TUXEN, Poul. Frederiksberg near Copenhagen 8.12.1880 — Copenhagen 29.5.1955. Danish Indologist. Professor in Copenhagen. Son of Søren Ludvig T. (1850–1919), teacher and classical philologist, and Johanne Margarethe Jørgensen. Educated at Bergerydskolen in Copenhagen, where his father was rector. Started Sanskrit as a schoolboy, matriculated 1899. Studied at Copenhagen Music (played violin), Germanistics (Møller) and Sanskrit (Andersen), in 1901-02 at Leipzig under Windisch et al. M.A. 1903 Copenhagen, in Germanistics. Ph.D. 1911 Copenhagen. From 1903 worked in University Library, 1907 Underbibliotekar, 1924 Bibliotekar II. At the same time concentrated on Indology, in 1909 on leave studied under Jacobi at Bonn. In 1921-22 winter visited Thailand collecting Pāli manuscripts, in 1936-37 in Ceylon and India. In 1928 succeeded Andersen as Professor of Indology at Copenhagen. Retired in 1951. Last years blind, died of a heart attack. Married 1907 Anna Margarete Møllerup (d. 1928), children, again 1930 Ebba Edel Larsen.
Tuxen was no linguist, but a cultural historian mainly interested in Indian philosophy and Buddhism; also a specialist of commentarial literature. His dissertation on Yoga in 1911 was the first good account of the subject (unlike Garbe and Deussen he also used Vyāsa and Vācaspatimiśra). In 1936 he was the first to study Nāgārjuna’s philosophy. His work was not fully appreciated as he wrote mainly in Danish. He believed that even scholarship must be written in one’s own language and gave no permission for the translation of his writings, either. Among his students were K. Barr, H. Hendriksen and E. Pauly.
Publications: Richard Wagner som Dramatiker. 112 p. Copenhagen 1904.
– Diss. Yoga. En Oversigt over den systematiske Yoga-Filosofi paa Grundlag af Kilderne. 7+215 p. Copenhagen 1911.
– Translated: An Indian Primer of Philosophy or the Tarkabhāṣā of Keśavamiśra. Vid. Selsk. Skr. 7:2:3. Copenhagen 1914.
– “Hvad lærer den “ortodokse” indiske Filosofi om Atomer”, Vor Tid 1, 1914-15, 147-160; “Indisk Romandigtning”, ibid. 382-399; “Forestillinger om Sjælen i RV”, Med. D. Vid. Selsk. 2:4, 28 p. København 1919.
– Transl. in Verldensreligionernes Hovedværker: Dhammapada. Buddhistiske Tankesprog. 61 p. København 1920, rev. & enl. 2nd ed. 95 p. Køb. 1953; Bhagavadgītā. Herrens Ord. 79 p. Køb. 1920, 2nd 95 p. Køb. 1952; De ældste Upanishader. 1-2. 123+150 p. Køb. 1921-22, 2nd ed. 287 p. Køb. 1953.
– Transl. “Vedalitteraturen”, S. Fenger (ed.), Religionshistoriske Tekster i dansk Oversettelse. København 1919, 40-74; Æventyr fra det gamle Indien. 168 p. Køb. 1924 (Jātaka).
– “Zur Darstellung der indischen Philosophie”, AO 4, 1926, 118-123; “Einige Bemerkungen über die Konstruktion der Pāli-Texte”, Festgabe Jacobi 1926, 98-102; “Sureçvara, Pañcīkaraṇavārtika. Ein Vedānta-Kompendium”, Festgabe R. Garbe 1927, 134-138 (edited); “Die Grundlegung der Moral nach ind. Auffassung”, AO 14, 1936, 1-25.
– Buddha, hans Lære, dens Overlevering og dens Liv i Nutiden. 304 p. 1928; Buddha och hans lära. 167 p. Stockholm 1930.
– Opdragelserejser og Togter i Asien. 1. De indiske Lande. 384 p. Køb. 1931.
– “Inledende Bemærkninger til buddhistisk Relativisme”, Køb. Univ. Festskr. 1936, 102 p.; “In what sense can we call the teachings of Nāgārjuna negativism?”, JOR 11, 1937, 231-242.
– “Kvindens stilling i det gamle indiske Samfund”, Køb. univ. Festskr. 1944, 100 p.
– With S. Konow: “Indiens Religioner”, Illustreret Religionshistorie. København 1948, 497-646 (by Tuxen “Brahmanisme, Jainisme of Buddhisme”, 511-600; English: The Religions of India. Copenhagen 1949 (25-149 by Tuxen).
– With E. Pauly: “The Parable of the Climbing Juggler”, Studia Orientalia Joanni Pedersen dicata. Copenhagen 1953, 352-363.
– “Yāska’s Nirukta as authority on Vedic divinities”, AO 22:3-4, 1957, 154-166.
Sources: K. Barr, Vid. Selsk. 1956, 1-32, with bibliography and photo; K.C.F. Feddersen, ZDMG 110, 1961, 1-7, with bibliography and photo; *Pauly, Køb. Univ. 8, 1992, 551ff.; V. Seemann, D.B.L. 2nd ed. 24, 1943, 397-401; Danish Wikipedia; another photo in Sardesai, third in Pauly.
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