Lakshmanshastri Joshi

Lakshman Shastri Joshi (1901 – 1994) was an Indian scholar, a distinguished Sanskrit and Hindu Dharma expert, a Marathi literary critic, and supporter of Indian independence. Mahatma Gandhi chose him to be his principal advisor in his campaign against untouchability.

Quit India and contact with Mahatma Gandhi

Lakshman Shastri Joshi [Due to the conversion from Devanagri to phonetic romanized spellings, he is also alternately referred to as "Laxman Shahstri Joshi". In Marathi articles he is most commonly referred to as " Tarkateertha Laxman Shahstri Joshi".] , although a "Brahmin" priest by training, spent his life going against the grain of tradition. In 1932, at the age of 29, he was jailed by the British for his role in the Quit India movement [The call for determined, but passive resistance that signified the certitude that Gandhi foresaw for the movement is best described by his call to Do or Die, issued on 8 August at the Gowalia Tank Maidan in Bombay, since re-named August Kranti Maidan (August Revolution Ground)] . However while in prison, with a rigorous Sanskrit fluency, mastery of the Hindu "shastras" and their philosophical tradition, and armed with formidable intellect he quickly gained reputation as a Hindu "dharma" [ [http://hindupedia.com/en/Dharma "Dharma"] from Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia] scholar. Under the tutelage of "Vinobha Bhave", he learned English during his time in jail. It was during one of those internments that "Mahatma Gandhi" [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahatma_gandhi. See also “The Good Boatman – A Portrait of Gandhi”, Viking, 1995.] , troubled by respectable Brahmin priests shying away from officiating at the intercaste marriage of his son Devdas, a "Bania", or merchant class boy, to Lakshmi, the daughter of C. Rajagopalachari, a Brahmin and the second Governor General of independent India [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajagopalachari] approached the young "shastri", with his thorough knowledge of the "shastras", whether such a marriage was against Hindu "dharma". It took fortitude for Joshi to not only render a contrary opinion, but to perform the wedding ceremony [Marathi Vishwakosha, Vol.14, p. 698, 1989, ed. L.S.Joshi] , [Bombay Chronicle, June 1933; see also “Tarkateertha- Ek Pradnyapravaha”, a biography in Marathi, SriVidya Prakashan, 1995] .

Dedication of the Somnath Temple

Joshi again broke tradition as the head priest officiating at the re-dedication of the "Somnath" temple in 1951 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somnath] . Destroyed and looted several times by muslim invaders since 1024, the temple was a shrine for the wealthy upper caste. Soon after independence, Sardar Vallabhai Patel [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vallabhbhai_Patel] pledged to rebuild the temple, but this time opening it to one and all. Venerable priests from "Kashi" (now Varanasi) refused to perform the ceremony if the temple were opened to the lower castes. Joshi saw no theosophical support for excluding untouchables. Mahatma Gandhi continued to seek Joshi’s guidance, especially in lending support against untouchability, which he believed was vital for progress in independent India [http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Chronology_of_Mahatma_Gandhi%27s_life/India_1933] .

A life of scholarship

Born in 1901 into an orthodox Brahmin family, Joshi left home at age 14 after mastering priestly studies. Finally settling in "Wai" [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wai,_Maharashtra] , a temple town on the banks of the Krishna river, he became a Sanskrit, Hindu "dharma" and Indian philosophy pundit, earning the degree “"Tarkateertha"”, or literally, master of logic. Around the time India gained independence, he came under the influence of many reformist intellectuals including M.N Roy and quickly assimilated and, embraced western philosophical systems. In the tradition of T S Eliot who wrote: “Where is the Wisdom we have lost in Knowledge? Where is the Knowledge we have lost in the Information?”- he questioned whether those that had the knowledge had wisdom to lead, and recognized those that followed had inadequate knowledge, and he wrote “"Vaidik Sankriti-cha Vikas"” in 1951. This treatise was based on six lectures delivered by him at the University of Pune, where he traced the evolution of "Vedic" culture and its influence on modern India. In a stinging critique he argued that modern Indians became conflicted between meeting material needs and attaining spiritual enlightenment, thus fostering a collective weakness, disharmony and caste differences to prevail [See a recent English translation of this book, “Development of Indian Culture –Vedas to Gandhi”, Published by Lokvangmaya Griha, 2001; and http://www.dkpd.com/servlet/dkGetBiblio?bno=050873] . For his outstanding contribution, he received the "Sahitya Akademi" award [http://www.sahitya-akademi.gov.in/old_version/awa10313.htm#marathi] from India's National Academy of Letters in 1955. Needless to say, this and other critical inquiries into India’s Hindu religious traditions drew the ire of the contemporary Hindu orthodoxy. He was not content to be an armchair pundit. After India’s freedom from the British, he inspired several political leaders including Y. B. Chavan [ http://www.ycpait.org] , [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y_B_Chavan] , India’s home minister and deputy prime minister, helping shape their socio-political platforms.

Recognition

In 1960 he spearheaded the creation of a Marathi language “'Vishwakosha'”, an encyclopedia, and “'Dharmakosha'”, a Marathi transliteration of the ancient Vedic/Hindu sanskritic hymns. For his distinguished service, he was awarded the "Padma Bhushan" in 1976 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padma_Bhushan#1976. See also http://india.gov.in/myindia/advsearch_awards.php] , India’s third highest civilian medal. In 1992 he was awarded the "Padma Vibhushan" [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padma_Vibhushan#List_of_Awardees. See also http://india.gov.in/myindia/advsearch_awards.php] , India’s second highest civilian honor, in recognition of a lifetime of exceptional and distinguished service to India. For all his scholarship, Joshi was equally a pragmatist, endorsing Nehru’s investments in higher education and heavy industry. Perhaps he foresaw India’s rise as an industrial economy. He remained, till the end, a beacon of progressive thought and an inspiration to millions of modern Indians. He died at the age of 94, near the birth spring of the Krishna river. Were he to be alive today, he would have felt vindicated witnessing India’s rise as an economic power and a flourishing secular democracy.

Literature

His first book, "Shuddhisarvasvam", is a treatise in Sanskrit on the philosophical basis of religious conversion, published in 1934. In that same year, he undertook to edit the "Dharmakosha", encopassing twenty-six volumes and 18,000 pages, encoding the basic texts and commentaries on the varied aspects of "dharma" and "dharma-shastra"s from 1500 BC to the 18th century. in 1938, he wrote "Anand-Mimamsa", a critical commentary on the theory or "Ras" and aesthetics in Marathi literature. Later in 1973, he wrote "Adhunik Marathi Sahityachi Samiksha", a study of the tenets of modern Marathi literary criticism. He also wrote Hindu Dharmachi Samiksha, in 1940, critically examining the concepts and foundation of Hinduism, and "Jadawad", in 1941, a survey of the history and development of materialism in Indian and Western philosophical traditions. He wrote "Vaidik Sanskriticha Vikas" in 1958 to much acclaim. Amongst other works are "Upanishadanche Marathi Bhashantar", a translation of the 18 principal "Upanishads" into Marathi.

References