Vrajlal Shastri

Native name|

વ્રજલાલ કાળિદાસ શાસ્ત્રી

Born| Vrajlal Kalidas Shastri
(1825-11-26)26 November 1825[1]
Malataj, Petlad, Gujarat
Died| 14 November 1892(1892-11-14) (aged 66)[1]
Occupation| philologist, poet, scholar, translator
Language| Gujarati
Nationality| Indian
Notable works|

* Gujarati Bhashano Itihas (1866)
* Utsargmala (1870)
* Dhatusangrah (1870)
* Gurjar Bhasha Prakash (1892)

Vrajlal Kalidas Shastri was a pioneer of philology in Gujarati language and writer who wrote books on Gujarati language.[2][3]

## Life[edit]

He was born on 26 November 1825 in Malataj, a village in Petlad, Gujarat. He took his primary education in his village Malataj.[1] He had studied Sanskrit poetry and grammar in Sanskrit pathshalas. He also studied Prakrit grammar and literature. He taught Sanskrit at Jain Mandir, Ahmedabad. Due to Jain religious books, he became familiar with Prakrit-Pali, Apabhramsa, Ardha Magadhi so he wrote books on philology of Gujarati. He worked with Gujarat Vernacular Society and Dharma Sabha and edited their two journals, Buddhiprakash and Dharmaprakash. He had a long career of twenty five years as a researcher and scholar.[2][4]

He died on 14 November 1892.[1]

## Works[edit]

He had written fifteen books. His books on Gujarati language include Gujarati Bhashano Itihas (1866),[5] Utsargmala (1870), Gurjar Bhasha Prakash (1892). His Utsargama is a pioneer work in philology of Gujarati.[6][7] He also compiled, with J. V. S. Taylor, Dhatusangraha (1870), an etymological dictionary of Gujarati roots.[2][4][8]

His Rasganga is a work on poetics. Chandrahas Akhyana and Muktamala are his other creative works. Yagnavalkyacharit is a biography of sage Yajnavalkya in a dialogue form which is an only biography in such form in Gujarati.[2] Hitopadesh Shabdartha (1870) and Vaisheshik Tarksaar (1898; posthumously) are also his significant works.[1]

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e Shastri, Hariprasad (1990). "Shastri Vrajlal Kalidas". In Topiwala, Chandrakant (ed.). Gujarati Sahityakosh (Encyclopedia of Gujarati Literature) (in Gujarati). Vol. 2\. Ahmedabad: Gujarati Sahitya Parishad. p. 57.
2. ^ a b c d Lal (1992). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature. Sahitya Akademi. p. 3997\. ISBN 978-81-260-1221-3. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
3. ^ Thomas Albert Sebeok (1972). Current Trends in Linguistics. Mouton. p. 111.
4. ^ a b Sujit Mukherjee (1998). A Dictionary of Indian Literature. Orient Blackswan. p. 425\. ISBN 978-81-250-1453-9.
5. ^ Maharashtra (India) (1971). Maharashtra State Gazetteers: General Series. Directorate of Government Print., Stationery and Publications. p. 340.
6. ^ V. K. Narasimhan (1958). The languages of India: a kaleidoscopic survey. Our India Directories & Publications Private Ltd. p. 30.
7. ^ Mansukhlal Maganlal Jhaveri (1978). History of Gujarati Literature. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi. p. 108.
8. ^ Krishnalal Mohanlal Jhaveri (1956). Further milestones in Gujarāti literature. N.M. Tripathi. p. 18.