Jivanandanam of Anandaraya Makhin
An allegorical play, filled with medical and political knowledge, it is a layered text open to multiple interpretations, nuanced and layered, centering around the attack by the king of disease, Consumption on the hero of the play, the Soul of man, and his final deliverance through his faith in God. Pandit Duraiswami wrote a commentary in Sanskrit on this work, drawn to it for its masterful explanation of Ayurveda in political terms that any layman could understand.
Hamsa Sandesham
Modelled on Meghadootam by Kalidasa, Hamsa Sandesham (The Message of the Swan) by Sri. Vedanta Desika has for its theme Rama’s message of hope and faith to his wife Sita held captive in Lanka, a communication sent with the help of a swan, in which Swami Desika, through the medium of the Lord himself offers us vivid and lyrical descriptions of temples the swan swims by before it finally reaches its destination. Pandit Duraiswami desiring that Swami Desika’s work be made available to the devout Tamil speaking audience translated it, filled as much with admiration for its style as for its substance, wishing to convey especially its overarching divine aura.
Kadambari
Written in the 7th C., this is considered one of the first novels in Sanskrit begun by Banabhatta and completed by his son; an immensely sensuous love story which is also a fast-paced thriller narrated by a parrot; centering around desire, longing, separation and fulfilment, with eloquent and descriptive passages of natural beauty. Pandit Duraiswami translated this intricate novel into Tamil, inspired by its intricate plot, complexity of structure, vivid characterization, (especially of the protagonist Kadambari, an exceptionally strong woman) and its wonderfully picturesque language.
Kiratarjuniya
Composed in the 6th C., this play describing in 18 cantos the combat between Arjuna and Shiva as a Kirata (mountain-dweller) during the years when the Pandavas were in exile, contains some of the most bewitchingly well-structured linguistic feats, both of construction and expression, unimaginable to any but the most profound scholars, earning for itself the title of the most powerful poem in Sanskrit. What Pandit Duraiswami has done is to write notes in Sanskrit on Mallinatha’s commentary on Kiratarjuniya, wherein he explores not only the beauty of the language, but also the message of the play which portrays all the universe (of gods, demi-gods and man) as one.
Meghasandesam
Written by mahakavi Kalidasa, the play meaning, ‘Cloud Messenger’, drenched in lyrical sweetness, is highly evocative and filled with imaginative ideas, narrating the tale of a lovelorn devata (demi-God), banished to earth, who uses the medium of a cloud to send messages to his cherished wife in heaven, all the while describing the beauty and magnificence of his beloved country, Bharat. Pandit Duraiswami translated this work into Tamil not only to give them access to Kalidasa, but also to open the doors to beauties of the rest of the country, at a time when people travelled little outside their homes.