Baldev Upadhyaya facts for kids

Baldev Upadhyaya (born October 10, 1899 – died August 10, 1999) was a very important Hindi and Sanskrit scholar. He was also a literary historian, an essayist, and a critic. He wrote many books and essays, including a history of Sanskrit literature.

He is especially known for writing about Sanskrit literature in the Hindi language. Before him, most books about Sanskrit literature were written in Sanskrit or English. His work made this knowledge available to more people.

Life of Baldev Upadhyaya

Early Life and Education

Baldev Upadhyaya was born on October 10, 1899. His birthplace was the village of Sonbarsa in the Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh, which was part of British India at the time. His father, Pt. Ram Suchit Upadhyaya, was a great scholar of the Bhagavata Puraṇa. His mother's name was Murti Devi. He had two brothers.

He went to school at Govt. High School in Ballia. For a short time in 1911–1912, he studied at Bengali Tola Inter College in Benares. Later, he earned his M.A. degree from Banaras Hindu University in 1922. He also received the Sahityacharya degree from the Govt. Sanskrit College in Benares.

Family and Later Life

Baldev Upadhyaya married Shivmuni Devi. Her grandfather, Pt. Yogesh Dutt Ojha, was also a Sanskrit scholar.

Baldev Upadhyaya passed away on August 10, 1999, in Varanasi. He was almost 100 years old. He had two sons. One of his sons, Dr. G. S. Upadhyaya, was a professor at IIT Kanpur. His grandson, Dr. Anish Upadhyaya, is also a professor at IIT Kanpur today.

His Important Students

Baldev Upadhyaya was a respected teacher. Many of his students became famous scholars and important people themselves. Some of his notable students include Hazari Prasad Dwivedi, Vidya Niwas Mishra, Vibhuti Narayan Singh, Sitaram Chaturvedi, Kalu Lal Shrimali, Rewa Prasad Dwivedi, J. N. Chaturvedi, Triloki Nath Chaturvedi, and Vishnu Kant Shastri.

His Work and Contributions

Teaching and Leadership Roles

In 1922, Baldev Upadhyaya started working as a lecturer in the Sanskrit Department at Banaras Hindu University. He worked there for 38 years. In 1960, he retired as the Head of the Department.

Later, in 1968, he was appointed director and professor emeritus at the Research Institute of Sampurnanand Sanskrit University. He also served as the president of the Uttar Pradesh Sanskrit Academy in Lucknow.

Writing and Editing

While he was the director of the Research Institute, he was the chief editor of two important publications. These were the book series Sarasvati Bhavana Granthamala and the Sanskrit journal Sarasvati Sushama.

He wrote many books that were based on his own research. These books are considered very important and reliable in their fields. He also helped edit about 25 other books.

Awards and Recognition

Baldev Upadhyaya received many awards and honors for his great contributions to scholarship:

• Mangla Prasad Puraskar, 1942
• Dalmia Puraskar, 1946
• Shravan-Nath Puraskara
• Sahitya Varidhi, Prayag, 1972
• D.Litt., 1977
• Certificate of Honour, given by Zakir Husain, the President of India, in 1968.
• Kalidas Sahitya Ratna, Ujjain, 1982
• Vishva Sanskrit Bharati Award, U.P. Sanskrit Academy, 1983.
• Padma Bhushan Award, given by Giani Zail Singh, the President of India, in 1984. This is one of India's highest civilian awards.
• Umaswami Award, Kunda Kunda Bharati Ch. Trust, New Delhi, 1994
• Mahamahopadhyaya, 1997. This is a very high title for a Sanskrit scholar.
• Rama Krishna Dalmiya Sri Vani Award, Ramkrishna Dalmiya Trust, New Delhi

Books Written by Him

Baldev Upadhyaya chose Hindi as the language for his books. When he started writing, there were no complete books in Hindi about all parts of Sanskrit literature. His work filled this gap.