BALLINI, Ambrogio. Asola (near Mantova) 19.7.1879 — 20.3.1950. Italian Indologist, especially Jaina Scholar. Professor in Padua, Milano and Rome. Studied at the university of Bologna, interested soon in Sanskrit (under Formichi), but also acquainted himself with Greek and Latin. Further studies in Germany (at Bonn under Jacobi), at Padua (Teza) and at Milano (Ascoli). As he was also interested in religion, he soon specialized in Jainism. From 1904 Docent at Rome, also secretary of the Scuola Orientale of the university. Professor ord. of Sanskrit at Padua from 1913, at Milano from 1924, and at Rome from 1941 (successor of Formichi). Retired in 1949, but continued teaching until his death (succeeded in 1952 by Ferrari).
Ballini was a specialist of Jaina studies, also interested in metrics. Death ended his plans for a large Prakrit dictionary and for a study of relations between Christianity and Buddhism. He was meticulous and careful in his work, and his bibliography contains only 49 items (+ reviews). At Padua and Milano he also taught IE Linguistics.
Publications: Agaḍadatta. Dal prācrito. 39 p. Firenze 1903.
– ““Pañcaśatī-prabodhasaṁbandhaḥ” o le cinquecento novelle antiche di Ṥubhaśīlagani”, SFII 6, 1904, 1-82; Hitopadesa. Il buono ammaestramento. Milano 1935.
– “Upamitabhavanaprapañca Kathā di Siddharṣi”, GSAI 17–24, 1904-11; “Contributi allo studio di Upamitabhavanaprapañca Kathā di Siddharṣi”, 119 p. Rendic. R. Accad. dei Lincei 15: 5: 5-6 & 12, 1906, 120 p.; “Il Vasupūjyacarita di Vardhamānasūri”, RSO 1–2, 1907-09.
– “Note critiche all’ VIII Sarga del Kumārasambhava”, Rendic. R. Accad. dei Lincei 14:5:2, 1906, 39 p.
– Edited: Ṥrī Vardhamānasūriviracitaṁ śri Vāsupūjyacaritam. 471 p. Ahmedabad 1910.
– La metrica degli Indi. II. La poesia profana. 160 p. 1912 (I. by Belloni-Filippi; II. appeared first in SFII 8, 1910-11, 1-72); With M. Vallauri: Lineamenti d’una storie delle lingue e della letteratura antica e medievale dell’ India. Rome 1943 (from Enciclopedia italiana 45-70).
– “India. Bollettino bibliografico”, RSO 4, 1912, 873-1003; 6, 1914, 1159-1281; 7, 1918, 282-339; “Lingue dell’ India”, Gli Studi Orientali in Italia 1861–1911. RSO 5, 1915-27, 58 p.; “India 1915–1924”, Aevum 1, 1927, 71-281; further articles and reviews in GSAI, RSO, etc.
– Alfredo Trombetti. 62 p. Milano 1930.
– “Le religioni dell’ India”, Storia delle religioni II. Turin 1936, 63-226, 2nd ed. 1939, 3rd ed. 1949.
Sources: *L. Heilman, Por la storia degli studi indianistici in Italia: A.B. (1879–1950). 30 p. Bologna 1952; G. Scarcia, Dizz. biogr. degli Italiani 5, 1963, 597f.; G. Tucci, RSO 25, 1950, 156–160 (with bibliography). Photo in Sardesai.
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