‘Brahmarshri Ratna’ Pujya Shri Niranjan Shashtriji (Umrethwala)
Brief Resume
Date of Birth: November 14,1936. Vikram Samvat 1992, Kartik Sudi 1.
Place of Birth: Petlad Dist. Kheda. Gujarat.
By Caste: Malviya Shrigaud Brahman.
Date: March 3, 1961.Fagan Vad 1 , Friday.
Grandfather: Late Pandit Shri Jyeshtaram Harijivan Shashtriji, honoured with different titles, such as, ‘Mahamahopadeshak’ ‘Suddha Dwait Bhushan’ ‘Sanskrit Mani (Ayodhya) etc. Also an authorized Bhagwat Kathakar based on sectarian treatises. A schlor of Pushti Marg.
Father: Late Pujya Shri Ramanlal Jyeshtaram Shashtriji. Honoured with titles, such as ‘Sudha Dwait Ratna’ ‘Vyakhyan Bhushan’ ‘Kavya Visharad’ ‘Sahitya Mani’ ‘Vedant Vachaspati’ etc. Conducted more than 750 Shrimad Bhagwat Saptah based on sectarian treatises. A scholarly Bhagwat kathakar of Pushti marg. An author of around twenty books including 500 years of Pushti Marg. Did tour many countries like Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malayasia, Africa, America, Canada and held saptahs there.
Mother: Daughter of Shri Motiram Rajaram Purohit (Kankanpur). Name: Late Shri Jashodaben Ramanlal Shastri passed the test of Shri Balkrishna Suddh Dwait Mahasabha and Vidya Vibhag, kankaroli, in those days when women hardly got educated.
Childhood of Shastriji: During his four early years in Dabhoi he came in contact with personalities such as Shri Saraswatichandra Majumdar ( Yogacharya Shri Krupalvnandji ), Pujyapad Goswami 108 Shri Dwarkeshlalji Maharajshri, sangit Vishaushna Visharad pandit Shri
Vasantram Harikrushna Shashriji Shri Dehhavlal Gandhi, Shri Krushnalal Gandhi, Shri Kanchanlal Daru and others.
Brahma Sambandha : In the family of Shri Vishnudas Joshi, a disciple of Shri Vitthalnathji (Gosainji), Shri Niranjanbhai is the thirteenth successor. Traditionally, all through generations this family has got its Brahm Sambandh Diksha from the acharyas of Pushti Marg Panchamgruh. Shri Niranjanbhai also got his Brahm Sambandh through Nityalilastha Goswami 108 Shri Govindlalji Maharajshri.
Education: After the thread ceremony as per tradition , his father taught him the mantras of Sandhya Vandana. As per the Pushti Margiya system he joined in ritual servicing of Shri Thakorji installed in his house. His grandfather, Shri Jyestharam Shastriji, took Shri Niranhanbhai with him to Petlad. There he learned all about Vedic and Pushti Sampradaya’s customs. Even on his way to Pushti Margiya school he learned from his grandfather Sanskrit shlokas. Grandfather taught him mathematics along with Sanskrit and particularly in maths he used to get 98 percent marks. So many rituals were taught to him by grandfather. They included Shantipath, Gurupadabhivandan, Sarva Deva Namaskara, Sankalp, Ganpati Pujan, Varupujan, Punyah Vachan Prayog etc. He was also given knowledge of Karmakand. As per rules of Brahmanism, after his thread ceremony he was taught to get for himself the duties of Brahmanism.
Umreth: From Patlad he came to Umreth and joined Shri Khadayata Sanskrit Pathshala where he started studies under Sahityacharya shri Shashtri Gaurinath Shuklaji. In the secondary school of the Umreth Jubilee Institute he was asked to take part in debates on Gita-Bhagwat by the scholar, Shri P.P. Seth. Those was his early training in oratory; it greed him from stage fright. Thereafter, for six months he studied in Nadiad town at the Khadayata Sanskrit Pathshala and later at the Nadiad Basudiwala High School.
Vasodara: While he was studing in eighth standard ‘Ashtottarshat’ Bhagwat Saptah was held in Jatipura. At that time he got chance to serve digritaries and could make a pilgrimage to vraj. In that festival were present Pandit Panchanan Shri Badrinath Shashtriji, Pujya Shri Ramchandra Dongre Maharaj, Pujya Shri Ramanlal Shastriji and other well- known kathakars. Also there was Pujyapad Shri karpatriji Maharaj Shri. On that occasion Pujya Shri Badrinath Shashtriji propsed to Shri Ramanbhai to send his son, Niranjanbhai, to him at Vadodara. So, Niranjanbhai then came to Vadodara and was admitted to Sayaji High School.Pujya Shri Badrinath Shashriji was the head of ‘Vatpattan Sanskrit Vidvat Sabha’.Many scholars would collect in the evening and among them they discussed a number of topics. The scholars included Pandit Shri Kalikaprasadji, Pandit Shri Vidyabhaskar Upadhyaya, pandit Shri Amirchandji, Pandit Shri Jaynarayan Pathak, Pandit Shri Hariprasad Mehta, Pandit Shri Laxmishankar Shukalji.
Mumbai: In Mumbai he studied at J.V.M. Sanskrit Vidyalaya and G.T. Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya.
His revered teacher: At Umreth his own grandfather, his father and Shri Gaurinath Shukla. At Vadodara Pandit Panchanan Pujya Shri Badrinath Shastriji in whose home he stayed for three years and studied. At Mumbai Pujya Shri Tuljashankar Dhirajram Pandya, Pujja Shri Krushnaram Vahalji Bhatt, pujya Shri Manchharam Krupashankar Shashtriji, Pujya Shri Krushna Madhav Jha, Pujya Shri Vasudev Upadhyaya and Pujya Shri Krushnashankar Shashtriji.
Marriage: On Satruday,May 8,1959, Vaisakh Sudi 8, in the presence of Pujyapad Goswami 108 Shri Chandragopal Maharaj Shri he married Smt. Dharmishthaben Shukla, the daughter of Shri Manilal Mahashankar Shukla of Sathamla. As Kathakar, the Beginning : It was his grandfather,Shri Jyestharam Shashtriji in Petlad who encouraged him in the reading of the Bhagwat. In 1952 on the day of the Pragatyotsav of Shri Mahaprabhuji he gave his first open Katha Pravachan(Oration) before a large audience between April 14,1953 (Adhik Vaisakh- Purushottam month), during the May vacation period in schools, in the Mota Mandir in Umerth, between 8 am and 9 am and at night between 9 pm and 10 pm he delivered his oration on the Dasham Skantha of Shrimad Bhagwat. That was his entry into the sphere of katha during Shri Purushottam month; he rendered this Bhagwat Katha before a large audience.
Sectarian and Cultural Activities: Arya Sudharmoday Sabha : To present Vaidik though currents Pujya Pandit Scholar and ‘Shatavdhani’ (a knowledgeable person who could answer a hundred questions at a time) Shri Galulalji established Arya Sudharmoday Sabha that organization requested Shri Niranjanbhai to deliver an oration every Sunday. So, every Sunday between 8:30 am to 9:30 am at Gita Hall in Madhavbag he delivered scholarly discourses on treatises like Shri Subodhini and thereby made his contrinbutions to the task of awakening people.
The Activities of the Saptah: It was the strict instruction of Shri Niranjanbhai’s ancestors and his principal teacher, Shri Badrinath Shashtriji, that ‘You should never commercially exploit shrimad Bhagwat because Bhagwat by itself is god incarnate. He always adhered to this instruction all his life and in spite of all the knowledge he had he never made use of it for earning wealth. ‘Bhagwat is god incarnate’ – he made it his lifetime motto. He never carried out a Saptah for collecting funds or donations. And as per classical tradition, without taking help of any musical support, it was only through fluent oration that he held Saptahs and kept large audience spellbound.Shri Niranjanbhai has conducted saptahs in many states of India on religious treaties such as, Shrimad Bhagwat, Shri Valmiki Ramayan, Shri Shodas Granth, Shiksha Patra, Bhakti Poshan, Shrimad Bhagwad Gita, Shri Subodhiniji, Shri Harivansh Puran, Shri Ashtavakra Gita, Shri Devi Bhagwat, Shri Shiva Puran and others. The number of saptahs held by him touch nearly 1000 mark.
Besides these ones the significanee of every Shrimad Bhagwat Saptah carried out as an humble offering in the service of Pushti Prabhu Shri Nathji Bawa is invaluable to Pujya Shri Shashtriji. The presence and blessings of a number of Goswamis and Acharyas of the Vallabhkul during the many Saptahs held by this Pushti Margiya Kathakar will always remain indelible in the annals.
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