Sengupta, Gurunath

Sengupta, Gurunath (1848-1914) Sanskrit scholar, was born at Narail in the district of jessore. Having passed his triannual examinations from Kolkata Normal School in 1867, he obtained the title of Kaviratna (A gem among poets). He taught at Ahiritola Bangabidyalay in Kolkata. He wrote several volumes of poems, commentaries and annotations, religious discourse and philosophy, novels and collections of essays in Sanskrit and Bangla. Among his important books in Sanskrit are Satyadharma (Eternal religion), Gunaratnam (Virtues), Satyamrta (The nectar of truth), Gunasutram (Aphoristic texts on virtues), Dharmajijvasa(Religious discourse), Shhriramacharitam (an epic on Rama), Shhrigaurabrttam (epic), Baridutam (The rain messenger), Patnishatakam (Verses on wives),Shiksashatakam (Verses on education) etc. Among his books in Bangla, Tattvajvan (Philosophy), Dampatidharmalap (Religious discourse of a couple), Adbhut Upakhyan (A strange story), Kamalini (epic) and Subhadraharan(epic) are admired.

Gurunath Sengupta was also known as a votary of spiritualism. After austere ascetic practice and self-persuasion stretching for a period of over thirty years, he reached attainment and preached a new religious creed called satyadharma (eternal religion), which professed self-elevation through practice of virtues in the form of the worship of God. [Nikhil Ranjan Biswas]