# Pullella Sriramachandrudu

Dr. Pullella Sriramachandrudu (24 October 1927 – 24 June 2015) was an Indian scholar of Vedanta, Vyakarana and Alankara Sastra and a prolific writer of Sanskrit and Telugu literature. He was widely credited with several books in Sanskrit and Telugu and was best known for translating many difficult Sanskrit works into Telugu the seven volume Telugu edition of the Indian epic, Ramayanam by Valmiki. The Government of India has honored Pullella Srirama Chandrudu in 2011, with the fourth highest civilian award of Padma Shri.

## Early life

Pullela Sriramachandrudu was born in Indupalli Village, Ayinavolu Mandal of East Godavari District on 24 October 1927. His parents were Sri. Pullela Satyanarayana Sastry and Smt. Satyavati. Their family then moved to the nearby village of Ayinavilli.

## Education

Pullela Sriramachandrudu studies Panchakavyas, Sriharsha's Naishadam, Murari Anargharaghavam and Siddhantakaumudi under his father. He later joined the Sanskrit college at Narendrapuram and studied the classics like Kirataarjuneeyam and other grammatical works under the tutelage of Sri. Kompella Subbaraya Sastry. Later he moved to the Madras Mylapore Sanskrit college where he graduated as 'Vedanta Siromani'. While he was studying in the Madras college, he learnt to communicate in English with the help of a friend V. Venkatachalam. Also he passed the 'Hindi Visharada' examination from the Hindi Prachar Sabha.
In 1948, he found a job as Hindi Pandit in Malikipuram. But his appetite for learning had not been satisfied and while he was teaching Pullela Sriramachandrudu he also passed out of the Matriculation examination in 1950. He later went on to complete the 'Telugu Vidwan' examination in 1952, Intermediate in 1953 and in 1955 he finished the Bachelor of Arts. Then, he enrolled in the famous Banaras Hindu University for Masters majoring in Sanskrit grammar (Metaphors and Allegories) and also another Masters in English and passed out in 1957 and 1961 respectively. In 1963, he again passed out of Masters in Hindi from the same university.
Now having mastered Sanskrit, Hindi, Telugu and English, he presented a thesis on "Contributions of Panditaraja Jagannatha to Sanskrit poetics" to Osmania University in Hyderabad under the supervision of Aryendra Sharma for which he was awarded a doctors.

## Marriage

As was the custom in those days, Sriramachandrudu was married to Smt. Subbalakshmi who was the daughter of Sri. Mangipudi Venkata Sastry at an early age of 14 years. His wife was 8 at the time of their marriage.

## Career

Sriramachandrudu's first job was as a Hindi Pandit in Malikipuram High School. In 1951, he joined the K.B.R. College in Amalapuram as a Sanskrit Pandit and in 1957 he was made a Sanskrit lecturer. From 1960 to 1965, he worked as a Sanskrit lecturer in Warangal college and in 1965 he was transferred to Osmania University's college of arts. in 1976, he was also the director of Sri Venkateshwara Oriental Research Institute in Tirupati for a period of about 4 months. Later he returned to Osmania University and continued as a reader and after a promotion to the grade of Professor, he managed the Sanskrit Department. He also worked as the director of Sanskrit Academy for about 11 years and as a Secretary and Vice-President of Surabharati Association.

## Selected bibliography

The Chronological list of his works is:
| Year | Name of the Work | Remarks |
| 1953 | Hindī – Telugu Vyākaraṇamu | A grammar of Hindi written in Telugu |
| 1962 | Sanskrit translation of Gītāñjali of Rabindranath Tagore | |
| 1963 | Rāghavaśatakamu (Telugu) | |
| 1964 | Kumatiśatakamu | A parody on Sumatiśatakamu in Telugu |
| 1964 | Stories of Tenāli Rāmaliṃga (Telugu) | |
| 1964 | Susaṃhatabhāratam | A Sanskrit Play in Six Acts |
| 1971 | Laghusiddhāntakaumudī | Exhaustive commentary in Telugu |
| 1971 | Telugu-Saṃskṛta Nighaṇṭu | |
| 1974 | Our Religions and Customs (Telugu) | |
| 1977 | Kāḷīdāsukavitāvaibhavamu (Telugu) | |
| 1977 | Vakroktijīvitam | Exhaustive commentary in Telugu |
| 1977 | Dhammapādam | Translation into Sanskrit and English with notes in Sanskrit |
| 1977, 1981 | Vākyapadīyam | Commentary on some portions in Telugu |
| 1978 | Vivekacūḍāmaṇi | Telugu translation of the text and the commentary of HH. Candraśekharabhāratī of Śaradāpīṭham, Śṛṅgerī |
| 1979 | Anthology of Indian Literatures | Translation into Telugu of Sanskrit portions |
| 1979 | Ratnāvalī | Translation into Telugu |
| 1979 | Rāgarociḥ | Sanskrit Translation of Telugu poems |
| 1979 | Kāvyālaṅkāra of Bhāmaha | Commentary in Telugu |
| 1979 | Kāvyamīmāṃsā | Commentary in Telugu |
| 1979 | Bāṇabhaṭṭa | Telugu translation of the English original of K. Krishnamurthy |
| 1979 | The Contributions of Andhras to Buddhism | Telugu translation of English original by K. Satchidananda Murthy |
| 1980 | Kāvyālaṅkārasūtravṛtti | Exhaustive commentary in Telugu |
| 1981 | Kāvyādarśa | Exhaustive commentary in Telugu |
| 1981 | Nītidviṣaṣṭikā (Sundarapāṇḍyuni āryā) | Commentary in Telugu |
| 1982 | Kaliviḍambanam | |
| 1982 | Vairāgyaśatakam | Commentary in Telugu |
| 1982 | Sabhārañjanaśatakam | Commentary in Telugu |
| 1983 | Aucityavicāracarcā | Commentary in Telugu |
| 1983 | Kavikaṇṭhābharaṇam | Commentary in Telugu |
| 1983 | Suvṛttatilakam | Commentary in Telugu |
| 1983 | Sevyasevakopadeśa | Commentary in Telugu |
| 1983 | The Contribution of Panditaraj Jagannatha to Sanskrit Poetics | (English) in two volumes |
| 1983 | Nibandhabhāskaraḥ | Twelve essays in Sanskrit |
| 1983 | Pārasīkalokoktayaḥ | Sanskrit rendering of Persian proverbs in 327 verses |
| 1983 | Bhāratīyavijñānavettalu (Telugu) | |
| 1984 | Rūpakaparicayaḥ (Sanskrit) | |
| 1984 | Taittirīyopaniṣat | Telugu commentary following Śāṇkarabhāṣya |
| 1984 | Kenopaniṣat | Telugu commentary following Śāṇkarabhāṣya |
| 1984 | Praśnopaniṣat | Telugu commentary following Śāṇkarabhāṣya |
| 1984 | Muṇḍakopaniṣat | Telugu commentary following Śāṇkarabhāṣya |
| 1984 | Māṇḍūkyopaniṣat | Telugu commentary following Śāṇkarabhāṣya |
| 1984 | Nagarjuna | Telugu translation of English original by K. Satchidananda Murthy |
| 1984 | Vyāsamaharṣi (Telugu) | |
| 1986 | Panditaraja Jagannatha | Mongoraph in English ( Published by Central Sahitya Akademi) |
| 1986 | Bhavabhūti | Telugu translation of English original by G. K. Bhat |
| 1986 – 1995 | Śrīvālmīkirāmāyaṇamu | Word to word meanings and paraphrase in Telugu ( 10 volumes of about 800 pages each) |
| 1987 | Mahākavi Kāḷidāsu (Telugu) | |
| 1988 | Śrīrāmasahasranāmastotram (Sanskrit) | |
| 1988 | Śrītyāgarājasahasranāmastotram (Sanskrit) | |
| 1989 | Sanskrit commentary on Sūryadaṅḍaka of Mayūra | |
| 1989 | Agnipurāṇam | Telugu translation in two volumes |
| 1991 | Bhāsuḍu | Telugu translation of English original of V. Venkatachalam |
| 1992 | Pātañjalayogasūtram | Exhaustive commentary in Telugu |
| 1992 | Saṃskṛtasūktiratnakośaḥ Part I – with Telugu translation | |
| 1993 | Jīvanmuktivivekaḥ | Commentary in Telugu |
| 1993 | Saṃskṛtasūktiratnakośaḥ Part II – with Telugu translation | |
| 1993 | Vyāghrītanayasaṃvādaḥ | |
| 1993 | Vasantāgamanam | |
| 1993 | Mahān bhārato'ham | |
| 1993 | Na kadācidanīdṛśaṃ jagat | |
| 1993 | Ādhunikakāvyalakṣaṇam | |
| 1993 | Bhāratadeśasya svarājyādhigamaḥ | |
| 1993 | Hāsyaguṭikaḥ | |
| 1993 | Śabarī | |
| 1993 | Nehruviṣaye caramaślokaḥ | |
| 1993 | Kavikulakokilaḥ | |
| 1993 | Saumyo dadāt saumyatām | |
| 1993 | Saṃskṛtabhāṣaḥ | |
| 1993 | Muktakāni | |
| 1993 | Śrīrāmakṛṣṇaparamahaṃsasūktayaḥ | |
| 1993 | Advaitamate praśastaguṇaḥ | |
| 1993 | Advaitam paramaṃ rahasyam | |
| 1993 | Advaitameva vaidikaṃ darśanam | |
| 1993 | Samasyāpūrtayaḥ śrīrāmastutiśca | |
| 1993 | Anūditāni mahādevivarmaṇaḥ gītāni | |
| 1993 | Nagare śṛṅgāṭakam | |
| 1993 | Jīrṇacchatram | |
| 1993 | Bhiṣajo bhaiṣajyam | |
| 1993 | Śikhā (Ekāṅkikā) | |
| 1993 | Vināyakāṣṭakam | |
| 1993 | Muktīśvarāṣṭakam | |
| 1993 | Muktīśvaravarṇamālāstotram | |
| 1993 | Śrīveṅkateśvaraśaraṇāgatiḥ | |
| 1993 | Āryāśatakam (Veṅkateśvarastutiḥ) | |
| 1993 | Śrīcandraśekharendrasarasvatīpadyakusumopahāraḥ | |
| 1993 | Śrīrāmakṛṣṇaparamahaṃsastutiḥ | |
| 1993 | Śrīrāghavendrāṣṭakam | |
| 1993 | Śrīcandraśekharabhāratīśaraṇāgatiḥ | |
| 1993 | Vividhastutayaḥ | |
| 1994 | Cāṇakyanītisūtrāṇi | Telugu translation |
| 1995 | Saṃskṛta vyākaraṇa vimarśa saṃpradāyamu (Telugu) | |
| 1995 | Nītivākyāmṛtam | Telugu translation of Sanskrit original of Somadeva (12th Century) |
| 1995 | Nāgānandam | Telugu translation (done in 1956, published in 1995) |
| 1994 | Kāvyaprakāśaḥ | Exhaustive commentary in Telugu |
| 1995 | Śyāmalādaṇḍakam | Commentary in Telugu |
| 1996 | Some Unexplored Aspects of Rasa Theory | English translation of the Hindi original of B. M. Chaturvedi |
| 1996 | Vaijñānikaṣāṇmukham | Sanskrit essays on Pāṇini, Kaṇāda, Kauṭilya, Āryabhaṭa, Varāhamihira and Bhāskara |
| 1997 | Ko vai rasaḥ (Sanskrit) | |
| 1998 | Nyāyaśāstravettalalo rājanītiviśāraduḍu | Telugu translation of English original by Justice Alladi Kuppuswamy |
| 1998 | Dhvanyāloka | Exhaustive commentary in Telugu |
| 1998 | Dhvanyālokalocana | Exhaustive commentary in Telugu |
| 1998 | Egalitarian and Peace-keeping Trait of the Indian Mind | |
| 1999 | Kauṭilyam arthaśāstram | Commentary in Telugu |
| 1999 | Alaṅkāraśāstramu – ādhunikasāhityamu (Telugu) | |
| 1999 | The Upanishadic Philosophy | |
| 2000 | Jagadvaṃdyulaina Jagadguruvu | Biography of Jagadguru Śrībhāratītīrthasvāmī of Śṛṅgerīśāradapīṭham in Telugu |
| 2000 | Brahmasūtraśāṅkarabhāṣyam | Exhaustive commentary in Telugu (2 Volumes) |
| 2000 | Adhyātmarāmāyaṇamu | Word-to-word meanings and paraphrase in Telugu (Joint authorship) |
| | Influence of Sanskrit on Telugu Language and Literature (English) | |
| 2001 | Adityasuprabhātastotram (Sanskrit) | |
| 2001 | Śrībhagavadgītāśāṅkarabhāṣyam | Exhaustive commentary in Telugu |
| 2001 | Śambhormūrtiḥ | Telugu translation of Sanskrit original of Śrījanārdānandasarasvatī |
| 2002 | Alaṅkāraśāstracaritra | History of Sanskrit Poetics in Telugu |
| 2002 | Prākṛtabhāṣāvāṅmayacaritra (Telugu) | |
| 2002 | Saṃskṛtavacovichittiḥ pratyayārthavaicitrī ca | Sanskrit Idioms and Phrases in Sanskrit and English |
| 1949 | Hindi-Telugu Dictionary published by a book-publisher in his name | |
| 2003 | Śāstrasiddhāntaleśasaṅgraha of Appayadīkṣita | Commentary in Telugu |
| 2003 | Yājñavalkyasmṛti | Commentary in Telugu following Mitākṣara |
| 2003 | Bhaṭṭi | A Monograph in English ( Pub. by Central Sahitya Akademi) |
| 2004 | Sītārāvaṇasaṃvādajhari, Part – I | Telugu commentary |
| 2004 | Sītārāvaṇasaṃvādajhari, Part – II | Telugu commentary |
| 2004 | Kāḷīdāsakavitāvilāsamu | A Monograph in Telugu on Kalidasa |
| 2004 | Paṃḍitarāyalu | A Monograph in Telugu on Panditaraja Jagannatha |
| 2004 | Mahiṣaśatakam | With word to word meaning and purport in Telugu |
| 2004 | Telugunāṭa matamulu saṃpradāyamulu | Religions and traditions in Telugu country |
| 2004 | Śāradāmaṃdahāsaṃ bhāsamahākavi | A Monograph in Telugu on Bhāsa |
| 2004 | Mṛcchakaṭikacchaṭa | A Monograph in Telugu on Śūdraka |
| 2004 | Kauṇḍinyasmṛti | A modern Smṛti in Sanskrit with own English translation |
| 2005 | Māghamahākavi | English translation of Hindi original (Pub. by Central Sahitya Akademi) |
| 2005 | Dakṣiṇāmūrtistotramu | Telugu commentary |
| 2005 | Samasāmayikam | Sanskrit ślokas on 36 topics |
| 2006 | Pāścātyatattvaśāstretihāsaḥ | A History of Western Philosophy in Sanskrit |
| 2007 | Śrībhagavadgīta – āṃdhraṭīkātātpartyasahitaṃ | |
| 2007 | Ādityastotraratnam of Appayadīkṣita | Telugu translation |
| 2008 | Hindūmatamu konni itara matālu | Hinduism and a few other religions |
| 2008 | Sarvadarśanasaṅgraha | With exhaustive Telugu commentary |
| 2009 | Śrīmatpātañjalasūktisudhābindavaḥ | Explanation in English |
| 2009 | Mānavatājanmapradāta mānyaguruvaryuḍu | Telugu monograph |
| 2009 | Dhammapadam | Telugu translation |
| 2009 | Kauṇḍinyasmṛti | Telugu translation |
| 2010 | Śrīmadrāmāyaṇāmṛtataraṇgiṇilo manobhāvalaharīvilāsālu (Telugu) | |
| 2010 | Glimpses into Kauṭilya's Arthaśāstra | English translation by P. Shashirekha and Aruna Vyas of the Telugu Preface of Pullela Ramachandrudu to Kauṭilyam arthaśāstram |
| 2011 | Śriśivadṛṣṭiḥ of Somānanandanātha with the Vṛtti of Utpaladevācārya | Telugu commentary |
| 2011 | Śrīpullela vāri prastāvanalu | Telugu – Collection of forewords of Śrī Pullela Sriramachandrudu |
| 2011 | Viśvamānavahita bhagavadgīta (Telugu) | |
| 2012 | Mahābhāratasārasaṅgrahamu (Telugu) | |
| 2012 | Śrīmadrāmāyaṇāmloni upamālaṃkārāla nirupamāna saundaryamu | Telugu – The Incomparable Beauty of Upamā alaṅkāras in Rāmāyaṇa |
| 2012 | Narajanmapraśasti – naruni kartavayamu | Telugu translation of Sanskrit anugrahasandeśa of HH Jagadguru Candraśekharabhāratī |
| 2012 | Śrīsatyasundareśvarasuprabhātam | |
| 2013 | Vālmīkirāmāyaṇaṃ mūlānusāri anuvādamu | Telugu prose translation of Ramayana |
| 2014 | Bharatamunipraṇītam Nāṭyaśāstram | |
| 2015 | Vyāsamañjarī | Compilation of Essays |

### Collections / Edited works

| Year | Name of the Work |
| 1971 | Nyāyarakṣāmani of Appaya Dīkṣita |
| 1982 | Saṃskṛtakavijīvitam (Jointly edited) |
| 1981 | Kāśikā with Padamañjarī |
| 1981 | Sāhityaratnākaraḥ - Part III |
| 1982 | Kriyāsvaralakṣaṇam of Sūrubhaṭṭa |
| 1982 | Saṅgītacandraḥ |
| 1984 | Nīlakaṇṭhadīkṣitasya laghukāvyāni |
| 1985 | Kāśikā with Nyāsa |
| 1985 | Mahiṣaśatakam |
| 1986 | Katha in Sanskrit Poetics |
| 1987 | Paribhāṣenudsaṅgrahaḥ (Edited along with others) |
| 1988 | Kādambarīkathāsāraḥ |
| 1988 | Āyurvedābhisāraḥ |
| 1989 | Ānandalaharī and other works of Appaya Dīkṣita |
| 1989 | Kāvyalakṣaṇavādaḥ |
| 1989 | Nibandhamañjūṣā - A Collection of Literary Essays |
| 1990 | Abhinavavāsavadattā |
| 1994 | Gadyasaṇgrahaḥ |
| 1999 | The Tirumala Music Inscription – prathamopalabdha svarasahita saṃkīrtana śilālekhamu (Along with others) |
| 2007 | Vidhirasāyanam, Purvottaramīmāṃsāvādanakṣatramālā, Upakramaparākramaḥ, Pūrvamīmāṃsāviṣayasaṅgrahadīpikā – Works of Appaya Dīkṣita |
| 2010 | Śrīmadappayyadīkṣitendrakr̥tayaḥ Śivārcanacandrikā, Madhvatantramukhamardanam, Pāṇinitantravādanakṣatramālā, Mānasollāsaḥ, Śivadhyānapaddhatiḥ, Āryāśatakam, stotrāṇi ca |
| 2011 | Upaniṣatsudhālahari (Telugu – A collection of lectures on social aspects in Upanishads) |

### Books inspired / commissioned / edited / facilitated

* From 1971, he edited most of the nearly 30 works of Appaya Dikshita published by the Srimad Appaya Deekshitendra Granthavali Prakasana Samithi – of which he was a Vice President.
* During the 1980s, he as Secretary was instrumental in the publication of more than a score of works by Sura Bharati Samiti.
* In 2004, the Saṃskṛta Bhāṣā Pracāra Samiti brought out 25 monographs in Telugu to commemorate its silver jubilee. Eight of these (included in the above list) were authored by Pullela Sriramachandrudu, who conceptualized, commissioned and edited the entire series.