Acharya Vishwamurti Shastri, former Principal of Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, Jammu opines “everyone must have firm faith in Almighty and tread the path of dharma for ultimate goal of spiritual enlightenment. Dr. Shastri was till recently member of holy Amarnath Shrine Board and presently is actively associated with holy Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine conducting prayers and bhajans (which are often telecast live on different T.V Channels, especially during the Navratra Festival). His remarkable feat is that he chants Sanskrit shalokas giving their meaning as also their scientific relevance.
He is a highly qualified and renowned Sanskrit scholar with knowledge of Vedic literature, Jyotish and other connected subjects. His deeply religious knowledge, puritan life and simple living have earned him a reputation and popularity among the people.
Born in a small village of Kasuri in Ramnagar Tehsil of Udhampur District in the religious family of Prashar, Brahmins, his grandfather Narsingh Dayal Sharma Sanskrit scholar was a man of learning and vision. He sent his three sons : Devi Chand Vedpathi, Pt. Anant Ram Jyotshi and Pt. Beli Ram Sharma to Lahore for higher learning in Sanskrit. They sought knowledge in religious matters and also Ayurvedic medicine.
Early Grooming
Vishwamurti Shastri was born to Pt. Anant Ram Jyotshi and Mrs. Sudesh Sharma. Both were deeply religious having puritan habits, knowledge, high character and led a simple way of life. From the very beginning, young Vishwamurti was inspired by his father to acquire Sanskrit education. He used to recite for long hours Sanskrit Shaloksa admirably well and became notable in the society for his knowledge and practical work. Reciting Vedic Shalokas marked him out as a class apart.
After education in local schools till age of ten years, he joined Shri Raghunath Sanskrit Mahavidyla at Jammu basically for advanced study of Sanskrit, Jyotish and other allied subjects . He used to take active part in debates, discussion and other literary as well as cultural activities.
Immediately after Acharya examination, he was appointed in 1967 as a teacher in this very institution of Sanskrit learning. After about five years when Shri Ranbir Kendriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth was established Shastriji became a research fellow and among other things looked after hostel as well. He completed his research work under supervision of Dr. Mandan Misra and obtained his Ph. D degree in 1982.
Important Roles
He held important positions in Shri Ranbir Sanskrit Vidyapeeth institution, rose to be Reader in 2003 and later became a Professor. He was for sometime with the Sanskrit Sansthan in Himachal Pradesh and during 2006 he headed the Rashtriya Sansthan, Jammu. During his tenure, a spacious and modern complex having main administrative building, library, hostel, auditorium and seminar rooms alongwith residential quarter, came up which was inaugurated by Dr. Karan Singh.
Questioned about the future of Sanskrit, Shastriji stressed that it is a trove of ancient knowledge but lamented that all over ancient knowledge and heritage is in this rich language. He however, lamented that it is not being given its due status and projection in a big way.
In reply to a question, this reputed Sanskrit scholar pointed out the sharp decline in moral values in the society. The high sense of duty towards the parents, elders and even for teachers is slowly evaporating. His prescription was to infuse character building among our youth for selfless services, sense of patriotism, discipline, decency and thirst for knowledge.
Prof. Vishwamurti Shastriji made a special mention of Gurukul pattern of education institution setup by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board and emphasized to strengthen it further. His strong plea to the Government and the society at large is to make sustained and co-ordinated endeavors for revivial of Sanskrit language and pride in our rich literary and cultural heritage along with adoption of the modern science and technology.
Shastriji has a number of nearly 40 published research papers in leading magazines. In addition to administrative work, he took active part in extra-curricular activities and cultural programs. Dr. Shastri has participated in many conferences and has received a number of honours and awards. He is a proud son of the soil famous across the country.
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