A Survey of Sanskrit Stotra Literature

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About the Book The Oriental Institute, $4% University of Baroda organized on 30th and 21st December 2008, a two-days Nations! Seminar on the topic of Devotional literature in Sanskrit More than fourty scholars from different parts of India, Gujarat and Vadodara presented their papers on the said topic. These papers were on different aspects like the Stotras of Ganesa, Devi, Surya, Siva, Visnu was also the Stotras composed by the great saints like Shankaracharya, Ramanujacarya, Vallabhasarya, Nimbarkacarya etc. and relating to the Bauddha Religion and the Svaminarayana sect. The Strotras, composed by Modem Saints and poets are also taken note of. All these papers presented by the Scholars are compiled here in the form of this book. It would be very interesting to find scholarly information on So many Stotras at one place in this book.

About the Authors Prof. Dr. M.L. Wadekar is Offg. Director in the Oriental Institute, M.S. University of Baroda, Vadodar. He has Brilliant Career as student of M.S. University of Baroda, since he has obtained B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees of the same University. He has a long career as a Researcher and has written/edited more than 15 books and more than 100 research papers on different topics of Manuscriptology, Vedanta, Puranas and Dharmashastra. He has also participated in more than 75 Regional, National and International Seminars and Conferences. He is invited for lecturers/talks on different topics by different Universities, Educational Institutions and religious organizations.

Dr. Sweta Prajapati (M.A., Ph.D.) is a Research Officer, in the Oriental Institute, M.S. University of Baroda, Vadodara since 1996. She has to her credit 5 books and 509 research papers on different topics of Manuscriptology, Poetics, Modern Sanskrit Literature and Nyayashastra.

Foreword The Oriental Institute, M.S. University of Baroda organized on 30th and 31st December, 2008, a two-days National Seminar on the topic of Devotional literature in Sanskrit. More than fourty scholars from different parts of India, Gujarat and Vadodara presented their papers on the said topic. These papers were on different aspects like the Stotras of Ganesa, Devi, Surya, Śiva, Vişņu was also the Stotras composed by the great saints like Sankarācārya, Ramanujācārya, Vallabhācārya, Nimbārkācārya etc. and relating to the Bauddha Religion and the Svāminārāyaṇa sect. The Strotras, composed by Modern Saints and poets are also taken note of. All these papers presented by the Scholars are compiled here in the form of this book. We are thankful to the participants for submitting their articles for compilation in the book form. We are also thankful to the colleagues of the Oriental Institute, Vadodara and the local participants for assisting us in reading proofs of the same.

We are grateful to the Publisher, Sh. C.P. Gautam of Bharatiya Kala Prakashan for nicely publishing this book.

We are sure that the book will be well-received by the scholars and students interested in the subject.

Introduction Devotion or Bhakti is an important aspect not only in the field of Spirituality but has also great impact on our practical day to day life. It is declared in the Upanisad itself -To that Great soul alone are these philosophical imports of Śruti revealed, who has supreme devotion towards God and the preceptor.

There is a vast Sanskrit literature that has delineated the philosophical aspect of Bhakti and Bhakti-Rasa. It can be termed as Sanskrit literature on Devotion. Similarly, the major part of the Sanskrit literature contains exposition on the aspects of devotion and the devotees. It can be explained as Devotion in Sanskrit literature. By Devotional literature, it is to be understood that the Literature which is full of devotional sentiment-the Stutis or Stotras in praise of Gods and Goddesses, the rivers, the great personalities.

This is also a very wide field,since, right from the Vedas upto even present century, there are poets and devotees, who have composed stotras. There is no doubt that there are some hymns in the Vedas, which are full of such devotional sentiments. The two Great epics-the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the eighteen Puranas, the Sanskrit literature-Earlier, Medieval and Modern, contain such Stotras in plenty.

**Contents and Sample Pages**