Jagadguru Rambhadracharya (or Swami Rambhadracharya) is a Hindu religious leader, Sanskrit scholar and Katha artist based in Chitrakoot, India. His works consist of poems, commentaries, plays and musical compositions of his works, etc. He has authored more than 250 books and 50 papers, including four epic poems (two each in Sanskrit and Hindi), a Hindi commentary on Tulsidas' Ramcharitmanas, and Sanskrit commentaries on the Ashtadhyayi and the Prasthanatrayi scriptures.Dinkar 2008, pp. 40–43. Various audio and video recordings o his works have also been released. He writes in Sanskrit, Hindi, Awadhi, Maithili, and several other languages.Dinkar 2008, p. 39.
Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam is his most notable work, for which he won several awards including the Sahitya Akademi Award for Sanskrit. He has also been given many other literary honors and titles, such as Mahakavi (Great poet) and Kavikularatna (Jewel of the poet clan).Nagar 2002, p. 183.Chandra 2008, p. 21.
His major literary and musical compositions, grouped by genre, are listed below.Nagar 2002, pp. 89–90.
Key –Undated ("Year" column) Unpublished manuscript #Work in progress
Poetry
Mahākāvyas (Epic poems)
YearTitleLanguagePublisherSummary NotesEpic poem composed in 1,279 verses divided into 15 cantos on the life of the seer couple Vasishtha and Arundhati.Epic poem consisting of 2,121 verses composed in 40 Sanskrit and Prakrit metres, divided into 21 cantos of 101 verses each, with a Hindi commentary by the poet. Recipient of Sahitya Akademi Award for Sanskrit, Ramkrishna Jaidayal Dalmia Shreevani Alankaran, Banabhatta Award and Vachaspati Award.Epic poem composed in 864 verses divided into 8 cantos of 108 verses each. This epic narrates the story of the seer Ashtavakra, who is presented as the flag bearer of the disabled.Sanskrit lyrical epic poem, narrating the Ramayana in 1,008 Sanskrit songs divided into 28 cantos of 36 songs each, based on traditional folk music tunes.
Khaṇḍakāvyas (minor poems)
YearTitleLanguagePublisherSummary NotesMinor poem on the character Vidura from Mahabharata.Minor poem in two parts eulogising Krishna.Minor poem on the character Shabari from Ramayana.Minor poem on the acts and life of the Indian freedom fighter Chandrashekhar Azad, with a Hindi commentary by Dr. Gita Devi Misra.Minor poem on the river Sarayu that flows through Ayodhya.Minor poem on the infant form of Rama composed only in the short syllables of Sanskrit.Consisting of 501 verses divided in two parts and composed entirely in the Mandākrāntā metre, this minor poem describes the message sent by Rama via a bumblebee, residing on the Pravarṣaṇa mountain in Kishkindha, to his wife Sita, who is held captive by Ravana in Lanka.
Gītakāvyas (lyrical poems)
YearTitleLanguagePublisherSummary NotesLyrical poemLyrical poem with 438 songs on Rama and Krishna.
Śatakakāvyas (Poems of one hundred verses) YearTitleLanguagePublisherSummary NotesPoem of one hundred verses.Poem of one hundred verses in the Arya metre.Poem of one hundred verses in praise of the goddess Chandi.Poem of one hundred verses in praise of Rama.Poem of one hundred verses in praise of Ganesha.Poem of one hundred verses in praise of footprints of Rama.
Stotrakāvyas (Eulogies)
YearTitleLanguagePublisherSummary NotesPoem eulogising the compassionate glance of Sita. Poem eulogising Sita.Poem eulogising the greatness of the river Ganges.Poem in eight verses eulogising Rama.Poem in eight Śikhariṇī metres, eulogising the birth of Rama by comparing infant Rama via eight Utprekṣā figures of speech respectively to the moon, a dark cloud, the ocean, an emerald, a Tamāla tree, Kamadeva, a blue lotus, and a bumblebee. With an Awadhi poetic translation and Hindi commentary by the poet.
Other poems YearTitleLanguagePublisherSummary NotesA Patrakāvya (letter poem); letter to Krishna from the hunchback female whose episode is described in the Bhagavata Purana.A Rītikāvya (Procedural–era Hindi poem), consisting of 327 assorted verses, divided in three parts of 109 verses each, composed in six Prakrit metres. The verses describe different activities of the child forms of Sita and Rama.A suprabhatam (hymn sung at dawn) addressed to Sita and Rama, consisting of 40 verses composed in 8 Śārdūlavikrīḍita, 24 Vasantatilakā, 4 Sragdharā, and 4 Mālinī metres. With a Hindi translation by the poet.
Plays YearTitleLanguagePublisherSummary NotesSingle–act Nāṭakakāvya (Play poem) on the ascent of Rama.
Prose
Sanskrit commentaries on the Prasthānatrayī
Rambhadracharya composed Sanskrit commentaries titled Śrīrāghavakṛpābhāṣyam on the Prasthanatrayi – Brahma Sutra, the Bhagavad Gita, and eleven Upanishads. These commentaries were released on 10 April 1998 by the then Prime Minister of India, Atal Behari Vajpayee.Nagar 2002, p. 88. Rambhadracharya composed Śrīrāghavakṛpābhāṣyam on Narada Bhakti Sutra in 1991. He thus revived—after five hundred years—the tradition of Sanskrit commentaries on the Prasthanatrayi. He also gave the Ramananda Sampradaya its second commentary on Prasthanatrayi in Sanskrit, the first being the Ānandabhāṣyam, composed by Ramananda himself. Rambhadracharya's commentary in Sanskrit on the Prasthanatrayi was the first written in almost 600 years.
YearTitleCommentary onPublisher Notes1998 (श्रीब्रह्मसूत्रेषु श्रीराघवकृपाभाष्यम्)Brahma SutraShri Tulsi Peeth Seva Nyas1998 (श्रीमद्भगवद्गीतासु श्रीराघवकृपाभाष्यम्)Bhagavad GitaShri Tulsi Peeth Seva Nyas1998Kaṭhopaniṣadi Śrīrāghavakṛpābhāṣyam (कठोपनिषदि श्रीराघवकृपाभाष्यम्)Katha UpanishadShri Tulsi Peeth Seva Nyas1998Kenopaniṣadi Śrīrāghavakṛpābhāṣyam (केनोपनिषदि श्रीराघवकृपाभाष्यम्)Kena UpanishadShri Tulsi Peeth Seva Nyas1998Māṇḍūkyopaniṣadi Śrīrāghavakṛpābhāṣyam (माण्डूक्योपनिषदि श्रीराघवकृपाभाष्यम्)Mandukya UpanishadShri Tulsi Peeth Seva Nyas1998Iśāvāsyopaniṣadi Śrīrāghavakṛpābhāṣyam (ईशावास्योपनिषदि श्रीराघवकृपाभाष्यम्)Ishavasya UpanishadShri Tulsi Peeth Seva Nyas1998Praśnopaniṣadi Śrīrāghavakṛpābhāṣyam (प्रश्नोपनिषदि श्रीराघवकृपाभाष्यम्)Prashna UpanishadShri Tulsi Peeth Seva Nyas1998 (तैत्तिरीयोपनिषदि श्रीराघवकृपाभाष्यम्)Taittiriya UpanishadShri Tulsi Peeth Seva Nyas1998Aitareyopaniṣadi Śrīrāghavakṛpābhāṣyam (ऐतरेयोपनिषदि श्रीराघवकृपाभाष्यम्)Aitareya UpanishadShri Tulsi Peeth Seva Nyas1998 (श्वेताश्वतरोपनिषदि श्रीराघवकृपाभाष्यम्)Shvetashvatara UpanishadShri Tulsi Peeth Seva Nyas1998Chāndogyopaniṣadi Śrīrāghavakṛpābhāṣyam (छान्दोग्योपनिषदि श्रीराघवकृपाभाष्यम्)Chandogya UpanishadShri Tulsi Peeth Seva Nyas1998Bṛhadāraṇyakopaniṣadi Śrīrāghavakṛpābhāṣyam (बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदि श्रीराघवकृपाभाष्यम्)Brihadaranyaka UpanishadShri Tulsi Peeth Seva Nyas1998Muṇḍakopaniṣadi Śrīrāghavakṛpābhāṣyam (मुण्डकोपनिषदि श्रीराघवकृपाभाष्यम्)Mundaka UpanishadShri Tulsi Peeth Seva Nyas
Other Sanskrit commentaries
YearTitleCommentary onPublisher Notes1991Śrīnāradabhaktisūtreṣu Śrīrāghavakṛpābhāṣyam (श्रीनारदभक्तिसूत्रेषु श्रीराघवकृपाभाष्यम्)Narada Bhakti SutraShri Tulsi Peeth Seva Nyas1997Aṣṭādhyāyyāḥ Pratisūtraṃ Śābdabodhasamīkṣaṇam (अष्टाध्याय्याः प्रतिसूत्रं शाब्दबोधसमीक्षणम्)Sutras of the Ashtadhyayi. (D Litt dissertation)2001Śrīrāmastavarājastotre Śrīrāghavakṛpābhāṣyam (श्रीरामस्तवराजस्तोत्रे श्रीराघवकृपाभाष्यम्)RāmastavarājastotraShri Tulsi Peeth Seva Nyas
Hindi commentaries YearTitleCommentary onPublisher Notes1983Mahavīrī (महावीरी)Critical edition of Hanuman Chalisa, with a commentary named MahavīrīShri Krishna Janma Seva Sansthan, Mathura1985Śrīgītātātparya (श्रीगीतातात्पर्य)Bhagavad GitaShri Raghav Sahitya Prakashan Nidhi, Haridwar2005Bhāvārthabodhinī (भावार्थबोधिनी)RamcharitmanasJagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University–Śrīrāghavakṛpābhāṣya (श्रीराघवकृपभाष्य) #Commentary on the Ramcharitmanas in nine volumes. —
Critiques
YearTitleLanguagePublisherSummary Notes1981Adhyātmarāmāyaṇe Apāṇinīyaprayogānāṃ Vimarśaḥ (अध्यात्मरामायणे अपाणिनीयप्रयोगानां विमर्शः) Sanskrit —Deliberation on the non–Paninian usages in the Adhyātma Rāmāyaṇa. PhD dissertation.1982Mānasa Me̐ Tāpasa Prasaṅga (मानस में तापस प्रसंग)HindiShri Gita Gyan Mandir, RajkotDeliberation on the episode of the unnamed ascetic in Ayodhya Kand of Ramcharitmanas.1988Sanātanadharma Kī Vigrahasvarūpa Gomātā (सनातनधर्म की विग्रहस्वरूप गोमाता)HindiShri Raghav Sahitya Prakashan Nidhi, HaridwarDeliberation on the status of the cow in Hinduism.1988Śrītulasīsāhitya me̐ Kṛṣṇa Kathā (श्रीतुलसीसाहित्य में कृष्णकथा)HindiShri Raghav Sahitya Prakashan Nidhi, HaridwarInvestigative research into the narrative of Krishna in the works of Tulsidas.1990Sīta Nirvāsana Nahī̐ (सीता निर्वासन नहीं)HindiShri Raghav Sahitya Prakashan Nidhi, HaridwarCritique which argues that the episode of banishment of Sita is a later interpolation of Valmiki in the Ramayana.2007Śrīrāsapañcādhyāyīvimarśaḥ (श्रीरासपञ्चाध्यायीविमर्शः)HindiJagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped UniversityDeliberation on the Rāsapañcādhyāyī section, the five chapters dealing with the celestial dance of Krishna with the Gopis, of the Bhagavata Purana.
Discourses
YearTitleLanguageBook consisting ofPublisher Notes1980Bharata Mahimā (भरत महिमा)HindiA nine–day discourse on the glory of Bharata in the Ramayana.Shri Gita Gyan Mandir, Rajkot1985Sugrīva Kā Agha Aura Vibhīṣaṇa Kī Karatūti (सुग्रीव का अघ और विभीषण की करतूति)HindiA nine–day Hindi discourse on the two characters Sugriva and Vibhishana in the Ramayana.Shri Krishna Janma Seva Sansthan, Mathura1989Mānasa me̐ Sumitrā (मानस में सुमित्रा)HindiA nine–day discourse on the character of Sumitra in the Ramcharitmanas.Shri Raghav Sahitya Prakashan Nidhi, Haridwar1992Prabhu Kari Kṛpā Pā̐varī Dīnhī (प्रभु करि कृपा पाँवरी दीन्ही)HindiA nine–day discourse on the episode of Rama handing over his sandals to Bharata at Chitrakoot from the Ramayana.Shri Tulsi Peeth Seva Nyas1993Parama Baḍabhāgī Jaṭāyu (परम बड़भागी जटायु)HindiA nine–day discourse on the character of Jatayu in the Ramayana.Shri Raghav Sahitya Prakashan Nidhi, Haridwar2001 (श्री सीताराम विवाह दर्शन)HindiAn eight-day discourse delivered in March 1999 on the purport of Sita and Rama's marriage episode as described in the Ramcharitmanas.Shri Tulsi Peeth Seva Nyas2004Tuma Pāvaka Ma̐ha Karahu Nivāsā (तुम पावक मँह करहु निवासा)HindiA nine–day discourse delivered in September 2003 on the episode of Sīta's stay in fire as described in the Ramcharitmanas.Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University2006Ahalyoddhāra (अहल्योद्धार)HindiA nine–day discourse delivered in April 2000 on the episode of Ahalya's liberation by Rama.Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University2008Hara Te Bhe Hanumāna (हर ते भे हनुमान)HindiA four–day discourse delivered in April 2007 on Hanuman being Shiva's incarnation.Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University
Critical edition of Ramcharitmanas
Rambhadracharya's most controversial work was the critical edition of the Ramcharitmanas, which was published as the Tulsi Peeth edition. He was accused of tampering with the epic, but the dispute died down after Rambhadracharya expressed his regret for any annoyance or pain caused by the publication. A writ petition was also filed against him but it was dismissed. This edition was published in 2005 by Shri Tulsi Peeth Seva Nyas.
Audio and video
YearTitleLanguagePublisherSummary NotesAudio CD with eight Bhajans (devotional hymns) devoted to Rama. Composed, set to music, and sung by Rambhadracharya.Audio CD with seven Bhajans devoted to Krishna. Composed, set to music, and sung by Rambhadracharya.Audio CD with six Bhajans devoted to Hanuman, and composed by Tulsidas. Set to music and sung by Rambhadracharya.Audio CD of Śrīsītārāmasuprabhātam, a Suprabhata poem. Composed, set to music, and sung in the Vairagi Raga by Rambhadracharya.DVD with a musical rendition of and commentary on the Sundar Kand of Ramcharitmanas. Spoken, set to music, and sung by Rambhadracharya.
See also List of awards and honours received by Rambhadracharya Adi Shankara bibliography Works of Madhvacharya
References
Notes
Works cited
External links
Official website of Jagadguru Rambhadracharya