"It was a wonderful experience interacting with you and appreciate the way you have planned and executed the whole publication process within the agreed timelines.”
Subrat SaurabhAuthor of Kuch Woh Pal
This book, Ramayana Advayam, is a 243-verse piece in Sanskrit presenting the under-current of Advaita in Valmiki Ramayana. It was composed by late Brahma Sri R. Visvanatha Sastrigal in the fifties of the last century, later translated into English by V. Krishnamurthy, the son of the author.
V. Krishnamurthy
Sri R. Visvanatha Sastrigal (1882-1956) (The Author)
The author retired as Subcourt Sheristadar, Cuddalore, in 1939 after a career in the Judicial Department of South Arcot district in the erstwhile Madras province of British India. For a period of 5 years in his youth, during the Court summer recess of two months he would travel to Ganapathy Agraharam in Tanjore District and become a Gurukulavasi. There at the lotus feet of Sri Sri Vasudeva Brahmendra Saraswati he would imbibe all Bhashya Pathas by this process of intensive learning and living. A learned scholar and pious soul he wrote commentaries and gave numerous lectures on various scriptures to the general public in the early 30’s and 40’s including several saptAhas of Shrimad Bhagavatam and navAhas of Valmiki Ramayana. One of his monumental works is the Gita-Mrita-Mahodadhi now published by the Samskrita Academy in 2018.
One engagement very special to him was in Octber 1934, when he gave a fifteen day exposition of the Bhagavatam at the Manikarnika ghat in Varanasi. These lectures were graced by the beatific presence in the audience of His Holiness Sri Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Swamigal (also known as the Kanchi Paramacharya), who was then on his first all-India paadayatra.
V. Krishnamurthy (born 1927) (The Translator)
The translator is the son of the author and retired as a mathematics professor and Deputy Director of BITS Pilani in 1988. In keeping with his father’s tradition, he has been writing books on various aspects of Sanatana Dharma. An inspiring speaker and prolific author in his own right, he has many books to his credit, a significant one being Thus Spake Krishna.
