Truths. Prodosh Aich

Soma-Deva Hermann Brockhaus

      9 Hitopadesa Hermann Brockhaus

      “Soma-Deva” is the name of a writer who has retold Indian legends, fairy tales and folk tales originally handed down in the Sanskrit language. “Hitopadesha” is a collection of episodic pieces in the Sanskrit language written in the early centuries. Translations in Arabic, Persian and English are available since the 16^th century. We are unable to comprehend how university lectures on publications like these can teach a language like Sanskrit.

      For all practical purposes, Friedrich Maximilian Müller has left Leipzig University before the winter term 1843/44 begins. He wished initially to attend only three lectures. We mention them.

      1 Greek and Latin Seminary Hermann & Klotze

      2 Elementa Persica Fleischer

      3 Rig-veda Hermann Brockhaus

      Obviously, Friedrich Maximilian Müller is still indecisive. He tends to learn Persian also. Keeping the “cute story” in mind (“first love, Sanskrit and the rest”) we are informed by Max Müller. We read in the autobiography, pages 122 ff:

       “Here my Collegien Buch breaks off, the fact being that I was preparing to go to Berlin to hear the lectures of Bopp and Schelling.

      It will be clear from the above list (he refers to the list of all lectures he has attended at Leipzig University) that I certainly attempted too much. I ought either to have devoted all my time to classical studies exclusively, or carried on my philosophical studies more systematically. I confess that, delighted as I was with Gottfried Hermann and Haupt as my guides and teachers in classics, I found little that could rouse my enthusiasm for Greek and Latin literature, and I always required a dose of that to make me work hard. Everything seemed to me to have been done, and there was no virgin soil left to the plough, no ruins on which to try one’s own spade. Hermann and Haupt gave me work to do, but it was all in the critical line – the genealogical relation of various MSS, or, again the peculiarities of certain poets, ... ”

      A lengthy lecture follows on classical languages, on literature, on philosophers and on philosophy with lots of platitudes and clichés up to the end of the page 141 ff in the autobiography. Thereafter we read:

       “For a time I thought of becoming a philosopher, and that sounded so grand that the idea of preparing for a mere schoolmaster, teaching Greek and Latin, seemed to me more and more too narrow a sphere. Soon, however, while dreaming of a chair of philosophy at a German University, I began to feel that I must know something special, something that no other philosopher knew, and that induced me to learn Sanskrit, Arabic and Persian. (...) It was a fortunate coincidence that at that very time, in the winter of 1841, a new professorship was founded at Leipzig and given to Professor Brockhaus. Uncertain as I was about the course I had to follow in my studies, I determined to see what there was to be learnt in Sanskrit. There was a charm in the unknown, and, I must confess, a charm also in studying something which my friends and fellow students did not know.”

      It does not sound like a “love for Sanskrit”. Does it? We are again caught up with the cute story of Friedrich Maximilian Müller’s “first love, Sanskrit and the rest” (p.109-111). Anyway, one can read lectures delivered by Max Müller on languages, on Sanskrit, on etymology of words, on ancient gods, on Aryans, and what not. Obviously Friedrich Maximilian Müller could have known nothing of all these from Hermann Brockhaus. We shall have to know how Hermann Brockhaus had learnt his Sanskrit and where and from whom and for how long.

      We keep this in our mind. After reading the lecture delivered by Max Müller on languages, on Sanskrit, on etymology of words, on ancient gods, on Aryans, and what not, we reach the page 152 and read:

      “He (Professor Gottfried Hermann) by no means discouraged me, nay, he was sorry to lose me, when in my third year I went to Berlin. He showed me great kindness on several occasions, and when the time came to take my degree of M.A. and Ph.D., he, as Dean of the faculty, invited me to return to Leipzig, offering me an exhibition to cover the expenses of the Degree.”

      At that time, it was a must to celebrate getting an academic degree. The customs in terms of dress and entertainments are fixed. It is quite expensive. These are documented in the annals of the German universities; Leipzig University included.

      Georgina Max Müller quoted in her book a letter written by Friedrich Maximilian Müller to one of his friends who became a known writer in course of time. Theodor Fontane. It is being translated from German. We have not seen the original. We do not know who translated this letter (p. 19). We take it as it is. It is dated September 1843 only, i.e. much before the WS 1843/1884 begins:

       “Dear Fontane,—I can well imagine that you have often cursed me not a little as I gave no sign of life for such a long time; but Morbus excusat hominejti, and I will add, Nisi homo excusat morbum I I hope you have carried on your Latin studies so far as to comprehend the deep meaning of these words; and if a human heart still beats in your breast, you must pity me, poor wretch, for having spent nearly the whole vacation in a nervous fever, so that I must stay almost the whole of next term here in Leipzig. It is ill-luck, you will agree. Well, one could almost despair, but where's the good of it? I have quietly unpacked my books and things again, and sit in Reichel's Garden, up three flights, up which I have to climb with many gasps. I am in Leipzig incognito, for I had already paid my farewell visits everywhere, and altogether feel no inclination for society.”

      Friedrich Maximilian Müller leaves Leipzig University when he is twenty. He has studied unsystematically different subjects for only two and half years. He does not even try to take an academic degree. He even does not care to take a testified University leaving certificate. We wonder how he could have explained to his mother that he leaves Leipzig University without trying to take a single academic degree. Or did he belie his mother all together?

      In SS 1844, he takes admission at the Royal Frederick William University in Berlin, as a student in the Faculty of Theology. Yes, Theology. It is documented. As “the student Friedrich Maximilian Müller”. What does it mean?

      We ascertain, Friedrich Maximilian Müller does not acquire any qualification in any subject at the Leipzig University that could be assessed even as average achievement. He misused the scholarship of the Anhalt-Dessau Government for poor students. We are unable to relate his meagrely acquired knowledge to his deliberations of our first Chapter. In our search, we can leave Leipzig behind us. Our attention is focussed now at the Royal Frederick William University in Berlin. He is in search of “virgin soil”. We recall:

       “I found little that could rouse my enthusiasm for Greek and Latin literature, and I always required a dose of that to make me work hard. Everything seemed to me to have been done, and there was no virgin soil left to the plough, no ruins on which to try one’s own spade.”

      We recall also: “I began to feel that I must know something special, something that no other philosopher knew, and that induced me to learn Sanskrit, Arabic and Persian.”

      Well. Apprehensively we raise, to begin with, the question whether there had been facilities to learn “Sanskrit, Arabic and Persian” in Europe in general and at Leipzig in particular. Then we raise the question whether Friedrich Maximilian Müller does learn “Sanskrit, Arabic and Persian” to understand philosophical literatures in these languages at Leipzig University.

      As regard to the Sanskrit language, he could not have learnt more than Hermann Brockhaus knew. We leave these two questions unanswered. We leave them here as issues, as noted items, to think about. We shall get back to these questions later.

      Presently we just fail to comprehend how modern scholars in Europe always assume and claim that they do learn and gain command over classical languages like Sanskrit, Arabic and Persian in a few months. Why do they fail