Edward J. Thomas

Vedic Studies in the West

By Edward J. Thomas

The article reviews the evolution of Vedic studies in the West from the late 18th century onward. It begins with Sir William Jones’s famous observation in his 1786 “Third Anniversary Discourse”…

Epithets of an Arhat in the Divyavadana

By Edward J. Thomas

The *Epithets of an Arhat in the Divyavadana* examines a list of epithets describing an arhat (enlightened being) in the *Divyavadana* and *Avadanaitaka*, occurring nine times across these texts. The…

Interpretation of the Indus Seals

By Edward J. Thomas

The article discusses Prof. B. Hrozny’s decipherment of the Indus Valley Civilization seals, linking them to Hittite hieroglyphic systems. Hrozny, known for deciphering Hittite cuneiform, identified…

The Lalitavistara and Sarvastivada

By Edward J. Thomas

This article examines the Buddhist text Lalitavistara and its relationship to the Sarvastivada school. The author critiques Pali scholars for considering Lalitavistara a late Sanskrit text of little…

Mohenjo-daro and the Aryans

By Edward J. Thomas

This article evaluates Dr. L. Sarup’s inquiry into the relationship between the Indus Valley civilization and the Rgveda. Contrary to the prevailing view that the Indus culture was pre‑Aryan and…

Spontaneous Nasalization

By Edward J. Thomas

This brief miscellany addresses the idea of ‘spontaneous nasalisation’ in historical linguistics. The author argues that when philologists describe a change as spontaneous they often disguise their…

Reviews

By Batakrishna Ghosh, Edward J. Thomas

Avadana and Apadana

By Edward J. Thomas

The so-called Indo-Aryan Invasion

By Edward J. Thomas

This critical essay questions the long‑standing theory of an Aryan ‘invasion’ of India. Drawing on comparative philology and archaeology, the author argues that similarities between Indo‑European…

Buddhist Education in Pali and Sanskrit Schools

By Edward J. Thomas

The article by E. J. Thomas surveys the nature and sources of Buddhist education in both Pali and Sanskrit traditions. It begins by noting that the subject of Buddhist education is still riddled with…