author
Edward Washburn Hopkins
1857–1932
A pioneering American Sanskrit scholar, he helped bring Indian epic literature and religion to English-speaking readers with clarity and range. His work connected philology, mythology, and the study of religion at a time when these fields were still taking shape.
1 Audiobook
The Religions of India Handbooks on the History of Religions, Volume 1, Edited by Morris Jastrow
by Edward Washburn Hopkins
About the author
Born in Northampton, Massachusetts, in 1857, he studied at Columbia College and then at Leipzig, where he earned his Ph.D. He taught at Columbia and Bryn Mawr before becoming professor of Sanskrit and comparative philology at Yale, succeeding the influential scholar William Dwight Whitney.
Hopkins was known for his work on Sanskrit literature, Indian religion, and the great epics of ancient India. Among his notable books are The Religions of India, The Great Epic of India, and Epic Mythology, works that helped introduce broad audiences to Hindu traditions, myth, and literary history.
His writing is remembered for combining close language study with a wide interest in culture and belief. Even now, he stands as an important early American Indologist whose books opened a path for readers curious about India's classical texts and religious ideas.