Reviews

Kulaarnava Tantra by Sir John Wood Roffe and Sri M. P. Pundit. Pages 357. Price Rs. 25-00. Publishers: Ganesh and Co. (Madras) Private Ltd., Madras-l 7.

Kulaarnava Tantra is a classic in Tantra Literature in Sanskrit. As its very name suggests, it expounds the theory and practice of the Kaula school of the Saakta cult. “Kula means Sakli and Akula means Siva. A harmonious relation of Siva and Sakli is Kaula” (p. 17). “The world is constituted of Siva and Sakti, consciousness and power” and Kaula Maarga which leads to the equipollence of the two, which is identical with the Supreme Truth, must naturally be the best of the paths leading to self-realisation. Kaula maarga and Veda maarga in essence are one, though they appear to differ superficially, (2-85). Advaita doctrine in its form Aham Brahmaasmi is accepted by Kaulas also (9.32). But the method of approach appears to be different. While the Upanishads stress on renunciation of worldly objects for self-realisation, Kaulas prescribe worldly objects as means for the realisation. They assert that “success can be attained by those very things that brought down our fall by an intelligent use of them (5.50). This path, just like advaita, Kaulikas admit, is not for the ordinary man. On the other hand, he is cautioned against dallying with it. It is more difficult, they say, than walking on the edge of a sharp sword (2-122). But such a path has been abused and decided by those who did not understand the spirit of the Kaula path which prescribes liquor, meat and fish etc., for use in the rituals. But the real significance of these words is explained in this Tantra as follows: “Nectar-drinking is the Union of Kundalini Sakti with the Moon–chit. The true meat eater is he who has merged his chitta in the Supreme. He who controls his senses and unites them with Atma is a fish eater. True sexual union is the union of Paraasakti, that is Kundalini with Atman” (V-Ill, 112). This explanation, it is hoped, will disillusion and disarm the ignorant critics. The Kaulas assert, under the conditions prescribed, the Saadhanas in this Tantra form practical application of the principles of  Adwaita Vedaanta which the Aagamas of this School teach. (P. 11). This Kulaarnava Tantra comprises of 17 Chapters. The greatness of Kula Dharma, the relationship of the teacher and the taught, Praasaada mantra, mantras and their nature and use, Mahaasodha Nyaasa, preparations of Kaula substances, methods of worship, practice of yoga, purascharana, and rites done for the attainment of various objects of desire, are the important subjects dealt with in these chapters–Sir John Wood Roffe’s introduction of 12 pages gives, in a nutshell, the substance of the 17 chapters. The text proper is printed in Devanagari script with variant readings from some manuscripts.

Sri M. P. Pandit has translated the work into English in eleven chapters, omitting all technical details. Wherever necessary, he has elucidated the text with his valuable annotations, based on other Tantras, Upanishads, and the works of Arabindo, and thereby enriched the translation. The book is bound to be of immense use not only for a Saakta, but for all students of Taantrik literature also, and deserves to be preserved as a precious treasure in every library.

Sri Lalita Sahasranaamam Yoga Annotation by T.V. Ramanaiah. Pages 400. Price Rs. 10. Can be had from: Ganesh & Co. (Madras) Private Ltd., Madras-17.

Sri Lalitaa Sahasranaama Stotram which is most popular among the devotees of Sri Devi is unrivalled for its beauty of composition, and its spiritual appeal. There are already three commentaries in English on this stotram, but they do not devote themselves to a detailed exposition of the significance of the namams from the yoga point of view, though there are about 150 namams which have a direct bearing upon the Yoga system. The author of this annotation attempts to fill up this lacuna and our hearty commendations go to him.

In the preface of 27 pages, among other things, the annotator plains very briefly the message of the Stotra and the meaning the fifteen lettered mantra. Then he suggests regrouping of the namams in this stotra. Hewants to split the naama 878 into two as (1) Tripuraa-Sri and (2) Vasamkarte. According to him the Naama, Vasamkaree, stands for the Mudraa Devi of the fourth Aavarana, Tripuraa-Sri according to all commentators is the presiding Goddess of the fifth Aavarana. The annotator says (1) “a combination  of these two does not appeal to common sense.” (2) “In no other place the names of Chakreeswaree and Mudraa Devi, whether of the same Aavarana or of different Aavaranas, have been combined.” Hence he suggests the splitting of the naama. But the word Vasamkaree need not necessarily mean the Mudraa Devi. Sri Bhaskararya, the famous commentator interpreted it to mean “controller”. Now the Naama means “controller of Tripuraa-Sri”, and the inconsistency pointed out disappears–The annotator’s suggestion regarding the naamams 667, 668 and 907 also requires rethinking.

The annotation, on the text proper, from the Yoga point of view, is the main contribution of the author. One clear example of this annotation can be seen in the case of the naama “Chturbaahu Samanvitaa.” This normally means “with four hands “. According to this Yoga annotation, this naama suggests the four petals of the lotus at the Muladharachakra. The Six coloured figures showing the locations of the six chakras, and the Gurumandala etc., form a unique feature of this book and these are of immense use for a proper understanding of the text and the annotation thereon.

On a careful reading of this book any inquisitive reader may like to know (1) whether some words like Vissukra and Vissanga denoting the names of demons, have any symbolic meaning from the yoga point of view {2) how the author has arrived at the meanings of some words here as given by him–e.g., (1) “Siva Para” (410) Siva =Veda; Para = Before. “Sri Devi has existed before Vedas.” (2) “Vyabriti (421) = Established” –“Sri Devi has established herself as Gayatri in all the worlds”….Quotations from yoga texts in support of his statements here and there, as for example, “By concentrating on the neck all the worldly wants can be controlled” (32) will highly add to the authoritativeness of this annotation. Correct transliteration of Sanskrit words in the Roman script will enable the readers that are ignorant of the Devanagari script to read and understand the Sanskrit words more correctly.
–B. KUTUMBA RAO

Indulekha (A novel from Malabar) by O. Chandu Menon. Translated into English by W. Dumergue. Published by The Mathrubhumi Printing and Publishing Co. Ltd., Calicut-1. Pages 375. Price: Rs. 5.

In talking about modern literature in the Indian languages it is becoming more and more common for the critics, as well as the authors, to flaunt the Indian tradition and the native inspiration in the face of all comers, as if the two magic terms wouldexplain everything. Their importance can, of course, be hardly over-looked. But it would be just as well to make no secret of the debt owed, in many cases, to the great models of world literature that might have, in some measure at least, influenced the Indian writers. Some of the pioneers in Indian fiction like Bankim in Bengali, Veeresalingam in Telugu and Madhavaiah in Tamil never tried to persuade their readers to go away with the impression that they looked , if at all, only to home-made products of the familiar type illustratedby Katka Sarit Sagara, Simhasana Dwatrimsika and the rest.

Veeresalingam, whose Rajasekhara Charitram was rightly claimed as the first Telugu novel in the modern sense, did not expect his readers to assume that he had not read an English novel. On the other hand, he expressly mentioned Goldsmith’s The Vicar of Wakefield, on which he generally modelled his work, though he had no need to adapt it all too mechanically. Almost in the same way, O. Chandu Menon, the author of the first Malayalam novel, Indulekha, was frank enough not to withhold his admiration from the novels of Disraeli and the other contemporary classics of English fiction. This novel was first published in 1890, and had seen over fifty editions to date. In the preface, he wrote: “I began to read English novels extensively after I left Calicut in the end of 1886, and I then devoted all the leisure which my official duties left me, to novel-reading.” He was a member of the Judicial Service, it may be remembered. In a letter to the translator (a member of the Civil Service), he explained how he came to write this book: “First, my wife’s oft-expressed desire to read in her own language a novel written after the English fashion, and secondly, a desire on my own part to try whether I should be able to create a taste amongst my Malayalee readers, not conversant with English, for that class of literature, represented in the English language by novels, of which at present they have no idea...to illustrate to my Malayalee brethren the position, power and influence that our Nair women, who are noted for their natural intelligence and beauty, would attain in society, if they are given a good English education; and finally–to contribute my mite towards the improvement of Malayalam literature, which I regret to observe, is fast dying out by disuse as well as by abuse.”

That would, perhaps, be enough to convince the reader today of this book (which has appeared recently in a new edition revised by Mr. T. C. Sankara Menon) that its author was not labouring either under false humility or the favoured but crippling, sentiment of linguistic chauvinism. Nor had he any need to, as even the non-Malayalam speaking reader (for whom the English translation is primarily intended) is likely to find this story of absorbing interest, after more than three quarters of a century of its first publication. For this, perhaps, credit is due as much to the sensitiveness and virtuosity of the translator as to the originality and imagination of the novelist.

The story is simple enough in its basic essentials. The main strand is the love of Indulekha, the beautiful and intelligent heroine, and Madhavan, the brilliant and virtuous hero, both members of the same Tharwad (typical Malayalee family, with all the nephews and nieces, besides the sons and daughters) and their marriage in the end against the wishes of the powerful old Karnawan (head of the entire household, a kind of Pater familias, whose word is supposed to be law in all family matters). Across and around this strand are woven quite a few others, also typical of old Malabar. There was an attempt by the obstinate Karnawan to pack Indulekha (iron will under the velvet glove) off in a customary liaison (sambandham) with a wealthy, stupid, middle-aged clown, by name Suri Nambudripad, who makes a fool of himself in his attempt to play the bridegroom. Then a Romeo-Juliet sort of tragedy is narrowly averted when the hero is away and mis-informed that his lady-love had already been married away. From Madras, where he is employed under the government, he takes a trip, in a desperate bid to drown his sorrow, to Bombay, Calcutta and other cities up north, in the course of which other experiences, exciting and disillusioning, fall to his lot. Finally, after a lot or suffering on both sides, they get married, with the approval and blessings of the penitent Karnawan, and live happily ever after.

By modern standards, the novel might be considered longish, and a trifle too elaborate in its description and dialogue, and leisurely in its pace. But then, we have to make some allowance for the Victorian tradition in writing. The didacticism is ill-concealed. One of the chapters towards the end is devoted to a threadbare discussion of the policy of the Indian National Congress, interesting initself, though not central to the development of the story. Other faults too it might have. But the fact that it has survived translation, and is able to sustain reader’s interest at this distance of time, is proof enough of its vitality and workmanship.
–D. ANJANEYULU

TAMIL

Shilappadikaram (The Ankle-Bracelet) by Prince Ilango Adigal. Translated by Alain Danielou. Published by New Directions Publishing Corporation, New York.

Shilappadikaram, one of the earliest poetical works in Tamil, is a novel in verse. Scholars are agreed in assigning the date of its composition, as well as the events of the story in it, to the second century of the Christian era, towards the close of the Third Sangam, the last of the celebrated literary academies supposed to have flourished at Madurai.

The text of this ancient poem was established by the eminent South Indian Scholar Swaminatha Aiyar, and Ramachandra Dikshitar translated it and edited it for publication by the Oxford University Press, in l939. It has been thus available to the English-knowing readers, for a pretty long time, and valued highly for the astonishing amount of information it provides about the history and culture of South India, and the civilisation of the people of this part of the country in ancient times; their arts, customs, religion and philosophy. The story of the poem has been established in recent times in other regional languages too.

Alain Danielou, the author of the volume under review, confesses that “he was led to the study of this ancient Tamil classic, in the course of his work on ancient Indian literature, concerning musical theory, but the interest of the novel seemed to him so great that he undertook a complete translation of it.” He claims that his interpretation of the numerous technical terms on music, in the text, many of which earlier editors had considered obscure, is based on an independent analysis of his own, of the theoretical possibilities of the ancient musical system, and on parallel theories found in Sanskrit works on music, dating between the commencement of the Christian era and the tenth century, A. D. It is for scholars of musical theory to examine his interpretation and pronounce on the validity of his theory and hypothesis.

But he has blazed a trail, which might lead to further studies, not only in the history of musical theory, but in several other aspects of culture, like poetry, dance, social customs, religious traditions, civil administration, and military organisation, arts, crafts, trade and commerce, of the different parts of India, and of their mutual influences and bearings.

The novel is a veritable mine of information on various aspects of the life and culture of the people of South India in ancient times, and a closer acquaintance with its contents and a careful study of their characteristics, in comparison with their counterparts in Sanskrit and other regional literatures, may reveal mutual influences and co-operation, in a continuous process of evolution, towards a common goal of a synthetic culture, and contribute to strengthen the forces of national integration.

Even the study of the novel as a mere literary composition is likely to impress on the reader the fundamental and distinguishing features of Indian culture, common to all the different sections of the Indian people, in the different regions of the country, and persisting through the different periods of its ancient history. It is clearly stated in the preamble of the work, in so many words, that the poem illustrates three eternal precepts, which may be recognised even now as the distinguishing features of Indian culture.

1.                          Divine law (Dharma) takes the form of death when a king goes astray from the path of duty.
2.                          All must bow before a chaste and faithful wife.
3.                          The ways of fate are mysterious and (yet) all actions are rewarded.

The editor deserves the gratitude of all lovers of Indian culture and all interested in the promotion, of mutual understanding and national solidarity, among the Indian people.

TELUGU

Desabhakta Sweeya Charitra: Autobiography of late Sri Konda Venkatappayya Pantulu, published by the Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachara Sabha, Andhra, Hyderabad.

This autobiography of the Andhra leader was published in two volumes, the first, covering the events of his life up to l9l8, in l952, and the second, bringing it up to l932, in l955. It is now republished in a single volume, at the instance, and with the financial assistance, of the Centenary Celebrations Committee, in connection with the Centenary Celebrations of the leader recently organised by it.

Born in l866, in a middle-class family, and distinguished even as a youth, for his character as well as talents, Sri Konda Venkatappayya had a successful educational career, and qualified for the learned profession of Law. Very soon he made his mark in the profession and built up for himself a respectable position of leadership at the Bar in his district. But with a rare spirit of contentment, and zeal for public service, he gave up a lucrative practice, at a comparatively young age of 49, in l9l5, and resolved to devote all his time, energy and talents, to public service. By the time he came under the spell of the Mahatma, he had thus, already to his credit, a commendable record of public service in journalism, education and social reform. He was one of the founders of the Andhra Movement, a movement for the separation of the Andhra districts of the Composite Madras Presidency into a separate Province. But he was one of the earliest in his part of the country to respond the call of the National Congress, under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, for a supreme effort to wrest political independence for the country from the foreign rulers; he plunged unhesitatingly and whole heartedly into the struggle, and led the Andhras, with rare ability and leadership, to play a creditable part in the non-violent fight, facing lathi-charges and courting imprisonment, as wellas in the constructive effort to strengthen the nation through programmes of promotion of Khaddar and Village industries, propagation of Hindi as national language, and the removal of untouchability. He lived up to a ripe old age, till after the transfer of substantial power to the representatives of the people, when Congress ministries began to run the administration in 1937 and the attainment of independence in l947. But it is significant that he did not come to occupy any important place in the Government, or in the Legislature, in the new set-up. It is a commentary on his character as well as the quality of the new leadership. He had been the acknowledged leader of the Andhras, and their accredited representative in the Councils of the Mahatma, during the historic struggle, when leadership called for courage, selfless service, suffering and sacrifice. But as soon as leadership came to mean, after the attainment of independence, and even slightly earlier, the exercise of power and influence, he was relegated to the ground, by the more assertive and aggressive among his colleagues. He did not seem to mind it, though, but continued to serve the nation in his own way, to advise, encourage, caution or warn the new leaders, as and when necessary, without fear or favour. He was always ready to champion the cause of the oppressed, and expose the ways of the unjust and corrupt.

A perusal of the autobiography reveals that he was cut out by nature, not for political leadership, which perhaps requires a certain capacity for intrigue, and ambition for power, but for service to the people, which calls for courage, devotion, suffering and sacrifice. His character stands out as a model for the youth and the leaders of the succeeding generations.

His life is an illustration of the power of character and idealism. Gifted with no extraordinary talent of eloquence, or organising ability, he rose to the position of the acknowledged leader of Andhra, and trusted and beloved lieutenant of the Mahatma, and a universally respected elder statesman. He dominated public life in Andhra for nearly half a century. His autobiography therefore turns out to be a document of historical value, comparable to Nehru’s autobiography, as a record of public life in Andhra, in the social and cultural as well as political fields, during a critical period in the history of the Nation and of Andhra. The language is chaste, and elegant, and the style simple, and straight forward, and transparent, revealing the character in all its beauty and purity, honesty, sincerity and public spirit.

It is a book which should find a place in every library school, college or public. The jubilee Celebrations Committee has rendered a commendable piece of service to education as well as public life by the publication of this precious volume.
–M. SIVAKAMAYYA