Reviews

B. R. Ambedkar, The Politics of Emancipation: by Dr. A. M. Rajasekhariah. Sindu Publications Private Ltd., 6, Oak Lane, Fort, Bombay-l. Price: Rs. 30.

B. R. Ambedkar, one of the architects of our Constitution of Democratic Sovereign Republic, had played a very significant role for more than three decades, from 1930 till his death in 1956, in the public life of renascent India. But for his constant espousal of the cause of untouchables, Article 17 would not have found a place in the Chapter on Fundamental Rights of our Constitution. If he had not made a secular approach to the vexing problem of Minorities in the Indian Polity, we could not have had the same satisfactory solution as was arrived at. If it had not been for anything else and only had been for his services in emancipating a fallen lot of people forming a fifth of the Indian population, Dr. Ambedkar would still be honoured and given a secure niche in the hall of fame.

The author of this well-written volume has not attempted to conceal his unbounded admiration for his hero in assessing the worth of the great constitutionist and reformer. In ten chapters, the book has presented the conditions prevailing in the political and social fields anterior to our attaining Independence. The reforming zeal of Ambedkar did not stand in the way of his thorough investigation of the entire problem of the Minorities such as that of Scheduled Castes, Tribes, etc. The robust practicality he showed in approaching the question of the ward Classes and his insistence on their gaining a political status along with the Majority Communities, left very little for others to further devote attention to it. His knowledge of Constitutional Law proved an unfailing source of strength when he functioned as the Chairman of the Committee for drafting a bill of the Indian Constitution. The author has filled the pages with copious extracts from both the speeches of Ambedkar as well as the tributes received by him for his solid work and industry in shaping the Constitution.

The author, though justified in his estimate of his hero as one India’s outstanding emancipators of the people, could have spared the readers frequent iteration of the same ideas in more than one chapter though clothed in expressive language.
–K. CHANDRASEKHAR

Essays Throwing New Light on The Gandharvas, The Apsarases, The Yakshas and The Kinnaras: by N. G. Tavakar. Published by Tavakar Prakashan, 10, Daulat Mansion, Barrack Road, Marine Lines, Bombay-20. Price: Rs. 20.

This is a very interesting monograph on the mythological figures frequently met with in our scriptures and classics. The author with enviable powers of research has dived deep into the lore pertaining to these celestial beings and has shown no weariness in collecting all available information from various sources regarding their origin, places of dwelling, main characteristics and the historicity, if any, of their existence. Thus the Gandharvas have been found not merely as exponents of the arts of music and dance, but as sturdy warriors guarding the directions and kings. The Apsarases, who are generally portrayed as seductive in their charms and employed to wean away the sages from their penances, are shown as respected much by the sages themselves. The Yakshas, as represented in the sculptures, are not alluring enough to convince us of their famed forms and beauty. The Kinnaras, who are not different from the Kimpurushas, are of such mixed form with heads of horses and endowed with wings, so much so their existence itself is doubtful at any time, for they should have been more imagined than real.

The author needs our appreciation for his thoroughness in his research and for his interpretations which are quite acceptable.
–K. CHANDRASEKHARAN

The Megha-duta of Kalidasa: Critically edited by Dr. Sushil Kumar De. Second edition revised by Dr. V. Raghavan, with a general introduction by Dr. S. Radhakrishnan. Publishers: Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi. Pages 140. Price: Rs.6-50.

Critical editions of Kalidasa’s texts are a long felt desiderata. The Sahitya Akademi which has taken up the project for serial publication of critical editions of Kalidasa’s works has started with Megha-duta under the editorship of the late Dr. S. K. De–a distinguished name in the field of textual criticism. The second revised edition is now in our hands. According to the available manuscript and commentaries, the minimum and maximum stanzas in the Megha-duta are 110 and 127 respectively. This critical edition contains 111 stanzas. Dr. De’s critical edition for the Akademi “was based by him not only on a study of all the numerous previous editions of this popular poem but also on the examination of the text as followed by its numerous commentators and its adaptation and translations in Sanskrit, Indian languages, and the Singhalese. The criteria adapted for the constitution of this critical text are noteworthy: (1) Commentaries are taken as chief guide for textual study, (2) Each testimony is to be judged on the value of the text tradition that it represents. Even a manuscript written in Sarada script is not superior and even a Tibetan translation is not free from conflation (3) No manuscript or commentary is sacrosanct and every reading of a particular passage, word or phrase has to be tested by its intrinsic probability. (4) One cannot be dogmatic with regard to the authenticity of the good number of readings nor positively certain. But the variations so far found are not greatly important and do not on the whole seem to effect very much the poet’s own text in its pristine form. In his general introduction, which is simply superb, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan surveys all Kalidasa’s works. He points out his literary merits and discusses about his religion. In a racy style Kalidasa’s conceptions of Dharma, Artha, love and marriage and his love for Nature are beautifully brought out. Dr. S. Radhakrishnan breathes philosophy into this literary criticism. Some of his observations are very refreshing. Kalidasa in his first stanza of the “Kumarasambhava” “suggests that the culture which developed in the Himalayan regions and which is essentially spiritual in quality may be the measuring rod of the cultures of the world.” “The world is under a moral government. The good will ultimately triumph. If we have no tragedies in Kalidasa, it is because he affirms the reality of the concord and decency. Subject to this conviction, he induces our sympathy for the hard lot of the majority of men and women.” “History is not a natural but a moral phenomenon. It is not mere temporal succession. Its essence lies in the spiritual which informs the succession.” “The laws of Dharma are not static and unchanging.”

Dr. De’s introduction is masterly. It deals with important subjects like editions of the text, adaptations and translations, commentaries, manuscripts, theme, sources and characteristics and the criticalapparatus. Select bibliography, indices, geographical notes and footnotes giving important variations in readings make the work most valuable. In short, this edition leaves nothing desired. It can be easily a model for any future critical edition of any text. In revising the work for the second edition Dr. V. Raghavan has corrected the errors and printing mistakes that have crept into the first edition and has added also further references.
–B. KUTUMBA RAO

Indian Aesthetics and Art Activity: Published by the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Simla. Price: Rs. 40.

The book is a compilation of papers read at a Seminar on Aesthetics and Art Activity. Almost all the points of view expressed on fundamentals are common. And a brief survey is herein attempted.

Aesthetics is the science of beauty and of ugliness as well. Art is the objectification of subjective experiences of an aesthete. The appropriate media may be line or color, sound or syllable, clay or one. The compositions are not dead-pan imitations to a ‘T’. They are ‘Adarsa Pratibimbas’. Nature is embellished and Life is improved. Both the content and form are significant. Deviation from reality makes Art abstract and distorted.

The spectator discovers his identity throughout. His pettiness dissolves. His little self is lost in Universal life. He experiences a state of aesthetic repose (Rasa) corresponding to the mystic A’nubhava’ of a login. Onthe continent traditional art has its antithesis. It is dubbed anti-art. It negates Form. Its manifestations are bizarre. To its list of cubes, cones and squares Walter Gropins of the Bauhans school adds cups, saucers and machines, etc. The variants of anti-art embrace Pop, Op, Kinetic, Neon arts, Musical paintings, Happenings and the like. The Black painting, the silent symphony and the Blank Book are outstanding creations in the field.

Art is not to exist here for Man’s sake. Nor is it to exist for art’s sake. But it is to exist for cup’s and saucer’s sake.

A woeful degeneration to contemplate! It can be likened to the descent of the Heavenly Ganga to mundane earth.

The book is well got up and a devoted study will be worthwhile.
–K. SUBBA RAO

Homi Mody: A Many-splendoured life–Political Biography: by D. R. Mankekar. Popular Prakashan, Bombay-34 W.B. Price: Rs. 25.

“When you were born, all around you laughed, my son, while you cried;
So live your life that when you depart, you will laugh, while all around you weep.”

So says a Persian couplet, the essence of which seems to have guided the rich and variegated career of late Sir H. P. Mody. Not only when he was born, but throughout his life, he was able to keep everyone around him laughing. His sense of humour had carried him through wherever he was–in public life as in private life. He was a thoughtful man of affairs, who managed to pass fora licensed jester. It suited him well too.

It would be difficult to think of any public man In India who had led a fuller and a happier life than Homi Mody. Beneath the lightness of vein was of course an earnestness or purpose that was evident in all the spheres of his activity–as city father and mill-owner, industrialist and legislator, administrator, politician or statesman.

A student of literature, trained for law, Mody modelled his life on that of the Father of Modern Bombay, Sir Pherozeshah Mehta, of whom he later wrote a standard biography. Each was attracted to the other from the very first encounter.

Mody always took his work, not himself, seriously. He never lost his poise and sense of proportion under the most trying circumstances in his life. A mill-owner and a member of the affluent society, he was sensitive to the sufferings of the poor and the working classes. A director of the Tatas, his outlook was wider than that of most capitalists. A Knight of the British Empire, he could be described as a nationalist among the loyalists. He had no hesitation in quitting the Viceroy’s Executive Council, when Lord Linlithgow refused to release the fasting Mahatma from prison.

In free India, Mody made a popular Governor, succeeding Mrs. Sarojini Naidu in U.P. A delightful after-dinner speaker, he was always ready with the refined joke that relaxed any set of hard-faced men. Towards the end of his public life, he combined wit and wisdom as an elder statesman of the Swatantra Party. The most solid and lively monument to his personality is his son, Mr. Piloo Mody, who has inherited the father’s gift of humour as well as his political acumen in ample measure.
–D. ANJANEYULU

Saga of Satyagraha: by R. R. Diwakar. Publishers: Gandhi Peace Foundation, New Delhi. Pages 248. Price: Rs. 9.

Satyagraha is a name to charm within Indian political movements and it is the greatest single contribution of Mahatma Gandhi to human thought and action. Satyagraha is a moral equivalent for war. Western political thinkers have also recognised its importance and have written many dissertations on it. Satyagraha as the late Rajendra Prasad defines in his introduction to the first edition of this book published in 1946, is “truth in its dynamic form unattended with violence”. But the meaning of the word is not properly understood nowadays, and the word Satyagraha is wrongly applied to all violent movements also. A study of this book will give us an accurate idea of the philosophy and technique of Satyagraha as preached and practised by the Mahatma. A historical treatment of the Satyagraha Movement, its application in India and in other countries and the results achieved thereon are described in detail. An American version of this book in its first edition was used as one of the texts in America for Cultural Studies of India and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. acknowledged that this book in its American version “had helped to understand some of the deeper and detailed aspects of Satyagraha.” This is a second revised and enlarged edition of that original book and deserves to be prescribed as a text-book to all university students.
–B. KUTUMBA RAO

The Working Press: Special to the New York Times: Edited by Ruth Adler. Lalvani Publishing House, 210, Dr. D.N. Road, Bombay-1. Pages 287. Price: Rs. 6.

Newspaper reporters are envied by their readers the exciting places they go and the historic events they cover. But as a class, they are most reluctant to talk about themselves. The job on hand is what matters most to them. The result is there in black and white. To induce them to talk about it, even after sometime has passed, is no easy task. But that is just what Ruth Adler has been doing for decades now. And with a lot of success too.

Editor of Times Talk, the house organ of the New York Times, Ruth Adler has a flair for getting the story behind the story from her colleagues. It is often as exciting and intriguing as the news story itself. One correspondent looks upon how he was kicked out of Poland, while another feels relieved how he narrowly escaped the fate in Saigon, but only for the time being. It was certainly a delicate affair for the news-hound to track the love-birds to their lair in a common friend’s room in Rome by midnight – and get Roberto Rosellini and Ingrid Bergman to talk about their plans for the future. To cover a royal funeral on the Bali Islands, with the given mode of transport and communication could be exasperating for a seasoned pressman like Robert Trumbull. How would it be for others, less experienced and less resourceful?

The stories, crisp and factual, with a reluctant first person singular, make rewarding reading. The book is a ‘must’ not only for Indian reporters but Indian newspaper readers as well. The brief note on journalist’s jargon could be a useful guide to them both.
–D. ANJANEYULU

Gita and Kural: by Dr. M. Muthuraman, M. A., Ph. D., Pachaiyappa’s College, Madras-30. Price: Rs. 5.

The book under review is a comparative study of the cardinal teachings of Gita and Kural, the immortal works of Vyasa and Thiruvalluvar respectively.

Compressing a vast ocean of thought in a nutshell, Tirukkural has been justly famous over the ages for its pithy couplets shedding revealing light on the high purposes of life–dharma, artha and Kaama–viz., aram, porul and inbam. The three purposes of life have to be diligently pursued in the spirit of the fourth purpose, veedu, liberation. The Gita teaches man to face the battle of life and do action without caring for the fruit. Both the Gita and the Kural are books of life and they teach the science of self-perfection.

The message of the Gita and the message of the Kural are very relevant and pertinent to the present age and the author’s exposition of the whole theme is marked by earnestness and moving sincerity.
–S. SHANKARANARAYANA

Humanity at the Crossroads: by E. A. Hollender. Philosophical Library, New York. Pp.420. Price: 10 dollars.

In his analysis of the present crisis in the life of humanity, the author points out that spirituality alone can fill the gap caused by the breakdown of both physical science and theology to meet the demands of the Time-Spirit. He draws upon various occult traditions, mainly of Christian origin, and explains how the Earth and its inhabitants are involved in a gigantic movement of Evolution of the Spirit and Man today has to expand inwards and upwards in his consciousness. The growth needed is within. The next Age is the Aquarian of which greater harmony and understanding of minds, infusion of a dynamic spiritual Light in humanity are important features.

He observes: “We have now moved into a revolutionary era of rapid change, and new light is gradually penetrating into many dark corners and hidden recesses. Through means which are still rather obscure, Mankind is slowly inching its way along the path towards progressive mentalization and a significant expansion in awareness. ‘It seems to us’ opines a team of contemporary French investigators ‘that Man is by no means in his final state (as assumed by a lagging psychology); we believe it is possible to discern through the formidable upheavals that are changing the face of the world, vertically in the sphere of knowledge, horizontally as a result of mass groupings, the first signs of a new trend in human consciousness, a rejuvenating change in the interior of Man himself.

One mayor may not agree with the relevance of his data or with his course of reasoning, but all will accept the direction of his thought.
–M. P. PANDIT

Mahayogi: by R. R. Diwakar. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay-7. Pages 300. Price: Rs. 5.

By far the most popular of the biographies of Sri Aurobindo, this book by the scholar -statesman Sri R. R. Diwakar–presently in its fifth edition–covers the main events of the career of the aster, his Sadhana, Siddhi and Philosophy. Sri Aurobindo’s distinct contribution in the field of Nationalism is analysed in detail; his services in the reclamation of the treasures of Indian spirituality and culture are recorded. Considerable space is devoted to an able exposition of the major concepts in this Philosophy and Yoga of Divine Life.

Valuable appendices give additional data regarding Sri Aurobindo’s early life in England, the lines on which he has envisaged the coming and establishment of a new Age. As the author observes: “So long as man has not established Swaraj within himself and, so long is mind is swayed by passions and blind vital urges, we seek in vain the peace that should be ours, the harmony that should reign in our affairs and the joy that should fill our being. Aurobindo is the explorer par excellence in this century of that inner realm.”
–M. P. PANDIT

The Magic Flute (Krishnavatara I) : by K. M. Munshi. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay-7. Pages 249. Price: Rs. 4.

In this first volume of his romantic reconstruction of the life and mission of Lord Krishna, Sri Munshi begins with the wedding of Vasudeva and Devaki and leads the story up to the killing of Kamsa. The main part naturally deals with the boyhood exploits of the hero in Gokula and Vrindavan, the call of his celestial flute to the Gopi-souls to join in the cosmic play and his outwitting of the enemy in diverse forms.

Though Radha does not figure in the Mahabharata or even in Bhagavata, the author has introduced her forceful personality in the narrative and developed her story in a few delectable chapters. In a special note he explains why he has preferred to adopt the popular tradition started by Jayadeva.
–M. P. PANDIT

Hindu Religion and Culture: by Sri Hari Benoy Bandopadhya. Published by him at 140 B, Khatir Bazar Lane, Mahesh, Hooghly  Pages 181. Price: Rs. 10.

The author of this interesting book discusses the fundamentals of the Hindu Religion and Culture from the angle of material science and shows how its central conceptions anticipate the findings of modern scientists. He sees the key to the problem of reconciliation between the physical and spiritual in the existence of Energy which is recognised on all sides to be all-pervasive. This Energy is not of one kind; it is not mechanical either. The fundamental Energy is conscient and takes different forms according to the instrument through which it works–life-energy, mental-energy, etc. In other terms it is a Shakti which has many statuses. Science as it is developed in the west takes cognisance only of the most external, physical aspect of this power, though of late a breakthrough in its thinking is evident in the experiments in para-psychology, etc.

An earnest attempt to broadbase Indian thought and culture in keeping with the spirit of the age.
–M. P. PANDIT

A Critical Study of the Philosophy of Ramanuja: by Anima Sen Gupta, M. A., Ph. D., Vidya Visarad, Patna University. Publishers: The Choukhamba Samskrit Series Office, Varanasi-I. Pages 263. Price: Rs. 20.

This is a masterly study of the Philosophy of Visishtadvaiata. The main purpose of this book according to the learned author is to bring to light the essentially synthetic character of the philosophy of Sri Ramanuja who has enabled the system to effect a happy reconciliation of Sastra and Yukti, Tattva, Hita and Purushardha, Dvaita and Advaita, etc., on the basis of Indian scriptures, and the author has wonderfully succeeded in achieving it. The six main chapters of the book deal with the Biography of Ramanuja, Epistemology, Metaphysics, Ethics, Theology and conclusion respectively. Inferential proof of the existence of Prakriti, Venkatanatha’s criticism of the Samkhya view, meaning of ‘that thou art,’ and Sankara and Ramanuja on the self-validity of knowledge are the subjects explained in the four appendices.

Presentation and exposition of the subject in every chapter is very good. It is authentic, clear, critical and comprehensive. A staunch champion of the Visishtadvaita Philosophy, the author explains and refutes the charges levelled against this philosophy by the ancient and modern writers like M. M. Krishnasastry and others.

In many conceptions, as for example, the conception of Brahman as qualified by Cit and Acit in subtle forms, Body and Soul, relation between God and the Universe, Synthesis of Jnana and Bhakti, the author opines, Ramanuja has improved upon, or more clearly explained the same or similar conceptions in his system than in the Bhagavad Gita. “In many matters it is a midway between the systems of Samkhya, Nyaya and Vaiseshikas on the one hand and the Advaita on the other. It is a logical synthesis between the Jnanakanda and Karmakanda”. Similarly the author brings out many salient features of the system of philosophy expounded by Ramanuja. One remark of the author, however, “that the philosophy of Sankara will undoubtedly fail to satisfy the emotional and conative cravings of man as both the spheres of morality and religion have been admitted by Sankara as false and illusory” is, in our view unfounded and uncharitable or at least controversial. Students of Philosophy in general and Visishtadvaita students in particular cannot find a better book than this for having a clear grasp and evaluation of the system of philosophy of Sri Ramanuja and as such we commend this book to them whole-heartedly.
–B. KUTUMBA RAO

Indian Essays in American Literature: Edited by Sujit Mukherjee and D.V.K. Raghavacharyulu. Published by Popular Prakashan, Bombay. Price: Rs. 7-50.

This book is a birthday present, offered byhis Indian students to an American Professor Robert E. Spiller. There are, within its covers, essays on American literature, its different forms and aspects.

With the publication of “Light of Asia” and “Song Celestial,” by Edwin Arnold, the contemplative East landed in materialistic West. And a whole crop of Transcendentalists and Buddhists descended, as a consequence, out or the cultural contact.

“Buddha and Brahma” of Henry Adams, T. S. Eliot’s “The Waste-land” and “Four Quarters,” Thoreau’s “Week” and Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself” are severally inspired by Buddhistic and Vedantic thought.

Likewise, “All my sons” of Arthur Miller and “Moralities and Mood plays” of Macleish projected a moral vision and discovered truths underlying “Paste Board Masks” for laymen.

And in this connexion it is significant to note that critical standards set the sights for literature, for good or for worse. American literary radicals pontificate that literature should be a record of society: Neo-Humanists stand pat on basic moral values. New critics trot out “Semantics.” Art and Artifice are elevated to irrational heights. A poem becomes “craft.” Language is utilized as gesture. In poetry, two groups emerge. “A poem should not mean but be,” is the cry of poet and his camp. Whitman and his ilk are concerned with the rendering as well as the rendered: the experience and the way art explores it. The poem and the image of the poet go together. Poetry is not mere paradox, ambiguity, emotion, or theme. It is all or nothing. As Arnold puts it, poetry is composed in the soul. It is not a step by step self-conscious progression. All true and great literature should exert metamorphic power.

And it will be appropriate to reproduce, in this context, a sentence, ultimus, from a passage quoted by Sisir Kumar Ghose. “....Instead of reaching for the grand themes that can give literature the epic quality it deserves, too many writers have been trying to cut (their works) down to the size of psychiatric case history.” In such a crisis a moral vision, with totality of existence for its province, shod animate American literature or for that matter any literature for healthy survival of its people and its heritage. The book deserves a place in a public or a private library.
–K. SUBBA RAO

The Mysteries of Life and Death (Lectures delivered by Acharya Shri Rajneesh): Translated by Malini Bisen. Motilal Banarasidas Delhi-7. Pages 66. Price: Rs. 4.

This slender book is an English version of the original lecture in Hindi delivered by Acharya Rajneesh–‘an Enlightened One. It is ‘a glimpse, a ray, of his infinite wisdom’

The general metaphysical norm defines that ‘life’, like ‘a dome of many-coloured glass’, obscures ‘the white radiance of Eternity’, till ‘death’ tramples it to fragments, when ‘the pure spirit’ shall go to ‘the burning fountain whence it came’. The Bhagavata Gita reveals: “As a man discarding worn out clothes, takes out new clothes, likewise the embodied soul, casting off worn out bodies, enters into others which are new” (II, 22). ‘Life’ is a prism of His light, and ‘death’ the shadow of His face. And the soul oscillates between ‘prism’ and ‘shadow’, until all terrestrial desire is shed.

Acharya Rajneesh convincingly deciphers the mysteries of life and death. The So-called horrible death is only a means to an end–not the end itself. He explains it in terms of the meaning of life: ‘there is only life and no death’. The soul or aatma which is eternal, is the innermost shrine of life. In death, the spirit or glow of life shrinks, like the flame of an oil-exhausted lamp; but the wick glows again when the oil is secured. What is known as death can be experienced consciously by means of a planned death: dhyaana, yoga, or samaadhi. It is a controlled withdrawal of the life-force, into the innermost shrine from the body, which helps the soul attain the Light and realize the secret lore or life and death. If there is rupture between the body and the spirit, living becomes impossible. But death is only a transition of the soul from one body into another. To get rid of ‘the scare of death’, one ought to master the power to observe and experience what one had been through the series of one’s past lives, through the one process–Yoga. If this is attained, the soul ceases to have the shackles of birth and death’: desire vanishes, worldly life ends, and the journey towards Eternity commences. The desire-stricken soul after the death of the body awaits the proper new body Such souls are categorized into three: mediocre, low and high. The waiting time for re-entrance depends on the category of the soul and the availability of a proper new body. Thus the soul passes through the endless chain of births and deaths.
The Acharya deplores that the white-capped politicians have destroyed the spirit of humanity. He explains what he conceives as he ‘concept of life-atoms’ and the formation of the baby in the womb. Woman, having (forty-eight atoms) twenty-four atoms on each side in every cell of her body, is balanced; and so she is static. Man, having (forty-seven atoms) twenty-four atoms on one side and twenty-three on the other in every cell of his body, is unbalanced; and so he is dynamic–capable of attaining the immortal will. The Acharya offers to train some worthy men, to acquire saadhana, so that they can brighten the dark path and show the people ‘the way to a brighter future of full knowledge and light.’

He amply illustrates the various implications of his conception pleasingly, employing apt similes, images and symbols. The booklet affords a captivating reading; and after reading, one certainly feels enlightened.
–Dr. K. V. S. MURTI

Tirukkural - Translation in Verse: Kasturi Srinivasan. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Chowpatty Road, Bombay-7. Price: Rs. 10.

This is yet another translation of Tirukkural in English, done in verse, the previous ones being those of Dr. G. U. Pope, K. M, Balasubramaniam and Shuddhananda Bharati. It has to be conceded that Pope’s is the most famous, though not the most perfect, but by and large, more correct than most of the translations. No translator can claim perfection, more so with a great work like Tirukkural, comparable only to the Vedas, the Bhagavad Gita and the sayings of Jesus. In the words of Albert Schweitzer, “Then hardly exists in the literature of the world a collection of maxims in which we find so much lofty wisdom” as in the Kural.

The first couplet has been translated by Mr. Srinivasan as under:

“As alphabet with ‘A’ begins,
The Universe with God begins.”

In translating a work from one language to another, one has to keep constantly in one’s mind that sense is not sacrificed at the altar of brevity. But in translating an ethical work as the Kural not even a single word can be omitted.

F. W. Ellis translated the couplet thus:

As ranked in every alphabet the first,
The self-same vowel stands, so in all worlds
Th’ eternal God is Chief.

It is impossible to put Tiruvalluvar’s epigrammatic couplets in English in the way he has done. That Tiruvalluvar only can do. Hence any translation of Tirukkural must try to bring out the ideasof the author in as great a measure as possible, though it may involve many words. Whereas in couplet 81 even Tiruvalluvar has used ten words, the translator has slashed it to six English words. With what effect, one does not know.

“All domestic felicity
Is for hospitality.”

V. V. S. Aiyar translates the same thus:

“What for do the wise toil and set up homes? It is to feed the guest and help the pilgrim.”

Notwithstanding certain observations made earlier, it may be said that Mr. Srinivasan has done a commendable piece of work in bringing out this translation of Tirukkural and thereby propagating the message of a great world teacher.
–K. C. KAMALIAH

The Christian Concept of Man: by lung Young Lee. Publishers: Philosophical Library, New York. Price: $ 5.95.

All philosophical systems, codes of conducts, creeds of religion and the rules of logic are for men. Man is the centre of all creation. He is the highest category of human thought. The volume under review is a clear and competent analysis of the nature of man and his real essence contrasted with his appearance. The approach adopted is the Christian standpoint. The key concepts in the light of which the concept of man is examined are Jin-Yang categories. The author is a trained theologian and priest with a persuasive style.

The learned author interprets the Christian theology in terms of the classical Chinese category Jin-Yang relationship. These two principles enunciated for the first time in the Book of change of Chinese cosmology explain that everything in the world is the result of the interaction of the two principles. They respectively represent the opposites–shade and light. They are the complimentary process of making the rounded whole. The Jin is feminine and Yang is the masculine principle. The interactions of the two principles are the essential elements of fire, water, metal, wood and earth. Late Chinese thought in works of Taoists reduced the two under the principle Chi and described them as being covered by Li.

In the light of these two principles our author explains the Christian concept of man. Man is not a physical object like other things in the world. He is a subject that is known. He is a being, that too not a mere rational being. He is made not only in the image of God, but is a divine being created to carry on God’s work on earth. He is in essence a divine being. The book is a sustained interpretation.

–DR. P. NAGARAJA RAO

Metaphysical Psychology of Henri Bergson (A critical study): by A. Lakshmana Rao, Andhra University, Waltair. Price: Rs. 15.

Sri Lakshmana Rao’s volume is a valuable study of the celebrated French Philosopher Bergson’s Psychology. We have many books on his metaphysics. For example, the compact book by Wilson Carr and the long articles on him by Dr. S. Radhakrishnan. Two decades ago the late Dr. Seshagiri Rao Naidu wrote on the new light on Bergson’s thought and philosophy. Bergson and Bradley have been the favourite philosophers of India.

Sri Rao in ten substantial chapters has sought to comprehensively cover the views and contribution of Bergson. The topics treated are Mind-Body Problems, sensations, feelings, emotions, perception, instinct, intelligence, memory and attention. We have also interesting accounts of Bergson’s theories on sleep, dreams and para normal phenomena. There is the discussion on Bergson’s aesthetics in the concluding chapter. We have in the book interesting comparisons “instituted between Bergson and other contemporaries. In short the book is a valuable studyof Bergson from the psychological point of view. The book carries an appreciative foreword from Dr. Satchidananda Murthy and an opinion from Dr. P. T. Raju.
–DR. P. NAGARAJA RAO

Rulers of the Mind: by A. D. Starr. Philosophical Library, New York. Price: $ 4-95.

The volume under review is a deep study of man and the ‘rule’ of the mind and the place of ‘reasoning’ in the development of the human society. The relationship between Personality and Social Crisis is explained by expounding the correlation between History, Philosophy and Psychology. The author makes a searching analysis of the complex nature of our civilization and culture. He examines the merits and draws of the roles of reason, institutions, codes, passions, technology and science. He gives us an estimate of their contribution they make to the progress of civilization. The concept of change and progress is discussed in all its details. The parts played by ideology and social habits in the crisis of our civilization is well described. Progress the author defines “as the change in relationship between man and the forces that control him” XIV). The place of indoctrination is well explained. The role of primitive passions, ignorance, social inertia and the need for adjustment are all discussed in relation to human progress. The fact that men think differently, not only in different values but by different values is clearly explained. The author’s fervent plea is for a double control of “passions and logic” is admirable. In short the book is a valuable study of our scientific civilization and progress.
–Dr. P. NAGARAJA RAO

TELUGU

Sahitya Tattvamu–Sivabharata Darsanamu: by Sirdesayi Tirumala Rao. Copies can be had from J. S. Bhimasena Rao, 14/150, Kamala Nagar, Anantapur. Price: Rs. 13.
            Sivabharatam of Sri Gadiyaram Venkata Sesha Sastry is one of the most outstanding modern classics in Telugu literature A comprehensive and comparative study and a critical appreciation of this classic is a long felt desideratum and this precious book fulfills it.

The author is a voracious reader and a versatile scholar. He is a keen student of literary criticism both oriental and occidental. He has a knowledge of Vedic and Upanishadic literature, History Philosophy and modern scientific theories. He is gifted with a penetrating thought and powerful pen. Any reader will have those impressions in the first instance.

This book is divided into twelve chapters. Poetry and its essence, Title of the Kavya, Poetry and History, Beauty of the Telugu idioms in the book, Metre, Dramatic Art in the Poem, Nature description and propriety, Knotty usages in the Poem are the subjects discussed in the first eight chapters. In almost all these chapters, guiding principles of literary criticism both oriental and occidental are first enunciated with relevant quotations, and these principles are applied to and illustrated from this poem; so much so this book serves the purpose of a text-book of practical and applied criticism. Quotations in English are translated into Telugu.

A complete chapter is devoted to “Cow Protection”. The other chapters deal with characters of Sivaji and Jijiya as depicted in this book. Sivabharatam’s place in literature is discussed in the last chapter. Every chapter is informative and invigorating. The author has done a good job of his undertaking and he richly deserves our congratulations.
–B. KUTUMBA RAO

Angla Sahitya Charitra: by Goparaju Sambasiva Rao, M.A. Navajeevan Booklinks, Vijayawada. Price: Rs. 20.

It is a commendable book and the first of its kind in Telugu. On a broad canvas of seven hundred pages the author has presented the history of English literature from its humble beginning up to the modern times. He has brought to bear upon his stupendous task his vast reading and rich experience as a teacher of English. Following the traditional division into ages, the author has narrated the story of the origin, growth and development of one of the greatest literatures of the world with the zeal of an eager student and the unclouded vision of a historian.

Though there were stray articles of appreciation on different authors published byseveral writers in the past, this is the first, sustained, full-length and systematic study of English literature. It deals with the age-makers and their masterpieces which have stood the test of time and become models of excellence. Sri Sambasiva Rao sought to offer judicious assessment of the writers and their literary accomplishments by placing them in the context of their times. He has portrayed the social, economic, political and religious conditions ofthe different periods which served as source of inspiration for gifted writers who held up a mirror to their age.

Sri Sambasiva Rao deserves congratulation on having chosen a simple clear and idiomatic style which is devoid of the pedantic stiffness that is found in many historical narratives. He possesses his facts and is never possessed by them. He is free from the desire to show off the wealth of his erudition which lures away many historians. His narrative moves on slowly, steadily and surely with even pace.

The value of the book is enhanced by the cogent and crisp summaries of the masterpieces of great authors. He has offered in a nutshell the contents of all the great plays, novels, and poems which have won undying fame. His book shall serve as a model for those who seek to write in Telugu, historical narratives dealing with culture and literature of foreign lands. As rightly pointed out by Dr. Viswanatna Satyanarayana in his preface, Sri Sambasiva Rao has absorbed and assimilated the material and presented it in the idiom that catches the Telugu reader by employing a natural and easy-flowing style that is needed for exposition. Sri Sambasiva Rao’s book shall find an honoured place on the shelves of all libraries. To bring out a work of such magnitude on English literature really a venture which richly deserves recognition and encouragement. It is a testimony to the author’s grateful appreciation of English literature that has nourished and sustained his spirit.
–Dr. C. N. SASTRI

Mitra Panchasati: by “Darsanacharya” Konduri Veera Raghavacharyulu. Copies can be had from the Author, Gandhinagar, Tenali. Pages 144. Price: Rs. 3.

“Kalaprapurna” K. V. Raghavacharyulu is not only a reputed scholar in Philosophy, Sculpture and Yoga, but also a well-known poet and critic in Telugu. The book under review is one of his latest and precious presentations to the Telugu literary world. This contains 521 gnomic verses in ‘Aataveladi’ metre, a forte of Vemana, under 45 captions. Written in elegant, graceful and mellifluous Telugu each verse ends with the words ‘Vinara mitra’ .The subjects dealt with are variegated in nature didactic, religious, philosophical, yogic, social, domestic and sarcastic. The verses abound with arresting axioms, wise and crisp sayings, and illustrative similies.

A treasure-house of wisdom, this book, coming from the pen of “Abhinava Vemana”, deserves to be treasured in every Telugu house.
–B. KUTUMBA RAO