PT. K. BHUJBALI SHASTRI

Renowned Jainologist Pt. K. Bhujbali Shastri was born at village Kashipattan in Karnataka State on 11th Feb., 1887. He received early school education in Kannada in village pathshalas, passed Aurved Vish- arad examination in 1st Division from Mysore.

Shastri examination from Shri Gopal Jain Sidhanta Mahavidyalaya, Morena (where he learnt Hindi and fluent speaking in Sanskrit) and Nyayatirtha examination from Bengal Sanskirt Association. In June 1923 he joined as Librarian of Jain Sidhanta Bhavan, Arrah where he worked upto March 1944.

With much labour he arranged, catalogued and published lists of large number of Sanskrit, Prakrit, Hindi and English scriptures and books and Tad-Patra scriptures in Kannada. He exchanged a large number of copies of hand-written scriptures with various Shastra Bhandars and also collected valuable wooden paintings, stamps, coins, etc. for the Jain Sidhanta Bhawan.

At Arrah, he was President, Secretary and active member of several institutions. He joined Bharatiya Jnanpith at Mudbidri in 1944 and alongwith other scholars made research into 5 Jain Bhandars of South and prepared list of 125 unpublished and 3538 Tad Patra scriptures.

He also did catalogu..g of scriptures and historical research at Hombuch Math. Besides writing 5 original books in Hindi, 1 in Sanskrit and 15 in Kannada he has written critical preface of any books; translated, edited and helped in publication of Dhaval, Jai Dhaval and a large number of other books in Hindi, Prakrit, Sanskrit and Kannada.  He has contributed about 500 learned articles on various subjects in many magazines.

He is on the Editorial Board of Jain Sidhanta Bhasktr, Gurudav, Jain Antiquary, Voice of Ahimsa and a number of other magazines. A learned scholar of religion antiquary and Jain history he is also a good poet of Kannada, Sanskrit and Hindi languages. He has been honoured with the title of ‘Sidhantacharya’ and awarded a cash prize of Rs. 2500/- by Vir Nirwan Bharati in 1974.