Kala Nath Shastry

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Kala Nath Shastry
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

Was Chairperson, Modern Sanskrit Chair, JRR Sanskrit University, Jaipur

Indologist and a prolific writer in Sanskrit, Hindi and English, and a well-known linguist, who contributed to the campaign of evolving technical terminology in Indian languages and ensuring a respectable status for Hindi, the official language of his state and the Indian union.[1] Shastry died on 25 February 2025, at the age of 88.[2]

Academic contribution

Shastry continued the rich tradition of introducing modern genres and modes of expression in an ancient language like Sanskrit for which his father, the late Kavishiromani

Rajasthani and other Indian languages.[4]

Literary achievements

Shastry 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 was a literary historian, critic and commentator. In the history of modern Sanskrit literature he was known as a fiction writer who 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).[5]

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 the linguistics and aesthetics of Sanskrit, and also studied the literatures of Hindi and English.[6]

After obtaining his post-graduation degree with a 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.[7][8]

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

Sahitya Academy.[9] He was associated in different capacities with dozens of governmental and non-governmental associations, institutions and organisations related with Sanskrit and Hindi. He was also the founder Chairman of the "Manjunath Smriti Sansthan", a trust in the memory of his father, located in Jaipur.[10]

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

Major honours and awards

Shastry was honoured by a large number of institutions, universities, organisations and governments with titles such as '

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 with the "Rashtrapati Puraskar" for his contribution to Sanskrit.[14]

Major published works
  • Kavitavallari (collection of poems), Jaipur, 2006[18]
  • Kathanakvalli (story collection), Jaipur, 1987
  • Vidvajjanacharitamritam (biographies), New Delhi, 1982[19]
  • 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[20]
  • Lalitkatha Kalpavalli, Jaipur, 2012[21]
  • 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
  • Hamare Purodha Mahavir Prasad Joshi, Udaipur, 2018
  • Rajasthan Ke Kaljayi Sahityakar, Jaipur, 2019.

He 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.[22]

He was the chief editor of renowned Sanskrit monthly Bharati until his death.[23]

References

  1. ISBN 978-93-86111-85-2
  2. ^ "प्रसिद्ध लेखक कलानाथ शास्त्री का निधन". dainiknavajyoti.com (in Hindi). 27 February 2025. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
  3. ^ 'Akhyanavallari', Author's Introduction, Rajasthan Sanskrit Sahitya Kendra, Jaipur, 2002
  4. ^ 'One Hundred Years of Philosophy',(Translation of John Passmore's work), Rajasthan Hindi Granth Academy, Jaipur, 1987
  5. ^ [2] Archived 27 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine Chairmen and Directors of Rajasthan Sanskrit Academy, retrieved 22.1.2016
  6. ^ Devarshi Kala Nath Shastry, Doyen of Sanskrit Honored by the President of India – An Introduction, Rajasthan Sanskrit Academy, Jaipur, 2013.
  7. ^ [3] Sahitya Akademi Authors
  8. ^ 'Adhunik Kal ka Sanskrit Gadya Itihas', Kala Nath Shastry, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, New Delhi, 1995
  9. ^ Devarshi Kala Nath Shastry, Doyen of Sanskrit Honored by the President of India – An Introduction, Rajasthan Sanskrit Academy, Jaipur, 2013.
  10. ^ [4][permanent dead link‍] Pandit Madhusudan Ojha Institute of Vedic Studies & Research, Jaipur-302004
  11. ^ [5] The Hindu: Sanskrit title conferred on Kalanath Shastri, June 05, 2005 (retrieved 04.01.2016)
  12. ^ [6] Archived 27 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine SLBS Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, New Delhi Convocation
  13. ^ http://bharatdiscovery.org/india/Sahitya_Academy_Award_Winners [dead link‍]
  14. ^ 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
  15. ISBN 978-93-86111-89-0
  16. ISBN 81-7711-150-7
  17. ISBN 978-81-260-3365-2
    [7]
  18. ISBN 81-87177-60-8
  19. ISBN 978-93-86111-85-2
  20. ISBN 81-88257-07-9
  21. ISBN 978-93-81954-28-7
  22. ^ [9] Authors of Rajkamal Prakashan
  23. ^ Devarshi Kala Nath Shastry, Doyen of Sanskrit Honored by the President of India – An Introduction, Rajasthan Sanskrit Academy, Jaipur, 2013.
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