KARIMNAGAR: Padma Shri awardee Sribhashyam Vijayasarathi, who is known for his poetry, passed away at the age of 86 at his residence in Sri Puram Colony here on Wednesday.
Vijayasarathi began composing poetry at the age of seven. Even though he studied in Urdu medium, he excelled in Sanskrit. He was also the founder of Sri Yagna Varaha Swamy Kshetram (temple complex) on the outskirts of the city. He has written 100 books in Sanskrit and Telugu.
He was born to Narasimhacharya and Gopamamba on March 10, 1936, in Chegurthi village in Karimnagar district. It was his mother who taught him Nyaya Bodhini, Tharka Sangrahamu and Mimamsa. It was during this period that he composed Sharadaa Padakinkine. His astounding scholarship came to the fore with Khanda Kavya like Vishaadalahari and Shabaree Paridevanam which he composed at the age of 16.
Vijayasarathi introduced Seesam, a Telugu poetic form, in the Sanskrit language and he was the first man who introduced that epistolary form in Sanskrit. He was awarded the Padma Shri in the literature and education category in 2020. Mandakini is his tour de force and it was a textbook in north India. With the Mandakini book, Vijayasarathi not only won the laurels for his astounding scholarship in Sanskrit but also enriched Sanskrit literature immensely.
On learning about the Sanskrit scholar’s demise, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao expressed his condolence. He said that the demise of Sribhashyam is an irreparable loss to the Sanskrit language. The Chief Minister recalled the literary services of Sribhashyam. He said that apart from poetry, Sribhashyam exhibited exceptional talent in reciting poems. His life is an inspiration for present-day poets. He conveyed his deepest condolences to the bereaved family members.
Collector RV Karnan visited his residence paid floral tributes to the poet’s mortal remains and comforted his son Varaprasad and family members. State Planning Board vice-chairman B Vinod Kumar too condoled the death of Vijayasarathi.