Jain Journal 1970 01

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

Page 52

158
JAIN JOURNAL
Calcutta, where I met an American scholar, Mr. T. C. Burke, also carrying on research studies in Sanskrit. Mr. Burke studied Sanskrit in Berlin University just before coming to Calcutta and possessed an excellent knowledge of German which he had cultivated since his school days. He readily agreed to collaborate with me in translating Schubring's Essay, and Dr. Gaurinath Sastri, the then Principal of the Sanskrit College, with his great interest in promoting research work very kindly proposed to include the translation in the Research Memoirs of the College. When completed I sent the translation to Schubring and on his approving it, it was seen quickly through the Press thanks to Dr. Sastri's energetic handling. In the meantime Schubring had sent me the French translation of the volume of the German encyclopedia containing his essay, just published from Paris. When he received printed copies of our English translation (1966), he wrote personal letters to Dr. Sastri and Mr. Burke thanking them for their help in bringing out the translation.
Thereafter I could not keep in touch with him owing to some pressing preoccupations of my own and was grieved to learn at last from his daughter's letter that he had passed away at the age of 87 suffering for a long time as a result of an accident he had unfortunately met with. The departure of the last of my great Gurus, I feel like a personal loss, for now I can no more turn to him for advice and opinion in matters of doubt and difficulty.
I think the best tribute we in India can pay to his memory is to give greater attention to the scientific study of the enormous literature of the Jainas, sacred and secular, which represents one of the main streams of the cultural history of India, and thus advance the cause, to the service of which Schubring devoted his lifelong labours.