Kala Nath Shastry

Devarshi Kala Nath Shastry was born on 15 July 1936. He is a Sanskrit scholar honoured by the President of India in 1988. He is an Indologist and a prolific writer of Sanskrit, Hindi and English, and a well-known linguist, who has contributed to the campaign of evolving technical terminology in Indian languages and ensuring a respectable status to Hindi, the official language of his state and the Indian union.[1]

Kala Nath Shastry
Born15 July 1936
Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
NationalityIndian
Alma materMaharaja Sanskrit College, Jaipur; Maharaja's College, Jaipur
Known forSanskrit Literature
Hindi Linguistics
AwardsRashtrapati Award (1998)
Sahitya Akademi Award (2004)
Scientific career
FieldsSanskrit Linguistics, Hindi Indian Culture
InstitutionsDepartment of Languages

Maharaja College
Rajasthan Hindi Granth Academy
Directorate of Sanskrit Education
Department of College Education
Sikar Govt. College
Kotputli Govt. College

Presently – Chairperson, Modern Sanskrit Chair, JRR Sanskrit University, Jaipur

Academic contribution

He has continued the rich tradition of introducing modern genres and modes of expression in an ancient language like Sanskrit for which his father late Kavishiromani Bhatt Mathuranath Shastri is known in the history of modern Sanskrit literature.[2] He has authored more than two dozen books and edited equal number of books in Sanskrit, Hindi and English and is known for his interliterary translations of monumental works of Philosophy and literature in these languages and also Prakrit, Vraj Bhasha, Rajasthani and other Indian languages.[3]

Literary achievements

He has contributed more than a thousand articles in Hindi and Sanskrit to reputed journals of India and broadcast more than 200 talks, poems, and plays in Sanskrit, Hindi and English. He is a literary historian, critic and commentator. In the history of modern Sanskrit literature he is known as a fiction writer who has introduced a modern idiom in creative Sanskrit writing through his novels, short stories, personal essays, and his books on the 20th century Sanskrit literature. He was the chairman of the Rajasthan Sanskrit Academy (2021) and the Director of Sanskrit Education and Bhasha Vibhag (1976–1994).[4]

Career

His career started with the pursuit of traditional Sanskrit learning, Indian Aesthetics, Comparative Linguistics, the Vedas & Shastras under the tutelage of Sanskrit scholars like his own father Bhatt Mathuranath Shastri, Giridhar Sharma Chaturvedi, Pt. Pattabhiram Shastri, Pt. Hari Shastri, and Jagdish Sharma. He mastered linguistics and aesthetics of Sanskrit, and also studied the literatures of Hindi and English.[5]

After obtaining his post-graduation degree with 1st Division in English he taught English Language and literature at the Postgraduate colleges of the University of Rajasthan for eight years, then took over the administration of official language as deputy director and later as Director of Bhasha Vibhag (Directorate of Official Language) of the Government of Rajasthan from which position he retired in 1994.[6][7]

He was also Director of Sanskrit Education, Government of Rajasthan (1991–1993). He served as chairman, Rajasthan Sanskrit Academy (1995–1998) and founder- Chairman of Kavishiromani Bhatt Mathuranath Shastri Sanskrit Chair at the Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Rajasthan Sanskrit University, Jaipur. He is Chairman of the Modern Sanskrit Chair at the Sanskrit University. He is also advising as permanent member of Rajasthan Government's Hindi Law Committee, and as member of Kendriya Sanskrit Board, National Book Trust and Sahitya Academy.[8] He is associated in different capacities with dozens of governmental and non-governmental associations, institutions and organisations related with Sanskrit and Hindi. He is also the founder Chairman of "Manjunath Smriti Sansthan", located in Jaipur.[9]

Devarshi Kala Nath Shastry worked as a member of the 2nd Sanskrit Commission of the Government of India (2014-2016).

Major honours and awards

He has been honoured by a large number of institutions, universities, organisations and governments with titles such as 'Mahamahopadhyaya' (in 2008 by Shri LBS Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth, Deemed University, New Delhi),[10][11] 'Sahitya Mahodadhi' (1993), and 'Sahitya Shiromani' (1999) and awards such as Lifetime Achievement Award for Sanskrit, Government of Rajasthan, Jaipur 2012, Lifetime Achievement Award for Sanskrit Journalism by Uttar Pradesh Sanskrit Sansthan, 2008, Award for Sanskrit by Central Sahitya Academy (2004),[12] Honours by Ministry of Human Resources, Govt. of India (1995 and 1998). He was recognised for his contribution to Sanskrit by none other than the President of India, Dr. K. R. Narayanan, in 1998. He was bestowed upon with "Rashtrapati Puraskar" for his contribution to Sanskrit.[13]

Major published works
  • Works of Panditaraj Jagannath's Poetry :1987 : 134pp 22 cm ISBN 8185263388
  • Aakhyanvallari (Story Collection in Sanskrit: Awarded by Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi in 2004)
  • Sanskrit ke Gaurav Shikhar (Series-10), Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, New Delhi, 2006
  • Adhunik Kaal ka Sanskrit Gadya Sahitya (Series-17), Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, New Delhi[14]
  • Jeewanasya Prishthadwayam (Novel)
  • One Hundred Years of Philosophy (Translation of John Passmore's History of Modern Western Philosophy), Published by Rajasthan Hindi Granth Academy, Jaipur, 1966, 1987
  • Sanskrit Sahitya ka Itihas ( History of Sanskrit Literature), 2009[15]
  • Sanskriti ke Vaataayan (Collection of Cultural Essays)
  • Bhartiya Darshan ka Itihas ( Translation of Dasgupta's book in 5 volumes with Ramesh Kumar)Published by Rajasthan Hindi Granth Academy, Jaipur, 1978, 1988, 1998
  • Makers of Indian Literature : Bhatt Mathuranath Shastri 'Manjunath', Central Sahitya Academy, New Delhi, 2013[16]
  • Kavitavallari (collection of poems), Jaipur, 2006[17]
  • Kathanakvalli (story collection), Jaipur, 1987
  • Vidvajjanacharitamritam (biographies), New Delhi, 1982[18]
  • Vaidik Vangmaya mein Bharatiya Sanskriti, Bikaner, 2003
  • Manak Hindi ka Swaroop, New Delhi, 2002 and Jaipur, 2010
  • Bharatiya Sanskriti – Adhaar aur Parivesh, Jaipur, 1989
  • Sahitya Chintan, Jaipur 2005[19]
  • Lalitkatha Kalpavalli, Jaipur, 2012[20]
  • Adhunik Sanskrit Sahitya:Ek Vyapak Drishtipaat, Allahabad, 2001
  • Bhartiya Sanskriti-Swaroop aur Siddhaant, Jaipur, 2003
  • Sanskrit Natyavallari (collection of drama), Jaipur, 1999
  • Sudheejanvrittam (collection of biographies), Jaipur, 1997
  • Sanskrit ke Yugpurush: Manjunath, Jaipur, 2004
  • Jaipur ki Sanskrit Parampara, Jaipur, 2000
  • Horizons of Sanskrit, Pub. Rajasthan Sanskrit Akademy, Jaipur, 2016.

He has translated a large number of books, research journals, commemorative volumes, in Sanskrit and Hindi, and also books to and from English, Sanskrit, Prakrit and Rajasthani languages.[21]

He is the chief editor of renowned Sanskrit monthly Bharati.[22]

References
  1. Inventory of Sanskrit Scholars, Ed. Radha Vallabh Tripathi, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, New Delhi, 2012, ISBN 978-93-86111-85-2
  2. 'Akhyanavallari', Author's Introduction, Rajasthan Sanskrit Sahitya Kendra, Jaipur, 2002
  3. 'One Hundred Years of Philosophy',(Translation of John Passmore's work), Rajasthan Hindi Granth Academy, Jaipur, 1987
  4. Chairmen and Directors of Rajasthan Sanskrit Academy, retrieved 22.1.2016
  5. Devarshi Kala Nath Shastry, Doyen of Sanskrit Honored by the President of India – An Introduction, Rajasthan Sanskrit Academy, Jaipur, 2013.
  6. Sahitya Akademi Authors
  7. 'Adhunik Kal ka Sanskrit Gadya Itihas',Kala Nath Shastry, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, New Delhi, 1995
  8. Devarshi Kala Nath Shastry, Doyen of Sanskrit Honored by the President of India – An Introduction, Rajasthan Sanskrit Academy, Jaipur, 2013.
  9. Pandit Madhusudan Ojha Institute of Vedic Studies & Research, Jaipur-302004
  10. The Hindu : Sanskrit title conferred on Kalanath Shastri, June 05, 2005 (retrieved 04.01.2016)
  11. Archived 27 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine SLBS Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, New Delhi Convocation
  12. http://bharatdiscovery.org/india/Sahitya_Academy_Award_Winners
  13. http://www.vedicpeeth.org/team_members/devrshi-kalanath-shastri Archived 26 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine Pandit Madhusudan Ojha Institute of Vedic Studies & Research, Jaipur-302004
  14. A bibliography of Modern Sanskrit Writings, Radha Vallabh Tripathi, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, New Delhi 2012 ISBN 978-93-86111-89-0
  15. Sanskrit Sahitya ka Itihas ( History of Sanskrit Literature), Sahityagaar, Jaipur, 2009, ISBN 81-7711-150-7
  16. Makers of Indian Literature : Bhatt Mathuranath Shastri 'Manjunath', Central Sahitya Academy, New Delhi, 2013 ISBN 978-81-260-3365-2
  17. Sanskrit Kavitavallari (collection of poems), Jagdish Sanskrit Pustakalaya, Jaipur, 2006, ISBN 81-87177-60-8
  18. Inventory of Sanskrit Scholars, Ed. Radha Vallabh Tripathi, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, New Delhi, 2012, ISBN 978-93-86111-85-2
  19. Sahitya Chintan, Hansa Prakashan, Jaipur 2005, ISBN 81-88257-07-9
  20. Lalitkatha Kalpavalli, Hansa Prakashan, Jaipur, 2012, ISBN 978-93-81954-28-7
  21. Authors of Rajkamal Prakashan
  22. Devarshi Kala Nath Shastry, Doyen of Sanskrit Honored by the President of India – An Introduction, Rajasthan Sanskrit Academy, Jaipur, 2013.
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