Aba Parasnis

Vithal Sakharam Parasnis (17xx-18xx) was popularly known as 'Aba' hence he is usually referred to as Aba Parasnis by sources. He was a Sanskrit, Vedic and Persian scholar of the early 19th century Maharashtra.[1][2][3][4] He was a native of the Satara district of Maharashtra.[5]

Consultant to James Grand Duff

Aba was one of the three scholars who were consultants to the British Historian James Grant Duff, specifically in Persian sources of the history of Maharashtra - the other two scholars being Balajipant Natu and Balvantrao Chitnis. Duff would persistently demand more material and would consult and ask them for interpretations of terms and policies and explanations for events in the materials that he had in his possession. His questions were directed to the origin and justification of specific policies and concepts - taxes such as chauth and sardeshmukhi. Duff would be frustrated by what he deemed as "inconsistent answers" from these knowledgeable people. The scholars such as Parasnis, on their part, resented the "insistent cross examination" by Duff.[3][4]

Debate on Vedic scriptures and Hindu Shastras

Parasnis is most notable for a unique "Brahmin varna vs Kshatriya varna" debate that took place at Satara. It involved discussions and disputes related to the intricacies of the Hindu Shastras, Vedas and Puranas. The Kshatriya varna was represented by Parasnis and the Brahman varna was represented by Raghvacharya Gajendragadkar. This historic debate took place in the early 19th century Maharashtra. It was attended by hundreds of prominent Brahmins all over Maharashtra. Historians have credited Parasnis for debating effectively and "holding his own".[1][3][6][7]

Literature

Two Sanskrit books "Karmakalapdruma" and "Siddhantavijaya" were authored by Parasnis and published by Pratapsimha. The "Siddhantavijaya" is considered important because it gives details of the Maratha clan system. It is written in Sanskrit with some content in marathi. The other Sanskrit scripture authored by him is "Karmakalpadruma". It is a manual for Hindu rituals and hence called the samskara manual. A translation of Siddhanatavijaya and some commentary was written by Mahadev Ganesh Dongre in the early 20th century.[3]

Sanskrit School

Pratapsimha realized the importance of the knowledge of Sanskrit and decided to open a "pathshala" to teach Sanskrit to boys from the Maratha caste. Parasnis was the first head of this school.[3][5]

References
  1. Dhananjay Keer (1976). Shahu Chhatrapati: A Royal Revolutionary. p. 81.
  2. Sumitra Kulkarni. The Satara Raj, 1818-1848: A Study in History, Administration, and Culture. pp. 186, 143, 144, 191.
  3. Milton Israel; N.K.Wagle (1987). Religion and society in Maharashtra. pp. 162, 163, 166, 168.
  4. Prachi Deshpande (2007). Creative Pasts: Historical Memory and Identity in Western India. Columbia University Press. pp. 77, 78.
  5. R.G.Rane. Chhatrapati Pratapsinha Maharaj Yanche Charitra (in Marathi). pp. 216, 137.
  6. Salunkhe; M. G. Mali (1994). Chhatrapati Shahu, the piller of social democracy. Maharashtra (India). Directorate of Education. p. 114.
  7. A. Giuffre, ed. (1980). Annali Della Facoltà Di Scienze Politiche( translation: records of the political science faculty), Volume 2 (in Italian). pp. 784, 789.
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