A Tribute to Benimadhab Barua: A Light to

Bengali Buddhists

BD Dipen | Buddhistdoor Global | 2019-04-01 |

Benimadhab Barua. From www.caluniv.ac.in

Professor Benimadhab Barua (1888–1948), popularly known as B. M. Barua, was an
indologist and educator who played a crucial role in the revival of Buddhism in Bengal.
He was particularly well known for his research on ancient India’s history, heritage,
and culture, and was also an international authority on Pali studies and archeology.
Although he spent most of his time at the University of Calcutta as a professor of Pali,
he was also involved with the departments of Sanskrit and Ancient Indian History and
Culture.

Prof. Barua was born on 31 December 1888 in the village of Mahamuni Pahartali, in
the Chittagong district of colonial Bengal (present-day Bangladesh). From an early
age he demonstrated an aptitude for learning and an interest in the humanities. A
prolific writer, he produced 19 books in English, seven books in Bengali, around 86
research articles in English, and approximately 22 articles in Bengali.

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After completing primary school at his village in 1902, he was admitted into Chittagong
School, for which he passed the entrance examination in 1906. He then passed the
FA (Faculty of Arts) examination for Chittagong Government College in 1908. In 1911,
he graduated from Baharampurr Krishnanath College (now in West Bengal, India) with
honours in Pali. In 1913, he earned a first class MA in Pali at the University of Calcutta.
In 1914, he traveled to England with the assistance of the late Venerable Kripasaran,
the founder of the Bengal Buddhist Association, and the late Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee,
then vice-chancellor of the University of Calcutta.

In 1917, Prof. Barua became the first South Asian to receive the degree of Doctor of
Literature from the University of London. His thesis was titled “Indian Philosophy—Its
Origin and Growth from the Vedas to the Buddha.” He was supervised by Prof. T. W.
Rhys Davids, founder of the Pali Text Society, his wife C. A. F. Rhys Davids, Prof. F.
W. Thomas, and Prof. L. D. Barnett. By now he was thoroughly exposed to the
international stage of Buddhist studies, and the Indo-Pali emphases of the Anglo-
German school of Buddhology.

Having received his degree, Prof. Barua returned to India and in December 1917 was
appointed to the University of Calcutta, where he served as professor in the
Department of Pali. He held different positions as an external examiner for various
universities in Rangoon, Colombo, Dhaka, Bombay (now Mumbai), Allahabad,
Benares (now Varanasi), and Lucknow. He was perhaps best known for his seminal
volumes on Buddhism’s earliest centuries, which include: A Prolegomena to the History
of Buddhist Philosophy (1918), The Ajivikas (1920), A History of Pre-Buddhistic Indian
Philosophy(1921), Prakrit Dhammapada: A Critical Edition with Translation and
Notes (1921), Gaya and Buddha Gaya: Early History of the Holy Land (Parts I and II) (1931
and 1934), Barhut Inscriptions of Ashoka, Part I: A Critical Edition of
Text (1943), Inscriptions of Ashoka, Part II: Translations and Notes (1945), Studies in
Buddhism (1947), and Philosophy of Progress (1948).

A History of Pre-Buddhistic Indian Philosophy was a revised and enlarged edition of his
research work at the University of London. It was formative for many scholars and
shaped an entire academic generation’s methodology on researching and teaching
ancient Indian philosophy. Through this book, he gained fame and attention as a

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philosopher among Indian and overseas scholars. In this book, he analyzed the
philosophy of the Vedas, Samhita, Aranyak, Upanishads, Mahabharata, Ramayana, and
Pali and Prakrit literature, and the simultaneous Greek history-philosophy.

Sukumar Sen, a student of B. M. Barua and professor of Pali at the University of

Calcutta, said about this book: “Benimadhab is considered to be a pioneer in the
history of ancient Indian philosophy. It was not possible for any Indian scholar to
publish this kind of book before Barua. Even if he did not write anything other than this
book, he would already have been an author of exceptional pride among our scholarly
circles. But in that case, we would not have been privy to the archaeological and
historical scholarship by Benimadhab.” (Shimul 2018, 14; translated from Bengali by
author).

Shrine hall at the Mahabodhi Society of India, Kolkata. From justdial.com

Prof. Barua’s understanding of Buddhism, much like that of the reformist Indians and
Victorian Buddhologists, was realistic, rational, and scientific. A letter he sent from the
University of London to Venerable Gunalankar in India on 5 April 1916 reveals an
intensely humanistic and non-dogmatic approach to life:

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“Do not be afraid of society's present state, because society is created by people.
Before society existed, there was neither sin nor virtue. Sins come from society. Before
the law was introduced, when someone stole, he would be asked, ‘Did you steal?’ and
he would answer, ‘Yes, I stole because I had a lack.’ From the day when theft was
dealt with as a crime, he would answer, ‘I did not steal.’ True, order is essential for
civilization. But remember, society is not emancipation, it is just a path.

“Do not be afraid of anything other than your conscience. You are also human, I am
also human. The differences between you and me are simply of degrees. Humanity
matters more than abstract concerns about nature, fate, time, and so on. Humanity
prevails over concerns about divinity, animalism, Brahma, and all else. Forget about
differences between women and men. You cannot say that you are better
than women, because there are many women in the world who are more virtuous and
knowledgeable than men. Religion is all about your thoughts—your will.” (Shimul
2014, 386; translated from Bengali by author).

He passed away in Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, on 23 March 1948.

Although he was born in present-day Bangladesh, his education, work, and research
was based in India. Scholars know him mostly for his writings but not for his
phenomenal philanthropy for public causes that he did alongside his research.
Therefore, a full biography of him is very much in order. The 69th anniversary of his
death fell on 23 March this year. On the occasion of this anniversary, we pay homage
to this distinguished educationalist who made a uniquely Bengali contribution to the
fields of Buddhist studies and Indology.

References
Shimul Barua, ed. 2014. Indologist Acharya Dr. Benimadhab Barua Memorandum (in
Bengali). Chittagong: Aniruddha Barua Ani Memorial Trust.
Shimul Barua. 2018. “The Grate Life and Work of Indologist Professor Dr. B.M. Barua”
(in Bengali). Kolkata: Professor Benimadhab Barua Foundation.