CxM~- 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