N.B. Halhed
Explanation
During the early phase of British rule, Governor-General Warren Hastings initiated judicial reforms to administer justice according to local traditions. To assist European judges who did not understand indigenous legal systems, a codification of Hindu and Muslim laws was undertaken.
Historical Analysis:
- In 1775, a commission of eleven learned pundits compiled a digest of Hindu laws in Sanskrit, titled Vivadarnavasetu (Bridge across the Sea of Litigation).
- To make this accessible to British judges, the Sanskrit text was first translated into Persian.
- N.B. Halhed (Nathaniel Brassey Halhed) translated this Persian version into English.
- The work was published in 1776 under the title A Code of Gentoo Laws, or, Ordinations of the Pundits. It was the first digest of Indian law translated into English.
Analysis of Other Options:
- William Jones: A jurist and orientalist who founded the Asiatic Society of Bengal in 1784. He is famous for translating Kalidasa’s Abhijnanasakuntalam and the Manusmriti (Institutes of Hindu Law).
- Charles Wilkins: The first European to translate the Bhagavad Gita into English (1785).
- James Mill: A utilitarian philosopher who wrote the monumental six-volume work, The History of British India (1817).
Key Takeaway:
N.B. Halhed translated the compilation of Hindu laws known as the Code of Gentoo Laws in 1776, based on the initiative of Warren Hastings.