REVIEWS
Art of
“Art
of India and
In
six sections the thesis has traced the origin of Persian influence upon the
later individualistic Mughal art. However much,
according to the author, earlier paintings during the reign of Emperor Humayun, preserved Persian art in all its manifoldness,
during his successor Akbar’s rule, the synthesis
started forming a fusion of the two styles and in the third stage an integrated
self-oriented Mughal art of paintings exemplified the
vitality and growth of an identifiable individuality. This is the main theme of
the author’s treatment of the subject.
The
number of plates reproduced here add considerably to
make the volume not only unique of its kind but a treasure to preserve in
libraries for reference by students devoted to study of Indian Art.
The
index and bibliography make the usefulness of the reading a reality. The
printing and presentation are all very artistically conceived. A look at the
book is sufficient to make the book-lover take up the volume for perusal and
profit.
–K. CHANDRASEKHARAN
The Literary Value of Tiruvoymoli:
By Dr.
G. Damodaran.
This
is an exhaustive treatment of the poetic merit of the Tiruvoymoli,
the diadem of the Divyaprabandhams, for its religions
and sublime appeal to human hearts. Namalvar, one of
the immortal hymnists in devotion of God, has presented the Bhakti of his
entire being in the shape of verses which can lift the soul to the heights of
God-realisation for the ardent devotee. Though held to be of superior quality
as a litany in Vaishnavite temples, its beauty as a
poem has none the less value as a literary masterpiece.
Here
in this volume, much research has gone into the collection of material for unravelling the inner aesthetic points which would make it
easily comparable with some of the classics in Tamil and the literature of the Sangam age. For instance, on the chapter on “A Comparative
Study” the author has succeeded in drawing clear parallels with some of the
verses of Paripadal, Purananur,
Kuruntohai, Kalittohai, Silappadiharam, Tirumandiram, Kural and other ancient literary works.
After
dealing in the first two chapters on the life and times of Nammalvar
and the nature of poetry and its function, the author has taken great pains to
prove how the features of Love Poetry are visible throughout the God-intoxicated
outpourings and how the characteristics of Akattinai
are inerasably marking the attitude presented here by the devotee towards
his Lover – the Lord of the Universe. Not satisfied with these elaborate
findings upon the substance of Nammalvar’s lyrical
effusions on his master and lover quite in the wake of traditional norms of
poetics as chalked out in Tamil grammar, the author plunges into the special
features of Tiruvoymoli and its power of grip on us.
Then the style, the figures of speech employed, the metres
and the suggestive appeal of the songs (pans) indicated to be sung also by
later commentators of the Tiruvoymoli – all these and
more fill the pages written with minute care and reverence for the task
undertaken. The last few chapters dealing with treatment of nature and the
skilful employment of puranic lore give us a complete
picture of the work.
Needless to add how the brief but sufficiently sympathetic foreword
of Dr. K. R. Srinivasa Iyengar impels the reader to
take up this scholarly study of a scriptural poem of immense vitality for
preserving the religion of a true Vaishnava with
expectations of vast beneficial addition to his knowledge.
The
use of diacritical marks throughout would enable the reader unfamiliar with
Tamil language and its sounds to peruse the book without difficulty and with
profit.
–K. CHANDRASEKHARAN
Ramanuja on the Yoga: By Dr. Robert C. Lester.
The Adyar Library and Research
Centre, Adyar, Madras-20. Price: Rs. 18.
Issued
as the One Hundred and Sixth volume in the Adyar
Library Series, Dr Lester’s interpretation of Sri Ramanuja’s
Mokshopaya strikes a novel note and is refreshingly
original in its suggestive accent on Yoga as part of the discipline commended
by the great Acharya for the realization of the highest Purushartha.
Discussing some of the leading questions concerning his contributions to the
development of the Sri Vaishnava Sampradaaya,
Dr. Lester has also shown the relevance of Sri Ramanuja’s
teachings on Karma, Jnana and Bhakti in their
intimate relation to popular modes of Yogic practice generally and in the wider
context of Comparative Religion. The necessity for a consistent world-view, as
exemplified in Ramanuja’s Visishtadvaita,
in any pattern of spiritual practicum, is well emphasised.
The approach throughout reveals sobriety and balance both in presentation and
assessment, giving due credit to the special requirements of Ramanuja’s distinctive theism as well as certain radical
features of departure from tradition. It is often forgotten that Sri Ramanuja was a Yogin in every
sense of the term, no less than a system-builder or dialectician, and that his
Yoga has an integral excellence, rare among the founders of “closed” systems
and schools of thought. Dr. Lester’s present work would go a long way in
correcting such a lapse.
Contrasting
Patanjali’s Yoga, whose explicit purpose is to
abolish “errors and illusions” and “the sum total of normal psychological
experiences” and “to replace them by an experience that is ecstatic,
super-sensory and extra-rational,” destroying “varieties of states of
consciousness one after another” as citta-vrttis–with that of Sri Ramanuja in an essentially theistic context, which “affirms
the ultimate reality of the material universe and the primacy of personal relationships,”
Dr. Lester raises the question of the general significance of Yoga in a
theistic world-view, which must necessarily be a blend of cosmic realism and
dynamism of the Supremely Divine. Indeed, he has tried to show that the very
technique of Patanjali could be so pruned and re-adjusted,
especially in the higher stages of Dharana and Dhyana, as to meet the needs of an integral dynamism with
God at its core as the soul of souls and the spirit Supreme. This is a fruitful
line of thought, whose immense potentialities have been indicated in recent
times by philosopher. Yogis like Sri Aurobindo. The more substantial part of
Dr. Lester’s interpretation is in such suggestive nuances–rather than in his
exposition of the Yogic undercurrent of meaning as given in Ramanuja’s
Gitabhashya.
–PROF. K. SESHADRI
Visishtadvaita Vedanta: A Study: By Sri Aravind Sharma. Heritage Publishers, 116,
Prof.
Aravind Sharma’s book Visishtadvaita
Vedanta is a collection of thirteen of his research papers, all dealing
with topics connected with Visishtadvaita school of philosophy closely associated with the name of Ramanuja. As Prof. Sharma’s predilection for the Bhagavatgita (Prof. Sharma’s doctoral dessertation is on the Bhagavatgita
as interpreted by Abhinavagupta) seven out of
these thirteen essays are devoted for the Gita in the light of Ramanuja Bhashya. These
exegetical excursions into Visishtadvaita Vedanta
offer valuable insights into it, though they do not throw fresh light on the
system as a whole. They bear ample testimony to the massive scholarship and
fine critical perception of the author. Simplicity, lucidity and profundity are
the impressive qualities of the book.
In
the first paper, “Visishtadvaita: What does it mean?”
the author tries to determine its most accurate (not
necessarily the most elegant) connotation of the term and succeeds in his
attempt. In the second one, “Egerton’s comment on Ramanuja’s Gloss on Bhagavatgita”,
he justifies Ramanuja’s stand and rejects Egerton’s objection to it. In the third one, Prof. Sharma
makes an interesting comparison between the nature of the creation of man in
Islam and Visishtadvaita Vedanta and comes to the
conclusion that “in the Quran man’s creation is
generic; in Visishtadvaita Vedanta it is specific.”
He observes in fine, that “In both the cases the common point is that ensoulment proceeds from God – but the Course it takes
varies drastically.” In the paper he compares again Ramanuja
and Quran in relation to their etiology and
eschatology. The conclusion he arrives at is interesting: “What happens at the
end of creation in Islam happens at the beginning of creation in Hinduism in
view of their cosmogenic ideas but the basic Karmic
principle involved seems to be similar.” The sixth one entitled “Quranic and Paancaraatric
Doctrines of the structure of Creation: A Companion” he peeps into the
structure of the created universe from the two defined angles and concludes
that: “the word creation fits the Quranic case and
the word evolution the Paancaraatric case better.” The rest of the papers, with the exception of the eleventh one,
deal with the Bhagavatgita. The
author had done well in drawing our attention to the neglected view regarding
the human from of
The
comparative approach of the author is fresh and laudable. It is full of
possibilities.
–Dr. G. SRIRAMA MURTY
Later Poems of W. B. Yeats: By Dr. Shankar Mokasi Punekar.
This
fresh excursion into the later poetry of W. B. Yeats is yet another addition to
the ever-expanding Yeatsina. A few years ago the
author had published his doctoral thesis under the title, The Later Phase in
the Development of W. B. Yeats which proved to be an outstanding
contribution to Yeatsian studies. The present volume
is a continuation of it in that he applies the basic principles of appreciation
and criticism he expounded in his earlier volume to individual poems here. The
results are rewarding and the author holds his banner aloft.
In
a later manner, Dr. Mokasi Punekar
claims that he has saved the poems of Yeats from the casticisms
galore at the hands of the ‘New Critics’. He emphatically asserts “Everyone of
Yeats poems has a meaning; and only one meaning; it is intended to convey a ‘message’,
a clearly articulated message, coded in a language of convention; it is not a
whimper surrogate. Even at its most agonising, no
poem of Yeats is an ‘Ouch’; it is not an utterance, that a statement such as ‘I
am in pain’–of course with its own effectiveness”. While we gladly agree that
he treads close to Yeats and that his interpretations reveal the spirit in
which the poems were conceived much better than others, we cannot readily
concede his assertion that Yeats was a simple poet. Nor can we endorse his
harsh comments on New Criticism. After all, even our own literary tradition, of
which we are justly proud, considers a poem independent of its historical and
biographical origins. An interpreter is not merely a supplier of historical
facts which the reader is not assumed to know.
The
learned author’s remarkable success is mainly due to his blending of
historical, scholarly and literary approaches. The first chapter “Background”
is of seminal importance in that it puts Yeats and his poetry in proper
perspective. Some of the terms which have special connotations in Yeats are
explained to the advantage of the reader.
In
the rest of the chapters, he provides a sort of running commentary on the
individual poems. The style is simple and fascinating. He has a wary eye to see
similarities in other literatures. His reference to Bhasa’s
play “Pratima” at the end of the book is really
touching.
At
times, he can be amusing. His remarks on Miss A. G. Stock’s
comment is an example. “Yeats himself did not remember the teaching
precisely like this...but there could not be anything like a special teaching
of Mohini other than that of any other mystical
Eastern school or Theosophy; and second it is not right to think that all day
teachers do nothing other than teach their teaching.”
–Dr. G. SRIRAMA MURTY
The Philosophy of Nimbarka:
By Dr. Madan Mohan Agarwal. Published by Srimati Usha
Aagrwal, Gali Manihar, Sadabad (
A
doctoral thesis of the author, this is a valuable addition to the existing
literature in English on Nimbarka’s philosophy. The first
chapter gives a very lucid exposition of the maconcepts
of Nimbarka’s philosophy with all the arguments
advanced for and against. Jiva is knowledge, knower,
doer and also an enjoyer under the control of Brahman. He is atomic in size in
bondage as well as in salvation. Jivas are innumerable
in number. Jagat is the effect of Brahman and abides
in Brahman who by nature has destroyed all defects. He is endowed with all
auspicious qualities and is all bliss. He is both the material and efficient
cause of the universe. There
is natural difference and non-difference relation between the Jiva, Jagat and Brahman.
In
the second chapter types of relations accepted by different schools of thought
are explained. Origin and development of the Bhedaabheda
doctrine is treated in a historical method. A comparative study of the
theories of different Indian schools of thought regarding the nature of Jiva, Jagat, Brahman and their
relation is very interesting and informative.
The
author richly deserves our praise for having brought out a very lucid, comparative,
and authentic exposition of Nimbarka’s philosophy and
we commend the work to all students of philosophy. However, a reader cannot but
feel that there is too much of avoidable repetition verbatim of the subject
matter. Inclusion of chapters dealing with the nature of liberation, means for
liberation, place of Karma, Jnana and Bhakti in this
philosophy would have made the work more comprehensive and useful. Noting of
sources of Srutis quoted in “Vedanta Parijata Saurabha” etc., and
those actual quotations in Samskrit will also be highly useful to a reader.
–“SANDILYA”
Vakrokti Jivita
of Kuntaka: Edited with improved readings, a complete
translation and introduction by K. Krishnamurty. Published by
For
the first time, the learned professor Dr. K. Krishnamurty
has rescued from oblivion the major part of “Vakrokti
Jeevita” a classic supreme in Samskrit poetics and
criticism, and presented to the world of Samskrit scholars “not only a
readable, critical and pure text but also a complete English translation”
thereof. While editing the original text, the Professor collated the
The
editors’s introduction also is a testimony to the
penetrating and searching intellect and critical acumen of the editor. With
cogent arguments and evidences he concludes–in modification of his earlier
statement–that Kuntaka the author of Vakroktijivita was an elder contemporary of Abhinavagupta. His exposition of “Kuntaka’s
theory of poetry as understood by Ruyyaka and his
commentator Samudra Bandha”
contributes not a less to proper understanding of Kuntaka’s
theory of Vakrokti as compared with that of Ananda Vardhana and Abhinavagupta. The editor’s estimate and appreciation of “Kuntaka as a practical literary critic” is brilliant.
The
English translation of the text is not literal but free and idiomatic, and is
conducive to a proper understanding of the main argument and import of the
text. It is too much to expect in any translation the spirit, depth and
grandeur of the meanings of the words like “Sakti parispanda” and “Sukti parispanda” etc. An index of the subjects within the text
proper is a dire necessity for a ready reference of the text.
–B. KUTUMBA RAO
Problems of Indian Historiography: Edited by Dr. Devahuti. D. K. Publications 29/9,
This
book is a collection of essays embodying the proceedings of the first session
of Indian History and Culture Society held in March 1978. In the preface, the
editor explains the nature and scope of the Seminar.
In
the first essay, G. C. Pande seeks to examine
universal models for studying culture. He mentions that each civilization has a
system of values and symbols and it is the duty of the historian to identify
these. In the second article of this section, Dr. Pratap
Chandra examines the different trends in interpreting
In
the second section, Dr. Sudhir Chandra discusses the
ideology of Nationalism as one of the factors which influenced Indian
historians. The obsessive concern for national unity led to blur the vision of
the historian. A historian should avoid this pitfall and point out the tensions
and conflicts which exist in society which hamper the nationalist ideal. In
another paper, Uma Chakravarti
discusses the role of Brahmana as depicted in the Pali and Buddhist literature. The meaning of the term is
not constant. The Brahmin is sometimes presented as a member of a particular
caste and also as a person standing for an ideal value. In the same section,
Dr. Pandey shows the value of Kautilya’s Arthasastra
in explaining the meaning of
the terms occurring in inscriptions. Dr. Krishna Sarma
in an article on ‘Bhakti’, examines misconceptions in
understanding this concept. Several Western scholars equated Bhakti with
In
the fourth section, Dr. Rajesh Jamindar mentions that
History is “not a mere catalogue of political
events but includes in its fold the achievements of the common people in every walk of life.” He further opines that the periodization
of history as ancient, medieval and modern is erroneous. In another article Vijayakumar Thakur points out
that Indian feudalism starts with 4th century A. D. He also opines that the
admittance of tribal people led
to the growth of Tantric practices. Dr. Ashok Vohra
in an article on the subjectivity in history opines that history is in some way
or other reflects the value of judgements of the
writer and is subjective. The Editor of
the volume contributes an article in the same section. In this paper,
Dr. Devahuti examines the value of functional and
dialectical models in understanding the past. The author feels that “the
essential matter of history is not what happened but what people felt about
what happened.” Dr. B. P. Sinha in another article
points out the failing nature of the Imperialist and Nationalist. He also
points out that Marxist approach is basically inadequate and is often
mischievous. In all the articles in this section, the necessity of writing
objective history is stressed. In the last section, there are two articles on
polity. In the first essay, Dr. P. C. Chunder
analyses the social ideas of Kautilya. The last
article deals with price control under the Mauryan
government. The author Dr. Balaram Srivatsava points out that the economic policy envisaged by
Kautilya is one of regulation on one side and
encouragement on the other.
This
collection of essays highlights the problems involved in writing Indian
history. Some of the essays are stereotyped repetitions of the ideas which are
found in books on historical method. Though several writers have pointed out
the necessity of having Indian frames of reference, only in few articles, an
attempt is made in that direction.
–Dr K. SUNDARAM
Life of Sri Ramanuja: By Sri Ramakrishnananda. Sri Ramakrishna Math,
Madras-4. Price Rs. 12.
Originally
written in Bengali, this classic on the life and message of Acharya Ramanuja
by a senior monk of the Sri Ramakrishna Order, who was specially sent to the
South by Swami Vivekananda to spread the teaching of the Prophet of Dakshineshwar, appeared first in its English garb some
twenty years ago. It is currently in its third edition. Swami Ramakrishnananda found during his stay and work in the
South the enormous influence wielded by the tradition represented by Sri Ramanuja and wrote this work to acquaint people in
He
devotes the first part of the book to describe the spiritual background of Sri Ramanuja; in the second part he narrates the life of the
saint, his ministry, his illustrious disciples and the main works that were
written by him. In a memorable passage he quotes: “Whoever looks upon the sacred
images of God as mere stones, his own spiritual teacher as an ordinary human
being, eminent devotees as high or low according to the caste of their birth,
the holy water that has touched the feet of God and as a consequence has the
power to purify and purge one of all sins as mere water, the sacred Mantras as
a collection of sounds, and the Supreme Lord of all the worlds as one not higher
than the Devas–let him be considered as one fit to
dwell in the infernal regions.”
–M. P. PANDIT
The Water’s Edge and other stories: By K. Srinivasan. Writers Workshop,
Nine
stories are gathered here in this volume which show as
much variety as substance for the reader’s unflagging interest. Deftness of
penmanship marks the pages with an unbelievable smartness of expression in
delivering the goods. It will be difficult to pick out the best out of the
group, though one cannot but laugh outright in satisfaction at the concluding
story of the “A Correspondence Course.” When closing the volume, therefore, a
sense of having more than a good share of intellectual entertainment is
provided us.
Though
the writer has followed the modern way of story-writing which does not go the
normal course of incidents linked with incidents making a
continuity towards a purpose, there is yet unexpected spots of revealing
humour and wit that easily compensate for the want of
grip in the story. One or two among these are dragging as “Rehearsal,” apart
from its out-of-the-way casualness of narration.
Sometimes
we are puzzled why writers today, especially among Indians, try to follow the
Western example of detailing the sexual act. They may as well follow the
admonition imparted by no less a famous novelist than Somerset Maugham who said
in his book, Ten Novels and their Authors, “Novelists have not been slow
to notice the difference that this (the use of contraceptives) has made in the
relations of the sexes and so, whenever they feel that something must be done
to sustain the reader’s flagging interest, they cause their characters to
indulge in copulation. I am not sure they are well-advised. Lord Chesterfield
said, ‘The pleasure was momentary, the position ridiculous and the expense
damnable; if he had lived to read modern fiction he might have added that there
is a monotony about the act which renders the reiterated narration of it
excessively tedious.”
–“SAHRIDAYA”
Passion Fruit (Short Stories): By Malathi
Rao, Writers Workshop, Calcutta-45. Price: Rs. 20.
There
is a great change the way modern short stories are woven. Most of them possess
very little of incidents with a connection. The idea evidently is that life
always presents events not with much of a connection. Occasionally there may be
something to suggest a running vein of sequence which is the work of art. But
normally life does not show up things with any ulterior purpose or motive. Now
art in the modern writing likes to copy perhaps this fact of disconnected
events and situations as if realism in fiction should more and more copy life
as it is with little or no design in its working or functioning.
The
best example of the modern trend in short story writing is found in this volume
of seven stories each one nowhere revealing any attempt at so many details and
observations to have a connecting purpose. The outlook of the author seems
merely to prove to readers how art should never indulge in make-believes but
stick hard to what life itself has its course of a daily grouping in of so many
intrusions, as it were, in everybody’s existence. Anyhow the writer has had the
approbation of a discerning public to the extent of winning prizes in
competitions. Tastes differ among readers, and if the reviewer has not the same
sense of identification in all what the writer has striven to prove as life I
lived in India today, he has certainly to take umbrage under the excuse that
his mind has not sufficiently progressed in modern writing.
The
atmosphere throughout in these stories savours of a “permissive”
society which is now the one haven for all disappointed souls. With the
shrinking of the world due to the rapid mingling together of the West and East,
a hybridized civilization is envisaged by these writers. Hence the charm of
restraint of Indian womanhood is annihilated yielding place to a sex-ridden
mind which is still alien to the
However
some of the stories are enlivening in their spurts of observation, such as “The
Man Joshi” and the “Passion Fruit”.
The
new writing must be enjoyable to the new generation which is growing up in our
midst.
– “SAHRIDAYA”
The Upanishads (Isa,
Katha, Mundaka, Mandukya): By Anthony Elenjimittam. Acquinas Publications,
This
is a publication of the Institute for Inter-Religious Understanding. The
original text in Devanagari script is followed by a
transliteration in English–in Italics. The translation which is not literal but
liberal is followed by an illuminating commentary in eloquent English. It does
not scrupulously and strictly follow any school of thought like Advaita or Dvaita, though it may appear to lean towards the former.
The most striking feature of this commentary is its out and out catholic
outlook. It believes in the Vedic dictum “Ekam
sat vipraa bahudhaa vadanti.” Parallels from the preachings of Christ.
–B. K. RAO
Visions of Hand Hopper : Book
VIII: By William Hull. Price Rs.
20. Selected Poems: By Walter Schweppe.
Price Rs. 15.
The Third Meaning of
Apricot, Concerning its Light: By Carol Rubenstein. Price Rs. 15. In the Ear of Dusk: By R. H.
Morrison. Price Rs. 15. The
Suburban Journals: By Christopher W. Parker. Price Rs. 10. Ins and Outs: By Suzanne Pope Brooks.
Price Rs. 15. All the books
are published by the Writers Workshop,
William
Hull’s ambitious visions re-working the Hindu myth of Avataras
in terms of contemporary experience has now entered its eighth phase duly sub-titled
“Rock”. Language means riot for
It
is a relief to pass on to Walter Schweppe’s chiselled poems. Apart from the two moving poems on
What
a femininely confusing title for Carol Rubenstein! A result of her travels in
India and Nepal, The Third Meaning of Apricot reads like un pruned diary
jottings made in a hurry before sleep overcame the poet in indifferent hotel
rooms after daytimes spent in weary sight-seeing.
R.
H. Morrison too sees much to please and tantalise him
in
“And
the lotus that has given so
much-what in return has it taken?
Only,
in green scalloped leaves, the shape
of dress-hem, and, in flowers, her lips’ pink glow.”
Christopher
W. Parker is still in his early ’Twenties. His poems have a hallucinatory
movement as though he were hearing voices all the time. The brief gun-shot
wedding is hilariously ironic and so is the poem “American Dream”. Suzanne
Brooks is confusedly autobiographical throughout Ins and Outs. Barrenness
of the womb and the birth of retarded children clutch the poems like fear. The
volume is a sad commentary on what drug -medicines and air pollution have done
to our civilisation.
–Dr. PREMA NANDAKUMAR
The Structure of the Novel: By Edwin Muir. B. I. Publications,
To
have survived half a century of criticology and
retained its position as one of the best critiques of the novel form is no mean
achievement. The Structure of the Novel is written in a style of
unsurpassable standard: that is, it is simple, direct. Nowhere does Edwin Muir
take recourse to ambiguous expressions, and yet his impeccable scholarship is
everywhere in evidence. This volume was cherished by us in our undergraduate
days. And even today an undergraduate can ignore it only at his peril.
There
is a crystalline clarity about the structure of the book itself. First come the
novels of action and character, and The Treasure Island and Vanity
Fair are discussed as examples. We have the dramatic novel where plot and
character feed each other. Edwin Muir analyses Pride and Prejudice in
this context. The elemental nature of Hardy’s novels
and Wuthering Heights helps a discussion of the Time-Space continuum in
dramatic novels. There is, then, the chronicle. War and Peace is a fine
example of the cosmic progression in the chronicle novel which gives “a
different value to all the particular happenings, making the tragic pathetic,
the inevitable accidental, the final relative, and doing this naturally and
inevitably.”
Discussing
other developments, Edwin Muir deprecates the period novel practised
by Bennett and Wells which relies on descriptions of the latest gadgetry. He
would have been horrified by the recent mammoth period-novels written by the
Americans. Novels like Wheels and Airport consume technical and
research jargon with suicidal avidity!
Finally, the stream-of-consciousness genre. When The
Structure of the Novel was first published, James Joyce and Virginia Woolf were in. Muir
finds no form in a novel like Ulysses, and doesn’t think much of the
symbolism either. Edwin Muir’s book concludes with a few brilliant observations
on characters in the novel after some minor sparring with E. M. Forster on the
subject. Not a mere library volume, The Structure of the Novel is a must
for the personal collections of students of English literature.
–Dr. PREMA NANDAKUMAR
Selected Poems of Mahakavi Ullur: Edited by K. Ramachandran Nair.
Kumaran Asan, Vallathol
Narayana Menon and Ullur Parameswara Iyer are considered
the titans who reared modern Malayam poetry; Of these, Ullur has a special
position. A classicist to the core, author of an epic, Uma
Keralam, Ullur was also
a distinguished editor and literary historian. Apart from Uma
Keralam, Ullur also wrote
many khanda kavyas
too. Of these, Karnabhooshanam is
the most brilliant. Ullur was also a considerable
lyricist.
Following
his birth centenary in 1977, there has been a demand from the non-Malayali public to know more of this great poet. The
present edition containing translations of some of Ullur’s
poems is indeed a timely publication.
The
editor has wisely given the entire Karnabhooshanam
Englished by Dr. K. Raghavan
Pillai. But for a few uncouth phrases, Dr. Pillai’s translation conveys well the tragic grandeur of Ullur’s Karna. The poet’s main
aim was to set forth the self-giving nature of the King of Anga.
Ullur began writing lyrics late in life. The classicist is
very much in evidence in most of the lyrics, giving a certain
stateliness to the compositions. Ullur’s energy of
inspiration is astonishing and so too ale his moral scrupulousness and
intellectual vigour. Occasionally a gossamer lyric
also gets released. One such is ‘Bhutakkannadi’
translated by Kumara Pillai as ‘The Magic Lens.’
Ullur’s other lyrics treat of flowers and fields, birds and
insects, hopes and anxieties. He is sure that love is the anchor that defies
that perpetual flux of things and overcomes the tyranny of Time. As for ‘Then
and Now’ it is a mastery summation of
–DR PREMA NANDAKUMAR
Hindu Yogi’s Astounding Discoveries: By H. H. Thiruvarul Thavayogi. Velavan Press,
The
author is an industrialist turned Yogi and the contents of the book under
review are a rechauffe of traditional Hindu
philosophy. The so-called discoveries of His Holiness as to life after death
are mere old wine in new bottles. They say that every human being has two
organic bodies–the physical and the astral. The former is perishable and
identifiable whereas the latter is indestructible and beyond the reach of
sight. This Dream Body–otherwise called Sookshma or Yathana sareera–has an indwelling
soul and is endowed with twenty-five Tatwas and in
support of survival of the dead instances are quoted
from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and similar works. Dreams too as independent
experiences of causal body are viewed as re-inforcing
the conviction of postmortem existence in celestial regions and further as
substantiating the fact that all physiological functions originate in the real Swapnasareera and cause synchronous reflexes in its gross
counterpart, the Sthoolasareera. At death by normal causes ethereal
personalities are assumed to enter Dark or Light planes and bide their season
till their Prarabdha is exhausted and thereafter they
are made to take rebirth or are de-carnated and sent
to Blissful worlds. Communication with the dead in their own mother-tongues or
in languages mutually understood is held possible through clairvoyance, ouija board, table-tilting, planchette
and automatic writing and several other topics relevant to causal bodies are
discussed illustratively and appropriately. But things are to be seen to be
believed. All else reads like superstition and speculation and similarly Thavayogi’s accounts of after life too suffer this
infirmity. However, beliefs and superstitions have a place in the scheme of
life. They perform a regulatory function and dam the tide of irrational surges
of volatile masses and classes.
–K. SUBBA RAO
Catalogue of Vijayanagar
Coins in the
This
is a painstaking catalogue of the considerable number of Vijayanagar
coins in the
What
historical material can be gleaned from this study? First, says Mr. Sankara Narayana, judging from
the fact that the legends on the coinage of Harihara
I and Bukka I, the founders, carries its legends in
Kannada language and the emblems of Hanuman and Garuda,
“the family had greater affinities with the Kannada language and Karnataka where
the Kadambas with the Hanuman flag and the Yadavas with the Garuda ensign
had held away (for) over two centuries”. The last statement is rather puzzling.
But the fact that the legends are in Kannada at the time of the beginning of Vijayanagar power is certainly important.
Secondly,
the coinage generally improved with time. The illustrations prove this. Though,
as a source of history, these coins cannot bear comparison with those of the
Indo-Greek kings some two thousand years ago, they are undoubtedly valuable.
For
the rest, it is enough to say that Mr. Sankara Narayana has discharged his task competently. This work
will bear comparison with the catalogues of the coins of other dynasties the
–N. S. RAMASWAMI
Selected Poems of Amrita
Pritam: Edited by Pritish Nandy. Dialogue Publications,5
Pearl Road, Calcutta-17 Price: Rs.10.
This
book of 21 pages carries 29 poems of Amrita Pritam,
translated from the original Punjabi by a host of translators comprising Khushwant Singh,
–N. B.
SANSKRIT-ENGLISH
Karma Yoga Sutra Satakam:
By
Swami Harshananda. Sri Ramakrishna Ashrama, Vani Vilasa
Mohalla, Mysore-20. Price: 16.
Works,
knowledge and devotion are the three well-known means by which liberation can
be attained. The Yoga of works is the most suitable for this iron age of reason
and rational thinking. It is open to all who believe and draw sustenance from
this work-a-day world. Karma Yoga is communion with God through work and the
practice of this yoga, without any other means, is capable of independently
accomplishing the liberation. Such has been the vision of Swami Vivekananda.
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. SHANKARANARAYANAN
TAMIL
Iru Niruppural
(The
Twin Fires): By
The
book under review is a collection of short stories by Purasu
Balakrishnan, a doctor by profession. Usually a
doctor and a writer seldom go together.
Here
are twelve stories in the collection. Though some of the stories in the collection
can hardly be called stories, the author speaks fervently of some observation or impression gained from
things seen around him providing the central thought for a proper story. A
vague suggestion from a particular situation, and
pathos lying in a small sentence, indeed move and give the reader, the mental
satisfaction of reading a well-developed story.
We
may take for example the story of the daughter-in-law, a permanent invalid,
without any chance of recovering from her illness. In spite of the strong
pressure on him by his mother to re-marry, the husband assures his wife of his
total unwillingness to it. The doctor coming to visit the patient one day,
finding her lying all alone with no one in the house, asks her about it to
which she replies calmly, “They have all gone to see the girl chosen for my
husband’s marriage, and they are thinking I know nothing about it.” What a
spirit of resignation to her unhappy lot is expressed in those simple words! It
is surprising that such an economy of language can bring before us, the
pathetic sight of the poor, lonely invalid and the utter selfishness and 1ack
of consideration of those around her.
On
the whole, the twelve stories, written in a language chaste and simple speak
highly for their fine literary quality.
–K.
SAVITHRI AMMAL
TELUGU
(1) Hridaya Kaamadhenuvu (2) Premarasam,
(3) Ramarasam: By Hari Ramanath, Chintaguntapalem, Machilipatnam.
These
three books are very precious gifts from the author, who is very young in age
but ripe in spiritual achievements. Coming from the pen of one who has tasted
and experienced the bliss of God-vision after prolonged meditations in the
famous Brindavan, contents of these works are sure to
inspire the readers and enlighten them as to the path of self-realisation
Symbolic significance of the churning of ocean with all its details, and the
episode of Vamana and
–B. K. SASTRY
Godaa Srisuukti
with
Telugu commentary: By K.
T. L. Narasimhacharya. Godaa
Grandhamaala, Musunuru.
Price: Rs. 8.
Godaa, the foster-daughter of Vishnuchitta,
the well known Vaishnava devotee, far excelled her
father in her ardent devotion to Lord Vishnu. Even as a girl she wooed Vishnu,
offered herself heart and soul to him, pined for him and at last became one
with him. Her sweet songs in Tamil are full of devotional love depicting all
stages of love in separation, and are masterpieces of poetry, reminding Gopikas and their Gitas in Srimat Bhagavata in Samskrit. Those mellifluous songs, 143
in number, divided into 14 decades, are published herein, in Telugu script,
with word for word meaning and elucidation in Telugu by K. T. L. Narasimhacharya, a Godaa’s
devotee, who with missionary zeal set for himself, the sacred but thankless
task of publishing the devotional lyrics of Alwars in
Telugu so that non-Tamil-knowing Andhra can have a sip of the nectar of
devotion treasured in those lyrics. A scholarly introduction by Sri K.
Venkateswara Rao ably brings out the essence, niceties, and suggestiveness of
the lyrics. We wholeheartedly commend this work to all devotees.
–SASTRI