Table Of ContentCxM~-
SAMSKRTA-BHARATI
■ ■
(5th Issue)
Journal
of the
Department of Sanskrit
Editor
Dr Dipak Ghosh
UNIVERSITY OF CALCUTTA
DEPARTMENT OF SANSKRIT
1997
SAMSKRTA-BHARATI
m n
(5th Issue)
Journal
of the
Department of Sanskrit
Editor
Dr Dipak Ghosh
*
A
UNIVERSITY 01= CALCUTTA
DEPARTMENT OF SANSKRIT
1997
EDITORIAL BOARD, 1997
Professor Dr Prabuddhanath Ray
Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic)
Chairman
Dr (Ms)Karuna Bhattacharya
Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Finance)
Prof Dr Sayed Manal Shah Alquadri
Dean, Faculty of Arts
Dr Subhas Chandra Banerjee
Secretary, Arts and Commerce
Dr Dlpak Ghosh (Editor)
Dr Mrinal Kanti Gangopadhyaya
Dr Sltanath Acharya
Dr Narayan Kumar Chatterjee
Dr Ratna Basu
. GI&5-8AI ,
241-3288
Telephone Nos. : 241-0071
241-4984
Telex No. : 021-2752 Univ In
Fax No. : 91-033-241-3222
Senate House
Calcutta-700 073
Professor Rathindranarayan Basu
M.Sc, (Ag.), Ph.D. I.A.R.I. D.Sc. (Cal.)
Vice-Chancellor
March 21, 1997
MESSAGE
I am glad to know that the Department of Sanskrit, University
of Calcutta, is going to publish a departmental Journal “Samskrta
Bharati”. I believe that valuable articles on Sanskrit language and
literature will enrich the Journal.
I convey my best wishes for the successful publication of the
Journal.
R. N. Basu
Vice-Chancellor
EDITORIAL
It affords me immense pleasure to announce that the fifth issue
of Samskrta Bharati, the bilingual Journal of the Department of
Sanskrit, University of Calcutta, has come out. Though I was very
busy during the tenure of my Headship to collect articles and to
go through the Press, I felt very much obliged and grateful to my
colleagues for contributing their articles for the Journal. The articles
are collected for inclusion in the Departmental Journal, mainly from
the teachers of the Department and also from those who were or
are still connected with the Department in some form or other,
including our old students, research scholars etc. The main purpose
of this Journal is to cater for the needs of the learned teachers
and to ensure the different aspects of Sanskrit or Indological studies
of ancient India. I hope the readers will appreciate this point of
our motto. However, myriad thanks to my dear scholars and article-
contributors.
Our special thankful gratitude is for Dr (Ms) Karuna
Bhattacharya, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Finance, for her kindly
releasing the fund for publication of the Journal.
The Department of Sanskrit was established some eighty years
ago as one of the Faculties of Humanistic Studies. It has a long
history to record for the contributions rendered by our previous
preceptors. Each Department had not got any specific Journal in
the past. But the University of Calcutta had then the two outstanding
Journals—(1) Calcutta Review, and (2) Journal of the Department
of Letters. Sanskrit Professors of those days used to contribute
quite a lot in those two Journals. The Journal of the Department
of Letters was an outstanding one where the teachers of the
Department of Sanskrit used to contribute very good articles
concerning Sanskrit and ultimately these were published in a book
form as well. For example, Prof. Prabhat Chandra Chakravarty’s
two books entitled Philosophy of Grammar (1931) and Linguistic
Speculations of the Hindus (1933) were originally published serially
in the Journal of the Department of Letters. However, though the
Department of Sanskrit did not have any Journal of its own, the
Sanskrit teachers of the Department had contributed enough for
the cause of Sanskrit learning.
In modem times, many departments of the University have their
respective Journals, and the Department of Sanskrit is no exception.
It was in the early eightees, the Department started a Journal of
its own. The first issue came out sometime in 1982-83, and the
second issue in 1986. The third issue was quick enough to come
out in 1987. After that there was an inordinate delay for the fourth
issue which came out in 1995 under the able editorship of Dr
Sitanath Acharya Sastri, the former Head, Department of Sanskrit,
Calcutta University. In his editorial he wished that, though the gap
is regretable, from now on the department should try to publish
the Journal ‘at regular intervals.’
But I express regret that the subsequent fifth issue is being
published in some delay, although the start was given within the
tenure of my Headship. I hope the articles published in this volume
will be liked by the scholars of Sanskrit studies.
As far as the activities of the Department during the tenure
of my office as Head of the Department are concerned, I can humbly
mention some of the important features of our Department :
First of ali, the M.A. Examination for 1995 & 1996 were held
in the same years sometime in the month of September & October,
and the results were also out as per the scheduled time of the
University. There was no delay in publishing the result and for that
the Controller’s Department must be thanked for their kind co
operation.
In the same way the M. Phil. Programme was also conducted
by the convener, M.Phil. committee, Dept. Sanskrit, C.U. regularly
and the result was also out duly.
Similarly the Ph.D. Programme was also conducted by the
convener successfully as per rules and regulations of the University.
Our Manuscript Section also deserves to be mentioned for
doing its good job regularly.
In February 1996 Prof. Dr Rama Ranjan Mukherjee, former Vice-
chancellor of Burdwan University and Rabindra Bharati University,
at present Chancellor, Tirupati Sanskrit Vidyapith, Tirupati, A.P.—
a renowned and brilliant student of our Department (in middle
forties), was felicited by the Department at Darbhanga Hall of the
University for achieving a prestigious award ‘Vis'va Bharati’ from
the Govt of Uttar Pradesh.
Our Department observed Sanskrit Day celebration in August,
1996 according to the declaration of the Govt of India. The
programme was conducted in the Sanskrit language by the students
of the Department which included recitation, elocution, debate,
music etc. On this occasion Prof. Dr Dilip Kumar Kanjilal, former
Principal, Govt Sanskrit College, Calcutta, delivered a Seminar
Lecture entitled Vimana (Aeroplane) in Sanskrit Literature.
In March 1997, there was a Seminar on ‘Music in Sanskrit’
at Darbhanga Hall of the University where Professor Dr Gobinda
Gopal Mukhopadhyaya, the eminent Musician Sanskrit-Scholar, was
the chief speaker. Prof. Amar Kumar Chattopadhyaya, Dr (Mrs)
Sudaksina Bandyopadhyaya, Prof. Syed Manal Shah Alkadri, Dean
in Arts Faculty, Dr Subhas Chandra Banerjee, Secretary, Arts and
commerce, C.U., and Prof. Dr Satya Ranjan Banerjee also spoke
on the subject. The Seminar was conducted with lectures and
practical demonstrations on songs in Sanskrit participated by Pandit
Harinarayan Vedatirtha, Dr Manikuntala Haidar, Dr Sadhan Chandra
Sircar, Dr Ruma Bandyopadhyaya, Sri Nirmalya Guha and others.
During the last two years ending in 31st March, 1997 our
Departmental Teachers had ceaselessly contributed a lot to the
store of Sanskrit lore and learning by writing valuable books and
research articles and by attending Regional, National and
International Conferences, Workshops, Seminars etc, as they had
done in previous years.
During my tenure a proposal for holding a Refresher Course
in Sanskrit in our Department was submitted to the Authority of
of Academy Staff College (U.G.C) for approval and execution.
Our Departmental students enjoyed Educational Tour under the
guidance of our Departmental teacher Dr Satyajit Layake.
The Department records with deep pathos the sudden demise
of two stalwarts in the realm of Sanskrit learning who passed away
in the year 1996. Prof. Dr Asoke Chatterjee Sastri, Head of the
Department, was at the zenith of achievement at the time of his
passing away. He was a Sastra-Chudamani Professor of Sanskrit,
(Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, Delhi), an outstanding scholar-author
of a number of books and articles covering almost all the spheres
of Indology published in India and abroad, authentic authority on
the Puranas and the General Editor of the Purana-series published
from West Bengal and what not. He was recipient of Certificate
of Honour from Hon’ble President of India. We feel a vast void
through his death—the death in harness as he was still working
as the Director in the Naimisaranya Indology Reasearch Centre
(U.P.) before his death.
Our another mentor-colleague was Prof. Dr Jaydev
Gangopadhyaya Sastri who also had left us for ever all of a sudden
during the Puja vacation, 1996. Prof. Gangopadhyaya Sastri was
a versatile Sanskrit genius. He used to write very fluently in three
languages English, Sanskrit and Bengali. He had authored many
books and articles in those three languages which bespeak his
enormous erudition in various branches of Sanskrit learning. His
book, entitled ‘Dharma Sastra in Mithila’ published in the series
of Calcutta Govt Sanskrit College Publication demonstrates his
uncommon mastery over Smriti literature. His latest book Dattaka-
Tilaka edited from manuscripts along with translation in English and
Bengali together with his own commentary in Sanskrit is soon going
to be published by the Asiatic Society, Calcutta. Our pen will be
exhausted in writing about his personality and character which are
embellished with his unfathomable endless wisdom. We feel his
true scholarship might not have been pictured in the right
perspective by means of adequate words.
May the souls of the two departed scholars rest in peace.
In conclusion, I can humbly say that I have tried my best
to represent the Journal as faultless as it could be. Yet, if due
to human imperfections, some mistakes or errors are noticed by
any learned reader, I apologise for these shortcomings. I can only
hope that if this Journal be useful to the readers, I shall consider
my labour amply rewarded :
vaidagdhya-naikasyamupaitu patrika.
Department of Sanskrit DIPAK GHOSH
University of Calcutta Editor and Head
31st-March', 1997
Felicitation to Prof. Dr. Ramaranjan Mukherjee : February, 1996
Seminar Lecture by Dr. Dilip Kumar Kanjilal : August, 1996
Seminar Lecture by Dr. Gobinda Gopal Mukhopadhyaya : March, 1997
