Rau, W.
| English Phonetics | Wilhelm Rau |
|---|---|
| Sort Name | Rau, Wilhelm |
| Birth: | 1922 |
|---|---|
| Death: | 1999 |
| Place of birth: | Gera, Germany |
Tibetan calendar dates
Biographical Information
Adolf Wilhelm Ludwig Rau (Gera 15.2.1922 – Gera 29.12.1999) was a German Indologist and professor in Marburg. He was that son of Rudolf Rau, a schoolteacher, and Johanna Seifarth. He began studying Sanskrit already when 15. From 1940, he began studies at Leipzig under Friedrich Weller, but was soon interrupted by service as an interpreter for the Indian Legion (which gave him practical knowledge of Hindūstānī and contacts with other Indologists). After a brief time as an American war prisoner, he came to the West and continued his studies at Marburg from 1946 (but also kept in contact with Weller until Weller’s death). He earned his Ph.D. in 1949 from Marburg under Nobel. PD 1952 Marburg, then two years in India studying vyākaraṇa under Shantibhikshu Shastri at Santiniketan. From 1955 he was Professor of IE Linguistics at Frankfurt. In 1957 he succeeded Nobel as Professor of Sanskrit Philology at Marburg. He retired in 1988.
Rau is best known for his studies on the material culture of the Vedic period, masterfully combining archaeological evidence to a full discussion of texts, especially the Brāhmaṇas. His other interests include the text tradition of the Vākyapadīya of Bhartṛhari and the history of Indology. Among his students, for example, H. Brückner, G. Ehlers, Sh. Einoo, A. Frenz, D. George, K. Klaus, M. Kraatz, M. Mittwede, R. S. Sarma, D. Schrapel, P. S. Sharma and Ry. Tsuchida completed their Ph.D. under him. His papers are kept in Halle. (Adapted from Source Jan 31, 2014)
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