Viswanatha Satyanarayana (10 September 1895 – 18 October 1976) was a 20th-century
Telugu writer. His works included
poetry
Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...
,
novels,
dramatic play,
short stories
A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...
and
speeches
This list of speeches includes those that have gained notability in English or in English translation. The earliest listings may be approximate dates.
Before the 1st century
*c.570 BC : The Buddha gives his first sermon, '' Dhammacakkappava ...
, covering a wide range of subjects such as analysis of
history
History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...
,
philosophy
Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
,
religion
Religion is a range of social system, social-cultural systems, including designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics in religion, ethics, or ...
,
sociology
Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...
,
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
,
linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...
,
psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...
and
consciousness studies,
epistemology
Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that examines the nature, origin, and limits of knowledge. Also called "the theory of knowledge", it explores different types of knowledge, such as propositional knowledge about facts, practical knowle ...
,
aesthetics
Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste (sociology), taste, which in a broad sense incorporates the philosophy of art.Slater, B. H.Aesthetics ''Internet Encyclopedia of Ph ...
and
spiritualism
Spiritualism may refer to:
* Spiritual church movement, a group of Spiritualist churches and denominations historically based in the African-American community
* Spiritualism (beliefs), a metaphysical belief that the world is made up of at leas ...
. He was a student of the illustrious Telugu writer Chellapilla Venkata Sastry, of the
Tirupati Venkata Kavulu duo. Viswanatha's wrote in both a modern and classical style, in complex modes. His popular works include ''
Ramayana Kalpavrukshamu'' (
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 ...
the wish-granting divine tree), ''Kinnersani Patalu'' (
Mermaid
In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa.
Mermaids are ...
songs) and the novel ''
Veyipadagalu'' (The Thousand Hoods). Among many awards, he was awarded the
Jnanpith Award
The Jnanpith Award is the oldest and the highest Indian literary award presented annually by the Bharatiya Jnanpith to an author for their "outstanding contribution towards literature". Instituted in 1961, the award is bestowed only on Indian ...
in 1970, the first for a Telugu writer, and
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...
in 1971.
The parallel "free-verse" movement in easy prose of Telugu literature criticised him as a bigot who hung onto the strict rules of poetry such as ''Yati'', ''Prasa'' (rhyme) and
Chandas
Sanskrit prosody or Chandas refers to one of the six Vedangas, or limbs of Vedic studies.James Lochtefeld (2002), "Chandas" in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Vol. 1: A-M, Rosen Publishing, , page 140 It is the study of poetic metr ...
(meter). However this only covers a part of the wide variety of literature he created. At the same time, there was no contemporary in Telugu literature who could match his depth of the subjects he covered and his mastery of literature. A book with his memories compiled has been released.
Early life
Viswanatha Satyanarayana was the son of Shobhanadri, a
Brahmin
Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...
landlord, and his wife Parvathi. He was born in their forefathers' place
Nandamuru,
Krishna District
Krishna district is a district in the Coastal Andhra region in Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, with Machilipatnam as its administrative headquarters. It is surrounded on the East by Bay of Bengal, West by Guntur district, Guntur, Bapatla distric ...
,
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency or Madras Province, officially called the Presidency of Fort St. George until 1937, was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India and later the Dominion of India. At its greatest extent, the presidency i ...
(currently in
Unguturu Mandal,
Krishna district
Krishna district is a district in the Coastal Andhra region in Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, with Machilipatnam as its administrative headquarters. It is surrounded on the East by Bay of Bengal, West by Guntur district, Guntur, Bapatla distric ...
in
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...
) on 10 September 1895. He went to ''Veedhi Badi'' (literal translation: street school) which were recognized informal schools during 19th and early 20th century in India. During his childhood village culture has made a long-lasting impression on Satyanarayana and he learnt a lot from it. Traditional performers of street folk art forms attracted and educated him. These art forms involves story-telling, extempore poetry, music, performance, and dance in different forms. They left deep impression on his thought and story-telling. Bonding among villagers beyond castes and social barriers, beauty of village life were also shaped his thought and ideology later.
His upper primary education shifted to well-known Nobel College in near-by
Bandar at age 11. His father Shobhanadri, who almost lost his wealth due to his charity by then, thought that English-centric education can help his son to get a good living.
He worked as the first principal of Karimnagar Government College (1959–61). Some of Viswanatha’s disciples formed a committee with
Tummalapalli Ramalingeswara Rao and
Cherakupalli Jamadagni Sarma as Secretaries and organized
Sahasra Purna Chandrodayam celebrations (శ్రీ కవిసమ్రాట్ విశ్వనాథ సహస్ర చంద్రదర్శనశాంతి పౌష్టికోత్సవం) for two days at Vijayawada (14 and 15 September) in 1976. Vedic rituals in the morning followed by Sahithya ''goshti'' (meeting) in the evenings marked the occasion.
Historical Novels
Viswanatha was of the view that history is not the story of kings but the narrative that gives one an understanding of the sociological, political, economic, cultural, scientific, spiritual and aesthetic lives of man in a given time, and their evolution. Based on
Kota Venkatachalam's chronology Vishwanatha wrote three series of novels depicting all these aspects of ancient and medieval society, along with stories woven around the famous characters of three royal lineages:
# ''Purana Vaira granthamala'' is a series of 12 novels about the Magadha Royal dynasties after Mahabharata war. In this series, there are two tendencies – Krishna representing Dharma, and Jayadratha representing the darker side of human psyche, the unrighteous side. The primary characters in each of the 12 novels behave under the influence of these two tendencies, each having its temporal victories.
# ''Nepala Rajavamsa caritra'' is a series of 6 novels about the Nepali Royal dynasties. This series expounds Carvaka school of thought, its intricacies and sub-schools, social life and values influenced by carvakas.
# ''Kashmira Rajavamsa caritra'' is a series of 6 novels woven around the Royal dynasties that ruled Kashmir.
Literary career

Viswanatha's literary works includes 30 poems, 20 plays, 60 novels, 10 critical estimates, 200 ''Khand kavyas'', 35 short stories, three playlets, 70 essays, 50 radio plays, 10 essays in English, 10 works is Sanskrit, three translations, 100 introductions and forewords as well as radio talks. Some of his poems and novels have been translated into English,
Hindi
Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
,
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
People, culture and language
* Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka
** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
,
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...
,
Urdu
Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...
and
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 ...
.
''
Veyipadagalu'' was later translated into
Hindi
Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
by former Prime Minister
PV Narasimha Rao
Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao (28 June 1921 – 23 December 2004) was an Indian independence activist, lawyer, and statesman from the Indian National Congress who served as the prime minister of India from 1991 to 1996. He was the first p ...
as Sahasraphan.
Novels
Most of Viswanatha's novels depict evolving social conditions, and involve an in-depth analysis of culture as well as human nature and consciousness.
*
Veyipadagalu (The Thousand Hoods)
* Swarganiki Nicchenalu (Ladders to Heaven)
* Terachi Raju (Checkmate)
* Cheliyali Katta (The Seawall)
* Maa Babu (Our babu(babu is a word that suits for son, dad and owner))
* Jebu Dongalu (Pickpocketers)
* Veera Valladu (Valla the valorous)
* Vallabha Mantri (The Minister Vallabha), after Sardar Vallabhai Patel
* Vishnu Sharma English Chaduvu (Vishnu Sharma Learning English), in which Tikkana and Vishnu Sarma two great literary figures of India attempt to learn English from the author. This parody is a critique of English and its grammar. The Novel is being dramatised and Staged in Ravindra Bharati, Hyderabad.in 2006 and made as a tele film by Doordarsanin 2008 and won the Golden Nandi Award.Dr. G.B. Ramakrishna Sastry acted as Viswanadha Satyanarayana and secured the Nandi Award for Best Acting.
* Pulula Satyagraham (Tigers Satyagraha)
* Devatala Yuddhamu (The Battle of Gods)
* Punarjanma (Rebirth)
* Pariksha (Exam)
* Nandigrama Rajyam (Kingdom of Nandigam)
* Banavati
* Antaratma (The Conscient Self)
* Ganguly Prema Katha (Ganguly's Love Story)
* Aaru Nadulu (Six Rivers)
* Chandavolu Rani (The Queen of Chandavolu)
* Pralayanaadu
* Ha Ha Hu Hu, the name of a horse-faced demigod who does a mythical landing in London
* Mroyu Tummeda (The Humming Bee), an in-depth analysis of Traditional Indian Music, sound and consciousness
* Samudrapu Dibba (Ocean Dune)
* Damayanti Swayamvaram (Swayamvara of Princess Damayanti)
* Neela Pelli (Neela's Wedding)
* Sarvari Nundi Sarvari Daka (From Night to Night)
* Kunaluni Sapamu (The curse of Kunala)
*
Ekaveera (The sacred Love of two warriors)
* Dharma Chakramu (The Wheel of Righteous Order)
* Kadimi Chettu (A Tree)
* Veera Puja
* Sneha Phalamu (Fruit of Friendship)
* Baddana Senani (The General Baddana)
(The twelve below form Purana Vaira Granthamala Series)
* Bhagavantuni meeda paga (vengeance against god)
* Nastika Dhumamu (the smoke of disbelief)
* Dhumarekha (the line of smoke)
* Nando raja bhavishyati (Nanda will be the king)
* Chandraguptuni Swapnamu (Chandragupta's dream)
* Ashwamedhamu
* Nagasenudu
* Helena
* Puli Muggu (the tiger-rangoli)
* Amrutavalli
* Nivedita
(The six below form Nepala Rajavamsa series)
* Dindu Kindi Poka Chekka (The Betel Nut Under the Pillow)
* Chitli Chitlani Gajulu (The half broken bangles)
* Saudamini
* Lalita Pattanapu Rani (Queen of the town named after Lalita)
* Dantapu Duvvena (Ivory Comb)
* Duta Meghamu (Cloud-messenger)
(The six below form Kashmira Rajavamsa series)
* Kavalalu (Twins)
* Yasovati
* Patipettina Nanemulu (The Buried Coins)
* Sanjeevakarani (The Medicinal Herb)
*
Mihirakula
Mihirakula (Gupta script: , ''Mi-hi-ra-ku-la'', Chinese: 摩酰逻矩罗 ''Mo-hi-lo-kiu-lo''), sometimes referred to as Mihiragula or Mahiragula, was the second and last Alchon Huns, Alchon Hun king of northwestern region of the Indian subcont ...
* Bhramara Vasini (Goddess of the Humming Bee)
Poetry
*
Srimad Ramayana Kalpavrukshamu ('Ramayana the divine wish-granting tree', the work for which he was awarded Jnanapith)
* Andhra Pourushamu (The Andhra valor)
* Andhra Prashasti (Fame of Andhras)
* Ritu samharamu (ending of the season cycle)
* Sri Kumarabhyudayamu (emergence of Kumara)
* Girikumaruni prema geetaalu (love songs of Giri Kumara)
* Gopalodaharanamu (about Gopala)
* Gopika geetalu (the gopika's songs)
* Jhansi Rani
* Pradyumnodayamu (rise of Pradyumna)
* Bhramara geetalu (songs of the humming bee)
* Maa swamy (Our Lord)
* Ruru charitramu (Story of Ruru)
* Varalakshmi trishati (300 to Varalakshmi)
* Devi trishati (in Sanskrit, 300 verses in devotion to the mother goddess)
* Vishwanatha Panchashati (500 verses to devatas)
* Vishwanatha madhyaakkaralu (series of poems written in the meter 'madhyaakkara')
* Veni bhangamu (violating the stream/plat)
* Sashi duutamu (moon-messenger)
* Sringara veedhi (the streets of romance)
* Sri Krishna Sangeetamu (Krishna music)
* Naa Ramudu (My Rama, an introductory to his concept of Rama expounded in the Kaplavrikshamu)
* Sivarpanamu (ode to Siva)
* Dharmapatni (consort)
* Bhrashta yogi (fallen yogi)
* Kedara gowla
* Goloka vasi (the lord of Goloka)
Drama/Plays
* Gupta Pasupatam (the secret Pasupata, in Sanskrit and rewritten in Telugu)
* Amrita Sarmistham (in Sanskrit)
* Anta Natakame (all is drama)
* Anarkali
* Kavyaveda Harischandra
* Talli leni pilla (motherless girl)
* Trishulamu (the trident)
* Nartanashala (the dance theater)
* Pravahamu (the flow)
* Lopala-bayata (in & out)
* Venaraju
* Ashokavanamu
* Shivaji – roshanara
* Dhanya kailasamu
* A collection of 16 short plays
Analysis
* Kavya Parimalamu (the fragrance of poetry, on aesthetics)
* Kavyanandamu (analysis of aesthetics)
* Shakuntalamu yokka abhijnanata (apprisal of Kalidasa's Abhijnana Shakuntalam)
* Allasani vari allika jigibigi (an apprisal of Peddana's poetry)
* Okadu nachana somanna (an apprisal of Nachana Somanna's poetry)
* Nannayyagari prasanna katha kalitartha yukti (an apprisal of Nannayya's poetry)
* Sitaayaascharitam mahat (great is the story of Sita)
* Kalpavriksha rahasyamulu (secrets of the Kalpavrikshamu)
* Vishwanatha sahityopanyasamulu (a collection of speeches on literature)
* Niti Gita (moral stories)
* Sahitya Surabhi (a primer on poetry and literature)
Other Writings
* Kinnerasani Patalu
* Yati geetamu
* Kokilamma Pelli
* Paamu paata
* Chinna kathalu
* What is Ramayana to me
* Atma katha
Awards

* He was given the honorific "Kavi Samrat" (emperor of poets).
* In 1964 Andhra Viswa Kala Parishat gave him the honorific "
Kalaprapoorna".
* In 1942 on
Sankranthi at
Gudivada he was honored by climbing him on the elephant(gajarohana). 60 years completion celebrations(shashtipoorthi) was also held at
Gudivada in 1956.
*
Sri Venkateswara University honored him by giving D. Lit. Degree.
* In 1962
Kendra Sahitya Academy Puraskaram was given for "viswanatha madhyakkaralu".
* In 1970 he was honored as
Andhra Pradesh Government's laureate.
* In 1970
Indian government
The Government of India (ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of 36 states and union territor ...
awarded
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...
.
* In 1971 he was awarded with
Jnanpith Award
The Jnanpith Award is the oldest and the highest Indian literary award presented annually by the Bharatiya Jnanpith to an author for their "outstanding contribution towards literature". Instituted in 1961, the award is bestowed only on Indian ...
for his book ''
Ramayana Kalpavruksham''. He was the first Telugu writer to receive
Jnanpith Award
The Jnanpith Award is the oldest and the highest Indian literary award presented annually by the Bharatiya Jnanpith to an author for their "outstanding contribution towards literature". Instituted in 1961, the award is bestowed only on Indian ...
.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Satyanarayana, Viswanadha
1895 births
1976 deaths
Telugu poets
Writers from Krishna district
20th-century Indian poets
Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in literature & education
Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Telugu
Recipients of the Jnanpith Award
Indian male poets
Poets from Andhra Pradesh
20th-century Indian male writers