Haridasa Siddhantavägiśa (1876-1961) is one of the greatest Sanskrit poets, dramatists and scholars of the twentieth century. A Bengali by birth, he acquired exceptional proficiency in multifarious branches of Sanskrit literature, e.g. Kavya, Vyakarana (Kalapa), Purana, Jyotis, Darsana (Samkhya, Vedanta, Mimamsa), Smriti Sastra. His contributions reached a pinnacle with the remarkable Sanskrit commentary (Bharata Kaumudi) and Bengali rendering of Mahabharata which is recorded as the biggest single-handed work ever undertaken in the history of world literature. He dedicated twenty one years of his life (1929-1950) in preparing this invaluable edition. He has also authored several historical plays in Sanskrit like Vangiyapratapam (1946), Mivarapratapam (1942) and Sivajicaritam (1946), which is quite rare in Sanskrit. Kavyakaumudi, his original book on poetics and dramaturgy, epitomizes the viewpoints of all the famous rhetoricians. He is also the author of Smriticintamani (1912), an original work on Smriti Sastra. He has written commendable commentaries on all major Sanskrit dramas and poems. He has received numerous titles and awards like Samkhyaratna, Puranasastri, Siddhantavagisa, Mahamahopadhyaya, Padmabhusan, Bharatacharya, Mahakavi and the prestigious Rabindra Award (1960).
Rita Chattopadhyay (b.1952) is a retired Professor of Sanskrit, Jadavpur University Kolkata. In her academic career spanning over more than forty years. She is a prolific researcher having authored/edited 22 books and monographs. She has published and presented more than 70 research papers in both India and abroad including University of California, Berkeley, Harvard University, Rutgers University, NJ, University of Pennsylvania, USA, EHESS, Paris, Sorbonne University, Paris, France, Silpakorn University, Bangkok, Thailand, University of Vienna, Austria. Her research interests include Modern Sanskrit Literature, Epics and Puranas, Sanskrit Poetics and Dramaturgy, and Crime against women in ancient India. She has been the recipient of several awards and honours including the prestigious Emeritus Fellowship of UGC (2017-2019); Griffith Memorial Prize by the University of Calcutta in 1983; research grant from POSCO TJ Foundation Korea; CIIL (Mysore) Fellowship and was nominated Chair Professor by ICCR for Paris, Bali and Bangkok.
This monograph intends to provide the students, researchers and general readers an introduction to Mm. Haridasa Siddhäntavägita who is acclaimed to be a towering figure in the field of modern Sanskrit literature.
This short account provides the readers with a life-sketch of Haridäsa, list of his works, and a series of chosen extracts, occasionally with roman transliteration, English translations etc. Thereby, this monograph makes an earnest endeavour to highlight the major aspects of Haridasa's literary style, his genius, different facets of his personality, ideals and beliefs.
Some portions of this monograph may be found verbatim in my earlier work 'Mm. Haridasa Siddhantavägisa: An appraisal which was based on my Ph.D dissertation entitled "Studies in the Original Poetical Works of Mm. Haridasa Siddhantavagisa".
**Contents and Sample Pages**
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