Bhagchandra Jain
Encyclopedia
Bhagchandra Jain 'Bhaskar' (born 1939) is an India
n scholar, renowned for his knowledge of Jainism
and Buddhism
, and of classical Indian languages including Pali
and Sanskrit
. His career has spanned more than four decades.
Bhagchandra received his PhD from Vidyodaya (University of Ceylon) in 1966. His dissertation was later published as Jainism in Buddhist Literature in 1972, which has since emerged as a major reference on the topic.
He was Head of Department of Pali
and Prakrit
at Nagpur University from 1965 to 1996, and he served as the director of Parshvanath Vidyapith at Varanasi
from 1999 to 2001.
Bhagchandra's scholarly contributions include more than 40 books and 300 research papers, and he has been a visiting Professor to universities in the United States, Canada and Europe. He is a recipient of three Doctor of Literature (D.Litt.
) degrees viz. D.Litt (Sanskrit), D.Litt (Pali – Prakrit) and D.Litt (Hindi). In addition, he is a holder of Ph.D, M.A. (Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology), M.A. (Pali),and M.A. (Sanskrit, Shastracharya (Prakrit and Jain Darshan), Acharya (Sanskrit Sahitya). Bhagchandra has received a number of award and honors, including the Presidential Certificate of Honour in Pali/Prakrit in 2004.
Bhagchandra served as an editor of several periodicals including Jain Milan, Ratnatraya, Suddharma, Shramana, Nagpur University Journal, and Prachin Tirth Jirnoddhar; and has represented Jainism, Buddhism and Indology
at World Religious Conferences and chaired the sessions in the U.S., U.K., Canada and European countries.
He is married to Dr. Pushpalata Jain, former Head of the Department of Hindi
at St. Francis de Sales College
, Nagpur
.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n scholar, renowned for his knowledge of Jainism
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
and Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
, and of classical Indian languages including Pali
Páli
- External links :* *...
and Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
. His career has spanned more than four decades.
Bhagchandra received his PhD from Vidyodaya (University of Ceylon) in 1966. His dissertation was later published as Jainism in Buddhist Literature in 1972, which has since emerged as a major reference on the topic.
He was Head of Department of Pali
Páli
- External links :* *...
and Prakrit
Prakrit
Prakrit is the name for a group of Middle Indic, Indo-Aryan languages, derived from Old Indic dialects. The word itself has a flexible definition, being defined sometimes as, "original, natural, artless, normal, ordinary, usual", or "vernacular", in contrast to the literary and religious...
at Nagpur University from 1965 to 1996, and he served as the director of Parshvanath Vidyapith at Varanasi
Varanasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...
from 1999 to 2001.
Bhagchandra's scholarly contributions include more than 40 books and 300 research papers, and he has been a visiting Professor to universities in the United States, Canada and Europe. He is a recipient of three Doctor of Literature (D.Litt.
Doctor of Letters
Doctor of Letters is a university academic degree, often a higher doctorate which is frequently awarded as an honorary degree in recognition of outstanding scholarship or other merits.-Commonwealth:...
) degrees viz. D.Litt (Sanskrit), D.Litt (Pali – Prakrit) and D.Litt (Hindi). In addition, he is a holder of Ph.D, M.A. (Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology), M.A. (Pali),and M.A. (Sanskrit, Shastracharya (Prakrit and Jain Darshan), Acharya (Sanskrit Sahitya). Bhagchandra has received a number of award and honors, including the Presidential Certificate of Honour in Pali/Prakrit in 2004.
Bhagchandra served as an editor of several periodicals including Jain Milan, Ratnatraya, Suddharma, Shramana, Nagpur University Journal, and Prachin Tirth Jirnoddhar; and has represented Jainism, Buddhism and Indology
Indology
Indology is the academic study of the history and cultures, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent , and as such is a subset of Asian studies....
at World Religious Conferences and chaired the sessions in the U.S., U.K., Canada and European countries.
He is married to Dr. Pushpalata Jain, former Head of the Department of Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
at St. Francis de Sales College
St. Francis De'Sales High School, Nagpur, Maharashtra
St. Francis De'Sales High School and Junior College Nagpur is an educational institution in Nagpur, Maharashtra, India. It is managed by the Missionaries of St. Francis De'Sales . SFS School is governed by the Nagpur Archdiocese and is located in Sadar, Nagpur.St. Francis De'Sales High school is...
, Nagpur
Nagpur
Nāgpur is a city and winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, the largest city in central India and third largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune...
.