R Vasudevan Potti to receive Amrita Keerti Puraskar

During Amma’s 55th birthday celebrations, Professor R. Vasudevan Potti will be awarded the Amrita Keerti Puraskar for his meritorious contributions and perpetuation to Vedic knowledge.

The award comprises a cash prize of Rs. 123,456, an idol of Saraswati Devi crafted by the artist Nambootiri and a Certificate of Commendation from the Mata Amritanandamayi Math (MAM).

MAM first began presenting the Amrita Keerti Award in 2001 “to seek out and honour those deserving personalities who have helped to promote a healthy society through the preservation of the ancient and enduring human values of Sanatana Dharma.”

The cash prize rendered through this award is intended to support the recipients, helping them to be financially in the position to continue to dedicate their life to their noble pursuits, and thereby foster the cultural heritage of India.

Since the award’s inception in 2001, the Amrita Keerti Puraskar has gone to: Sri. Paravur Sreedharan Tantri (2007 Kerala State Award), Smt. Pratibha Ray (2006 National Award), Sri. P. Narayana Kurup (2005 National Award), Mahakavi Akkitham Achyuthan Nambootiri (2004 Kerala State Award), Dr. Shankar Abhyankar (2003 National Award), Professor Harihara Shastri (2003 Kerala State Award), Sri. P. Parameshwaran (2002 Kerala State Award) and Acharya Narendra Bhushan (2001 Kerala State Award).

Prof. R. Vasudevan Potti was born in 1929 in Karnataka. For 21 years he served as a professor of Vedanta at the Thiruvananthapura Sanskrit College. From 1983-87 he was the editor of the Malayalam Encyclopaedia. From 1993-1996 he served as dean and syndicate member of Sanskrit University in Kaladi. He has served as an advisory member of the Kerala Literary Society and was a research guide at Chinmaya International.

Prof. R. Vasudevan Potti’s contributions to Indian culture have been recognized by the President of India and he has received a 50,000 annual stipend ever since. He has been recognized with rare distinction as an eminent scholar at the Kadavallur Annyonnyam. Madras University has honoured him with the Darshana Kala Nidhi award. And he is considered to have been the driving force behind the re installation of Sanskrit education in public schools.

The esteemed professor is the author of many vakyanams, including Laghu Siddhanta Kaumudi, Siddhanta Kaumudi and Atma-Anatma Vivekam. He has penned independent Malayalam translations of Anumanu Vadam, Kavyadarsham and Tattvadi Trayam (a text by Madhvacharya). He is also the author of Sastra Vadavali—an explanation of 60 different arguments of Indian thought.

Prof. R. Vasudevan Potti is currently serving as a teacher at the Sivagiri Brahma Vidyapeetham and working on working on a translation of Bharatiya Darsanangngal.

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