[INDOLOGY] Johannes Bronkhorst gone

Fri Jun 13 19:52:33 UTC 2025

Dear colleagues,
As I only check in on Indology irregularly, I was shocked and saddened to
learn of the departure of Johannes and Joy from this world. I had met
Johannes numerous times at conferences and worked together with him in
Lausanne 20 years back on the reading of *MBh* 12.211-12—we disagreed
strongly about 211 and neither of us had a confident reading then of 212.
As I continued with the translation, interpretation, and annotation of the
*Mokṣadharmaparvan*, I was often addressing Johannes and numerous of his
writings in my mind. His leaving creates a big “Johannes-shaped hole in the
Universe,” and I do miss him. I will never again trade ideas with him while
looking at his wryly smiling face and those twinkling eyes!

In a piece I wrote for his Festchrift  *Devadattīyam*, I likened his
*sāmarthya*, his *lāghava*, and his seeming ubiquity to Bhīṣma’s fighting
from his chariot during the great war. The metaphor still seems fitting in
retrospect:

In the Mahābhārata dexterous and skillful warriors sometimes move so
quickly as they turn and shoot their bows that they appear to be facing
several directions at once and shooting arrows in visibly continuous
streams. Or they move so rapidly they appear to be many heroes fighting
simultaneously. So Bhīṣma, on the third day of the war "showed how quick
his hands were as he whirled upon the platform of his chariot, appearing
there, and there! and there and there! as with the wheel of fire (
*alātacakravat*)! Because he was so quick, the Pāṇḍavas and the Sṛñjayas
saw in that single mighty hero many hundreds and thousands of warriors
fighting in the battle. People there thought Bhīṣma’s body was something
made by magic—they saw him east, west, north, and south!"

(*MBh* 6.55.21–24: *sa nṛtyan vai rathopasthe darśayan pāṇilāghavam* /
*alātacakravad
rājaṃs tatra tatra sma dṛśyate *// 21 // *tam ekaṃ samare śūraṃ pāṇḍavāḥ
sṛñjayās tathā /* *anekaśatasāhasraṃ samapaśyanta lāghavāt *// 22 //
*māyākṛtātmānam
iva bhīṣmaṃ tatra sma menire /* *pūrvasyāṃ diśi taṃ dṛṣṭvā pratīcyāṃ
dadṛśur janāḥ* // 23 // *udīcyāṃ cainam ālokya dakṣiṇasyāṃ punaḥ
prabho /* *evaṃ
sa samare vīro gāṅgeyaḥ pratyadṛśyata* //24.)

"And his bow formed a full-circle the whole time […] and he shot
fire-tipped arrows that […] made continuous lines of arrows in every
direction […]."

(*MBh* 6.55.19–20 *tatra bhīṣmaḥ śāṃtanavo nityaṃ maṇḍalakārmukaḥ* / *mumoca
bāṇān dīptāgrān ahīn āśīviṣān iva // *19 // *śarair ekāyanīkurvan diśaḥ
sarvā yatavrata /* *jaghāna pāṇḍavarathān ādiśyādiśya bhārata *// 20.

Though he is a scholar rather than a warrior, the one and only Johannes
Bronkhorst also whirls before the academic world as if he were
many—thinking and writing with continuous streams of books and articles on
numerous profound questions of philosophy and cultural history. And he too
seems to be in many places at once: now he’s in Japan, now he’s in England,
and in America, Korea, Spain, Germany, and India and, of course, Lausanne!
And like Bhīṣma, as that one lay on his bed of arrows after the war,
instructing Yudhiṣṭhira in the most important forms of knowledge, Johannes
Bronkhorst too is one of the most learned, insightful, and piquant
Indological scholars of our era. Like Yudhiṣṭhira from Bhīṣma, we have all
learned more from Johannes Bronkhorst than we can take in at once. As this
small essay on the dazzling wheel of fire will show, the heat and
brilliance of the fire that is its source is ultimately more salient than
the apparent simultaneity of the wheel – and that is something that holds
true with Johannes as well.

From: “Philosophy’s ‘Wheel of Fire’ (*alātacakra*) and Its Epic
Background,” in *Devadattīyam*, 773-74.
In great sadness, Jim Fitzgerald

On Sat, May 17, 2025 at 3:34 AM Victor Van Bijlert via INDOLOGY <
indology at list.indology.info> wrote:

> The news of Professor Bronkhorst's demise is quite shocking and
> unexpected. My memories of Johannes Bronkhorst go back to the 1980s when he
> came to the then Institute Kern in Leiden, fresh from India and did his PhD
> in Leiden. We did talk quite regularly about our interest in Indian
> philosophy. Some time later, after his PhD he sat in the commission of my
> PhD and asked questions during the defense of my thesis. In later
> publications - quite recently actually - I had the opportunity to come back
> to some of his writings and found them very enlightening. It is sad to know
> about his passing. I am sure his legacy will persist for years to come.
> Victor van Bijlert
> (Indian religions and Sanskrit, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, now retired)
>
> ------------------------------
> *From:* INDOLOGY <indology-bounces at list.indology.info> on behalf of
> Blinderman, Radha via INDOLOGY <indology at list.indology.info>
> *Sent:* Friday, May 16, 2025 11:38 PM
> *To:* Madhav Deshpande <mmdesh at umich.edu>
> *Cc:* indology at list.indology.info <indology at list.indology.info>
> *Subject:* Re: [INDOLOGY] Johannes Bronkhorst gone
>
> I am so saddened by this news that Professor Bronkhorst and his wife are
> no more! I was fortunate to have met him, someone I called 'the *guru* of
> my *guru*' (*paramaguru*), in 2018 when I was a PhD student, and he was
> incredibly kind and encouraging. I hoped to see him again at Oxford, too.
> His presence will be greatly missed.
>
> विद्वदुदारतास्मरणपूर्वकं सादरा भवदीया,
> राधिका
>
> On Wed, May 14, 2025 at 4:08 PM Madhav Deshpande via INDOLOGY <
> indology at list.indology.info> wrote:
>
> I am so sorry to hear Johannes's demise. He was a very close friend. We
> communicated frequently. He visited us in Michigan and I visited him in
> Lausanne. I was hoping to see him in Oxford next month. Feel very sad.
> Goodbye dear friend. Rest in peace.
>
> Madhav
>
> Madhav M. Deshpande
> Professor Emeritus, Sanskrit and Linguistics
> University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
> Senior Fellow, Oxford Center for Hindu Studies
> Adjunct Professor, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, India
>
> [Residence: Campbell, California, USA]
>
>
> On Wed, May 14, 2025 at 11:47 AM Harry Falk via INDOLOGY <
> indology at list.indology.info> wrote:
>
> Dear friends and colleagues,
> I have just received the news that Johannes Bronkhorst left this world
> today at noon in a controlled manner, as was his custom, together with his
> beloved wife Joy Manné.
> He sent the last batch of his papers just a few days ago. He will be
> remembered as an innovative and inspired scientist, a cheerful person and
> a true and dear friend.
> Sadly.
> Harry Falk
>
>
>
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