Select Contents of Oriental Journals
Summary
This section summarises notable articles from contemporary Oriental journals. Highlights include A. B. Athavale’s argument that the Mahābhārata’s Pragjyotiṣa was located in modern Kathiawad rather than Assam; Ludwik Sternbach’s notes on synonyms and aphorisms for the term ‘veśyā’; and V. M. Apte’s English translation of a Varuṇa hymn from the Ṛgveda. From the Bulletin of the Baroda State Museum, it mentions articles on a Gandhāra statuette that may depict the Yakṣa Pañcika or the Iranian god Mithra, an inscription from the Navalakha Well at Baroda, Nepalese‑origin Dhyānī Buddha images in the Baroda Museum and a note on gold coins. Reports from the School of Oriental and African Studies include translations of Gardīzī’s Persian account of India, studies of Panjabi and Avestan phonetics, essays on Sanskrit rāja and Buddhist conceptions of the self, publication of a Paiśācī fragment and research on Nepalese Buddhist rituals. Other summaries note A. L. Basham’s discussion of King Harṣadeva’s iconoclasm in Kashmir, J. V. S. Wilkinson’s analysis of an illustrated manuscript, and an overview of Soviet orientalism. Collectively, these notes provide readers with a survey of current scholarship across Indology, linguistics, art history and Central Asian studies.
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Conclusion
By condensing diverse research articles into brief notes, the section keeps readers informed about developments across Oriental studies. It highlights the interdisciplinary nature of the field and underscores the global reach of research on South and Central Asia, Buddhism and linguistics.