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 Indology, also known as South Asian studies, is the academic study of the history and cultures, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent, and as such is a subset of Asian studies. The term ''Indology'' (in German, ''Indologie'') is ...

and a prolific writer of

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

Hindi Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

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.

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. 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 The Prakrits (; sa, prākṛta; psu, 𑀧𑀸𑀉𑀤, ; pka, ) are a group of vernacular Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were used in the Indian subcontinent from around the 3rd century BCE to the 8th century CE. The term Prakrit is usu ...

, Vraj Bhasha, Rajasthani and other Indian languages.

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).

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. 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 The Government of Rajasthan is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Rajasthan and its 33 districts. It consists of an executive, led by the Governor of Rajasthan, a judiciary and a legislative. Jaipur is the capital of Raja ...

from which position he retired in 1994. 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 National Book Trust (NBT) is an Indian publishing house, which was founded in 1957 as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Education of the Government of India. The activities of the Trust include publishing, promotion of books and reading, ...

and Sahitya Academy. 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. Devarshi Kala Nath Shastry worked as a member of the 2nd Sanskrit Commission of the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

(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), 'Sahitya Mahodadhi' (1993), and 'Sahitya Shiromani' (1999) and awards such as Lifetime Achievement Award for Sanskrit,

, Jaipur 2012, Lifetime Achievement Award for Sanskrit Journalism by Uttar Pradesh Sanskrit Sansthan, 2008, Award for Sanskrit by Central Sahitya Academy (2004), Honours by Ministry of Human Resources,

Govt. of India The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

(1995 and 1998). He was recognised for his contribution to Sanskrit by none other than the

President of India The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Mur ...

, Dr. K. R. Narayanan, in 1998. He was bestowed upon with "Rashtrapati Puraskar" for his contribution to Sanskrit.

Major published works

* Works of Panditaraj Jagannath's Poetry :1987 : 134pp 22 cm * Aakhyanvallari (Story Collection in Sanskrit: Awarded by

Sahitya Akademi The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of, the Indian government. Its of ...

, 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 * Jeewanasya Prishthadwayam (Novel) * One Hundred Years of Philosophy (Translation of

John Passmore John Passmore AC (9 September 1914 – 25 July 2004) was an Australian philosopher. Life John Passmore was born on 9 September 1914 in Manly, Sydney, where he grew up. He was educated at Sydney Boys High School.Sydney High School Old Boys ...

's History of Modern Western Philosophy), Published by Rajasthan Hindi Granth Academy, Jaipur, 1966, 1987 * Sanskrit Sahitya ka Itihas ( History of Sanskrit Literature), 2009 * 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 * Kavitavallari (collection of poems), Jaipur, 2006 * Kathanakvalli (story collection), Jaipur, 1987 * Vidvajjanacharitamritam (biographies), New Delhi, 1982 * 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 * Lalitkatha Kalpavalli, Jaipur, 2012 * 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. He is the chief editor of renowned Sanskrit monthly ''Bharati''.Devarshi Kala Nath Shastry, Doyen of Sanskrit Honored by the President of India – An Introduction, Rajasthan Sanskrit Academy, Jaipur, 2013.

References

External links

Kala Nath Shastry
* Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: Sasay to Zargo

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shastry, Kala Nath Scholars from Rajasthan Rajasthani people Recipients of the Rashtrapati Award Living people 1936 births Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Sanskrit Indian Sanskrit scholars Indian Indologists Writers from Jaipur 20th-century Indian translators 21st-century Indian translators 20th-century Indian biographers 20th-century Indian poets 21st-century Indian poets