Source: http://dadegaonkar.blogspot.com/2007/09/p-v-kane-notes-for-biography.html
Timestamp: 2019-04-24 00:19:44+00:00

Document:
KANE, DR. P. V. : MA (English and Sansknti,) LL M, D Lift, (Nominated), s of Shri Vaman Bapuji Kane, b. May 7, 1880; m. Shrimati Ganga 2 s and 3 d , Member, Rajya Sabha, 16-11-1953 to 2-4-1958 and 34-1958 to 11-8-1959, Recipient of Bharat Ratna. 1963, Author of History of Dharmashastra (in 4 Vols. ) and other books, Died Obit on 8-5-1972.
History of Dharmasastra, with subtitle Ancient and Medieval Religious and Civil Law in India, is a monumental five-volume work, consisting of around 6,500 pages, and was written by Dr. Pandurang Vaman Kane, an indologist. The first volume of the work was published in 1930 and the last one in 1962. The work is considered as Dr. Kane's magnum opus in English.
This work researched the evolution of code of conduct in ancient and mediaeval India by looking into several texts and manuscripts compiled over the centuries. Dr. Kane used the resources available at prestigious institutes such as the Asiatic Society of Bombay and Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, among others. The work is known for its expanse and depth – ranging across diverse subjects such as the Mahabharat, Puranas and Kautilya – including references to previously obscure sources. The richness in the work is attributed to his in-depth knowledge of Sanskrit. His success is believed to be an outcome of his objective study of the texts instead of deifying them.
Kane wrote the book Vyavaharamayukha and was in the process of writing an introductory passage on the history of Dharmasastra for this book, so that the reader would get an overall idea apart from the subject of the book. One thing led to another and this project snowballed into the major work that it is. All the same, he was categorical in saying that it is difficult to find an English equivalent of the word “Dharma.” His output in the form of writings across the three languages of English, Sanskrit and Marathi span nearly 15,000 pages.
Pandurang Vaman Kane (pronounced Kaa-nay) (Marathi: डॉ. पांडुरंग वामन काणे) (1880-1972) was a notable Indologist and Sanskrit scholar. He was born in a conservative Chitpavan Brahmin family in the Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra, India.
Dr. Kane is famous for his magnum opus in English, History of Dharmasastra subtitled Ancient and Mediaeval Religions and Civil Law in India. This work researched the evolution of code of conduct in ancient and mediaeval India by looking into several texts and manuscripts compiled over the centuries. It was published in five volumes; the 1st volume was published in 1930 and the last, in 1962. It runs to a total of more than 6,500 pages. Dr. Kane used the resources available at prestigious institutes such as the Asiatic Society of Bombay and Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, among others. The work is known for its expanse and depth – ranging across diverse subjects such as the Mahabharat, Puranas and Kautilya – including references to previously obscure sources. The richness in the work is attributed to his in-depth knowledge of Sanskrit. His success is believed to be an outcome of his objective study of the texts instead of deifying them.
Kane wrote the book Vyavaharamayukha and was in the process of writing an introductory passage on the history of Dharmasastra for this book, so that the reader would get an overall idea apart from the subject of the book. One thing led to another and this project snowballed into the major work that it is. All the same, he was categorical in saying that it is difficult to find an English equivalent of the word “Dharma.” His output in the form of writings across the three languages of English, Sanskrit and Marathi spans nearly 15,000 pages.
Dr. Kane was revered as Mahamahopadhyay (Etymology: Maha+Maha+Upadhyay = The greatest among the great teachers), usually shortened to MM as a prefix in the writings that refer to him. He served as the Vice-Chancellor of Bombay University. His services were requisitioned and enlisted for establishing Kurukshetra University in Indic studies. He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi award in 1956 for History of Dharmasastra Volume IV for his research under the Sanskrit translation category. He was also an honorary member of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.
He was nominated to the Rajya Sabha as a member of Parliament for his distinguished record in the field of academics. The highest accolade bestowed upon him was the Bharat Ratna in 1963.
Kane believed that the Indian constitution made a complete break with the traditional ideas prevalent in India by engendering a false opinion among the people that they have rights, but no obligations.
Given the encyclopaedic and authoritative nature of his work, it is often used in debates in Polity. One such issue that cropped up during Atal Bihari Vajpayee government was whether ancient Indians ate beef and both the groups quoted extensively from Kane’s work to support their viewpoint. This issue became important as the Hindus traditionally revere Cow as a mother and hence eating of Beef is prohibited. Another such issue was whether the girls in the ancient times had the right to wear the Yajnopavita (the sacred thread), restricted only to the men folk in the recent past.
To commemorate him, Asiatic Society of Bombay has established Mm. Dr. P.V. Kane Institute for Post Graduate studies and Research in 1974 to promote, encourage and facilitate research in oriental studies. Also, MM Dr. P.V. Kane Gold Medal is given once every three years to a scholar for outstanding contribution to the study of Vedic, Dharmashastra or Alankara Literature.
Professor Kane's Contribution to Dharmasastra Literature/compiled and edited by S.G. Moghe. 1997, 380 p., $33.
Contents: Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Dharmasutra of Sankha-Likhita. 3. Asahaya, the commentator of the Gautama-Dharmasutra and the Naradasmrti. 4. The Tantravartika and the Dharmasastra literature. 5. Passages from the Rajamartanda on Tithis, Vratas and Utsavas. 6. The meaning of Acaryah. 7. The Mahabharata verses and very ancient Dharmasutras and other works. 8. The Dvaitanirnaya. 9. Vedic Mantras and legends in the Puranas. 10. The predecessors of Vijnanesvara. 11. Kalivarjya (actions forbidden in the Kali age). 12. Tilaka mark. 13. The Parijata and the Madana-Parijata. 14. Paurana-Dharma. 15. The Arthasastra of Kautilya. 16. King Bhoja and his works on Dharmasastra and Astrology. 17. Mahabharata citations in the Sabara-Bhasya. 18. Utpala and the Arthasastra of Kautilya. 19. The Kautiliya and the Matsya Purana. 20. Naming a child or a person. 21. Prof. Kane's method and interpretations--a review by Dr. S.G. Moghe. Topical index. Author/title index.
"If not peerless as an indologist, Pandurang Vaman Kane (1880-1972) may have barely a few equals. A legitimate recipient of many, many enviable awards, including the 'Bharat Ratna'--the highest national honour in India, he was the distinguished Sanskritist, National Professor of Indology, Vice-Chancellor of Bombay University, Member of Parliament (nominated), and entitled 'Mahamahopadhyaya'. And was a prolific author too--his literary writings in English, Marathi and Sanskrit having been estimated to run across nearly 15,000 printed pages. Yet, M.M. Kane is to stay immortalized for his multivolume History of Dharmasastra: an encyclopaedic, at once authoritative work on ancient India's religious and civil laws.
"This volume puts together nineteen of his essays to reinforce Professor Kane's unique insightfulness into Dharmasastra literature. Discreetly culled from the prodigious mass of his writings, these essays show how Dr. Kane conjures some of the most obscure, hitherto-unnoticed sources not just to dispel widely-accepted fallacies or straighten out distortions, but (importantly) to project the fabulous legacy of India's Dharmasastra literature: in both its variegated richness and unflawed authenticity.
Many friends and well-wishers of the author and some readers of the volumes of the History of Dharmasastra have often ( personally and by correspondence) pressed him to furnish some biographical details about himself, about the circumstances in which he launched on this undertaking, about the preparations he made, about the time and labour that this undertaking cost him and also what money it brought to him ( a few asked even this ) .
To write an autobiography is a most difficult and delicate matter. In an autobiography one has often to use the words ' I ', ' Me ', 'My' etc. and the writer is liable to be charged with egotism. If he is very frank about his own failings and faults, he may be accused of exhibitionism. I do not propose to say much about my parents or my ancestors or about my marriage and family life or my likes and dislikes. I had my own share of anxieties, troubles and sorrows, but I shall not say much about them, since the blessings that were showered on me far outweighed the anxieties and sorrows. A brief account of some aspects of my long life may, I hope, be of some interest and help to those who have to face problems similar to those that I had to face.
I was born on 7th May 1880 in a village called Pedhem or Parasnrama [ because it has a large and famous temple of Parasurama, as avatâra of Visnu and the patron saint of several brahmana sub-eastes ( such as the Citpâvana ) ] near Chiplun in the Ratnagiri District at my maternal uncle's house.
My father belonged to a priestly family in a village called Murdem near Khed in the Ratnagiri District. My father had learnt by heart a great deal of the Rgveda and was being trained for priesthood till the age of 18. He did not like the profession of a priest and left for Poona to learn English along with a friend of his boyhood, the late Shankar Balkrishna Dixit, who later on became famous for his Marathi work on Indian Astronomy which was admired by Dr. Thibaut. Mr. Dixit and my father gassed the Matriculation Examination of the Bombay University in 1873. My father studied for the Pleader's examination held in those days by the Bombay High Court, passed it and began to practise as a Taluka lawyer at Dapoli in the Ratnagiri Distinct from 1878. Besides Vedic lore, my father studied the principal Upanisads and the Gita and had many of the former by heart. He practised as a lawyer for about forty years, then retired and passed away in 1925.
We were nine children, six brothers and three sisters. I was the eldest of the sons and one sister was older than myself.
In my early boyhood my father taught me some elements of astrology and advised me to commit to memory the verses of Amarakosa ( of which I had 400 by heart before I was 12 years of age ).
In 1891 I joined the 8. P. G. Mission's English High School at Dapoli and passed the Bombay University's Matriculation Examination in 1897 and stood high among the successful candidates. While at school, I began to suffer from hyper-acidity, consequent acute stomach pains and vomiting at the age of 16 and had to leave school for nearly a year.
At the time when I passed the Matriculation there was an epidemic of , Bubonic Plague in Bombay and Poona, where there was high mortality. My father was not willing to send me (whose health was already delicate ) to those places where alone College education could then be bad. So he asked me to study law under him. I studied it for two weeks, but being repelled soon by the dry study of law, 1 wrote a letter to Dr. Machichan, who was then Principal of the Wilson College in Bombay ( and reputed to be very kind), conducted by the Scottish Mission, asking him whether I could be enrolled as a student in absentia. He asked me to send Rs. 36/-, a term's fee, get myself registered as a student and stated that as the epidemic was at its height the University might condone absence. The Bombay University later on did so. I did not attend College in the first term.
The epidemic abated, I joined College in June and appeared for the first year's examination of the Bombay University in November 1898 (which was then called the Previous Exam.) and was awarded a scholarship of Rs. 175 and a prize of Rs. 100 for being the first among the students whose second language was Sanskrit. This was the first lucky accident in my life. Life is a mysterious business. It is full of lucky incidents or chances and one must be able to take advantage of them by one's own efforts. There have been many such incidents and disinterested friendships in my life and I have hardly ever had an enemy to my knowledge in the whole of my rather long life. The ailment of my boyhood pursued me at college, pursues me even now and has become worse, but I did not allow myself to be much disturbed by it, controlled my diet and led a regular and strict life. At the second year's examination in Arts ( called Intermediate ) I was awarded a scholarship of Rs. 180 (lump sum ) for standing first among students taking Sanskrit as a second language. Two years afterwards I appeared for the B. A. examination in 1901 and was awarded the Bhau Daji Prize for proficiency in Sanskrit and stood first among the students of the Wilson College. An idea about how delicate I was in 1901 when I was 21 years old may be had from the fact that though I was 5 feet 4 inches in height, I weighed only 98 pounds.
After the B. A. examination I was a Daksina Fellow at the Wilson College for two years and lectured to the first two years' classes at the Wilson College on Sanskrit about three hours a week. In 1902, I passed the First LL. B. examination in the First class and in 1903 the M. A. examination and was awarded the Zala Vedanta Prize of Rs. 400. The peculiarity of this prize is that the paper set is in Sanskrit, the answers are to be written in Sanskrit in three hours, the chief examiner was to be a Sastri who was proficient in Sankara Yedanta and had studied it under the old traditional methods. As my father had yet to spend for the education of several sons he asked me either to enter the Education Department as a High School teacher or to become a lawyer in a subordinate court.
I did not like the latter idea and applied to the Director of Public Instruction, Poona, for appointment as a teacher in a Govt. High School. Here again Dr. Machichan helped me by recommending me highly to the D. P. L I was appointed a teacher in the Govt. High School at Ratnagiri in August 1904 on a salary of Bs. 60 per month raised to Bs. 65 per month after a few months ( having been an M. A, with five scholarships and prizes in Sanskrit). I was at the Ratnagiri Govt. High School for three years. I appeared for the S. T. C. (Secondary Teacher's Certificate ) Examination held by the Department in 1905 and stood first in the whole of the Bombay Presidency (including Sind in those days ).
In the same year I submitted an essay on ' Aryan Manners and Morals as depicted in the Epics' for the Y. N. Mandlik Gold Medal of the Bombay University and was awarded a prize of books worth Bs. 150. For this essay I read both the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. Till now I have read the Mahabharata thrice and I have yet got the notebooks of extensive extracts, particularly from the Mahabharata. In the next year I appeared for a Departmental Examination for Honours in Teaching and secured first class in ' Logic in relation to teaching'. The same year ( 1906 ) I submitted a paper on ' the History of Alankara Literature' for the V. N. Gold Medal again and was awarded the medal.
At the end of this year I lost my younger brother by T. B. I was transferred at my own request to the Elphinstone High School in Bombay as 5th assistant on Rs. 75 in April 1907. There were over 40 teachers in that High School and about 750 students from the 4th to the 7th standard. I was made Head Sanskrit teacher (there were three teachers of Sanskrit and 12 classes in Sanskrit). Towards the end of 1907 the post of Assistant to the Professor of Sanskrit at the Poona Deccan College ( on Rs. 125 p. m.) fell vacant and I applied for the post. But I was not appointed and another person who was an M. A. in Sanskrit, bat had won no prize, scholarship or medal in Sanskrit at any examination from the Matriculation to the M. A. and who was 9th Assistant in the Elphinstone High School (where I was 5th assistant) was appointed to the post, because he was a favourite student of the D. P. I. when the latter was Principal of the Deccan College. I sent a protest through the Principal of the High School. I was informed that a competent authority in Sanskrit had recommended that the person chosen was superior to me in Sanskrit and when I requested the D. P. I. to let me know the name of the competent authority I was informed that my letter was an impertinent one and deserved no reply. This added insult to injury. This happened in December 1907. I decided to appear for the 2nd LL. B. examination in November 1908 and then to leave Govt. service. My supersession created a great deal of criticism in the Department and almost all persons sympathised with me and helped me in various ways. I appeared for the 2nd LL. B. examination in November 1908 and passed it. This created an impression in the Education Department that I meant serious business.
Therefore, as a sop to my injured feelings, I was appointed to act as Professor of Sanskrit at the Elphinstone College from February to April 1909 in place of Prof. S. B. Bhandarkar who had been deputed on some Govt. work. I reverted to the High School at the end of April 1909 and to cast about where to practise as a lawyer. I was not practise as a lawyer in subordinate courts and decided that, if I left service, I would practise on the Appellate side of the High court, where it is a battle of wits and of hard work and one had not to do what a lawyer practising in the subordinate courts had to do. At that time, the late Mr. Daji Abaji Khare was almost at the top of, the Appellate side Bar (called Vakils of the High Court). He had some large estates at Dapoli (my native place) and knew my father and myself. I approached him for advice. He told me that I must have with me at least two thousand rupees in cash, if I wanted to practise in the High Court and to stick to it. I had then not a pie with me and my father who was already sixty years old and had to educate other sons, declined to help.
In less than two years from June 1909 I brought out two school books and one annotated book in Sanskrit (the Sahityadarpana ) for College students and was also appointed an examiner in Sanskrit at the Previous and Intermediate Arts Examinations. I thus collected two thousand rupees, resigned from Govt service at the end of June 1911 and applied for a Sanad ( after paying Rs. 500 as fee for enrolment as a Vakil of the High Court of Bombay) with a certificate of good moral character from Mr. Khare and was enrolled as a Vakil of the High Court on 5th July 1911 when I was in my 32nd year.
Work was slow in coming and the first two years were rather bleak. Having not much to do, I appeared for the LL.M. examination in Hindu and Mahomedan law in 1912 and passed it From 1911 to about 1918 I brought ont every year some book or books such as the Kadambari of Bana in three parts with ample notes, the Harsacarita in two parts, and the Uttararamacarita. I also conducted a private law class for coaching students for the High Court Vakil's examination ( in which 60 percent marks were required for passing). This brought in a steady income of about Rs. 100 per month for four years from 1913 to 1917 and, what was more important, this task of teaching single-handed the vast field of law made me proficient in all complicated legal topics. In the meantime, in 1913 I was appointed Wilson Philological Lecturer to deliver six lectures on Sanskrit, Prakrit and allied languages for a lump sum of Rs. 750.
In 1913 I became an ordinary member of the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society and a life member ( by paying a lump sum of Rs. 500 ) in January 1915. At the beginning of 1915 I was appointed by the Bombay University a Springer Research Scholar for two years on a salary of Rs. 100 per month, the subject of research being 'Ancient Geography of Maharastra' (part published in JBBRAS, Vol. XXIV for 1917, pp. 613-657). In 1916 I worked as Honorary Professor of Sanskrit at the Wilson College, when Prof. S. R. Bhandarkar, who was permanent Professor, fell ill, I lectured for three hours a week to B. A. classes on the most difficult part of Ramanuja's Bhasya on Vedantasutra.
In 1917 June I was appointed as a Professor of Law in the Govt. Law College at Bombay. This was again a case of an unexpected event. The Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court had recommended for a vacancy in the law college two names from among the Vakils on the Appellate side Bar of the High Court, one a very senior gentleman and myself who had less than six years' practice The senior gentleman for some reason ( not given out) refused at the last moment and on 20th June, the day on which the Law College was to open, I received a wire in the Vakil's room from Government stating that Govt. proposed to appoint me as a Professor of Law from that day and that if I agreed I should see the Principal. This was a comfortable job, the salary being Rs. 350 a month and the duties light viz. three or four hours per week in the evening from 5-45 p.m. to 6-45 p. m. I was Professor of Law for six years ( 1917-1923 ). Hardly any Vakil with less than six years' practice on the Appellate Side of the High Court had been appointed before me as Professor of Law.
I had undertaken about 1911 an edition of the Vyavaharamayukha with explanatory notes on the advice of Prof. S. R. Bhandarkar who was one of the General Editors of the Bombay Govt,'s Sanskrit Series. But, owing to fluctuations in my own fortunes, I had neglected the work and had almost decided to give op the undertaking altogether. The Bombay Govk's Sanskrit Series came to be transferred by Govt. to the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute that had been started in Poona in 1917. The authorities of the Institute pressed me to carry oat my undertaking. I agreed and began to read the vast Dharmasastra Literature for that purpose. The edition of the Vyavaharamayukha of Nilakantha ( text based on three printed editions and eight mss., an Introduction of 47 pages and exhaustive notes) was published in 1926 by the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Poona. In the brief Preface to that edition of 1926, I announced that I had undertaken to write the History of Dharmasatra Literature.
Dr. R. G. Bhandarkar had expressed a desire to donate his large library of thousands of books to some Institute that would properly house them, take care of them and make it a centre of Sanskrit studies. Dr. Belvalkar, Dr. Gune and several others supported the idea and about thirty people including myself contributed Rs. 500 each for the purchase of a big vacant plot of 30 acres in Poona and, after setting aside nearly half of the purchased plot for the Institute to be named after Dr. B. G. Bhandarkar, distributed the rest among the original contributors as plot-holders. The public and Govt. supported the Institute and the famous Tatas donated money to construct a suitable building. The first project undertaken was the publication of the critical edition of the Mahabharata. Govt. made grants, transferred the Bombay Sanskrit Series to the Institute, the Chief of Aundh promised a lakh of rupees for the Mahabharata edition with pictures and later the Nizam of Hyderabad contributed a large sum for building a guest-house for scholars from India and abroad.
The first volume of the History of Dharmasastra, which was published in 1930, deals with the chronology and relative importance of famous and less known writers and works and covers 760 pages. As I regarded myself as one of the original founders of the B. O. B. I. and as I was a successful lawyer on the Appellate side of the High Court, I offered the volume to that Institute for publication without any agreement about payment. The Preface to the first volume makes it clear that I intended to finish the whole history in two volumes and that even at that time I suffered from a painful complaint (duodenal ulcer) which has dogged my footsteps throughout up to this day.
The second volume of the History of Dharmasastra covering 1368 pages (including about 300 pages on Srauta ritual, not included in the original plan ) was published in June 1941 (i. e. eleven years after the publication of the first volume ), when I was already 61 years old and pursued by an implacable ailment.
The third volume containing 1088 pages was published in October 1946 and deals with only three topics 'Rajadharma, Vyavahara, and Sadacara' (customs and customary law). On account of the 2nd world war there was paper shortage and the finances of B. O. B. I. were at a low ebb. I had therefore to advance three thousand rupees to the B. O. B. I. and had to purchase paper worth several hundred rupees for expediting the printing, in view of the fact that I was in my 67th year and that my physical condition was causing anxiety.
The 4th volume is spread over 926 pages, was published in October 1953 ( when I was in my 74th year ) and deals with Pataka ( sins ), Prayascitta ( expiation ), Karmavipaka ( fruition of evil deeds), Antyesti ( rites on death) , Asauca ( impurity on death and birth ), Suddhi ( purification ), Sraddha, Tirthayatra ( pilgrimages to sacred places ).
The ( fifth and ) last volume deals with numerous topics, as the Table of Contents will show. The first part of 718 pages dealing with Vrata ( sacred vows, observances and festivals ) and Kala was separately published in 1958 (as I had then an attack of heart trouble, and it was thought that I might not survive, being more than 78 years old at that time). The second part now printed deals with Santis, Puranas in relation to Dharmasastra, causes of the disappearance of Buddhism from India, Tantras and Dharmasastra, Sankhya, Yoga, Tarka and Dharmasastra, Purvamimamsa and Dharmasastra, Cosmology, doctrine of Karma and Punarjanma, dominant characteristics of our Indian culture and civilization and future trends. This volume has been in the press for over five years and has involved an enormous amount of varied reading and writing for over eight years from 1933.
In describing how and in how many years the H. of Dh. developed, I have not said anything about the environment in which I had to work. From about 1918 I began to have good work as a lawyer. I not only conducted cases in the Bombay High Court, but I appeared before the District Courts of the mofussil in several districts such as Khandesh, Nagar, Poona, Sholapur, .Satara, and Batnagiri I owe a great deal to my college friends, to my students that passed the High Court Vakil's examination after attending my private law class and to Mr. M. K. Athavle of Sangli and Mr. C. H. Saptarishi of Ahmednager for sending me much legal work.
I took part in many of the intellectual activities in Bombay and Poona. I was a member of the Senate of the Bombay University from 1919 to 1928, I have been throughout a member of the Regulating Council of the Bhandarkar Institute and of its other bodies. I was closely connected for over 40 years with the Marathi Granthasangrahalava of Bombay in various capacities and with the Brahmanasabha of Bombay in many capacities as Chairman of the Managing Committee, a Trustee for 21 years and Adviser from 1918 to this day.
I had argued gratis several cases for some societies and individuals. Mr. Javdekar, lawyer of Dhulia, espoused the cause of people who had grievances against the Indian Railways. I conducted many such railway cases and cases of poor and helpless people. One of these latter was that of a poor untonsured brabmana widow who had been prevented by the priests in the temple of Vithoba at Pandharpur from offering worship to the image by placing her head at the feet of the image ( because she was untonsured ) as all Hindus, male or female, of all castes were allowed to do. I had to go to Pandharpur thrice at my own expense and spent in all seven days in court. The court decided in favour of the widow. The case is referred to in the History of Dharmasastra, vol. II p. 593 and the arguments are set out on pp. 587-593 of the volume.
Another case that I conducted gratis is that of the Deccan College, Poona. This College was started by Govt bat a Parsi Baronet, Sir Jamsetji, made in the early sixties of the 19th century a munificent donation of about two lakhs with the stipulation that it was to be maintained as an educational Institution for ever on the lines already laid down. The British Govt. on the suggestion of an Indian Minister wanted to close the College and made a contract for sale of the site and buildings for a Parsi Public School. Some of the Old Boys of the College such as Prof. S. G. Sathe and Dr. Belvalkar consulted me what to do, though I was not an old boy of the Deccan College. I first suggested that a member of the Bombay Legislative Council should ask a question whether the Deccan College was not an Institution held in trust by Govt. The Govt replied that it was a trust property, but that Govt. would approach the District Court of Poona for permission to sell it for the purpose of a public school Govt. applied to the District Court at Poona for permission to sell it for the purpose of a public school. I appeared for the old Boys' Association and requested that the Association should be made a party to Govt's application. The Court allowed the application. I had agreed not to charge any fees. I suggested that Mr. M. B. Jayakar, who had a great regard for me and was a very successful advocate in Bombay (who later became a member of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in England), should be briefed in the matter. The Association said that they had not money enough to pay Mr. Jayakar's heavy fees. I requested Mr. Jayakar not to charge any fees. He complied with my request and the whole case took about 15 working days in court, besides many days of preparation. Mr. Jayakar, having once agreed to work without fees, put his heart and soul in the matter and the District Court in a long judgement of about ninety typed pages held that the Deccan College was a trust and could not be sold. Govt. went in appeal to the High Court of Bombay, but by that time a popular Ministry with the late Mr. B. G. Kher as Chief Minister had come to power and compromised the matter by agreeing to conduct the Deccan College as a Research Institute for Vedic studies and classical Sanskrit, Ancient Indian History etc. The Association made Mr. Jayakar and myself Honorary members of the Old Boys' Association. I have been on the Managing Council of the Deccan College Research Institute since 1938 to this day.
In 1944 I was appointed by the Bombay University Sir Lallubhai Shah Lecturer and delivered four lectures on Hindu customs and modern laws. The lectures have been published in book form by the University.
In 1927 at the time of the Ganapati festival in Bombay, a mela ( party of worshippers ) of the Mahar caste (held untouchable ) approached the authorities of the Brahmanasabha for permission to come for darsan of the image installed by the Sabha and stated that they would be content if they were allowed to come as . near the image as Parsis, Christians and Moslems would be allowed to do. I was then Chairman of the Managing Committee and called a meeting of the Committee to decide whether the request should be granted. In the Committee the voting was exactly half for and half against. I had to give a casting vote for granting permission, since I was of the opinion that the request was a very modest one and in view of the changing times should be acceded to. A suit was filed in the Bombay High Court by certain orthodox people against the Brahmanasabha, against myself as Chairman of the Managing Committee and the Secretary for a temporary injunction restraining us from bringing the Mahar Mela inside the building where the image was and for a declaration that the Sabha through its office-bearers had no right to do what had not been previously done. It must be said to the credit of the members of the Sabha that in a meeting of the general body of members my action was supported by a very large majority. There was great excitement and it was feared that violence might result. The High Court refused to grant a temporary injunction and later the suit was withdrawn by the members seeking legal relief. Our Constitution has abolished untouchability but that was in 1950 and this excitement arose in 1927.
I have been a member of the Managing Committee of the Bombay Asiatic Society for about 45 years, a Vice-President and oneof the editors of the Journal of the Society for many years. I contributed many long articles to the Journal of the Society and to the Annals of the Bhandarkar Institute. In 1946 at my request Dr, B. C. Law, a great scholar, whom I had never seen but who had become an admirer of my books, donated Bs. three thousand ( for purchase of books for the Society ) and donated five thousand rupees for founding a medal called P. V. Kane Gold Medal to be awarded once every three years to a scholar who had done substantial research in subjects in which I was interested.
On 7th May 1941, in honour of my 61st birthday 'A volume of studies in Indology' was presented to me edited by Dr. S. M. Katre and Prof. P. K. Gode and published by Dr. N. G. Sardesai of the Oriental Book Agency, Poooa. My friends and admirers bad formed a Committee with Dr. V. S. Sukthankar as Chairman and invited papers. Many contributions came in, of which 74 are contained in that work, mostly written by Indian scholars ( a few by scholars from abroad also ).In 1942 the British Govt conferred on me the title of Mahamahopadhyaya and the Allahabad University conferred on me the Honorary Degree of D. Litt. In 1946 I was asked to preside over the All India Oriental Conference held at Nagpnr. In 1947 Mr. B. G. Kher, then Chief Minister of the Bombay State, pressed me to become Vice-chancellor of the Bombay University for two years and I agreed after some hesitation owing to my age ( about 68 ). There was no salary attached to the post nor was there any sumptuary allowance nor any other allowance. In the years 1947 to 1949 I had three matters on my hands, my legal practice, the History of Dharmasastra and the work as Vice-Chaneellor ( which was heavy in those days, sometimes three hours a day ). Mr. Kher pressed me to remain Vice-Chancellor for three years more, offered to make it a salaried post of 2000 Bs. per month and requested me to give up practice as Advocate. The then Governor of Bombay) Sir Maharaj Singh, as Chancellor, also pressed me, but for various reasons ( the foremost being that the work on the History of Dharmasastra would make slow, progress if I spent five or more hours a day in the University ) I declined. The Session of the All India Oriental Conference was held in Bombay in 1949. I was Chairman of the Reception Committee. On my request the Saknntala of Kalidasa was performed in Sanskrit with songs, the director being Mr. K.C.M. Bbatavdekar who is a fine-looking and tall man, an excellent actor, a good Sanskritist and a singer. It was a great success. Emboldened by this success I suggested that other Sanskrit dramas should be put up on the stage. Mr. Bhatawdekar and Mr. P. P. Joshi, two enthusiastic workers of the Sanstritie Samiti (Cultural Committee) of the Brahmanasabha at Bombay, worked hard and at different times and in different places ( Delhi, Bombay, Uj jain, Poona ) put up on the stage ten Sanskrit dramas, Sakuntala, Mrcchakatika, Ratnavali, Venisamhara, Uttararamacarita, Mudraraksasa, Vikramorvasiya, Malavikagnimitra, Svapnavasavadatta and Sangita Saubhadra ( translated into Sanskrit by Mr. S. B. Velankar, Indian Postal Service, from the original Marathi by Anna Kirloskar ). These performances became very popular. The sale of tickets yielded 150,000 Rs. out of which about thirty thousand were saved after meeting all expenses as a fund to fall back upon when they performed one of these plays at different places.
The International Congress of Orientalists was held in Paris in 1948. The Indian Govt sent a delegation of three, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan as leader and Dr. S. K. Chatterji and myself as two members. In 1951 the International Congress met in Istanbul and the Indian Govt. sent a delegation consisting of myself ( as leader ), Dr. R. C. Majumdar and Prof. Siddiqui. At this conference I sponsored a resolution that the Unesco should make a substantial grant to the project of a Sanskrit Dictionary on Historical Principles undertaken by the Decean College and it was unanimously passed by the Conference and subsequently Unesco made a grant of 5000 dollars to the Decean College. In 1954 the Session of the International Congress of Orientalists was held at Cambridge to which the Govt of India sent a delegation consisting of myself ( as leader ), Dr. S. K Chatterji and Dr. R. N. Dandekar. From Cambridge I went at my own expense to U. S. A. and visited the Library of the Congress in Washington for two days, the University of Princeton, Harvard University and the University of Rochester, where my younger son was studying for the Ph. D. degree in Atomic and Nuclear Physics. The Governing Body of the London School of Oriental and African studies of the London University was pleased to nominate me as an Honorary Fellow, I being the only Indian among the present 25 Honorary Fellows of the School. In December 1953 I presided over the session of the Indian History Congress at Waltair.
In November 1953 the President of India was pleased to nominate me as a member of Parliament i. e. of the Rajyasabha (Council of States) and when my term expired on 1-4-58 I was again nominated for six years. While in Parliament I worked on several committees such as the Committees for considering the Hindu Adoption Act, the Hindu Marriage Act, the Hindu Succession Act. I pressed on the Govt. that they should start a Central Institute of Indian Studies. This has been now accepted in principle and a committee has been appointed to suggest a constitution and other matters. I have also been a member of the Central Sanskrit Board. On 15th August 1958 the President of India was pleased to grant me a certificate of merit and an annuity of Rs. 1500 a year. In August 1959 the President was pleased to nominate me as National Professor of Indology for five years on a substantial salary, the only condition being that I should carry on research as I have been doing. I resigned from Parliament in September 1959, because as I held an office of profit under Govt, I had to do so according to law. In 1960 the University of Poona conferred on me the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters.
From the beginning of 1955 I did not take any fresh legal work and by March 1956 I got all my cases disposed off. Since April 1956 I have systematically refused all pressure to accept briefs. Since April 1956 I have devoted my time to Parliamentary work (till September 1959 only) and to the last volume of the History of Dharmasastra.
I had substantial legal work from 1919 to about 1949. For the benefit of those who made inquiries and of those who desire to pursue literary studies while working as lawyers, I shall briefly state how I saved time for literary work. The High Court worked for five days in the week. I always utilized all holidays for literary work, Saturday and Sunday have always been my busiest days. There were always two Benches ( sometimes three Benches also ) on the Appellate side of the High Court. Often ten appeals were placed on the board for each Bench every day, since the practice of the Court has been that if an Advocate had two matters, one in each of the different courts and he was engaged in one court, his case in the other court was kept back till he became free. So when an advocate had even one appeal in one court and that too very low down in the list, even then he had to be present in court from the beginning, since appeals lover down on the Board might be taken up by the Court if the lawyers therein were available. Most lawyers when free spent their time in chitchat in the Advocates' room. I spent such time in the Library for preparing my briefs that were likely to be taken op in the next few weeks. I hardly ever read my briefs at home. Therefore, I could devote every day some hoars in the morning and evening to my work on Sanskrit studies. I always worked for eight or nine hours a day and sometimes ten to twelve hours from 1911 to 1948, except when I was not in Bombay. I have never slept or even taken a nap by day from 1904 to 1958; even when I went to see a drama at night and came home at 2 A.M. I awoke at 6 A.M. and slept a little earlier on the following night. After the mild heart trouble in 1958, I tried sleeping a little by day, but not being used to such a thing I gave it up in a few months. For fifty years I have been taking morning walk for about one hour on the Chowpati sea face in Bombay and at the Hanging Gardens since 1912, but stopped going to the Hanging Gardens from about 1956.
That I had duodenal ulcer was discovered by x-ray therapy about 1925. Some doctors advised an operation. Others opposed it. I consulted the then most eminent surgeon in Bombay, Dr. G. V. Deshmukh, and he advised me not to go in for it. Again in 1937 when I undertook a trip in European countries for three months, I consulted in Vienna an eminent German doctor who advised me to continue my dietetic methods and not to undergo an operation, when I was nearly 58 and the disease was of very long standing.
A few words about my method of collecting materials for my History of Dharmasastra. I have about a hundred note-books, some of them subjectwise and some with pages marked from A to Z, in which I noted important pages and passages extracted from the works read. For example, I have a big oblong notebook ( leather bound ) of about 500 pages devoted to Puranas only.
For the information of those who have already inquired or might inquire hereafter about the cost of History of Dharmasastra, a table is appended.
The charges for binding these 3900 copies at Rs. 2/- ( per copy) would be Rs. 7,800 ( 3900 x 2 ).
Thus the cost of the whole series would be Bs. 84,943-13-0 ( 77,143-13 + 7,800 ). It must be mentioned that the Executive Board of the B. O. B. I. paid me Rs. three per page as to Volumes I, II and IV and only Rs. two per page for vol. III and propose to pay me Rs. four per page for Vol. V, leaving me to bear all expenses for typewritten copy, for correction of one proof by a third person, all postage, travelling expenses and for copies of mss. and microfilms.The usual method in India as regards Histories or Encylo-pcedias in several volumes ( manning into thousands of pages ) is to appoint a Director or Chief Editor ( on a salary of Rs. 1500 per month ), an Assistant Editor ( on a salary of Rs. 600 or Rs. 750 per month ) and to pay contributors at Rs. five or so per page, beside an office and a staff of clerks and typists. The Director's salary on the usual scale for one year alone would come to Rs. 18,000. The payments made and to be made to me for writing a work of over six thousand pages spread over 37 years come practically to one year's salary for a Chief Editor ( or rather, less by Rs. 3700 which were spent for typewriting, correction, and copies etc. as stated above ). I do not like this distasteful task. I had, however, to write about this matter because I wanted to dispel the queer notions about my profits that some people appear to entertain and made inquiries. It is owing to one individual's sacrifice that all the volumes ( containing over 60CO pages ) can be sold by the Bhandarkar Oriental Institute for only Rs. 180. If the usual method had been followed, these 6000 pages would have had to be priced at Rs. 400 or more.
I could not arrange or plan my life. I had to oscillate between education, literature and law, between Government service and an independent profession like that of law. I have, however, lived a very active, full and varied life for over sixty years. Thinking over the vast Sanskrit literature and the labour and time that I had to spend on one branch of it, I am inclined to close this Epilogue with two lines from Browning's poem " The last ride together "
' Look at the end of the work, contrast The petty done, the undone vast.'"
by Pāṇḍuraṅga Vāmana Kāṇe; Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute.
History of Dharmaśāstra. (Ancient and mediaeval religious and civil law).
Publisher: Poona, Bhandarkar Oriental research institute, 1930-1958.
Publisher: Poona : Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, 1973-1997.
Publisher: Poona : Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, 1930-1962.
Publisher: Poona : Motilal Banarsidass, 1924.
Publisher: New Delhi : D.K. Printworld, 1997.
Publisher: [Poona, Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute] 1926.
Publisher: Bombay : Pandurang Vaman Kane, 1923.
Dharmaśāstra kā itihāsa, prācīna evaṃ madhyakālīna Bhāratīya dharma tathā lokavidhiyām̐.
[Baṇabhaṭṭaviracitā Kādambarī kathāmukhaparyantā (romanized form)] Kādambarī-kathāmukha of Bāna Bhatta.
Publisher: Poona : Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, 1953-1968.
Hindu customs and modern law.
Publisher: [Bombay] University of Bombay, 1950.
Publisher: [Bombay, "Nirnaya-sagar" press] 1923.
Publisher: [Bombay, Pandurang Vaman Kane] 1933.
Publisher: [Bombay, Published by Pandurang Vaman Kane] 1951.
Publisher: Delhi : Motilal Banarsidass, 1986.
History of Dharmaśāstra ancient and medieval religious and civil law in India.
Publisher: Poona, Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, 1958-75.
Publisher: Delhi : Motilal Banarsidass, 1971.
Publisher: Delhi, M. Banarsidass, 1921.
Baṇabhaṭṭaviracitā Kādambarī kathāmukhaparyantā. Kādambarī-kathāmukha of Bāṇa Bhaṭṭa.
Publisher: Poona, Oriental Book Agency, 1959.
Publisher: [Girgaum, Bombay, sold by the Oriental Pub. Co.] 1915.
A volume of studies in Indology; presented to P.V. Kane on his 61st birthday, 7th May, 1941. Edited by S.M. Katre and P.K. Gode.
Publisher: Mumbayyāṃ : Nirṇayasāgaramudraṇālaye, 1926.
Publisher: Mumbaī : Pāṇḍuraṅga Vāmana Kāṇe, 1931.
Publisher: Bombay: P.V. Kane, 1911.
Publisher: Mumbaī : Mauja Priṇṭiṅga Byuro, 1935.
Publisher: Poona : Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, 1926.
Publisher: Mumbaī : Bhārata-Gaurava-Granthamālā, 1938.
Uttararāmacaritam : with commentary of Ghanaśyāma and with notes and introduction by P.V. Kane and translation by C.N. Joshi.
Publisher: Bombay : Nirnaya-sagara Press, 1921.
Publisher: Bikaner, Anup Sanskrit Library, 1948.
Publisher: [Bombay] Pub. by the author, 1911.
Publisher: [Bombay, Published by the author] 1918.
Publisher: Bombay : Published by the author, 1918.
[Sanskrita gadyāvali] or, A collection of select prose passages extracted or adapted from standard Sanskrit works. Designed for the use of matriculation students. With a glossary.
Publisher: [Bombay] The author, 1910.
Professor P.V. Kane; an obituary (with a bibliography of his writings).
History of dharmaśātra (ancient and mediaeval religious and civil law) ..
Author(s) of Review: Ludwik SternbachJournal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 79, No. 3 (Jul. - Sep., 1959), pp. 194-195doi:10.2307/595090This article consists of 2 page(s).
This view of Dr. Kane appears to be extreme, apart from being unduly harsh. It is not possible to agree with his implied postulation that under no circumstances could the rules of mimamsa be adapted for interpretation of statutes. The rules of mimamsa were not esoteric or arcane in origin, coming down from sources unknown. Even if the shruti is vikS:"ks;, mimamsa was not. It sprang from the human intellect; it was based on rational thinking, logic, rules of language and worldly wisdom, albeit that the rules were applied to resolve conflicts and doubts with regard to sentences and injunctions of the vikS:"ks; shruti. The fact that mimamsa rules were applied to determine the bfrdrZO;rk of the shruti need not, for that reason alone, deter us from adapting them for secular purposes. There is no reason to summarily dismiss or offhand debunk the attempt as utterly unfeasible, without deeper study.
The application of the mimamsa principles for resolution of doubts and conflicts in statutory interpretation, though, at least as at present advised, appears to be beset with formidable difficulties.
First, the correct application of the mimamsa principle would require precise knowledge of Sanskrit language, particularly the principles and rules of its grammar. It would also require precise appreciation of the schematic representation of the sutra text. Commentators like Shabara, Kumarilbhatta and others repeatedly refer to Pannini’s rules of grammar as to nominal case terminations, adjectival derivatives and compound words, all of which have great significance in Sanskrit. Any attempt to understand the mimamsasutras without a good working knowledge of Sanskrit language would be counterproductive.
Secondly, several of the terms used in the system of mimamsa have acquired conventional meanings by usage over millennia, just like the technical terms used in the language of law. These conventional meanings may often differ from the lexical meanings. Unless there is familiarity with the technical meanings of terms used in the system, their usage would become indiscriminate, resulting in chaos.
Thirdly, adeptness in the use of English language in jurisprudential parlance has been achieved over centuries as a result of debates in courts of law both in England and in India. Generations of lawyers have imbibed it and internalised it. While it may not be impossible effectively to substitute it by an indigenous system based on the mimamsa principles, it can only be attempted after at least two generations of lawyers are equally well trained in the discipline of mimamsa. This can only come about if mimamsa discipline along with the requisite study of Sanskrit language, together with its grammar and a basic knowledge of the principles of nyaya, are taught to the law students. In the absence of such academic training, to expect the lawyers or the judges to understand the fine-tuned technical arguments of mimamsa would be impracticable, if not impossible.
Fourthly, a judgment, particularly of the superior courts, is an authority not only for what it decides inter partes, but also because it is declaratory of the law which it lays down to be followed by the subordinate courts. If, suddenly, the principles of mimamsa are introduced in the judgments of the High Courts or the Supreme Court, it will be difficult for the subordinate courts to follow the principle on which the decision of the superior court rests. A judgment not being an occasion for explanation of the principles, but only for their application, it would be impossible to discover or discern the ratio decidendi. The lawyers and the judges need to become thoroughly familiar with the idioms and expressions of the discipline of mimamsa before they can debate them in courts of law.
Finally, the different nyayas of mimamsa need to be formally reduced to universally identified rules, like the theorems of Euclid or Newton’s laws of motion, so that the lawyers and judges may be ad idem on the true principle to be applied.
History of Dharmashastra by MM Dr. P.V. Kane, BOI, Pune, Vol. V, Part 2 at p. 1283.
This was the time when Brahmanism got itself braced to combat Buddhism on all fronts. It made tremendous changes in its criminal, civil and personal laws to fight Buddhism with all might. These changes are termed kalivarjya i.e. forbidden in Kali age. Dr (M.M.) P. V. Kane has enumerated 55 changes.
Mahamahopadhyaya P.V. Kane was a conservative Marathi brahmin and the only Sanskritist to be honoured with the title of Bharatratna.
The theme of strimoksa is conspicuous by its absence in P. V. Kane's voluminous History of Dharmasastra with the exception of a single reference to the possibility of women securing knowledge of moksa (in the absence of their access to the Vedic scripture) on p. 921, n. 1468a (vol. V, p. II).
It also seeks to gauge Mahamahopadhyaya Dr. P.V. Kane’s contribution to Sanskrit poetics — rather than his oft-appraised work on Dharmashastra.
in 1923 appeared the second edition of the Sahitya-darpana by Mahamahopadyaya Dr. P.V. Kane, to which was prefixed an introduction of 177 pages dealing with the history of Alamkara literature, subsequently elaborated in the third edition (1951) into 423 pages.
The book is divided into two parts. The first part contains an account of the important works on Alankarasastra, a brief analysis of their contents and the chronology of writers on Alankarasastra and other kindred matters. The second part comprises a review of the numerous subjects. The author has attempted to show how from very small beginnings various theories of poetics and Literary Criticism were evolved, to dilate upon the different aspects of an elaborate theory of Poetics and trace the history of literary theories in India.
KANE, PANDURANG VAMAN. Hindu Customs and Modern Law. (University of Bombay. Sir Lallubhai A. Shah Lectures, 1944.) x, 122pp. 4to. Cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author.
VISVANATHA KAVIRAJA. The Sahityapardna of Visvanatha (Paricchedas I, II, X Arthalankaras). With exhaustive notes and the history of Sanskrit poetics by...P.V. Kane. Third edition. viii, (2), 423pp. Sm. 4to. New cloth.
Bombay (Nirnaya Sagar Press), 1951.
KANE, P.V. A Brief Sketch of the Purva-Mimansa System. 39pp. 4to. New wraps.
Poona (Anant Vinayak Patvardan, the Aryabhushan Press), 1924.
BANA. The Harshacarita of Banabhatta. Text of Ucchvasas I-VIII. Edited with an introduction and notes by...P.V. Kane. Second edition. (4), xliii, (1), 55, (1), 86, 231, (1), 12, 274pp. 4to. Boards (rubbed).
PV Kane Memorial Trust, Pune ?
When the question of Hindu widow remarriage was being violently argued by reformers at the beginning of this century, even the most scholarly (like R.G. Bhandarkar) looked only to correct interpretation of the sacred texts, from the Rgveda down. That 85 per cent of the population in their immediate locality allowed widows to remarry (and permitted divorce when either party felt aggrieved) made no impression upon the scholars nor upon the authorities on Hindu Law. P.V. Kane’s monumental history of the Dharmasastra meticulously restricts the discussion to smrti documents, avoiding any disagreeable contact with anthropology, sociology, or reality. This tunnel vision persists in all disciplines concerned with Indology.
P.V. Kane, A History of Dharmasastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law), 5 volumes (still incomplete) (Poona, 1930-62).
the few authors who wrote on sudra rites and legal usage.
Dr. Pandurang Vaman Kane (pronounced Kaa-nay) (Marathi: डॉ. पांडुरंग वामन काणे) (1880-1972) was a notable Indologist and Sanskrit scholar. He was born in a conservative Chitpavan Brahmin family in the Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra, India.
Annual Seminars : 1) MM Dr. P.V. Kane Institute for Post-graduate Studies and Research Seminar on Indian History, Ancient Indian Culture and Sanskrit & Prakrit literature.
Dr. P.V. Kane Gold Medal was awarded to Late Dr. Chintaman Ganesh Kashikar in recognition of his valuable research work/publications in vedic studies. The award was announced by the Society in November, 2003 prior to his death. The award was posthumously received by his daughter, Dr.(Mrs.) Mandakini Kinjavadekar. The citation for Late Dr. Kashikar was read by Dr. Malhar Kulkarni.
The Twenty-sixth MM Dr. P.V. Kane Memorial Lecture was delivered by Mr.Vishwanath Khaire (Renowned scholar of mythology and an expert in Sanskrit-Marathi-Tamil relations) on “Kane, Bhavabhuti and Mythology of Ramayana” on 16th January, 2007. The lecture was presided by Mr. M. R. Kolhatkar (Vice-President) of the Society). The lecture was followed by a Questions & Answers Session.
M.M. Dr. PV Kane Memorial Seminar on “Sanskrit and its Relations with Indian Languages” was held on 21st April, 2007. Dr. Vijay Bhatkar, Former Director, C-DAC and Chairman of the Regulating Council of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune, inaugurated the seminar. Dr. Gita Kasturi, Hon. Secretary, welcomed the gathering. Dr. Vijay. Bhatkar gave the Inaugural address. The Hon. Coordinator, Mr. Vishwanath Khaire, delivered the Keynote Address. The papers were presented in three sessions.
The Session – I : (i) Historical Linguistics by Prof. Saroja Bhate; (ii) Constitution Direction based Development of Lexicography in Modern India by Dr. Malhar Kulkarni; (iii) Indian Scripts by Dr. Deepak Ghare.
The Session – II : (i) Epic Language by Prof. Krishna S. Arjunwadkar; (ii) Prakrit & Sanskrit by Prof D. K. Kharavandikar; (iii) Kannada & Sanskrit by Prof Shripad Bhat.
Session III (i) Malvani & Sanskrit by Dr. Nirmala Kulkarni (ii) Gujrathi & Sanskrit Interface by Prof Suresh Upadhyaya; (iii) Hindi & Sanskrit. Dr. Ramji Tiwari.
The three sessions were chaired by Shri Prof. Krishna S. Arjunwadkar, Dr. N. B. Patil. and Prof. D.K.Kharawandikar, respectively. Shri M. R. Kolhatkar, Vice–President of the Asiatic Society and Chairman of the Kane Committee, gave the Valedictory Address.
As part of the diversified activities of the Kane Institute, a two-day extensive workshop on “Sandhi” for the benefit of Graduate and Post Graduate students of Indology (Sanskrit in particular) was organized by MM Dr. P. V. Kane Institute of Post-Graduate Studies and Research on 21st and 22nd March, 2007.
The workshop was open for all. The workshop was aimed at imparting valuable, practical as well as theoretical knowledge about Sandhi. It was, thus, hoped that this workshop will prove to be a first step towards removing the desideratum of creating knowledge base awareness. The workshop on “Sandhi” was well attended by students both young and the scholars from various colleges, Institutes, University of Mumbai and also by students who were not affiliated to any colleges, Institutes & University.
Bharat Ratna (translates to Jewel of India or Gem of India in English) is India's highest civilian award, awarded for the highest degrees of national service. This service includes artistic, literary, and scientific achievements, as well as "recognition of public service of the highest order." Unlike knights, holders of the Bharat Ratna carry no special title nor any other honorifics, but they do have a place in the Indian order of precedence. The award was established by the first President of India, Rajendra Prasad, on January 2, 1954. Along with other major national honours, such as the Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, the awarding of the Bharat Ratna was suspended from July 13, 1977 to January 26, 1980. The honour has been awarded to forty persons, a list which includes two non-Indians an a naturalized Indian citizen. Originally, the specifications for the award called for a circular gold medal carrying the state emblem and motto, among other things. It is uncertain if a design in accordance with the original specifications was ever made. The actual award is designed in the shape of a pipal leaf and carries the Hindi-written words "Bharat Ratna" on the front. The reverse side of the medal carries the state emblem and motto. The award is attached to a two-inch long ribbon, and was designed to be worn around the recipient's neck.
The order was established by Dr Rajendra Prasad, President of India, on January 2, 1954. The original statutes of January 1954 did not make allowance for posthumous awards (and this perhaps explains why the decoration was never awarded to Mahatma Gandhi), though this provision was added in the January 1955 statute. Subsequently, there have been ten posthumous awards, including the award to Subhash Chandra Bose in 1992, which was later withdrawn due to a legal technicality, the only case of an award being withdrawn. The award was briefly suspended from July 13, 1977 to January 26, 1980.
While there was no formal provision that recipients of the Bharat Ratna should be Indian citizens, this seems to have been the general assumption. There has been one award to a naturalized Indian citizen — Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, better known as Mother Teresa (1980); and two to non-Indians — Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1987) and Nelson Mandela (1990). The awarding of this honour though, has frequently been the subject of litigation questioning the constitutional basis of such.
The original specifications for the award called for a circular gold medal, 35 mm in diameter, with the sun and the Hindi legend "Bharat Ratna" above and a floral wreath below. The reverse was to carry the state emblem and motto. It was to be worn around the neck from a white ribbon. There is no indication that any specimens of this design were ever produced and one year later the design was altered.
Second President, First Vice President, Philosopher.
First Prime Minister, Freedom Fighter, Author.
Posthumous, Freedom Fighter, Chief Minister-Tamil Nadu.
Naturalized Indian citizen, Nobel Laureate (Peace, 1979).
Posthumous, Social Reformer, Freedom Figher.
Posthumous, Chief Minister-Tamil Nadu, Actor.
Second non-citizen and first non-Indian, Leader of Anti-Apartheid movement.
Posthumous, Freedom Fighter, First Home Minister of India.
Former Prime Minister, Freedom Fighter.
Freedom Fighter, former Prime Minister.
Freedom Fighter, Minister of Agriculture(Father of Green revolution).
Posthumous, Freedom Fighter, Social Reformer.
Nobel Laureate (Economics, 1998), Economist.
^ Mahajan, Vidya Dhar (1971). The Constitution of India. Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh: Eastern Book Company, p169.
^ Hoiberg, Dale; Indu Ramchandani (2000). Students' Britannica India. New Delhi: Encyclopedia Britannica (India), Vol. 3, p198. ISBN 0-85229-760-2.
^ Pylee, Moolamattom Varkey (1971). The Constitution of India. New Delhi: S. Chand & Company Ltd., p114. ISBN 81-219-2203-8.
^ Dhawan, S. K. (1991). Bharat Ratnas, 1954-1991. Wave Publications, p9.

References: V. 
 V. 
 V. 
 V. 
 V. 
 V. 
 V. 
 V.