When I was seven years old, I was invested with the sacred thread and renamed as Venkatanatha after Vedantha Desika. I have been an avid reader and chanter of his devotional verses ever since. More recently, I have had the good fortune of reading some of his other works in some depth. I was astonished by the range and extent of his literary and philosophical compositions. In due course, the writing instinct in me impelled me to undertake this arduous task of critically analysing his contributions and their relevance to the present day.