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DR Sideshwar Verma
DR Sideshwar Verma
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VISHVA BANDHU
Shastri, M.A., M.O.L., (Pb.)
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VISHVA BANDHU
Shastri, M .R, M.O.L. (Pb.)
O .d 'R (Fr.), Kt.C.T. (It.)
Printed at
The V. V. R. INSTITUTE PRESS
and Published for
The V. V. R. Institute P. & P. Organisation
By DEVA DATTA, Shastri, V. V., V. B.
at H oshiarpur (India).
i|V. I. Series—I
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VISHVA BANDHU
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Pindi Das, for that was the original name of Dr. Siddheshwar Varma,
was born at Rawalpindi on November 3, 1887 of a well-to-do family,
hailing from Tatra 1, a small village near Katasraj, a place of pilgrimage
in the district of Jhelum. His father, Shri Ram Das Nanda was a Public
Works contractor, well known for his characterstically loud voice and
indefatigable capacity for work. Even at the advanced age of eighty, he
amazed his very much younger colleagues by his active habits and youthful
vigour. He would often be seen at his work under the scorching midday sun
in June and July and in the benumbing cold of the early mornings of December
and January. In his physical fitness, Dr. Varma is a replica of his father—in
that he rises early, walks or, rather, marches steadily, speaks loudly, and
works indefatigably for hours on end.
He owes his deeper qualities of head and heart to his mother who
would never have her meal till she had fed a poor person and used to have
discussions on religious matters with Sadhus and others of reflective nature.
A t the age of eight, he daily attended, out of curiosity, though, some
talks between his mother and another lady on Vedanta which he, of
course, could not follow but of which he got an indelible impression on
his tender mind. It was under the spell of that maternal influence that
while he learnt Urdu at school, he privately picked up knowledge of
Hindi, Gurmukhi and Sanskrit so much so that at the age of ten he
could read out to others the Sanskrit text and a Hindi exposition of Gita.
He also read, in those years, Bhagavata-Puranci and a number of other
books of didactic character. His information even at that age would
often astonish grown up people.
His career as a student was quite above the average. He obtained
the 28th and the 14th positions in the Fan jab University in his Matriculation
and B. A. in 1903 and 1909, respectively. A recurring and protracted
attack of malaria accounted for the two additional years'in his First Year
class. This illness, however, proved to be a blessing in disguise. While he was
in the sick-bed, Ballantyne’s English translation of Laghu-Kaumudl fell into
his hands. As he studied this book, his amazement knew7 no bounds,
for he was now seized of a subject that, like a factory, seemed to turn
out, in a most systematic manner, finished foods in the form of Sanskrit
words. Fearing his ill-health, his elders forcibly closed all his books,1
1. As originally arranged, Dr. H. D. Bahri, a pupil of Dr. Varma, was to have supplied
this sketch which, in the absence of our re-contact w ith him, has been prepared, of course,
w ith many changes and additions, from the materials that he collected for this purpose—ED.
VI A SKETCH OF DR. V A R M A ’S LI AND FEWORK
philosophy, which was his master passion at that time. So, he resigned
that post and got another appointment as Professor of Sanskrit at the
State college at Jammu, which post he held till his retirement in November,
1943. It was here that he found a real opportunity for his full cultural
self-expression. A special daily lecture, that he had to deliver on ‘religious
instruction,’ on secular lines, was an intense impetus to him to wide reading
on cultural subjects and to close contact with young people. By virtue of
his aptitude for this line, he was appointed Honorary Secretary for India
of the International Moral Education Congress. Being deeply impressed
with the idea that the primary object of studying history should be the
evolution of culture, he issued, in 1923, a questionnaire on the subject which
received good response from different countries.
and of pointing out features of general interest. Would that there were
many like you in India’. In appreciation of his work, the Government of
the State bestowed on him a Khilaat. A couple of years before his retirement
from the service of the College, the Government sanctioned, at his instance,
the opening of a special Linguistic Department, under his Directorship, at the
college to turn out trained linguisticians. This was, however, an 1 ate
department because, on his retirement, it came to a close. x
( 1)
Dr. Siddheshwar Varma has worked under my guidance for three years.
The result of his main research, ‘Critical Studies in the Phonetic Observa
tions of Indian Grammarians was accepted by the University as a thesis for
the Degree of Doctor of Literature. It is a notable addition to our knowledge
of a very important branch of the study of Sanskrit and the languages of India.
I have formed the highest opinion not only of Dr. Varma’s very great natural
ability, but, also, of his quite exceptional powers of application. During
this period he has equipped himself in a way, in which no other scholar in
India and not many elsewhere have, for the study of the history of the
Indian languages from the period of the Veda down to the present day. To
a very wide and deep knowledge of Sanskrit, he has added an intensive and
exhaustive study of the ancient linguistic writings in that language, and an
enthusiastic and profitable study of the material and methods of modern
comparative philology. He has made himself familiar with the linguistic
structure of the chief languages of the Indo-European family. Perhaps most
important of all, he has studied with conspicuous success the theory and
practice of tne modern science of phonetics, both in general and with special
reference to the languages of India. In this connection he has written a
treatise on the phonetics of his own mother-tongue Lahndi, which is in my
opinion by far the best and most complete description that we yet have of
the sounds of any modern Indian language. W Jth this constructive ability
Dr. Varma combines great critical acumen.
(la)
It is a privilege to have the opportunity of paying a tribute in this
Commemoration Volume to my old friend, Professor Siddheshwar Varma,
and to the great contributions which he has made to our knowledge of Indian
languages. 1 first knew Siddheshwar Varma when he came to London to
pursue the researches for which the University gave him the Degree of
D. Litt. It was this work, Critical Studies in Phonetic Observations^ of
Indian Grammarians, and his contacts both with comparative philologists
and the phoneticians which turned his attention more particularly to the
investigation of the modern languages of India. Returning, as he did, to
Jammu, a linguistic region, the details of the languages of which were little
known, he set about, with the energy that characterises all his work, the
APPRECIATIONS OF DR. V A R M A AND HIS WORK XIII
( 2 )
W hen I first came to know Professor Siddheshwar Varma, over
twenty years ago, he at once impressed me as a man of no ordinary calibre.
I got to know him very well as he studied phonetics with me for three
years. I saw much of him at that time not only officially in connection
with his academic studies, but also socially, since I had on several occasions
the privilege of receiving him in my home, where we discussed various
Jk subjects of mutual interest. I soon discovered his scholarly qualities, es
pecially as he was keen on my own subject, phonetics. It became clear to
me, too, that he possessed another quality—to my mind a very
important one—namely, that of not permitting himself to be unduly limited
by the subject he-had chosen as his special academic line; he had, and
continues to have, in addition to his remarkable scholarly attainments, a
deep interest in human relations and much spiritual insight.
It is a long time now since I saw Professor Varma, but we have kept
in touch by co rrespondence. And I gather from his letters, as well as from
news of him reaching me from other quarters, that he has made the best
possible use of the opportunities afforded him by his professorship. This is
what I naturally expected of him ; his learning and humane sympathy could
not have done otherwise than bring benefit to all those with whom he has
been in contact. Now, in his years of retirement which, I hope, will be
many? his activities, though directed, may be, in somewhat different channels,
cannot fail to be fruitful and to carry on their beneficial influence.
DANIEL JONES,
London, 30.12.1946.
XIV APPRECIATIONS OF DR. V A R M A AND HIS WORK
( 3)
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APPRECIATIONS OF DR. V A R M A AND HIS WORK XV
the word did so fit, he would plead its cause with a strength of conviction
which did not suffer because it was reasonably expressed.
In addition to these great qualities of the mind, Dr. Varma has a rich
fund of sympathy and friendship and humanity, a sensitiveness to other
people’s point of view, a generous readiness to acknowledge the merits of
others and a willingness to help which make him not only a great scholar but
a good man.
K. G. Saiyidain,
Rampur, 4.2.1946.
( 4 )
Solid real feeling as opposed to mere flowery talk, the poetry of facts
against speculative fiction, enjoyment of work as against tedious drudgery, peace
of mind and no canker of suspicion, the logic of events as against authority
of departed authors, living realisation and no mere dead quotations—such
were in short, the ideals and virtues which characterised you all along your
period of professorship in the College.
W e remember very vividly how you analysed every word with the
accuracy of a philologist while teaching your students who had the enviable
privilege of sitting at your feet. You have made yourself quite a prodigy
of learning. Every minute of your life is so well-utilised. There is no
pedantry and not the slightest shadow of affected pride or any thing unreal
about you. To us you have been verily a scholar, scientist aud spiritual
leader of a very high order in one. Along with your intellectual culture,
you had brought your spiritual development to a very high pitch.- Any idea,
any problem, any common thought, having been touched by you appeared
in a new form, changed by the mysterious flash light of your intellect and
imagination. To us the whole thing was mysterious and superhuman and
the subject was preached to us in a new light.
rather than to wanton mischief. And the last, but by no means the least,
is the rectitude of conduct which is indeed the hall-mark of true nobility
and which so eminently distinguishes you.
(5 )
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APPRECIATIONS OF DR. V A R M A AND HIS WORK XVII
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A Vedic Word-Concordance
IN 14 PARTS
Edited by :
Professor VISHVA BANDHU
S hastri, M.A.; M .O.L. (Pb.),
O.d’A. (Fr.), Kt. C .T . (It.)