{
  "id": 10264195,
  "title": "Renowned Sanskrit scholar Mahamahopadhyaya R. Krishnamurthy Shastri passes away in Chennai",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/renowned-sanskrit-scholar-mahamahopadhyaya-r-krishnamurthy-shastri",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-27T17:46:23.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/renowned-sanskrit-scholar-mahamahopadhyaya-r-krishnamurthy-shastri-passes-away-in-chennai/article71516977.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Mahamahopadhyaya R. Krishnamurthy Shastri, a renowned Sanskrit scholar and former principal of the Madras Sanskrit College, died in Chennai at the age of 82 on Sunday. Despite his deteriorating health, he remained active until the very end, even completing the Mahalaya tarpana on the same day. On September 23, he attended an event in Orikkai, Kancheepuram, where the pontiffs of the Kanchi Sankara Mutt were observing Chaturmasyam, with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in attendance. Born in 1944 in Mullaivaasal village, he was the second son of Brahmashri Rajagopala Ghanapathigal and Balamba. Shastri received his education in the Vedas from his father, followed by studies in Vedanta and Sastras at the Madras Sanskrit College, where he completed the Vedanta Shiromani and Mimamsa Shiromani examinations. He earned an M.A. in Sanskrit from Sri Venkateswara University and a Doctorate from the University of Madras, researching Ishtasiddhivivarana. Shastri began his teaching career as a Sanskrit Pandit at Vaideeswara Oriental School, Mettur, from 1964 to 1973, and later became a lecturer in Vedanta at Madras Sanskrit College in 1973. He served as vice-principal at the S.V. Vedic/educational institution at Tirumala and returned to Madras Sanskrit College as a professor of Advaita Vedanta in 1999. He became principal of the college in the same year. Shastri received numerous titles from various institutions, including \"Vedabhashyaratnam\" from Kanchi Mahaperiyava, Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Swami. The Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, Tirupati, conferred upon him the title \"Mahamahopadhyaya\" in 1999, and the President of India honored him with the President's Award in 2013. After retiring as principal, he established the Brahmavidya Bhavanam institution to teach Veda, Veda-Bhashya, and Vedanta to young students.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Mahamahopadhyaya R. Krishnamurthy Shastri, 82, dies in Chennai",
    "Completed Mahalaya tarpana despite health issues",
    "Established Brahmavidya Bhavanam for Vedic studies"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}