Viswambhara (transl. The Earth) is a 1980 Telugu-language philosophical long poem by C. Narayana Reddy.[1] It is written in free verse and was an outcome of Narayana Reddy's meditation on the meaning and mystery of human existence.[2] It deals with the theme of universal brotherhood and the quest of man for the meaning of life and of the nature of the universe.[3][4]
Viswambhara received wide critical acclaim and is also a part of M.A. degree syllabi in some universities.[5] In 1988, Narayana Reddy won India's highest literary award, Jnanpith Award for the book.[6] He became the second Telugu writer to receive the Jnanpith Award through this work.[7][8] The book also won the Soviet Land Nehru award in 1982.[9] It has been translated into several Indian languages. Amarendra (Dr. C. Narasimha Sastry) translated it into English in 1986.[10] Bhimsen Nirmal translated it into Hindi as Vishwambhara. The Hindi translation won the Sahitya Akademi Translation Award in 1991.[11]