Buddhism and World Culture

A seminar on Buddhism and World Culture was organized by the Department of Sanskrit in 1984 under the guidance of the then Head of the Department, Prof. Krishnanath Chatterjee. The seminar was planned by him and it was through his active supervision that the seminar could be successfully held. The proceedings could not then be published for want of funds; only one of the papers (by Dr. Ramendra Nath Ghose) was published in the Journal of the Department of Sanskrit of this University, Vol.II.1985. Now the present volume is being published in accordance with the University’s decision to publish the proceeding in the form of a small volume. The inordinate delay in publishing the proceedings in immensely regretted.

I am greatly pained that Professor Chatterjee did not survive to see this book published. Unfortunately, he breathed his lead on 21.4.96 in Calcutta after a very brief period of illness. The Department of Sanskrit remains indebted to him for his untiring effort and achievement in leading the department for six years and for his contribution towards the establishment of the School of Vedic Studies. This book is dedicated to the evergreen memory of the lamented Professor.

I take this opportunity to express our thanks to the Vice-Chancellor for his kind patronage. I am thankful to Sri Nabanarayan Bandyopadhyay, Reader in Vedic Studies, for seeing this book through press, and to Dr Krishnakali Bhattacharya, senior Lecture, and Sm. Tripti saha, Project Assistant, for correcting the proofs some articles.