World of Philosophy

Author(s): Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave
Publisher: Shanti Prakashan

Page 20

The Quest
- Prof. Prashant R. Dave
In India there are places, even today, where the grandure and sublimity of nature and tradition flow in tune with each other. Ancient knowledge and Wisdom incessantly flow in the lap of nature. Kosguli of North Karnataka, where shree Yajneshwar Shastri was born and brought up. A place consecrated to ancient knowledge and tradition. A place where nature has transcribed its divine text, and shaped the human life with the content of inner tranquility and inward gazing. Nature was trying to teach a boy the lesson of sublimity and inner equilibrium almost unconsciously.
Nurtured in a vedic tradition the boy instictively grasped the tradition. Tradition became the part of his being. His father 'Sadashiv Ganapati' was a scholar with eminence. He was awarded, with the title 'Vidvan Kesari' by the late 'Krishna Maharaja' the king of Mysore. He was a 'Dash Granthi' scholar and 'Ghanant Pathi' of Rigved.
For a boy Yajneshwar to get the knowledge of the Shastras; was an imperative demand of the family. The demand was willfully sanctioned and supported by his mother Tungbhadra Shashri. Her irrepressive love for the study was so Whement that she sold her ornaments. While narrating this even today tears come from the eyes of Yajneshwar. He is moved by her mother's sacrifice, commitment, concern and care.
In 7th std. Public examnation Yajneshwar got Second Rank. He was sent to shree Matruka Sanskrit Pathshala. There he studied sanskrit for three years.
For authentic and intense learning of the Shastras a young boy Yajneshwar was sent to Jagadguru Shankaracharya Pathshala Dharvad. There he studied Sanskrit Literature, Vedanta, Nayaya, Upanishad under the renowned scholar - Vidya Mahodadhi Balachandra Shastri Uppin Betageri.
Thus Yajneshwar doctrinated himself with ancient ideas and tradition. This led him to realize even at a very early stage that neither a dry pedantic intellectualism nor sloppy excitable emotionalism is desirable in the seeker after truth.
In the year 1965 Sanskrit Vishwa Parishad was organized by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Bombay, at Banglore where, Yajneshwar represented Jagadguru Shankarcharya Pathshala of Dharwad. Shree K.M. Munshi spoted him, and invited him to study modern subjects along with Sanskrit, and assured him to provide full scholarship for Acharya degree and also for college education. In 1967 he was admitted to Mambadevi Sanskrit Mahavidyalay and got the degree of Acharya.
He did his Bachelor and Master degree in philosophy from K.J.
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