UpdateBot at 22:38, 28 April 2022

2022-04-28T22:38:06Z

New page

{{short description|Sanskrit poet of 20th century}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
[[File:Bhatt Mathuranath Shastri.jpg|thumb|Bhatt Mathuranath Shastri (photo from a previously held All India Sanskrit Conference in Varanasi)]]

'''Bhatt Mathuranath Shastri''' ({{lang-sa|भट्ट मथुरानाथ शास्त्री}}) (23 March 1889 – 4 June 1964) was an eminent [[Indian people|Indian]] [[Sanskrit]] scholar, poet, philosopher, grammarian, [[Multilingualism|polyglot]] and expert of [[Tantra]] from [[Jaipur]], Rajasthan.<ref name="tripathi27">Tripathi (ed.) 2012, p. 27.</ref> He was one of the prominent Sanskrit writers of the twentieth century who wrote on both traditional and modern themes.<ref name="mil">{{cite book | title = Modern Indian Literature – An Anthology: Volume Three – Plays & Prose | pages=626–628 | editor-first = K. M. | editor-last = George | publisher = Sahitya Akademy | location = New Delhi, India | year=1995 | isbn =978-81-7201-783-5}}</ref> He pioneered the use of several new [[genre]]s in Sanskrit literature, writing radio plays, essays, travelogues, and short stories.<ref name="mil"/><ref name="mgpuro">Tripathi, Shastri and Pandey, eds. (2010), pp. iii–v.</ref><ref name="sodasi">{{cite book | title = Ṣoḍaśī – An Anthology of Contemporary Sanskrit Poets | page=xviii| editor-first = Radhavallabh | editor-last = Tripathi | publisher = Sahitya Akademy | location = New Delhi, India | year=1992 | isbn =978-81-7201-200-7}}</ref> He wrote many songs in Sanskrit including ''[[Ghazal]]s'', ''[[Thumri]]s'', ''[[Dadra]]s'' and ''[[Dhrupad]]s''.<ref name="mil"/><ref name="sodasi"/> He pioneered the use of Prakrit ([[Braja]] and [[Hindi]]) metres in Sanskrit poetry.<ref name="sodasi"/><ref name="sastipurti">{{cite book | title = षष्टिपूर्ति (अभिनन्दनग्रन्थ) |trans-title=Completion of 60 years (Felicitation Book) | chapter = अलौकिक प्रतिभा को श्रद्धार्घ्य |trans-chapter=A reverential offering to a superhuman talent | last=Shastri | first=Devarshi Kalanath | pages=643–648 | editor1-first = Acharya Divakar | editor1-last = Sharma | editor2-first = Surendra Sharma | editor2-last = Sushil | editor3-first = Dr. Vandana | editor3-last = Shrivastav | publisher = Tulsi Mandal | location = Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India | date = 14 January 2011 | isbn = 978-81-923856-0-0 | language= Hindi}}</ref>

==Life==

===Birth===
Bhatt Mathuranath Shastri was born in Jaipur in the famous Devarshi family which had a tradition of great Sanskrit scholars and poets going back to more than four hundred years. His father's name was Devarshi Dwarkanath Bhatt, mother's name was Shrimati Janaki Devi and elder brother's name was [[Devarshi Ramanath Shastri]], who himself was a Sanskrit scholar, proponent and commentator of [[Pushtimarg]] sect of 'pure non-dualism' ([[Shuddhadvaita]]). His ancestors were [[Telangana|Tailanga]] [[Brahmin]]s of the [[Gautama]] [[Gotra]] following the [[Krishna Yajurveda]]. The Devarshi family started with Baviji Dikshit, who migrated from Devarkonda or Devalpalli village (origin of their family name ''Devarshi'') in current-day [[Andhra Pradesh]] to [[Varanasi]] during [[Mughal empire|Mughal rule]]. The descendants of Baviji Dikshit later migrated from Varanasi to [[Allahabad|Prayag]], then to [[Rewa (princely state)|Rewa]] (where they were given the Jagir of village named Divrikhiya) and then to [[Bundi State|Bundi]]. From Bundi, [[Jai Singh II|Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh]] brought [[Kavikalanidhi Devarshi Shrikrishna Bhatt]], a celebrated poet of Sanskrit and Braj-Bhasha, to his Jaipur-court and awarded him the title of "Kavikalānidhi" (''treasure of poetic expertise''). Descendants of Shrikrishna Bhatt in the Devarshi family include Dwarkanath Bhatt, Jagdish Bhatt, Vasudev Bhatt, and Mandan Bhatt, who were all royal poets in the court of the Maharajas of Jaipur.<ref name="mgbio">Tripathi, Shastri and Pandey, eds. (2010), pp. xxix–xl.</ref> In this family, Mathuranath Shastri was born on 23 March 1889 in Jaipur.<ref name="mgbio"/>

===Education===
Mathuranath Shastri after acquiring basic knowledge of Urdu and Persian in the beginning, studied grammar and Sanskrit at the Maharaja's Sanskrit College in Jaipur. He topped in the grammar examination in 1903 and also in ''Upadhyaya'' examination for Sanskrit literature in the year 1906. In 1909, he passed the ''Acharya'' (Masters) examination in Sanskrit literature with highest marks.<ref name="mgbio"/> His teachers included Vidyavachaspati Pandit [[Madhusudan Ojha]], Pandit Kashinath Shastri, Gopinath Nanglya, Laxminath Shastri, Haridutt Jha, and Shrikrishna Shastri. His contemporary Sanskrit scholar stalwarts were likes of Vedchoodamani Pandit [[Moti Lal Shastri]], Mahamahopaadhyaya Pandit [[Giridhar Sharma Chaturvedi]], Vyakaranmartand Pandit Lakshminath Shastri, Vaidya Lakshmiram Swami, Rajguru Pandit Chandradutt Ojha, Pt. Sooryanaarayan Sharma, Pandit [[Gopinath Kaviraj]] and Pandit [[Chandradhar Sharma Guleri]].

===Family life===
Mathuranath Shastri married thrice. In 1909, he married Savitri Devi, daughter of the royal priest of [[Orchha State|Orchha]], Raghunath Dauju. Savitri Devi gave birth to three children who all died in infancy. She also expired later. His second wife Mathura Devi, daughter of Narayanrao of Ajaigarh (Madhya Pradesh) died of plague within one year of their marriage. Although grossly reluctant to remarry, on the insistence of his relatives, he married Rama Devi daughter of Pandit Gopikrishna Goswami (of Mahapura, near Jaipur), a descendant of famous Tantra scholar [[Shivanand Goswami| शिवानन्द गोस्वामी]], in 1922. From Rama Devi, he had four children – two sons named [[Kala Nath Shastry|Kala Nath]] and Kamla Nath, and two daughters named [[Jaya Goswami]] and [[Vijaya Tailong]].<ref name="mgbio"/> His grandchildren are [[Hemant Shesh]], Jayant Goswami, Devendranath Devarshi, (late) Kalpana Vijay Goswami, Dhirendra Devarshi, Bhartendu Tailang, Neelima Sharma, Pranjal Sharma and Prachi Goswami.

===Teaching===
Appointed by the then Director of Education Shri Shyam Sunder Sharma, Bhatt Mathuranath Shastri taught Sanskrit from 1926 to 1931 at the Maharaja College in Jaipur, where other subjects besides English and humanities were also taught. From 1931 to 1934 he was the chief examiner/ Inspector of schools run by the Maharaja of Jaipur. From 1934 to 1942 he then taught at Jaipur's Maharaja Sanskrit College, besides serving as the Head of Department of Literature.<ref name="mgbio"/> During his teaching assignment, Pandit Bhatt wrote "Sanskrit-Subodhini" (in two volumes), a unique text book of its own kind to teach Sanskrit in an extremely simple and extraordinarily interesting way. Another text book "Sulabh Sanskritam" written by Pandit Bhatt was published in 1960. For many decades 'Sulabh Sanskritam' remained the main text book prescribed by the [[Government of Rajasthan]] for learning Sanskrit. Rightly considering it to be a nationalistic cause, Pandit Bhatt was a great supporter and propagator of Hindi since his student days. On his personal initiative, Jaipur was recognised as one of the centres of examination for various diploma/ degree courses of Prathmaa, Madhyamaa (Visharad) and Uttamaa (Sahityaratna) run by the [[Hindi Sahitya Sammelan]]. For this purpose he started special night classes in a city-temple, where he himself taught the students free of cost. Despite apprehension of attracting displeasure of the British officials, Pandit Bhatt and his team of dedicated teachers including Govind Rao Kaveeshwar, continued with conducting Hindi-teaching classes.

===Death===
Mathuranath Shastri died of a heart attack at the age of 75 on 4 June 1964 in Jaipur. His death was termed as an "irreparable loss to the world of Sanskrit literature" and was mourned by provincial and central governments in India, various Governors, and by Sanskrit periodicals and journals.<ref name="mgbio"/>

==Major works==
Mathuranath Shastri wrote many books, articles, essays and songs in Sanskrit, Hindi. He had started writing when he was just 14 years old and continued it until his death in 1964. His literature runs into more than one hundred thousand pages.<ref name="mgbio"/>

===Sanskrit===
* (1906) Ādarśaramaṇī (आदर्शरमणी) published by 'Sanskrit Ratnakar'<ref name="modernsanskritbib">Tripathi, Shukla, Tripathi et al, eds. (2012).</ref>{{rp|15}}
* (1935) Gāthāratnasamuccayaḥ (गाथारत्नसमुच्चयः)<ref name="modernsanskritbib"/>{{rp|47}}
* (1987) Gīrvāṇagirāgauravam (गीर्वाणगिरागौरवम्) publisher- Kendriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth, Jaipur<ref name="modernsanskritbib"/>{{rp|51}}
* (1957) Govindavaibhavam (गोविन्दवैभवम्)<ref name="modernsanskritbib"/>{{rp|53}}
* (1941) Caṣakām (चषकम्): A Sanskrit commentary on the [[Kadambari]] of [[Bāṇabhaṭṭa]] published by Nirnaya Sagar Press, Bombay.<ref name="mgtika">Tripathi, Shastri and Pandey, eds. (2010), pp. xvii–xxii.</ref>
* (1947) Jayapuravaibhavam (जयपुरवैभवम्)<ref name="modernsanskritbib"/>{{rp|61}}
* (1988) Prabandhapārijātaḥ (प्रबन्धपारिजातः)<ref name="modernsanskritbib"/>{{rp|98}} publisher- Kendriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth, Jaipur
* Bhaktibhāvano Bhagavān (भक्तिभावनो भगवान्)<ref name="modernsanskritbib"/>{{rp|108}}
* Bhāratavaibhavam (भारतवैभवम्)<ref name="modernsanskritbib"/>{{rp|113}}
* Mañjulaanāṭikā (मञ्जुला नाटिका)<ref name="modernsanskritbib"/>{{rp|119}} A radio play for [[All India Radio]] published in series 'Prakhya'-6 by [[Hari Singh Gaur]] [[Sagar University]]
* Mogalasāmrājyasūtradhāro Mānasiṁhaḥ (मोगलसाम्राज्यसूत्रधारो मानसिंहः)<ref name="modernsanskritbib"/>{{rp|131}}
* (1939) (revised in 1946)Saralā (सरला): A Sanskrit commentary on the Rasagaṅgādharam of [[Jagannatha Pandita Rayalu|Panditraj Jagannath]] published by Nirnay Sagar Press, Bombay.<ref name="mgtika"/>
* Saṁskṛtasudhā (संस्कृतसुधा): Rendering of the Prakrit [[Gaha Sattasai]] of [[Hāla]] in Sanskrit.<ref name="modernsanskritbib"/>{{rp|193}}<ref name="mgtika"/>
* (1930) Sāhityavaibhavam (साहित्यवैभवम्)<ref name="modernsanskritbib"/>{{rp|203}}
An anthology titled Mañjunāthagranthāvaliḥ (मञ्जुनाथग्रन्थावलिः) consisting of all Sanskrit works of Shastri (along with his Sanskrit commentary) has been published by the [[Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan]], New Delhi.<ref name="modernsanskritbib"/>{{rp|119}}

Some of Bhatt's very important works are still unpublished. They include:
* Bharat Vaibhawam (भारतवैभवम) (in two volumes)
* Dhatuprayogaparijatah (धातुप्रयोगपारिजातः)
* Aaryaanamaadibhasha (आर्याणाम् आदिभाषा)
* Kavyakunja (काव्यकुंज)
* Rassiddhantah (रससिद्धान्तः) (partly published in 'Shodhaprabha'by Lal Bahadur Shastri Sanskrit Vidyapeeth, New Delhi
* Vinodvaatika (विनोदवाटिका)
* Sanskrit-Katha-Nikunj (संस्कृत-कथा-निकुंज)
* Bilhanstasya Kavyanch (बिल्हणस्तस्य काव्यं च)
* Kavyasiddhantah (काव्यसिद्धान्तः)
* Stutikusumanjali (स्तुतिकुसुमांजली)
* Rasgangadhar Commentary Detailed (रसगंगाधर विस्तृत व्याख्या) (detailed Commentary)

===Editing===
Mathuranath Shastri's massive contribution to Editing various important and classical Sanskrit books is also noteworthy. He has edited "Kadambari", "Rasgangadhar" "Sanskritgathasaptshati", "Geervaangiraagauravam", "Prabandhpaarijat", "Shilalekhlalantika", "Geetgovindam", "Sulabh Sanskritam", "Sharnagati-rahasya", Vrij-kavita-veethi", "Chaturthistav", "Chandradutta-parichaya", "Ishwarvilas-mahakavyam", "Padyamuktavali" , "Vrittmuktavali" etc. He also edited prestigious Sanskrit journals and periodicals like "Sanskrit Ratnakar" (from 1904 to 1949) and "Bharati" (from 1952 to 1964).

===Hindi===
* (1953) Śaraṇāgati Rahasya (शरणागति रहस्य) – Elaboration of six characteristics of a [[Bhakti|Bhakta]] based on the characters of [[Vibhishana]] and [[Sugriva]] in [[Valmiki]]'s [[Ramayana]]. Published by [[Gita Press]], [[Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh|Gorakhpur]].
* (1947) Braj-Kavita- Veethi – A compilation of eminent [[Braj Bhasha]] poets and their representational poetry that also includes Pandit Bhatt's poems.

===Songs===
Shastri wrote many songs in Sanskrit, introducing the popular folk music genre of Ghazal, and [[Hindustani classical music]] genres of Thumris, Dadras and Dhrupads into Sanskrit.<ref name="mil"/><ref name="sodasi"/> He wrote Dhrupad songs in Sanskrit at the insistence of [[Thakur Jaidev Singh]].<ref name="mgbio"/> He had a keen interest in [[Indian Classical Music]] and [[Rabindra Sangeet]] also.

==Major books published on the life and works of Bhatt Mathuranath Shastri==
* Mañjunātha Vāgvaibhavam, 1990
* Mañjunāthagadyagauravam, 2004
* Śrī Mathurānātha Śāstriṇaḥ Kr̥titvasamīkṣaṇam, 1995
* Sanskr̥ta kē Yugapuruṣa Mañjunātha, 2004
* Mañjunāthavāgvaijayantī, Jaipur
* Bhaṭṭasmr̥ti Viśēṣāṅka, 1964
* Bhaṭṭajanmaśatābdīviśēṣāṅkaḥ, 1990
* Bhaṭṭa Mathurānāthasya Kāvyaśāstrīyā Nibandhāḥ, 2011
* Bhāratīya Sāhitya Nirmātā:Bhaṭṭa Mathurānātha Śāstrī 'Mañjunāthaḥ' (by Devarshi [[Kala Nath Shastry]]), 2013
* Mañjunātha Granthāvalī (in 5 volumes), 2009–2011
* Ādhunika Sanskr̥ta Sāhitya ēvaṁ Bhaṭṭa Mathurānātha Śāstrī, 2008

==Research on the works of Bhatt Mathuranath Shastri==
Many scholarly research works, including those for PhD and M.Phil degrees, have been done on his works throughout India and abroad. Some of them are:
* Bhaṭṭa Śrī Mathurānātha Śāstrī: Vyaktitva ēvaṁ Kr̥titva (PhD thesis, 1975)
* Sanskr̥ta Muktakaparamparā kō Bhaṭṭajī kā Avadāna (PhD thesis, 1981)
* Bhaṭṭa Mathurānāthaśāstrikr̥ta Samasyā Sandōha (M.Phil dissertation, 1980–81)
* Sanskr̥ta Nibandha Sāhitya mēṁ Bhaṭṭajī kā Avadāna (M.Phil dissertation, 1998)
* Gōvindavaibhavam – Samīkṣātmaka Vivaraṇa (PhD thesis, 1978)

==Awards and recognition==

===Awards===
* Title of "Kaviśiromaṇi" (''crest jewel of poets''), given in 1936 by Akhil Bhartiya Sanskrit Sahitya Sammelan through the Maharaja of Jaipur [[Bhawani Singh|Sawai Bhawani Singh]].<ref name="tripathi27"/>
* Title of "Kaviśiromaṇi" (''crest jewel of poets''), given by the All India Sanskrit Literature Conference.<ref name="tripathi27"/>
* Title of "Kavisārvabhauma" (''emperor of poets''), given by the Vellanaatiya Tailanga Sabha.<ref name="tripathi27"/>
* Title of "Sāhityavāridhi" (''ocean of literature'').<ref name="tripathi27"/> given by Bharat Dharma Mahamandal, Varanasi.

===Recognition===
Radha Vallabh Tripathi writes that Mathuranath Shastri was one of his kind in his time who started new genres, foresaw the future of Sanskrit composition and a composer of novel works and songs.<ref name="mgpuro"/> Tripathi says that barring two or three poets like Mathuranath Shastri, nobody has demonstrated command over a wide variety of poetry and prose genres.<ref name="mgpuro"/> He further adds that Mathuranath Shastri brought a new dawn in the field of Sanskrit literature.<ref name="mgpuro"/> His outstanding contribution to Sanskrit literature has been recognised by [[Uttar Pradesh Sanskrit Sansthan]], [[Lucknow]] in their prestigious publication "Sanskrit Vangmaya Ka Vrihad Itihas", 2004 (Edited by Pandit ([[Baldev Upadhyaya]]) by naming one of the three modern Sanskrit literature-eras as "Bhatt-Yug" (1930–1960). Kalidas Samiti in Ujjain regularly organised "Kalidas Samaroh" since 1940s. Impressed by Pandit Bhatt's poetic excellence and his deep appreciation of the aesthetics of poetry, the Kalidas Samiti honoured him at an All India Kavi Sammelan in Ujjain by calling him "Abhinav Kalidas" (modern day Kalidas). His birth anniversary is celebrated regularly by many reputed south Indian literary and academic institutions. After his name, a chair has been established in [[Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Rajasthan Sanskrit University]] Jaipur. '[[Manjunath Shodh Sansthan]]' (C-8, Prithwi Raj Road, C-Scheme, Jaipur-302001 phone:+91 141 2376008) is active in research and publication work relating to the life and literary contribution of Bhatt Mathuranath Shastri and maintains his huge library.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Works cited==
{{refbegin|indent=yes}}
* {{cite book |editor-first=Radhavallabh |editor-last=Tripathi | year=2012 | title=संस्कृतविद्वत्परिचायिका – Inventory of Sanskrit Scholars |location=New Delhi, India | publisher=Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan |isbn=978-93-8611-185-2 | url=http://www.sanskrit.nic.in/DigitalBook/I/Inventory%20of%20Sanskrit%20Scholars.pdf | accessdate=25 February 2013}}
* {{cite book | title=आधुनिकसंस्कृतसाहित्यसन्दर्भसूची – लोकप्रियसाहित्यग्रन्थमाला ४४ | trans-title=A Bibliography of Modern Sanskrit Writings | editor1-first=Radhavallabh | editor1-last=Tripathi | editor2-first=Ramakant | editor2-last=Shukla | editor3-first=Ramakant | editor3-last=Tripathi | editor4-first=Dharmendra Kumar | display-editors=3 | editor4-last=Singh Dev | isbn=978-93-8611-189-0 | publisher=Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan | location=New Delhi, India | year=2012 | url=http://sanskrit.nic.in/biblofinal.pdf | accessdate=25 February 2013 | language=Sanskrit | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502131813/http://sanskrit.nic.in/biblofinal.pdf | archive-date=2 May 2013 | url-status=dead }}
* {{cite book | title = मञ्जुनाथग्रन्थावलिः (मञ्जुनाथोपाह्वभट्टश्रीमथुरानाथशास्त्रिणां काव्यरचनानां सङ्ग्रहः) |trans-title=The works of Mañjunātha (Anthology of poetic works of Bhaṭṭaśrī Mathurānātha Śāstri, known by the pen-name of Mañjunātha) | editor1-first=Radhavallabh | editor1-last=Tripathi | editor2-first=Devarshi Kalanath | editor2-last=Shastri | editor3-first=Ramakant | editor3-last=Pandey | publisher=Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan | location=New Delhi, India | year=2010 | isbn=978-81-86111-32-1 | language= Sanskrit | url=http://www.sanskrit.nic.in/DigitalBook/J/Jaipurvaibhavam.pdf | accessdate=26 February 2013}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
* [http://www.sanskrit.nic.in/DigitalBook/J/Jaipurvaibhavam.pdf Jayapuravaibhavam and Govindavaibhavam]
* [http://www.sanskrit.nic.in/DigitalBook/S/Sahityavaibhavam.pdf Sāhityavaibhavam]
* [http://www.sanskrit.nic.in/DigitalBook/S/SanskritGatha.pdf Saṁskṛtagāthāsaptaśatī]
* [http://www.sanskrit.nic.in/DigitalBook/N/Nibandhalalit.pdf Nibandhāḥ Lalitanibandhāśca]

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shastri, Bhatt Mathuranath}}
[[Category:1889 births]]
[[Category:Writers from Jaipur]]
[[Category:Sanskrit poets]]
[[Category:Indian Sanskrit scholars]]
[[Category:1964 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian philosophers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian poets]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian linguists]]
[[Category:Scholars from Rajasthan]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian male writers]]

Bhatt Mathuranath Shastri - Revision history

UpdateBot at 22:38, 28 April 2022