Navjivan Rastogi
A Lucknow scholar of Kashmir Shaivism and the philosopher Abhinavagupta, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2024.
Navjivan Rastogi is a scholar of Kashmir Shaivism and of Abhinavagupta, the tenth-century philosopher of aesthetics and religion. He was named for the Padma Shri in 2024 in the field of literature and education, from Uttar Pradesh [1].
Lucknow scholar
Rastogi was born on 21 February 1939 and earned his BA, MA and PhD at Lucknow University [2]. His doctorate was the first ever study of the Krama system, a central branch of Kashmir’s Trika Shaivism [2].
In 1968 he joined the Abhinavagupta Institute of Aesthetics and Shaiva Philosophy at Lucknow University, founded by K. C. Pandey, the scholar credited with bringing Abhinavagupta to world attention [2]. Rastogi later became the institute’s honorary director [2].
Books
His book The Krama Tantricism of Kashmir (1979) won him international recognition, followed by Introduction to the Tantraloka (1986) [2]. He has also written in Hindi on the philosophy of Kashmir Shaivism, including what his citation calls the first systematic study of the theory of knowledge of the Pratyabhijna school [2]. His latest book, Kalikrama and Abhinavagupta, appeared in 2022, and he is editing rare manuscripts by Abhinavagupta and his teacher’s teacher, Utpaladeva [2].
He was a National Fellow of the Indian Council of Philosophical Research in 2020–21 [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2024: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 15 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2024: citation for Navjivan Rastogi — Padma Awards, Government of India. Accessed 15 October 2026.
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