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DECEMBER, 1898.)
IN MEMORIAM GEORGE BÜHLER.
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respect. Bühler himself took his share as an editor in this Series by publishing excellent editions of some books of the Panchatantra, of the first part of Dandin's Dašak um áracharita, and other important texts.
From 1870 Bühler acted as Education Inspector in the Northern Division of the Bombay Presidency. If we read his Annual Reports on his work in this capacity, as they are printed in the Reports of the Department of Public Instruction in the Bombay Presidency (1870-1880), we can get an idea of the zeal and enthusiasm with which he devoted himself to his official duties, ever anxious to raise the standard of education in the district entrasted to his administration. Bühler's services were fully appreciated by the Education Department, and when, in 1880, he retired from the service, the Director of Public Instruction in the Bombay Presidency, in his Report for the year 1879-80, referred to Bühler's work in India in the following words: His Excellency in Council will take this opportunity of expressing his great regret at the loss which the Department has sustained by the retirement from the service of Dr. Bühler, whose zealous labours have done so much to lay the foundation of a sound popular education in Gujarat, while he has no less distinguished himself by his successful exertions in the collection of some thousands of manuscripts in Central India, Rajputâna, the Panjaub, Kashmir, etc., as well as in this Presidency; in the preparation of standard works on Hindu Law and literature, and in adding to the stock of philological and archæological lore. By his influence as a Teacher in Government Colleges and Examiner in the University of Bombay. he has not only kept alive an interest in Sanskpit, but has extended the study of that language, and raised the standard of Oriental Scholarship throughout the west of India."
Bühler's great and important travels for the Search for Sanskrit Manuscripts began in 1866, and the Report of the Department of Public Instruction of the Bombay Presidency for the year 1866-67 contains an highly valuable report by Bühler on discoveries made on his tour to the Southern Maratha Country in search of Sanskrit Manuscripts. The Director of Public Instruction, referring to Bühler's labours during this tour, says: By conversing fluently in the Sanskrit Language with Brahman Shastris at the various places which he visited, he succeeded to a great extent in inspiring confidence and in allaying the prejudices of persons who were at first unwilling to show their sacred volumes to an European.'
This search for Sanskrit MSS., for which, thanks to the efforts of Mr. Whitley Stokes Government had made an annual grant of 25,000 Rupees, now occupied Bühler for many years With untiring zeal and energy he searched the libraries in many parts of India, and discovered most valuable and unexpected treasures.. And his investigations, carried on with no less enthusiasm than knowledge of his subject, led to discoveries in all branches of Indian literature. Indeed, some entire branches of literature were brought to light by him for the first time.
Thus, before the days of Bühler, our knowledge of the highly important literature of the Jainas was very scanty indeed, although the members of this sect had for centuries displayed an extraordinary literary activity, and the most valaable collections of Sanskrit and Pråkpit MSS. were hidden away in the old and rich libraries of the Jaina monasteries. Bühler was the first to start a systematic investigation of these treasuries of Sarasvati' as the Jainas call their libraries. The Library of Jesalmer, searched by Bühler in 1874, was the first Jaina library, which a European was allowed to search. It was no easy matter to be admitted to these jealously guarded treasures. The monks and ministers in Jesalmer tried, by every possible means, to prevent the inspection of their library, and it required not a little patience and tact and diplomacy on Bühler's part to enable him to examine all the MSS. in it. But his labour was amply rewarded. For not only was this library rich in valuable MSS. both of the religious literature of the Jainas and of profane Brahmanical literature, but these MSS. also proved to be of high antiquity. Before the year 1873 no MSS. were known in India to be older than the 15th century. In 1873. Bühler had discovered MSS. dated as early as A. D. 1258, and here in Jesalmer he was delighted to find MSS. of a still earlier date, some going back to
