About Govind Kaul writes Stein, “His learning and sound method of scholarly work had already, in 1875, attracted the attention of Professor Georg Buhler, when that great Indologist had paid a memorable visit to Kashmir in search of Sanskrit manuscripts. The very commendatory mention which Professor Buhler’s report made of Pandit Govind Kaul’s attainments and of the help he had rendered, directed my attention to him from the start. The personal impression gained within the first few days of my arrival at Srinagar at the close of August1888, was quite sufficient to convince me how amply deserved that praise was. I was quick to notice Pandit Govind Kaul’s special interest in antiquarian subjects, such as made me then already form the plan of critical edition and commentary of Kalhana’s Chronicle of Kashmir. I was equally impressed by his dignified personality, which combined the best qualities of the Indian scholar and gentleman. A short archaeological tour which we made in company to sites round the Dal Lake helped to draw us together in mutual sympathy and regard. So it was to me a great source of satisfaction when, before my departure for the plains, Pandit Govind Kaul, with his revered father’s full approval, accepted my offer of personal employment and agreed to follow me to Lahore for the cold weather season. It was the beginning of a long period of close association between us in scholarly interest and work. It continued practically unbroken for eleven years, throughout my official employment in the Punjab University at Lahore, and down to Pandit Govind Kaul’s lamented death in June 1899.”

Of Pandit Sahajabhatta, writes Stein, “I have known him for the last 22 years as one of the most accomplished Sanskrit scholars of the traditional type in Kashmir in which I have always held his learning and ability than by stating about him and as well the late Pandit Govind Kaul. He was thus employed with the chief of my Indologists labours since 1889 to 1894 on the preparation of the materials for my catalogue of the Sanskrit manuscripts at Jammu and Kalhana’s Chronicle. Later in order to help my old assistant, I secured for him various literary task such as the catalogue of Sanskrit manuscripts, the collections of folk-tales for Dr Hertel and the preparation of a commentary on an interesting Sanskrit lexicographical text of Kashmir known as the Lokaprakasa.”

There was yet another Pandit whom Stein encountered much later during his long stay in Kashmir. This was Pandit Nityanand. While Govind Kaul, Sahajabhatta, Mukund Ram and to some extent Pandit Damodar were his immediate native collaborators in his labours as a Sanskrit scholar while he was engaged in the preparation of the edition of the Rajatarangini, and the catalogue of Sanskrit manuscripts at Jammu, it was Nityanand who after them was Stein’s last anchor in Kashmir from whom he secured all kinds of help for his own work and for other Western scholars engaged in Kashmir studies. Aurel Stein’s most important Kashmiri correspondent towards this end was Nityanand. He was his student first, a friend and co-worker later.

Of him, writes Stein, “Pandit Nityanand was one of the first Kashmiri students who acquired the Shastri degree in the Panjab university and it was on the occasion when he presented himself at Lahore in 1892 for his examination that I being then Principal, Oriental College of the Punjab University first made his acquaintance.”