Gautamiyanyaadarsana with Bhasya of Vatsyayana

Anantalal Thakur (b. 1916), the doyen of Indian Philosophy, is an internationally known authority on Nyaya, Vaisesika, Buddhist and Jaina systems of philosophy as well as on manuscriptology. He was Professor of Sanskirt at Mithila Research Institute, Mithila, Prakrit Jain Institute, Vaisali, Kameshwar Singh Sanskrit University, Darbhanga, and Burdwan University. He was the Director of K.P. Jaiswal Research Institute, Patna and the Research Director both at The Asiatic Society and Sitaramdas Omkarnath Research Institute in Calcutta. He has thrown new light on different branches of Indological Studies and presented invaluable source material for the young researchers of today through his large number of books and research papers published during the last five decades. He is the recipient of Certificate of Honour for Sanskirt by the President of India (1991). The title of Mahamahopadhyaya was conferred on him by Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha (Deemed University) in 1996 in recognition of his life-time contribution to Sanskrit Studies. His major publications include: Jnanasrimitranibandhavali; Ratnakirtinibandavali; Nyayalankara of Abhayatilaka; Nyayacaturgranthika; Tatparyavivaranapanjika of Aniruddha; Srikanthatippanaka; Vaisesikavarttika of Bhattavadindra and Gangavamsanucarita. His recent study on the Scientific Knowledge in the Mahabharata is a landmark in the history of Indological studies.