Mohammed Hanif Khan Shastri was an IndianSanskrit scholar.[1] He is the winner of National Communal Harmony Award, in the individual category for the year 2009.[2][3][4][5] The Government of India awarded him fourth highest civilian awardPadma Shri (Literature & Education) in 2019.[6] He has been professor atRashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan.[7]
He died on 26 January 2020. He worked with a great enthusiasm in his last days, but due to prolonged illnesses and suffering from a weak body. He is known for his work in the field of religious literature.
Khan Shastri was born in districtSonbhadra ofUttar Pradesh.[8] In an interview toDoordarshan, he informs that he was the first of his family to pass 5th standard and thus the environment was not academically inclined. On his failure in high school, his teacher Pundit Ratanlal Shastri, urged him to study one chapter of theBhagavad Gita every day, which would ensure god's benevolence and thus put an end to all his troubles. This exposure to the Bhagwad Gita, instilled in him a sense of curiosity about the secrets in the text, and the desire to share them with others. This desire led him to attempt to excel in Sanskrit, without which he couldn't see fruition of his goal of unravelling Bhagwad Gita's secrets.[9]
Khan Shastri has a MA in Sanskrit, subsequently he studiedPuranas under Sampoorna Anand in Varanasi, and gained the degree ofAcharya andShastri and also a doctorate inComparative Religion.[2][10] His doctoral thesis wasMahamantra Gayatri Aur Surah Fatiah Ka Arth Prayog Evam Mahatmya Ki Drishtri Se Tulnatmak Adhyayan (Comparative analysis ofGayatri Mantra andSurah Fatiah, with reference to meaning and importance).[2][8]
Amongst the eight books he has written are:[11]
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