Pandit Keshav
Bhatt Jyotishi
The Pandit who
was also a pioneer printer
Pandit Keshav Bhatt
Jyotishi
| [
A profound scholar of astrology and a
pioneer printer in one - that was Pandit
Keshav Bhatt Jyotishi. His greatest claim
to fame, however rests on his untiring
efforts in publishing cheap editions of
ancient religions texts of Kashmiri Hindus
and making them available to the common
people. For this he would go from place to
place in Kashmir, almost door to door, and
collect original manuscripts from people
who were most loathe to part with them.
Perhaps he was the only scholar after
Buhler to have done that with a good
measure of success. But for him many of
these texts would have been lost or
remained obscure especially those on
Kashmiri Hindu rituals and religious
practices. The Krishna Printing Press,
which he set up in Srinagar, came handy to
him for printing the texts and also to eke
out a modest living for himself. We at 'Unmesh'
feel proud in paying a tribute to the
great scholar's memory and in telling our
readers about his life and
accomplishments.] |
For
the older generation of Kashmiri Pandits, Pandit
Keshav Bhatt Jyotishi (KBJ) has been a familiar
name, for the Panchang (almanac) he edited and
published would reach almost every Pandit
household in Kashmir. It evoked, and still evokes,
reverence in the hearts of those who are aware of
his deep knowledge of Hindu astrology. For them
his word in the field bore a stamp of undisputed
authenticity. KBJ in turn owed it to his ancestral
tradition with proclivity towards astrology
running very strongly in the family.
Born in Srinagar in 1873
in an erudite Brahmin family, KBJ, only emulated
his grandfather Pandit Sat Ram, his father Pandit
Prasad Bhatt and uncle Pandit Mukund Ram when he
chose Sanskrit religious texts and astrology as
his specialized field of study. Both the father
and the uncle acquired proficiency in these
subjects under the tutelage of his grandfather, a
well known scholar of his times. Uncle Mukund Ram,
a Shaivite scholar, rose to be the Chief
Astrologer at the court of Maharaja Pratap Singh,
while father Prasad Bhatt also earned a name for
his study of astrology. Surpassing both of them,
KBJ acquired a mastery over the subject almost to
the extent of becoming a legend in his lifetime.
The Bhatts' ancestral
house at Jogi Lankar, Rainawari, a locality of
Srinagar, overlooked a beautiful scene on the
flowing canal, evoking an atmosphere of serenity.
It was in this house that young KBJ would remain
absorbed in study, sitting on the grass mat near
the window on the left with piles of books neatly
rising above the floor all around him. Devoting
himself entirely to learning the Shastras, he
virtually shut himself from worldly pleasures
which had little attraction for him. While
following his scholarly pursuits, KBJ began his
career as a school teacher at Nunar, a picturesque
village not far off from Tulmula (Kheer Bhawani).
Dedicated to his work and committed to giving
quality education to his students, he would
traverse all the distance from his home at
Rainawari to the school at Nunar on foot - he
simply could not afford the bus or tonga fare to
his place of work. Fond of him and full of respect
for him, his students would often come to his home
also where he would clear their doubts and help
them in solving their difficulties. An inspiring
pep talk on moral values to help them in their
overall development was an usual accompaniment.
Clad in an ordinary
Pheran and turban and wearing a grass shoe (pulahor)
in his feet, the profound scholar could be seen
explaining the finer points of the Shastras not
only to his pupils but to anyone who came with a
doubt or two to clear. Given to simple living, the
noble Pandit ate frugal meals, spending most of
his time in religious studies. After the death of
his uncle, Mukund Ram and father, Prasad Bhatt,
the responsibility of editing and bringing out the
Panchang fell on his shoulders - a responsibility
that he discharged till the end even though the
economics of the publication was not on his side.
Determined not to disappoint the thousands of the
readers of the almanac, he managed to bring it out
with his senior peer, Pandit Govind Bhatt Shastri
of Rainawari, making the astrological
calculations.
Deeply religious in
nature, KBJ, regularly worshiped Mahagayatri,
performing Havan and Pooja and also recited
Mantras which at occasions could go as high as 24
lakh times. He was, however, appalled to see that
while some people did have their personal copies
of ritualistic books made, most of them could not
afford to purchase printed copies of these books.
As a result, the texts of such books tended to get
either corrupted or forgotten, with their
knowledge getting limited to fewer and fewer
people, the general public not caring to be versed
in them at all. As the printing press had hardly
arrived in Kashmir, KBJ got copies of these
ancient texts printed from outside presses from
his own pocket and made them available at cost
price to every one who was interested.
Soon, however, he decided
to set up his own letter printing press at
Srinagar, becoming one of the pioneers to do so.
He did not do so entirely for commercial purposes,
but for publishing Kashmiri Pandit religious books
for the benefit of the common people, especially
the younger generation. The assorted printing jobs
that were undertaken by this press, namely the
Krishna Printing Press, were expected to generate
enough income to have these works printed at on a
non-profit basis. It did not take much time for
his plan to take practical shape and cheap and
affordable editions of books pertaining to
rituals, religious practices and customs, and
Tirtha Mahatmyas and devotional hymns started
rolling out from the press. These low priced books
became quite popular and helped a lot in keeping
the Pandit community aware of their religious
traditions.
KBJ published about two
dozen books which were printed at the Krishna
Printing Press. These include Nitya Karma Vidhi (3
parts), Shiva Puja, Ganesh-Durga Stotravali,
Saundarya Lahri with Panchastavi, Rudra Panchakam,
Karmakand (3 parts), Veda Kalpadrum, (related to
performance of Havans), Mekhala Pustak,
Parthishwar Puja, Yoga Vasishtha Sar, Bhakti Vivek
Sar, Bhavani Sahasra Nanavali, Vishnu Sahasra
Namavali, Aditya Hriday, Kalash Sthapan, Kashmir
Jyotishya Sangraha, Indrakshi etc.
KBJ had to go from
village to village to scour for the religious
texts before he could publish their low priced
editions. It was a search a la Buhler, not without
disappointments keeping in view the nature of the
people who were reluctant to part from their
manuscripts or printed copies, but also one which
brought great rewards - not just for KBJ personaly
but for the whole Pandit community. For this one
act, KBJ should be remembered by the entire
grateful community.
With KBJ's death in 1946,
and with the passage of time, the texts slowly
went out of print. Then in 1990 the Kashmiri
Pandits were forced to flee from their home in
Kashmir. Though the successors of KBJ and the
present proprietors of Krishna Printing Press
restarted their printing business from Jammu, it
was not possible for them reprint the books or
bring out the fresh editions. Impressed, however,
by the agenda of NSKRI, as explained by the
Institute's core member, Shri M. L. Pandit, Shri
S. N. Jotshi, the grandson of KBJ, offerred the
rights of reprinting his series of books to NSKRI.
An offer that has been gratefully accepted by the
Institute.
Source:
Unmesh
- Monthly Newsletter of N.S.
Kashmir Research Institute
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