Reviews

The Heroic Argument–A Study of Milton’s Heroic Poetry: By Dr M. V. Rama Sarma. Macmillan & Co., Ltd., Madras. Price: Rs.22-50.

Milton studies have reached a point where it would be difficult for any scholar to achieve freshness and originality; yet men from India–so far removed from the time and the culture which produced that consummate artist–have been able to contribute vitally to Milton scholarship. Balachandran Rajan’s work has become standard criticism, and in time Professor M. V. Rama Sarma’s Heroic Argument will also find its due place in the select shelf of Milton criticism.

The most difficult field for a foreigner is stylistic criticism, and Professor Rama Sarma, who is currently Senior Professor of English, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, and Principal of the University College in Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati, has wisely avoided this field. Instead he has chosen “to concentrate on the thematic content ofMilton’s heroic poetry, and to trace the concept of heroism through the four long poems–Comus, Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, and Samson Agonistes.” Professor Rama Sarma brings to his task not merely long experience as a research guide, but also a literary apprenticeship of over twenty years. His first book on Milton–Paradise Lost: A Study–waspublished as early as 1951. Heir as he is to the culture that produced the Ramayana and the Mahabharata as well as the work of Kalidasa, what more congenial theme could Professor Sarma have chosen than the concept of heroism?

Milton was from his earliest years “a dedicated spirit singled out for holy purposes” and so devoted himself to strenuous preparation for his poetic task by reading at home till the early hours of the morning, scorning delights and living laborious days at Cambridge, and finally totally immersed in study and meditation at Horton–a veritable II Pernseroso. It is no wonder that his indomitable spirit ever scared to the loftiest heights, and that in the ripeness of experience he should choose the ultimate of subjects–the place of Man in the Universe. In these four heroic poems the consciousness of the ultimate predicament of Man underlies the argument; and it is therefore not surprising that–to quote Professor Sarma–

the Miltonic hero is one who resists evil, or one who exhibits remarkable powers of patience, forbearance and endurance in the face of trials and tribulations, or one who has within him mighty potentialities of martyrdom, or finally, one who can transcend earthly limitations, conquer and subdue vice triumphantly and gloriously.

Having seized the heart of the Miltonic theme, Professor Sarma traces the growth of the concept through the four poems he has chosen. Milton, as we know, did not believe in “a fugitive and cloistered virtue, unexercised and unbreathed.” His protagonists in every case are engaged in a conflict reflected in the universe–the conflict of good and evil. But Professor Sarma has shown that in every case Milton rejoices in showing scenes of temptation terminating in the ultimate triumph of virtue over vice.

Though Camus celebrates Chastity, it is not the negative quality of physical purity, but the positive, militant and dynamic virtue which Milton exemplifies:

Virtue may be assail’d, but never hurt,
Surpriz’d by unjust force, but not enthrall’d.

This virtue is personified in the Lady–one whom we would today call a teen-ager–who is able to withstand all Comus’ sophistry in the great temptation scene.

Professor Sarma devotes the three central chapters to the examination of ‘the heroic argument as found in Paradise Lost–things’ unattempted in prose or rhyme. Milton’s aim is to justify the ways of God to men and hence he is characteristically argumentative–so different from Dante’s vision. He shows how, trained in the subtleties of the schools at Cambridge, Milton treads his way between the Scylla of Free-will and the Charybdis of Predestination to present the Puritan view-point on God’s way. Yet the virtues that Milton presents as heroic are notably different from the wrath of stern Achilles or the rage of Turnus–‘the better fortitude of patience, and heroic martyrdom to vanquish by wisdom, hellish wiles,’ Man’s dharma in other words, is to possess implicit faith in God, depending on His grace, finally attaining regeneration through a life of patient right-doing and obedience to His Will. This is the state of Adam and Eve as they leave Paradise hand in hand, Adam and Eve however are the only protagonists that fail under the temptation that is presented among the four poems, and of course Book IX of Paradise Lost is one of the Highlights of the epic.

            Samson Agonistes embodies the process of regeneratien. At the beginning we find Samson ‘eyeless in Gaza, at the mill with slaves’ at the lowest ebb of his spiritual power, though his strength has returned. He feels abandoned by God and is tempted first to arraign God’s treatment of himself, then to yield once more to wiles of Dalila, and finally to prove himself God’s champion by engaging Harapha the Philistine giant in a trial of strength. The resistance to temptation gradually builds up Samson’s moral power till he seems to hear once again the ‘inner voice’ when the Philistine lords send for him to sport before them on their holiday:

Be of good courage, I begin to feel
Some rousing motions in me which dispose
To something extraordinary mythoughts.

Samson goes forth to destroy the Philistines and be destroyed himself:

Samson hath quit himself
Like Samson, and heroicly hath finish’d
A life heroic.

The basic elements of temptation, and tribulation patiently borne to final regeneration are all seen clearly in this poem.

Most striking is Professor Sarma’s presentation of Paradise Regained as not a poem of action–but as a philosophic poem. Once more Milton uses Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness as the central action–vividly set forth with all the imaginative power of the Master. And again we find that this sublime hero not only vanquishes his Adversary by ‘deeds of peace, by wisdom eminent, by patience, temperance’ but thereby accomplishes the divine mission of recovering the hope of Paradise for all mankind.

            The Heroic Argument contains valuable exposition and criticism of the thematic element in Milton’s heroic poems because of Professor Sarma’s careful and sound analysis of Milton’s mind and temperament. There is little doubt that the eyes of both lay reader and student will be opened to new lines of thought and interpretation of these four poems. We would only wish that an index could have been added. A paper edition may bring the price level down to the level of the serious student and of the junior lecturer; for the book will make a valuable addition to their shelves. Its clear exposition and sound scholarship will always give satisfaction and win for itself a place in Milton criticism in India.
–Dr S. P. APPASAMY

All in All: By M. Chalapathi Rau. Vyasa publications, 12 Thambuchetty Street, Madras-1. Price: Rs. 15.

The art of sketch-writing has not been much in vogue in our country with only attempts few and far between in the fairly continuous history of Indo-Anglian literature. Sustained pursuit of such literary metier requires no doubt absorbed wooing, if the portraits presented have to provide an enjoyable treat in penetrative analysis and sound assessment of character. M. Chalapathi Rau has now been an editor for years of an important daily, and has had numberless occasions to view politicians and patriots objectively winning enviable reputation for his command of a powerful style in English language. It is, therefore, legitimate to expect of him in dealing with leading personalities of both this country and outside, quite an hour of unalloyed pleasure and stimulation of spirits.

Here are forty-two sketches with Sri V. V. Giri, the President of India, taking the place of honour and ending with the celebrated Walt Disney of international fame in the film world. In between are found almost all the notable figures who have compelled world-attention in recent times. There is no particular order or chronological arrangement in these sketches, and one naturally stumbles upon personages as far removed from each other as Jayaprakash Narayan and Mao Tse-Tung or Josip Broz Tito and Winston Churchill, to mention a few instances. Yet none, delineated in these pages, happens to be any the less important in his contemporary value to the other or to the world at large.

Further, the sketches vary much in their length, and some of them appear to have been specially written for occasions to mark birth-centenaries of great leaders of the past such as Gokhale, Tilak or Malaviya. Still one cannot escape a feeling of full justice having been done to some of the subjects herein included, as Dr Radhakrishnan and Mohammed Ali Jinnah. They do certainly compensate for the somewhat scrappy and short ones upon equally deserving subjects such as Sastri or Govind Vallabh Pant. Also an occasional surprise gains upperhand on us when the ever-bubbling humour of Sarojini Naidu has not been hinted at all in a sketch otherwise one or the best here.

These minor points of difference apart, there is no denying the vivid portraiture and power of expression which mark the entire writing from cover to cover. A subtler and clearer analysis of Churchill’s talents is difficult to expect from one who was not on the same ‘dinner terms’ with him as with some others who take their place in this galaxy of famous individuals. Perhaps, Chalapathi Rau could have done greater justice to the art itself, had he consciously sat at it with the purpose of bringing out a book of sketches.

Indeed, we cannot close this review without making special mention of Laxman’s drawings which as the author himself has rightly remarked are ‘parallel portraits’, though his ‘Sastri’ seems the only exception to his mastery of the art of caricature.
–K. CHANDRASEKHARAN

Studies in Modern Indian History–Number one: Edited by B. R. Nanda and V. C. Joshi. Published for Nehru Memorial Museum and Library by Orient Longman Ltd., 315, Asaf Ali Road, New Delhi-1. Price: Rs. 30.

From the plethora or popular studies flooding the book market, Indian nationalism might well seem an over-written subject. Academic researchers of the familiar variety could, however, invest the most commonplace of themes with a mystic aura that could scare the general reader away. It is not an uncommon experience with the serious reader that what is eminently readable is not always equally reliable and what is authoritative and reliable in data is not particularly readable. The problem of the Indian scholar, who does not want to be dubbed esoteric is to combine in himself the two qualities of reliability and readability to an equal measure. The papers on aspects of Indian nationalism, sponsored by the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library amply fill the bill in this respect.

The nine essays included in the volume comprise studies in the rise of Indian nationalism in the first quarter or this century and economic ideas as well as perspectives on economic development. Two of them are studies in leadership, falling into the first category. All of them are substantially the texts of lectures, originally delivered under the auspices of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, and suitably revised by their authors for publication. Scholarly and well-documented, with an objective approach, they are all marked by a lucidity that is their main attraction for the general reader.

In his detailed examination of the Congress split at Surat in 1907, Dr Bimal Prasad tries to be fair to the Moderates as well as the Extremists. He certainly reinforces his observations with relevant quotations from the speeches and resolutions. But the reviewer cannot help going away with the impression that the author’s sympathies lay with the Extremists. From his account, one is led to conclude that the Moderates were far being moderate in their manner, and some of them, in fact, did precipitate the split by their uncompromising stand and aggressive behaviour. On the other hand, Tilak, the accredited leader of the Extremists, appears a picture of moderation and sweet reasonableness.

The popular response to the Rowlatt Satyagraha, of 1919, is approached from a new angle by Dr Ravindra Kumar. He finds how the response was particularly impressive in the Punjab and Gujarat, for very different, even contradictory, reasons. In providing the mass base for the Satyagraha, Gandhiji did not choose to tamper with the people’s traditional social loyalties and distinct group interests. He was able to draw into active politics social groups, which had been inactive before 1919, by adopting “the politics of the social pyramid and the ideology of Romanticism.”

The Pericles–Sophocles parallel from ancient Greece is happily invoked by Prof. R. K. Das Gupta in spotlighting the Nehru–Tagore rapport as part of the cultural phenomenon in the making of new India.

Mr. B. R. Nanda’s study of the role of C. F. Andrews in the growth of modern Indian nationalism is among the most perceptive and precise that this reviewer has come across. “He emerges”, says Mr. Nanda, “not only as Mahatma Gandhi described him, as a great Englishman and a great Christian, but as a pioneer builder of bridges between embattled races and nations, without which the future of mankind would be black indeed.”

Mr. Nanda’s study of the personality of Andrews is out of the common run of personality sketches popular with political journalism. It is a brilliant essay in interpretation. He does not follow the beaten track, and remain content with the stock image of Andrews as a saintly English eccentric, an inveterate do-gooder, ready to go places, where he is wanted. It is his thesis that having regard to the basic assumption of Satyagraha, which was one of a change of heart on the adversary through love and suffering, the fact of Andrews was an essential component of the Gandhian ethic. “If Andrews needed a Gandhi. Gandhi also needed an Andrews.” He looks upon him as a symbol, and a most necessary one, in a mass movement which posed issues on a moral plane and needed to sterilise anger and hatred.

The general reader would cherish this volume if only for the last two essays (by Prof. Das Gupta and Mr. Nanda), which he is sure to find as delightful as any he could get on the subject.
–D. ANJANEYULU

Foundations of Indian Philosophy: By Balbir Singh. Orient Longman Ltd., 3/5 Asaf Ali Road. New Delhi-1. Price: Rs. 27-50.

The laudable task the author of this serious study has set before him is not only to attempt an acceptable interpretation of the Indian tradition in Philosophy, but also to endeavour to provide answers to all those objections which rest on misunderstandings.

In the author’s view, the foundations which clearly reflect the speculative genius of the main systems of Indian thought are metaphysical, religious and ethical. The entire edifice of Hindu thought rests on the notion of moral law–named Rta, Dharma, and Apurva–and also considered as the ultimate reality by all main systems of Philosophy with but shades of difference. The Words Rta, Dharma and Apurva connote at once the metaphysical, religious and ethical ideals. After a critical exposition of the relevant tenets of systems of Indian Philosophy in the first seven chapters of the book, the author concludes that ethics, religion and metaphysics are the three constituents of that reality which is the direct concern of a man in his quest for the highest good, and that they form the main foundations of Indian Philosophy.

The assumptions of the western critics that the Indian Philosophy is at bottom nothing more than theology, that there is no place for ethics and morals in Hinduism and Indian Philosophy, that the law of Karma lacks justification and that there is no room for the freedom of the human will, are rebutted by the author in a remarkable way. In the chapter entitled “The Western Counterparts” it is shown that the ideals of souls becoming ‘most like God’ as in Plato, of the souls becoming divine in comparison as in Aristotle; of intellectual love of God as in Spinoza, and harmony of the individual soul with the divine will as in Kant would seem to correspond closely to the idea of Saadharmyataa of the Gita, Saamyataa of the Naiyaylkas, Niyoga Siddha of the Prabhakaras and self-realisation of Saukara. The author’s criticism of the views of Sankara and the Upanishads on page 32 and 33 are to be reconsidered. A study of this book enables the readers to meet some of the charges laid against Indian Philosophy and Hinduism by western critics.
–B. KUTUMBA RAO

The Gita in the Light of Modern Science: By R. B. Lal. Somaiya publications Private Ltd., Bombay. Price: Rs. 20.

A product of life-long study of the Gita, this exposition–chapter by chapter–aims at finding the common grounds of agreement between this ancient text and the findings of modern science. Sri Lal approaches the Gita as a guide to everyday life–among other things–and discusses how far its main teachings are corroborated by science approaching the Reality from the other end. He draws attention to the Gita emphasising “the oneness, the wholeness, and indivisibility of the reality of existence, and the interpenetration and interdependence of all seemingly separate entities. The morality that follows and the ethics of conduct which evolve are but corollaries of the facts of the unitive existence of all that seems separate and diverse. “He stresses” the double but indivisible aspect of reality–matter and spirit, energy and consciousness, being and becoming.”

Sri Lal draws upon recognised authorities in his study and liberally quotes from them. He focusses the interest on the reconciliation effected by the Gita between man and society, world and God, mind and Spirit.

He concludes: “The scientific, cosmopolitan and humanitarian religion of the Gita is the world’sgreatest need today.”
–M. P. PANDIT

Vidyasagar: By Santosh Kumar Adhikari. Rupa and Co., 15, Bankim Chatterjee Street, Calcutta. Price: Rs. 6-00.

In the heyday of British rule it was not at all uncommon for Indians to be subjected to humiliation by their European superiors in office. Once when Vidyasagar called in the office-room of his Principal (of the Sanskrit College where he was teaching), Mr Kerr, the latter received him with his legs stretched out on the table. But Vidyasagar was not a man to pocket the insult. Next time Mr Kerr dropped into his room, Vidyasagar kept his legs on the table throughout the meeting. When the Principal felt incensed and demanded an explanation, the intrepid Professor wrote:

“I thought that we (natives) were an uncivilised race quite unacquainted with refined manners of receiving a gentleman visitor. I learnt the manners of which Mr. Kerr complains from the gentleman himself a few days ago when I had occasion to call on him. My notions of refined manners being thus formcd from the conduct of an enlightened, civilised, European, I behaved as respectfully towards me, as he had himself done.”

This is one of the notable incidents in the life of Ishwara Chandra Vidyasagar narrated by the author in his beautifully written biography of this celebrated father of Indian Renaissance in the last century. His fearless nature, social conscience, broadness of mind and heart and his deep scholarship are brought out with skill. The opposition that he had to face from the conservatives and reactionary elements in society when he launched upon reform measures like widow-remarriage, prevention of unequal marriages, etc., is described.

In an interesting chapter the writer describes the memorable meeting between Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Vidyasagar, each surpassing the other in humility of heart so characteristic of the great.

A work that deserves to be translated into several languages.
–M. P. PANDIT

The Narrative Pattern in Ernest Hemingway’s Fiction: By Dr Chaman Nahal. Vikas Publications, Delhi. Price: Rs. 30.

Ernest Hemingway was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1954 for his excellent novel. The Old Man and the Sea; and thus he acquired a unique place in the galaxy of American novelists. He was a fond hunter in the wild forests of Africa and a delightful observer of the bull-fighting sport, an irrepressible talker and a true admirer of those who kept silent: consequently appears a fascinating alteration of ‘action’ and’ ‘inaction’ in his fiction. Since his death in 1961, Hemingway has been much decried and neglected. Dr Chaman Nahal, perhaps breathing his inspiration from the creative critic, Carlos Baker, revives interest in Hemingway. Employing the running metaphor of ‘systolic-diastolic’, he exposes the hitherto- unknown importance of the alternating action and inaction in Heminway’s fiction.

In the introduction, Dr Nahal says that the moment of inaction is a pause which is like ‘caesura’ in verse. It is a moment of passivity–physical or mental–rather creative passivity, a state of inertia which is the result of the preceding phase of physical action. In this passivity, the Hemingway, hero finds ‘a greater fulfilment than in heroic action’–‘finds a bridge which connects him with the universe, with the mysterious rhythm of the cosmos.’ As Dr Nahal rightly observes, although Hemingway acknowledges his indebtedness to Mark Twain, he belongs to the great ‘Hawthorne-Poe-Melville tradition’ where the heroes concern themselves with darkness. He points out that in Hemingway darkness is not only structurally approached, but his hero’s moral awareness stems from his consciousness of the dark mystery of the Universe. In the boundless mystery of the Universe, man has his own place of glory. Projecting this higher vision through the moments of his hero’s creative passivity Hemingway surpasses that tradition. The Hemingway hero is involved in a double action: the systolic or physical action akin to the black mystery of life, and the diastolic or passive action in which he remains stunned at the revelations of the dark mystery of the Universe.

Dr Nahal locates Hemingway’s position among the writers of the ‘Complex Twenties’ like James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, William Faulkner, and T. S. Eliott, with regard to the complex structure of his novels. He critically illustrates the complex systolic-diastolic actions in the works and exposes the beauties implied in the diastolic moments of the heroes. Simultaneously Dr Nahal discusses Hemingway’s powerful characterization and shows the charming continuity in his themes.

In the conclusion. Dr Nahal traces the various influences (of Journalism, James Joyce, Gertrude Stein, and Ezra Pound) that contributed to the ‘make-up’ or Hemingway’s two-beat mode of narrative, and explains how it is more than ‘Kiplingesque.’ Kipling has eliminated too-obvious portions to make his stories structurally neat and robust: Hemingway’s structural pattern is consciously based on his ‘iceberg theory’–‘giving certain sections of the narrative a different rhythm’ as in the diastolic pauses–which is his unique contribution to the treasures of fiction.

Notwithstanding some teasing repetition, Dr Nahal’s book affords a comprehensive impression of Hemingway’s achievement as a fictionist. The striking merit of the book is that the expression is simple and direct–free from ‘obscurity and pointlessness’ which is often seen in similar writings. It is a book which should be read by every student or lover of English literature.
–Dr K. V. S. MURTI

Lectures on Comparative Philosophy: By Dr P. T. Raju. University of Poona, Ganeshkhind, Poona-7. Price: Rs. 2-50.

These are lectures delivered under the auspices of the University of Poona by the learned author in 1969, now brought out in book form. The lectures are remarkable in that clarity of thought and lucidity of expression vie with each other in these pages.

At the outset, the author points out that by comparative philosophy we mean the comparative study of Eastern and Western philosophies. “It is for producing the unity of meaning and purpose of life with reference to a comprehensive and integrated system of values that comparative philosophy should have primarily undertaken and these values should have primary bearings to man.” The primary interest of comparative philosophy is human and humanistic.

The author says that to know oneself adequately and fullyand meet the needs of the whole of human nature, one has to know both the East and the West, when only can every vein and artery of man’s being be known. And only then can we know their needs and meet them. The author rightly concludes that any study in comparative philosophy should have as its ultimate aim, the coordination, complementation and synthesis of the concepts and doctrines of both the East and the West.
–S. SHANKARANARAYANAN

Gleanings from the Gita: By P. R. Krishnaswamy Iyyer. Published by P. R. Venkata Raghavan, 8 Ellappa Naicken Street, Komaleeswaranpet, Madras-2. Price: Rs. 2.

Highly appreciated by Dr S. Radhakrishnan and Dr C. P. Ramaswami Iyyer and others, this book provides an interesting introduction to the study of the Bhagavadgita; the message and the truths proclaimed wherein are examined in the light of modern scientific theories and compared with the thoughts of the Upanishads Bible, Shakespeare, Emerson and other Western thinkers. The latter half of the book is more illuminating, scholarly and absorbing. The sale proceeds of the book go to the construction of a temple. We commend this book to all lovers of the Bhagavadgita and to those who lecture on the Gita in particular.
–B. KUTUMBA RAO

C. F. Andrews–His Life and Times. By P. C. Roy Chaudhury. Somaiya Publications Private Ltd., Bombay. Price: Rs. 20.

One curious aspect of Indian nationalism has been the fact that it was never sectarian. The Indian National Congress was founded by an Englishman, A. O. Hume. At the height of the Nationalist Movement in the 1920’s, one of the foremost leaders of the Congress Movement was C. F. Andrews, another great Englishman who answered the call of love and came over to India as a member of the Cambridge Mission and later on discarded the clerical robes in order to serve India and her people in the manner he thought best. Andrews was close to Mahatma Gandhi and to Rabindranath Tagore. Yet, he never hesitated to express his disagreement with Gandhiji himself. He pleaded for complete Swaraj but opposed the Non- co-operation Movement. He was a great Christian but believed that Christianity of the Sermon on the Mount had its roots in the Indian soil. He considered India the mother of the human spirit. Gandhiji admired him greatly.

The book under review is a pioneering and scholarly venture. It traces the role of C. F. Andrews in the Nationalist Movement right from the time he landed in India in 1904 till his very end in 1940. Andrews had a leading role in the Labour Unrest in Eastern India in the ’twenties and the book sketches in detail the course of the Labour Movement in that Period, with particular reference to the views of Andrews himself. The relationship between Andrews and Mahatma Gandhi and Andrews and Tagore is examined in depth.
The author is the Editor of the Gandhi Centenary publications and also the head of the Gandhi Reference Bureau. It is a valuable contribution to the study of the Nationalist Movement of India.
–T. C. A. RAMANUJAM

Studies in Maratha History: By Dr A. Pawar. Published by the Shivaji University, Kolhapur Price: Rs. 10.

In this volume Dr A. G. Pawar of the Shivaji University, Kolhapur, brings to light a number of interesting facts relating to Maratha history. These studies are based on hitherto unpublished source material.

Some of the papers are devoted to the career of Shivaji while the majority of them are related to incidents connected with Maratha history after the establishment of the European settlements in Western India. In an interesting article on the meaning and the use of the word ‘johar’, the author proves that it was a word which originally stood for a respectable mode of obeisance which was later converted into a salutation offered by a servant to his master. There are also articles on Aurangzeb and Nadirshah, the destroyer of the Mughal Empire in India. Finally a few research papers clarify forgotten treaties and practices of the period under review.

This volume will not only be useful for those interested in Maratha history but also for the scholars who are interested in understanding the relations of the European powers with the Marathas. The language and presentation are uniformly good. The essays, however, could have been arranged in a chronological fashion.
–Dr K. SUNDARAM

Evolution, Genetics and Man: By Dobzhansky. Wiley Eastern Private Ltd., New Delhi.

To write a technical book easily intelligible even to a non-technical reader calls for as much technical expertise as skill of presentation. The author of the present book, a well-known biologist, possesses both in abundance. The result: a highly interesting book with a good deal of information.

Beginning with the meaning of cosmic, biological and human evolutions, the author goes on to explain the characteristics of living matter with emphasis on “self-reproduction” and “wisdom of organism”, in establishing harmonious relations with its environment by “homeostatic” reactions. This is followed by the hypotheses concerning the origin of life and the role of principles of vitalism and mechanism in understanding life phenomena. The author gives a lucid explanation of chromosomes (which are “gene carriers”) vis-a-vis their behaviour in cell-division and sex-determination. The role of mutations is described at length in absorbing exposition.

Evolution under domestication is depicted with innumerable examples of domesticated wild plants and animals. The chapter on “Evolution of Sex” gives a vivid account from the beginning of sexual instinct in primitive algae to the most complex behaviour patterns of developed animals. The example of slipper-limpet in which the sex of the individuals (i.e., whether male, female or hermaphrodite) is determined by their position in a colony is fascinating.

An outline history of the life in by-gone ages revealed by fossils is described with reference to the horse whose ancestor lived 55 million years ago. An account of the much discussed and controversial story of human evolution from the fossils assigned to Australopithecus (about a million years old) to the onset of Homo Sapiens (the present man) is presented in an easy-to-understand style. Development of the brain is described as the moving force in human evolution along with the “culture” man has developed from time immemorial. The present human diversity with as many as 30 races spread over the length and breadth of the globe is explained with the help of excellent illustrations. Man is labelled by the author as the “pinnacle of evolution” in whom two evolutions–biological and cultural–are combined in a unique process never witnessed before.

Explanatory suggestions for further reading assist the specialising student in exploring problems of evolutionary biology beyond the limits of the present book.
–K. V. SATYANARAYANA

MALAYALAM

Vida: By Vyloppilli Sreedhara Menon. Published by Sahitya Pravaraaka Co-operative Society, Ltd., Kottayam. Price: Rs. 3-25.

“Vida” meaning farewell, is a collection of thirty-seven scintillating Malayalam poems by Vyloppilli Sreedhara Menon. What does the poet bid farewell to? He rings out the old and brings in the new. He says good-bye to the age of inequality and exploitation, welcoming with revolutionary fervour the advent of a new era when the beauty of nature heralds social and individual justice. He is a rank realist. Vyloppilli is a poet of the soil. Kerala provides the scene and the scenery. The pains and pleasures, the facts and reconciliations, the joys and jealousies, the facts and fantasies of Kerala rural life are painted here with a rare insight inspiration. Poets turn out to be unintentional prophets because of the vision they are endowed with, and Vyloppilli stands in forefront of those who envision a revolutionary future.

Each piece in “Vida” is a poetic masterpiece. Apt images come jostling with one another and provide the mould, the drop and sometimes a shroud for what the poet has to present. In an English commentary on a Malayalam book of poems, it is difficult to illustrate the art with apt quotations, except through the rather lame translations. True poetry, I believe, is untranslatable language, and though we may have to remain content with the second best when we can’t get at the best, I do not desire to dilute the effect of the original with random translation efforts in this short treatise. I commend “Vida” confidently to any lover of literature.
–DR R. RABINDRANATH MENON, I A S

TAMIL

Kavya Ramayanam: By K. S. Srinivasan. Pari Nilayam, 59 Broadway, Madras-1. Price: Rs. 12.

A sense of relief and satisfaction fills our hearts on finishing this very enjoyable comparative study of the two poets, Valmiki and Kamban. In the present-day context where almost every student of Kamban in Tamil Nad, does not merely stop with elaborating his appreciation of Kamban but ventures to contrast him with Valmiki and tries to make out that Kamban has vastly improved upon the earlier poet, we have in this author an enviable balance of mind to view the two epics without any bias or prejudice. On the other hand, the way the whole Ramayana has been surveyed here with enough references to both the Sanskrit and Tamil verses and a true Rasika’s endeavour to share with his readers the individual excellences of the two master-minds, adds indeed much to our own understanding of the genuine attempt of the author to unravel the beauties of both, without in any measure to underrate one at the expense of the other.

He starts with a statement that the story is the same, the entire episodes are the same, the underlying thought is the same except for certain deviations in the story in the later poet, but in the quality of poetic merit each has his own immense contribution to make in creative literature. What more do we need? We are not set upon any business to induce the two poets to run a race for the purpose of being judged who ultimately wins. We are grateful that two such eminent poets belong to us and have given us lasting fulfillment.

In a short review, it will be inadequate to convey to the readers how the author has with much literary discernment and critical appreciation delved into the two epics and brought forth selections from them which easily convince us of his capacity to assess the merits of both. Still, we may not always share some of his reactions to particular passages as not quite felicitous of analogy or appropriate of sentiment.

On the whole it is a profound indication of the author’s cultural steadfastness that nowhere does he stress anything in disagreement beyond a slight suggestion of it. Within 385 pages of enlivening Tamil writing the true Rasika has come out with his unquestionable claim on our attention.
–K. CHANDRASEKHARAN

TELUGU

Lakshana Saara Sangrahamu of Kuchimanchi Timmana: Edited by Kovela Sampatkumaraachaarya. A. P. Sahitya Akademi, Kala Bhavan, Saifabad, Hyderabad-4. Price: Rs. 6.

            Lakshana Saara Sangrahamu, presently under review, can be described as an advanced work on grammar and prosody written in the classical tradition of verse form. Kuchimanchi Timmana, the author of the work, flourished between 1684-1757 A. D. He was an erudite scholar and held the titles “Kavisaarvabhauma” and “Abhinava Vaaganusaasana”. His poetical works like Neelasundari Parinayamu, Acca Tenugu Ramayanam, etc., are well-known to the Telugu readers.

The present work was first published in 1914 by Nandiraju Chalapathi Rao Garu at Manjuvani Press, Ellore, and has not been available to the reading public for a long time. The work is important not only for this reason but for others as well. The author, though a grammarian, was not a theorist and this work is no formal text-book on Telugu grammar. He was practical in his approach, depended on the grammatical usages of earlier poets and produced a compendium of grammatical and prosodiacal usages with the sole aim of lending versatility to the advanced student. Though he followed Appakavi he not only improved on his work but also corrected him.

As it was not intended to be a formal text-book on grammar prosody, it touches upon the rare and unacquainted usages only. For this very reason the varieties of ‘yati’ and ‘praasa’ have been treated in any orderly manner; nor any categorisation attempted.

A word about one or two lapses. Though apparently minor, they are important. The Manjuvani Press edition of 1914 showed of the source books cited by Timmana, along with the names of the authors of the respective books. The present edition chooses to give merely the names of the books: thus Kannappa Charitramu of Kanchiraju Suraya, Indumati Kalyanamu of Angara Basavaiah, Bahulaaswa Charitramu of Kakamaanuraya, Vasanta Vilasamu of Nachana Somana, Dwadasaraja Charitramu of Kattavarapu Chittiraju, Sumati Sataka of Bhimakavi are mentioned without the names of the respective authors on pages 79, 13, 66, 129, 138 and 215 respectively. In view of the fact that a work like Vasanta Vilasa is not extant but is attributed to Nachana Somana and the authorship of Sumati Sataka is still highly controversial, the editor would have done better had he retained the names of the authors also. That would have been academically proper. In case the manuscript copies consulted did not contain these names, at least that could have been indicated.

The book contains a scholarly but lucid review of the subject matter by the learned editor and also four useful appendices at the end.

The editor and the A. P. Sahitya Akademi are to be congratulated for bringing out a well-produced edition ofnot so readily available a work as this.
–Prof. SALVA KRISHNAMURTHI

Sooktimuktaavali: Compiled by Mahidhara Ramamohana Rao. Kaalachakram Prachuranalu, P.O. Nattarameswaram, via., Penumantra. West Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh. Price: R8. 12-50.

Here is an excellent compilation of two thousand Sanskrit aphorisms culled from two hundred ancient Sanskrit works–including the Vedas and the Upanishads. The selection is exhaustive as well as consummate. The compiler has taken great pains in collecting the aphorisms, in arranging them under several sections, in giving the gist of each aphorism in readable Telugu and thus making them understandable to the lay man. The index appended, giving the beginning of each sloka, has enhanced the utility of the book.

As the wisdom propounded in the aphorisms is based on actual experience of the great Rishis, the validity is emphatic and eternal, pragmatic and practical, vibrant and veridical. So long as the characteristic pathological constituents of the human blood are what they are, the historic and fundamental antecedents and behaviour of man remain and will continue to remain as they were depicted by our sages. As such the book under reference is a valuable companion to the present day seekers of knowledge, writers, speakers and students as well. It richly deserves a place in every library–both public and private.

It is gratifying to learn that the publishers propose to bring out an edition with the text in Devanagari script and the commentary in Hindi and English, so as to be useful to non-Telugu knowing readers. The venture is highly commendable and we wish the publishers all success.
–BHAVARAJU