Reviews

Heroines of Tagore by B. B. Majumdar. Published by Firma K. L. Mukhopadhyay, Calcutta. Price: Rs. 30.

The book comprises the lectures given by the author under the Yogendramohini Lectures Scheme at the Calcutta University in 1967and some more matter which was added to make the treatment more comprehensive. The author’s aim is to study Tagore in his historical context and assess its impact on the choice and characterisation of his heroines.

The French literary historian, M. Taine’s familiar dictum points out three factors vitally responsible for literary creation: the race, the milieu and the moment. The people, the place, the point oftime–it is the ineffable fusion ofthese three elements that results in great creative writing. The writer is thus very largely the product of his time, and the tone of his work is determined by the pulls and pressures around him. The great writer, however, not only portrays the variegated life around him faithfully and forcefully, but looks into the future and casts the shadows of the coming order. Tagore was the universal poet, Viswakaviand the Gurudev, who educated the society of his times and inspired them with new ideas. He pinpointed the several maladies in the so called customs and traditions and paved the way to their eventual elimination. The injustices to women were in particular highlighted by him and his progressive thinking went a long way in transforming the Bengali (and the Indian) woman (he created as many as two hundred and twenty-eight women in his short stories, novels, dramas and narrative poems).

Mr. Majumdar divides the poet’s career into four epochs: from 1881 to 1897 is the first period; the second period of maturity ranges from 1898 to 1913; from 1914to 1926 is the third period, the age of the rejuvenation of the poet and his revolt against the conventional society; and the age of glorious and picturesque sunset is from 1927 to 1941.

In the first period, none of the heroines has any college education. They meekly submit to the oppression and injustice meted out to them. In Shasthi(punishment,) the heroine chandara courts her own death sentence as the only way of punishing the husband, who foists on her the murder of his elder brother’s wife. Didi (The Elder Sister) is again the tragic story of a lady who protests against her husband’s intrigues to cheat her child-brother and meets with murder, the death being explained away as due to cholera. Tagore had to turn to mythology and create characters like Chitrangada and Devayani to show that women were not mere passive instruments of pleasure but human beings with a personality of their own.

While many of the stories of the first period have the rural side as the scene of action, those of the second period are mostly located in Calcutta. Educated ladies are introduced. Kiran in the story Adhyapak(The Professor), Shaila in Chirakumar Sabha (The Bachelor’s Club), Binodini in Choker Bali (The Eye Sore) and Hemnalini in Naukadubi(The Wreck) are among the educated heroines.

In 1913 Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize and this ushered in an era of rejuvenation in the poet’s life and vision. The World War was a rude shock to him and he raised his voice against conventional and complacent living. The spirit of revolution is predominant in the poet’s creations of the third period. Haldar-Goshthi(The Haldar Family), Haimanthiand Streer Patra (The Wife’s Letter) he portrays the individual protesting against a diseased ethical order of the society and against the woes of the joint family system. In Chaturangathe caste system, untouchability and religious hypocrisy are ridiculed. The unrelenting cruelty of capitalism and imperialisn is powerfully shown in two symbolic plays, Rakta Karavir (The Red Oleanders) and Muktadhara(The Current).

In the final period, the poet tried to synthesise the best of ancient Indian culture and Western scientific culture. He laughs at people imitating the externals of Western living in Shesher Kavita (Farewell My Friend). All the heroines–Labanya, Ela, Bansari, Bibha, and others–are highly educated. They assert themselves and a few of them are even economically independent. Some are drawn into the vortex of political revolution. A new era of equality between the sexes and of peace and understanding between the peoples of the world–this is the dominant note of the work of the last period.

In the chapter, “The Economic ground”, Mr. Majumdar traces the changes in the social environment due to the gradual economic transformation, and these changes are noticeable in the characters created during the period. Similarly, in the chapter devoted to the social ground, the author points out how Tagore reflected the changing attitudes to social customs and institutions. No other writer could be more trenchantly critical of the contemporary social ills. In the next chapter, “The Religious ground”, the tensions in religion are discussed with apt quotations from novels like Gora. “The Political ground”, the fifth chapter, deals with the political ferment of the times, and here the interesting fact is that although there are a number of revolutionary characters, heroes or heroines who practise Satyagraha are few and none of them is depicted favourably. This is not difficult to understand because Tagore never believed in the philosophy of Satyagraha.

In the three chapters, “Maidens”, “Married Girls and Women” and “Widows”, Mr. Majumdar points out how the changing conditions of women brought about corresponding changes in the features of the heroines–age, educational ground, attitude, etc. While in Mahamayathe young maiden is prepared to marry even a dying husband, in the two poems, Amrita and Durbodh, we come across heroines who are far more independent and assertive. In the pre-war stories the girls marry before they reach their teens. In many early poems and stories Tagore gives a picture of the tribulations girl-wives–the lack of understanding between husband and wife, their insignificance in a joint family, their silent suffering, but, by the time we come to works like Chaturanga(Broken Ties–1914, 15), Shesher Kavita (Farewell My Friend–1928), Bansari(1933), and Laboratory (1940), we notice all the development in the attitude to love and marriage, which is the response to the changing time spirit. While in the earlier stories and novels we come across wives who exist on the sufferance of their husbands not knowing what love is, we find in the later situations that true love need not always culminate in marriage and even that marriage with somebody else need not effect the loyalty of love. Tagore again should get the credit for exposing the miseries of widows and for creating a climate for widow remarriage. While in an early story, River Stairs, he showed the tragic end of a widow heroine, Kusum, in Chaturangathe fascinating widow Damini marries Sribilas. Widows remarryin Naukadubi(The Wreck) and Shesher Kavita too.

Mr. Majumdar then considers the epic heroines of Tagore and shows how the characters receive enrichment at his hands. Bald episodes from the epics–as in Chitta–are moulded by him into powerful works of art. Themes from the Buddhist legends are borrowed by Tagore and transformed into moving dramatic creations. The dance-drama Chandalikais an eloquent example. In themes with a medieval ground also, Tagore contrasts the old ethic and the new–as Sri Aurobindo does in Perseus the Deliverer–and rouses the society to an awareness of the dangers of the conventional and orthodox order. There are brilliant heroines of symbolic writings like Sudarsana in King of the Dark Chamber and Nandini of Red Oleanders.

The war had its impact on Tagore’s heroines and Mr. Majumdar devotes three chapters to this. In The Home and the World. Bimala stirs out of her home with its Zamindari seclusion and participates though indirectly, in the affairs of the ‘world’. She, however manages to return home before she is lost. Four Chapters, the last novel of Tagore, deals with revolutionary politics and Ela is a veritable enchantress with all her bravery and brilliance.

Mr. Majumdar discloses in a brief chapter–this does not quite fit in with the rest of the book–the inaccuracies of critics who do not try to understand Tagore properly, and many noted names are on the list drawn up. In the concluding chapter, he sums up saying that Tagore is the fulfilment of Raja Rammohan Roy in many ways. Mr. Krishna Kripalani too says in his monumental biography of Tagore that in many respects he anticipated Gandhi and that his contribution was “subtler and deeper, for it released and fed the hidden fountains of creative activity in fields which the politician is powerless to exploit.”

Tagore’s world is indeed ‘God’s plenty.’ He was a unique blend of realism and idealism, and even while his creative genius grew wings of fancy, his feet were firm on the terra firma. The majestic mountain peaks have, after all, their basis in solid earth. It is wrong to think of the poet of lyrical beauty alone and forget the pioneer of social reform. Mr. Majumdar has done great service in showing that Tagore’s works really and truly hold the mirror up to his times and draw the graph of the evolution of the society. The book is a rewarding guide for students of Tagore and a valuable addition to Tagoreana. One has, however, a feeling that the material could have been organised in a more close-knit and integral manner.
–L. S. R. KRISHNA SASTRY

The Vision and the Work of Sri Aurobindo by K. D. Sethna. Published by Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry-2. Price: Rs. 15.

There are in all 22 articles collected in this volume. Most of them have had the seal of approval of the Master. But apart from this sacred “Seal” of Sri Aurobindo for any particular writing of the author, it may be safely asserted in general, that all and every writing of Sri Sethna exhibits prominently his luminous, though dialectical intelligence, invigorating straightforward mentality always wide awake. In Aurobindonian terms we may say, Sethna’s intelligence gave expression to whatever it received from the highest heights through the Grace of the Master.

This is “The Vision and Work” of Sri Aurobindo. Sri Aurobindo had the vision–the Vision of Transforming or Divinising human nature. But he was never a visionary in any sense of the term. He was not a man of unpractical ideals or fanciful beliefs. His vision is Universal and Transcendental and at the same time brilliant and clear, Intelligible and perspicuous, unequivocal and unmistakable. The visions and ideals of his spiritual reality, every one of them was constantly put into practice in the reality of world-matter. He acted his Dreams and worked his Visions. In their Divine laboratory which they chose to call the ‘Ashram’, Sri Aurobindo and Mother have undertaken the most sublime and profound experiment in the evolution of spiritual matter, in the conscious evolution of mortal man on the Earth, the Earth-Man in ignorance evolving and transforming into the Heaven-Man in Gnosis.

This book will enable the inquisitive reader to get the all-round mental picture of the vision and the work.

The Philosophy of Integralism by Harldar Chouduri. Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry-2. Price: Rs. 7-50.

This is another original contribution to the “Philosophy of Sri Aurobindo.” In this book the author gives the metaphysical synthesis inherent in the teachings of Sri Aurobindo.

The Author is well known in the world of philosophy. “On the approval of Sri Aurobindo he went to the Academy of Asian studies in Sanfrancisco as professor of philosophy.” This according to Fedric Spiegelberg guarantees “Chauduri’s authenticity as a foremost interpreter of Sri Aurobindo’s system.”

But one should not forget that Sri Aurobindo, did not claim to be and has not been a ‘Philosophy,’ an exponent of any system. On the other hand, he is an originator of philosophy, leaving it to professors of Sri Chauduri’s mental calibre to spell out such philosophical “system” as could contain in his teachings. And Sri Chauduri very aptly coined phrases like “Philosophy of Integralism” and “Dynamic Integral Non-dualism” to describe the “system.”

This book is an attempt, and that a very courageous, able and excellent attempt, to capture, translate, and systematize Sri Aurobindo’s Supra-Mental vision into mental philosophical language and to give it a metaphysical shape and definition. But a word of caution is necessary in understanding the terms used in this book. Chauduri’s application of “Ockham’s Razor” to arrive at an irreducible minimum of categories may be useful for the purpose on hand and may very well help Western intellectuals to familianse themselves with such words as Brahman, Atman, etc. But among the Eastern thinkers and the like of them, it may cause not a little confusion and disturb some of their familiar notions. The four words Brahman, Iswara, Parmattna, Sachidananda do not mean the same, even in Sri Aurobindo’s use of the expressions. Similarly in the writings of Sri Aurobindo, as well as in the ancient Indian philosophy one cannot be sure that the words Jivatma, Antarattna, Chaitya Purusha do mean the same or that their meanings are conveyed by the single expression “Self.”

For instance, take a passage like the following in the Life Divine:

“The true soul secret in us–subliminal, we have said, but the word is misleading…, this veiled phsychic entity is the flame of the God-bead always alight within us, inextinguishible even by that dense unconsciousness of any spiritual self within which obscures our outward nature. It is….the Daemon of Socrates,….an indestructible spark of the Divine. Not the unborn Self or Atman,……itis yet its deputy in the forms of Nature, the individual soul, Chaitya purtlsha……Theseother person-powers in man, these beings of his being, are also veiled in their true entity, but they put forward temporary personalities which compose our outer individual and whose combined superficial action and appearance of status we call ourselves……” etc. (Life Divine. P. 207 )

This passage would be unintelligible to any reader if he is told that all the expressions used therein (italicised by us) could be comprehended by the single expression the individual self or just the self (Atman) as all of them are only “various dimensions of being.” We believe, Sri Chauduri’s comment–“Words often prove misleading by conveying the impression of separate metaphysical entities corresponding to them”–does not apply to such words as above used by Sri Aurobindo in his writings.

On the whole the work is an authentic interpretation of, and an excellent introduction to, Aurobindonian philosophy, well appealing to the students of philosophy eager to penetrate into the heights or Sri Aurobindo’s Supramental Vision.
–V. VENKATARAMA SASTRI

Shining Harvest by M. P. Pandit. Published by Ganesh & Co. (Madras) P. Ltd. Madras-17. Price: Rs. 10.

Though this book is said to be a collection of Reviews, it is more than that. These reviews are digests of about 30 priceless books Yoga, Philosophy and Mysticism. Yogavasishtha, Tripurarahasya, Narada Bhakti Sutras, Pratyabhijna system, Nada Yoga, The Natha tradition, foundations of Tibetan Mysticism, spiritual heritage of India, Svetasvetaropanishat, Swami Vivekananda, The Tarot, The Teachings of Mystics, Spiritual Experiences and the conscious mind, are but some of the books reviewed and subjects dealt with. Thus a seeker after self-realisation, who cannot wade through a labyrinth of books, can find to his complete satisfaction, a plentiful predigested fare served to him in this book. Any reader of this is sure to be richly rewarded.

Glory of the Divine Mother (Devi Mahatmyam). Published by S. Shankara Narayanan. Distributors: Ganesh & Co. (Madras) Pvt. Ltd. Madras-17. Price: Rs. 12.

The unique greatness of this edition lies in the valuable introduction of the editor Sri Sankara Narayanan, an experienced Sadhaka, and a close disciple of Sri Kapali Sastry of Aurobindo Ashram. The introduction draws much upon the works of Sri Kapalisastry and teachings of Sri Aurobindo, and throws a flood of light on occult and esoteric meanings of the story of the Devi Mahatmya, otherwise known as Sri Durga Saptasati.

Sri Sankara Narayanan declares that the worship of Sakti is the life-breath of our great Dharma. Devi Mahatmya is a practical science that teaches us how to approach and win the favour of the Goddess Sakti. It is highly occult and a repositary of Mantra. Audible recital of this text is considered to be a Sadhana par excellence. According to Sri Kapalisastry what Manu is for Dharma, Vatsyayana is for Kama, and Bhagavadgita for Mokshathat Devi Mahatmya is for Arthaall ends of life.

The Suggestion of the story is explained as follows. “The story of Suratha and Samadhi proves that an aspirant can reach the goal by following any of the famous two paths, Dakshinaand Vaamamargas, in the Tantric Siddhanta.” The three battles between the Divine and anti-divine forces described in the three Charitas represent the battle of life. “In the battle or life the Sadhaka has to ally himself with the Divine forces of Truth and Light and face a relentless battle with anti-divine forces. Even a small short- coming in the Sadhana, chink in the armour, is enough to make hostile forces hold sway. But there is no cause for despair. The Divine is ultimately victorious and Truth alone triumphs.”

The occult side and the esoteric meaning of the story is explained in detail. Brahmirepresents primordial Nada-Omkara and creates the universe with her Nada and it is Vaishnavi that gives it a shape, Maheswari holds the puppet show of the universe Kumari represents the force of aspiration of the evolving soul. Varahi is the all-consuming power in the universe. Indraniis the eternal vigilance of the Divine and a manifestation of the Mother. Chamunda is the great Kali. Chanda is the fierce fire in Muladhara and Munda represents the head, the Moon in the Sahasrara centre which is the seat of illumined mind. Raktabija represents the incessant mental activity.

The editor explains how there are four but not three Saktisreferred to in the text, the fourth being Maheswari.

All material required for a regular recital of the text, both at the beginning and at the end is completely furnished with English translation. The whole text is translated verse by verse into English Devi Sukta with English translation is also added at the end the text. Edited by an experienced Sadhaka, this edition of Devi Mahatmyais a real boon to all Sadhakas.

Kalidasa (A People’s poet) by G. K. Rao. Sree Pada Seva Sangham, Bangalore 4. Price: Rs. 2.50.

This is a collection of three lectures on Kalidasa delivered by the author. As Sri B. R. Sarma has pointed out in his foreword to this book, the author has attempted to bring the salient features of Kalidasa’s poetry in a nutshell. The first lecture is devoted to general appreciation of Kalidasa while the second and the third lectures deal with the appreciation of Kumara Sambhava and Meghaduta, with apt quotations from the original.

The fourth chapter is highly valuable in that it contains important sayings from all the works of Kalidasa. This is a book to be read and preserved by every student of Sanskrit literature.

Sri Sankara Vijayam : Published by Ganesh & Co. Pvt. Ltd. Madras 17. Price: Rs. 1.50.

This book gives in a nutshell the life and achievements of Sri Adi Sankaracharya. The last 20 pages are devoted to a discussion regarding the place where Sri Sankara left his mortal coil. The author says “Sri Sankara settled at Kanchi towards the close of his life and ended his earthly career there.”
–B. KUTUMBA RAO

Call it A Day: A Selection of Modern Indian Stories edited by M. C. Gabriel and Gwen Gabriel. Siddhartha Publications (Private) Ltd., Deihl. Price: Rs. 8.40.

“The general indifference to worldly values and ambitions, the lack of domestic privacy and personal freedom, the often trying climate and sometimes inadequate diet might well have combined to militate against the creation of a sustained narrative prose fiction (In India).”
–The Modern Indian Novel in English by M. E. Derrett

If such amusing views are expressed by reviewers abroad even today, it is because no organised effort has been made to present the contemporary Indian creativity before the eager world-readership.

Naturally, only the stress on the fact that India was the birth-place of story while the East as a whole was its nursing ground would cut no ice. Hence any effort towards the presentation of the modern Indian story in an international language is to be welcomed and the volume under review is a felicitous effort at that.

As the editors put it, “The stories included in this selection have been taken from those that appeared in Thought between 1949 and 1965–a period of seventeen years. The number of stories published during this period totaled to over 700 excluding novelettes and translations from foreign languages. Out of these a preliminary selection of 100 was made. A further review reduced the figure to a little more than 50; after the final weeding we were left with the choice that appears in this book.” So, we cannot expect the anthology to be representative of stories in various Indian languages since the scope of selection has been limited to the embrace of a magazine. The catalogue of authors contain only a few ‘top’ names. A number of these twenty-eight authors have resorted to English as their original medium of writing. Yet the interesting glimpses of the varied Indian life are very much there and no less the impact of the historic tragedies and developments that have affected the national life. And in a few stories, more than a presentation of life, there is successful attempt at its interpretation too.
–MANOJ DAS

Contemporary Indian Short Stories Volume 2: Edited by Bhabani Bhattacharya. Published by Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, Price: Rs. 8.

Short stories have always been loved and read avidly at all times and in all climes. With demand supply has caught up, while with taste talent has improved. Not that every story emanating from every pen treasures up to vigorous standards. On the contrary, the mass of short fiction (and, for that matter, full-length novels) is substandard and this is why there is need for selection.

And when a sober and fastidious literary body such as the Sahitya Akaderni does the selection, the winners must natural be such as to be capable of catering to the refined tastes of readers.

The book under review is the second in the series of short story anthelogies published by the Akademi. The stories cover a broad spectrum of Indian sentiments–from the rude to the refined, from the dolose to the delicate

Of the 22 short stories, two are originally in English while the remaining are translations from the major Indian languages. Mainly written between 1930 and 1950, the different stories inevitably reflect the ethos of the respective times, although the basic human attitudes, failings and foibles do not change markedly from general to generation. In any case some of the themes outlined in stories like R. K. Narayan’s Another Community (Engliish) are of as much validity today as when they were written.

Some finely sensitive (and not lackadaisical) touch is afforded in a few stories such as a Defective Coin (Assamese) by Rama Das and Wet and Shine (Marathi) by Kusumavati Deshpande.

Kabir by Prabhakar Machwe. Price: Rs. 2-50 and

Iswarachandra Vidyasagar by Hiranmay Banerjee. Price: Rs. 2-50. Published by Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi.

The average educated young man of today is woefully ignorant of even the names of many luminaries who adorned the Indian firmament a few generations ago, not to speak of their lives and works. This makes the so-called generation-gap all the more acute. Sahitya Akademi is doing a great service to the nation in undertaking works like these monographs which should serve to bridge the hiatus between the past which is being rapidly forgotten and the present whose values are utterly different. Even if a small fraction of our youth cares to scan these pages the impact is going to be considerable.

In Kabir, small as the book is, the controversy about his birth, caste and life is treated fairly exhaustively and with admirable simplicity. To discerning readers, the account given of Kabir’s philosophy is particularly appealing. In a country which is still infested with religious fanatics, both of Hinduism and Islam, it is necessary that occasional “injections” of sense are made available in one form or other. Kabir should serve this purpose albeit in a modest measure. “Called by any name you remain the same”’ cries Kabir. “Kabir’s god transcends both Islamic monotheism and Hindu polytheism. He is Allah and also Ram, and also more.”

Kabir’s rationalism, however, is less well-known. He is forth-right in his criticism of external ritual. “If by wearing a holy thread a person could be called twice-born, why not call the iron-wheel in the well that always wears a rope a Brahmin?” And, “Why does the Kazi shout so loudly, standing on the top of the minaret at his morning prayer? Has Allah gone deaf?” The hypocrisy of adoring people when they are dead is equally forcefully exposed. “The old while alive are always abused and cursed; when dead, there is the ceremony of showing honour and respect (Sraddha).”

In the monograph on Vidyasagar also, besides the biographical account and achievements of the titular hero, one comes across a few less well-known facts-and this makes the work very interesting. For example, while it is common knowledge that Macaulay was instrumental in introducing English education in this country, few are aware that, in doing so, he bad a sinister motive. In a letter to his father, an excerpt from which is given in The ground, Macaulay observes: “No Hindu who has received an English education ever remains sincerely attached to his religion…And this (conversion) will be effected without my efforts to proselytize….” Events, however, proved otherwise. While English has opened the window on the world, it has not turned all the millions of Indians into Christians. Our Anglophobes would do well to read this passage and the lines about the great reluctance on the part of Englishmen to introduce English in this country just to realise what a precious gem they want to be jettisoned.

Again, while most of us associate Vidyasagar (which term incidentally, is a title conferred on him for his excellent academic career) with widow-remarriage reform, not many are aware of his methodical approach to the problem. The only weapon, he realised, which could convince and silence orthodox opposition would be an authoritative sanction in the Sanskrit texts universally approved. To this end, therefore, he made a dilligent study of the texts and discovered such a sanction in the parasara Samhita. It allows remarriage for women “when the husband turns insane, dies, turns an ascetic, becomes impotent or an outcaste.” Legislation would have been very difficult but for such an authority.

The books are brief but pithy and give a good enough glimpse of the two great men.

–K. V. SATYANARAYANA  

M. P. Pandit 50th Birthday Commemoration Volume: Edited by Prof. A V. Sastri. Published by Kesavamurti, Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry-2. price Rs. 15.

Sri Madbav Pundalik Pandit belongs to that select band of Sadhakasof Sri Aurobindo Ashram who have devoted their lives to the search of Truth. Readers of Triveni and several other leading journals in India know Sri Pandit as an oracious reader and prolific writer; but only a few who have come into close contact with him know of his width of heart as a lover of God and a “servant of those who serve God.” He has to his credit about forty original books on Veda, Upanishads, Tantra Sastra, Yoga and the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, besides a dozen translations from Sanskrit which include the famous works of his guru, Sri Kapali Sastriar. He is a great linguist with command over many languages.

Born with a high heritage, Sri Pandit came under the influence of Sri Kapali Sastriar very early in life. Under the tutelage of Sri Sastriar, Sri Pandit had training in the study of ancient Indian scriptures of importance. After joining the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in 1939, Sri Pandit followed the guidance of Sri Sastriar in the spiritual sadhanagiven by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. Gifted with amazing powers of memory bordering on Ekasantagraha, he has read the Vedas and Sastras and continued the tradition of his guru. Sri Pandit is one of the most ardent devotees of the Mother. He says: “Every moment here has been a rich experience. In the Mother I have found God. To realise Her fully is my one aim and this identity grows with each day.”

It is fitting that the Commemoration Volume should open with a section of tributes to Sri Pandit. The remaining pages are replete with a rich variety of scholarly essays by eminent Titers on the philosophy of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, as well as articles on wider themes of the life of the Spirit. Here is a souvenir brought out with taste, with a full fare of refreshing and elevating contributions, which we heartily commend to the lovers of wisdom. “May this half century of Sri Madhav Pandit’s life reach out to the term of a full century culminating in the victory of his Yoga.”

–BHAVARAJU

KANNADA

Kabira Vachanavali: Kannada translation by D. R. Bendre. Published by the Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi. Price: Rs. 6.00.

Though there is a bewildering mixture of legend, history and folklore regarding Kabir and his works, conscientious labour by a number of research scholars has now determined the age of the saint to be the fifteenth century (A. D.). It is also definite that he was born and brought up at Banaras in a family of weavers and was an heir to two traditions, i.e., the Yogic path of the Nathas and the organised religion of Islam. However, his contact with the famous Saint Ramananda brought about a revolution in his being and he rose over both the legacies into the reconciling truth of the Lordship of the One Divine realisable by Bhakti, one-pointed adoration.

Kabir was not a litterateur in the modern sense. But he had drunk deep at the fountain of his soul dedicated to its maker and his experience, his vision and his direct knowledge found expression in innumerable sayings many of which have come to be preserved through couplets and songs current among the peoples who came under the influence of his teaching. Naturally all the savings that pass under his name are not really his; scholars are still busy sifting the genuine from the spurious. The book under review is a choice collection from the dicta of Kabir, translated into chaste and fluent Kannada by Sri D. R. Bendre, the acknowledged prime poet of the day in Karnataka.

The book is divided into sections, the first containing renderings of Dohas, couplets, and the second of longer utterances. They cover a variety of subjects as comprehensive as life itself–material and spiritual–and have a message for everybody, men and women, the classes and the masses, believers and non-believers.

Kabir broke through the sectarian barriers that abounded in his age at every level of life and demonstrated the unity of all in the Godhead of love. The selections comprising this volume are a standing testimony to this service of his to humanity.
–M. P. PANT