Manmatha Nath Dutt

{{Short description|Author and translator of ancient sanskrit texts, Member of Royal Asiatic Society.}}

{{Infobox author

| name = Manmatha Nath Dutt (Shastri)

| birth_date = 1855

| death_date = 1912

| occupation = Author & translator of sacred hindu text from Sanskrit to English

| period = 1892-1912

| subject = Hindu literature, religious scriptures, translation of the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas and other ancient Indian texts.

| notable_works = Translation of the Garuda Purana, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and other ancient Indian texts related to Hinduism and Buddhism, both religious and secular.

| awards = Awarded the title of Shastri by Sanskrit College Calcutta in 1901

| image =

| caption = Manmatha Nath Dutt

| nationality = Indian

| language = English, Sanskrit

| birth_place = Pabna, Bengal Presidency, British India

| years_active = 1892-1912

| education = MA in English Literature

| alma_mater = Scottish Church College, Calcutta University,

Sanskrit College,

Member of the Royal Asiatic Society (MRAS)

}}

Manmatha Nath Dutt (Pabna, British India 1855–1912) was a prolific translator of ancient Hindu texts to English. He has translated many ancient Sanskrit texts to English. To this day, his translations remain one of the few or sometimes the only English versions of some Hindu scripture. He translated the Valmiki Ramayana(1892–1894), Markandeya Purana (1896), Bhagavata Purana (1896), Vishnu Purana (1896), Harivaṃśa (1897), Mahabharata (1895–1905), Mahanirvana Tantra (1900), several samhitas and dharmashastra texts (1906, 1908–09), Garuda Purana (1908) and Rig Veda Samhita (1906–1912) which remained incomplete.{{Cite web |date=2018-07-17 |title=Manmatha Nath Dutt: The Lost Hero |url=https://openthemagazine.com/columns/guest-column/manmatha-nath-dutt-the-lost-hero/ |access-date=2024-05-14 |website=Open The Magazine |language=en-GB}} He has also translated the Kamandakiya Nitisara (1896) which is an ancient book authored by Kamandhaka based on Kautilya's Artha Shastra.

Apart from his translations of sacred and secular texts on Sanatana and Buddhism, he has also authored some books in English. Among them are his biography of Buddha(1901), and Gleanings from Indian classics (1893) which is a collection of famous stories and anecdotes from classical Sanskrit literature. In the introduction to this book, Manmatha Nath Dutt mentions that it was his attempt to clear western misconception about Hindu religion, literature, and philosophy.