Sanskrit scholar R. Krishnamurthy Shastri dies at 82 in Chennai

Mahamahopadhyaya R. Krishnamurthy Shastri, a Sanskrit scholar and former principal of Madras Sanskrit College, died at his home in Chennai on Sunday afternoon. He was 82.

Family sources said he remained active until the end. On Sunday, he had completed the Mahalaya tarpana. He had also attended an event at Orikkai in Kancheepuram on September 23, where the pontiffs of the Kanchi Sankara Mutt were observing Chaturmasyam.

Shastri was born in 1944 in Mullaivaasal village, the second son of Brahmashri Rajagopala Ghanapathigal and Balamba. He first studied the Vedas under his father before studying Vedanta and Sastras at Madras Sanskrit College. He completed the Vedanta Shiromani and Mimamsa Shiromani examinations, obtained a master’s degree in Sanskrit from Sri Venkateswara University and earned a doctorate from the University of Madras.

His doctoral research focused on Ishtasiddhivivarana. He began teaching as a Sanskrit Pandit at Vaideeswara Oriental School in Mettur, where he worked from 1964 to 1973. He then joined Madras Sanskrit College as a lecturer in Vedanta and later served as vice-principal at an S.V.

Vedic and educational institution in Tirumala. After returning to Madras Sanskrit College as a professor of Advaita Vedanta, he became its principal in 1999. He passed the Vedabhashya examination in first class and was honoured with the title Vedabhashyaratnam.

Several Peethadhipatis and educational institutions also conferred titles on him, including Shastralankara, Vedanta Visharada, Advaita Siddhanta and Advaitavada Visharada. In 1999, the Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha in Tirupati awarded him the title Mahamahopadhyaya. The President of India honoured him with the President’s Award in 2013.

He authored works in Tamil and Sanskrit, including Siddhanta-traya-sara, Vedanta-Prashnottara-Ratnamalika and Shastrartha-Sumanjari. After retiring, he founded Brahmavidya Bhavanam, where he taught Veda, Veda-Bhashya and Vedanta to young students.