New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-11-18
A SAMPLE PAGE FROM ONE OF THE MANU-
SCRIP1o.

A SAMPLE PAGE FROM ONE OF THE MANU-
SCRIP1o.
numerous commentaries by Sankaracharya, the
Ramayana Mahabarata. and vast number Of
other works Of greater or lesser Importance, have
had literal notwithstanding to the lights
Of the transla tors-and still the demand grew
more rapidly than the supply.
A report issued by Harvard University in 1890
stated clearly and simply the. truth when 1t
affirmed that: THE indispensableness Of Indo-
Iranian studies has long since been fully demon
strated: while the value Of such studies
TO the teacher Of the classics to the student Of
the comparative history of religion. philosophy or
jurisprudence is becoming year by year more
apparent"
At that time Harvard possessed 1000 manu-
scripts. 500 Of which had been given by private
collector and the others gathered by Professor
Lauman, through an English Governmental agent
in India. Large as that number may seem-and
II Is understood TO have been increased since
that date-it is still really insignificant, in point
Of number at least. by comparison with the enor
NOUS quantities of manuscripts acquired by some
Of the European gatherers notably the Royal
Asiatc Society OF London. which has been
pending thousands Of pounds annually in this
work
In recent years. however, the number procured
has been steadily and rapidly diminishing. and
now few works Of real value any longer
purchased. This is not because there is any De-
cline in Occidental interest. falling off in
means wherewith 10 buy. and least Of all is ii
from exhaustion Of the supply. 1t is well known
that Brahman and Buddhist pundits IN India
still hold treasures many tens Of thousands
Of archaic manuscripts; indeed. It is even by
some affirmed that the number would aggregate
hi
pear strange or improbable when /. is reTnen-
bered that they are the accommodations of vast
herarchal caste through procession ~ ages
in comparison with which our records Of historic
time are but as the story Of yesterday. Swami
Dayanand Sarasvati. the greatest Sarscr- schol-
Of his day. declared that "wlat crossed the
Kelapani Ghe black waters Of the ocean,, from
India 70 Europe were only the bits # rejected
copies Of some passages from opr sarred books.
The reason Why valuable manuscripts are TOW
50 rarely attainabe by purchasers is nat the.r
custodans Brahmans and Buddhists alike. re-
sent strongly the treatment they and their liter
airy treasures have received a. the hand q
Occidental "Olientalists" Instead Of being called
upon to aid in expoundirg their manuscripts. as
they had expected to b.. they found themselves
coniemptucusly put aside. They protested that
worthy translations could not be made without
an understanding Of the eso.-ric significance
yelled by mere wOrdy parallels. gOody-eo)d
stories inierminable dialogues and fantastic
legends but their pretensions were laughed at.
They were patronizingly assured there was 30
hidden Significance tc be discovered, ana they
would know that II they only understood san
scrlt and Pail az well tho Western wise men
who had just picked up those languages. That
was actually what told 10 men who had
spen, their lives in study Of those manuscripts.
whose knowledge Of the philosophy and religion
they taught was only equallod by their pro-
found veneration for them. and to whom &C.
Quaintance with Sanscrit and Pail was matter
OF caste inheritance.
OF course. 1t is not to be assumed that every
Brahman and Buddhist priest possesses TINS
knowledge Those who do are special CLASS
characterized as the "Sanscrt-knowing pun
dts" and few II any % the many Hindoos VINO
are unhappy under English rule are to-day
more misera bic than they or the many ancient
seats OF learning formerly maintained by the
Rajahs and others OF wealth as free SCHOOLS III
which these pundits were employer 10 'eaV"
youth bu, one renains II Is at Tirudar. IN
southern India. on the River CALVARY Inc
local Rajah supports It, All the others are apah-
doned, and the pundits. having no resource
out their learning. are driven either 10 n''i'''i
employment or starvation. Destitute, disheart-
"eu ny inc seeming nopeieSs"eSS VI 49," =
lion. seeing the youth Of the country-even 'he'r
own sons-forced IA enier English schools to oo-
tain the education necessary 10 gain "A hVelnnotph
ana feeling keeny the injustice WIN WI, W.,
,Mey have been treated these uiioi a Inc ~,
iearned men can only retaliate In one "aS
Withholding from their contemptuous oppresS9So,o
me wisdom Of which they are the cus'ouial,a'
90 their priceless manuscripts are pun 49, 49,
hidden away often with little care for theli ~
eervation. TO moulder to dust or be destroye" ~
the ants
Seeing tins condition of affairs and realizing
snat might be done by approaching me punui'o
- an altogether new way, some gehl'en nen,ot 80
Known As the Nlgamagama Dharma sauna,
which availed itself Of the influence OF sHe
ssheosophica movement in India ana inc CON- CON-
eeence felt there In tine Theosophists lIeeuos,
from the narrow sectarian and racial preJdua.ud
700 700 commonly demonstrated by Westerhers aN
sne representatives. Of Western tnougb!, go'e.n
mental religious and social Southern India was
selected az their field Of operations Thefe ~ 20
s'neved still exist. In the hands OF the sn'a''"'"