Indology list ,Hinduja

[ACHARB at MSUVX1.MEMPHIS.EDU]

Mr. Peter Gaeffke wrote recently:
> 
>It would be a great loss to those interested in South Asia when for what 
>reasons ever contributors to the List such as Mr. Achar would be removed. He 
>has brought up one of the central problems which plague recent Western 
>scholarship on India:
>

He is too generous. In his view,one 

>
>........... camp follows a vision that a serious attempt to discover the
>truth was made since the methods of classical philology and indo-european
>linguistics were applied in the study of the Veda and from there in the
>larger field of classical indology. However, this discovery of the truth
>and the truth itself are complicated and sometimes excruciating processes. 
>Nevertheless, useful contributions to a field which has advanced since
>enormously, has been made by the scholars of the 19th century. Mistaken
>judgments and egregious assumptions were and will be always with us 
>


 where as my view, which is in his opinion, 

"definitely 'studium' (partisanship) which easily clouds the view of the whole
picture and ultimately makes the attainment of something like the truth
impossible...."


Be it as may. I would like to submit that no one has a lock on truth any more
than others. It just reminds me of the story of  six blind men and the elephant.

He further writes:
>As to Max Mueller, the really interesting question is: Why would an 
>intelligent human being in his right mind devote nearly most of his 
>working life to the study of a text which he himself calls "childish in 
>the extreme," "tedious,""common place," etc. 
>
>One can say, of course, he did this to please the British imperialists 
>and his friends, the royal family and this would cast a serious blame on 
>his character.. 
>


The clue actually can be found in Paul Courtright's very informative article,
which tells about Wilson's competition, Rev. Mills.

Max Mueller had the missionary zeal (it is clear from his letter to his wife).


>But why then was he called Mokshamula in India and why took Vivekananda
>the great trouble to Visit him in Oxford?. 
>
This was in recognition of his genius

-Narahari Achar