T. V. Kapali Sastry

“T.V. Kapali Sastry was a Vedic scholar who had his early training under the renowned Kavyakantha Ganapati Muni. His scholarship and spiritual sadhana endeared him to Ramana Maharshi. From 1916 onwards he was drawn to Sri Aurobindo’s yoga and settled down in the Sir Aurobindo Ashram. Interpreting the philosophy of Ramana Maharshi and Sri Aurobindo became a lifelong vocation for him. Teacher, translator, exegetist, essayist and poet, Kapali Sastry was a philosopher attuned to Tantra. Sri Kapali Sastriar has come to be known more and more after his passing in 1953 than before.   For he was an example of perfect self-effacemant in the best traditions of the Aryan who represents the noblest and the highest aspirations of humanity.”

- From a biographical note by M.P. Pandit

T.V. Kapali Shastri was a teacher, translator, exegetist, essayist, philosopher, and a great sadhaka in the path of yoga and Tantra. He has left an indelible mark on those who encountered him as friends, fellowseekers, or disciples who have recorded his nobility and love in their writings. He has penned down what he learnt and experienced under the auspices of his three gurus viz., Vasishta Ganapati Muni, Ramana Maharshi and Sri Aurobindo in his versatile writings, which act as a perfect guide for seekers of spiritual knowledge.

He was born in a traditional Vedic family belonging to Samaveda in the year 1886 at Mylapore in Tamil Nadu. He learnt from his father Shri Vishveshvara Shastri passed on recitation of Saman mantras in his early years and the Upanishads and Shrividya to him. Kapali Shastri mastered other branches of traditional learning like Kavya, Shastra and different branches of philosophy in a traditional way along with his general education in School. His flair for learning languages gave him mastery over several languages like Sanskrit, English, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada. He was a versatile writer in all these languages and his writings are held in high esteem.

Kapali Shastri's literary genius can be found in various forms of writing like essays, commentaries, philosophical treatises, poetry and so on. He was a practicing yogi, a philosopher attuned to Tantra. Kapali Shastri has written a large number of works related to the Vedas, Upanishads and Darshanas in Sanskrit, English, Tamil and Telugu languages which have enriched the knowledge contained in our ancient scriptures with the light of his intuitive experience.

Kapali Shastri encountered his first Guru, Vasishta Ganapati Muni in his early twenties, and became his disciple instantly. He was initiated into the inner meaning of the Vedic Gods and indepth experiential knowledge of Tantra Shastra from him. He pays tribute to his Guru in his Introduction, bhashyabhumika of Siddhanjana: ``.... it was the late Kavyakantha Vasishta Ganapati Muni, whom we adored and addressed as Nayana beloved father who in a way first opened my eyes. It was he who since 1907 took me as his own and guided me in many branches of Sanskrit study and laid in me the foundations for spiritual life that in later years grew to claim me in its entirety. It was in 1910 that he favored me with instructions regarding the deities of the Rigveda and the depth of thought in the Vedic hymns.''

Kapali Shastri was drawn closer to Ramana Maharshi being a student of Ganapati Muni. Maharshi accepted him as his disciple and used to call him `Chnnayana' 'little boy' affectionately. (Ganapati Muni was called as ``nayana' by Ramana Maharshi. Literal meaning of nayana is father but it is used to address younger persons affectionately).

Kapali Shastri's knowledge of astronomy, astrology, grammar, logic, Mantrashastra, Ayurveda and Vedanta along with his command over four languages coupled with the power of intuition, which he had developed through his yogic sadhana, stimulated him towards writing commentaries on contemporary scriptures. His commentaries on all the important works of his three Gurus, Ganapati Muni, Ramana Maharshi, and Sri Aurobindo are held in high esteem. His commentary, Prabha on the great work of Vasishtha Ganapati Muni viz., Umasahasram depicts his poetic genius as well as his spiritual sadhana.

His quest for spiritual attunement brought him closer to Sri Aurobindo in his early forties. He became a permanent resident of Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry from the year 1929. He found answers to all his inner queries in the Aurobindonean Philosophy and travelled in the same path of yoga to follow the synthesis of the Vedic thoughts. (Reference 4, Collected works of Kapali Shastri, Vol II)

Kapali Shastri's commentary on the first ashtaka of Rigveda in Sanskrit called `Siddhanjana' is a monumental work. This remains until today the only spiritual commentary written for all the 121 suktas in the first ashtaka of Rigveda Samhita in Sanskrit language.

Kapali Shastri was gifted with the natural flow in his translations. Shri M.P. Pandit, who was very close associate of Shri Kapali Shastri in Sri Aurobindo Ashram, has published eleven volumes titled ``Collected Works of Kapali Shastri in which he has recorded many personal experiences with this literary genius. He has wondered about the easy flow of thought and action of Kapali Shastri while writing either poetry or an essay.

- From a biographical note by Dr. Jayanti Manohar