CHAPTER-II

INDOLOGY: PAST AND PRESENT

INDOLOGICAL STUDIES: WESTERN AND INDIAN

CONTRIBUTION

1. Indology: It’s meaning

2. Indological Study
3. Role of Western Scholars
4. British Scholars
5. French Scholars
6. German Scholars
7. American Scholars
8. Role of Indian Scholars
9. Raja Rammohan Roy
10. Swami Dayanand
11. Swami Vivekanand
12. Hindu Pandits & Rulers of India
13. Some other important Indian Scholars
14. Modem trends in Sanskrit Literature
15. Minor poems and short stories.
 rWAPTFU TT

INDOLOGY; PAST AND PRESENT

INDOLOGY: It’s meaning

The word ‘Indology’ was coined by the Britishers. Indology may be

said to have come into being when European scholarship discovered Sanskrit. This

is generally believed to have happened in the closing years of the 18th Century, that

is round about 1784, the year when the world’s first Asiatic Society was founded at

Calcutta. There were published about that time, in quick succession, the English

translation of several important Sanskrit texts like Bhagavadgita (1785), the

Hitopadesa (1787), the Sakuntala (1789), the Rtusamhara (1792) and the

Manusmrti (1794) got published in quick sucession through which an exotic

civilization of a somewhat mysterious and enigmatic character came to be unveiled

before the eager intelligentsia of the west.2

ROLE OF THE BRITISH SCHOLARS AND ADMINISTRATION

The British or English people came to India primarily for trade and

not for establishing empire. They wanted to secure raw material from the vast and

partially unexploited natural resources of India and then to market their finished

goods among the teeming millions throughout their colonies. However, as already

Dandekar, R.N.; Recent trends in indology, Poona, BORI, 1978, p.l

(did, p.l
25
mentioned, there were a number of scholars who, influenced by the rich cultural,

philosophical and literary traditions of ancient India, were already interested in

genuine research. They were keenly interested in the investigation and

advancement of glorious Indian thought and literature. Though Indology as a

branch of learning formally began to take shape by the end of the 18th century yet it

is possible to speak of what may be called its pre-history.

Vedic literature, as represented by its Chief works, as practically

finished, so that one can assert: the vedic literature apart from its latest

excrescences is on the whole pre-Buddhist i.e. it was conclude before 500 B.C.1 2 3

The invasion of Alexander the great in India was held in the year 326

B.C. From the Greeks we know that about 315 B.C. Candragupta, the Sandrakottos

of the Greek writers, conducted successfully the revolt against the prefects of

Alexander, took possession of the throne and became the founder of the Maurya
'y
dynasty in Patliputra (the Palibothra of the Greeks, the present Patna.)

The fragments which have been preserved of the description of India,

written by Megasthenes (Ambassador to the court of Candragupta send by Greek

Seleukos). He gives us a picture of the state of Indian culture at that time.

There are especially three Chinese pilgrims i.e. Fa-hien, who came to

India in the year 399 A.D., Hsuan-Tsang, who made great journeys in India from

1 Winternitz, Maurice, History of Indian Literature, tr into English, New Delhi, Oriental Books, 1927 (Rep.
1977), V.I, P.27.
2. Ibid. p.27.
3. Ibid, p.28
26
630 to 645 A.D, and I-tsing, who sojourned in India from 671 to 695 A.D., whose

descriptions of their travels are preserved. These accounts give us many a valuable

datum on Indian antiquity and works of literature.1

Next the Arabian traveller Alberuni, who in the year 1030 A.D. wrote

a book on India, which is very important, said of Hindus, “unfortunately the

Hindus do not pay much attention to the historical order of things, they are very

careless in relating the chronological succession of their kings, and when they are

pressed for information and are at a loss, not knowing what to say, they invariably

take to tale-telling.”2

Next attempt was made by the European traders, missionaries and

scholars of the 16th, the 17th and the early 18th centuries to acquire a certain amount

of knowledge about India. Stevens (1549-1619), for instance, was the first

European to study in some depth an Indian language, namely, Konkani.3 The

Italian Filippo Sassetti, who had lived in Goa between 1581 and 1588, noticed the

linguistic similarities between Sanskrit and Italian.4 Another, Giacomo Fenicio,

who died at Cohin in 1632, wrote a book dealing with Indian tradition as

represented in the Puranas, while his compatriot De Nobilli (1577-1656) was the

first European to direct his attention to the Buddhist literature and master the

Ibid, p.29
Sachau, EC, Allberuni’s India, English Ed. II, pp.10,1910, London, Paul <& Co.
Dandekar, R.N.; Recent trends in lndology, Poona, BORI, 1978, p.2
Ibid, p.2
27
Sanskrit language, also known as the ‘Brahman Jesuit’, the author of the article

‘India and Comparative Philology’ in the Calcutta Review of 1857. 1

Abraham Rogerius, a minister of Dutch reformed Church, collected

information regarding Hindu mythology, religious rites, and social customs from

two Brahmanas who spoke Portuguese, and, on the basis of that information,

published in 1651 a book which constituted perhaps the earliest complete account

of South Indian Hinduism. Rogerius is also credited with having introduced

Bhartrhari’s Satakas to the European readers or the world.2

In 1718, Bignon, the librarian of the college Royal (= College de

France), purchased a large number of manuscripts. Another Frenchman Father Pon

wrote the first grammar of Sanskrit in Latin, also translated the Amarkosa and

dispatched to France a large consignment of manuscripts/

The next period in the history of Indology (roughly 1850-1920) may

very well be called its heroic age. Immense and all round progress was made in

this branch of learning, during these years, particularly in Germany which had by

then assumed the leadership. It was fully realized that India did not need to be

treated differently from Greece and Rome. As a result of this, Indology was

gradually integrated into the larger humanistic studies in Europe.

Ibid, p.2
Ibid, p.2
Ibid, p.3
Ibid, p.3
28
 This period of the history of Indology saw the introduction and

consolidation of the study of the language, literature, history and culture of ancient

and medieval India in a large number of universities of Europe and the United
i

States of America.

But it was only the French and, to a certain extent, the British-

indologists who, being loyal to their mission, strove to enlighten the educated
'y
public on the true aspects of India and her civilization.

Since about 1870, Indian scholars, who had been trained in the newly

started universities and who had thereby become acquainted with the methodology

and results of western scholarship, began seriously to cultivate indological studies

in their own country. And their anxiety to emulate their European colleagues soon
*

paid dividend in the form of an ever-increasing volume of research work.13 42

The Indians had no practical knowledge of proper historiography

until, with the spread of English education in the second quarter of the 19th century,

they began to learn, along with many other modem ideas, the value of historical

knowledge. Indeed, it was through the writings of the foreigners that they obtained
A
glimpse of the history not only of their own country but also of the whole world.

Verily, long before the Christian era and even thereafter India

possessed a highly developed civilization in as much as there was a great book

1. Ibid, p.4
2. Ibid, p.4
3. Ibid, p.7
4. Ibid, p.8
29
activity, intellectual ferment and libraries from where knowledge spread out nearly

to all countries of the world. There was no trace whatsoever of any foreign

influence in the language or literature of this land. It presented a home grown

system of education and of libraries for dissemination of knowledge and

conservation of literature and culture of the Vedic people. This is why Lord

Macauley had to say, “Many centuries before Christ, when the people of England

were still wearing raw skins on their painted bodies and roaming widely in forests,

even in the remote antiquity Indians had attained a high degree of civilization.”1

Similarly Wintemitz said, “If we wish to learn, to understand the beginnings of our

own culture, if we wish to understand the oldest Indo-European culture, we must

go to India, where the oldest literature of an Indo-European people is preserved.”2

Oldenberg takes these Vedas as the ‘oldest document of Indian literature and

religion.3 4

Such was the glory of ancient-India-the land of immortal Vedas, the

vedic Gods of Human knowledge, the sublime upnishads, the great Epics of the

Ramayana and the Mahabharta, other great works and the grand university libraries

at Taxila and Nalanda.

1. Trehan, GL: Learning and Libraries in Ancient India, Chandigarh Library Litt. House, 1975, p.39
2. Gupta, N.L.: Contribution of Westrern Indologists, New Delhi, Mohit Publications, 1996, pp. 19.
3. Ibid p.19.
4. Ltler, Piece, Introduction to Library' Science Chicago University of Chicago Press, 1961, pp. 113.
30
 Interest in the matter is expressed by the then president of the Asiatic

Society in one of his letters1 2addressed

3 to the various learned institutions in Europe.

Although a Jesuit Priest, namely Thomas Stevens was the first Englishman to

publish in India a poem captioned ‘Krishthana Purana in 1765, Indian religio-

philosphical thought and literature caught the attention of the Englishmen only in

the later half of the eighteenth century, when Warren Hastings, the then Governor-

General of India stressed upon the need for study and research of Indian literature

in a systematic and scientific way. Influenced and inspired by Warren Hastings,

Charles Wilkins translated and got published the Bhagvat Gita in English in 1785,

and the Hitopadesa in 17874.

In 1808 Wilkins published a Sanskrit grammar which was the first

work of such type printed in Europe.5 During the same period (in 1800) Fort

William College was established by Lord Wellesely. Which is well known for

imparting knowledge of Sanskrit language and literature. Sir William Jones, whose

interest in Sanskrit was inspired by Charles Wilkins, founded the Asiatic Society of

Bengal (1784) with an objective to “.....inquire into the history, culture, literature

1. Diehl has quoted the letters, contents of which read: “The Asiatic Society and the College of Fort William
being desirous of promoting the knowledge of the literature of India, and at the same time, of disclosing
to the learneds in Europe the stores which lie hid in the Ancient language of India, have accepted a
proposal which has been made to them by the Brethren of the Mission at Serampore, of translating
successively the principal works to be found in Sungskrit (sic,, Sanskrit) languages.” p. 103.
2. Singhal, v.2., p. 199 -India and World Civilization, 2v, (Delhi, Rapa, 1972).
3. Farquhar, JN, Modern religious movements in India, Delhi Munshiram Manoharlal, 1967, pp.7.
4. Singhal, v.2., p. 205
5. Singhal (Loc. cit.), p.205
31
 • 1 'I
and sciences of Asia” . Through the society’s journal, the Asiatic Research , the

society revived the moribund civilization of India. Jones published the English

translation of Kalidas’s Abhijnan Sakuntala in 1789, and Jaideva’s Gita Govinda in

1792 . He translated, edited and got published a large number of other Sanskrit

works1
4. 52Another
3 Scholar, Colebrooke, who is known as “........ the founder and the

father of true Sanskrit scholarship in England,”' is by no means less important than

Wilkins and Jones.

Contribution of Horach Hayman Wilson6, who translated in 1813

Kalidas’s Meghduta, and Visnupurana in English, and published his famous

Sanskrit grammar, also deserves appreciation. The Oxford University duly

acknowledged his contribution towards the growth of literature on Indology by
offering him the ‘Borden Chair of Sanskrit’ in the recognition of his valuable

services to Indology.
Publication of original works, translations and evangelization of
ancient Sanskrit works and bringing to light a large variety of Sanskrit manuscripts

in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by British Missionaries, scholars and

administrators attracted and excited a considerable degree of interest of the western
world towards the antiquities, literature, customs and manner of the Hindus. These
works began to find their way in both Indian and foreign libraries.

1. Ibid, p. 206
2. Ibid, p. 206
3. Farquhan, (Lac. Cit.) at pp. 8
4. John’s Literary Activites are discussed in detail in Delhi’s and Singhal’s Books, quoted above.
5. Singhal, v. 2, p. 207
6. Singhal V.2, p. 208
32
ROLE OF FRENCH AND THE GERMAN SCHOLARS

Many of the French and the Germans, who visited India during

seventeenth and later centuries, are well known for their learning towards Indian

literature. The French were impressed by the philosophical thought, religious

diversities and literary wealth of India to the extent that apart from studying and

translating they started collecting Sanskrit works for king’s library1. As a result of

it, right from 1718 onwards many of the French officials, travellers, and

missionaries started sending to the king copies of Indian works2 like the Vedas and

the Upanisads. The French scholars explored Indian history, helped in reviving the

Indian thought, and translated major works of Sanskrit literature.

ROLE OF GERMAN SCHOLARS

The German scholars too deserve to be mentioned in this contact. Like

the British and the French, the Germans did not take any interest in Indian politics.

Their approach was purely literary and scholarly in character. They might be

regarded as selfless and true investigators of Indian literature. It is quite obvious

from the fact that the University of Bonn established a chair of Sanskrit as early as

18183, even prior to the British who established the first chair of Sanskrit at the

Oxford University in 18324. Augusto Schlegel, who later on graced the chair of

Sanskrit at the University of Bonn, got published in 1808 his famous work

1. Singhal V.2, p. 208

2. Ibid. p. 209
3. Ibid. p. 207
4. Ibid. p. 208
33
captioned, “Liberdiesprache and Weishcit der Inder (i.e. on the language and

wisdom of India)1. Thereafter the European countries started witnessing works of

rich quality on Sanskrit literature, language and Indian thought written and

translated by German Scholars. Friedrich Max Muller, M. Wintemitz, A.A.

McDonald, Paul Deussen, Franz Bopp, Rudolph Roth, Otto Bohtlingk, and

Walther Schubring are some of the celebrated German scholars who made untiring

efforts for the all round development of Indian thought and Sanskrit literature.

Germany is still contributing to the growth of literature on Indology immensely

which is evident from the fact that at present six German Universities, namely,

Bonn, Tubingen, Munich, Golliergen, Marburg and Hamburg have chair of

Sanskrit2 and almost in every university there is provision for the study of

Sanskrit.3

The Indologists of the German Democratic Republic proclaim that

one of the main purposes of the study of Indian culture is to enrich the culture of

their own country4. «r

1. Ibid. p. 217
2. Ibid. p. 221
3. Loc. cit.
4. Ruben, W. Indoiogical Studies in the German Democratic Republic, The Visvabharti Quarterly,
Vol.No.27, p.211, appeared in “Dandekar: Recent trends in Indology, at p.ll
34
ROLE OF AMERICAN CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES AND SCHOLARS

India attracted the Americans as one of the most fertile and favourable

lands for the propagation of Christian religion and thought. Christian missions in

America received inspiration from the work done by William Carey at the

Serampore Mission in India1.

The first group of American Christian Missionaries2 3to4work

5 in India

established its centre at Bombay in February 1813 and until 1827 it remained the

only group of American missionaries in India. There were many American

scholars, poets and orientalists who revealed to their countrymen the essential

greatness of Indian thought. Ralph Waldo Emerson, who was a spokesman of

Indian philosophy and Hindu religion in America, is notably important in this

connection. He, through his lectures and poems, lay bare the soul of Indian thought

to the Americans . Walt Whitman, who in his poem, “Passage to India ”, depicted:

a magnificent and sublime picture of Indian heritage, is equally important. Other

Americans such as J.I. Sutherland (author of India in Bondage)6, ‘Whitney,

Henary Devid, W. Norman Brown etc. who caused Indian thought to grow in

America. Contribution of Colonel H.S. Olcot and Madame Balavatsky may not

1. Pathak, S.M.; American Missionaries & Hinduism, Delhi, Munshiram Manohar Lai, 1967, p.36
2. Pathak, p.88
3. Loc. eit. p. 88
4. Pathak, p,84-85
5. The poem is collected in his leaves of the Grass, New York, Modern Library, 1950, p. 321-5.
6. Quoted by A. Guy Hope, in America and Swaraj, the U.S. Role in Indian Independence (Bombay, Vora,
1970), p. 13.
35
also to be forgotten: these two founded in 1875 in America the Theosophical

Society which later on published a good deal of literature in the field. Similarly on

the appearance of Vivekananda at the world’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago

in 1893 Western Indology was barely half a century old. The first use of the word

Tndology’ meaning study of Indian literature, history, philosophy, etc. is to be

found in Trubner’s monthly list for October 1888. The first use of the word in the

United States was in the Atlantic Monthly for March 1895, about a year and a half

after Vivekananda’s first address at the world parliament of religions.12

1. Sharma, JS, Encyclopaedia Indica, New Delhi, S. Chand. 1975, p. 531.

2. Dasgupta, RK, Swami Vivekananda and Western Indology; Bulletin of the Ramakrishna Mission
Institute of Calutta, Vol. XLV, No. 9, Sept. 1994. p. 292-3.
36
ROLE OF INDIAN SCHOLARS

Before taking a start, it may not be irrelevant to mention here that the

British Indologists, to some extent, took up the study of Indian thought to

strengthen their position in India though, ironically enough, it led to an awakening

which ultimately forced them to quit India. For instance, the system of education

devised by Macaulay aimed at the mass production of clerks and taught the Indian

youth to distrust and disregard their cultural heritage. This is quite clear from his

own views' wherein he has shown great hatred to Ancient Indian Language and

literature. His primary aim was to “... form a class of persons, Indian in blood and

in colour, but English in tastes and in opinions and in morals and in intellect12.

In the history of the people of India, the importance of the 19th century

which witnessed intellectual, economic and social development of a new order

heralding the dawn of the modern outlook need hardly be over emphasized. The
aJ_

19 century was the great dividing line and these hundred years changed the face

of India for more than did the preceding thousand years. Evidently, the elements of

the civilizations of the west, the spirit of rationalism and awakening which burst

forth in Europe then began to produce albeit in a restricted way, a noticeable

impact upon the minds of the Indians. One of the main causes for the development

was the introduction of English education which contributed to the transformation

1. Theodore etc. Sources of of Indian Traditions, New York, Columbia University Press, 1958, p. 96-7.
2. Mazumdar, BC (Ed.), History and Culture of the Indian People, 15V, Bombay, Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan,
1965 V.10, pt. 2, p. 46.
37
of India particularly in the latter half of the 19th century. The first five universities

were founded at Calcutta, Bombay, Madras, Allahabad and Lahore.

In the history of education in India, the year 1854 is important, for in

that year came out the famous educational dispatch of Charles Wood (Later Lord

Halifax) who was then the president of the Board of Control. The first two decades

of the 19th century witnessed a sound base for modem scientific teaching as well as

research in India. Lord Curzon’s Educational Code and the Universities Act of

1904 heralded the dawn of unitary and centralized system of education.

Moreover, the English Education System produced men like

Vivekananda and Raja Ram Mohan Roy also who, contrary to the Britishers’

designs, resurrected Indian thought and culture by infusing new blood into the dry

veins of Indian thought. The education also produced Indians like Jagdish Chandra

Bose, Chandra Shekhar Raman and Rabindra Nath Tagore who won laurels adding

to the glory of India. It seems that partially against the repressive policies of the

British rule and partially being motivated by the European’s efforts to revive

Indian thought, many Indian religious leaders, social reformers, Rajas and Pandits

inspired and patronized the publication of books on Indology with an intention to

lift up to the decaying Indian civilization and relgio-philosophical thought. This

played a significant role in reviewing century old cultural stagnation of their

country.

38
 RAJA RAM MOHAN ROY, who founded Brahmo Samaj, is the first

Indian who contributed to the importance which books on Indology occupy in

libraries of to-day. Although he was an admirer of English Education through

English language1, his importance lies in the fact that he tried to bring Christianity

and Hinduism closer to each other. He helped2 the Serampore Mission in

translating the New Testament in Bengali and got published in 1820 the Principles

of Jesus, and the Guide to Peace and Happiness3. This did not have a direct bearing

on the growth and spread of Indian thought, however, it made the British to

appreciate the interest displayed by an Indian in their country’s religion. His direct

contribution towards Indian thought took concrete shape in the form of the

‘Vedanta College’ which he set up with the assistance of Rev. W. Adam.4 He got

published certain books on Hindu religion also, notably, an abstract of Badrayan’s

Vedanta Sutra, both in Bengali and in English; translation of four of the various

Upanisads; and a few pamphlets advocating Hindu Theism5.The Raja was the first

Indian to make his countrymen aware of their cultural heritage.

1. Theodore etc., p. 592

2. Farquhas, Modern Movements in India, p.34.
3. Ibid., p. 32
4. Durant, p. 616
5. Ibid., 32.
39
 He was well versed in Sanskrit, English, Greek, Latin, Arabic, Persion

and Hebrew languages 1 and was the founder of national journalism2 in India. He

not only contributed to the growth of literature on Indology, but calculated in the

conutrymen the pride of the cultural greatness. After Raja Rammohan Roy,

Debendra Nath Tagore, Kesab Chandra Sen and many other leaders propagated

Indian thought13, 42 but they were more inclined towards the Indianization of

Christianity-4. It was SWAMI DAYANAND founder of Arya Samaj (1875)5, who

after Raja Rammohan Roy, made significant efforts in this direction. He preached

teachings of the Vedas in all parts of the country and inspired the Indians to

meditate and write upon the Ancient Indian scriptures, satyaprakas, Rgvedadi

Bhasya, and Veda Bhasya are his famous works6.

Besides Indians’ and foreigners’ attempt to revive India’s cultural

heritage within India. But more significant is the attempt made on the soil of other

countries for the purpose of making rest of the World acquainted with Indian

religious background. This was achieved for the first time by the great Indian,

SWAMI VIVEKANAND, who electrified the entire America and Europe and

popularized Indian thought in foreign countries. In 1893, he went to America and

1. Amausy De-Rieneourt, soul of India, NeW York, Harper, 1961, p.230

2. Damodaran, K. Indian thought, a critical survey, Bombay, Asia 1967, p.348.
3. De-Bary, p. 526.
4. Ibid. p. 628
5. Ibid. p. 629
6. Farquhar, Modern Religions, p. 114.
40
represented Hinduism in the First Parliament of Religion1 2in3 Chicago. “His

success in the Parliament was as immediate and absolute.........” that the New

York Herald acknowledged him to be the greatest figure in the Parliament, and

wrote: “After hearing him we feel how foolish is it to send missionaries to this

learned country He attained the desired objective there; cast a spell on the

audience and his unqualified success raised the pedestal of Hinduism in the eyes of

the world. From America he went to England and Germany, “dwelt there on the

greatness of Hinduism and returned to India in 18974. 5He again visited America in

1899, where he strengthened the “Vedanta Society of New York” established

Vedanta centres in Los Angles and San Francisco, formed a “Shanti Ashramas in

California, spoke in defence of Hinduism in the Conference of the History of

Relgions” where he was invited to deliver a lecture on Hinduism and returned to

India in 1900'. During his visit to America and Europe he won a number of men

and women as his disciples6. His lectures aroused the Europeons’ and the

Americans’ interest in Indology, particularly in Hindu philosophy, religion,

Sanskrit language and literature.

Hindu pundits and rulers of India, who wrote and patronized the

writing of literary, philosophical and religious works in Sanskrit language,

1. De-Bary, p.647
2. Mazumdar, ed., V.10, pt. 2, p. 127.
3. De-Riencourt, Araury; Sou! of India, London, Jonathan Cape Thirty, 1960, p.244
4. Mazumdar (Ed.), V.10, pt. 2, p. 12S.
5. Majumdar, RC, ed., V.10, pt. 2, p. 130.
6. Farquhar, Modern Religious Movements in India, p. 207
41
contributed to the massive growth of literature on Indology. Swami Vivekanand, in

his letter to the Maharaja of Mysore, has mentioned that he could reach Chicago to

attend the ‘First Parliament of Religions’ with the help of the Maharaja1 2

Visvanath Simha Vaghela, the Maharaja of Rewa, wrote atleast fifty works in

various branches of Indology, such as philosophy, religion and poetry. Raja

Varma of Cochin and the scholars in his court, such as Sivasankara and several

others Rajas tried to revive the Sanskrit language. The king of Kashmir, Raja

Ranvir Singh alone patronized and sponsored more than thirty works on Sanskrit

literature and Indian thought3. It seems necessary to mention here Appayacharya

who analysed and wrote on them Sankhya, the Yoga, and on the Vedanta schools

of Indian philosophy, and upanisad Brahman, who gave a systematic exposition of

the one hundred and eight upanisads4.

Foregoing pages contain a brief description of the attempts of Indians

and the foreigners for the revival of India’s cultural heritage within and outside
*

India. This description is too brief and is merely indicative of the revival of Indian

thought. However, even this scanty detail is sufficient to highlight the fact that

during the period covering the second half of the nineteenth and first half of the

twentieth century, Indian thought attracted with force the attention of the

indigenous and the foreign scholars. As a result good books on Indology started to

1. De-Bary has quoted the letter in his book, p. 623

2. Mazumdar (Ed.), V.10, pt. 2, p. 165
3. Loc. cit
4. Mazumdar (Ed.), V.10, pt. 2, p. 165
42
be published and were brought to light in copiousness. Consequently, Librarians

started adding plenty of books on indological subjects on this collection.

SOME OTHER IMPORTANT INDIAN INDOLOGISTS

Some of these Indian scholars have already been mentioned but there

were others who were important: Bhagavanlal Inderji, Satyavrata Samasrami,

Jibananda Vidyasagar, Mm. Satis Chandra Vidya bhushana, Sudhakara Dwivedi,

Ramavatara Sarma, Bhau Daji, Justice Telang, K.B. Pathak, R.S. Pandit, G. Ojha,

and V.S. Apte to whom we owe the dictionaries, and above all the versatile and

prolific R.G. Bhandarkar.

In the next stage, in the north and the South, two persons combined

modem equipment with their profound traditional erudition in the sastras and

contributed largely to the preservation and promotion of Sanskrit studies by

teaching and publications, Mm. Dr. Ganganatha Jha, who was most prolific, and

Mm. S. Kuppuswami Sastri, both of whom are commemorated in the Research

Institutes established in their names of the next generation is Mm. Dr. P.V. Kane,

Bombay, recently honoured as the first National Professor of Indology, whose

‘History of Dharma Sastra’ is a monumental work of Indian scholarship among

Indian Indologists of the generation younger to the above is Dr. Suniti Kumar

Chatterji, the most outstanding linguist and versatile scholar of our times; in South

Indian linguistics, among Indians who had taken up the lead given by foreign

43
scholars, may be mentioned Rajaraja Varma, L.V. Ramaswami Iyer, C. Narayana

Rao, and R. Narasim hachar. In the filed of Indian history, several scholars of the

present century have made notable contributions and of these mention must be

made of K.P. Jayaswal, commemorated with an institute in his name at Patna,

Sardesai, the reputed Marathi historian, and Sir Jadrinath Sarkar, the authority on

Moghul history; P.T. Srinivasa Iyengar, S. Krishnaswami Aiyangar and K.A.

Nilakanta Sastri strove to keep South India in the map; works produced in South

India like elements of Indian Iconography by Gopinatha Rao and Indian

Ephemeris (1922) by L.D. Swami K Kannu Pi llai became reference works of basic

importance to all research scholars; R.C. Majumdar, from the beginning, devoted

himself to Greater India. Primary research in Greater India has been done by

French and dutch scholars, but in India, the Greater India Society (1934) and the

work of the Indian scholars mentioned above, as also of U.N. Ghoshal and Kalidas

Nag, kept up interest in this field. In addition to his Indian language Dictionaries

Raghu Vira has in his international institute of Culture started a Satapitaka Series

in which Dvipantara or Greater Indian and allied Literature is included and he had

also recently collected valuable material in his Mongolian expedition of significant

discoveries standing to the credit of Indian Indologists, the best example is Shama

Sastri’s discovery of Kautalya’s Arthasastra which effected a great change in our

notion of ancient Indian thought. Three outstanding scholars who have expounded

44
Indian philosophy are Hinyanna, S.N. Das Gupta and Radha Krishnan; apart from

his brilliant works, by his eloquence and educational and administrative work also,

Radha Krishnan has been a force and inspiration to the whole intellectual and

scholarly world in India to-day.

Two features strike one as remarkable in the growth of Indological

research in the present age; one is the increasing participation of traditional

scholars or pandits, for example, in addition to those already mentioned, Mm. U.V.

Swaminatha Iyer and M. Raghava Iyengar in this filed of Tamil; the other is that

qualified or reputed modem Indian scientists have come forward to study and

evaluate scientifically ancient Indian contributions in the scientific and technical

fields; Indologists like P.K. Gode of Poona have contributed numerous papers in

this last mentioned field, to which the All-India oriental Conference also devotes a

separate section but work such as Dutta and Singh have done on Indian

mathematics have a special value which mathematicians like themselves alone

could impart to the work.

There is no denying the fact that the interest of the Indians in

Indological Studies was stimulated by the writings of the western scholars of the

early nineteenth century. Researches of Jones, Wilkins, Colebrooke and others

made the educated Indian conscious about their rich literacy and cultural heritage.

45
 The first real Indologist was Raja Ram Mohan Roy, the man who was

the ‘first among the modems.’ Between 1816 and 1819 he translated a number of

upanisads into English and also published a few of them in the original. After the

Raja’s translational of the upanisads Vedic study became more and more popular

in Europe and scholars like Bornouf, Roth, Max muller and other applied

themselves wholeheartedly to the study of the most ancient texts of the Hindus.

Radhakanta Dev did an invaluable service to the course of Indological

studies by publishing the sabdakalpadruma which was originally printed in Bengali

script. European Indologists like Wilson and Brockhans hailed the

Sabdakalpadruma as ‘an inexhaustible source of knowledge and wisdom’. All the

subsequent Sanskrit dictionaries, written in India and Europe, are indebted to this

great work. The great Sanskrit-worterbuch, edited by roth and Bohtlingk (1852-75)

and the vacaspatyam of Taranath Tarkvachaspati borrow freely from this work.

Prof. Vaman Shivram Apte’s Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1890) freely

acknowledges his debt to Tarkavachaspati’s work. So also is the case with M.

Monier-Williams’ Sanskrit-English Dictionary.

Dr. Bhau Daji was the earliest Indian epigraphist and numismatist, he

wrote papers on ancient Sanskrit and Jaina literature. He wrote as many as 17

papers for the Jl. Of Bombay Branch of Royal Asiatic Society' (J BBRAS). A pupil

of Dr. Bhau Daji was Pandit Bhagwan lal Indraj. He wrote 28 papers, which were

46
published in JBBRAS (Jl. Of Bombay Branch of royal Asiatic Society), Indian

Antiquary, Bombay Gazetteer and Cunningham’s Archaelogical Reports. A

number of early and later Brahmi letters were first correctly read and recognised by

him. He was the first scholar to discover the existence of the Traikutaka dynasty in

western India. Some of the Jaina inscriptions of Mathura were, for the first time,

edited by him.

The third great Indologist from western India was Kashinath

Trambyak Telang, famous for his translation of the Bhagavadgita. Mudraraksasa

(1893). Also translated the Gita for the sacred Books of the East series (Vol. VIII)

in 1882 also edited a number of inscriptions in the pages of Indian Anitiquary and

JBBRAS.

The first Bengali Indologist, trained in the European tradition, was

Rajendra Lai Mitra, who for nearly 50 years was associated with the Asiatic

Society, Calcutta. For the Journal of the society he contributed a large number of

papers some of which were included in his work entitled Indo-Aryans published in

1883. His monumental work ‘Antiquities of Orissa’ published in 1875. Also edited

a number of Vedic, Puranic and Buddist texts i.e. Taittiriya (1855-70), Gopatha

(1872) Brahmanas, Lalitavistara (1877), Agni Purana (1878). He had a thorough

t

knowledge of Sanskrit, Persian, Urdu, Hindi and English.

47
 Ramkrishna Gopal Bhandarkar surpassing all his predecessors and

contemporaries by his learning and industry, who became almost a legendary

figure in his own life-time. Published many works i.e. Bhavabutis Maltimadhava

for Bomaby Sanskrit series in 1876, Reports (1882-91) on the search for Sanskrit

Manuscripts, Wilson Philological Lectures, delivered in 1877, Early History of

Deccan (1884), Mahabhasya with Pusyamitra Sunga, Vaisnavism, Saivism and

Minor Religious Systems included in the ‘Grundriss der Indo-arischen Philolagie’,

and published in 1913. His collected works are now available in 4 volumes

published by the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Poona.

Shankar Pandurag Pandit (nineteenth century) edited many Sanskrit

texts i.e. Raghuvamsa (1869-74), Gaudavaho (1888), Atharvaveda (1895-08). A

few other important Sanskrit works, including some plays of Kalidasa were also

edited by this remarkable Kashmirian Scholar.

Two other Sanskrit Scholars of the last quarter of the nineteenth

century, who are well known for their excellent editions of Sanskrit works, were

Durga Prasad’s edition of the Rajatarangini was published in 1892 by the Nirnaya

Sagar press, Bombay. These two scholars also jointly edited a good number of

well-known Sanskrit Texts like the Balabharata (1887), Karpuramanjari (1887),

Haravijaya (1890) etc. Parab Singly edited such important texts as the Ratnavali

(1895), Kadambari (1896), Pancatantra (1897) etc.

48
 In Bengal Jivananda Vidyasagar edited a very large number of useful

Sanskrit texts like Caraka (1896), Susruta Samhitas (1889) and Dharma Sastra

Sangraha (1876).

Bengali novelist Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay’s Krsnacarita (1886-

92) and Bhagavadgita (1886-08) are his popular works. Ramesh Chander Datta’s

‘A history of Civilization in Ancient India based on Sanskrit literature (1889-90)

was published in 3 volumes. His translations of Mahabharata (1899) and the

Ramayana (1900) Rgveda (1885-07) are praiseworthy works.

Another Bengali gentleman, manmathanath Datta published English

«

translations of several skt txts including Ramayana (1891-92). Mahabharata (1895-

1903), Visnu Purana (1896), Agni Purana (1903-04), Upanisads (1907), Vedanta

Sutra (1909), Harivamsa (1905) etc.

Two great discoveries on the part of Indian Indologists in the first few

years of the twentieth century gave a new turn to indological studies in this

country. In 1909 the noted South Indian Scholar R. Shama Sastri published from

Mysore the original Artha sastra of Kautilya. The second great discovery, that of

Bhasas plays was made by another giant South Indian scholar M.M.T. Ganapati

Sastri in 1912.

Among the celebrated Indian Indologists of the first quarter of the 20th

century the following deserve special mention- Ananda Kentish Comraswamy (a

49
Ceylonese by birth), Mm. Satish Chandra Vidyabhusana, V. Venkayya, P. Jagadish

Chatterjee, H. Krishnna Sastri, R.P. Chanda, Gopinath Rao, D.R. Bhandarkar, S.K.

Aiyangar and V. Kanakasabi Pillai.

Similarly T.A. Gopinath Rao’s Elements of Hindu iconography

(1914-16), H.K. Sastri’s South Indian images of Gods and Goddesses are valuable

works.

Sir Asutosh Mukherjee has opened post-graduate department of

Ancient Indian History and Culture in Calcutta University in 1918. This Deptt. Has

a long and distinguished career and has produced a large number of celebrated

scholars, such as D.R. Bhandarkar, H.C. Raychaudhuri, Abinaschandra Das, Haran

Chandra Chakladar, Benimadhab Barua, Ramaprasad Chanda were well-known

authorities in their own fields of research.

D.R. Bhandarkar’s ancient Indian Numismatics (1921), Asoka (1923),

Some aspects of Hindu polity (1925), list of inscriptions of Northern India (1927-

36) are very useful works.

H.C. Raychaudhuri was the author of the celebrated Political History

of Ancient India (1923) which has become almost a Bible for the students of

Indology.

Abinashchandra Das, the author of Rigvedic India (1921) and

Rigvedic culture (1925) belongs to vedic civilization.

50
 Chakladar’s studies in the kamasutra of vatsyayana (1924) and Social

life in Ancient India (1929) are works of solid merit.

Benimadhab Barua also wrote good books e.g. Old Brahmi

inscriptions (1929), inscriptions of Asoka (1942) his Magnum Opus is a History of

Pre-Buddhistic Indian Philosophy published in 1921 from Calcutta University.

Prabodhchandra had a good knowledge of Chinese and Tibetan. His

Le Canon Buddhique en Chine in 2 vols. (1927-1938) is an original work of

research. His studies in the Tantras were published in 1939.

Dineschandra Sircar is India’s leading epigraphist came into limelight

by publishing select inscriptions bearing on Indian History and Civilization (Vol.I)

in 1942. He has so far published a very large number of works on Indology. Indian

Epigraphy (1965) and Indian Epigraphical Glossary (1966) are his very popular

works.

Other scholars such as Radhakumud Mookherjee, Rameshchandra

Majumdar, P.V. Kane, Nilakanta Sastri, V.V. Mirashi, D.D. Kosambi and R.N.

Dandekar deserve special mention.

R.C. Majumdar’s history and culture of the Indian people, published

from Bharatiya vidya Bhavan, Bombay, he has done an excellent job. Immortal

works by P.V. Kane e.g. History of Dharmasastra (1930-1962), History of

51
Alamkara Literature (1923) and History of Sanskrit Peotics (1951) are also fine

works of scholarship.

Nilakanta Sastri’s the Colas (1935-37) and History of South India

(1952) are brilliant works.

V.V. Mirashi’s corpus inscriptionum Indicarum (Vol. IV-V) is a work

of very high order.

Dhandekar’s A History of the Guptas (1941) is an authoritative work

on the most brilliant period of ancient Indian History.

The critical edition of the Mahabharata completed in 1959 by BORI,

Poona. Similarly critical edition of the Ramayana has been published by Oriental

Institute, Baroda,

The edition of the entire Pali Pitaka in Devanagari script was

published from Nalanda in 1960 (41 Vols) under the editorship of Bhiksu J.

Kasyap.

MODERN TRENDS IN SANSKRIT LITERATURE

The major forms in which the new interest expressed itself are the

Starting of Sanskrit Journals, translation of western classics, the growth of the

short story, minor poem and the novel, the development of prose used for

narrative, descriptive and critical writings in this form of a short essay or a long

thesis and for general discussion and documentation, the cultivation of literary

52
appreciation and historical criticism on western lines and the exposition of modem

scientific knowledge. Within the country itself, Sanskitists who read the latest

works in the regional languages or wrote themselves in their mother tongues too,

rendered into the classical language the more noteworthy works, old or

contemporary, from the regional languages, thus reinforcing the close association

of Sanskrit with those languages. Thirdly, the new social and political movements

in the public life of the country produced their repercussions on the Sanskrit

writings. In this matter leading Sanskritists trained in colleges, Universities,

Vidyapithas and the Pandits stepped in traditional learning have contributed

usefully.

We could now, as a sort of survey, look into some of the modem

contributions like original creations, short stories, etc.

In the modem times Sanskrit Poetry and Lyrics are seen in Abundance

i.e. Tndiragandhicharitam’, ‘Leninamritam’ and ‘Amritmantham’ are few

important poems. Similarly ‘Shadrituchakram’ of Sham Dev Prashar is a good

lyric.

There are so many dramas one act plays which has also been

broadcasted on Radio as well as on Televisions. Radio Drama/T.V. Serials are the

most important style of this century.

Raghunathacharya, S.B. ed.; Modern Sanskrit literature; tradition and innovations (Modern
Sensibility and Sanskrit literature by Dr. S.S. Janki, P32-43), New Delhi, Sahitya Academy, 2002
53
 Akashwani of different Kendras, states are engaged in the
t

broadcasting of Skt dramas i.e. has aired many plays i.e. ‘UttarramcharitanT and

‘Pandavavijaya’.

In addition to all these, many prominent Sanskrit novels has been

produced i.e. Mathuranath Sastri, Sriniwas Sastri etc has written social novels on

the topics such as dowry, girl foeticide, unemployment, corruption and toxicants

etc. Travel literature is also written in abundance in many forms i.e. mostly the

travel literature in the sense of memories i.e. ‘Kashmir Vihamam’ of Chunni Lai

Sudan, ‘Setuyatra VamanT of T.K. Ganpati Sastri are a few examples of memories

or Yatra-Sahitya.

MINOR POEMS AND SHORT STORIES;

These two categories are not entirely new to classical Sanskrit

literature. But the form in which they are available now is due to the impact of the

west and on account of the Sanskrit periodicals being published in some parts of

India.1

An example of this in modem literature can be seen in the story

‘Hiraka’ (Diamond) of Pt. mathuranath Sastri (published in Samskrta Pratibha of

Vol. 1, ii, 1959, pp. 152-55).2

1. Mazumdar (Ed.), V.10, pt. 2, p.37

2. Ibid pp. 38
54
 Social themes are often found in many short stories, novels and

noveletters. For example, in the Kathapancaka, Pandita Kshamo Rao, a versatile

and progressive writer, deals with topics like social reform child marriage and

early widowhood.1 2

A sample of some highlights from a few categories of modem

writings is seen above. There are other types of modem writings that deal with

historical material, scientific information, literary criticism, travel etc. During the

last century a number of Sanskrit periodicals were started in different parts of India

by enthusiastic Sanskritists. These journals have played an important part in

infusing a fresh life into Sanskrit and discuss in essays and editorial notes every

contemporary event, social question, fresh reform and change.

During the last two decades there is a special emphasis in some

centres at Madras, Tirupati, Bangalore, Orissa, Pondicherry and Punne in reviving

Sanskrit as a spoken language. In this connection various programmes like

methods of teaching and simplification of Sanskrit are being carried out.

A notworthy contribution during the last century is the Sanskrit

translation of major and minor works in the different parts of India. The Sahitya

Academy is organizing seminars on the subject and honoring the translators every

year.3

1. ibid pp. 41
2. Mazumdar (Ed.)* V.10, pt. 2, p.42
3. Ibid pp. 42
55
 From the above brief survey of modern writings it is evident that

Sanskritists scattered in different parts of India are puttingforth enthusiastic efforts

to keep their language alive, by keeping themselves abreast of the contemporary

events and incorporating new themes, styles of expression and communication.

The efforts of the present-day Sanskritists give the assurance that they would

always be able to rise to the occasion; and that with their deep roots in tradition

and sensibility to make reasonable adjustments within the tradition, they are

prepared to keep up the glow of language and the culture represented by it to

continue successfully, even in the midst of great changes in value systems in India

and Outside.

It has also been noted that the publication of journals in Sanskrit has

been a remarkable phenomenon and that the establishment of Sanskrit Universties,

Rashtriya Sanskrti Sansthan and Kendriya Sanskrit Vidyapeethas in the country

have encouraged the development of Sanskrit literature, including research

literature. The contributions made by several Departments of Sanskrit in various

universities and those of institutions like Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute

have also been appreciated. But it is still felt that the modem Sanskrit is still

groping and has still not found the right rhythm and tenor for its development in

the context of rapidly changing scenario of today.1

1. Mazumdar (Ed.), V.10, pt. 2, p.7

56