Purovak

The members of the Sanskrit Sahitya Parishat Kolkata, feel honoured to bring out this collection of essays on Indological studies as a mark of their obeisance to Acharya Gaurinath Sastri, doyen of Sanskrit scholarship. During his successful and brilliant career as a teacher and research guide, and as a Professor of Sanskrit and Bengali of Presidency College, Calcutta, as Principal of Govt. Sanskrit College, Calcutta. As Vice-Chancellor of Sampurnanand Sanskrit University Varanasi, and as the Visiting Professor of a number of Universities, Professor Sastri had earned wide reputation throughout the academic world. More than hundred years after the great Pandit Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar, Professor Gaurinath Sastri was certainly the only Principal under whose tenure Gove. Sanskrit College, Kolkata reached the peak of its glory. We still remember the glorious days of our student life when Professor Sastri was the dynamic Principal of the Sanskrit College, was always busy in executing academic activities. At that time scholars of Indology, while visiting Indian Institutes thought it their sacred duty to come to Calcutta and visit the Sanskrit College to be acquainted with its multifarious instructional activities.

Sanskrit Sahitya Parishat is fortunate for Professor sastri who was associated with it in various capacities. As a President of the Parishat, he made this institute widely renowned in India and abroad. Because of his ceaseless efforts the Sanskrit College and the Parishat became the most commendable Tirthas to the students of Indian classical languages and literature.

Professor Sastri’s simple, pious and religious life strictly followed the spiritual injunctions for a Hindu Brahmana. His spiritual practices in home and outside, his self purification attained through undertaking several pilgrimage is no way came in the way of his discharging academic and administrative duties. Even today we believe that Professor Sastri silently appears before us as a man who was bold, courageous and who never lost his balance of mind even under trying circumstances.

In the Centenary year of Acharya Sastri, who was born on February2, 1909, the students and admirers of the great personality have come forward to pay their homage to him through this Volume dedicated to the noble soul.

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