Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri National Sanskrit University is a central university located in New Delhi, India, dedicated to the teaching, preservation, and research of Sanskrit language, literature, and the traditional Shastric knowledge systems. Named after Lal Bahadur Shastri, the second Prime Minister of India, the institution offers programmes ranging from foundational Sanskrit studies to advanced research in classical disciplines such as Vyakarana, Sahitya, Jyotisha, Vedanta, Dharmashastra, and Nyaya.
| Name | Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri National Sanskrit University |
|---|---|
| Type | Central University |
| Location | New Delhi, India |
| Discipline focus | Sanskrit language, literature, and Shastric studies |
| Named after | Lal Bahadur Shastri |
| Country | India |
The institution was established to function as a national centre for Sanskrit learning, combining the traditional guru–shishya mode of instruction with the structure of a modern university. It was originally set up as a society under the Government of India and later upgraded to a deemed-to-be university, before being granted full central university status by an Act of Parliament. The university operates under the aegis of the Ministry of Education, Government of India.
The university is organised into faculties and departments that together cover the principal branches of classical Indian learning. Typical areas of study include:
Programmes are offered at the Shastri (undergraduate), Acharya (postgraduate), and Vidyavaridhi (doctoral) levels, alongside diploma and certificate courses. The medium of instruction is largely Sanskrit, supplemented by Hindi and English.
As one of the three Sanskrit-focused central universities in India — alongside the Central Sanskrit University and the National Sanskrit University, Tirupati — it plays a key role in higher education policy for traditional knowledge systems. The institution contributes to manuscript research, publication of critical editions of classical texts, and the training of Sanskrit teachers for schools and colleges across the country.