Jain Journal 1970 01

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

Page 51

JANUARY, 1970
157
about which I unfortunately knew very little. So I wrote to some learned societies in West India requesting them to supply the information to him, and in due course he informed me that they had sent him a lot of literature on the subject. Some time later he worte to say that he had retired, Dr. Alsdorf had succeeded him, but he was continuing his teaching work (which German Professors are entitled to do, if they so desired, even after retirement). He further informed me that he had arranged to have his book Die Lehre, translated into English in Germany at last by a German, had entrusted the printing and publication of it to Messrs. Motilal Banarsidas of Delhi, who however were so slow in sending him the proofs that he was very doubtful if the work would be completed during his life-time. I thereupon called on the Manager of the firm and pleaded with him for expediting the work. For these small services Schubring thanked me profusely, whereas when I thanked him for any of the great help I received from him while in Germany, he used to brush aside my expressions of gratitude as quite redundant. In 1964 he sent me the finished copy of the translation of Die Lehre
hich I was very glad to review in the Indo-Asian Culture On receiveing the review, in which I had adversely commented on the quality of the translation, he desired me to give him some specific instances of the translator's faults although, he added, he would not tell the translator about it. On my doing so, he said he now found that he had overrated the translator's ability. Here are two instances of his sense of humour in a letter sometime after his retirement he wrote that he had yet a few students "sitting at my lotus-feet"; about a pompous Indian Sanskritist touring continental countries with very ambitious schemes, he wrote “Dr.- came here in course of his digvijaya.”
Some time later he sent me a reprint of an Essay by him on Jainism that formed part of a German encyclopaedia entitled the Religions of the World just published in many volumes, of which three were devoted to Indian religions. On reading it I worte to him desiring his and his Publishers' permission to publish an English translation of his Essay for the use of Indian students. He gave me the permission readily and said the Publishers also did the same but the latter wanted a guarantee that I would not prevent their own English translation of the three volumes on Indian religions that they were planning, from being put on the market, on the legal ground that my translation of his Essay had appeared first-a natural precaution on the part of a commercial concern ! Schubring added with his usual humour that he had replied to the Publishers that an elephant need have no fears from a mosquito ! The Publishers wrote to me also and I sent them a formal assurance. I was doing at the time some work of my own at the Sanskrit College,