Thesis Title:
A Critical Edition, Translation and Study of the 17th Chapter of Śrīharṣa’s Naiṣadhacarita with Cāṇḍūpaṇḍita’s Commentary
Supervisors:
Prof. Diwakar Acharya, Prof. John Lowe
Biography:
I am mainly interested in language – what it is, what it can do and how it does it. Accordingly, I am studying Śrīharṣa's Naiṣadhacarita and Khaṇḍanakhaṇḍakhādya, one of the great mahākāvyas (“epic poems”) of Sanskrit literature and a unique philosophical treatise that aims to prove the limits of rational enquiry in philosophical debates. More specifically, I am trying to understand how Śrīharṣa expressed his philosophical positions in his poem, something he declaredly set out to do. To start with, I am studying both texts, and I am working on a critical edition of the Naiṣadhacarita’s 17th chapter, which is remarkably philosophical.
I love dabbling in verses, thinking about translation and looking up etymologies.
I am currently teaching Spoken Sanskrit for the Oxford Ancient Languages Society and organising a play, the Mṛcchakaṭika (or “The Little Clay Cart”), to be performed in Sanskrit and Prakrit (8th week of Hilary 2025).
My studies are financed by the Clarendon Scholarship.
Educational Background:
BA in Modern Languages and Literatures (Russian, Arabic, Persian), University of Bologna
Traditional Teaching (Sanskrit), Balmeeki Campus, Sanskrit College in Kathmandu
Traditional Teaching (Sanskrit, Tamil), EFEO Centre in Pondicherry
MA in Indology (Sanskrit, Tamil, Pali), University of Hamburg
Research Interests:
Sanskrit Poetry and Poetics (Kāvya & Alaṃkāraśāṣtra)
Indian Philosophy (Nyāya, Mīmāṃsā)
Sanskrit Grammar (Vyākaraṇa)
Recent Publications:
M.A. Thesis. A Glimpse into the Mind of a South Indian Sanskrit Poet in the 17th Century. Analysis of Contents and Composition of a New Sanskrit Commentary. University of Hamburg: 2024.
Links:
https://oxford.academia.edu/RiccardoPaccagnella
