K. T. Pandurangi

Krishnacharya Tamanacharya Pandurangi (1 February 1918 - 22 April 2017), also known by the pen name Viswamangala, was an Indian Sanskrit scholar and a notable Indologist. Pandurangi was unique among contemporary Sanskrit scholars, being simultaneously at home among both traditional and modern systems of education. In 1989, the Government of India honoured him with the Rashtrapati Award for his contributions to literature and research.[1]

Mahamahopadhyaya

Krishnacharya Tamanacharya Pandurangi
Born(1918-02-01)February 1, 1918
Dharwad, Karnataka
DiedApril 22, 2017(2017-04-22) (aged 99)
Bangalore, Karnataka
NationalityIndian
Occupation(s)Scholar, professor
SpouseSusheela
Childrentwo daughters; three son's
Awards1989 : Rashtrapati Award
2007: Rajyotsava Award
Academic background
Alma materMaharaja's College, Mysore
Banares Hindu University
Academic work
DisciplineReligious Studies
InstitutionsBangalore University
Main interestsVedanta, Hindu philosophy

Krishnacharya's students included such renowned Sanskrit scholars as D. Prahladachar, former Vice Chancellor, Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, Tirupati; V. R. Panchamukhi, Indian Economist; Vyasanakere Prabhanjanacharya.[1]

Biography

Krishnacharya was born on 1 February 1918 in a family of Sanskrit scholars to Tamanacharya Pandurangi and Lakshmi Bai in Dharwad, Karnataka. Due to the family's economic conditions, he could complete only up to the 7th standard and could not study in a high school. He then studied Sanskrit in the Sankaracharya Patasala at Dharwad. His further higher education was in Patasalas as well; from Dharwad to Sangli Patasala; from Sangli to Mysore Patasala and so on. In 1936 at the age of 18 he moved to Mysore. Within four years he had completed the study of Nyaya and Vedanta there.[1] At Patasala, he learnt Nyaya Shastra under Dharapuram Krishnamurthi Acharya. At other times he went to the residence of the same Acharya and learnt Vedanta at home. He practised this kind of double-study under other scholars, including Kasipranesa Acharya, Chaturvedi Ramachandracharya, Doddaballapur Vasudevacharya, Nerur Krishnacharya, Ardikoppam Subramanya Shastry, Channa Kesava Shastry and others. In 1940, at the age of 22, he joined the Oriental department of Annamalai University and Maharaja's College, Mysore, where he studied Purva Mimamsa under such reputed scholars as Dr. B. N. K. Sharma. He also holds Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from Banares Hindu University.[2]

Career

Prof. Pandurangi served as professor in Karnatak College, Dharwar for twelve years and in Government College, Bangalore for six years. Later he joined as head of the postgraduate Sanskrit department at Bangalore University.[2]

He was a member of the Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan and the Central Sanskrit Board. He was a Senior Fellow of the Indian Council of Philosophical Research and served as President of the Mythic Society, Bangalore for twelve years. He served as Kulapati of Poornaprajna Vidyapeetha and also served as honorary director of the Dvaita Vedanta Foundation at Bangalore.[3][4][5] Pandurangi visited Germany, England, Austria and the United States, delivering lectures on Purva Mimamsa and Vedanta. He also guided many foreign scholars who had come to India in subjects like Prakarana Panchika, Ramayana, Uttara Ramacharita, Panchapadika, Anu Vyakhyana, Pāṇini's Aṣṭādhyāyī, Vishnu Tatva Nirnaya, Karma Nirnaya and other topics of Dvaita Vedanta.

Academic accomplishments

Prof. Pandurangi was highly regarded as a scholar. He studied Nyaya, Vedanta and Mīmāṃsā, erning degrees in both philosophy and literature.

He also had extensive knowledge of orthodox Hindu rituals and Vedanta. His scholarship in various darśanas of orthodox Indian philosophy earned him titles such as Vedanta Vidwan, Mimamsa Siromani, Darsanaratna and Mimamsa Bhushana.[6]

For 35 years, he taught Sanskrit and Indian philosophy at the graduate and postgraduate level, retiring in the year 1979. He delivered lectures on Philosophy & Sanskrit at universities, at The Indian Institute of World Culture, and at Gokhale Institute. After retirement, he guided research students, including students from the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, and the United States, for Ph.D, M.Phil and Vidya Varidhi degrees, also serving as Examiner for more than a dozen Ph.D theses submitted in various universities in India. For 20 years (1980 to 2000) he had short-term assignments in five academic centres: Bangalore University (4 years), Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, Delhi (4 years), Indian Council of Philosophical Research (3 years), Gandhi Centre for Science and Human values, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bangalore (4 years), Project of History of Indian Science, Philosophy and Culture (for 5 years).

Prof. Pandurangi organised 12 conferences and seminars, and served as the Kulapati, Poorna Prajna Vidyapeeeta, Bangalore.

Works

The Dvaita Vedanta Studies and Research Foundation has published many invaluable books by Pandurangi, some of which extend to several volumes. He published and edited rare works on Vedanta and Poorva - Meemamsa, translating some of them into English and Kannada. Some of the notable works are listed here:[7][8][9]

Commentaries
  • Bhatta Sangraha Raghavendra Tirtha (in 3 vols.)
  • Ṛgbhāṣyam of Sri Madhvacharya ( 2 volumes).
  • Nyayamrta and Advaita Siddhi (in 3 volumes).
  • Tātparya Chandrika of Vyasatirtha (3 vols.)
  • Brahmāsūtrabhāṣya with 8 commentaries (in 7 vols.)
  • Nyāya Sudhā with 5 commentaries (in 12 vols.)
  • Bhāgavata with 2 commentaries (in 12 vols.)
  • Tarka Tāṇḍava of Vyasatirtha
  • Pramana Paddhati of Jayatirtha

Translations

Sanskrit
  • Nabhovaniroopakaani - a collection of four radio plays
  • Kaavyaanjalihi - an anthology of poems
  • Raveendraroopakaani - an adaptation of Ravindranath Tagore’s four plays
  • Purandaravachanaani - an adaptation of Purandara Dasa’s one hundred sayings
  • Sarvajnavachanaani.

Kannada
  • Kaavyashaastra Vinoda - Critical essays on the works of poets Kalidasa, Bhavabhuti, Kshemishvara etc.
  • Sanskrita Kavayatriyaru - an introduction of thirty two poetesses of Sanskrit
  • Kalidaasana Soundaryadrishti

Awards and honours

References
  1. Śaśiprabhā Kumāra (January 2007). Veda as word. Indian Council of Philosophical Research, Jawaharlal Nehru University. p. 271. ISBN 9788124603765. Retrieved 1 January 2007.
  2. "Sanskrit scholar K. T. Pandurangi dies at 99". Times of India. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  3. Pride of India: A Glimpse Into India's Scientific Heritage. SAMSKRITA BHARATI. 2006. p. 200. ISBN 9788187276272.
  4. Kamla Kanta Mishra (1997). Sanskrit Studies in India: On the Occasion of 10th World Sanskrit Conference, Bangalore, Jan 3-9, 1997. Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan. p. 158.
  5. Journal of Oriental Research, Madras, Volumes 47-55. Kuppuswami Sastri Research Institute, Mylapore. 1989. p. xviii.
  6. Saints of Karnataka. Chinmaya Mission. 1981. p. 47.
  7. Kiyokazu Okita (2014). Hindu Theology in Early Modern South Asia: The Rise of Devotionalism and the Politics of Genealogy. Oxford University Press. p. 267. ISBN 9780198709268.
  9. Sheldon Pollock; Benjamin A. Elman; Ku-ming Kevin Chang (5 January 2015). World Philology. Harvard University Press. p. 404. ISBN 9780674052864. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  10. "Vyasajyothi Award for K.T. Pandurangi". The Hindu. Retrieved 28 July 2015.

Further reading
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