Reviews

Poems on Sri Aurobindo and on the Mother (Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry. Pages 154; Price Rs. 5.)

A noble and inspiring theme, a sincere emotion towards it, adequate mastery over the medium of expression and the technique of poetic presentation,–all these conditions for the production of high-class poetry are happily fulfilled in the case of most of the poems in this volume. The mastermind, poet, patriot, philosopher and prophet, Sri Aurobindo, and the equal partner in his life work, the Mother, provide the theme. The personal contacts and individual experiences of devout worshippers and disciples furnish the motive and inspiration. Well-known poets, with recognised poetic achievement already to their credit, figure among the contributors, including the late Rabindranath, Dilip Kumar Roy and K. D. Sethna. Here is abundant fare of English poetry of assured quality. The volume should therefore prove very attractive even to the literary public in general, apart from the numerous devoted disciples and worshippers of the Master and the Mother, all over the country and outside, to whom it would naturally be a priceless treasure.

Sri Aurobindo was himself a great poet; but the considerable quantity of poetry of high quality which he has inspired, as revealed in this volume, is a rare distinction for a poet; but, no wonder, for Sri Aurobindo was no mere poet.

Towards a Welfare State (Pages 132, Price Rs. 2) is a recent publication of the Department of Information and Public Relations, Hyderabad, on the Five Year Plan and its implementation, with special reference to the Hyderabad State.

In a short but significant Foreword, the Chief Minister of the State, Sri B. Ramakrishna Rao, discloses the aim of the publication to present the Five Year Plans and the many activities, big and small, inspired by them, as a mighty movement of the nation towards the ideal of a Welfare State. In a wisely conceived initial chapter entitled ‘The Genesis’, the National Plan is introduced as a natural corollary of the goal of a Welfare State envisaged in the Constitution of Free India, and as the necessary prior step in any effort to progress towards the ideal, in view of the actual conditions obtaining. Then we are given in the next two chapters, respectively, a brief but analytical account of the National Plan and the State Plan as a constituent part of it. The details of each aspect of the Plan are then discussed separately in the chapters that follow, recounting the progress achieved so far, the targets to be reached, and the hopes for the distant future: Food, Irrigation, Agriculture, Clothing, Housing, Education, Power Projects, Roads, Industries etc., are thus dealt with in detail, bringing out the inter-relatedness of progress in different directions and the need for priorities and planned progress.

The publication is obviously calculated not only to afford publicity to the progress achieved by the Government, but also to secure the intelligent interest of the  enlightened, and the enthusiastic co-operation of the masses, all over the State for the further steps in the implementation of the Plan as part of a national movement for reconstruction. The need for such publications in every State, and preferably in the regional languages of the State is clearly unquestionable.

M. S. K.

1. Kamakala Vilasa–by Punyanandanatha, with the commentary of Natananandanatha–(Translated with commentary by Arthur Avalon. Pages 220. Price Rs. 6.)

2. Wave of Bliss (Ananda Lahari) with the Commentary ‘Saubhagya Vardhani’ by Kaivalyasaram, translated into English with commentary by Arthur Avalon. (Both published by Ganesh & Company, Madras. Pages 114. Price Rs. 3.)

“The angels singing unto one another
Can find among their burning terms of love
None so devotional as that of Mother”. -Poe

‘Mother’ is a word to conjure with. Even a moment’s contemplation of the word is enough to stir anyone to tears of joy, love and adoration. Motherhood rather than the Fatherhood of God is easier to meditate upon. The sacred lore, wherein the sages of old that recognised the above truth treasured their rich experiences, is the system known as Sri Vidya–a name that carries with it a wealth of significance. To those that are initiated into this, the two books under review, which are too well-known to need a fresh introduction, are worth their weight in gold.

‘Kamakala Vilasa’, in short, is the “evolution of the One in its twin aspect as changeless consciousness and changing power, Chit-Sakti and Maya-Sakti into the multiple universe’. This process of evolution is explained in the earlier pages of this book. Srichakra or Sriyantra which represents this process of evolution and which is daily worshipped by the sadhakas, is described at length in all its aspects, and an initiated person need only understand and meditate upon it on the lines suggested therein. The Samskirt commentary, though it conceals many things that are directly to be learnt from a Guru, is, as far as it goes, very exhaustive, and gives quotations copiously from allied Tantras and Upanishads. The English commentary on the Translation also is as it should be, and will be of much help to the English-knowing. Sri Natha Navaratnamalika, added at the end of this book, but of which no translation is given, is of immense value to the sadhakas though unintelligble to the uninitiated. There is a separate plate giving the figure of Srichakra in colours, from the point of Bindu to the outermost section Bhupura.

‘Ananda Lahari’, or the ‘Wave of Bliss’, the celebrated stotra in praise of the Mother, composed by Sri Sankara, contains 41 Samskrit verses, each one of which is a perennial spring of devotional love. The greatness of this stotra can easily be inferred from the fact that it has not less than 35 Samskrit commentaries on it written by renowned scholars of different parts of India. Each verse is treated as an individual Mantra having its own Yantra, the repetition of which is believed to bestow unimaginable bliss and happiness on any believing sadhaka. There are not only ‘uddharas’ of Mantras and Sri Yantra in these verses, but various
methods of meditation are also described in detail. ‘Saubhagyavardhani’, the Samskrit commentary, far excels even the popular commentary of Lolla Laxmidhara, in that it gives many Tantrik details not found in the latter, thereby making the present edition a veritable mine of information on Tantrik methods of meditation. Even the uninitiated can enjoy the study and recital of these verses which, even as poetry, are unrivalled in their beauty and appeal. The English translation and the commentary are worthy of the value and celebrity of the work. All our commendations go to the Editor, Arthur Avalon, and the Publishers, Ganesh & Co., for theirindefatigable zeal in publishing such books.

B. KUTUMBA RAO

TELUGU

Saraswatha Navanitham by Sri Devulapalli Ramanuja Rao. (Published by Andhra Saraswatha Parishat, Hyderabad. Pages 269, Price Rs. 3)

A claim is advanced, in the Introduction, for the author of this volume of essays in Telugu literary criticism as a pioneer in the field of essay writing in Telugu. It may be. But there is no doubt the essays in literary criticism, of the kind available in this volume, are all too few in Telugu literature, as a whole, of Telangana or coastal Andhra.

The essays cover a wide variety of subjects including the nature and function of literature and art, special types and forms of literary composition, and literary movements like folk poetry, folk songs, nature poetry, lyric poetry, and literary appreciation of individual writers and particular compositions, and critical questions like the influence of society on literature, of the national movement on literature, etc.

The views expressed in these essays are characterised by sincerity, sanity and a becoming modesty, and the language and style by simplicity and forthrightness; but perhaps the essays are too short, and the intellectual fare they provide is too meagre. Much progress in this direction is necessary for the diffusion of literary knowledge and the development of literary taste in the people. The author deserves the gratitude of all students of Telugu literature for his pioneer effort.

M. S. K.

Yoga-Viyogamulu: (Originally written by Tagore in Bengali and translated into Telugu by Sri K. Vaikunta Rao, and published by Messrs. V. Ramaswami Sastrulu & Sons, Madras. Price Rs. 3-8-0.)

This is a novel whose theme centres round the usual problem of marriage and married life. Now marriage is a sort of declaration of ‘a cold war with a view to maintain peace’, and in this war are involved all the factors associated with war between countries–historic, economic, physical and psychological. Some people are afraid of combat and they never enter the arena at all, A few others brave it but soon run away from it as not worth the trouble, while a large majority of us remain and continue to make combat–and succeed in having a continued married life, happy or unhappy, depending on how you look upon it or what it suggests itself to you from time to time.

One such combat is depicted here. Raja Madhusudan Ghosal–a successful and self-made millionaire–in middle age, decides to marry a girl from a once-rich Chatterjee family, very beautiful and aged nineteen. Then begins the clash of personalities, and behind the personalities are historical and psychological factors, aggravated by economic factors.

The families were enemies three generations ago as neighbouring Zamindars. Pride and prejudice have their play and a crop of misunderstandings arise resulting in trivial incidents–beautifully painted by the ‘master-artist, Tagore–each one of them so trifling that a little explanation on the part of one, or understanding on the other, would have cleared the skies and brought the parties nearer still. Every married man knows that these little quarrels are not only inevitable but, in the end, a source of renewed happiness,–the pleasure of mutual recriminations, explanations, surrender and reconciliation, and the final and more affectionate embrace, only to be followed by another quarrel etc:, and so goes on life until the heydays of youth pass away, and the couple realise that there are more things in marriage than the youths dream of. This happy life should be the birthright of all couples, where there is a determination to pull through.

But our hero and his bride, in spite of their determination, could not pull through, and finality he banishes her, just as Rama banished Sita. Oh! the injustice done to our women in India since generations! But are we doing more injustice to women than women are doing to men? Is it not the right of every man to get an affectionate gesture from his wife? Has our heroine given it? Why has she failed? Or is it his fault?…Whether you come to this conclusion or that, the book will stimulate you into thinking, and that is what a good book should do. The book is interesting froth the beginning. It is written by Tagore and is translated by one who not only knows Bengali well and has translated many other books of Tagore, butwho really understands Bengali life and culture. Above all, the style is very simple so that all could understand it; all unnecessary use of high-flown language is avoided, preserving the sweetness which has earned for Telugu its position as the ‘Italian of the East’.

 

KOPPARTY