________________
70
REVIEWS
investigation of the relevant texts and a critical examination of the views expressed by other scholars. This small and unpretentious book is an important contribution to the study not only of Vedānta philosophy but of Indian thought in general because the author is keenly aware of the particular characteristics of Indian thinking which are often overlooked by modern Hindu authors and Western Scholars.
NOTE
1 Written ca. 900 A.D. according to Halbfass (p. 96).
Australian National University
J. W. DE JONG
Joachim Deppert (ed.), India and the West. Proceedings of a Seminar Dedicated to the Memory of Hermann Goetz (South Asian Studies No. XV). New Delhi, Manohar, 1983. Vertrieb durch Franz Steiner Verlag GmbH, Wiesbaden, DM 46,-.
According to the preface, this book presents a selection from the papers read during a seminar held on February 25-28, 1982, in the frame of the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Max Müller Bhavan, New Delhi. The seminar was dedicated to the memory of Hermann Goetz (1898–1976) and it was organised around the two main themes of his work: that significant research into Indian art history is only possible in collaboration with indology, comparative religion and philosophy, archeology, history, ethnology, sociology, and the general history of civilization; and that India in all her manifoldness is not at all to be isolated from, but put . into the context with, the West.
Hermann Kulke characterizes the life and work of Hermann Goetz (pp. 13-23) and A. Ranganathan writes on 'The Relevance of Coomaraswamy and Goetz to the History of Ideas - Some Aesthetic Considerations' (pp. 25-43). By far the longest contribution is Joachim Deppert's article, entitled 'East or West - The Precedent: The Aryan Schism' (pp. 45-138), the main theme of which is indicated in the following words: "The antagonistic direction -- the Veda to the Indian east, the Avesta to the Iranian west of Afghanistan - portend more than a fait accompli imposed on the cultural diffusion by random topographical features calling upon migrators in virtue of easy access. They epitomize the fundamental, the conscious and subconscious attitudes of the two Aryan cultures against each other, governed by mutual contradictions and suspensions in terms of complementary couples, of binomials yoked together by mutual inversion or negative determination of pole and generic antipole, like east/west” (pp. 51-52). Deppert's article is written in
Indo-Iranian Journal 30 (1987).
