Renowned Sanskrit scholar Vidyavachaspati Bannanje Govindacharya passed away at his residence at Ambalpady in Udupi on Sunday. He was 85 years old. He died of age-related illness, his family said.
A propagator of 'Madhwa' ideology and a renowned orator, Govindacharya had been conferred with the Padma Shri award in 2009. He was well-versed in Veda Bhashya, Upanishad Bhashya, Mahabharata, Ramayana and Puranas and has written commentaries on Veda Suktas, Upanishads, Shata Rudriya, Brahma Sutra Bhashya and Gita Bhashya.
He had authored around 150 books and translated several texts from Sanskrit to Kannada. Some of them are Bana Bhatta's novel 'Bana Bhattana Kadambari', Kalidasa's 'Shakuntala' and Shudraka's 'Mrichakatika.' Govindacharya had also translated several historical novels to Kannada. He also wrote notes on the chapters of Hindu text Upanishad.
Born in 1936 in Bannanje locality of Udupi in Karnataka, He was one of the greatest exponents on Madhva philosophy and was best known for his pravachanas, which are very popular among Tuluvas and Kannadigas across the world. His loss was particularly felt in the Tulu speaking coastal Karnataka region in the state.
Govindacharya was the brand ambassador of India in the World Conference on Religion and Peace held in Princeton, USA, in 1979. He was conferred with the Sahitya Akademi's award for translation in 2001. He was also conferred with the state award for meritorious service and scholarship in Vedic literature and philosophy by the Karnataka government. He had also served as the editor at Udayavani, a paper-based in coastal Karnataka.
Several politicians reacted to the death of the scholar. "He has been a guiding light since my childhood,his departure brings so much inexplicable grief An ocean of profound knowledge..he demystified the most complex truths of Dwaita Siddhanta in simple Kannada," BJP spokesperson Malavika Avinash said.
He has been a guiding light since my childhood,his departure brings so much inexplicable grief
— Malavika Avinash (@MalavikaBJP) December 13, 2020
An ocean of profound knowledge..he demystified the most complex truths of Dwaita Siddhanta in simple Kannada#SanatanaDharma loses Vidyavachaspati #BannanjeGovindacharyaru #Omshanti pic.twitter.com/05ui9ChbDC
With PTI inputs