REVIEWS
Rabindranath Tagore – A
Biography: By
There
were many distinctly individual creative worlds in Rabindranath Tagore. The
poet is always found sitting in some magic island, carrying on an extended
monologue of reminiscential brooding. He would rather
chat with the poor folk in their dark huts, and the farmer toiling in his
fields, but there’s an impenetrable sea that isolates him from his
surroundings. In his youth it may have been the self-consciousness of his
societal standing. In later years it was the attendant inconveniences of fame.
Or was it the eternal ego of man against man?
Tagore
the dramatist, however, was a busy weaver of mythology and symbolism. His
dramas are redolent with our cultural past. Valmiki being moved by pity at the
helplessness of a little girl caught by his robbers who propose to sacrifice
her to goddess Kali in Valmiki Pratibha is
quite different from our traditional view of the robber-chief. The change in
the legend which originally was based on the destruction of the Krauncha bird evokes the person of
Sita in Asoka garden surrounded by demonesses. It is appropriate too, for has not Valmiki said
that he was proceeding to speak of Sita’s history?
Such visionary originality may also be noted in the dialogues of Tagore’s Chitra and Karna
and Kunti.
Tagore
the novelist is right in the midst of the madding crowd of social and political
And
yet we have not exhausted Tagore. There was also the philosopher and guide. He
was an intellectual, a restless thinker on the enternal
values of life.
In
spite of possessing such a restless, prolific pen, Tagore was no mere arm-chair
philosopher. He was a builder with brick and mortar. To have conceived, built
and nurtured Santiniketan was the work of a
constructive philosopher of education. But to have proceeded to establish an
Born
in 1861 in the famous Tagore family, Rabindranath did not hurry through his
education. In any case he had little formal education. The sprawling ancestral
house at Jorosanko was his Campus. His gifted
brothers and cousins were his teachers. There were opportunities to go abroad.
He was married and became a father. His Bengali writings began to have steady
printed circulation. He thought seriously about current social problems and
founded the Santiniketan school.
His romantic poetry caught the attention of
Then
came the Nobel Prize. In a blaze of fanfare and fame
Tagore traveled abroad and was hailed as a modern poet-sage. As quickly did the
west forget the Indian poet and his intimations of aesthetic and
spiritual-beauty from the East. Tagore continued to
toil in his chosen field of education, drove himself pitilessly to make the
Krishna
Kupalani’s biography reads like an epic novel (truth
is Stranger than fiction) – a
Jean Christophe for example-with its hero giving battle to inner and
outer forces of regression, attaining dizzy heights of achievement but never
resting on oars. An array of great, interesting and exotic
personalities make the biography valuable as social-history. Scholars
and poets, painters and musicians, politicians and statesmen, kings and
commoners, children and housewives – they all gather under the loving gaze of
a twentieth century prophet. There were also a few excesses, exasperations and
single-track movements in Tagore’s mental make-up: the biographer
refers to them at the appropriate places, and this is what makes the biography
utterly credible.
Tagore
was a prophet who had learnt the madhu vidya of our Vedic seers and could transmit the
knowledge to those who came into contact with him. He was, as Yeats-Brown
exclaimed, “a man who makes the are of the sky seem
bigger after one has met him.” Kripalani’s biography
makes this process continuous and we take leave of the Gurudev
with our horizon widened and our hearts singing:
“Honey-sweet
is the world,
and honey-sweet the dust of this earth–
this great truth I have accepted
as my hearts hymn……”
–Dr. PREMA NANDAKUMAR
Select Writings (Vol.
I): By Suniti Kumar Chatterji. Vikas Publishing House Pvt., Ltd., 5,
The
late Prof. Suniti Kumar Chatterji,
who lived a full life, was a scholar of amazingly varied interests. From
linguistics, in which he specialised, to the Bengali
language, on which he wrote an authoritative work in three volumes and from
Indian literatures to world cultures, there was little that he did not know. He
was, in fact, a modern counterpart of the Renaissance man, who combined
versatility of interests with depth of knowledge.
The present volume brings together sixteen of the professor’s essays, written at different periods and arranged in two parts, nine of them on a wide variety of cultural subjects and the remaining seven on matters relating to linguistics. All of them have been compiled by Mr. Anil Kumar Kanjilal, the late professor’s literary assistant, as mentioned by his former pupil, Dr. Sukumar sen in his foreword.
The essays in the first part, which is naturally of
more interest to the general reader, range from an interview with Freud to the
eighteenth century in
The
pride of place in the second part goes to a linguistic study
of the oldest classic of the Maithili language, Varna
Ratnakara by Jyotirisvara
Kavisekharacharya. Another interesting text is the
oldest grammar of Hindustani, written in Latin by Johannes Josua
Ketelaer, a German scholar, who served under the
Dutch East India Company. He also throws light on some Iranian and Turki loan words in Sanskrit and mutual borrowings in
Indo-Aryan.
The
essays are notable, not only for the new insights into comparatively unfamiliar
subjects and the attention to detail, but the broad humanist outlook that marks
out this savant from many others stuck in the marshy tracts of parochialism and
pedantry. A rewarding study for any student of Indian
language and literature or of culture in general.
–DR.
D. ANJANEYULU
The Hindu Religious
Tradition–A Philosophical Approach: By Pratima
Bowes. Allied Publishers Pvt., Ltd.,
This
is not another book on Hinduism, but a book with a difference. Herein we find a
very enlightened and sympathetic but critical approach to a proper
understanding and interpretation of Hindu Religious Traditions. It is rightly
pointed out that “Hindu religious tradition constitutes a whole religious world
in miniature and includes in itself widely different doctrines and practices.”
But among all these there are “some peculiar characteristics
that make it unique”, and this book successfully attempts at
an exploration of these peculiarities from a philosophical, but not mystical
point of view. It is rightly stated that the “main contribution of Hindus (of
bygone ages also–we should point out) is in asserting that all religions are so
many different ways of reaching the same religious reality.” The spirit of
integration manifested in the Vedic hymns is given a brilliant exposition. But
the main contribution of the author is in her unique exposition. But of the
human attempt for an integration with religious reality operating on three
different levels” –cosmic, social and individual the three planes of existence
to which man can believe himself to belong, and the two dimensions, he temporal
and the timeless.
The main target or her tirade, however, is the caste system which according to her is the main cause for the decadence or Hinduism. Sankara’s Maayaavaada is also challenged and some aspects of his Advaita doctrine are criticised. But some of her remarks are not incontrovertible. As regards the shortcoming of the Hindu tradition pointed out on page 73, it is to be noted that Hindus were not lacking in ideal men who did not desire even salvation, but wished to alleviate the sufferings of the afflicted. Rantideva is an illustration. The word “Karma” decried and devalued by Sankara does not mean general “action” but Vedic rituals. Criticism levelled against the three kinds of “Sattaa” and the unreality of the world also deserve reconsideration.
Some
such minor differences of opinion are bound to be there in a work of this type,
and they should by all means be welcomed, because they will act as an impetus
for a further study of the concerned doctrines. This valuable work must be
studied by all Hindus not only to understand the significance of their own religious
traditions, but also to defend themselves against all onslaughts from others.
–B. KUTUMBA RAO
Wooden Cow:
By T. Janakiraman. Translated by
Lakshmi Kannan. Sangam Books, Orient Longman Ltd.,
Madras-2. Price: Rs. 10.
Fiction
writers in Tamil have taken to represent life here as belonging to a
“permissive” society. While there can be no limitation to the writer’s outlook
or his choice of a subject, it passes one’s comprehension why at all the alien
atmosphere and social habits be introduced as if they are quite the normal things
happening in our country.
Here
is a novel from the pen of a seasoned writer translated into English. It
strikes more like a self-portrait by a woman than as a novel in the true sense.
For some of the elements of a novel such as plot contrivance, description of nature and suspense interest are scarcely
found in this narration. The story is told in the first person and proceeds
with little grip of succeeding events. A woman or the
South–rather a girl in her teens–starts a career of utter unbelievable
tendencies to an unconventional life. There is hardly anything to make
us feel convinced of her aberration getting the upperhand
for her launching on a despicable relationship with a musician. The attraction
of music develops into an attraction for the musician and from that
relationship, her morality itself receives a turn for the worst in her
promiscuous relationship with a number of others. The incidents too are not
knit sufficiently taut in order to make the reading tireless.
On the whole one is reminded of what Dr. Masti Venkatesa Aiyengar, the well-known writer of Karnataka, quoted in the course of an English address of his on “Crisis in Civilization” the words of an American writer, Menckon, thus: “The American girl is turned loose upon the reluctant male at seventeen and she practises her frank magic until she is past forty. Scarcely a single restraint is upon her. No crippling conventions hamper her display of her goods; she is free to snare a man however she may.”
This
novel looks an exact illustration of the American’s point of view of his
country.
–K.
CHANDRASEKHARAN
Kamayani:
By Jaishankar Prasad. Translated by Jaikishandas Sadani. Rupa & Co.,
15,
Kamayani
has universally been acclaimed as a modern Hindi classic. Jaikishandas Sadani’s English
translation of the poem stands out as an original poem for those readers who
can never read the Hindi classic. The success of a translation can be judged by
the degree of pleasure it can give to readers who are ignorant of the original.
It is true that many scholars cannot accept this view. They hold that a
translation is to be placed side by side with the original so that we may be
able to see whether the translator is true to the original or he is introducing
his own ideas into a work of literature. Of course fortunately there are always
scholars who know the two languages and they serve as a check on the freedom of
the translator in a healthy fashion. But the translation is not certainly
intended for them. It is intended only for those who cannot read the original.
Then how can the reader assess the worth of a translation except by its own
independent merits and also by bearing in mind the recommendations of the
scholars who claim to know both the languages? Commonsense and faith are
essential in such a predicament.
Looking
at “Kamayani” from this viewpoint one may say it is a
beautiful poem in Sadani’s translation. “Kamayani” is woven around the Vedic
characters Manu, Shraddha and Ida. After
the cataclysm had submerged the whole world in water, Manu the lone survivor
was in dejection. There cannot be a better opportunity for any poet to describe
the impact of the great changes on the mind of Man than such a situation as
Manu finds himself in. But Shraddha comes–Shraddha who symbolises the
positive, constructive and joyous side of
Quite
evidently the poem is symbolic describing man’s struggle
throughout history with the help of Faith (Shraddha)
and reason (Ida) to attain to highest happiness. Jaishankar
Prasad concludes the poem with the gentle triumph of Shraddha over Manu and Ida. Shraddha
in this poem is, like Savitri in Sri Aurobindo’s famous epic, a benign liberator of Man from his
mortal limitations.
The
pastoral setting of the poem requires romantic style typical of Valmiki and
Kalidasa. Sadani, in his translation, has recaptured
the romantic beauty of the pastoral life of Manu and Shraddha.
“Kamayani” in this translation enchants the reader by its
romantic beauty and philosophic comprehensiveness. Sadani
deserves
praise for his talent as a translator and for his devotion to what the poem
stands for: Beauty and Faith.
–DR. C. N.
SASTRI
The Shifting Sand-Dunes:
By
“This is an anthology of thought-provoking poems marked by classic simplicity of style, significant symbolism and symmetry of thought and form. The poetry of Sharma is happily free from flamboyance in expression and morbidity in feeling. At times his lines reveal unreachable depths of thought and feeling like clear-flowing waters of a deep river. Sharma’s feeling for everything that is truly abiding, his faith in the profound processes of change effected by Nature in sharp contrast with changes effected by man, his sober optimism which makes him wait and watch patiently, his awareness of the ironies of life, and above all the nativity of his poetic sensibility–all these qualities recommend him to the reader as a poet of striking originality and sincerity. “The Quest for Mother” is a moving poem ending with a devastating criticism of the dehumanization of women in modern society in the name of modernization and freedom:
In
the birth before, the breast had no rest
The
child’s nest, the lover’s rest,
and endlessly flowed the milk
of love and life
of kindness and humanity.
Now,
a soother for subtle barbarians
a dead dry dehumanized
symbol of self-pity and
publicity,
geometrically draped, arithmetically
calculated,
and socialised in
capitalistic waters.
“The
Shifting Sand-dunes” throws light on the quiet but sure ways of nature. The poem
ends with a beautiful description of the moon after a sand-storm.
…….The
moon, hung a poor husk of light.”
The
last poem “Poetry” reveals Sharma’s understanding of
the poet’s mission and of the nature of poetry.
Lovers
of good poetry cannot ignore this anthology of poems.
–DR. C. N.
SASTRI
In Aloneness: By
Rita Dalmiya. Prayer Books, 43/B NandaraM Sen Street, Calcutta-5.
Price: Rs. 20.
Rita
Dalmiya offers us 38 verses, ranging from 4 to 20
lines each, with which to share her “aloneness.” One discerns in these note of
sincerity. and sometimes of poignancy. The sincerity,
which has resulted in directness and naturalness of expression, does not
however suffice to salvage it as poetry except occasionally. There is a
straining after effect, as in “Can you hear the whisper of my tears?”, although
we are gratefully used to the enhancement of our sense by epithets pertaining
to another sense in the poetry of Keats and others. There is some unreality of
feeling, as in a girl asking her lover, “will you not allow me to cherish you
silently in my heart?”, for which one supposes no
permission is necessary. There is a certain puerile cleverness in statements
like her not liking to share the moon with the trees and so stepping back into
the darkness, and no one being able to know where she met her lover because she
met him only in dreams. She employs outworn poetic fancies like the mighty
hidden sun in winter being unconcerned with the torrential frenzied sorrow of
nature, and like the mighty waves with countless ripples embracing the shore.
The redeeming feature of the book is her sincerity, and we wish her well.
–P.B.
Sri Garib
Das: Haryana’s
Saint of Humanity: By K. C. Gupta. Published by Sitaram
Goel, Impex
This
is perhaps the first full-length study of Garib Das
who is remembered as a revivalist of the Kabir Panth
and a poet-mystic who synthesised in his life and
utterances the best elements of Hinduism and Islam. His contribution to the
growth of
Of
the three types of mysticism, viz., monistic, theistic and occult,
Garib Das belongs to the first category. Though he was
a Bhakta par excellence, he was familiar with the Chakras and the piercing of
these centers. Read:
“Above
the genital organ is the Mulasthana/Above the Mulasthana is Svad Chakra/Above
the Svad Chakra is Nabhi kaval/ Take care of this Nabhi kaval/At the Chakra near the heart you can see the mind/The
consciousness is unveiled through Soham/Near the Kathasthan, the word is meditated upon/Without using the
tongue the Mantra is repeated/The consciousness is realized at Trikuti/Above it is the Kailasha
place, the wonderful heaven/Where a thousand lotus petals can be seen; Garib Das says, that is the seat of God.”
His
was the path of sahaja in which there
is nothing “sacred or profane, spiritual or sensual, but everything is pure and
void.” A scholarly monograph on a great saint.
–M. P. PANDIT
At the Feet of the Badri: By S. S. L. Malhotra.
Vikas Publishing House Pvt. Ltd,
The
book under notice is a record of the adventurous journey of seven people, none
of them young, across the holy region of Badrinath, Kedarnath and Hemkund. The
author, Mr Malhotra is one
among them. He travelled far and wide but his yearning for a glimpse of Badrinath and the scenic beauty of the interior
An
interesting feature of the book is that the author supplies a
lot of information culled from legends, Poranas and
standard works of reference such as the Encyclopaedia
Britannica regarding the place of interest en route to Badrinath
and Hemkund.
The
There
is a factual error on page 12. It is wrong to omit Sringeri
and include Rameswaram in its place, when he mentions
the four peethas
established by Adi Sankara. A similar mistake occurs on page
112 when he writes: “The four Maths known as Jyoti math (Badrinath), Sharada math (Dwaraka), Srinqeri (Rameswaram) and Govardhana math (Jagannadhapuri).”
Now Sarada math is at Sringeri
in the Western India, in
–DR. G. SRIRAMA
MURTY
Vedanta and Modern
Science: By A. K. Sinha. Somaiya
publications (P) Ltd., Dadar, Bombay-14.
Price: Rs. 60.
Mr. Sinha, the author, has tried to present some of the fundamental concepts of Vedanta and modern science in this book. In the preface, the author decries the technological civilisation and upholds the Vedantic values for the development of human society.
In
chapter I, the doctrines of Sankara, Ramanuja, Vallabha, Jiva Goswami and others are succinctly surveyed. Chapter II
deals with the concepts of Brahman and Maya, empirical and perennial self,
etc., and other dichotomies. Chapter III concerns itself with Sadhana as a way
of life. He stresses the need of Yoga, as a way of life in a technological
civilisation to achieve the ultimate reality.
Chapter
IV is a brief resume of the Yoga of Sri Aurobindo for which the author has a
soft corner. The author is of the opinion that Sri Aurobindo must have had a
glimpse of the ultimate reality. In chapters V and VI, Yoga was considered in
juxtaposition to the Western psychology and technological civilisation. The
author appears to have been obsessed with the Teliological
principle which he shortens as Telic principle of a
system.
In
chapter IX, the author gave an interesting exposition about light, life and
consciousness, radiation, energy, hemmed in by visible spectrum is light energy
which forms the base of an life, according to him, operating on a Telic
principle of evolutionary development culminating in consciousness which is in
existence both in organic and inorganic matter. Intuitive consciousness which
is different from reflective consciousness, is the
ultimate source of valid knowledge. Foundation of Nature and of human
civilisation is the subject matter of chapter X. The theory of Maya (nescience)
of Sri Sankara is dealt with in chapter XI.
The
author concludes the chapter saying that according to Sankara,
Avidya or Nescience is the result of erroneous
experience (page 188). The theory of quantum Mechanics and other theories were
referred to and a comparison is drawn between the views of Sankara
and scientists regarding the nature of the world. The author also draws a
difference between doctrinaire approach of Sankara
and theoretical approach of scientists holding that the Sankara’s
view is intuitive and scientific theories are based on facts and therefore more
satisfying. The author appears to ignore the aspect of “Drig
Drisya Viveka” which is the
foundation of Atmavichara. Any theory, either
philosophical or scientific, is a play or “Leela”
according to the author and he adumbrates this principle in chapter XII. He
extends his Telic principle to social processes,
institutional functions, cultural transmissions, etc., in chapter XIII. Chapter
XIV concerns itself with behavioural norms of
individuals in open social systems. The author could have dealt with closed
social systems also. He develops his own theory of normal being and asserts
that the perennial creativity by a human personality is possible because it is
basically teleological in nature.
After
dealing with the foundation of scientific theory in chapter XI, the book is
closed with a chapter on the future of philosophy. The author gave short shrift
to Indian metaphysicians as being guilty of mimicry of the past which consisted
in uncritical acceptance of the authority of scriptures. Though the castigation
of neo-Indian philosophers who did not have a glimpse of the reality is
justified, where is Vedanta without scriptures? The author pleads for a global
philosophy to be constructed on certain problems like human unity, world
Government, etc. He sees no future for the agnostic tone of western
philosophers though it may continue for sometime. Mr. Sinha
hopes that human psyche may not be sacrificed to the value-neutral regimented
robot civilisation and that realisation of Vedic and Upanishadic
wisdom will prevail in the world.
The
author has given bibliographies at the end of each chapter with a detailed
index. The style is lucid. The book is quite interesting and can be used for
serious relaxation.
–P. SITARAMA RAO
Let’s Go Home and Other
Stories (An Anthology of Indian short stories in
English): Edited by: Meenakshi Mukherjee,
Orient Longman Ltd.,
This book
convinces us that the Indian short story in English has come of age. The Indian
writers writing short stories in English have learnt the art of handling Indian
materials in an Indian way and expressing them in English language that is
idiomatically English but emotionally Indian. English language is pliant enough
to bend to the contours of the Indian mind. Expressions rooted in, and redolent
of the British culture may be conveniently avoided and some expressions may be
coined (without sacrificing grammar, syntax and lexical content of the words) to
suit an Indian situation or sentiment. The Indian writers have done this quite
successfully. “A Shadow” (R. K. Narayan), “The Meeting Pool” (Ruskin Bond),
“Green Parrots in a Cage” (Gopi Ganba),
“Glory at Twilight” (Bhabani Bhattacharya), “The
White Dove” (Indrayani Sowkar),
“The Zamindar of Pallipuram”
(Sujata Balasubrahmanyam)
are imaginative pieces of writing.
However,
the editor seems too much preoccupied with one mood–the mood of tender pathos
following tense emotions. Stories that can be called humorous have not been
included. As the stories selected are fine, this flaw becomes negligible in the
present context. But the editors of anthologies must guard themselves against
their own prejudices in favour of certain moods and
themes. However, it must be admitted that the trend towards pathos has heady
set in and the editor’s choice might have been guided by awareness.
–DR.
C. N. SASTRI
The Dhammapada:
By Anthony Elenjimittan. Published by the
Mr.
Anthony Elenjimittan in his English translation of
the Buddhist scripture “The Dhammapada” brings out
the spirit of Buddhism with commendable clarity of presentation. In his own
introduction to Buddha’s teachings the author tells us that “the teachings of
Buddha are the most rational, humanistic and psychological compared to any
other religious scripture, whether Semitic or Arya,
including the Hindu scriptures.” In this connection it may be pointed out that
excessive emphasis need not be laid on the rational side of any religion; for
the spiritual content of all religions is essentially supra-rational, if not
irrational. The Buddha was a great Jnani who dived to
the depths of Nirvana. He analyses existence as an Advaitin
does. But while teaching he lays much stress on the means of quest rather than
on the ultimate outcome of the quest. If an Advaitin
like Sankara tries to explain the nature of the
Absolute, the Buddha refrains from dwelling on this point at length because he
knows that the common man cannot comprehend the nature of the Supra-rationill Truth; hence he prescribes a moral code, which,
if practised with sincerity purifies the heart
thereby enabling man to realize the higher states of existence. Buddha is a
practical Vedantin. From his viewpoint knowledge and
ethical values go hand in hand in human life. Buddha’s appeal is chiefly to the
heart of man. Now, in the war-torn world, mere talk of the Ultimate Truth in
abstruse language is not quite sufficient. Occultism only makes life more
complicated. What we need is right action, moral action–action that manifests
truth and love. Study of “The Dhammapada” offers us a
key to the solution of the social and political problems of our times.
–DR.
C. N. SASTRI
Man in
Dialogue: By Dr. James Mundackal. Little Flower Study HouseAlwaye, Kerala.
Price: Rs. 16.
This book is a whole
complex of philosophical thought of Buber (Das nue Denken) and his anthropologico-ontology makes man in community a reality.
To exist (dasein) is to co-exist (mitsein) and life is reckoned a dialogue (zweisprache). Personal and Impersonal attitudes
bifurcate Buber’s world into ‘I Thou’ and ‘I-It’ (Ich und Du-Ich und meht-Ich). The ‘I-Thou’ constitutes a genuine community
and this reciprocal (mutualitact), intimate,
exclusive cum inclusive relationship (Beziehung)
is extensible to humanity, nature and spiritual realities.
Ultimately
the inter-human contact culminates in dialogue with God and the ‘I-Thou’ and
‘I-it’ interchange places according to the relationship, assumed.
Now
to digress, the cosmos is divine theophany and all all created things are God’s expressions in varying
degrees, an awareness of which comes through grace. As such, Buber’s ‘I-Thou’ and ‘I-It’ concepts are partial and
inadequate.
All
relationships are existential and a necessity and consciousness of one’s self
is an experience, personal and individual and not ‘communal.’ Existence is a
web woven of monologues, dialogues and multi-logues.
Though there is no dearth of personal contacts and ‘logues’
the present day world is no less anguished and restless and threatening war
clouds sweep the political skies.
Not
dialogue but self-identification is the desideratum of the day. Empirical or
objective knowledge is poetic and realisation of God through one’s
‘over-against’, a bundle of passions and entrenched in petty ‘self’ is
chimerical. Life is not an address and answer catechism. It is higher ethics
self-experienced and self-lived and with the disappearance of subject-object
distinction; the whole universe looks to the realised
one ineffable glow-the primal effulgence that creates, sustains and dissolves.
Here is the no dichotomy except oneness, pure and unblemished.
–K.
SUBBA RAO
Mantralala
Mahaprabhu Jagadguru Sri Raghavendra Swamiji: Edited
by C. R. Ravi. Sri Hari
Publications, Erode. Price: Rs. 10.
The
subject of the book is His Worshipful Jagadguru Sri Raghavendra Swamiji acclaimed to
be an incarnation of Shankukarna Devata,
one of the demi-gods in the celestial court of the
four-faced Brahma, the creator, and his epiphany on earth was ordained by
Omnipotent God in the interests of Vedic Dharma and Vaishnavism.
Born of a devout and devoted couple, Thimmanna Bhattu and Gopikamba, he as Venkatanadha, the youngest of the progeny in his Poorvashramam, studied assiduously Veda, Kavya, Nataka, Alankara, Tarka, Mimamsa, Vyakarana and Dwaita philosophy and by virtue of his profundity in
classical lore his one-time Guru and head of Srimutt
at Kumbakonam anointed him his successor before he
left his mortal coil at Anegundi in 1626 A. D.
According to injunctions laid down in Agamasastras,
daily Pujas were offered at the Mutt to its presiding
deities Moola Rama and Digvijaya
Rama. But Venkatanadha’s elevation to the pontifical
throne was sequenced by a gruesome tragedy. His loyal wife Saraswatibai,
whom he did not take into confidence prior to his assumption of Holy Orders,
ended her life in a well leaving a son Laxminarayana
behind, whom his maternal uncle took away and brought up under his roof. Even
radiance has its patches of shade and history so goes that as head of Srimutt, Swamiji managed its
affairs with efficiency and there was not a day that passed without his learned
discourses on Vedantic subjects and debates conducted
on topics relating to Brahmasutrabhashya, grammar and
logic. With all these engagements the erudite one could still find time to indite literary works of a high order and surpassing value.
The innumerable miracles he performed could be compared only to those of the
manger-born divine prodigy of Biblical Nazareth and in the course of his
religious tours he undertook South, West, East and North, he invited debates
and discussions with representatives of atheistic and heterodox creeds and by
his keen analysis and strong power of reasoning put them on the mat and thus
scored signal victories and won laurels both at the hands of Muslim and Hindu
rulers, Chandrikaprakasaka, a lucid
commentary on Chandrika a highly philosophical
work; Sudhaparimala, a brilliant gloss
on Nyayasudha; Tantradipika,
a facile interpretation of Brahmasutrabhashya;
Tatwamanjari and Bhavadeepa
are the outstanding works of the Swamiji. Sensing
that his end was nearing he moved to a village Manchala
or Mantralaya which he got as a gift from Nawab Sidd Masaud
Khan through the good offices of his disciple Venkanna
who was officiating as Dewan at Adoni
and had a Brindavan erected there with due permission
of the presiding goddess Manchalamma. But for reasons
best known to him only Raghavendra Swamiji got another fabricated out of a granite rock lying
on the banks of a lake at a place five miles from Manchala,
entered it alive in the presence of a vast concourse of his devotees, admirers
and disciples on Thursday the Dwitiya day of Krishnapaksha in the month of Sravan
of the year Virodhikriti (Satavahana
Saka 1593). As predicted by his astrologers from the
angles of Dehadrishti, Granthadrishti
a Prabhavadrishti though his corporeality ended with
his 90th year he will be a live force for 700 years radiating his compassion
and grace to Bhaktas who seek with humility and
devotion and his works too will remain luminant for a
period of 300 years. It is such Mahapurushas as alone
that by precept and example could correct the moral slips of erring mankind and
put them on the right track.
–K. SUBBA RAO
Buddha’s Teachings: The
Dhammaypada: Anthony Elenjimittan. The
Mr.
Anthony Elenjimittan’s book “Buddha’s Teachings”
brings Buddha very close to our hearts. In this book a biographical sketch of
Buddha’s life is followed by a lucid explanation of the major ideas of
Buddhism. The significance of the Trisharana and the
difference between Hinayana and Mahayana are
convincingly explained. Mr. Anthony has done well to reject the misconception
that Buddha did not recognise the immutability of the
Absolute. The inclusion of some parables of Buddha increased the readability of
the book.
–DR.
C. N. SASTRI
Karma Yoga Sutra Satakam: By Swami Harshananda. Sri Ramakrishna Ashrama,
Vani Vilasa Mohalla,
For
the Yoga through knowledge, we have the famous Sutras of Badarayana, providing
the signposts. For Yoga through Meditation, the Sutras of Patanjali
show the way. For Yoga through Devotion, the Sutras of Narada and Sandilya are the inspiration. But for Karma Yoga, there has
been no work in Sutra form in Sanskrit so far, though the Yoga of Works has
been acclaimed in the Isha Upanishad and the Gita.
The
present work of Swami Harshananda fulfils this
long-felt want. Based on the famous eight lectures on Karma
Yoga by Swami Vivekananda, this work of aphorisms, comprising 101 Sutras in Sanskrit deals extensively with the
Yoga of Works. Each Sutra is preceded by a short
introduction and followed by a simple commentary in Sanskrit. Corresponding
translations in English and helpful notes are added attraction. The work
consists of three chapters, the first dealing with the theory, the second with
the practice of Karma Yoga and the third with a description of the Master Karma
Yogin.
The
Sutras are in the traditional succinct style while the introduction and
commentary are in elegant and simple Sanskrit.
The
book serves to bring to the traditional orthodox scholarship of the land the
fresh invigorating breeze of Swami Vivekananda’s
thoughts and at the same time encourage the spread of Sanskrit learning amongst
the modern elites of the country.
–S.
SANKARANARAYANAN
Sri
Moharajnee Sri Rajarajeswari
Sahasranamani: By G. A. Ramachandra
Sastry, 910, 21-A,
A
mother’s affection for her children has no parallel in the world. God conceived
and worshipped as mother and creatrix is known as Sri
Rajarajeswari and Sri Lalita
Tripurasundari. A recitation of thousand names of Sri
Rajarajeswari is believed to shower blessings on
devotees, and even this day followers of Shakta cult
recite these names daily. There is a version of Sri Rajarajeswari
Sahasranatima Stotra in
–B. K. SASTRY
Rgvedamu–with
commentary in Telugu written by Dr N. B. Raghunathacharya.
Published by S. V. University Oriental Research Institute,
Tirupati. Price: Rs 54.
Vedas,
repositories of knowledge, can be according to tradition interpreted in three
ways as related to sacrifices, deities and Atman or spirit. But above all, all
the Vedas proclaim the greatness of the One Supreme. Sri Yaska, Sayana and others in their
works have here and there made known this fact. But the credit of interpreting
the first forty Suktas of Rgveda
in his Bhashya thereon as invocations to Vishnu the
one God goes to Sri Anandatirtha popularly known as Madhvacharya. Jayatirtha, his
disciple, wrote a commentary thereon. Later on some other commentaries like Mantrardhamanjari and Bhavaprakasika
adorned and elucidated Jayatirtha’s commentary.
These works were not brought to the knowledge of Andhras.
Dr
K. Sachchidananda Murty, the then Vice-Chancellor of
the University, took this into his mind and asked Dr. Acharya, an erudite
scholar and poet, to write Telugu commentary on the above forty Suktas according to Sri Anandatirtha’s
interpretations. Dr Acharya completed this work with tremendous success. The
salient feature of this work is, all words like Indra, Agni,
Vayu, and Varuna, etc., are
interpreted to mean Vishnu by primary or secondary power of significance, and
herein lies the uniqueness of this monotheistic
commentary. Word for word meaning of all the Riks is
followed by Tatparya or purport thereof. At the
beginning of every Sukta, its Rshi,
Chandas and deity are clearly pointed out. Every
oriental institute and student of Vedic literature must read this book.
–B.
KUTUMBA RAO
TELUGU
Srimadbhaghavadgita:
By Tallapaka Peda
Tirumalacharyulu. Published by S.
V. Oriental Research Institute, Tirupati.
This
is the first Telugu commentary on the Bhagavadgita.
Sri Peda Tirumalacharya
was a worthy son of Sri Annamacharya a renowned
composer of songs in praise or Sri Venkateswara, and himself also was a great Vaggeyakara. The striking features of this commentary are:
(1) This was written in a simple colloquial Telugu
that was in common use in those days in Rayalaseema.
So this commentary has linguistic importance. One can know the nature of
language and phonetics in vogue in those days and in those parts. (2) Secondly
this commentary was written according to Sri Ramanuja’s
Visihtadvaita tradition. (3) Prof. K. Sachchidananda Murty in his long introduction,
gives biographical sketches of Sri Annamacharya and Tirumalacharya and compares the Telugu commentary with Sri Ramanuja’s Bhashya in six places.
(4) Dr. G. N. Reddi in his introduction which is
highly critical and scholarly deals with the uniqueness of the Tallapaka poets, Annamacharya and
Peda Tirumalacharya, their
achievements and their contributions to Telugu literature. Different readings
found in the manuscripts are given under each Sloka.
Research
scholars in Telugu linguistics will be immensely benefited by reading this
introduction. This volume must find a place in all
libraries.
–B.
K. SASTRI