Reviews

To the Best of My Memory: By P. B. Gajendragadkar. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay-7. Price: Rs. 40.

It is not easy to write about oneself. The objectivity required to render the account interesting may not always be found. Save a few instances in our country, such as that of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, autobiographies by outstanding publicists have either been a good collection of reminiscences or a recollec­tion of public events and official recordings without much of private incidents or domestic details to relieve the mere march of episode after episode concerning oneself. Therefore, it is a matter of satisfaction that Dr. Gajendragadkar’s book of sumptuous memories of his life and activities, despite more often events connected with his official and public life, does not weary us owing to his capacity to retain the reader’s attention by the manner of his recounting them.

Indeed it is a life full of bright early academic successes and gradual rise both in the profession of Law he carried on, as well as the judgeship of the High Court of Bombay and the later Supreme Court’s Bench which he occupied with great distinction. There is a charm in his method of narration about himself; he is not suffering from a false sense of modesty, while at the same time striking us as not vain or self-conscious. From the many glimpses he provides of his meetings with other impor­tant individuals of rank and importance in the country, he easily prepares us for the estimation in which he was held by them, notwithstanding his confrontation sometimes with the very persons for whom be had great regard, with an independent out­look which hardly brooked slovenliness of any kind or indifference to legitimate claims on probity and straightforwardness in public life.

Some of his assessments of men and affairs really supply us with what he considered as high standards of ethical conduct. Apart from genuine feelings of proportion and balance in his views of national policies, his outright solutions to some of them, especially in the fields of labour and education as expressed in the various reports of Committees and Commissions he presided over, make us understand his thoroughness and unusual frankness in discussing them.

Otherwise too, the book is a mine of information about the workings of the High Courts and Supreme Court where his part in shaping the administration had not been insignificant. For nearly twenty years he was a judge and knew what the needs are in the cause of litigations in our country. Some of his points for betterment of judicial service as also the universities which he had elaborated in the course of these pages, mark his real devotion to Courts as sacred spots for justice and impartiality being dispensed with.

Maybe he could have given insights into his private life which evidently he had to eschew in the attempt more to bring before the public the spirit and moral elevation which should aid anyone placed in positions; of responsibility towards a country with its ambition to become a worthy nation among the more forward countries of the world.

Having been a Sanskrit scholar, his undertaking of the publication of the ten main Upanishads for the Bevan Library with English translations along with the chief commentaries of Sankara, Ramanuja, Madhya and Vallabha shows what an amount of earnestness he could bestow upon intellectual pursuits. On the whole it is a book which retains the reader’s interest throughout its 400 odd pages. The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan; should be congratulated for the faultless proof-reading they have accom­plished in ushering in a volume of this valuable kind.
–K. CHANDRASEKHARAN

Gita Saaroddhaara: By Swami Visvesvara Thirtha. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay-7. Price: Rs. 60.

These are talks on the Bhagavat Gita delivered by H. H. Sri Visvesvara Thirtha, Head of the Pejavar Mutt. Originally they were rendered in Kannada to Hubli audiences and collected in book in 1967. Now, finding them of merit enough to be spread to a wider audience, the present translators have published an English version of the same. The translation has been done with care and efficiency.

The entire theme emphasised in these lectures is of the message of the Gita as of selfless action and complete devotion to the Supreme Being. Karma Yoga and Bhakti, according to the Swami, have to be of constant assistance if one wants salva­tion from the coils of Samsara. Declared thus, the Swamiji: “I have followed the commentaries of Sri Madhwacharya not opt of any sectarian attachment. I have tried to place the Gita in the light of Sri Madhawacharya’s commentary, only because I am fully convinced after an unprejudicial, undogmatic and open-minded inquiry, that the heart of the Gita is truly reflected in his commentary.” Hence the interpretations he has given bear out the philosophical trends of Dvaita. Replete with references to many other sources such as the Upanishads, Bhagavata and Puranas, the Swami has unequivocally filled the talks with appreciation of the teachings of Sri Madhwacharya. So also he has to criticise other systems of philosophy, parti­cularly Advaita. So he says, “When it is clear when the final consummation of life can be obtained by the devoted worship of Saguna Brahma and there is absolutely no danger in following the path, why should we then give up the undisputable royal path, free from confusion and harm, and tread the other highly-­disputed path of the soul-self identity and the Nirguna Brahman?” (155).

For understanding the Dvaita doctrines, these pages provide a comprehensive yet brief treatment of them in a very simple way.

–K. CHANDRASEKHARAN

The Fullness of the Void: By Rohit Mehta. Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi - 7. Price: Rs. 60.

This is a brilliant exposition of the Yoga of Theosophy by an experienced practitioner and scholar whose interests are far ranging. What appears to be full for the common man is really empty; what strikes as beyond and vacant is in fact full. To discover this truth is the aim of some lines of Yoga, the theoso­phical approach being the most recent. Drawing upon H. P. Blavatsky (Voice of Silence), Sri Aurobindo, J. Krishnamurti, the texts of Kashmir Saivism and the Upanishads, the author gives a detailed survey of the problems involved and the steps recommended for their effective resolution.

The seeker has to pass through three Halls – Hall of Ignorance,  Hall of Knowledge, Hall of Wisdom – before he can enter into the valve of Bliss. The fundamental clue is to perceive and hold the vacant moment between two thoughts, two acts, two breaths and widen that interval. “An interval was left twixt act and act, twixt birth and death, twixt dream and waking dream. A pause that gave new strength to do and to be.” (Sri Aurobindo: Savitri)The process is seven-tired: Dana, Self-giving; Shila, character; Kshanti, patience; Viraga, indifference; Virya, dauntless energy; Dhyana, meditation; Prajna, wisdom-compassion.

In a beautiful passage, Sri Mehta describes what is meditation: “Meditation is not a thinking process. It is a state where all thinking has ceased; it has not been stopped. When all thinking ceases then the mind is totally silent. In this silence there is no flicker; the flame of consciousness burns bright and steady...a state of silence. And it is only in silence that the renewal of energy takes place.” (214)

Rohit Mehta touches rare depths in his communication, such as only a Sadhaka can know. This work opens up new dimensions in Yoga.
–M. P. PANDIT

Bhagavadgita: An Exegetical Commentary: By Robert N. Minor. Heritage Publishers, 4-C Ansari Road, New Delhi. Price: Rs. 150.

Like most modern scholars, especially the Western, Dr. Minor raises the usual questions in his introduction to his work on the Bhagavadgita. Is it not highly improbable that a discourse of this profound import, running into seven hundred verses, was delivered on the battlefield just when the hostilities were about to start? Is the Gita an integral part of the Mahabharata as it is presented or is it a later interpolation? Is the Gita itself of one piece? Who was the author? When was it composed? The writer quotes the opinions of scores of scholars and commentators but does not himself always pronounce.

Certainly nobody seriously believes that all the seven hundred verses as they stand were spoken on the spot on that fateful day. It is understood that the instruction was given to Arjuna by Lord Krishna at that critical moment in his own way. It was later put in its present form by someone who was open to the ­inspiration of the Lord. Indian tradition is firm in regarding all the seven hundred verses as one integrated message and we are glad that the writer accepts the “basic unity” of the text.

He feels that the text was added to the epic sometime between 250 B.C. and 250 A.D.

Dr. Minor has certainly made a scholarly analytical study of most of the extant commentaries and works on the Gita as made abundantly clear by the profuse quotations and- references he ­makes on every page of his exegesis. It is a pity that he has chosen not to give his translations of the verses along with his commentary. This makes the book of limited use to the general reader. It is only serious research scholars who will find the array of material assembled in these pages useful. As Dr. Norvin, Hein says in his Foreword “this is a tool for use in further work.”
–M. P. PANDU

Claslical Saamkhya: By Gerald J. Larson. Motnal Banarsidass, Bungalow Road, Delhi - 7. Price: Rs. 60.

This is a revised second edition of the work first published in 1969. The term “Classical Saamkhya” refers to the Saam­khya doctrine as expounded in the “Saamkhya Kaarika” of Isvara Krishna, together with the commentaries thereon. A history of the research work done on the Saamkhya system both by Western and Eastern scholars up to 1979, their findings and a critical evaluation thereof are given in a clear manner. Origin, development and culmination of the Saamkhya theory from Vedic times up to the Kaarika’s time are traced out. Author’s own interpretation of the Kaarika’s is given in a separate chapter. Herein is a new interpretation of the philosophical significance of the Saamkhya with special reference to the classical interpre­tation of the interaction of Prakriti and Purusha. Shankara’s criticism of the Saamkhya thought and a possible rejoinder there­to that might be given by Saamkhyas as imagined by the author in a separate chapter is of absorbing interest. Throughout the text the author does not hesitate to bring to our notice the draws as surmised by him and the problems that remain unsolved up to now. The original text of Saamkhya Kaarika in Roman script together with a nice translation is given in an appendix. Glossary of technical terms, a chronological chart, bibliography and index make the work a highly useful one both to the Western and Eastern students of philosophy and research scholars as well to whom in particular this will serve as a guidance for further studies.           
–B. KUTUMBA RAO

Reason and Revelation: By Gopi Krishna. Kundalini Publication Trust (Book-Division), New Delhi. Price: Rs. 8.

Though the book is designed to combat the forces of agnosti­cism and atheism let loose by the modern rationalistic approach of science, the learned author Gopi Krishna whose spiritual experi­ences lend authenticity to his voice, presents a balanced outlook here. He has something fresh to say to the science-oriented, Western world. In the first chapter, “Some thoughts about Religion”, he quotes the views of Bertrand Russell and observes that egotism has not always been the dominant factor in religion; that egotism has been the bane of science and philosophy as well. He concludes: “So long as the real nature of the religious impulse is not located, and the law ruling its manifestation and multi-lateral expression in human beings from the dawn of reason to this day, is not discovered, religion will continue to be a controversial riddle for all time to come.” In the rest of the book he avers that we still do not know of the relationship between the mind and neuronic structure of the brain; that the mind is not the last stage in the evolution of man, which is continuous and purposefully creative; that a day will come when a new class of beings able to draw upon the vast oceanic reser­voir of psychic energy (Kundalini Sakti) will emerge and people the earth, combining the knowledge and art of the genius with love and intuition of the ecstatic. Mankind will reach the pinna­cle of perfection and happiness then. A well-illustrated book of wisdom, it is a welcome addition to our shelf.
–DR. G. SRIRAMAMURTY

This Life: By Pranabendu Dasgupta. Translated by M. Ann Dasgupta. Price: Rs. 20.
The Home-coming: By Kabirul Islam. Tr. by K. K. Dyson. Price: Rs. 20.
Murdered Moon: By Phani Basu. Tr. by U. Bhattacharya. Art and Aesthetics, New Delhi. Price: Rs. 12.
Behind the Mask: By Dr. G. K. Saraf. Tr. by M. M. Thakore, P. N. Shastri, Asghar Wajahat and Carlo Coppola. Rupa&Co., Calcutta. Price: Rs. 20.
The Interior Landscape of the Heart: Tr. by Parvathy Kanthaswamy, Viji Manickam, V. Manicavasagar, V. Nadanasabapathy and Anand Haridas. Price: Rs. 30.
An Anthology of Young Belgian Poetry: Tr. by Various hands. Price: Rs. 60.
Tea Masters, Teahouses; By Werner Lambersy. Tr. by Philip Mosley. Price: 35 Belgian Francs.
Mappings: By Vlkram Seth. Price: Rs. 20.

All the above books, except Murdered Moon and Behind the Mask, are published by Writers Workshop, Calcutta.

The aesthetic refinement of Pranabendu Dasgupta’s poems in This Life is efficiently distilled for us in Mary Ann’s trans­lations. The music of the original Bengali is lost, but in its place there is an inner lilt:

“The generosity
of a sunset in the hills...
haven’t you learned it?”

Kabirul Islam is also lucky in his translator. Ketaki Kushari Dyson, to present in English his gentle and mystical lyrics in The Home-coming.The generous dedication to “all lovers of poetry, art and aesthetics” apart, the Murdered Moon of Phani Basu treasures the rich experience gathered from Dr. Basu’s vocation of medicine and hobby of painting. Some or the still images in “The Cactus”, “The Boatman’s Dilemma” and “De No Vo” deserve particular mention. In G. K. Saraf, we have yet another physician straying into the realms of poetry. Dr. Saraf writes in Hindi but in spite of Prabhakar Machwe’s generous certificate of merit, Behind the Mask has little that is distinctive to distinguish it from hundreds of such collections.

            The Interior Landscape of the Heart records the aspirations and anguish of Tamilians living in Malaysia and Singapore. Many of the poems are sharply applicable no less to the India of today. Somachanma’s anger, for instance:

We can cut down a rubber tree
which doesn’t yield latex,
We can knock down a building
which is in disrepair,
We can sell a cow
which will not calve,
But what does one do with a man
who is insincere?”

Twenty-five poems in French of unequal merit written by Belgian youth translated into English are presented in colourful saffron sari by India’s Writers Workshop: An Anthology of Young Belgian Poetry. The prose poems of Francis Dannemark and Michel Gillas deserve a place in one’s shelf of favourites. Philip Mosley’s sensitive translation of Werner Lambersy’s Tea Masters, Teahouses carries a fine preface by Pierre Dhainaut.

“In the dogged Western obsession with power, there is only victory or defeat, which in fact resemble each other; aren’t they both ridiculous? How to escape power? How to write and live this contradiction without arbitrarily reducing its validity or without it tearing us apart?”

By waiting for God? Mr. Dhainaut admires Lambersy for conveying the essence of Taoism in a seraphic manner, and we, agree with him. The poetic murmur of Lambersy is akin to the whispery shakuhachi, the long flute used by Japanese musicians. Mappings by Vikram Seth is a medley of original poems as well as translations from various languages including Urdu and German. We wish him well.

–Dr. PREMA NANDAKUMAR

The Anklet (Based on “Silappadikaram”): By Kasturi Srinivasan. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay-7. Price: Rs. 25.

To confine a great epic as the Silappadikaram into three Acts of an English play, no doubt, requires not only imagination but rare courage. The playwright here has made the intense tragedy of the hero of the epic live within a few pages. Faithful as far as the story is concerned, there is just a slight deviation in Act Two where Madhavi is introduced in the scene along with Kannaki listening to the bad news of the execution of Kovilan for theft of the anklet. It perhaps adds to our better under­standing of the character of the courtesan, Madhavi. The white heat of Kannaki’s remonstrations at the injustice of her husband’s murder by order of the king and the rising crescendo of a battle of arguments between the Ruler of Pandyans and her, keep up the tenseness of the entire drama which in English no less moves the reader by its pathos. Skill of dramatisation is evident throughout and the feeling evoked in the reader is one of admi­ration blended with satisfaction at the art gone into the writing which fills even a tiny bead of poetic expression glow with radiant light of the sun in heavens. Well, the tinkling of the Anklet is heard with no less vividness than in the epic.

–K. CHANDRASEKHARAN

Samarth Ramadas - Life and Mission: By S. S. Apte. Vora & Co.     Publishers Pvt. Ltd. 3, Round Building, Bombay-2. Price: Rs. 15.

Samarth Ramadas was a poet, philosopher, sage, patriot and social reformer. His name is a household word in Maharashtra. The seventeenth century A. D. was a period of great tribulation for India. Hindu society was in distress. Hindu religion was under­going severe affliction. It was facing almost extinction.

At exactly the same hour when Sri Rama was born long long ago, Ranubai, wife of Suryaji Pant, delivered a male child at Jambu, a village on the banks of the river Godavari in saka year 1530 (1608 A. D.).He was named Narayana. While yet a boy Narayana was worried about the welfare of the country. At the age of 12 his marriage was about to be solemnised. The priest was reciting the Mantras which caution the bridegroom about his future.  Narayana tried to understand them. He jumped off the wedding deck. He reached Panchavati on the banks of the river Godavari and practised austerities for about twelve years surrendering himself to Rama. He was popular as Ramadas.

One day some Brahmins of Paithan happened to see Ramadas carrying a bow and arrows. “A Brahmw Sadhu with bow and arrows?” they wondered. They were not, however prepared to be mere spectators. They were curious to test him and ridicule him, if possible. A bird was then flying in the, sky. “Let us see if you can hit it!” they threw a challenge to Ramadas. With one arrow Ramadas brought down the bird. “A Brahmin killing a bird!” the spectators remarked and laughed. They awarded punishment to the accused. Rdmadas underwent the sentence. Yet the bird was lifeless! The spectators exhibited their inability to do anything in the matter. Ramadas implored Sree Rama to bring the dead bird to life. In a minute the dead bird returned to life. The spectators were astonished.

They conferred the title of Samarth or ‘Competent’ on Ramadas. Ever since that event Ramadas was called Samarth.

Sivaji, in whom Ramadas recognised every sign and promise necessary to establish his dream of Dharma, became soon his devoted disciple. Ramadas was a great philosopher who preached that a common man also could easily realise the divine.

The author has done commendable service to non-Maharashtra readers by revealing many historical facts relating to the lives of Sivaji and Samarth Ramadas.

–G. V. CHALAPATI RAO

SAMSKRIT

Srimadaandhra Mahabharata Kathaah. Price: Rs. 20.
Samskrita Kaavya Kathaah. Price: Rs. 21. Both by Garikapati Laxmikantayya, 1-9-327, Vidyanagar, Hyderabad-44.

Hailing from the family of the renowned logician Annambhattu, Sri Laxmikantayya, a retired Telugu professor and scholar in Telugu and Samskrit, wrote and published more than twenty-five works in Samskrit language and won the laurels of many scholars. He is a gifted poet. His command over Samskrit language and metres therein is commendable. The first book under review, written in Samskrit prose, contains selected stories from the five Mahakavyas in Samskrit. Raghu’s march for victory, the episode of Kautsa, Indumatisvayamvara are the topics for instances selected from Raghuvamsa. The stories are told almost in the words of the poets themselves. The second work is a collection of five stories written in Samskrit verses. The author has taken the Telugu Mahabharata written by the three famous poets Nannaya, Tikkana and Yerrana as his source. Thereby beauties or novel ideas introduced by the three poets in their translations afresh are being brought to some extent to the notice of the Samskrit readers not acquainted with the Telugu versions. Rajasuya of Dharmaraja, episode of Kausika and Dharmavyadha, Srikrishna Dautya, Dushyantacharita and Pandavas’ incognito in Virata’s court are the subjects of the five stories herein. Variety of metres and lucidity of the language capture the heart of any reader. These books deserve to be prescribed for high school and college students who opt for Samskrit.

–“SANDILYA”

(1) Sri Kalpa (Srisukta Kalpa). Price Rs. 5. (2) Sri Dakshinamurty Kalpa. Price Rs. 15. (3) Mahaganapati Kalpa. Price: Rs. 12. (4) Sri Hayagriva Kalpa. Price: Rs. 15. All edited by Sri Potukuchi Sriramamurty. Sadhana Grandha­mandali, Tenali.

What Smrities, Grihya and Srauta Sutras are to Vedas, the Tantras and manuals derived thereby are to the Upanishads irrespective of our beliefs or disbeliefs, Mantras and Yantras have their proven efficacy. Various divine powers are given different names, and different Mantras are prescribed for propi­tiating those divinities, based on the experiences of different sages. Unfortunately the literature on Tantras and Mantras, as well as those that are an authority in these branches, are fast dis­appearing. A Sadhaka is left in lurch. It is in this context that the value of the four publications under review is to be assessed. Sri Potukuchi Sriramamurty, acclaimed as a “Muni”, is an authority in this field, an encyclopaedia and a moving library. These four works, written after consulting many available books on the subjects are real gems and practical and authentic guides to the Sadhakas.

Mantra or Mantras, 108 and 1000 names, Yantras, etc., are given in all the four works. Mudus operandi of Japa, Puja, Nyasa, etc., also is described. In the first and the third “homa-vidhana” is also given. Texts 2, 3 and 4 contain Kavacha and Panjara also.

            Sri Kalpa contains the texts of Srisukta and Puruhasukta, and Sayana’s Bhashya on Srisukta. Method of chanting of, Srisukta combined with the fifteen-lettered Mantra, and Purushasukta in general, and in particular cases with different aims of the devotee is described in detail.

            Mahaganapati Kalpa is a masterly and comprehensive work on the Upasana of Ganapati and is a complete manual with many details, that is, more Nyasas and Mantras. The famous and highly potential “Sri Vidya Ganesiya Vancha Kalpalata” is a precious inclusion. In addition to these this text contains two separate chapters entitled “Dikshamandara” and Parisishta thereof. Process of worship of “Bala” is also included.

            Sri Dakshinamurty Kalpa, in addition to the normal features, contains “Vana Durga Panchasati Krama,” “Pratyangira Para­yana Krama” and “Sri Kalpa” also. Vana Durga and Pratyangira are well-known for their efficacy. The introduction describes with authorities the greatness and significance of the deity. Elucidation of the technical terms – Hridaya, Sirah, Sikha, Kavacha and Astra, etc., that we normally find in “mantranu­shthana” is an important feature of this part.

            Sri Hayagriva Kalpa in its introduction, in addition to its relevant normal feature describing the nature of Hayagriva, dilates upon “upasana” in all its varieties, different Dikshas, Kundalini Yoga, Srichakra Nyasas, Rishi and Chandas, etc. “Amnaya­mandara” a separate text giving all Mantras in all the Amnayas with all details is also included in this volume. All these four books easily meet the demands of the Sadhakas, who can read Telugu script, in their respective pursuits.

–“SANDILYA”

Rasarnava Sudhakara of Simha Bhupala: Edited by Prof. T. Venkatacharya. Adyar Library and Research Centre, Madras-20. Price: Rs. 110.

Written by Simha Bhupala II, a royal author and patron of letters in the 14th A. D., is an authentic, excellent and exhaustive treatise in Samskrit on dramaturgy and was quoted by famous commentators like Mallinatha. The author not only defines different Rasas, Bhavas, Nayakas, Nayikas, types of dramas, plot and language, etc., but also illustrates his definitions by quoting relevant verses from works written by earlier writers like Kalidasa. He discusses about the merits and demerits of the views expressed by his predecessors in a lucid and unambi­guous language.

In his valuable introduction the editor establishes with cogent arguments that Simha Bhupala, but not Visveswsra, is the author of this work. His conclusions, that the name, “Recharla” is to be traced to the Samskrit word Rajachala, and that the title “Arigayagovala” is but a Telugu form of the Samskrit word “Arirayagopala” are convincing. Index of the topics dealt with, index of half verses of the Karikas and illustrative and other verses in the text together with a list of books consulted by the author, and different readings found in different manuscripts make this work an ideal critical edition highly useful toall students of Samskrit literature to whom we whole-heartedly commend this book.          
–B. K. SASTRY

SAMSKRIT-TELUGU

Kavyamimamsaa by Rajasekhara with a Telugu Commentary “Balaanandi”: By Dr. P. Sriramachandra. For copies  Srimati P. Subbalaxmi, R-33, O. U. Campus, Hyderabad-7. Price: Rs. 15.

Rajasekhara’s Kavyamimamsa has its own special place in Alamkarashastra. Saahitya, according to him, is a fifth Vidyaasthaana. Classification of poets, Different kinds of subject matter, Influence of Shastras on Kavyas, Classification of sentences, Instructions to poets, Plagiarism, Poetic conventions, Geogra­phical divisions of India are some of the interesting topics dealt with and explained with illustrations. In all these discus­sions, Rajasekhara quotes the views of his predecessors and then he expresses his opinion. The Telugu commentator of this work is not only a scholar in Samskrit grammar, Vedanta and Alamkarasastra, but also a great Samskrit poet. His two Samskrit works, translation of “Gitanjali” into Samskrit and “Susamhata Bharatam” an original drama in Samskrit won awards from the U. P. Government. Herein, he gives Telugu translation of the original text and then, wherever necessary, he gives an elucidative commentary also. Students who are ignorant of Samskrit can understand the text easily and benefit themselves.        
–B. K. SASTRY

TELUGU

Sri Romana Bhashanamulu (Talks with Sri Ramana Maharsbi): Translated by Ramachandra Kaundinya. Sri Ramanashramam, Tiruvannamalai. Price: Rs. 20.

            Talks with Ramona Maharshi is an English journal (Diary) kept by late M. S. Venkata Ramayya alias Ramananda Saraswati. He was with the Maharshi during the period 1935-’39, when the Ashram was at its height of popularity. A stream of visitors, Indian and foreign, distinguished and undistinguished, poured in day in and day out. The Bhagavan has answered their, wide-ranging questions and doubts with a charm all his own. These words of spiritual wisdom would have been lost to the posterity, had not Venkata Ramayya played Boswell to his Master arid with remarkable assiduity recorded all the golden words that fell from his lips, putting them in English instantly (for the Maharshi replied in Tamil except in a few cases) and checking them too, with the Maharshi and the visitors for accuracy of translation. The result of this unremitting zeal and effort is the spiritual treasure-trove before us, first published in English (1955) later in a select abridged form (1961) and now again the entire text rendered into chaste, dignified Telugu by the erstwhile Professor of History, Dr. O. Ramachandrayya (Rama­chandra Kaundinya) who happened to be a writer of distinction in Telugu too. It makes a delightful reading, although it deals with thorny philosophical and metaphysical problems, without being unfaithful to the spirit of the original. It is a noble translation that deserves to be read again and again for spiritual solace and enlightenment. The 29-page index by Prof. Rama­chandrakirti is indeed a boon to laymen as well as scholars.

–Dr. G. SRIRAMAMURTY

Baalasaahiti Vikaasam: By Dr. Velaga Venkatappaiah. Siddhartha Publishers, Karl Marx Road, Vijayawada-2. Price: Rs. 60.

The present generation of our children are the future citizens of India. The primary responsibility and duty of the parents is to see that their children are brought up on sound lines and that they are provided with material for their all round development and thereby enable them to blossom into ideal citizens. Viewed in this light, we have to admit that children’s literature in our country, particularly in Andhra Pradesh, has not been encouraged and developed properly, though there are a few attempts in recent years.

The author, who is a keen student of Telugu literature, holds a responsible post as a District Officer in the Department of Libraries in the State. By virtue of his official duties. and himself being a devotee of the library movement in Andhra Pradesh, he has the opportunity to observe the books that are brought out year after year to find a place in the libraries. He made a regular study of the books that bestow some thought on the edification of children. This formed the basis for his doctoral thesis and the result is a handy volume (which is the first part) under notice. The book has won for the author the Gopichand Memorial Gold Medal and an Award from the A. P. Sahitya Akademi.

The author has divided the book into ten chapters covering the different types of children’s literature – folk songs, stories, lyrics, visual education, journalism, science, etc. The treatment is very analytical and informative. The appendices include list of books useful for further research on children’s literature, bibliographies and catalogues, biographical dictionaries, etc., which are very useful, and enhance the value of the book. We commend the book heartily for all those who are interested in children, and their future.         
–BHAVARAJU

I. Visvanatha Sarada: By Vidvan Tadikonda Venkata Krishnaiah, “Vijaya Prabhasa”, Tirupati - 7. Price: Rs. 12.

2. Visvanatha Katha: By Josyula Suryanarayanamurty. Divi Seema Sahiti Samiti, Gandhi Kshetram, Avanigadda. (A. P.) Price: Rs. 5.

3. Visvanatha Sarada, Part I: Published by Sri Visvanatha Satya­narayana Memorial Committee, Hyderabad. Copies can be had of V. Pavant Sastri, Marutinagar, Vijayawada-4. Price: Rs. 24.

The above three books published in honour ofthe Telugu literary colossus late Dr. Visvanatha Satyanarayana (abbr. V. S.), acclaimed by many as the greatest of literary giants of the century, whose magnum opus in poetry is Srimad Ramayana Kalpavriksham and an equally well-known classic in the field of novel is his Veyipadagalu, which have won respectively the Bharatiya Gnana Pith Award of Delhi and the Andhra University’s prize for novel quite a time ago. The above three books are intended to throw light on the life and literary personality of V.S.

The first is a collection of seventeen short essays claiming to be a collection of essays portraying the literary genius and personality of Dr. V. S. The chief qualities of the various works of V. S. supported by quotations from V. S.’s own works as well as by thoughts and opinions expressed by famous litterateurs of the times appreciating V. S. and his works. The book ends with an essay entitled ‘Ancient Telugu Literature’ containing the views of V. S. on some of the ancient poets and their works.

The second one, namely Visvanatha Katha, serves as a many-faceted sidelight on the literary and personal qualities of V. S. through many personal reminiscences connecting the author and other literary personalities with V. S., where the author stands by as a well-meaning and critical observer. In a small compass it makes an interesting reading.

The third and last one is a collection of twenty-four essays, the first six of which depicting the multifaceted personality of the great V. S., allude to his literary qualities as well. The­ next nine essays deal with some particular aspect of V. S.’s Ramayana Kalpavrisksham. The essays indeed make an in-depth study of the literary value of the portions from the great work. The next three are about the poetry of V. S. in general, shedding light on his poetic style mainly based on Ramayana Kalpavriksham. Erudition is discernible in the essay by Sri Vemparala Suryanarayana Sastry on the poetic scholarship par excellence of V. S. Further three essays deal with the literary merits of poetic works of Krishna Theme and two more with Siva Theme. All the essays, especially those relating to V. S’s poetry, are well-written and make a real contribution worthy of the literary giant. They serve as models for further studies about V. S. The book deserves to be on the shelves of every Telugu library. We hope the second volume proposed to be brought out will see the light of day before long.
–KOTA S. R. SARMA