The Count Raniero Gnoli (born January 20, 1930 in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

) is an Italian Orientalist,

Indologist Indology, also known as South Asian studies, is the academic study of the history and cultures, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent, and as such is a subset of Asian studies. The term ''Indology'' (in German, ''Indologie'') is o ...

and historian of religion.

Biography

Student of

Giuseppe Tucci Giuseppe Tucci (; 5 June 1894 – 5 April 1984) was an Italian orientalist, Indologist and scholar of East Asian studies, specializing in Tibetan culture and the history of Buddhism. During its zenith, Tucci was a supporter of Italian fascism ...

and

Mario Praz Mario Praz (; September 6, 1896, Rome – March 23, 1982, Rome) was an Italian-born critic of art and literature, and a scholar of English literature. His best-known book, ''The Romantic Agony'' (1933), was a comprehensive survey of the decadent ...

, Raniero Gnoli was a Professor of

Indology Indology, also known as South Asian studies, is the academic study of the History of India, history and Culture of India, cultures, Languages of South Asia, languages, and Indian literature, literature of the Indian subcontinent, and as such is a ...

at the

University of Rome La Sapienza The Sapienza University of Rome ( it, Sapienza – Università di Roma), also called simply Sapienza or the University of Rome, and formally the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", is a public research university located in Rome, Ita ...

1964 to 2000, as well as dean of the School of Oriental Studies at the same university. Famous Sanskritist, his scope of research covered the theologies and religious philosophies of India, especially those related to Tantric

Shaivism Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangi ...

(i.e.,

Kashmir Shaivism Kashmir Shaivism or Trika Shaivism, is a nondualist tradition of Shaiva-Shakta Tantra which originated sometime after 850 CE. Since this tradition originated in Kashmir it is often called "Kashmiri Shaivism". It later went on to become a pan ...

), medieval schools of Buddhist logic, and doctrines mentioned in ''Kālacakratantra''. Gnoli was also the first to translate many texts belonging to the Indian religious traditions from Sanskrit into Western languages, contributing decisively to a more precise definition of the relevant terminology. To-date, he remains the only one in the world to have translated the voluminous work ''

Tantrāloka ''Tantrāloka'' ( sa, तन्त्रालोक, translit=tantrāloka, lit=Elucidation of Tantra) is the masterwork of Abhinavagupta, a writer and philosopher of the Kashmir Shaivism school of Hindu philosophy. Overview The work contains ...

'' written in the 10th century by Indian philosopher

Abhinavagupta Abhinavagupta (c. 950 – 1016 Common Era, CE) was a Indian philosophy, philosopher, Mysticism, mystic and Aesthetics, aesthetician from Kashmir. He was also considered an influential Music of India, musician, Indian poetry, poet, Theatre in ...

. Expert also in Greek and Roman culture, he has compiled ''Marmora Romana'', a thorough "study of the decorative stones used by the ancients, that the marble that, in the classic of the word, include all stones decoration likely to polish." Raniero Gnoli is the brother of

Gherardo Gnoli Gherardo Gnoli (6 December 1937 in Rome – 7 March 2012 in Cagli) was a historian of Italy, Italian religions and Iran expert.Carlo Cereti, “GNOLI, GHERARDO,” Encyclopædia Iranica, online edition, 2015, available at http://www.iranicaonline.or ...

who has since 1996 been the president of the Italian Institute for Africa and the East.

Works

The full list of works by Raniero Gnoli was published in a collection of studies in his honor: Le Parole e i Marmi (The words and the marbles - ed. by Raffaele Torella ). Rome, IsIAO, 2001, pp. XVII-XX. These include: * Marmora Romana. Rome, Elephant Editions, 1988 * Thirteen poems. Rome, Elephant Editions, 1981 * La Rivelazione del Buddha (The Revelation of the Buddha - ed. by Raniero Gnoli, transl. by Claudio Cicuzza and Francesco Sferra) 2 vols. - I Testi Antichi (The Ancient Texts), 2001. Il Grande Veicolo (The Great Vehicle), 2004. Milan, Meridiani Mondadori. * Memory of Giuseppe Tucci, Rome, IsIAO, 1985. * The aesthetic experience according to Functional Abhinavagupta. Rome, IsIAO, 1956. * Nepalese inscriptions in gupta characters. Rome, IsIAO, 1956.

Translations

, Abhinavagupta. Light of scripture, Turin, typographical Union-Turin-based publishing, 1972. *

, Abhinavagupta's comment to Paratrimsika, (Parātrimśikātattvavivarana), Rome, IsIAO, 1985. *

Dharmakirti Dharmakīrti (fl. c. 6th or 7th century; Tibetan: ཆོས་ཀྱི་གྲགས་པ་; Wylie: ''chos kyi grags pa''), was an influential Indian Buddhist philosopher who worked at Nālandā.Tom Tillemans (2011)Dharmakirti Stanford ...

, The Pramanavarttikam of Dharmakirti. The First Chapter with Autocommentary (Pramānavārttikasvavrtti),Rome, IsIAO, 1960. *

Gabriele Faerno The humanist scholar Gabriele Faerno, also known by his Latin name of Faernus Cremonensis, was born in Cremona about 1510 and died in Rome on 17 November, 1561. He was a scrupulous textual editor and an elegant Latin poet who is best known now for ...

, Fables choices. Rome, Elephant Editions, 1970. *

Nāgārjuna Nāgārjuna . 150 – c. 250 CE (disputed)was an Indian Mahāyāna Buddhist thinker, scholar-saint and philosopher. He is widely considered one of the most important Buddhist philosophers.Garfield, Jay L. (1995), ''The Fundamental Wisdom of ...

, Le Stanze del Cammino di Mezzo (The Stanza of the Middle Way, Madhyamaka karika), introduction, translation and notes, Turin, Basic Books, 1979. * Udbhata, Udbhata's commentary on the Kavyalankara Bhamaha of Rome, IsIAO, 1962.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gnoli, Raniero Italian historians of religion Italian Indologists 1930 births Living people Linguists from Italy Sanskrit scholars