[2] He mastered Sanskrit grammar before the age of twenty, passing various examinations from Bengal, Baroda and Pune.
As Joshi had learned Sanskrit only in the traditional system, he had to first complete a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1955, after which he applied for a fellowship at Harvard University.
[2] Joshi completed his PhD from Harvard University in 1960 in the field of Sanskrit lexical semantics, with Ingalls as his advisor.
[3] Joshi returned to India in 1960 and joined the Department of Sanskrit Dictionary at the Deccan College, Pune.
[2] Joshi was awarded the title of National Scholar (Rashtriya Pandit) by the President of India in 1991.