Pandit C K Vasudeva Sarma - Abhinava Jejjata of Kerala – A life profile

Kerala’s contribution to Ayurveda practice and literature is held with high esteem by scholars all over the country. Literary works of Kerala comprises of both works which are unique in nature and works which have parallels in other regions of India. Despite these facts, most of these works, except a few like Sahasrayoga have not yet been studied well. The scholarliness of the authors of such works also remains unknown to the current generation. Unless a serious effort is made to study these, the concern is that the wisdom in the regional literature of Ayurveda will be lost as most of these works will become unavailable in near future. This article focuses on the life, works and achievements of Pandit C K Vasudeva Sarma, an eminent scholar physician from Kerala. The review is prepared as a life profile based on published documents, oral reports etc. Major works were identified and the parallel to Jejjata was drawn following that. Vachaspathya commentary on Carakasamhita, Hridayollasa commentary on Sushrutasamhita, Vasudeviya commentary on Ashtangahridaya, Vaidyapriya commentary on Sarngadharasamhita, commentary on Yogaratnakara called Vaidyaratnam are some of his prominent works on Sanskrit texts. Apart from authoring some unique Ayurvedic texts in Malayalam he also authored several non-Ayurveda textbooks. These rich regional diversity in the Ayurveda literature and practice worth detailed study by future generations. Value of the works of Pandit C K Vasudeva Sarma underlines the concern on regional literature and stresses the need for further studies in similar areas.