John Muir (indologist)
Encyclopedia
John Muir was a Scottish Sanskrit scholar and Indologist .
, Scotland
, one of four brothers amongst whom was William Muir
, and educated at the grammar school of Irvine, the University of Glasgow
, and the East India Company College
at Haileybury. He arrived in India
in 1829 as a civil servant in Bengal
, and served in various offices, as assistant secretary to the board of revenue, Allahabad
, as collector at Azimgarh and as civil and session judge at Fatehpur
. In 1844, he was appointed to be the first principal of Victoria College, Benaras, that later evolved into the Sampurnanand Sanskrit University
. He left the Indian Civil Service in 1853 and returned to Edinburgh
. In 1862 he endowed the chair of Sanskrit in the University of Edinburgh
, and was the main agent in founding the Shaw fellowship in moral philosophy. He was a D.C.L.
of Oxford
, LL.D. of Edinburgh and Ph.D.
of Bonn
, and was one of the first to receive the distinction of Companion of the Indian Empire
.
, a full inquiry as to the ideas of their origin, authority and inspiration held both by the Vedic and later Indian writers. Volume four (1st ed., 1863; 2nd, 1873) was a comparison of the Vedic with the later representations of the principal Indian deities, an exhibition of the process by which three gods hardly known to the Vedic hymns became the deities of the former Hindu Trimurti
. The fifth and final volume was published in 1970 and was on the Vedic mythology. Muir was also the author of a volume of metrical translations from the Sanskrit, an anonymous work on inspiration, several works in Sanskrit, and many essays in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society
and elsewhere.
In 1839, Muir published Matapariksa: Sketch of the Argument for Christianity and against Hinduism, a work that, in contrast to the vitriolic missionary tracts prevalent at that time, presented Hinduism in empathetic tone and depicted Christianity and Hinduism as more or less compatible, although Christianity was clearly depicted as superior. However while sensitive to "Hindu genius" Muir advanced miracles, moral excellence, and universality as three basic arguments in favor of Christianity. The work was controversial in India and helped launch a counter-apologetic
movement among Hindu scholars.
Biography
Muir was born in GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, one of four brothers amongst whom was William Muir
William Muir
Sir William Muir, KCSI was a Scottish Orientalist and colonial administrator.-Life:He was born at Glasgow and educated at Kilmarnock Academy, at Glasgow and Edinburgh Universities, and at Haileybury College. In 1837 he entered the Bengal Civil Service...
, and educated at the grammar school of Irvine, the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
, and the East India Company College
East India Company College
The East India College was a college in Hertford Heath, Hertfordshire, England. It was founded in February 1806 as the training establishment for the British East India Company . At that time, the BEIC provided general and vocational education for young gentlemen of sixteen to eighteen years old,...
at Haileybury. He arrived in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1829 as a civil servant in Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
, and served in various offices, as assistant secretary to the board of revenue, Allahabad
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
, as collector at Azimgarh and as civil and session judge at Fatehpur
Fatehpur district
Fatehpur district is one of the 71 districts of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. The district covers an area of 4,152 km². The district has a population of 2,308,384 . Fatehpur city is the administrative headquarters of the district. Located on the banks of the sacred rivers Ganges and...
. In 1844, he was appointed to be the first principal of Victoria College, Benaras, that later evolved into the Sampurnanand Sanskrit University
Sampurnanand Sanskrit University
Sampurnanand Sanskrit University is an institution of higher learning in Asian learning, Sanskrit allied areas, etc. that is located in Benares , Uttar Pradesh, India.- History :...
. He left the Indian Civil Service in 1853 and returned to Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. In 1862 he endowed the chair of Sanskrit in the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, and was the main agent in founding the Shaw fellowship in moral philosophy. He was a D.C.L.
Doctor of Civil Law
Doctor of Civil Law is a degree offered by some universities, such as the University of Oxford, instead of the more common Doctor of Laws degrees....
of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, LL.D. of Edinburgh and Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
of Bonn
University of Bonn
The University of Bonn is a public research university located in Bonn, Germany. Founded in its present form in 1818, as the linear successor of earlier academic institutions, the University of Bonn is today one of the leading universities in Germany. The University of Bonn offers a large number...
, and was one of the first to receive the distinction of Companion of the Indian Empire
Order of the Indian Empire
The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:#Knight Grand Commander #Knight Commander #Companion...
.
Work
Muir's main work is Original Sanskrit texts on the origin and history of the people of India, their religion and institutions (1852–1870), a study of the most important source texts of Indian cultural and religious history, with English language translation. In 1858 the first volume of his Original Sanskrit Texts (2nd ed., 1868) was published; it was on the origin of caste, an inquiry intended to show that it did not exist in the Vedic age. The second volume (1st ed., 1860; 2nd, 1871) was concerned with the origin and racial affinities of the Hindus, exhibiting all the then available evidences of their connexion, their linguistic, social and political kinship, with the other branches of the Indo-European stock. The third volume (1st ed., 1861; 2nd, 1868) was on the VedasVedas
The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism....
, a full inquiry as to the ideas of their origin, authority and inspiration held both by the Vedic and later Indian writers. Volume four (1st ed., 1863; 2nd, 1873) was a comparison of the Vedic with the later representations of the principal Indian deities, an exhibition of the process by which three gods hardly known to the Vedic hymns became the deities of the former Hindu Trimurti
Trimurti
The Trimurti is a concept in Hinduism "in which the cosmic functions of creation, maintenance, and destruction are personified by the forms of Brahmā the creator, Vishnu the maintainer or preserver, and Śhiva the destroyer or transformer," These three deities have been called "the Hindu triad" or...
. The fifth and final volume was published in 1970 and was on the Vedic mythology. Muir was also the author of a volume of metrical translations from the Sanskrit, an anonymous work on inspiration, several works in Sanskrit, and many essays in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society
Royal Asiatic Society
The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland was established, according to its Royal Charter of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the encouragement of science, literature and the arts in relation to Asia." From its incorporation the Society...
and elsewhere.
In 1839, Muir published Matapariksa: Sketch of the Argument for Christianity and against Hinduism, a work that, in contrast to the vitriolic missionary tracts prevalent at that time, presented Hinduism in empathetic tone and depicted Christianity and Hinduism as more or less compatible, although Christianity was clearly depicted as superior. However while sensitive to "Hindu genius" Muir advanced miracles, moral excellence, and universality as three basic arguments in favor of Christianity. The work was controversial in India and helped launch a counter-apologetic
Apologetics
Apologetics is the discipline of defending a position through the systematic use of reason. Early Christian writers Apologetics (from Greek ἀπολογία, "speaking in defense") is the discipline of defending a position (often religious) through the systematic use of reason. Early Christian writers...
movement among Hindu scholars.