परिवारः
A fine mulukunADu brAhmaNa. He hailed from a traditional, erudite household. (Birth: 4th November 1893 in Nanjangud, Mysore. Death: 7th January 1971 in Bangalore). Though he was born ‘Sitarama Jois,’ he became ‘Sitarama Shastri’ owing to his maternal uncles, i.e. brothers of his mother Parvatamma. The three brothers (Yajneshwara Shastri, Srikantha Shastri, and Krishna Shastri) were all eminent personalities. Srikantha Shastri was the chief officer in the Śṛṅgeri Maṭha; Krishna Shastri was the dharmādhikarī during the reign of Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV.
Sri. Nageshwara Jois was his father. Originally from the Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh, his ancestors migrated to Mysore around three to four centuries ago. One of his ancestors during that era, Dinakara Bhattacharya had his education in Bengal. Sitarama Jois, father of Nageshwara Jois, had served the army of Maharashtra during the Pindari War.
Sitarama Shastri’s father passed away when he was just a year old. After that Parvatamma left Maddur with her two sons and went to Sringeri to reside in Srikantha Shastri’s house. Sitarama Shastri’s elder brother Lakshminarayana Jois was a young boy of ten.
शिक्षणम्
Sitarama Shastri completed his education in a traditional setting in Sringeri. The doctor’s advice after he lost his eyesight in one of his eyes - that studying in English medium would result in blindness in the other eye too - also contributed to the decision of undergoing a traditional education. Even as a boy he was capable of composing poetry in Sanskrit. By the time he turned nineteen, he had already completed vidvat (proficiency level) in tarka (logic) and had studied Sanskrit literature including the major dramas.
Incisive logic, extraordinary memory – these brought fame to Shastri right from his childhood. Śrī Nṛsimha-bhāratī swamiji would call for Shastri when he was young and make him sit nearby. There would always be some scholars in attendance. Swamiji or one of the scholars would recite a verse. Shastri would immediately identify it and tell the name of the work along with the chapter or canto in which it appears. Sometimes, for fun, if the Swamiji or the scholars composed a verse impromptu and recited it, Shastri would laugh and declare without hesitation that the recited verse wasn’t present in any known work.
His memory was remarkable. Thousands of verses and quotes from the Vedas, the Upaniṣads, the Itihāsas, and so forth were on the tip of his tongue. After being blinded, he would make someone read the new works, newspapers, etc.
During his stay in Śṛṅgeri, Lokmanya Tilak, the prominent freedom fighter came to seek the blessings of the swamiji. … They stayed for three days, during which Sitarama Shastri was inspired by them to such an extent that his original ambition of becoming a scholar like his maternal uncles subsided and he decided that he would instead become a patriot and serve the country.
Scholarship and its support
Vīrakesari Sitarama Shastri loved writing from childhood days. Impressed by his abundant scholarship, vocal prowess, and multifaceted learning, Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya took him along; he arranged discourses of Sitarama Shastri in places of learning all over Northern India. After working as an assistant for sometime in the publications Sādhvī and Sampadabhyudaya, Sitarama Shastri shifted to Bangalore. He took over the administration of the Śaṅkara-maṭha. Other than the temple, the Gīrvāṇa-bhāratī of Śaṅkara-maṭha was famous as a place of learning. … Tagore exclaimed, “I’ve toured the whole country, but the ideal gurukula which I imagined is here!”
Journalism
In 1927 Sitarama Shastri became the editor of the publication Grāma-jīvana. … He started his publication Vīrakesari in 1928. The name wasn’t an accident. Right from his childhood he was deeply influenced by Lokmanya Tilak, especially after he met him when he had visited Śṛṅgeri. … He was close to Gandhiji and other freedom fighters. Gandhiji used to address him respectfully as ‘Sanātani Shastriji’.
gaNapati riots
Sitarama Shastri’s speech and his pen – both were razor-sharp. So it was natural that his writings criticizing the callous attitude of the government under Mirza Ismail angered the Mysore state. In 1929 he was sentenced to jail for two years. The case filed on Sitarama Shastri by the Mysore Government was probably our State’s first case accusing someone of ‘treason.’. Vīrakesari Sitarama Shastri and the editor of the publication Navajīvana, C Ashwatthanarayana Rao were the prime accused.
Pamphlet against censorship read -
Read the 28.2.1929 edition of Navajīvana by Sitarama Shastri! Let the Mysore government be warned! I’ve convinced fifty people to be prepared and ready to violate the press act. We are prepared to be imprisoned. Banishing us would be juvenile! The reign of Mirza Ismail as the Dewan of Mysore should end. A responsible government should be established. Let the government be warned!
He accused Mirza Ismail of being biased and favouring Muslims in the 18th February 1929 issue of Navajīvana –
The government revoked all the cases which were filed against Muslims. It appears this is to maintain harmony. True harmony will be ushered only when the Dewan, who has misused his powers, is thrown out… The case of the proverbial cat drinking milk while closing its eyes thinking everyone else too has closed their eyes and nobody would see…
Public policy
Child marriage prohibition bill was supported by some and opposed by others. Both groups wrote articles in newspapers substantiating their stand and spoke about the issue on various platforms. Among them the important ones were Sitarama Shastri in favour of the traditional view.
Yet, Shastri appreciated and supported Gandhi’s plan for the upliftment of Harijans.