[INDOLOGY] Acharya Vishwanath Mishra (1930–2016)

[Nityanand Misra]

[Apologies for cross-posting]

Dear list members,

Another sun of Sanskrit grammar has set. Popularly referred to as
*Vaiyākaraṇamārtaṇḍa*, Acharya Vishwanath Mishra—one of the tallest
scholars of Sanskrit grammar—passed away around 6 a.m. India time on the
morning of January 28 2016.

Born on June 15 1930 at Siwan in Bihar, Acharya Mishra studied major works
of Sanskrit grammar, starting with *Siddhāntakaumudī*, under ‘Mahashaya Ji’
Ram Yash Tripathi (1884–1966) in Varanasi for eleven years. He also studied
the *Rasagaṅgadhara* and the *Pañcalakṣaṇi* from Mahashaya Ji. His other
Guru-s included Pandit Badrinath Shukla.

Acharya Mishra taught at Daltonganj in Ranchi for three years, and then at
various colleges and universities in Rajasthan. Bikaner was his home for a
long time. In his final days, he taught at the Jain Vishvabharati at Nagaur
in Rajasthan.

In 1980, Acharya Mishra’s Hindi commentary *Subodhinī* on the
*Paribhāṣenduśekhara* was published by Chaukhambha Sanskrit Sansthan. It is
widely considered to be the best Hindi explanation of the
*Paribhāṣenduśekhara*. In 1997, his Hindi commentary *Subodhinī* on the
*Laghuśabdenduśekhara* (up to the *Pañcasandhi*) was published by
Chaukhambha Sanskrit Sansthan. This book was dedicated to
*Abhinavaśaṅkarācārya* ‘Dharmasamrāṭ’ Svāmī Karapatrī (1907–1982) and has
been reprinted several times. Two other well-known works of Acharya Mishra
are the *Praudhanibandhasaurabham* (1982) and the *Bhikṣunyāyakarṇikā*. In
all he authored seven books and more than fifty papers. When the
commentaries on the *Paribhāṣenduśekhara *and the *Laghuśabdenduśekhara *were
presented by Acharya Mishra to my Guru, Jagadguru Svāmī Rāmabhadracārya, he
remarked to those present, “You give me material things, today Mishra Ji
has given me invaluable and hard-to-find  knowledge,” and placed the two
books on his head as a mark of respect to Acharya Mishra.

For his services to Sanskrit, Acharya Mishra was honoured with the
President’s Certificate of Honour for the year 1999. The honour was
presented to him by the then President of India Honourable K. R. Narayanan
on February 6 2002.

Several students of Acharya Mishra are scholars of Sanskrit grammar today.
Prof. Ramyatna Shukla of Varanasasi briefly studied under Acharya Mishra.

The attached photo from the website of Acharya Siyaramadasa Naiyayika shows
Acharya Mishra in the centre at the age of 84 in January 2015. To the left
is his student Prof. Ashok Kumar Tiwari and to the right is Acharya
Siyaramadasa Naiyayika. More photos of the Acharya from this meeting can be
seen here <http://www.acharysiyaramdas.com/महाशय-जी-के-प्रियशिष्य-वि/>:

Sources:
[1] Sanskrit, Arabic scholars honoured. The Hindu. Feb 7 2002.
http://www.thehindu.com/2002/02/07/stories/2002020705030600.htm
[2] Radha Vallabh Tripathi (ed.) Inventory of Sanskrit Scholars (2012).
Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan. ISBN 978-93-86111-85-2. p. 165.
[3] Acharya Siyaramadasa Naiyayika (January 6 2015). महाशय जी के प्रिय
शिष्य विश्वविख्यात महावैयाकरण आचार्य श्रीविश्वनाथ मिश्र जी.
www.acharysiyaramdas.com/महाशय-जी-के-प्रियशिष्य-वि/
<http://www.acharysiyaramdas.com/%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%B9%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%AF-%E0%A4%9C%E0%A5%80-%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%87-%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF-%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BF/>


-- 
Nityānanda Miśra
http://nmisra.googlepages.com


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