REVIEWS
Religion, Man and
Society: Centenary Publication. By Dr.
C. P. Ramaswami Aiyar. Dr C. P. R. A. Foundation, “The Grove”, Teynampet, Madras-18. Price: Rs.
25.
This
is a volume brought out to mark the Centenary of Dr C. P. Ramaswami Aiyar’s birth. It contains some of the speeches and
writings of his, during the many years when he had lived and proved himself not
a mere intellectual but an active worker fulfilling the
expectations of a world in need of efficient administrators. His versatility
and scholarship are evident in every one of the topics included here. The
selection has been made from a very vast pile of papers in the Archives of “The
Grove”–the residence of Dr Ramaswami Aiyar.
The
Dr C. P. R. Foundation has been functioning almost since his death in 1966. Its
main objects are: one, to form a Centre for studies in the Tradition, Thought
and Culture of India; two to bring out a journal which since has
assumed the name of “Voice of Samanvaya”; and three,
to establish a non-formal educational institution “Sitalakshmi
Vidyalaya,” where the young are taught Sanskrit and
other classical literatures. Apart from this, also arts and crafts are
encouraged by the Centre.
The
Foundation is housed in the old residence of Dr Ramaswami Aiyar itself which
has been donated by his son Sri C. R. Pattabhiraman,
with extensive grounds, to the Foundation.
This
first of the Centenary Series of volumes to be ushered into light, assures us
by the contents that much material of cultural, philosophical and religious
information have been packed into the writings and utterances of that
illustrious man whose memory needs preservation for all times in a
country in which there is a fast decadence in the right method of training the
intellect for becoming useful citizens of the future India.
We
are indeed struck by the variety and competent handling of the subjects dealt
with under the various headings here, and we cannot think of a better form of remembering the deep
thinker and statesman that was Dr Ramaswami Aiyar.
–K.
CHANDRASEKHARAN
The Sadhana of
Self-Discovery: By Prof. K. Seshadri.
C. P. Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation, Teynampet,
Based
upon special lectures delivered at the C P. R. Aiyar Foundation in 1977, this
exposition examines the Philosophy and Sadhana of Sri Ramana
Maharshi. As is well-known his is a Vicharamarga with
a speciality of its own. Though it is based upon some
of the fundamental truths of the Vedanta it chalks out a route of
self-discovery that has been discovered and perfected by the
sage of Arunachala.
The
quest starts with a self-questioning, “Who am I?” It implies a relentless interiorisation of the mind. It does not follow the
technique of the traditional Jnana Marga, viz., sravana, manana, nidhidhyasana. It
sets aside all mentation and narrows the focus of the
mental faculties to a severe self-analysis. Each movement, each form that is realised to be not one’s essential self is rejected and the
search carried inwards. The centre of concentration is the heart
which however is not the biological heart, not even the traditional
heart-centre, but what Bhagavan calls the spiritual
heart, a little to the right of the centre of the chest.
Prof.
Seshadri underlines the necessity of this constant
withdrawal of consciousness from the outer to the inner preoccupations. He
points out how Bhakti, devotion, fuses with Jnana,
knowledge, in the course of the Sadhana and cites passages from the outpourings
of the Sage in adoration of the Self as manifest in the immutable Hill of Arunachala. He raises the relevant question: Is the Sadhana
all self-effort or does Grace play any part in it?
The
answer is unambiguous for one who has actual experience
of the path whatever may be the arguments of the philosopher. Both self-effort
and Grace are needed; each is relevant at its own stage. What is important to
note that even personal effort is initiated by Grace.
The author quotes the Maharshi as saying, “The very fact that you are possessed
of the quest of the Self is a manifestation of the Divine Grace.” The Grace, in
this Yoga, draws one from within. And once one allows oneself to be sucked in,
a stage arrives when temporal and spatial dimensions are exceeded. Thereafter
there is no “effort”. There is a direct working of the Grace leading to the
revelation of the Self, the real I behind the pseudo
“I”.
The writer sums up: “The aim of the Vichara is the discovery of the Self. Vichara is no mechanical process of the surface-mind” In Sri Ramana’s words, “as long as you run with the running mind, you cannot discover the Self.” The silence of the Self is ever there waiting within. The surface agitations must be quelled. When the veil of the ego is rent asunder, when the individual “strips himself” of all superficialities, he awakens to the depths of his true being and establishes himself in “supreme Self-awareness.”
“This
is the final goal, the destination that holds the secret of his destiny. Grace
is implicit in destiny and it inspires Self-quest and consummates it as well.”
The
treatment is notable for its depth as well as its clarity.
–M. P. PANDIT
Bhavartha-Dipika
Jnaneshwari: By Sri Jnanadev. Translated from Marathi by Ramachandra Keshav Bhagwat. Published for Samata Books by V. Sadanand.
The Personal Book Shop,
Many
may be the commentaries that have appeared so far on the Bhagavad Gita, one
of the Prasthanatraya, which was hailed
by T. S. Eliot as “the world’s second greatest book” (the
first, of course, being for him the Holy Bible); but soaring above all interpretations
stands Saint Jnaneshwar’s “Bhavartha
Dipika,” which means literally shedding the light of
implied meaning. It has claimed that unique privilege by established fame and
prescriptive veneration, which is not a little due to the poet’s broad generalising talent showering luminous radiance and meaning
on various verses, obscure and ambiguous, in the Gita.
The
sacred soil of
The
high watermark of such a revival was reached in Shankara’s
exposition of the Vedanta doctrine in the eighth century, followed by Ramanuja,
Madhva and others. In course of time, Shankara’s teaching was misunderstood, if not lost, as “mayavada” and in the succeeding centuries, the cult of
Bhakti held the field in both eastern and western
Sri
Jnanadev, coming from a long line of the Natha school of mystics, laid the
foundation of the great Bhakti movement in
What
makes Jnaneshwari stand unique among
other commentaries is the saint’s special interpretation of verses 12 to 15 of
Chapter VI which by itself would have established his fame forming an
independent work. According to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi,
Chapter VI is the keystone in the arch of the Bhagauad
Gita, explaining in detail what may be called the Royal Yoga of Lord
Krishna, which really brings enlightenment to any man in any age. It describes
the practice that brings about the state of detachment, thus fulfilling the
teaching on action and renunciation detailed in the third and fifth chapters.
The technique of having equanimity of mind in the field of activity provides
the practical basis for both Sankhya and Yoga systems
and for the reconciliation of the life of the recluse and that of the
householder. Taking only the four slokas from this
chapter, Saint Jnanadev devotes nearly 200 stanzas
for giving the secret path of the “Nath” sect to
which he belonged, outlining the singular doctrine of the Yoga discipline. In
unpacking the bundle of the implications of Krishna’s directions of this divine
discipline, the poet-saint shows how the Kundalini
Sakti becomes Maruta
(the wind) and further explains the four-fold nature of Vak
(speech), namely, vaikari, madhyama, pasyanti and para, implicit in the Pranava
mantra.
It
is noteworthy that at a time when it was fashionable to confine learning to the
elect few and when Sanskrit was the vehicle for high philosophy, even as Latin
was in the West, till Milton came, Saint Jnaneshwar
insisted on preaching and writing in the vernacular, the current language of
the people. That language spoken in the 13th century itself became archaic in
course of time and Pt. G. R. Moghe had rendered this
classic in modern Marathi. Even as the saint brought the teachings of the Gita
from the high abstract planes down to the common man’s level, like Bhagiratha bringing the Ganges down from heaven, R. K. Bhagwat had rendered yeoman service to the moderns by
translating this Marathi classic into English three decades back, so that it is
made available to a wider public all over the world. Although Manu Subedar had rendered Jnaneshwar’s
classic into English in 1932 it was not a verbatim one but, as
the title itself indicated, it was only a summary. “Gita explained by Jnaneshwar Maharaj.” But R. K. Bhagwat’s
translation is an invaluable contribution, since not a single line of the
original has been omitted; and thanks to his unflagging zeal and scholarship
the English-knowing public is blessed to have the contents of one of the
choicest pieces in the philosophical literature of the world. Many a Marathi
scholar has paid glowing tributes to the translator for giving suitable English
garments to a different philosophic classic written in a language so beautiful,
delicate and flowery. But this excellent standard work
was soon out of print for a long time, and we owe a debt of gratitude to Shri Sadanand of the Samata Books for publishing it again in a
most attractive form with the additional inclusion of the original Sanskrit
verses of the Gita in Devanagari.
–ARGUS
A Hundred years of The
Hindu (The Epic Story of Indian Nationalism) By
Rangaswami Parthasarathy,
Asst. Editor of “The Hindu.” Kasturi and Sons Ltd.,
It
all started as the brain-wave of six adventurous youths of the Triplicane Literary Society a hundred years ago. They
included N. Subba Rao Pantulu
of Andhra, who was later to become famous as General Secretary of the Congress.
Led by G. Subramania Iyer and M. Veeraraghavachariar,
they wanted to start an English weekly as a mouthpiece
of “native” opinion, which was outraged by the biased criticism by the White
Ruling Class of the appointment of an Indian as a Judge of the High Court. They
were hardly deterred by the fact that they had little capital and no experience
of journalism. They had pooled their meagre resources to collect the few rupees
necessary for the paper and printing. They had youth on their side, and a
spirit of adventure, along with patriotism and
determination. And The Hindu was born as a Weekly in September 1878. It
had then no local habitation but only a same, care of the local post-master.
Four
to five years later, it was converted into a tri-weekly in 1883 at its new
office at 100,
Meanwhile,
differences arose between the Editor and the Manager and they had to part company. Subramania Iyer, on whom
depended the public image of the paper, could not, however improve its
finances, which remained in the red. He sold his interest in the paper and
started the Tamil daily, Swadesamitran. The
Hindu celebrated its silver jubilee in 1903 without seeing much silver in
its kitty. It was a period of struggle, with lots of teething troubles.
It
was in 1905 that the paper changed hands and came into some good luck. The new
owner, S. Kasturiranga Iyengar,
a fairly prosperous lawyer practising in
For
the next one decade and more, the paper was edited by his two nephews,
With
the death of Rangaswami Iyengar
in 1934, Kasturi Srinivasan was persuaded to take up
the editorship, with his brother Gopalan, as the
Printer and Publisher. No writer himself, he knew good writing when he saw it
and was eager to develop The Hindu into a first-class paper, which can
stand comparison with the best of its kind, in
For
a few years after the death of Kasturi Srinivasan, S.
Parthasarathy,
Senior Assistant Editor, was the Editor. Since 1965, however,
the third generation of the Kasturi
family have been running the paper with a happy blend of professional
enterprise and political caution. The present Editor, Mr. G. Kasturi, with an intimate knowledge of all branches of the
newspaper business, has improved its technical efficiency and effected its
all-round development. With its facsimile editions in
The
whole history of a hundred years is competently and carefully presented by the
author, R. Parthasarathy, himself an old Hindu hand,
who has imbibed its spirit of fidelity to fact through the years. His account
is extremely well-documented, for he has had access to the old files and all
the other official documents relevant to the history of the paper. He seems to
err on the side of caution himself, for he seldom permits himself of any
personal opinion, which might throw light on the human side, the foibles
idiosyncrasies of the people with whom he had worked and who had helped to make
of The Hindu what it is. But he does try to give us an idea of the calibre of brilliant editorial-writers like S. Rangaswami and N. Raghunathan and
correspondents like K. Balaraman and K. S. Shelvankar. One would have, however, liked a more vivid and
human account than what we have here.
But
there can be no question of belittling a difficult job, done with devotion and
dedication. It is the reliable and authoritative history
of a great newspaper. The history of The Hindu is not only a history of
the times, but is, in fact, a history of Indian Nationalism, as the sub-title
aptly puts it. An indispensable book to every aspiring
journalist and student of Indian affairs covering the last hundred years.
–D. ANJANEYULU
Pathway to God trod by
Saint Ramalingar: By G. Vanmikanathan. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Kulapati Munshi Marg, Bombay-7. Price: Rs.
45.
Triology
on Ramalingar: By G. Vanmikanathan. Ramalinga Mission,
6,
If
the world outside Tamil Nadu is not familiar enough
with life and work of the rare Saint, Ramalinga, with
his rather orthodox teaching, it is not his fault. He is in the hallowed
tradition of such inspired men of God as Ramakrishna Paramahamsa,
Vemana, Kabir,
Though
he had left a number of institutions, to continue his work and perpetuate his
teaching, he did not have the advantage of a dynamic disciple like Vivekananda,
who could spread his message to the far corners of the world. Added to this was
the fact that his teachings, which were in Tamil, were not until recently,
available in English or any of the Indian languages, other than Tamil.
It
is lucky now that the circumstances have turned more propitious for this work,
with the vigorous initiative of a patron like Mr. N. Mahalingam and the
whole-hearted devotion of a learned author like Mr. G. Vanmikanathan,
who is totally immersed in the subject. The result is the emergence of at least
two useful publications–one a sumptuous volume, containing his life and
renderings of his songs, and the other a slim booklet, which gives them in a
brief outline for the reader in a hurry.
“It
is the lustre shed by Socrates that adorned Greece;
it is that shed by Leonardo da Vinci that adorned
Rome; and it is that shed by Vallalar that adorns the
wonder that is Tamilakam, India and hence the entire
world in fact”, says Mr. Mahalingam in his full-throated message to the magnum
opus on the subject, produced by Mr. Vanmikanathan.
Making
allowance for the heartwarming zest of a true devotee, one could see that
single-minded aspiration may lead to unqualified achievement. Nearly a thousand
songs of the Saint are rendered in simple and readable verse here, and
presented along with an engrossing account of his life and achievement.
The
author aptly describes this unusual Saint as a “hyperlexic”,
whose feats of infantile eloquence and adolescent wisdom are otherwise inexplicable.
Born at a place near Chidambaram in 1823, he spent most of his life in South Arcot and
The
essence of the Saint’s teaching is summed up in the cryptic words:
I
became It,
It
became me,
We
became embodiment of gnosis,
and It became It!
For
those uninitiated readers, to whom these lines might sound
mystic and mysterious, the learned author discusses the characteristics of
mysticism, with enlightening parallels from other religions,
including Sufism (Islam), Christianity and the Bhakti cults of the North. For
doing this to good effect, his knowledge of Hindi and Sanskrit,
besides Tamil and English comes in handy.
The
four-fold path, chalked out by Sri Ramalinga,
comprising San-Maarga, Sat-Maarga, Satputra-Maarga and
Daasa-Maarga, is lucidly explained,
with appropriate illustrations. The institutions founded by
him at Vadalur, to cater for the needs of the body,
mind and soul are adequately described.
In
his lucid and informative introduction, the Rev. Fr. Bede
Griffiths sums up the message of the Saint in a few well-chosen words:
“His
is a religion of universal brotherhood, embracing not only all men but all
living beings and the ultimate state of man and the universe, is seen not as a
liberation from matter and the body, but as their transfiguration by which they
are merged in the transcendent life and light of the godhead.”
About
the author of the book, Prof. K. R. Srinivasa Iyengar
says that he is a “true knighterrant” in the
arena of devotional literature. He is inspired by the surge and music of Arutpa. He did not write the book, but the book wrote
itself. That is the way of true inspiration and total self-surrender.
–D. ANJANEYULU
Nehru: By
B. N. Pandey. Macmillan and Co.,
Ltd., Patullo’s Road,
This is an objective study of Jawaharlal Nehru, one of the most important individuals of the age, with an acute perception of the requirements of a full-length biography. No doubt, it does satisfy the student of politics and public affairs of this country with a bird’s-eye view of the scenes of the Indian struggle for freedom and the worthy part played by so many of India’s top-ranking politicians, of whom none except Gandhiji and Rajaji, could have claimed an equal place with Jawaharlal in the responsibilities that he had to bear. Here is painted with sufficient brevity a pointed-ness a portrait of Nehru, the only son of an illustrious father; the student in a public school of England; the zealous patriot leaping into the public life of the country; the moulder of things to come as a spirited man with an amazing vitality of outlook upon current affairs not only of this vast sub-continent but of other countries; the ambitious enterpriser for making this country industrially advanced along with highly developed countries of the West; the pilot at the helm of administration in the post-Independent India with untiring hard labours performed in setting up a goal in the projects of more and more progress along modern standards; the dreamer of a perfect democracy with an ideal bearing background marks of Gandhian philosophy; and finally the disappointed individual feeling lonely amidst the so-called all-round achievements for his country.
The
author has dealt with adequate care and precision many of the details of
Nehru’s part both in the pre-Independence struggle and the post-Independence
self-government of this country. It is evident there is no place in this volume
where one could point to any loose statement unsupported by authentic source.
Most of the events during the long career of Nehru have been commented upon
with an un biased as well as critical assessment.
The
notes at the end of the volume and the bibliography bear out how much of honest
work has gone into the writing of this meritorious undertaking.
One
cannot also forget the sober yet highly valuable remarks that the author has
appended to some of the domestic relationships between Nehru and his sisters as
well as his daughter, the future first lady of the
It
is indeed a book to possess for its rich contents. It is excellently got-up
with a printing which never burdens the eye.
–“RASAJNA”
Ananda
Coomaraswamy (Spiritual Frontiers of Art, Literature and
Culture): By R. Raphael. Rayappa Publishers, 60
Here
we have a very valuable addition to the growing numbers of Ananda
Coomaraswamy’s post birth-centenary publications. The author, it is evident,
has made a deep and thorough study with an equipment equal to the task of a
cogently argued and clearly understood disquisition upon such a vast and highly
intellectual survey of the great savant’s writings. In nine chap with their
captions indicative in themselves of the attempted comprehensiveness of the
subject, the author shows genuine appreciation of the encyclopaedic
mind of Coomaraswamy as well as his unusual capacity to encompass within his
range a whole world of ideas and metaphysics which have distinguished him from
the rest of writers both of the East and the West.
In
a short review it will be impossible to dwell in detail what exactly is the
merit of this book. Within nearly 230 pages of print the entire gamut of the
multi-faceted genius of Coomaraswamy is analysed,
though here and there we are made aware of the writer’s impartiality by careful
reference to a critical estimate of some of Coomaraswamy’s exegetical remarks
and conclusions on subjects such as art, philosophy, religion and culture, not
to speak of tradition. The author has not only gone carefully through
Coomaraswamy’s works but also through some of the sources of his, referred to
in his books. In the result, we are treated to nearly as many quotations as Ananda Coomaraswamy himself would have chosen to refer to.
The scholarship and lucid exposition which are necessary to deal with the
subtleties of Coomaraswamy’s essays into the intricacies of the Indian View of
Art are apparent in almost every page here. To say this, is no mean praise of
the author’s substantial contribution to an understanding of the “Kala Yogi.”
Samples
given from this treatise can easily prove how the author has been travelling
along with the great savant in unravelling many of
his ideas of a refreshing kind.
Of
poetry he says: “Religion and poetic experience are ultimately the same. They
have as their object the spiritual advancement of man.”
(179)
On
Indian art he remarks: “It is impossible to interpret Indian art without a knowledge of the Indian philosophy of life, her aesthetic
ideals, her mysticism and, in fine, her spiritual culture.” (197)
The
author believes that Coomaraswamy is more a Platonist than an Aristotelian.
Wherever he is unconvinced of what Coomaraswamy has interpreted, he does not
fail also to mark his differences clear. Thus he does not agree with
Coomaraswamy’s justification of the caste system of
The
summing up of Coomaraswamy’s general outlook in his writings, gives us very
succinctly a correct picture. For he says: “Coomaraswamy is full of quotations
from great masters of the East and West. At times, his footnotes outrun the
actual text. His sources include almost all scriptures of the world, and under
the term “scriptures” he includes the oral literature such as the epic poems.
People who are bewildered by the imposing array of quotations and footnotes might
accuse him of being pedantic. Coomaraswamy has never been a pedant; he did not
learn for the sake of learning. He is a writer with a commitment. And it was
his chief mission to show amidst the confusion of tongues and the clashes of
cultures, there is a unanimous tradition, which admits of “nothing new.” A
writer merely “re-discovers” what has already been said. Vital truths have been
revealed in the past not because our ancestors were holier or more intelligent
than we are, but because God has revealed from all eternity, things that are of
eternal value. The function of a writer is to discover this living tradition, a
task which does not admit of any boasting. Coomaraswamy wanted to hide himself
behind the great masters who discovered the Philosophia
Perennis.” (222, 226)
The
volume could have been more attractively got up in consonance with the
contents; but the credit certainly goes to the printing with very few mistakes.
–K.
CHANDRASEKHARAN
Focus on Foster’s “A
Passage to
Yet
another concrete result of our fond obsession for A Passage to
One
reason is Forster’s friendly personality. He kept up his Indian contacts
throughout his life. Any Indian academic who went to
“Mr.
Forster had lately broken an ankle, and he limped a little, but his face was as
radiant as ever, there was no diminution whatever in his vivacity, and
distinction was written on his features and his movements. He was worried a
little because he wasn’t quite sure if I could get a purely vegetarian dinner.
In spite of my protests, he limped his way to the chief waitress, and presently
returned with a sunny face and declared that it would be all right.”
Prof.
Shahane’s doctoral dissertation presented to the
Two
articles stand out in particular. T. G. Vaidyanathan
speaking “In Defence of Professor Godbole”
unerringly pinpoints the need for love in any act of reconciliation, the only
hoop or the gods created for combining hearts. Prof. M. K. Naik’s
essay is not flattering at all. According to him Godbole
is “artistically not only a failure but almost a disaster.” The narrative
seethes with caricatures and flat characters. The social and political milieu
is unrealistic. But when he says that “at no time since the mutiny–not even
during the period when the struggle for independence was
at its fiercest – was an entire British community anywhere in India subject to
the kind of panic which Forster makes his Englishmen and women feel in these
episodes,” we have to express our protest. The European community at Tuticorin during the Tinnevelly
riots, for example. How it spent nights in ships anchored off Tuticorin!
Prof.
Shahane’s placid “Search for a Synthesis” studies the
philosophical significance of the novel. He considers the boating mishap as a
moral baptism for Aziz, Fielding, Stella and Ralph.
Our congratulations to the patient editor, but then, was it necessary to go for
such disconcerting abbreviations as API, ARV, TCD and WAFT?
–DR. PREMA.
NANDAKUMAR
Wilfred’s Owen’s “Strange Meeting” (A Critical
Study): By Sasi Bhushan
Das. Firma KLM Private Limited,
A
young man of 25 years, full of zeal for life and literature, went to take part
in a global war sixty years ago. While taking leave of his mother, he stood
looking at the sea glittering in the brilliant midday sun and recited a poem of
Rabindranath Tagore:
“When
I go from hence let this be my last word that what I have seen in
unsurpassable...and if the end comes here let it come–let this be my parting
word.”
Too
soon came the end and his “parting word” was a brief poem, “Strange Meeting.”
Wilfred is the most significant of the First World War Poets, and “Strange
Meeting” marks the finest moment of poetry and pity in his verse. Prof. Sasi Bhushan Das has made a
thorough study of Owen’s poetical works. The present
volume contains but a portion of his work and deals with his analysis of the
poem “Strange Meeting.”
“Strange
Meeting” is a brief visionary fragment. The entrenched poet suddenly finds
himself out of reality.
“It
seemed that out of battle I escaped
Down
some profound tunnel, long since scooped
Through
granites which titanic wars had groined.”
There arw “encumbered sleepers” groaning in their death. One of
them springs up and stares at the author with a dead smile. The pain on the
face of the figure makes the poet wonder for actually the place is peaceful–no
guns, no blood, no mortar. The figure gives a sad reply. There are so many
things to tell but everything will have to remain untold including “the pity of
war, the pity war distilled.” Compassion and anguish fight for mastery in the closing
lines:
“I
would have poured my spirit without stint
But not through wounds; not on the cess
of war.
Foreheads
of men have bled where no wounds were.
I
am the enemy you killed, my friend.
I
knew you in this dark; for so you frowned
Yesterday
through me as you jabbed and killed.
I
parried; but my hands were loath and cold.
Let
us sleep now...”
Prof.
Das has patiently explained the poem and traced the influence of poets like
Shelley and Siegfried Sassoon upon the imagery and content. His arguments to
prove that “Strange Meeting” is no unfinished fragment are quite convincing. Of
particular interest is the letter of Wilfred Owen’s
mother to Tagore after the boy’s death. Thus mourned Gandhari, Kunti and Panchali in ancient
–DR. PREMA
NANDAKUMAR
Sankara
and Modern Physics: By
This
work is the result of a rare combination of a wide and deep study of the
findings of the modern science and clear understanding of the main tenets of Sankara’s Advaita philosophy. (1) The nature of the world
and the relation of the phenomenal world to the observer, (2) The nature of
knowledge and the source of knowledge, (3) The role of causality and
determinism in the universe, (4) The relationship between the subject and
object, and (5) the nature of the absolute are the five topics dealt with here.
The learned anther after a study of the works of eminent scientists like James
Jeans, Eddington and Einstein and after a careful
understanding of the philosophical implications of (1) Hiesenberg’s
uncertainity principle, (2) Paul’s exclusion
principle, (3) Mach’s universal principle, (4) Bohr’s principle of complementarity, (5) The principle of the constancy of the
velocity of light, (6) Planck’s quantum theory and other such concepts and
principles in the developments in modern physics has come to the conclusion
that it is the Advaita philosophy expounded by Sri Sankara
that comes close to the recent developments of physics. (We would like to put
it the other way – the more the science of physics is advancing the closer it
is coming to Sankara’s Advaita.) Sankara’s
philosophy as expounded in Vivekachudamani,
Sarvavedantasarasamgraha is explained at first
and then it is correlated with the findings of science. To give but one
example, according to Sankara there is no
differentiation of knower, known and the knowledge in the infinite Brahman (Vivekachudamani, 239). Sir James Jeans observes: “The
complete objectivity can only be regained by treating observer and the observed
as parts of a single system. It now appears that this
does not consist of something we perceived but of our perceptions. It is not
the subject-object relationship but the relationship
itself.” (Pages 46; 49) A study of this work which is an incentive for
future research on these lines, strengthens the belief
of the followers of Advaita and extends an invitation to the students of
science to verify the theories of Advaita in the light of the developments in
modern science.
–B. KUTUMBA RAO
Mahatma Gandhi: By
Bhabani Bhattacharya. Arnold -
Heinemann P. Ltd., Safdarganj Enclave, New Delhi-16.
Price: Rs. 25.
This is a beautiful book on Gandhiji, carefully packed within of a few hundred pages some of the salient events and features of the Mahatma. In the wake of a growing massive literature upon this unique personality, already critical assessments of his mind and writing from both Indian and Western authors have seen the light of day. Therefore it might appear that an addition like this could only be a bit superfluous. On the other hand this handy volume possesses enough analysis and sifting of the extant material as to provide in brief what many others have not done. It his ventured to notice Gandhiji’s work in the political field with his new-found weapon of Satyagraha as having astounded the complacency of not only the Britisher but thinkers alike by its merit of an unusual basic philosophy behind.
The
available data is so very much that normally any other author should have felt
it all staggering for making out in a short space something which could stand
the scrutiny of both the literary students as well as of psychologists and
thinkers. It is no easy task to have undertaken to provide such a requirement
of maturer minds. Gratifying indeed is what we find
here, especially when the author has selected themes that are not generally
dwelt upon with concentration. Chapters like Communion with Tolstoy,
Dialogue with Tagore, A Visit with Romain Rolland, Literary Pilgrimage, can
satisfy the eager student for engrossing details expressed in brevity without
loss of attraction or proportion. References at the end of the volume
give evidence to the labour put in this effective
condensation enriching the reader’s avidity for more
of such. Perhaps, it is such books which provide spot-lighting of Gandhiji’s
character and mind that are needed for a wider
audience than big volumes containing a lot more than one can digest.
–“SAHRIDAYA”
Come Back, My Master
and Other Stories: By K. S. Duggal.
Vikas
Publishing House,
The
short story has come to stay. In all our regional languages there are now
annually sheafs of short stories published,
and the readers are not easily satisfied that they are enough. Maybe
the novel has begun to attract greater attention recently. Still
for a good collection of short stories there is always a group of willing
readers who can sift the grain from the chaff.
If
a sly gesture of the face, a slight movement of the hand, a penetrative glance,
a sigh or a tear can tell a tale of its own, the short story successfully
develops it into a whole tiny orb of illumination scattering beams all around.
There may be no need for a conclusion as such to entice the gnawing curiosity
of the fiction addict. There may be only a passing whim and yet the narrator’s
skill can aid the reader’s imagination work furiously over the unfinished
moment. It is the delightful creation of the atmosphere to dwell, a scene to
gaze at, a mood to unravel an
entire vista of possibilities that has gained its fill of technique
in the modern short story.
Forty
of them all ranging in their English translation not more than four or five
pages each, make the reader alive to a realism which conveys a world of
significance. The details worked out prove an unfailing grip the reader cannot
escape. Though the stones in their original Punjabi should necessarily be more
captivating, they do not on the score of their English garb lose much of their
intrinsic beauty to the readers who know their English only. Indeed this is a
collection which is sure to retain the sensitive perception of the discerning
reader till the last page of the volume.
–“SAHRIDAYA”
Ecology and Archaeology
of
The
future turns into the present and the present into the past. The past is not
dead, for it is a part of time; time would never die and hence the past too.
But the past is dead if it exists for its own sake. There is an archaeological adage, “Let the past serve the present” If the past serves
the present, the present, in its turn, serves the future. The present volume is
intended to fulfil
this aim.
This
volume is the outcome of the workshop on the Palaeoclimate
and Archaeology of Gujarat and Rajasthan conducted by the physical Research
Laboratory, Ahmedabad, in 1976. It contains six parts
comprising the proceedings of the workshop in which had participated sixty
Indian experts well-versed in scientific subjects pertaining to Palaeoclimate, Archaeology, etc. Their approaches to their
themes are much interesting. The articles are dealt with, as far as possible,
in a semi-technical way, neither exclusively a lay manner nor exclusively a
technical manner.
It
would be impossible to make mention of all the experts whose
enlightening articles have appeared in the volume. Nevertheless,
a few quotations from a few of them cannot be omitted. In his illuminating
article Shri B. L. K. Somayajulu
states. “The study of palaeoclimates is a very important
one. Not only does it form a useful factor in knowing about the existence and
movement of ancient civilizations, it also helps to forecast the future
climatic pattern which is most essential especially to a country like
In
determining the conditoons of the palaeoclimates
(climates of the past), the study consists of, again to quote Shri Somayajulu, “(A)
Collection of sediment cores from both oceans and lakes; (B) Determination of
the age of each layer under study – in other words the accumulation rate of the
sediment has to be determined as accurately as possible and (C) Studying those
components of sediments which represent climatic conditions (e. g., planctonic foraminifera in deep sea sediments and pollen in
lake-sediments) as a function of depth.”
Despite the fact that the present volume is mainly
concerned with the ecology and archaeology of Gujarat and Rajasthan, the sixth
part of the volume meticulously deals with recent environmental studies made in
Ladakh, Central India and
Regarding
the quaternary events and palaeoclimate in Ladakh, Shri P. C. Nawani writes in this volume. “Pleistocene glaciation was a global
phenomenon and during this period some parts of the
Commencing
from prehistory, passing through the proto-history reaching the history the
culture of Rajasthan, in its various vicissitudes, has left numerous concrete
evidences both in the arid brown Marwar south-west of
Aravali range and in the lush green Mewar north-east of the same range. Even the palaeolithic implements are found in Rajasthan.
Climate has played a great part in fashioning the peculiar culture of
Rajasthan. Both nature and the underwent a number of
metamorphoses under the influences of climate there. The pattern of nature and
the nature of man are interwoven with each other in Rajasthan. The scholarly
contribution entitled “Prehistory and Palaeoenvironment
of Rajasthan” by Mr. V. N. Mishra needs a special
mention. All the other contributions too by eminent experts such as Messrs Narendra Bhandary, B. M. Pande, Y. M. Chitawalla, R. P. Dhir, K. T. M. Hegde, J. Nageswara Rao, etc., are illuminating indeed. These
scientists have been able to succeed in presenting the complicated technical
subjects in a less technical elucidation.
Change
has been the main characteristic of the entire creation. This change especially
in climatic and ecological conditions has changed every epoch, both known and
unknown, on the way of the great transformation of the lifeless into life. This
volume is a reflection of such phenomena.
–SANJIVA DEV
Essays in Modern
Criticism: By Rajnath and Elliot.
Kitab Mahal,
The
essays collected in this book assess and explicate the tenets of New Criticism
and of the
manufactured.
To analyse and elucidate is recognised
as the function of the critic. Evaluative and impressionistic criticism is
jettisoned as of no moment. Undue weight was accorded to only form and content.
And the scope of analysis is further limited to dry-as-dust formal aspects.
Poetry is transformed into a concatenation of sounds, syllables, words,
accents, images and symbols. The inside of a poem is considered as the Open
Sesame to get at it inestimable wealth. For a bit of the world in the poem a
philistine was smelt (p. 45). Language loses its emotiveness. Tension in thought and feeling yields to tension in configurations
of meaning. Eliot plumps for improvised speech of commoners and his
objective correlative embodies only significant emotions and sacrifice
personality which is computed as the germinal point of a composition. Ransom smells a new determinate in the special language and lays
accent on metre. Subsequently several theories
were propounded. Allan Tate with his planned and organized use of words with
their denotations and connotations, R. P. B. Blackmuir
with his concept of language as gesture, Empson with
his words as still shots of films concentrate on local details at the cost of she gestalt of the poem. R.
S. Crane, a neo-aristotelian (of the Chicago
School) raises a banner of revolt against the critical monism of the New
Critics which invalidates other approaches to the interpretation and evaluation
of poetic composition and banks on textual analysis for the totality of meaning
though the organization of texture makes the artefact unique by its complexity.
A literary construct is not, as viewed by the Chicagoans, a compound of plot,
theme, images, symbols, rhythm, and sound which are deemed to be subjects worth
studying to the neglect of everything else.
The
New Criticism is reduced by its votaries to the status of a physical science at
the cost of its character as a discipline in humanities. Its other serious
drawbacks are its dissociation with contemporary time, tradition, society,
purpose, vision of the author; divorce from comparison and evaluation; neglect
of ancillary disciplines; disregard of intention and extension of leanings of
words in addition to their denotative and connotative senses; contempt for
resident or anchored or unanchored values and sacrifice of evocative beauty
inherent in symbolism.
The
differences between New Criticism and the
–K. S. RAO
Doctors’ War:
By P. S. Chari. Soundarya
Publications, K. C. Works P. O., Guntur District, A.
P. Price: Rs. 3.
The
author is an eminent scholar in English, Telugu and Sanskrit. His book Doctors’
War is a poetic explosion of his experiences during the period of his
hospitalization for gastric ailment. His narration in numbers of the goings-on
in the hospital wards, of patients, the service of the nurses, the spare time
talks of the doctors, the tales retailed by the diseased during their leisure
hours and the feats of surgery done and achieved testify to his keen
observation and fervour to communicate. The tailend of the rhymed verse strays into philosophy and
conveys a message that life is a sacrifice and is to be lived, not for
self-aggrandizement but for spreading sweetness and light through service to
down-and-outs in this unequal world.
–K.
S. RAO
An Adult in
This
book is an English translation of a Malayalam work authored by T. V. Madhavan Nair, a noted scholar hailing from Kerala. A sort
of travelogue, it registers, like a seismograph, his impressions of people and
places he visited in the States during his itinerary. “The Rap on Race” and the
epilogue to the book air the view, out and out pessimistic, that
The
hated colour bar, the unconventional attitudes of Hippies, Yippies
who are anti-everything: Establishment, Tradition, War and what not, who dress
and go the way they like, who grow long locks and wear rings, who do not recognize
a Past, a Future and who are blind addicts of “grass”, diminish its moral
stature and present a tarnished image to the eyes of a visitor in spite of its
political weight in the comity of nations. The theatres in
There
will be no surprise if American women are downgraded and treated as chattels
and sexpots in such a dissolute and indecent
atmosphere. Eminent writers like Tennessee William, D. H. Lawrence and Mailer
are quoted as saying: American women are slaves, instruments in bed and devices
for satisfaction of sexual urges (D. H. L). The prime responsibility of woman
is to be on earth long enough to find the best bed-mate possible for herself and conceive children who will improve species
(Mailer). American woman must be kept where she belongs–on
her back (T. W.)
And, to boot, gay movements are lent vigorous support by pen-pushers of high standing in literary circles: James Baldwin Ginsberg, Capote and Edward Albee who are on the same wave as fremale Lesbians. These reprehensible proclivities among the educated overshadow casus belle like The Womens Lib in defence of which the distaff side marshalled its forces to battle for emancipation from male chauvinism under the banner of Kate Millett who exploded her A-Bomb of Sexual Politics!
Changes
are born of dissidence. There is creation in revolt and not in conformity. The
most touching factor in the book is the feeling of uneasiness felt by the
author on his homeward fight from a Frankenstein of America where dollars are
the dreams as well as the alpha and omega of life.
–K. S. RAO
Indian-poetry Today –
Volume II (Kannada, Marathi, and Hindi): Edited by S. K.
Desai, Prabhakar Machwe and
Kailash Vajpeyi respectively.
Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Azad
Bhavan,
Some
of the more significant Kannada, Marathi and Hindi poets have been brought
together through English translations in this impressive volume. The richest
and most daring poetry comes from Karnataka. In his excellent introduction, S.
K. Desai introduces us to the different trends in post-194-7 poetry. Pejawar Sadashiv Rao’s “passionate absorption in the present”; V. G. Bhat satirising the erstwhile
romantics and their concepts of God and Alman; V. K. Gokak’s new idiom; Gopalakrishna Adiga’s “complexity of experience”; and ever so many new
poets including Chennaveer Kanavi
and Shankar Mokashi-Punekar.
There is, for instance, P. Lankesh’s “Mother”, a
moving symbolisation of the eternal mother of sorrows
in Indian countryside.
“She died, she did:
What
is the age of a hag bent double?
How
many New Year moons, how many festivals of sweet bread
Over the live coal? How many times
she wept,
this old woman, for coin, for dead calf and
ruined grain?
roamed villages, how many
times,
for an ancient runaway buffalo?”
The
Marathi section opens with A. R. Deshpande, the
veteran poet. As we make our way through selections from poets like B. B. Borkar and Keshav Meshram, suddenly we are confronted by Shanta J. Shelke’s triumphant “Realization.”
“When
the rugged black stone
realized
the beautiful icon in its heart
when it knew
that it was the icon.
It
began to shed particles
day and night.
And
when the bamboo
realized
I
am the pipe
holes burst from the body
suddenly
and dreams echoed in the form
of six notes.
It
lost its rootedness
from that moment.
The
section on Hindi poetry has a detailed introduction by Kailash
Vajpeyi. What he says of modern Hindi poetry is true
of Indian poetry in general.
“The
Hindi poet today, is more than ever aware of the irony that “poetry makes
nothing happen”, yet he is continuing to voice the problems of the masses in an
almost naked language. Sulky resentment, abhorrence for everything which is phoney and fake, self-analysis, cogitation and sharp
criticism of the dichotomies of Indian social life, are the main
characteristics of today’s Hindi poetry. But this does not mean that the
progressive disintegration of civilization is not his concern.”
Kailash Vajpeyi
himself is a searing poet. The total impression one gains from reading these 74
poets is a sense of being vitally alive. Most of them question, show their
anger, spew out their disgust. Very few have a sense
of philosophic acceptance. This refusal to take what is considered by some as
the line of least resistance marks contemporary Indian poetry as impatient and
angry. However, in this anger may be noted the deep-rooted conviction of the
poets.
–DR
PREMA NANDAKUMAR
Play, Stories and
Sketches: By Deben Laha. Firma K. L. Mukhopadhayay,
This
book is a pot-pourri of drama, sketches and stories
and these in a way recapitulate life in a humdrum world. The sexual animal in
man is shown in Rexona, Vision of jealousy and Dark
Desire. The Irrational Beast illustrates how racial groups lose their balance
and descend to bestial depths when exploited by ethnic differences and coupled
with power syndrome. The Astral man with his little secrets of a living stands
as a sample of a Samaritan type dispensing his ministrations to the needy and
the lost. The Naked in the Mirror is an admonition against an artificial life
as well as an advice that one has to accept others for what they are. W. T. is
the story of two naughty kids who travel without paying fare and when
confronted with the danger of detection, jump and vamoose showing “thump”. The
Revenge is a farce out and out. The pieces composed lack unity and are at best
elegant trifles.
–RAO
Saints of
The
character of a nation as of an individual is best studied in its chosen way of
life and this is amply proved in the Case of Bharat
whose other-worldly outlook finds its noblest and highest expression in its
sacred scriptures and in the dedicated lives of its saints who renounced the
ephemeral pleasures of a musty and sordid life to Sempiternal
sat-chit-ananda. Of the hagiarchy
presented in the book Ramakrishna Paramahamsa rises,
head and shoulders, above all by his immaculate attitude towards his revered
wife Sarada to whom he did “shodasa
puja” as to a Divinity untouched by lust or sexual
insanity and with no historical parallel to date. Of course the founders of the
three Philosophical systems: Dvaita, Visishtadvaita and Advaita – Madhya,
Ramanuja and Sankara – stand out and stand apart. Andal’s lieder-kranj “Tiruppavai”, Alwars, hymnal
outpourings treasured in “Divyaprabandham” and Appar’s devotional songs that constitute part of Saivite
canonical literature “Tirumurai” inspire a sleeping
humanity and awaken it to what is permanent beyond a perishable mundus. Religiosity is an attitude. Religion is not a
corpus of rituals. It is a deep feeling of identity and rapport with all
creation. Vedantic Self is
the energy of science and knowledge is faith. But what transpires beyond death
is still an arcanum still to be probed though
axiology (Karma theory) is pressed in to fill the void. And to the commonalty
two things are obvious: birth and death – terminus
a quo and terminus ad quem.
However a study of the lives of the great souls goes a long way to help and
mould and shape coming generations and provide them a rudder and a direction in
their voyage by choppy seas of Samsara. Anna should
be congratulated for bringing an ampler ether and a
diviner air through the lives of the saints into our stifled and suffocated
lives.
–RAO
Science, Society and
Metaphysics: By Pravas Jivan Chaudury Minerva Associates
(Publications) Ltd.,
The book successfully puts across a theory that science
too has ethical, religious and metaphysical aspects implicit in it and by means
of its methodological tools it can trace its way back to the origins of the
Universe–a process, to wit, of regression from the objective “without” to a
subjective “within”. All knowledge as identified starts with close observation
and hypothesis. Either it is a materialistic or spiritualistic. The function of
science as a cognitive enterprise is to analyse
nature spread around and organize the collected sense data into corresponding
laws and convenient mathematical symbols. Its passion for order, method,
respect for facts and mental alertness constitute a code of morality
of
sorts for its votaries and commonalty also and the needs of society are the raison
d’etre of its genesis. Substance, causality,
space, time, quantity, quality and reciprocity are the categories science
presses into service in its investigations into the phenomenal world. The
concept that the cosmos is governed by set laws and order divests science of a
God and a soul.
This
brand of naturalistic religion that is dished out for consumption falls
woefully short of expectations that humanity cherishes of it. But this
shortcoming is put right by the latest developments with a transcendental
outlook in the field of physics shifting mind to the centre, consigning matter
to unwanted limbo. Man becomes self-determined. His study of nature turns into
a study of himself. Mind and matter though apparently dualistic fill the bill
of monism. Materialism vanishes and phenomenalism
steps into its shoes. Science and philosophy come closer with their differences
narrowing to a negligible point. The so-called advances of
science pale into insignificance before the insights of the ancient seers of
Scientific
transcendentalism with its wooden and mechanical under-cum overtones, like dry
epistemology, not substitute spiritualism radiating exhilarating calm and
impenetrable peace void of the heat and agitation of sinful passions.
–RAO
Culture and Society: By
Balakrishna N. Nair. Bharat Printers, K 16 Navin Shahdara, Delhi-32 Price: Rs 58.
This
book is a festschrift published in honour of an
eminent anthropologist, Dr A. Aiyappan Pillai, and the papers incorporated cover a wide spectrum
of topics, mostly allied to Social Anthropology. The function of the Social
Sciences is to undertake comparative and insightful studies of societies and
estimate the directions along which they are moving. To reinforce these studies
cross-cultural field work and scholarly interchanges are the needed supplementals. In “Perspectives on American Anthropology”
Cora Du Bois is of the view that techno-scientific
involution is an impediment to have proper conceptualization of social profiles
to emerge in future. Scientific and technological developments generate a mechano-morphic concept of the world and life on earth (Cf War by Aldous Huxley) and
science is questioned as a core-cultural value.
It is culture alone (the most semantically mangled term) as the highest expression of man that can rescue humanity from slipping into a mindless dinosaurin condition. Mechanization may be accorded a place in the scheme of life. But its apotheosization is the bane. Living labour (man) is not to be subordinated to materialized labour (machine). As Ruth Benedict puts it, “a new ontology analogises man into a machine, human beings into bands and labour into production per man-hours.” This kind of environment constricts the outlook of anthropology. But the futuristic morphology of societies has been envisaged, way back in time, by highly evolved religious savants whose formulae, tolerance and co-existence, the social scientists may emulate in borrowing as materials for structuring their utopian visions. Compatibility of thought and deed, death of schizo-phrenic tendencies in human kind are the pre-requisites for saner societies to surface, to guide the destinies of the world.
–RAO
The
Tempest in the Cup: By R Sundaresan. 16,
This
book of 36 pages, containing about the same number of poems, is disarmingly
called “The Tempest in the Cup” by its author. The themes include expression of
sympathy for the downtrodden, the challenge of squalor and disease, the
infantile megalomania of a poet, facile outbursts against God, a bovine mimicry
of the Bhagavat Gita, the lengthening
illusions of life, etc. There is a vigorous expression of certain human
predicaments, bordering on commonsense. The author, in tune with the trends of
the time, employs mechanical devices of dots and placement of words or lines in
the page to give distinction to his style.
–B
Quiz Master’s Voice: Edited
by K. Vasudeva Rao and C. V. N. Dhan.
Cultural Forum,
As
the Editors have rightly put it–“We suffer from innocence in childhood, from
arrogance in adulthood and impatience in old age...These three obstacles always
hinder the process of acquisition of knowledge.” Our youth should read a number
of books, and acquaint themselves with the various branches of knowledge.
Unfortunately there are not many books in our country within reach of the common
man.
Here
is a handy book containing 1000 quiz questions along with their answers. The
questions cover a wide range of topics to cater to the needs of the average
reader in general and the quiz enthusiasts in particular. Young men appearing
for various competitive examinations and the general readers looking for a
variety in reading material find the book highly rewarding and very interesting
This may be the first of the series of such good books published by the Forum.
We look forward for similar ones from them in the near future.
– B. N. RAO
Jejuri:
By Arun Kolalkar.
Bombay Clearing house, Bombay-1, Price: Rs. 12.50.
Of
the few entries received in 1977, Jejuri appears
to have won the Commonwealth Poetry Prize for that year.
It does not mean that there are no better poets in
Outstanding
features of the book are: the new imagery, the skill of a graphic art and
contemporary techniques of versification. It is a book of prose verse
describing a visit to a place of pilgrimage, Jejuri,
The experience of the poet during the visit is punctuated into various titles
like: “The Bus”, “The Priest”, “Heart of Ruin”, “The Door-step”, “A Low
Temple”, etc. There are no doubt flashes of humour.
But the experience and response of the poet is spiritually dry and mechanical There is atheistic attitude revealed in a couple of poems,
especially in “Makarand” (p. 39). This morbid tone
somehow appears to pervade all the poems in the book.
The poems “An Old Woman” (p. 21), “The Cupboard” (p. 44), “Chaitanya” (p. 49) and especially “Between Jejuri and the Railway Station” (pp. 50-51). appear impressive by contrast. And owing to the lack of idealism and spiritual depth, the poems can hardly withstand the test of time.
–DR K. V. S.
MURTI
Sapekshata
Vada: By Dr V. M. Korwar.
A
succinct account of the Theory of Relativity in as
simple a language as possible for a difficult subject as this. The writer gives
a background of theory, its birth, its argument, its subsequent developments at
the hands of different scientists and the consequences of this discovery. The
presentation is illustrated and the last chapter highlights the changes that
have come about in our perspective of the gigantic universe around, the
galaxies and their speed, the light-years and above all the general acceptance
of the truth that the whole creation is a developing proposition and nothing
can be final.
This
book is brought out in the series of text-books that the
–M. P. PANDIT
Ratnatrayi:
Parts 1 and 2. Editor: Sricharanarenu.
Goda Grandhamala, Musunuru, Krishna
District. Price: Rs. 8 and Rs.
12.
Sri
K. T. L. Narasimhacharya (pen-name Sricharanarenu) the founder of the Goda Grandhamala is doing signal
and selfless service to the devotees in general and Vaishnava
community in particular by publishing books such as these under review. The
first part, true to its name, is a collection of three gems of devotional
lyrics in Tamil, “Tiruppallandu”, by the well-known devotee
Vishnuchitta, which is believed to explain the hidden
meanings of the Dravida Veda, “Tiruppalliyelucchi”
sung by Vipranarayana to rouse Sriranganatha
from his sleep, and “Tiruppavu” containing thirty
songs of Godadevi whose devotional life forms the
theme of the celebrated Telugu poem Amuktamalyada
of Srikrishnadevaraya. As the
editor has aptly observed, while the first two works form the first and second
entrances to the golden temple and edifice of Tamila
Veda, the “Tirruppavai”, a soul stirring lyric forms
the sanctum sanctorum of that temple. These three Tamil classics
are now made easily understandable and appreciable by publishing them here with
the original text in Tamil in Telugu script followed by a Tika
giving word for word meaning and an elucidative commentary in an appealing
Telugu, both written by the editor. The commentary wherein some relevant
Sanskrit and Telugu verses are also quoted is neither too prolific nor too
brief, and like commentaries of Mallinatha is highly
helpful for a proper understanding of the original.
The
second part contains “Tiruppavai” alone with the text
followed by word to word meaning and an exhaustive commentary in Sanskrit, the
latter by S. T. N C. S. C. Tiruvenkatacharya, a
Sanskrit scholar of renown and a poet, and the former by his son, S. N. C. Krishnamacharya. The commentary is not only lucid but also
elucidative. Besides giving different possible interpretations, it explains the
suggested meanings also and instills a spirit of devotion into the reader who
incidentally can acquire a nodding acquaintance of the Tamil language and also
taste the beauties thereof. Godastotra is also added
at the end. These books deserve to be possessed by all devotees.
–SASTRY
Ramayana Sudhalahari: Yuvabharati
Publications, 5, King’s Way, Secunderabad-3. Price: Rs.
8.
Yuvabharati deserves encomiums
for publishing this book, a collection of lectures in Telugu on Ramayanas in Sanskrit, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi and
Telugu languages by eminent
scholars. The greatness and importance of Ramayana are pointed
out in the preface. Unique features of Rama’s story,
poetic beauties, natural and moving descriptions, character portrayal, Rasas, Dhvanis and figures of speech found in Valmiki’s
Ramayana are all presented to us with relevant quotations from the text in the
first talk. The talk on late Viswanatha’s Ramayana
Kalpavriksha is both scholarly and critical. The
speaker refutes all the charges levelled against Dr
Viswanatha. He asserts that Viswanatha is as much a progressive writer as Sri Sri and they both have relevance to our modern society, if
it should have an all-round progress. That the Ramayana Kalpavriksha
is replete with suggestions the soul of poetry, and that the innovations
therein are significant in many respects are brought home to us by suitable
citations from the text. For a proper understanding of Dr Viswanatha, one must
read this talk. Beauties of Tulasi Ramayana
and Saketa Kavya are
spotlighted in the talk on Hindi Ramayanas.
Popularity, greatness and unique features of Ramayanas
written by Kamban and Eluttachan
in Tamil and Malayalam respectively are described in a talk on Ramayanas in Tamil and Malayalam. In other talks spiritual
interpretation of Rama’s story as found in the Adhyatma Ramayana, a brief account of more
than thirty Telugu Ramayanas, and salient features of
some important folk songs dealing with Ramayana are well brought out. Though
some Ramayanas in Sanskrit and Telugu are still left
untouched, these talks provide a rich fare to a reader and pave way for our
national and emotional integration, a peed of the day.
–SANDILYA
Jigeesha:
By Vedantam Subrahmanyam, 514, Shivalaya,
The
Telugu novel bas celebrated its centenary recently and the Telugu novelists
have earned a high place in world literature. For over a decade past the field
has somehow been dominated by women novelists, though the quality of writing is
not of high order. As such it is refreshing to find that Sri Subrahmanyam, an
established writer, has brought out a good novel.
The
author who is a business executive had the opportunity of living in
The story is woven
around the life of an Andhra, Surynarayana by name
(he later called himself as “Naren” for the
convenience of the Benaalis) who migrated to
The
author portrays in the novel the lives and habits of Bengali stage artistes
with consummate skill. The story is absorbing and the style racy and readable.
–BHAVARAJU
Sri Vimalananda
Bharati Swami: By Karumanchi Kondala Rao, Vijayawada-3. Price: Rs.
3.
There
are very few Sannyasins that can vie with H. H. Vimalananda Bharati Swami, the first Pontiff of the Siddheswari Peetham and a great
spiritual luminary. He was a born teacher, thinker and an invincible
dialectician. He translated his precepts into practice and lived the life he
taught. With firm faith in the Vedic Dharma and correct reasoning as his forte,
he could disarm his critics in no time. He was a faithful interpreter of Sankara’s works and his discourses were a source of
enlightenment to his disciples. This book under review, written by a close
disciple of the Swamiji, is not only a short
biography but also a short treatise on Vedic Dharma. Swamiji’s
dialogues and conversations throw a flood of light on many knotty problems
concerning the validity of the Vedas and the place of reasoning, significance
of caste system, Advaita, Moksha, Bible, Hindu
marriage system and our epics. Every page reflects Swamiji’s
ready wit and sourcefulness and critical appreciation
of our classics. One should read this book to have a correct estimate of
Hinduism and Vedic religion.
–B. K. SASTRY
1. Taratarala
Tamila Kavita. 2.
Sahitya Charitra: By Dr. C. Radhakrishna
Sarma. Andhra Pradesh Sahitya Akademi. Kala Bhavan,
Appreciation
of literary Works in one regional language by people of another region brings
together the literates at least of the two regions closer to each other and
this fosters national integration to some extent. Writers who are learned at
least in two languages and who can interpret the literature therein with a
sympathetic and aesthetic approach are most essential if we are to achieve the
end through literature. Dr C. Radhakrishna Sarma, by his high achievements and
interpretations of Tamil literature to students of Telugu, has proved himself
eminently worthy in this field.
The
first book is a small compilation of Dr Sarma’s
translations into beautiful Telugu of Tamil poetry with its various branches
like didactic, philosophic, epic, devotional, national and modern including
folk songs also. An introduction about Tamil poetry in general and poetry of Sangam age in particular gives a general idea of Tamil
poetry. Every metrical translation is preceded by a short note on its author.
All the poetic pieces are simply captivating.
The
second volume is a concise history of Tamil literature which is broadly divided
into seven ages. A short account of works on poetry, drama, novel, short story,
criticism and essays, biographies, modern science, etc., is given in these
pages. Illustrative pieces of poetry in Telugu translation bring out the
beauties of the original works. After reading these two books the reviewer felt
sorry for not acquainting himself with Tamil literature. All our admiration
goes to the author and publishers of these works.
–B. K. RAO
Sahityadhyayanam:
Yuvabharati,
5 King’s Way, Secunderabad-3, Price: Rs. 2.
This
is a collection of four speeches on novel, drama, newspapers and journals and
study of Kavitva in Telugu, by four eminent scholars.
The first one is the result of critical judgment and balanced thought. About
nine guidelines for budding critics and novel writers can be found here. Nature
of Drisya, Sravya Kavyas
and their relative merits, as pointed out in our ancient books
on dramaturgy, are presented in the second one. Some illustrative
verses from famous Telugu dramas are quoted here. The word Paranirvriti
means highest bliss or Rasaananda, but not bliss of
other worlds alone. A statement pointing impropriety in a Telugu drama “Harischandra” is questionable and deserves reconsideration.
Many more points can be dealt with in this speech. The third speech has some
wholesome suggestions to improve the image and standard of our journals, if
there is anyone to pay heed to them. The last discourse is very educative,
critical and analytical and provides a profitable reading.
–B. K. SASTRY
Kiranaalu
–Kerataalu: By Tirumala
Srinivasacharya. Yuvabharati, 5, King’s Way,
Secunderabad - 3. Price: Rs. 3.
Maxims
are the portable and condensed wisdom of long experience and deep observation.
The book under review contains 362 maxims dealing with many aspects of our life
and society. They are couched in pithy sentences characterised
by symphony of sounds and alliterations. All the sayings are in verse form in Maatra metre. Some contain
eternal truths and warnings alao and hence have a
highly educative value. There is sense, brevity, vigour
and sarcasm also here and there. The author has eminently succeeded in his
spontaneous writings that are these. Dr. G. V. Subrahmanyam’s
introduction is short and sweet.
–SASTRY