Frits Staal, an influential Indologist, passes away

The worldwide community of Indology scholars, among others, mourns the passing of Professor Johan Frederik Staal, known to his many friends and colleagues simply as ‘Frits.' He died at his home near Chiangmai in Thailand on Sunday, February 19. Staal, had been Emeritus Professor of Philosophy and South/Southeast Asian Studies at the University of California. Some of the earliest and rarest recordings of Veda recitation and chant were made by, Frits Staal, during a ride he undertook across south India on an old Royal Enfield. He went on to be one of the most influential Indologists and experts in the Vedas abroad. Staal's specialized in the study of Vedic ritual and mantras, and the scientific exploration of ritual and mysticism. He is also a scholar of Greek and Indian logic and philosophy and Sanskrit grammar. At Mylapore in Chennai, he studied Panini's Sanskrit grammar under an expert. At Varanasi, he imbibed Navya-Nyaya logic under the guidance of another. The combination of Panini and logic opened the door to modern linguistics. Staal argued that ancient Indian grammarians, especially Panini, had completely mastered methods of linguistic theory not discovered again until the 1950s. The Indians had thought about it long before modern mathematical logic was applied to linguistics by Noam Chomsky. The early methods allowed the construction of discrete, potentially infinite generative systems, experts maintain. The formal basis for Panini's methods involves the use of auxiliary markers, rediscovered in the 1930s by logician Emil Post, whose rewrite systems are currently a standard approach for description of computer languages, experts say. “Shrauta Sutras are concerned with continuity and survival of the Vedic tradition. Substances and people change. But mantras and their syntax do not,” he said on a visit to Panjal, near here, last year to witness Athirathram. Professor Staal was an internationally known authority in Sanskrit grammar, mysticism and ritual studies. He was especially highly regarded for his original, if often provocative and even controversial, studies of Vedic rituals. This was exemplified by his magisterial 1983 study of the Vedic agnichayana rite, titled, Agni: The Vedic Ritual of the Fire Altar. This he published in collaboration with two experts in rituals, C.V. Somayajipad and Itti Ravi Nambudiri. His film, Altar of Fire, on the performance of this rite in 1975 by Nambudiri Brahmins in Kerala, became a widely viewed classic of ethnographic film-making. Apart from several books, he wrote more than 150 articles on Sanskrit, philosophy of language and history of science. Throughout his life, he campaigned for the preservation of the Vedic culture. He was a learned, iconoclastic, charming and generous teacher, scholar, and colleague His loss will be felt by his many friends and colleagues. His passing constitutes a serious blow to Indological studies. Original News from :http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/kerala/article2913333.ece and http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2917446.eceProfessor

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