Surendranath Dasgupta facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Surendranath Dasgupta
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| Born | October 18, 1887 Kushtia, Bengal Presidency, British India
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| Died | December 18, 1952 (aged 65) Calcutta, West Bengal, India
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| Nationality | Indian |
| Education | Sanskrit College University of Calcutta |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge |
| Occupation | Professor |
| Spouse(s) | Himani Devi |
| Children | 6, including Maitreyi Sen |
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Philosophy career |
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| Doctoral advisor | J. M. E. McTaggart |
| Doctoral students | Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya |
Surendranath Dasgupta (born October 18, 1887, died December 18, 1952) was an important Indian scholar. He was an expert in Sanskrit language and Indian philosophy. He taught at many famous colleges and universities. Dasgupta is best known for his five-volume work, A History of Indian Philosophy. This huge work helped people around the world learn about Indian thought.
Contents
Surendranath Dasgupta's Early Life and Studies
Surendranath Dasgupta was born in Kushtia, which is now part of Bangladesh. His family was from a village called Goila. He was born on October 18, 1887. This day was special because it was during the festivals of Dussehra and Durga Visarjan.
His Education Journey
Dasgupta started his studies at Surendranath College in Kolkata. He earned his first degree with honors in Sanskrit. Later, he continued his education at Sanskrit College in Kolkata. In 1908, he received his master's degree there. He didn't stop there! In 1910, he earned a second master's degree. This time, it was in Western philosophy from the University of Calcutta.
His Family Life
Professor Dasgupta married Himani Devi. She was the younger sister of Himanshu Rai. Himanshu Rai was a pioneer in Indian film. He founded the famous Bombay Talkies movie studios. Surendranath and Himani had six children together. Their three daughters were Maitreyi Devi (Sen), Chitrita Devi (Gupta), and Sumitra Majumdar. Maitreyi Devi and Chitrita Devi both became well-known writers. They also had three sons: Subhayu, Sugata, and Subhachari Dasgupta. His granddaughter, Prof. Lali Chatterjee, became a noted astrophysicist.
Becoming a Philosophy Expert
Surendranath Dasgupta continued to excel in his studies. In 1916, he won the Griffith Prize. He earned his doctorate in Indian philosophy in 1920. A generous patron, Maharaja Sir Manindra Chandra Nandy, helped him. The Maharaja paid for Dasgupta to travel to Europe. He wanted Dasgupta to study European philosophy.
Studying in England
From 1920 to 1922, Dasgupta studied in England. He went to University of Cambridge. There, he was a research student under Dr. J. M. E. McTaggart. While he was in Cambridge, the first volume of his famous book, A History of Indian Philosophy, was published. This was in 1921. He also became a lecturer at Cambridge. He was chosen to represent Cambridge University at a big philosophy meeting in Paris.
A Strong Debater
Dasgupta was known for being a very strong debater. He took part in discussions at the Aristotelian Society in London. This was a leading philosophy group in England. He also debated at the Moral Science Club in Cambridge. People said he was almost unbeatable in arguments. His teachers, like Ward and McTaggart, saw him as a colleague, not just a student. He earned his Cambridge doctorate for a detailed paper on modern European philosophy.
International Recognition
His impressive speeches in Paris led to more invitations. In 1924, he was invited to a meeting in Naples. He represented the Bengal Education Department and the University of Calcutta. In 1926, he went to the International Congress at Harvard. During this trip, he gave lectures at many universities in the United States. He also lectured in Vienna, where he received special honors. He was invited to other places like Leningrad, Rome, and Berlin. He became a visiting professor in several European cities.
Surendranath Dasgupta's Career
Dasgupta's teaching career started at Rajshahi College. He was a lecturer there for a short time. Then, he became a professor of Sanskrit and Bengali at Chittagong College. After earning his PhDs, he returned to India.
Teaching at Famous Colleges
In 1924, Dasgupta joined Presidency College, Kolkata as a Professor of Philosophy. Later, he became the principal of Sanskrit College. He then joined the University of Calcutta as a professor. In 1932, he was the president of the Indian Philosophical Congress. His own ideas in philosophy were called Theory of Dependent Emergence. Many famous scholars were his students. These included Mircea Eliade and Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya.
Later Life and Remarriage
In 1945, Surendranath Dasgupta married Suramā Mitra. She was his colleague and a former student. Suramā Dasgupta also earned a PhD in philosophy from Cambridge in 1948. She later became a Reader in Philosophy at Lucknow University.
Honors and Challenges
The University of Warsaw made him an honorary Fellow. He was also elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. A famous French Sanskrit professor, Louis Renou, praised him greatly. Renou said that when Dasgupta was with them, it felt like a great ancient philosopher was reborn. Dasgupta was always brave in challenging other scholars. At a meeting in Naples, he argued that the ideas of Benedetto Croce were not new. He said they were similar to older Indian philosophies. He also challenged other famous scholars like Louis de La Vallée-Poussin and Fyodor Shcherbatskoy.
A History of Indian Philosophy
Surendranath Dasgupta's most important work is A History of Indian Philosophy. It has five volumes. When Lord Ronaldshay, the Governor of Bengal, met Dasgupta, he was very impressed. He asked that the first volume of the book be dedicated to him.
The Big Plan for the Book
Originally, Dasgupta planned to write the history of Indian thought in just one book. But as he collected information from all over India, he found a huge amount of texts. Many of these texts had never been published before. So, his plan grew bigger and bigger.
This was the first time anyone tried to write a full history of Indian thought. He used original sources in Sanskrit, Pali, and Prakrit. Before him, a 14th-century work gave a small overview. But Dasgupta's work was much more complete. He carefully traced the development of Indian thought. He used many sources, including old, unpublished writings. He worked very hard to find these hidden treasures of Indian wisdom. He decided to write five volumes instead of just one. He did this huge task all by himself, with great dedication and passion.
Later Years and Final Work
In 1942, he retired from Sanskrit College. He then became a professor at the University of Calcutta. He worked there for three years. He had heart problems since 1940, but he kept working on his research. In 1945, he retired from Calcutta University. He was offered a professorship in Edinburgh, Scotland. Doctors also suggested a trip to England for his health.
When he arrived in England, he became ill again. In November 1945, he gave his last public lecture in Cambridge. After that, he was mostly in bed due to his heart condition. Even while ill, he stayed in touch with his students. He lived in England for five years (1945–1950). During this time, he still published the fourth volume of his History of Indian Philosophy. He also published A History of Sanskrit Literature and Rabindranath the Poet and Philosopher. In 1950, he returned to Lucknow, India.
In 1951, with help from Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, he started writing the fifth and final volume of his History of Indian Philosophy. He also planned to write his own philosophy in two books. His friends wanted him to write his own philosophy first. But he felt his work on Indian philosophy was his life's most important mission. He worked with strong determination until the very end. He finished a whole section of his book just hours before he passed away. On December 18, 1952, he worked on the last chapter of the Southern Śaivism section. He died peacefully that evening, while discussing modern psychology.
Surendranath Dasgupta's Writings
Here are some of the books Surendranath Dasgupta wrote:
- A History of Indian Philosophy (5 volumes)
- General Introduction to Tantra Philosophy
- A Study of Patanjali
- Yoga Philosophy in Relation to Other Systems of Indian Thought
- A History of Sanskrit Literature
- Rabindranath: The Poet and Philosopher
- Hindu Mysticism (1927)
- Kavyavicha
- Saundaryatattva
- Rabidipika
See also
In Spanish: Surendranath Dasgupta para niños
