Vavilikolanu Subba Rao or Andhra Valmiki or Vaasu Daasa Swami (23 January 1863 – 1 August 1939) was a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

scholar and a Telugu poet, often known by the epithet ''Andhra Valmiki''. He was first

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...

scholar to translate

version of

Valmiki Valmiki (; , ) was a legendary poet who is celebrated as the traditional author of the epic ''Ramayana'', based on the attribution in the text itself. He is revered as ''Ādi Kavi'', the first poet, author of ''Ramayana'', the first epic poe ...

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

into

. His translation of Sanskrit version of Valmiki

into Telugu was entitled as "Mandaram".

Early life

Vavilikolanu Subbarao born on 23 January 1863 at

Jammalamadugu Jammalamadugu is a town in Municipality and Revenue Division in YSR Kadapa district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is in Jammalamadugu mandal of Jammalamadugu revenue division. It has many old historical sites and one of the top to ...

Kadapa Kadapa is a city in the southern part of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located in the Rayalaseema region, and is the district headquarters of YSR Kadapa district. It is located south of the Penna River. The city is surrounded on three sides by ...

in Andhra pradesh. His parents were Ramachandrarao and Kanakamamba. He married Ranganayakamma. They belonged to Golconda vyapari sect of Telugu Niyogi Brahmins. He joined the revenue department as a revenue inspector and later got promotion as acting Tehsildar during 1883 to 1900.Sri Vasu Daasa Desika Vaibhavamu--Sri Vaasudaasa Swamivaari Jeevita Charitra. 1981.Mettapalli Sitapati Dasudu.p.46. Sri Kodandarama Sevaka Dharma Samajam, Dasakuti, Angalakuduru. Tenali.Andhra Pradesh. However, during his service in revenue department, he contracted tuberculosis and resigned from job. Between 1900 and 1904, Subba Rao stayed at Nellore. From here he has published a small magazine called ''Bharati''. In 1904 he joined Madras Presidency College as Lecturer or Pandit in Telugu for teaching Telugu literature.

Language Movements

Vavilikolanu Subba Rao also regularly participated in

Avadhana Avadhānaṃ (literally meaning "concentration") is a genre of performance in India, where a performer (called the ''avadhāni'') answers challenging questions from several questioners in parallel. The most popular variety, called ''sāhitya'' (l ...

programmes. He had written a Telugu grammar book- ''Vyakarana Sarvaswam'' in three volumes.Sri Vasu Daasa Desika Vaibhavamu--Sri Vaasudaasa Swamivaari Jeevita Charitra. 1981.Mettapalli Sitapathi Dasudu. pp 51-51. Sri Kodandarama Sevaka Dharma Samajam, Dasakuti, Angalakuduru. Tenali.Andhra Pradesh. He had also written Bhagavad

Gita The Bhagavad Gita (; ), often referred to as the Gita (), is a Hindu scripture, dated to the second or first century BCE, which forms part of the epic poem Mahabharata. The Gita is a synthesis of various strands of Indian religious thought, ...

in ''Dwipada'' verse for easy and better understanding of laymen as well as students. He also wrote a series of books--''Baalahita Charya'', ''Kumarahita Charya'', ''Patihita Charya'', ''Kumarihita Charya'', ''Satihita Charya'', ''Garbhinihita Charya'' as a commentary on the morality and ethics of the-then society and contained his suggested improvements.

Ramayanam

Vavilikolanu Subba Rao has commenced translating the

in 1902 and completed it by 1908. He intended to dedicate his translation of

Valmiki Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

to Lord

Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

Vontimitta Vontimitta (Telugu: ఒంటిమిట్ట) or Ekasilanagaram, is a village in Kadapa district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in the Vontimitta Mandal of the Kadapa revenue division. The village is well-known for the ...

temple. Narayana Rao says that Andhra Valmiki's Ramayana (''Mandaram'') was a verse to verse true translation of

. In the words of Vavilikolanu Subba Rao, it is a ''yadha--valmika--ramayanamu''—a Ramayana strictly according to Valmiki. Narayana Rao further says that in keeping with the popular belief that Valmiki's text of Ramayana has powerful mantric syllables embedded in it, Subba Rao attempted to bring similar mantric syllables into his Telugu text. Mettapalli Sitapati Dasudu's statement in ''Sri Vasudasadesika Vaibhavamu'' supports this view. Sitapati Dasudu has also mentioned that it was at the instance of Kottapalli Padmanabha Sastri that Subba Rao set off on the course of rendering a true translation, verse by verse, of Sanskrit Ramayana written by Valmiki. Subba Rao supplemented his translation with an elaborate multi-volume commentary. ''Mandaram'' has become an important literary magnum opus in the history of Telugu literature.

Ram Temple at Vontimitta

After retiring from his teaching job at Chennai in 1920, he moved back to Vontimitta following a dream he saw while at a choultry in Ghatikachalam to renovate a Lord Ram temple at

. Taking monetary help from several locals and donations, he managed to reestablish the temple to its old glory. The

Andhra Pradesh Government The Government of Andhra Pradesh, abbreviated as GoAP, is the state government and the administrative body responsible for the governance of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Amaravati is the capital of the state and houses the state executi ...

has declared the

Lord Rama as its official deity.

Sanyas and death

He took ''Sanyasa deeksha'' in 1920s and under the name of ''Vasudaasa Swami'' traversed across Andhra Pradesh.His disciples have set up ''ashrams'' at Nadigadda palem and

Angalakuduru Angalakuduru is an area of Tenali in Guntur district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Tenali mandal of Tenali revenue division. It is a residential area that forms part of Andhra Pradesh Capital Region. Geography Angala ...

, to carry forward his legacy.Sri Vasu Daasa Desika Vaibhavamu--Sri Vaasudaasa Swamivaari Jeevita Charitra. 1981.Mettapalli Sitapati Dasudu.pp.442-445. Sri Kodandarama Sevaka Dharma Samajam, Dasakuti, Angalakuduru. Tenali.Andhra Pradesh. Subba Rao breathed his last on 1 August 1936. He was cremated as per Hindu Brahmin traditions in Chennai.His own house was donated to the

Ram temple.

References

Bibliography

* Andhra Yogulu: Biruduraju Ramaraju. Part 4, Navodaya Book House, Vijayawada Andhra Pradesh.2003. * Andhra Rachayitalu: Madhunapantula satyanarayana sastry, 1940, Pages: 205. * Rayalaseema Rachayitala Caritra - Volume 1: Kalluru Ahobilarao, Srikrishnadevaraya Granthamala, Hindupur,1975.
Book of "Garbhini Hitacarya" in digital library.

External links

Questioning Ramayanas: A South Asian Tradition edited by Paula Richman - pages:171-172
{{DEFAULTSORT:Subbarao, Vavilikolanu 1863 births 1936 deaths People from Kadapa district Sanskrit–Telugu translators Telugu poets