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{{Infobox Indian politician
{{Infobox Indian politician
| name = Nalinaksha Dutt
| name = Nalinaksha Dutt
| birth_name =  
| birth_name =
| caption =
| caption =
| image =
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| birth_date = 1894
| birth_date = 4 December 1893
| birth_place =  
| birth_place =
| residence =  
| residence =
| death_date = 1973
| death_date = 17 November 1973
| death_place =  
| death_place =
| office = [[Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha]]
| office = [[Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha]]
| constituency = [[West Bengal]]
| constituency = [[West Bengal]]
| term_start =1952
| term_start =1952
| term_end = 1960
| term_end = 1960
| occupation = Buddhism scholar<br/>Professor of Sanskrit and Pali
| predecessor =
| predecessor =
| successor =
| successor =
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| office1 =
| constituency1 =  
| constituency1 =
| term1        =
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| predecessor2 =
| successor2 =
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| party = [[Indian National Congress]]
| party = [[Indian National Congress]]
| religion =  
| religion =
| otherparty =  
| otherparty =
| spouse = Nalini Sundari Dutt
| spouse = Nalini Sundari Dutt
| children =  
| children =
| website =  
| website =
| footnotes =  
| footnotes =
| date =  |
| date =  |
| year =  |
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| source =https://rajyasabha.nic.in/rsnew/pre_member/1952_2003/d.pdf
| source =
}}
}}
'''Nalinaksha Dutt''' (1893-1973), was  an Indian scholar of Buddhism, professor of [[Sanskrit]] and [[Pali]]  at the [[ University of Calcutta]] and chaired  [[The Asiatic Society]], among other representative functions,  as Vice-President of the [[Maha Bodhi Society]].


'''Nalinaksha Dutt''' was an Indian politician. He was a [[Member of Parliament]], representing [[West Bengal]] in the [[Rajya Sabha]] the [[upper house]] of [[Parliament of India|India's Parliament]] representing the [[Indian National Congress]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://rajyasabha.nic.in/rsnew/pre_member/1952_2003/d.pdf | title=RAJYA SABHA MEMBERS BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 1952 - 2003 | publisher=[[Rajya Sabha]] | accessdate=26 October 2018}}</ref><ref name="Reed1956">{{cite book|author=Sir Stanley Reed|title=The Times of India Directory and Year Book Including Who's who|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YQUfAQAAMAAJ|accessdate=26 October 2018|year=1956|publisher=Bennett, Coleman & Company|page=954}}</ref><ref name="Sabha1958">{{cite book|author=India. Parliament. Rajya Sabha|title=Who's who|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-zsEAAAAMAAJ|accessdate=26 October 2018|year=1958|publisher=Rajya Sabha Secretariat.|page=85}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Bulletin of Tibetology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dnxxAAAAMAAJ|accessdate=26 October 2018|year=1977|publisher=Namgyal Institute of Tibetology|page=28}}</ref>
He was also a politician who served as  [[Member of Parliament]], representing [[West Bengal]] in the [[Rajya Sabha]] the [[upper house]] of [[Parliament of India|India's Parliament]] representing the [[Indian National Congress]].
==References==
 
He is the author of numerous books on Buddhism.
 
==Biography ==
'''Nalinaksha Dutt''' was born on 4 December  1893. He did his undergraduate studies at [[Chittagong College]] and the [[Presidency University, Kolkata]]. Initially interested in mathematics and physics, he was a student of  [[Ashutosh Mukherjee]], before discovering the Sankrit and Pali languages with scholar [[Satish Chandra Vidyabhusan]] who also introduced him to Indian and Tibetan Buddhist texts. After graduation, he became a professor of Sanskrit and Pali at Judson College (which later, in 1920, became part of the [[ University of Yangon]]). But  Ashutosh Mukherjee, as a wise educator, perceived Dutt's real abilities and persuaded him to return to Calcutta in order to deepen his studies on Buddhism from the Sanskrit source texts, because at that time, most of the known Buddhist texts were translations from Tibetan.  He met the scholar [[Sarat Chandra Das]] and the tibetan translator [[Kazi Dawa Samdup]] and they worked together.<ref name=" Notes & Topics. In Memoriam Professor Nalinaksha Dutt >{{cite web|author=[[Nirmal Chandra Sinha]]|title=Notes & Topics. In Memoriam Professor Nalinaksha Dutt|url=http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/bot/pdf/bot_1977_03_notes.pdf|date=1977}} {{access-date|16 April 2022}}</ref>
In appreciation of Dutt’s researches in both the schools of buddhism, Calcutta University awarded him the [[Premchand Roychand#Legacy| Premchand Roychand Scholarship award]] and the doctor’s degree. Then he went to London , being admitted to the  School of Oriental Studies, to prepare  the D. Littérature, specialty  Buddhism in Sanskrit. However, in the absence of a British Sanskrit scholar able to direct his work, the Belgian Indologist [[Louis de La Vallée-Poussin ]]  took on the task.  Thus Dutt lived most of his time in Brussels, near his research master.<ref name=" Notes & Topics. In Memoriam Professor Nalinaksha Dutt " />
He defended his thesis in 1930, entitled: ''Aspects of [[Mahayana|Mahayana Buddhism]]  and its relationship with the [[Hinayana]]'',  before renowned Western scholars, including [[Lionel Barnett]], [[Fyodor Shcherbatskoy]], who praised his work. His later works will be the subject of publications (the main ones are listed in the rest of the article), which will make him, with [[Lokesh Chandra]],  one of the main Indian scholars in Buddhism.<ref name=" Notes & Topics. In Memoriam Professor Nalinaksha Dutt " />
He has held many official positions: President (1959-1961), and Vice-President of [[The Asiatic Society]], Vice-president of the [[Maha Bodhi Society ]] (1959-1973).<ref name=" Notes & Topics. In Memoriam Professor Nalinaksha Dutt " />
He was not only a scholar of Buddhism, but also a politician. He was a [[Member of Parliament]], representing [[West Bengal]] in the [[Rajya Sabha]] the [[upper house]] of [[Parliament of India|India's Parliament]] representing the [[Indian National Congress<ref name="Reed1956">{{cite book|author=Sir Stanley Reed|title=The Times of India Directory and Year Book Including Who's who|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YQUfAQAAMAAJ|accessdate=16 April 2022|year=1956|publisher=Bennett, Coleman & Company|page=954}}</ref>{{,}}<ref name="Sabha1958">{{cite book|author=India. Parliament. Rajya Sabha|title=Who's who|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-zsEAAAAMAAJ|accessdate=16 April 2022|year=1958|publisher=Rajya Sabha Secretariat.|page=85}}</ref>{{,}}.<ref>{{cite book|title=Bulletin of Tibetology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dnxxAAAAMAAJ|accessdate=16 April 2022|year=1977|publisher=Namgyal Institute of Tibetology|page=28}}</ref>
He died on 17 November 1973.<ref name=" Notes & Topics. In Memoriam Professor Nalinaksha Dutt " />
== Works on Buddhism ==
Here are some of Nilanaksha  Dutt's works (non-exhaustive list):<ref> Note: Most of Dutt's works are out of print and difficult to obtain (rare books),  can be accessed in digitized versions via the [[Worldcat]] website or [[Archive.org/web]]. </ref>
*''Aspects of Mahāyāna Buddhism and its relation to Hīnayāna'', foreword by Professor [[Louis de La Vallée-Poussin]],  Luzac & Co , Collection Oriental series n°23, 1930 (reprinted  23 times until 1984).<ref>Read online archive.org : [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.279641 N.Dutt : Aspects of Mahāyāna Buddhism and its relation to Hīnayāna]. {{access-date|16 April 2022}}</ref>
*''Bodhisattvabhūmiḥ'' (based on the works of [[Asanga]]), in Sanskrit with introduction in English, Pāṭaliputram, 1966 (reprinted 11 times until 1978), 340 p.<ref>Front cover on books.google : [https://books.google.com.vn/books/about/Bodhisattvabhūmiḥ.html?id=ge9svgAACAAJ&redir_esc=y N.Dutt : Bodhisattvabhūmiḥ (based on the works of [[Asanga]]), 1966]. {{access-date|16 April 2022}}</ref>
*''Buddhism in Kashmir'', with a foreword by Harcharan Singh Sobti,<ref>Harcharan Singh Sobti (born in 1937), is the author of numerous works on Buddhism, not to be confused with the indian dramatist [[Harcharan Singh (writer)|Harcharan Singh]] (born in 1914).</ref> Eastern Book Linkers, Delhi, India, 1985, 68 p.<ref>Read online archive.org : [https://archive.org/details/nalinaksha-dutt-buddhism-in-kashmir-1985-eastern-book-linkers-libgen.lc_202006/page/n1/mode/2up N.Dutt : Buddhism in Kashmir, 1985]. {{access-date|16 April 2022}}</ref>
*''Development of Buddhism in Uttar Pradesh'', Published by Government of Uttar Pradesh, Vārāṇasī : Bhargava Bhushan Press, 1956,  435 p.<ref>Read online  archive.org: [https://archive.org/details/DevelopmentOfBuddhismInUttarPardeshNalinakshaDutt N.Dutt : Development of Buddhism in Uttar Pradesh, 1956]. {{access-date|16 April 2022}}</ref>
*''Early monastic Buddhism'', Calcutta oriental  series, n° 30, 1941 (reprinted 33 times until 1981), 311p.<ref>Read online archive.org: [https://archive.org/details/EarlyMonasticBuddhismVol.I  N.Dutt : Early monastic Buddhism, 1941]. {{access-date|14 April 2022}}.</ref>
*''[[Gilgit#Buddhist era|Gilgit Manuscripts]]'' (3 volumes), in Sanskrit, préface and introduction in English, Srinagar, Kashmir, 1939-1943.<ref>N.Dutt: Gilgit Manuscripts (3 volumes), 1939-1943, read online archive.org :<br/>
- Volume I: 1939, 266 p.[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.281050/mode/2up];<br/>- Volume II: Part 1, 1941, 254 p.[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.281061/mode/2up]; Part 2, 1941, 268 p.[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.480944];<br/>- Volume III: Part 1, 1941, 372 p.[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.59000/page/n3/mode/2up]; Part 2, 1943, 252 p.[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.327751/page/n1/mode/2up]; Part 3, 1943, 177 p.[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.281072].<br/>{{access-date|16 April 2022}} (the  3 volumes).</ref> 
*''Mahayana Buddhism'', Calcutta, Firma K.L. Mukhopadhyay, 1973, 304 p.<ref>Front cover on books.google: [https://books.google.com.vn/books?id=WsIKAAAAYAAJ&hl=fr&source=gbs_book_other_versions N.Dutt : Mahayana Buddhism ,1973]. {{access-date|15 April 2022}}</ref>
*''The Pañcaviṁśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā'', in Sanskrit and English, Luzac & Co, Collection Oriental series n°28, 1934, 269 p.<ref>Front cover on books.google : [https:///books.google.com.vn/books/about/The_Pañcaviṁśatisāhasrikā_Prajñā.html?id=MiTYAAAAMAAJ&redir_esc=y N.Dutt : The Pañcaviṁśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā, 1934]. {{access-date|16 April 2022}}</ref>
*''Saddharmapundarikasutram'', with N.D. Mironov,  in Sanskrit, introduction in English, Calcutta, Asiatic Society, Collection Bibliotheca Indica, 1953, 400 p.<ref>Read online archive.org :[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.345196/page/n1/mode/2up N.Dutt with N.D. Mironov : Saddharmapundarikasutram, 1953]. {{access-date|16 April 2022}}</ref>
==Notes and References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}
 
{{Buddhism topics}}
{{Modern Buddhist writers}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:1893 births]]
[[Category:1973 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian historians]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian linguists]]
[[Category:Indian scholars of Buddhism]]
[[Category:Indian Buddhists]]
[[Category:Translators from Tibetan]]
[[Category:University of Calcutta]]
[[Category:Lists of people by university or college in India|Calcutta]]
[[Category:University of Calcutta people]]
[[Category:Indian National Congress politicians]]
[[Category:Rajya Sabha members from West Bengal]]
[[Category:Rajya Sabha members from West Bengal]]
[[Category:Indian National Congress politicians]]
[[Category:1894 births]]
[[Category:1973 deaths]]

Latest revision as of 10:08, 13 May 2022


Nalinaksha Dutt
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
In office
1952–1960
ConstituencyWest Bengal
Personal details
Born4 December 1893
Died17 November 1973
Political partyIndian National Congress
Spouse(s)Nalini Sundari Dutt
OccupationBuddhism scholar
Professor of Sanskrit and Pali

Nalinaksha Dutt (1893-1973), was an Indian scholar of Buddhism, professor of Sanskrit and Pali at the University of Calcutta and chaired The Asiatic Society, among other representative functions, as Vice-President of the Maha Bodhi Society.

He was also a politician who served as Member of Parliament, representing West Bengal in the Rajya Sabha the upper house of India's Parliament representing the Indian National Congress.

He is the author of numerous books on Buddhism.

Biography[edit]

Nalinaksha Dutt was born on 4 December 1893. He did his undergraduate studies at Chittagong College and the Presidency University, Kolkata. Initially interested in mathematics and physics, he was a student of Ashutosh Mukherjee, before discovering the Sankrit and Pali languages with scholar Satish Chandra Vidyabhusan who also introduced him to Indian and Tibetan Buddhist texts. After graduation, he became a professor of Sanskrit and Pali at Judson College (which later, in 1920, became part of the University of Yangon). But Ashutosh Mukherjee, as a wise educator, perceived Dutt's real abilities and persuaded him to return to Calcutta in order to deepen his studies on Buddhism from the Sanskrit source texts, because at that time, most of the known Buddhist texts were translations from Tibetan. He met the scholar Sarat Chandra Das and the tibetan translator Kazi Dawa Samdup and they worked together.[1]

In appreciation of Dutt’s researches in both the schools of buddhism, Calcutta University awarded him the Premchand Roychand Scholarship award and the doctor’s degree. Then he went to London , being admitted to the School of Oriental Studies, to prepare the D. Littérature, specialty Buddhism in Sanskrit. However, in the absence of a British Sanskrit scholar able to direct his work, the Belgian Indologist Louis de La Vallée-Poussin took on the task. Thus Dutt lived most of his time in Brussels, near his research master.[1]

He defended his thesis in 1930, entitled: Aspects of Mahayana Buddhism and its relationship with the Hinayana, before renowned Western scholars, including Lionel Barnett, Fyodor Shcherbatskoy, who praised his work. His later works will be the subject of publications (the main ones are listed in the rest of the article), which will make him, with Lokesh Chandra, one of the main Indian scholars in Buddhism.[1]

He has held many official positions: President (1959-1961), and Vice-President of The Asiatic Society, Vice-president of the Maha Bodhi Society (1959-1973).[1]

He was not only a scholar of Buddhism, but also a politician. He was a Member of Parliament, representing West Bengal in the Rajya Sabha the upper house of India's Parliament representing the [[Indian National Congress[2] · [3] · .[4]

He died on 17 November 1973.[1]

Works on Buddhism[edit]

Here are some of Nilanaksha Dutt's works (non-exhaustive list):[5]

  • Aspects of Mahāyāna Buddhism and its relation to Hīnayāna, foreword by Professor Louis de La Vallée-Poussin, Luzac & Co , Collection Oriental series n°23, 1930 (reprinted 23 times until 1984).[6]
  • Bodhisattvabhūmiḥ (based on the works of Asanga), in Sanskrit with introduction in English, Pāṭaliputram, 1966 (reprinted 11 times until 1978), 340 p.[7]
  • Buddhism in Kashmir, with a foreword by Harcharan Singh Sobti,[8] Eastern Book Linkers, Delhi, India, 1985, 68 p.[9]
  • Development of Buddhism in Uttar Pradesh, Published by Government of Uttar Pradesh, Vārāṇasī : Bhargava Bhushan Press, 1956, 435 p.[10]
  • Early monastic Buddhism, Calcutta oriental series, n° 30, 1941 (reprinted 33 times until 1981), 311p.[11]
  • Gilgit Manuscripts (3 volumes), in Sanskrit, préface and introduction in English, Srinagar, Kashmir, 1939-1943.[12]
  • Mahayana Buddhism, Calcutta, Firma K.L. Mukhopadhyay, 1973, 304 p.[13]
  • The Pañcaviṁśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā, in Sanskrit and English, Luzac & Co, Collection Oriental series n°28, 1934, 269 p.[14]
  • Saddharmapundarikasutram, with N.D. Mironov, in Sanskrit, introduction in English, Calcutta, Asiatic Society, Collection Bibliotheca Indica, 1953, 400 p.[15]

Notes and References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Nirmal Chandra Sinha (1977). "Notes & Topics. In Memoriam Professor Nalinaksha Dutt" (PDF). Template:Access-date
  2. ↑ Sir Stanley Reed (1956). The Times of India Directory and Year Book Including Who's who. Bennett, Coleman & Company. p. 954. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  3. ↑ India. Parliament. Rajya Sabha (1958). Who's who. Rajya Sabha Secretariat. p. 85. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  4. ↑ Bulletin of Tibetology. Namgyal Institute of Tibetology. 1977. p. 28. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  5. ↑ Note: Most of Dutt's works are out of print and difficult to obtain (rare books), can be accessed in digitized versions via the Worldcat website or Archive.org/web.
  6. ↑ Read online archive.org : N.Dutt : Aspects of Mahāyāna Buddhism and its relation to Hīnayāna. Template:Access-date
  7. ↑ Front cover on books.google : N.Dutt : Bodhisattvabhūmiḥ (based on the works of Asanga), 1966. Template:Access-date
  8. ↑ Harcharan Singh Sobti (born in 1937), is the author of numerous works on Buddhism, not to be confused with the indian dramatist Harcharan Singh (born in 1914).
  9. ↑ Read online archive.org : N.Dutt : Buddhism in Kashmir, 1985. Template:Access-date
  10. ↑ Read online archive.org: N.Dutt : Development of Buddhism in Uttar Pradesh, 1956. Template:Access-date
  11. ↑ Read online archive.org: N.Dutt : Early monastic Buddhism, 1941. Template:Access-date.
  12. ↑ N.Dutt: Gilgit Manuscripts (3 volumes), 1939-1943, read online archive.org :
    - Volume I: 1939, 266 p.[1];
    - Volume II: Part 1, 1941, 254 p.[2]; Part 2, 1941, 268 p.[3];
    - Volume III: Part 1, 1941, 372 p.[4]; Part 2, 1943, 252 p.[5]; Part 3, 1943, 177 p.[6].
    Template:Access-date (the 3 volumes).
  13. ↑ Front cover on books.google: N.Dutt : Mahayana Buddhism ,1973. Template:Access-date
  14. ↑ Front cover on books.google : N.Dutt : The Pañcaviṁśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā, 1934. Template:Access-date
  15. ↑ Read online archive.org :N.Dutt with N.D. Mironov : Saddharmapundarikasutram, 1953. Template:Access-date

Template:Modern Buddhist writers

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