He has continued the rich tradition of introducing modern genres and modes of expression in an ancient language like Sanskrit for which his father late Kavishiromani Bhatt Mathuranath Shastri is known in the history of modern Sanskrit literature. He has authored more than two dozen books and edited equal number of books in Sanskrit, Hindi and English and is known for his interliterary translations of monumental works of Philosophy and literature in these languages and also Prakrit, Vraj Bhasha, Rajasthani and other Indian languages.
Literary achievements
He has contributed more than a thousand articles in Hindi and Sanskrit to reputed journals of India and broadcast more than 200 talks, poems, and plays in Sanskrit, Hindi and English. He is a literary historian, critic and commentator. In the history of modern Sanskrit literature he is known as a fiction writer who has introduced a modern idiom in creative Sanskrit writing through his novels, short stories, personal essays, and his books on the 20th century Sanskrit literature. He was the chairman of the Rajasthan Sanskrit Academy and the Director of Sanskrit Education and Bhasha Vibhag.
Career
His career started with the pursuit of traditional Sanskrit learning, Indian Aesthetics, Comparative Linguistics, the Vedas & Shastras under the tutelage of Sanskrit scholars like his own father Bhatt Mathuranath Shastri, Giridhar Sharma Chaturvedi, Pt. Pattabhiram Shastri, Pt. Hari Shastri, and Jagdish Sharma. He mastered linguistics and aesthetics of Sanskrit, and also studied the literatures of Hindi and English. After obtaining his post-graduation degree with 1st Division in English he taught English Language and literature at the Postgraduate colleges of the University of Rajasthan for eight years, then took over the administration of official language as Deputy Director and later as Director of Bhasha Vibhag of the Government of Rajasthan from which position he retired in 1994. He was also Director of Sanskrit Education, Government of Rajasthan. He served as chairman, Rajasthan Sanskrit Academy and founder- Chairman of Kavishiromani Bhatt Mathuranath Shastri Sanskrit Chair at the Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Rajasthan Sanskrit University, Jaipur. He is Chairman of the Modern Sanskrit Chair at the Sanskrit University. He is also advising as permanent member of Rajasthan Government's Hindi Law Committee, and as member of Kendriya Sanskrit Board, National Book Trust and Sahitya Academy. He is associated in different capacities with dozens of governmental and non-governmental associations, institutions and organisations related with Sanskrit and Hindi. He is also the founder Chairman of "Manjunath Smriti Sansthan", located in Jaipur. Devarshi Kala Nath Shastry worked as a member of the 2nd Sanskrit Commission of the Government of India.
Major honours and awards
He has been honoured by a large number of institutions, universities, organisations and governments with titles such as 'Mahamahopadhyaya', 'Sahitya Mahodadhi', and 'Sahitya Shiromani' and awards such as Lifetime Achievement Award for Sanskrit, Government of Rajasthan, Jaipur 2012, Lifetime Achievement Award for Sanskrit Journalism by Uttar Pradesh Sanskrit Sansthan, 2008, Award for Sanskrit by Central Sahitya Academy, Honours by Ministry of Human Resources, Govt. of India. He was recognised for his contribution to Sanskrit by none other than the President of India, Dr. K. R. Narayanan, in 1998. He was bestowed upon with "Rashtrapati Puraskar" for his contribution to Sanskrit.
Major published works
Works of Panditaraj Jagannath's Poetry :1987 : 134pp 22 cm
Horizons of Sanskrit, Pub. Rajasthan Sanskrit Akademy, Jaipur, 2016.
He has translated a large number of books, research journals, commemorative volumes, in Sanskrit and Hindi, and also books to and from English, Sanskrit, Prakrit and Rajasthani languages. He is the chief editor of renowned Sanskrit monthly Bharati.
