Vagish Shastri


Vagish Shastri was an Indian scholar known for his work in Sanskrit grammar, linguistics, tantra, and yoga. He developed a system of Sanskrit learning that he termed "Vagyoga", which aimed to simplify the process of learning the language.
In 2018, the Government of India conferred upon him the Padma Shri award in recognition of his contributions to literature and education.

Academic career

Vagish Shastri was born in Khurai, a town in the present-day state of Madhya Pradesh, in 1934. He received his early education in Khurai, Vrindavan, and Benaras. In 1959, he completed a master's degree in Vyākaraṇa Āchārya and began teaching at Tikmani Sanskrit Grammar College in Varanasi.
In 1964, he earned a PhD in grammar and historical linguistics. He received a diploma in German in 1966, followed by a D.Litt. in 1969 from Sampurnanand Sanskrit University.
In 1970, he was appointed Director and Professor at the Research Institute of Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, where he served for approximately three decades.

Contributions

Shastri began writing essays at the age of 19. His research and essays on Sanskrit grammar, linguistics, and tantric philosophy have been featured in national and international journals. 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. 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.

Honors and awards