WRITTEN BY LONDON SWAMINATHAN

Post No. 13,683

Date uploaded in London – 18 September 2024                 

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Theodor Goldstucker (1821- 1872) was a Jew and a great Sanskrit scholar. His contemporary Max Muller proposed many absurd theories and contradicted himself even in writing. He was torn to pieces by Goldstucker. Prof. Wilson, another Sanskrit scholar, also opposed Max Muller’s dating of the Rig Veda. Then Max Muller went back on his statement.

The mystery about Theodor Goldstucker is that his picture is NOT seen anywhere in the world though he worked in London for long. Another mystery is that he left some sealed matter to India Office Library ( now part of the British Library in London) and asked them open it after 1920.  No one know where it is and what is inside it. It must be definitely about India. And the last mystery is still his Mahabharata translation with his critical notes is not published.

Did he deliberately erase his identity or someone erased all  traces  of him? We must find out. There should be someone, somewhere in the world with the family name Goldstucker. Why didn’t great scholars of India and abroad try to retrieve his sealed matter?

Here is what he contributed to the Sanskrit speaking world:

He was the first scholar in Europe who penetrated the Mahabhasya without the help of pundits. He stressed the importance of indigenous traditions and learning.

Theodor Goldstucker was born on 18-1-1821 in Koenigsberg ; he studied  for two years at the  university in his home town  and later went to Bonn in 1838. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in 1840 in Koenigsberg. He studied Sanskrit manuscripts in Paris before going to London in 1850.  A year later, he became Sanskrit professor at the university college in London. He held this post until his death on 6-3- 1872.

Goldstucker’s first work, published anonymously was the drama translation of Prabodha Chandrodaya . H H Wilson entrusted him with the task of preparing the third edition of the Sanskrit- English dictionary. It was planned on a grand scale but was never completed.

Following Goldstucker’s initiative, the Sanskrit Text Society was founded. Their first publication was Goldstucker’s  Jaimininia nyayamala vistra, London 1865-67. The edition of the Mahabhasya, begun by Goldstucke,r was published in 1874 after his death.

In 1861, Goldstucker edited Manava Kalpasutra, being a portion of this ancient work on Vedic rites together with a commentary of Kumarila swamin. The preface of this work, Panini, His Place in Sanskrit literature appeared as a separate work, in London and Berlin 1861. This is one of the brilliant works on Sanskrit philology. Goldstucker discussed the great grammarian Panini and his relationship with other grammarians e.g. Katyayana, Patanjali and Yaska.

In his paper on the deficiencies in the present administration of Hindu Law 1871, Goldstucker advocated the idea that the Indian law should be administered according to Indian Law book. Goldstucker was often consulted on legal matters by the British Government.

After his death, two volumes of Literary Remains of the late Theodor Goldstucker appeared in London in 1879. His complete critical translation of the Mahabharata, was, unfortunately, not published.

Source book: German Indologists ,Dialogue 1990.

—Subham—

Tags-  Theodor Goldstucker, Jewish Scholar, Mystery