PROF DR PADMANABH S. JAINI

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Manish Modi

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May 27, 2021, 2:52:56 PM5/27/21

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PADMANABH S. JAINI

(23 October 1923 - 25 May 2021)
The Sahṛdaya Jñānopayogī Scholar Who Never Lost His Sense Of Wonder

Dr Jaini with HH the Dalai Lama in Delhi, 1978

Dr Jaini with HH Pope John Paul II at the Vatican, 1995

PADMANABH S. JAINI
The Sahṛdaya Jñānopayogī Scholar Who Never Lost His Sense Of Wonder

World-renowned scholar Dr Padmanabh S. Jaini breathed his last on May 25, 2021. Dr Jaini was a veritable encyclopedia of Indian philosophy, and one of the world’s leading scholars of Jainism and Buddhism. An indologist who mastered several languages, Dr Jaini wrote largely on Buddhism and Jainism. He was Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, where he taught for nearly a quarter of a century.

Dr Jaini was born in a Tulu Jain family at his maternal grandmother’s home in Belthangady Jain Pete (Karnataka) on Monday, October 23, 1923. His mother was a devotee of Padmāvatī Devī and named him Padmanabh. His father Śrī Nellikar Shreevarma Shetty and his mother Śrīmatī Rajamati (known as Radhamma) were both educated, well-read Jain householders who gave their son sound values and an excellent education steeped in tradition. Dr Jaini was blessed with three brothers and three sisters.

Dr Jaini’s education began at age 3 when his mother made him memorise the nakṣatras and the names of the three caubīsīs. His father taught him to read English and Hindi, and hoped that he would grow up to become a scholar like Jugmandar Lal Jaini, knowing both Sanskrit and English. Being the son of a dedicated and disciplined teacher, Dr Jaini completed his primary school at age 9 and was then sent to the Gurukula established by Muni Samantabhadra in Karanja (Maharashtra) where he completed his matriculation. After this, Dr. Jaini attended college in Nashik, where he completed his BA (Honours) in Sanskrit and Prakrit.

A short trip to Mumbai led to Dr Jaini’s introduction to Pandit Nathuram Premi. Pandit Premiji then introduced the young Padmanabh to Pandit Sukhlal Sanghavi, who happened to be visiting Mumbai at the time. Pandit Sukhlalji immediately took the young scholar under his wing and took him back to Ahmadabad, where he stayed for two years and completed his MA under the close mentorship of Pandit Sukhlalji. Back in Mumbai, the young Padmanabh met Kakasaheb Kalelkar, who awarded him the Dharmanand Kosambi Memorial Trust Scholarship for a year, which enabled him to go to Sri Lanka and continue his studies. Dr Jaini lived in Sri Lanka for 2 years and was awarded a degree called Saddhamācariya.

Following this, Dr Jaini spent another year in Ahmadabad, teaching Pali and Buddhism. He was then appointed as a Lecturer of Pali and Buddhism at the renowned Banaras Hindu University. Such was his eminence at the BHU, that he was invited to become a Lecturer in Pali at the world-famous SOAS (University of London). He taught there for several years, first as a lecturer and then as a Reader. He also completed his PhD at the University of London.

An invitation offering Full Professorship at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, saw Dr Jaini and his family migrate to America in July 1967. There, he taught a graduate course in Sanskrit and an undergraduate course in Buddhism. In 1972, Dr Jaini was invited to teach in the newly established graduate programme in Buddhist Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. And he stayed and taught here for the rest of his life.

Dr Jaini’s career at the University of California, Berkeley was a series of highlights. All his academic endeavours met with great success. It was here that he wrote his groundbreaking masterpiece, The Jaina Path of Purification, in 1979, followed by several other books, articles and academic papers, all of enduring archival value. Dr Jaini became a colossus in the world of Jain and Buddhist studies. In all, he wrote 17 highly acclaimed books and over 80 articles.

The most prominent among his books are:
Laghutattvasphoṭa by Amṛtacandrasūri (Ahmadabad: 1978)
The Jaina Path of Purification (Berkeley: 1979)
Gender and Salvation (Berkeley: 1991)
Collected Papers on Jaina Studies (Delhi: 2000)
Collected Papers on Buddhist Studies (Delhi: 2001)
Christianity and Jainism: An Interfaith Dialogue (Mumbai: 2009)

Not only was Dr Jaini known for his erudition, but also his brilliant teaching and incomparable memory. He was also a marvellous raconteur, blessed with a tremendous sense of humour. Dr Jaini did not care much for titles or honorifics and wore his profound learning very lightly. He was highly sought after, yet also highly approachable. Several leading Indologists today chose a career in academics after meeting him.

I am fortunate to have had the warmest personal relationship with Dr Jaini. Not only am I the great-grandson of Pandit Nathuram Premi, but I have also inherited Premiji’s legendary publishing house, Hindi Granth Karyalay and continue his legacy in my limited way. Dr Jaini visited our home in Mumbai and mesmerised us with his perfect recollection of his meetings with Pandit Premiji. His advice and inspiration have guided me through my work as a translator of Jain literature. He allowed me to publish his writings, Christianity and Jainism (2009) and his memoirs Coincidences (Yogāyoga)(2019), in multiple languages.

Losing Dr Jaini marks the end of an era, and is a great personal loss to many. In the words of his son, “He was a brilliant scholar and a good man.” The world is a lesser place in his absence.

I pray that his soul attains kṣāyika samyagdarśana and mokṣa.