Jain Journal 1998 10

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

Page 40

BANERJEE RESEARCH IN SANSKRIT AND JAINA LITERATURE
from Albrecht Weber's Akademische Vorlesungen über indische literaturgeschichte published in 1852. He has mentioned 500 works of Indian literature. Despite its defects in style, the book has remained as the most reliable and most complete handbook of Indian literature. We are amazed with just pride at the progress of Sanskrit studies which science had made in a comparatively short period of time.
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The Europeans who studied Sanskrit were fully conversant with the classical languages of Europe-Greek and Latin-and they brought with them the refined knowledge of these two classical languages. When they looked at different problems of Sanskrit-its textual and linguistic-they turned to Greek and Latin for guidance, for acquiring the knowledge of how to edit a classical text. In one word, they modelled Sanskrit on Greek and Latin. It would be an enormous, a Sisyphean task, to write a history of their contributions to Sanskrit studies, but we can point out only this much how the knowledge of Sanskrit helped scholars to restore some hidden texts of some languages. The discovery of Avesta is one of such instances where Sanskrit played a major part in modern times.
(i) The Recovery of Avesta through Sanskrit
The knowledge of the Avesta texts and the religion, manners and customs of ancient Persia, was terribly shrouded in darkness until about two centuries ago. Herodotus (450 B.C) in his History (I. 131141), Plutarch (A.D. C 46-C120) in his 'On Isis and Osiris' and Pliny (A.D. 23-79) down to Agathias (500 A.D.) talked about the teachings of Avesta. After the Mohammedan conquest of Persia, some Arabic writers, such as, Masūdi (940 A.D.) gave us information on the Avesta of Zeradusht and its commentary called Zend along with a Pazand explanation. Later on, Al-Biruni (about 1000 A.D.), Shahrastani (1150 A.D.) talked about the Zoroastrian religion. The text was not till then discovered by them.
It was in the middle of the 18th century that a young Frenchman Anquetil du Perron became interested in Avestan. Sometime in November 1754, he came to India, learned the language along with Persian, collected some manuscripts and went back to Paris in 1761. After ten years' labour he published his translation of Avesta. This translation was severely criticised by scholars, and its authenticity was also challenged. Even the distinguished orientalist, Sir William Jones, called it a forgery. But it was the study of Sanskrit that finally won the victory and settled the authenticity of the sacred Books of the Parsis.