Jain Journal 1970 01

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 38

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JAIN JOURNAL
shook his head doubtfully and said that in Germany it was considered essential and indispensable that a Sanskritist should know Vedic as the Vedas are the earliest literature of the Indo-Aryans, from which all other varieties of Sanskritic languages had developed. He desired therefore that I should join the Vedic classes he was already holding for his general students and in due course after some days showed me Macdonell's big volume on Vedic Grammer in the Seminar Library, which he asked me to read up. I did of course everything he desired but he always remembered my lack of interest in the Vedas. As my field of research work lay outside the scope of the Vedas, he never however pressed the matter any further.
A similar problem arose in his mind when he learnt that I intended to take up Greek and Roman History (Ancient History as it was called in Germany) as one of my subsidiary subjects-in German universities a student has to read two Subsidiary subjects besides the Principal subject in which he intends to offer his Doctoral thesis. Why was I interested in Greek and Roman History ? he asked, and I replied that it was because of Ancient India's contacts with the Graeco-Roman world. Did I know Greek and Latin ? he asked. Not beyond a mere smattering, I replied, and added that Sanskrit, and not Greek and Latin as in Europe, is our classical language and therefore we hardly learnt Greek and Latin and that plenty of good literature on Graeco-Roman History and Culture was available in the English language. He reflected for a while and then said, “Well, I suppose that may do for your present studies for it is going to be only a subsidiary subject for you. I shall explain that to Professor Ziebarth" (who was to be my teacher in that subject and who was a close friend of Schubring). When I met Ziebarth later, he granted me his permission.
Before the interview closed Schubring enquired about the lodging I had taken and where I was having my meals. I told him I had taken a room not far from the University, out of the addresses recommended to me by the Auslandsstelle, and ate at the “Mensa" (the restaurant maintained by the University for students—some of the Professors also occasionally ate there—where the charges were about forty per cent cheaper than in restaurants outside). Finally he fixed another day for me to meet him again in his suburban home for further talks about my plan of studies. This suburban station was reached by electric train from Hamburg via the big station of Altona-Hamburg and Altona were practically joint-cities. Schubring warned me that the train for his station would move backwards on leaving Altona and added humorously that I must not jump out thinking that I was in a wrong train !