl (विशाखं तिरुनाल्) to banAras (वाराणसी) .
kaivalyavallipariNaya (कैवल्यवल्लीपरिणयः) is an allegorical drama following the example of prabodhachandrodaya (प्रबोधचन्द्रोदयः) of kR^iShNa-mishra (कृष्णमिश्रः). It is said that the author wrote the work to teach advaita-vedAnta (अद्वैतवेदान्तम्) to a prince.
rAmodaya (रामोदयः) is a treatise on arthAla~NkAra (अर्थालङ्कारः) in vasantati(la)ka (वसन्ततिलका) meter. The first half of each verse defines a figure of speech and the other half gives its illustrationin the form of a panegyric of king Ailyam tirunAl (आइल्यं तिरुनाल्).
vR^itaaratnAvalI (वृत्तरत्नावली) is an erudite treatise on metrics. It consists of two parts. The first part deals with the sama (समवृत्तम्) , ardhasama (अर्द्धसमवृत्तम्) and viShama vR^itta-s (विषमवृत्तम्) falling under the twenty-six chhandas (छन्दः), and the second part treats of mAtrA vR^itta-s (मात्रावृत्तम्), prastara (प्रस्तरः), and yati (यतिः) and allied topics. The author narrates the story of the rAmAyaNa (रामायणम्), suggests in each verse the definition of the meter of which it is an example and also mentions therein the name of the meter, thus achieving three purposes in a single attempt. 162 meters which are rare but pleasing to the ear are separately dealt with at the end, each verse being a detached invocation to shrIrAma (श्रीरामः), and this appendix is appropriately named shrIrAmastutiratna (श्रीरामस्तुतिरत्नम्). The number of meters explained in the work numbers 407. Dr. Burnell who happened to go through the work is reported to have said that no one could believe that contemporary saMskR^ita (संस्कृतम्) scholarship could produce such a wonderful book.

gomatIdAsaH – 10

anyApadeshadvAsaptati (अन्यापदेशद्वासप्ततिः) belongs to a class of poems which, by way of appreciating or condemning natural qualities of particular objects, praises a man for his virtue or condemns another for his vice, by implication. The poem came to be written due to an incident at the royal court. The king had in his hand an ivory balance and asked rAmasvAmI (रामस्वामी) to describe it and the latter gave out the following stanza with facile grace :

उच्चैः प्रापयसे पदं लघुतरानर्थानधस्ताद्गुरून्
जिह्वां लोलतमां बिभर्षि कुटिला विस्रंसिनस्ते गुणाः  ।
अप्येवं धट तारतम्यकलनाचातुर्यधौरेयता
त्वय्याधीयत येन सर्वविदसौ धातैव किं ब्रूमहे ॥
The purport of the stanza is this : The balance has a wavering needle and loose chains; it lifts up the empty things and brings down the weightier ones. Nevertheless, the all-knowing ruler has made it the supreme authority in assessing the comparative value of all objects in the world. This was an implied criticism of the unbalanced patronage of the king. The king was however pleased with the poet and asked him to compose a poem on the model of anyApadeshashataka (अन्यापदेशशतकम्) of nIlakaNTha-dIxita (नीलकण्ठदीक्षितः).
kIrtivilAsa (कीर्त्तिवलासः) is a champu-kAvya (चम्पूकाव्यम्) in florid style with a wealth og imagery, on the greatness of Ailyam tirunAl (आइल्यं तिरुनाल्). It describes the capital city, the royal court and the prominent scholars that adorned the sadas (सदस्). Available mss. of the work break off with the first ullAsa (प्रथमोल्लासः).
tulAbhAraprabandha (तुलाभारप्रबन्धः) portrays the tulApuruShadAna (तुलापुरुषदानम्) ceremony celebrated by vishAkham tirunAl (विशाखं तिरुनाल्). The ceremony consists in weighing oneself in a balance with gold which would later be distributed to deserving persons. There are in this work one hundred and odd stanzas in different meters, some of them with verbal devices and insertion of draviDian words (द्रविडपदानि) without affecting the meaning.
gauNasamAgama (गौणसमागमः) is a small work painting the pageant in the capital with the colors of imagination, when Lord Napier, Governor of Madras, visited the State in 1863.