Vagish Shastri
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Vagish Shastri | |
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| Born | Bhagirath Prasad Tripathi 15 July 1935 |
| Died | 11 May 2022 (aged 86) Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Occupation(s) | Sanskrit grammarian, linguist, yogi. |
| Spouse | Rekha Tripathi |
Vagish Shastri (born Bhagirath Prasad Tripathi; 15 July 1935 – 11 May 2022) was an Indian scholar specializing in Sanskrit grammar, linguistics, and tantra. A scholar of ancient Indian texts and philosophy, Shastri also worked in yoga. In 2018, the Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri for his contributions to literature and education.[1][2]
Life and career
[edit]Vagish Shastri was born in Khurai, a town in the Madhya Pradesh region of India, in 1934. He received early education in Khurai, Vrindavan, and Benaras (now Varanasi). In 1959, he earned a master's degree in Vyākaraṇa Āchārya (Master of Sanskrit Grammar) and began his career as a Sanskrit educator at Tikmani Sanskrit Grammar College in Varanasi. In 1964, he earned his PhD (Vidyāvāridhi) in Grammar and Historical Linguistics.[3] He received a German Diploma in 1966 and a D.Litt. (Vāchaspati) in 1969 from Sampurnanand Sanskrit University. In 1970, he became Director and Professor of the Research Institute at Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, Varanasi[4] and held that position for three decades.[3]
Contributions
[edit]Shastri began writing essays at the age of 19.[3] His research and essays on Sanskrit grammar, linguistics, and tantric philosophy have been featured in national and international journals[citation needed].
He served as secretary-president at the fifth World Sanskrit conference and was chief editor of the Sarasvati Bhavana Granthamala. He also edited over 300 manuscripts, which were later published as books.[3] Additionally, he was the chief editor of the Sanskrit journal Sarasvati Susama. His writings covered grammatical and philological research, drama, history, poetry, satire, historical research, and metaphysics.[5]
Honors and awards
[edit]
- Padma Shri (2018) – awarded by Ram Nath Kovind
- Senior Research Fellowship (1964–67) – University Grants Commission
- Kālidasa Award (1966–67) – Highest literary Award, Uttar Pradesh
- Honored 6 times by Uttar Pradesh Sanskrit Academy (1968, 1971, 1981, 1985, 1995 and 1996)
- Mahāmahopādhyāya, Śri Kashi Pandit Parishad (1982)
- Bāņa Bhaţţ Award, Uttar Pradesh Sanskrit Academy (1990)
- Veda-Vedānga Award, Rajasthan Sanskrit Academy, (1994)
- Anusansdhan Puraskāra (Research Award) – Utkal Pāti trust (1995)
- Swami Vishnu Tirth Sammāna (Spiritual writing Award) – Indore (2002)
- Special Award – Govt. of Uttar Pradesh Sanskrit Sansthan (2005)
- Certificate of Honour for Sanskrit (2013) – awarded by the President of India[6]
- Sauhard Samman – Uttar Pradesh Hindi Sansthan, Lucknow (2014)
- Yash Bharati Samman – Highest Honour of U. P. Govt, Government of Uttar Pradesh (2015)
- Vishva Bharati Samman (2013) – Highest Honour in Sanskrit Work, by U. P. Sanskrit Samsthan, Lucknow
- Mahakavi Kalidas Sanskrit Vrati Samman (2016) – Highest Honour in Sanskrit Work, by Kavikulguru Kalidas Sanskrit University, Nagpur
- Rashtriya Chatrasal Samman (2017) – by Bundeli Sahitya Parishad, Bhopal
- Sanskrit Sadhana Samman – "Maharshi Ved Vyas Samman 2017" (2017) – by Delhi Sanskrit Academy, New Delhi
- Honorary D.Litt., Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, Varanasi (2018)
External links
[edit]- Official Site
- Video on YouTube
- Photos of Vagish Shastri in Banares, February 1996
- Autobiography of the VagYogi: The Life of Kundalini Experiences
- "Vagyoga: Kundalini Meditation: Spiritual Experiences of Meditators" by Vagish Shastri (in English)
- "Shakti, Shiva and Yoga" by Vagish Shastri (in English)
- Vagyoga Association Europe
References
[edit]- ^ "Padma Awardees 2018" (PDF). Padmaawards.gov.in.
- ^ "Government announces recipients of 2018 Padma awards | India News – Times of India". The Times of India.
- ^ a b c d ""In Tantra there are no castes, no gender" – Interview with Vagish Shastry | Wild Yogi – Independent online magazine". wildyogi.info. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
- ^ Danielle Tramard, A Le royaume de la connaissance, Beneras ville sainte retour aux sources dela tradition sanscrite, Le Monde, 28 October 1995, Paris
- ^ Sharma, B. D. (2003). Holistic Health Healing and Astrosciences. B. Jain Publishers. ISBN 978-81-8056-304-1.
- ^ "Mukherjee presents Certificate of Honor, Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman to scholars on I-Day". Business Standard. 15 August 2013. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
