Indian Antiquary Vol 34

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 98

92
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(APRIL, 1905.
applied himself specially to acquiring a thorough that can be usefully brought together; see, for knowledge of Sanskrit. After taking his degree, instance, the entries under Abhimanyu, PP. 1, 2, he was for a time & school-master. But he resign- Açlesbi and Açlesbih, pp. 4, 5, Agvatthiman, ed his post in order to continue his oriental pp. 9 to 11, Agni, pp. 19 to 24, and Ambarisha, studies.
p. 30: and for some shorter, but typical and very In 1883 he was made Doctor of Philology, and useful notes, see the entries under Abhira, p. 3, published a book entitled “The Position of the Acvaka, p. 8, and Agastyatirtba, p. 17. And it Mahabhārata in Indian Literature." And he includes & synopsis of the contents of the various wrote a variety of papers on oriental subjecte, divisions of the epic under the titles of them, thus one of which, on "The Position of Sanskpit in presenting in these places the treatment to which the General Development of Languages in India,"
the bulk of Professor Jacobi's book was devoted, gained for him, in 1890, the gold medal of the
and here again conspicuously meeting the requireDanish Academy of Sciences.
ments of those who do not read German ; see, for In 1899 he became a lecturer at the Copenhagen
instance, the entries under Abhimanyuvadhapar. University. In 1900 he was elected a member of
van, pp. 2, 3, Açramavāsaparvan, pp. 5 to 7 the Academy of Sciences. In May 1902 he was
Agastyopakhyana, pp. 17, 18, and Agniparibhava, appointed Professor of Indian Philology at
p. 24. A noteworthy feature of this part of the Copenhagen, in succession to Professor Fausböll. work is that it is arranged according to the And he died in the following December.
European alphabetical order, just as every such
"index," prepared in an European language, of the great work of Dr. Sörensen's life, we
should be arranged. have now before ne the first instalment, taken
This part of Dr. Sörensen's work is, indeed, through the press with all the care that it go
more an Encyolopædia than an Index. And it richly merite, and published in as fine and clear
is, in fact, the first step towards a real Olassical a style of printing as it could well receive.
and Geographical Dictionary of India. Its value The scope of the work is explained by its title,
will be incalculable, not simply to those who may It is an Index to the Names in the Mahabharata,
co-operate in the preparation of a final critical with a Concordance to the Bombay and Calcutta
text of the epic, but to all who are engaged in Editions and Protap Chandra Roy's Translation.
any line of research into the ancient past of The Concordance, it happens, has been to India. And it is to be hoped that the example a certain extent forestalled by Professor Jacobi's
now before us may induce others to take in hand book on the Mahabhārata, published in 1909, similar compilations for other works and divisions which gives the comparative arrangement of the of Indian literature, Sanskrit, Präksit, or Påli, Bombay and Calcutta texta on pages 242 to 257, which can be turned to practical purposes of and supplies the names of the divisions of the historical research, whether in the political, the epic in footnotes below the analysis of the contents religious, the geographical, or any other, line, and, of them in the body of the book. But there are leaving the domain of literature, for the epigramany people, interested in the subject, by whom phic records. But the field is a vast one, and can Professor Jacobi's book, written in German, be properly worked only on the principle of cannot be utilised. And to them Dr. Sörensen's co-operation of labour, by breaking it up into work, published in English, will be invaluable
manageable areas. in both its departments. Moreover, in the two
In the present instalment, Part respects mentioned above, it gives in one and the
I., of
Dr. Sörensen's work, we have the Concordance same place the details which in the other book we
complete, in 33 pages, and 32 pages of the Index, have to find in two places
from "Abala" to almost the end of " AmbopakhyDr. Sörensen's Index, however, judged by the anaparvan;" both on royal quarto pages, with two present instalment of it, stands unique, and will columns to the page. It is a satisfaction to know supersede everything that has as yet been given that he left the whole Index complete, and the to us in ita line. It is no partial index, giving us greater part of it ready for publication, that only a limited selection of references. And it is portion ot it, which still required final revision no mere list of references, only telling the more or
and arrangement, is being prepared for the press less vaguely where we may look for passages in
by thoroughly competent hands; and that the which we may or may not find what we want. ! publishers anticipate being able to make quick From each passage, it quotes anything worth
shing worth progress in continuing the issue. noting which is to be found in that passage. Wherever there is sufficient field, it presenta, in
J. F. FLEET. more or less of the form of an article, everything | 23rd November, 1904.