Professor Dr Walther Schubring

This document is a tribute to Professor Dr. Walther Schubring, a prominent Indologist, written by F.R. Hamm. It details Schubring's life, academic career, and significant contributions to the study of Jainism and Indology in general.

Here's a comprehensive summary:

Early Life and Influences:

• Walther Schubring was born in Lübeck, Germany, on December 10, 1881.
• His father was a Rector and classical philologist, fostering a humanistic and classical education in the household.
• Schubring developed a deep appreciation for Greek and Latin classics, as well as German literature, particularly Goethe.
• He had a strong affinity for classical music, especially composers like Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms, and was a capable pianist himself. His wife, Clara, was a painter.
• During his youth, he was inspired to learn Sanskrit after discovering Benfey's grammar.

Academic Journey and Specialization in Jainism:

• After matriculating in 1900, Schubring studied at the Universities of Munich and Strasbourg.
• His most influential teacher was Ernst Leumann, a renowned Prakrit scholar. Leumann's extensive knowledge of Svetambara Jain literature ignited Schubring's lifelong passion for this field.
• Schubring's primary academic goal was to reconstruct critical editions of ancient Jain texts, aiming to reach the wording of the Council of Valabhi (circa 980/993 CE), and he emphasized the need for a complete critical edition of the Svetambara canon.
• His doctoral thesis (1904) was a critical edition and German translation of the Kalpa-sūtra.
• In 1910, he published an edition of the first Śrutaskandha of the Āyāra.

Career and Scholarly Contributions:

• From 1905 to 1920, Schubring worked as a librarian at the Royal Prussian State Library in Berlin, which allowed him to dedicate significant time to his Prakrit studies.
• During this period, he submitted a thesis on the Mahānisiha-sutta, earning him the Venia legendi (teaching faculty) in 1918.
• In 1920, he became the first professor of Indology at the newly founded University of Hamburg, a position he held for thirty years until his retirement in 1950. He also served as Dean of the Philosophical Faculty in 1924-25. His successor at Hamburg was his former student, Prof. Dr. Ludwig Alsdorf.
• During his tenure in Hamburg, Schubring produced several influential works, most notably:
  • Die Lehre der Jainas (1935): This book was a groundbreaking work in the West, providing a comprehensive survey of Svetambara Jain doctrines based solely on ancient Prakrit texts, rather than easier Sanskrit treatises. It was translated into English in 1962.
  • Catalogue of the Jaina Mss in the Prussian State Library (1944): This catalog documented the valuable collection of Jain manuscripts.
• Schubring also undertook critical translations of significant Jain texts, such as the Worte Mahāviras (1926), which aimed to highlight the textual stratification of ancient writings for scholars unfamiliar with Prakrit.
• He had a particular dedication to the Mahānisiha, collecting manuscripts and photostats, and even co-authoring Studien zum Mahānisiha with F.R. Hamm. He continued to work on this text until his later years, contributing to editions of chapters 4, 5, and parts of chapter 6.
• Another significant work was his critical edition and translation of the Isibhāsiyāim, which he continued to revise and translate until shortly before his death.

Teaching Philosophy and Legacy:

• Schubring was a revered "Guru" to his students, known for his lucid, encouraging, and problem-solving teaching methods.
• While his own research focused on ancient Prakrit texts, he aimed to provide his students with a broad understanding of Indology, covering the Vedas, epics, classical Sanskrit, epigraphy (especially Ashoka's inscriptions), Pali, and modern Indian languages like Hindi and Gujarati.
• He believed in introducing students to Indian philosophy, even if it wasn't his primary research interest.
• Schubring received numerous honors, including corresponding membership in the Göttingen Scientific Academy, honorary membership in the Royal Asiatic Society of Bombay and the Deutsche Morgenländische Gesellschaft, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Ghent.
• A Festschrift was published in his honor on his 70th birthday.
• The author, F.R. Hamm, expresses deep gratitude for Schubring's mentorship, highlighting how his teaching transformed the study of Indology into more than just an academic pursuit, but a way to revitalize ancient cultures for the benefit of contemporary generations.
• Hamm concludes by emphasizing the importance of remembering and looking up to individuals like Schubring, whose humanistic values stand in contrast to the "dark powers of aggression and hatred" in the world.

Bibliography: The document includes an extensive bibliography of Professor Schubring's books, articles, and reviews, spanning from his early works on the Kalpa-sūtra and Āyāra to his later contributions on the Mahānisiha and Isibhāsiyāim, as well as his significant overview of Jain teachings, Die Lehre der Jainas. The bibliography also lists numerous reviews he authored, demonstrating his active engagement with the broader field of Indological scholarship.

In essence, the document paints a portrait of Walther Schubring as a dedicated scholar, an inspiring teacher, and a profoundly influential figure in the Western academic study of Jainism, whose work laid crucial groundwork for future research in the field.