Index to History of Dharmasastra by Pandurang Vaman Kane

Words of Indian origin have been insinuating themselves into English ever since the end of the reign of Elizabeth and the beginning of that of King James, when such terms as calico, chintz, and gingham had long passed into English language and literature. Such foreign words started being used quite frequently 185 years ago when, soon after the middle of the last century the number of English men in Indian services, civil and military expanded with the great acquisition of dominion then made by the East India Company. Hobson-Jobson in original compilation was intended to deal with all that class of words which, not in general pertaining to the technicalities of administration, recur in the daily intercourse of English in India, either as expressing ideas really not provided for by English language or supposed by speakers to express something not capable of just denotation by any English term. The work, in the long course of its compilation underwent some modification and enlargement of scope which has been presented to readers. Those who have studied the pages of Hobson-Jobson have agreed in classing it as unique among similar works of reference, a volume which combines interest and amusement with instruction, in a manner which few other dictionaries if any, have done. This is an index on the subject of purification to History of Dharmasastra, written by Prof. P.V. Kane. This work was chosen because it is encyclopaedic and generally acknowledged to be the definitive work on Hinduism. The topic of purification is the major theme of this index. Related topics such as sin, penance, and expiation, etc. are also covered. The idea of purification remains at the core of rituals such as marriage, birth, death and upanayana. These themes are integral parts of Hindu rituals and liturgy and affect the social ethics of Hindus. This index consists of two parts. Part One is arranged according to topic and Part Two is arranged by the author or source. Prof. Kane’s work is a classic work on Hindu law and religion and its index would be just as useful to scholars and laymen alike.