JACOB, George Adolphus (not Augustus). Bromsgrove, Worcestershire 21.8.1840 — Redhill, Surrey 9.4.1918. British Colonial Officer and Indologist in India. Colonel, in India 1857-90. Son of Rev. George Andrew J. (1807–1896) and Susanna Pidsley, nephew of —> Philip Wh. Jacob, of a well-known family of colonial servants and officers, educated in Sheffield Collegiate School. In March 1857 came to India, in 22nd Bombay Infantry. In 1857-61 he served in regiment and staff, then at Native Army School in Poona: 1862 Assistant Superintendent, 1862-65 Acting Superintendent and 1865-89 Superintendent there. At the same time Director of Military Instruction in the Bombay Presidency. In 1890 retired and returned to England, where he settled down in Redhill concentrating on his Sanskrit studies. Married 1864 Emily Abbot (1845–1921), four sons and four daughters. Hon. Litt.D. 1914 Cambridge.
Jacob had started with Urdū, learned quickly Marāṭhī in Bombay and acquired very good command in this language, for which he occasionally acted as examiner for Bombay University. During 15 years he studied Sanskrit poetry and dramas and moved then to philosophical and scholarly texts and wrote his main works on them. Among his posthumous papers was found a translation of the Kirātārjunīya.
Publications: Translated: Meghadūta. 27 p. Poona 1870 (literal prose version); Sadānanda, Vedāntasāra. A manual of Hindu pantheism. 154 p. L. 1881, 2nd ed. 1888.
– Edited: “The Vasudeva and Gopichandana Upanishads”, IA 16, 1887, 84-92; The Mahānārāyaṇa-Upanishad. 3+26+31+9 p. B.S.S. 35. Bombay 1888 (with Dīpikā); Eleven Atharvaṇa Upaniṣads. 16+173 p. B.S.S. 40. Bombay 1891, 2nd ed. B. 1916; Sureśvarācārya, Naishkarmyasiddhi with the Chandrikā of Jñānottama. 250 p. B.S.S. 38. B. 1891, 2nd rev. ed. Bombay 1906; Sadānanda, Vedāntasāra, with commentaries of Nṛsiṁhasārasvatī and Rāmatīrtha. 11+215+6 p. Bombay N.S.P. 1894, 2nd ed. 1911; “Notes on Alaṅkāra Literature”, JRAS 1897, 281-309, 829-853 & 1898, 289-327, 922; “Udbhaṭa: Alaṅkārasārasarvasva”, JRAS 1897, 829-853;.
– Laukika-nyāyā-’ñjaliḥ. A Handful of Popular Maxims current in Sanskrit Literature. Bombay 1890, rev. & enl. ed. 12+54 p. Bombay 1907; A Second Handful… Bombay 1902, 2nd ed. 8+90 p. Bombay 1909; A Third Handful… 7+155 p. Bombay 1905; additions in JRAS 1909, 460-465 & 1020f. & 1912, 742-746.
– Upaniṣad-vākya-kośa. A Concordance to the principal Upanishads and Bhagavadgītā. 1091 p. B.S.S. 39. Bombay 1891.
– “Scraps from the Shaddarsana”, JRAS 1911, 509-514, 1127-1132; “Gleanings from Shabara”, JRAS 1914, 297-307.
Sources: F. W. Thomas, JRAS 1918, 635-637; myjacobfamily.com with several photos (and birth year as 1846).
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