General Index To Names And Subject Matter

This document is a comprehensive general index to the Sacred Books of the East (SBE) series, compiled by M. Winternitz and published by Oxford at the Clarendon Press in 1910. The series itself, edited by F. Max Müller, comprises translations of the most important works of seven non-Christian religions that have significantly influenced Asian civilization.

The index volume serves as an invaluable auxiliary tool for scholars, designed to digest and classify the vast material collected within the SBE series. Winternitz's approach goes beyond a mere list of names and words, aiming to provide an analytical index with extracts and even verbal quotations. This allows students to quickly locate relevant information within the SBE volumes.

Here's a breakdown of the key components and purpose of this index:

• Scope of the SBE Series: The preface by A. A. MacDonnell highlights that the SBE series covers a wide range of religions, including:

  • Vedic-Brāhmanic religion (21 volumes)
  • Buddhism (10 volumes)
  • Jainism (2 volumes)
  • Persian religions (8 volumes)
  • Islam (2 volumes)
  • Chinese religions (Confucianism and Taoism) (6 volumes)

• The Index's Value: MacDonnell praises the index for its comprehensiveness, noting that it functions as a handbook for the study of Oriental religions as represented in the SBE. He emphasizes its ability to save students immense time, lighten their labor, and stimulate both historical investigation of individual systems and comparative study of all. He even selects this index as the "specially useful" volume among the fifty in the series.

• Winternitz's Methodology and Challenges: In his introductory note, Winternitz details the meticulous planning and immense labor involved in compiling the index. He emphasizes the need for:

  • Analytical entries: More than just strings of references, the index provides scientific classification with subdivisions and subheadings.
  • Practical usefulness: Consistency was not always aimed for; the primary goal was to make the index as handy as possible for the researcher.
  • Verbal quotations: Key and characteristic passages are included, marked by italics.
  • Grappling with difficulties: Winternitz faced peculiar challenges in dealing with terminologies across seven different languages and religions, varying translations of terms, and inconsistent spellings of names. He apologizes for inconsistencies, particularly under the letter 'A,' but assures readers that cross-references mitigate inconvenience.

• Content of the Index: The index itself, spanning 684 pages, is a dictionary-like compilation of names and subject matter found within the SBE volumes. Entries are cross-referenced extensively. The provided page snippets show entries for religious figures (Abraham, Adam, Mohammed, Buddha), deities (Agni, Aditi, Aryaman), concepts (Abhidhamma, Abhisheka, Abstinence, Ahimsa), places (Araf, Mecca), and various rituals and texts from different traditions.

• Key Features for Users:

  • List of Religions and Translators: The beginning of the book provides a clear list of the religions represented and the scholars who translated the respective volumes.
  • Key to Abbreviations: A crucial section explaining abbreviations used throughout the index, including language abbreviations (Sk., Pahlavi, Prâkrit, Zd.), terms (t.t. for technical term, t.w. for title of work), and the referencing system (volume, page, and introduction page).
  • List of SBE Volumes: A helpful enumeration of all 49 volumes of the Sacred Books of the East, with their respective titles.
  • Addenda and Corrigenda: A note at the end addresses necessary corrections and provides information on the editions of specific volumes.

In essence, this document is the master key to the first comprehensive collection of translated Eastern sacred texts for a Western audience. It is a testament to the scholarly effort of both Max Müller in conceiving the SBE series and Winternitz in creating this essential, analytical companion volume.