Selected Poetic Works in Sanskrit

This is a short list of poetic works in Sanskrit. Most of the works included here are well known to our literary tradition. This list is divided into two parts: The first part keeps in mind a lover of Sanskrit poetry who might not actively compose verses in the language. The second part comprises works that a budding Sanskrit poet who is serious about his passion ought to read. Needless, the first part is a must-read for budding poets as well.

At the introductory level, it is good to listen to simple stotras, subhāṣitas and learn them by heart. This will provide a good vocabulary, sensitize the student to the sonic beauty of Sanskrit prosody and make him comfortable with the poetic idiom of classical Sanskrit. Along with these exercises, one should learn the rudiments of Sanskrit grammar. In parallel, one should study Vālmīki-rāmāyaṇa every day, in the spirit of pārāyaṇa. Later, the student can read works that provide an overview of Sanskrit literature such as Saṃskṛta-kāvya (K Krishnamoorthy, Kannada), Saṃskṛta-nāṭaka (A R Krishna Sastri, Kannada), Saṃskṛta-sāhitya kā Itihās (Baladev Upadhyaya, Hindi). Equipped with this knowledge, the student can begin his literary odyssey with the short plays of Bhāsa and the stories of Viṣṇu-śarmā.    

The works are mostly arranged in the increasing order of linguistic difficulty and at times, aesthetic sophistication.

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Part I

Epics

1. Rāmāyaṇa – Vālmīki
2. Mahābhārata – Vyāsa
3. Kumāra-sambhava – Kālidāsa
4. Buddha-carita – Aśva-ghoṣa
5. Raghu-vaṃśa – Kālidāsa
6. Madhurā-vijaya – Gaṅgā-devī
7. Kṛṣṇa-vilāsa – Sukumāra
8. Vikramāṅka-deva-carita – Bilhaṇa
9. Śiva-līlārṇava – Nīlakaṇṭha-dīkṣita
10. Kirātārjunīya – Bhāravi
11. Śiśupāla-vadha – Māgha
12. Naiṣadhīya-carita – Śrī-harṣa

Plays

1. Ūru-bhaṅga – Bhāsa
2. Svapna-vāsavadatta – Bhāsa
3. Matta-vilāsa-prahasana – Mahendra-varmā
4. Bhagavadajjukīya – Mahendra-varmā
5. Mṛcchakaṭika – Śūdraka
6. Kunda-mālā – Diṅnāga
7. Mālavikāgnimitra – Kālidāsa
8. Ratnāvalī – Harṣa-vardhana
9. Vikramorvaśīya – Kālidāsa
10. Abhijñāna-śākuntala – Kālidāsa
11. Nāgānanda – Harṣa-vardhana
12. Prabodha-candrodaya – Kṛṣṇa-miśra
13. Uttara-rāma-carita – Bhava-bhūti
14. Veṇī-saṃhāra – Bhaṭṭa-nārāyaṇa
15. Mudrā-rākṣasa – Viśākha-datta
16. Padma-prābhṛtaka – Śūdraka
17. Pāda-tāḍitaka – Śyāmilaka

Stories and Fables

1. Pañca-tantra – Viṣṇu-śarmā
2. Hitopadeśa – Nārāyaṇa-paṇḍita
3. Siṃhāsana-dvātriṃśikā
4. Vetāla-pañcaviṃśati – Jambhala-datta
5. Jātaka-mālā – Ārya-śūra
6. Bhoja-prabandha – Ballāḻa

Prose Works

1. Daśa-kumāra-carita – Daṇḍī
2. Kādambarī – Bāṇa-bhaṭṭa
3. Harṣa-carita – Bāṇa-bhaṭṭa

Campū

1. Rāmāyaṇa-campū – Bhoja
2. Nīlakaṇṭha-vijaya-campū – Nīlakaṇṭha-dīkṣita
3. Viśva-guṇādarśa-campū – Veṅkaṭādhvarī
4. Bhārata-campū – Ananta-bhaṭṭa

Short Poems

1. Ṛtu-saṃhāra – Kālidāsa
2. Nīti-dviṣaṣṭikā – Sundara-pāṇḍya
3. Nīti-śataka – Bhartṛhari
4. Vairāgya-śataka – Bhartṛhari
5. Amaru-śataka – Amaruka
6. Sabhā-rañjana – Nīlakaṇṭha-dīkṣita
7. Kali-viḍambana – Nīlakaṇṭha-dīkṣita
8. Vairāgya-śataka – Nīlakaṇṭha-dīkṣita
9. Śānti-vilāsa – Nīlakaṇṭha-dīkṣita
10. Megha-dūta – Kālidāsa
11. Bhāminī-vilāsa – Jagannātha
12. Gīta-govinda – Jaya-deva
13. Bhallaṭa-śataka – Bhallaṭa
14. Anyāpadeśa-śataka – Nīlakaṇṭha-dīkṣita
15. Mahiṣa-śataka – Vāñcheśvara

Devotional Hymns

1. Śivānanda-laharī – Śaṅkarācārya
2. Śrī-kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta – Līlā-śuka
3. Gaṅgā-laharī – Jagannātha
4. Śivotkarṣa-mañjarī – Nīlakaṇṭha-dīkṣita
5. Saundarya-laharī – Śaṅkarācārya
6. Sudhā-laharī – Jagannātha
7. Varada-rāja-stava – Appayya-dīkṣita
8. Ānanda-sāgara-stava – Nīlakaṇṭha-dīkṣita
9. Mūka-pañcaśatī – Mūka-kavi
10. Pādukā-sahasra – Vedānta-deśika

Satires and Verse Narratives

1. Darpa-dalana – Kṣemendra
2. Kuṭṭinī-mata – Dāmodara
3. Deśopadeśa – Kṣemendra
4. Kalā-vilāsa – Kṣemendra
5. Narma-mālā – Kṣemendra
6. Rāmāyaṇa-mañjarī – Kṣemendra
7. Bhārata-mañjarī – Kṣemendra
8. Kathā-sarit-sāgara – Soma-deva
9. Rāja-taraṅgiṇī – Kalhaṇa

Anthologies

1. Samayocita-padya-mālikā
2. Subhāṣitāvalī – Vallabha-deva
3. Subhāṣita-ratna-koṣa – Vidyākara
4. Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra

Modern Works

1. Vātsalya-rasāyana (short poem) – Sridhar Bhaskar Warnekar
2. Kāma-śuddhi (short play) – V Raghavan
3. Kālidāsa-rahasya (short poem) – Sridhar Bhaskar Warnekar
4. Nāṭya-pañcagavya (collection of short plays) – Abhiraj Rajendra Mishra
5. Pañca-kulyā (collection of short poems) – Abhiraj Rajendra Mishra
6. Prekṣaṇaka-trayī (collection of short plays) – V Raghavan
7. Candra-sena (play) – S D Joshi and Vighna Hari Deo
8. Laharī-daśaka (collection of short poems) – Radhavallabh Tripathi
9. Śiva-rājyodaya (epic) – Sridhar Bhaskar Warnekar
10. Anārkalī (play) – V Raghavan
11. Megha-prati-sandeśa (short poem) – Mandikal Rama Shastri
12. Kaṇṭakāñjali (satire) – K S Arjunwadkar
13. Vicchitti-vātāyanī (collection of verses) – Jagannath Pathak
14. Kāpiśāyinī (collection of short poems) – Jagannath Pathak
15. Parīvāha (collection of short poems) – Balram Shukla
16. Nipuṇa-prāghuṇaka (play) – Shankar Rajaraman
17. Bhārāvatāra-stava (devotional hymn) – Shankar Rajaraman
18. Mṛtkūṭa (short poem) – Bhaskaracharya Tripathi
19. Pratijñā-kauṭilya (play) – Jaggu Vakulabhushana
20. Citra-naiṣadha (short poem)– Shankar Rajaraman
21. Sītā-rāvaṇa-saṃvāda-jharī (short poem) – C Rama Shastri and Sitarama Shastri

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Part II

Epics

1. Jānakī-pariṇaya – Cakra-kavi
2. Raghunāthābhyudaya – Rāma-bhadrāmbā
3. Gāṅgāvataraṇa – Nīlakaṇṭha-dīkṣita
4. Daśāvatāra-carita – Kṣemendra
5. Pūrva-purāṇa – Jina-sena
6. Rugmiṇīśa-vijaya – Vādi-rāja
7. Dharma-śarmābhyudaya – Hari-candra
8. Bāla-bhārata – Amara-candra
9. Śrīkaṇṭha-carita – Maṅkha
10. Rāma-carita – Abhinanda
11. Jānakī-haraṇa – Kumāra-dāsa
12. Yādavābhyudaya – Vedānta-deśika
13. Yudhiṣṭhira-vijaya – Vāsudeva
14. Rāvaṇa-vadha – Bhaṭṭi
15. Kapphiṇābhyudaya – Śiva-svāmī
16. Hara-vijaya – Ratnākara
17. Rāghava-pāṇḍavīya – Kavi-rāja

Plays

1. Pratijñā-yaugandharāyaṇa – Bhāsa
2. Hāsya-cūḍāmaṇi – Vatsa-rāja
3. Karpūra-carita-bhāṇa – Vatsa-rāja
4. Bāla-carita – Bhāsa
5. Avimāraka – Bhāsa
6. Āścarya-cūḍāmaṇi – Śakti-bhadra
7. Priya-darśikā – Harṣa-vardhana
8. Karṇa-sundarī – Bilhaṇa
9. Tāpasa-vatsa-rāja – Māyu-rāja
10. Naiṣadhānanda – Kṣemīśvara
11. Viddha-śālabhañjikā – Rāja-śekhara
12. Laṭaka-melaka – Śaṅkha-dhara
13. Hāsyārṇava – Jagadīśa
14. Prasanna-rāghava – Jaya-deva
15. Mahāvīra-carita – Bhava-bhūti
16. Mālatī-mādhava – Bhava-bhūti
17. Hanumannāṭaka
18. Ubhayābhisārikā – Vara-ruci
19. Dhūrta-viṭa-saṃvāda – Īśvara-datta
20. Anargha-rāghava – Murāri
21. Bāla-rāmāyaṇa – Rāja-śekhara
22. Saṅkalpa-sūryodaya – Vedānta-deśika

Stories and Fables

1. Śuka-saptati – Cintā-maṇi
2. Puruṣa-parīkṣā – Vidyā-pati
3. Prabandha-koṣa – Rāja-śekhara
4. Prabandha-cintāmaṇi – Meru-tuṅga

Prose Works

1. Tilaka-mañjarī – Dhana-pāla
2. Vāsava-dattā – Subandhu

Campū

1. Varadāmbikā-pariṇaya-campū – Tirumalāmbā
2. Yātrā-prabandha – Samara-puṅgava-dīkṣita
3. Nṛsiṃha-campū – Daivajña-sūrya
4. Pārijātāpaharaṇa-campū – Śeṣa-śrī-kṛṣṇa
5. Udaya-sundarī-kathā – Soḍḍhala
6. Yaśastilaka-campū – Soma-deva-sūri
7. Nala-campū – Trivikrama-bhaṭṭa

Short Poems

1. Dṛṣṭānta-kalikā-śataka – Kusuma-deva
2. Cāṇakya-nīti – Cāṇakya
3. Gumānī-śataka – Gumānī-kavi
4. Śānti-śataka – Śilhaṇa
5. Haṃsa-sandeśa – Vedānta-deśika
6. Kokila-sandeśa – Uddaṇḍa
7. Āryā-sapta-śatī – Govardhana
8. Tīrtha-prabandha – Vādi-rāja
9. Pārśvābhyudaya – Jina-sena
10. Sahṛdayānanda – Śrī-kṛṣṇānanda
11. Subhāṣita-kaustubha – Veṅkaṭādhvarī
12. Subhāṣita-nīvī – Vedānta-deśika

Devotional Hymns

1. Lakṣmī-nṛsiṃha-karāvalambana-stotra – Śaṅkarācārya
2. Devyaparādha-kṣamāpaṇa-stotra – Śaṅkarācārya
3. Śiva-mahimnaḥ stotra – Puṣpa-danta
4. Śyāmalā-daṇḍaka
5. Śiva-pādādi-keśānta-stotra – Śaṅkarācārya
6. Viṣṇu-pādādi-keśānta-stotra – Śaṅkarācārya
7. Gopāla-viṃśati – Vedānta-deśika
8. Karuṇā-laharī – Jagannātha
9. Lakṣmī-laharī – Jagannātha
10. Rāma-karṇāmṛta – Rāmabhadra-dīkṣita
11. Rāmāṣṭa-prāsa – Rāmabhadra-dīkṣita
12. Raṅgarāja-stava – Parāśara-bhaṭṭa
13. Garuḍa-pañcāśat – Vedānta-deśika
14. Stuti-kusumāñjali – Jagaddhara
15. Caṇḍī-śataka – Bāṇa-bhaṭṭa
16. Sūrya-śataka – Mayūra
17. Nārāyaṇīya – Nārāyaṇa-bhaṭṭatiri
18. Devī-śataka – Ānanda-vardhana
19. Īśvara-śataka – Īśvara-kavi
20. Lakṣmī-sahasra – Veṅkaṭādhvarī

Satires and Verse Narratives

1. Sevya-sevakopadeśa – Kṣemendra
2. Cāru-caryā – Kṣemendra
3. Bṛhatkathā-mañjarī – Kṣemendra
4. Caturvarga-saṅgraha – Kṣemendra
5. Deśopadeśa – Kṣemendra
6. Samaya-mātṛkā – Kṣemendra
7. Bhikṣāṭana-kāvya – Utprekṣā-vallabha

Anthologies

1. Subhāṣita-sudhā-nidhi – Sāyaṇācārya
2. Padyāvalī – Rūpa-gosvāmī
3. Śārṅgadhara-paddhati – Śārṅgadhara
4. Sūkti-muktāvalī – Jalhaṇa
5. Sadukti-karṇāmṛta – Śrīdhara-dāsa

Modern Works

1. Lokālaṅkāra-paṅkīya (satire) – S Jagannatha
2. Asta-vyasta (play) – S Jagannatha
3. Kāvya-kalāpa (collection of short poems) – Jaggu Shingararya
4. Abhirāja-saptaśatī (collection of short poems) – Abhiraj Rajendra Mishra
5. Abhirāja-sāhasrī (collection of short poems) – Abhiraj Rajendra Mishra
6. Nāṭya-nava-ratna (collection of short plays) – Abhiraj Rajendra Mishra
7. Rūpa-rudrīya (collection of short plays) – Abhiraj Rajendra Mishra
8. Akiñcana-kāñcana (play) – Abhiraj Rajendra Mishra
9. Mīrā-laharī (short poem) – Kshama Rao
10. Mṛgāṅka-dūta (short poem) – Abhiraj Rajendra Mishra
11. Kavitā-putrikā-jāti (collection of short poems) – Balram Shukla
12. Pratijñā-śāntanava (short play) – Jaggu Vakulabhushana
13. Maṇi-haraṇa (short play) – Jaggu Vakulabhushana
14. Apratima-pratima (short play) – Jaggu Vakulabhushana
15. Prasanna-kāśyapa (short play) – Jaggu Vakulabhushana
16. Vivekānanda-vijaya (play) – Sridhar Bhaskar Warnekar
17. Śatālaṅkāra-kṛṣṇa-śataka (short poem) – H V Nagaraja Rao
18. Vyājokti-muktāvalī (short poem) – Mahalinga Shastri
19. Bhramara-dūta (short poem) – Mahalinga Shastri
20. Adbhutāṃśuka (play) – Jaggu Vakulabhushana
21. Madhurāñjali (collection of poems) – Galagali Ramacharya
22. Adbhuta-dūta (epic) – Jaggu Vakulabhushana
23. Laghu-raghu (short poem) – Bhaskaracharya Tripathi
24. Devī-dānavīya (short poem) – Shankar Rajaraman