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BOOK REVIEWS

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“Purpose of Life”: by Dr. P. Dhanavel, (Poetry); Published by: Poets Foundation, 8/20, Fern Road, Calcutta, 700 019; pp 48; Rs.50/-;

In this compilation of his 42 poems, Dr. Dhanavel (Agartala) invariably starts each piece with “When...”, indicating his quest for the search into the purpose of life, and concludes
“When you are aware of your love,
you know the lofty purpose of life –
­the enlightenment of your unity
into the devotion of your Almighty”

As a true vedantin does, he questions each of the actions of man in trying to find out the truth behind. His poetry reaches lofty heights, when he says that we should listen to the music of our childhood through adulthood and beyond to blow the music of man; ask yourself before you aspire for what you deserve right for preserving your soul; when you derive lofty thoughts from trivial incidents, you move towards the glorious self; or, when you live in atma paravidya, you tend to transcend the binding births and deaths; and warns” When you earn bread by your Gunning and lies, you prey upon the earth as her cruel enemy”. He exhorts that “When you search the Self to pay your homage, you rise from sunset to sunlet”.

An interesting and thought provoking reading, coming as it does, from a writer who already published two of the triology - “The Poetry of Life” and “Muse Time”.

- Vemaraju Narasimha Rao

“English Literature for Competitive Examinations”: by K. Purushottaman, Dept of English, Kakatiya University PG Centre, Ninnal; Published by Prakash Book Depot, Bara Bazaar, Barielly; pp 200; Rs 75/-­

This is a useful compilation of information of English writers and literature with a view to helping students appearing for English literature or other competitive examinations. It contains chronological list of writings, the writers and their works, multiple choice questions and their answers for each of five sections:- From Chaucer to Milton; Dryden to Pope; Pre-Romatics and the Romantics; The Victorians; and the modem writers. It also contains model question paper and suggested reading. All aimed at assisting the student in preparing well for the examinations.
- Vemaraju Narasimha Rao

Tirumurugatruppadai Triveni: Nakkeeranar’s Tamil Text with Sanskrit Rendering by S.Panchapakesa Sastrigal and English translation by K. G. Seshadri (Shanmuga College of Engineering, Thirumalai Samudram, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. 1999. 86 pages. Price not stated)

Sanskrit is very much in the consciousness of the Indian today as the current year is emblazoned as the Sanskrit year. Hence a warm welcome to this effort which is a new Sanskrit rendering of the Tamil classic that has been hailed as a mantric chant by devotees of Subramania.

Though the Supreme cannot be visualised by our mental consciousness, the creative austerity of the Vedic visionaries has drawn the image of the Supreme to help the aspirant to reach out to the planes beyond the mental consciousness. The Chandogya says: “The blessed Sanatkumara shows the shore beyond darkness, and him they call Skanda, Yea, they call him Skanda”.

Nakkeerar of the Tamil Sangham period also writes about Skandha as the image of grace, the self-same Murugan who has chosen to reside in six centres of spiritual power located in Tamil Nadu.

            Tirumurugatruppadai is considered to possess mantric potency and is recited by aspirants with fervour. The lover of Tamil poetry also cannot do without it for the work reaches out to the higher ranges of creative ecstasy. Sri Panchapakesa Sastrigal’s Sanskrit version contents itself with a prose translation. It is astonishingly simple to read and at the same time avoids banality. The poetry of the original seeps through thanks to Sri Sastrigal’s choice of words as in ‘Palani’: dundhubhi naada naadite vajrayuta sringavaadya rachanayute sweta sankhaihi sabdhite...

Prof. Seshadri’s English rendering is in free verse paragraphs, the flow of thought being spontaneous. We begin at Tirruparankunram:

Radiant like the far-famed Sun
Adored by all, that traverses the sky
After it rises in the eastern sea,
Delighting all with its glorious brilliance,
So shines Lord Murugan ...

The hill is a riot of colours as trees and plants explode with the gifts of spring while celestial damsels dance with abandon, “their slender feet adorned / With tintinnabulating ankle-bells”. But we are also given a contrastive picture evoking the female ghouls that had danced the tunankai in the battlefield where Murugan had destroyed Surapadman. The pilgrim centre of Tirucheeralaivai (Tiruchendur) gives us an idea of the six faces of Murugan that stand for creation, grace, protection, spiritual instruction, heroism and love. The twelve hands are, none of them idle either, engaged as they are in accomplishing the work that is in tune with the appropriate face.

Tiruvavinankudi is a portrait of the Hindu pantheon and all the deities converge here to be with Murugan and his consort Devasena. Tiruverakam exults in the power of fire-ritualism symbolised by the Vedic hymns of Agni. So our consciousness rises upwards steadily and it is now time to go towards Kunruthoradal (Tiruttani) and partake of the sheer pleasure of joining the tribals in their tension-free life of music and dance. This too is part of the experiential reality for the devotees of Murugan:

While the Kuravas fierce
With murderous bows, drunk with mead,
Distilled and kept for a long age
In bamboo pipes, would dance
In the joyous company of their kin,
In the hamlet at the foot of the hill,
The choric dance keeping time
To the beat of the taboret small;
Companied by their women they were...

Among these tribals we watch the frenzied dance of Velan which brings pleasure to the Lord. In the passage that is titled Pazhamuthircholai the dance of Velan is given a detailed treatment for Murugan loves this self-abandonment:

The Lord would love to dwell
In these and such other places,
Where the devout would sing
And dance in boisterous frenzy...

So what is it that we gain from envisioning these scenes of the Supreme incarnating as Lord Murugan in hilly tracts apart fromthe delight of exquisite imagery? Everything! He is grace abiding and none of us need fear of being turned away. There is his vast army of “puknic imps and dwarfish ghouls” who would intercede on behalf of the supplicants and call upon him for the outpouring of compassion:

And then, He, with his magnificent form
Soaring up to the very heavens,
Would tone down His awesome Godhead,
And reveal Himself in his mild aspect,
Of a young god redolent of divinity...

The kindly god will give us the gift of fearlessness (tyajabhayam) and liberation (sannidhya param) as well.

‘Such and such the ambience rich,
Of the Hill at Pazhaniuthircholai
(With many a grove of mellowing fruits)
Sacred to the God nonpareil
Whom in song and solemn strain we hail
As great Muruga, Lord of Grace!

As the brief quotations stand witness, Prof. Seshadri has deftly managed to keep under his firm control the “archaic words, intricate constructions, long drawn-out sentences, terse style and economy of words” in the original Tamil and has presented a translation that is easy to read. But easy reading must have meant “hard writing”. He has borne his Cross with perseverance and resurrected the ancient Tamil classic for the benefit of a wider readership. As T. N. Ramachandran says in his succinct and meaningful Appreciation, “he has scaled down the distance between the modern reader and the classical idyll”. And in the process paved the way for the translation itself to be hailed as a classic.

-Dr. Prema Nandakumar

Why I have abandoned religion: By Dr. C. Jacob. pp. 120 Rs. 35. For copies, write to author, Barrevari Street, Narsapur, A.P. 534275.

The author of the book who was a devout follower of the Christian faith as a boy, turned into an agnostic as he grew into manhood. The book is about how this change happened, the serious doubts and questions which assailed him as he grew older, and how the Christian faith and its dogmas failed to provide satisfactory answers to his rational doubts. The author who abandoned religion and God however expresses the view in the last chapter of the book, that it is possible for man to live a fulfilling life without God and religion, and that the universal love and brotherhood preached by Buddha and Jesus Christ is the greatest religion that mankind may safely follow.

While the conclusion and the view expressed by the author in the final chapter of the book is salutary and unexceptionable, some of the observations made by him in the earlier chapters as to what is God, what is soul, whether the soul is different from spirit, such as “If animals, birds, fishes and insects have no souls, man has also no soul”. “Doubts of this kind stare at us as long as we believe that there is a thinking personal God and He made the creation and is responsible for every birth and death, whether it is man, woman, bird, beast or plant. Ignorance and blind belief are the main reasons for the multiple faiths, religions and gods to arise, remain and keep mankind in darkness”. So, in conclusion, it can be safely observed that different gods, religions, and faiths are not different paths for enlightenment because they are the offspring of ignorance. But a study of all of these leads to enlightenment”. “Nobody created space. Nobody created time. The laws of nature are not made by any supernatural being. There is no supernatural being. When once we understand these fundamental truths, a great deal of intellectual rubbish can be washed off”. These are controversial. It is not possible to deal with each of them in this brief review but it appears that the logic and reasoning employed by the author in coming to the conclusions he did is somewhat flawed, though the questions themselves are quite valid and relevant. It also seems that the author in his reasoning very often throws out the baby along with the bath water. The very concept of religion and God is abandoned because he finds certain religious beliefs and tenets contrary to reason and common-sense.

“My religion consists, of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble minds. This deeply emotional conviction of the presence of a superior reasoning power which is revealed in the incomprehensible universe forms my idea of God”.

From the above quotation, two things will be clear. First the meaning of religion depends upon one’s own conception of it, the author’s conception being that it represents a set of beliefs according to the Christian faith. Second, according to Einstein we cannot fully understand the ‘superior reasoning power’ of God with our limited human minds. The actions of God could relate to entirely different values and dimensions and the connections between events may also be beyond that which we can fathom with our feeble minds and senses. In other words, it is just possible that He could act in ways that cannot be described or measured by scientific law as yet discovered by man.

We are happy to note that in the last chapter the author expresses his faith in the values of truth, goodness, love and compassion, because without values, life can only be chaotic, brutish and selfish. So, if religion is taken as a set of beliefs, and faith as unquestioning trust in those beliefs, the author cannot be said to have really abandoned religion since he believes in values. The said values are ends in themselves and are desired for their own sake, though we cannot say why they are so desired. The source of these universal values could be the human being himself because these values are not only known by the human mind but also manifest themselves in and through human minds. On the other hand, if the source is external, it is possible that they belong to a mind which is at the heart of the universe, the universal values being the medium through which its nature is manifested or the mode under which it permits itself to be known by us. Or perhaps both the sources are two sides of the same truth and there is only one Truth.

-N. Sriramamurty

“Poetry Pattabhic”: Dr. V. Kondal Rao, 109, Shantinagar, Hyderabad 500 028; pp 30; Rs. 50, US $ 2/-­

This a translation of Pattabhi’s (a noted Telugu poet) “Fiddle Ragala Dozen” of yester years who belonged to the period when Bhava kavita was picking up in Andhra. He claimed that he was not a Bhava Kavi, but was an Aham-bhava kavi. Translation from one language into another requires not only proficiency in both the languages, but also command on the idiom of the languages. Several well meaning translations fail to touch the cord, mainly due to lack of this quality ­failure to grasp the poet’s thought. In the case of poetry, the translation is doubly hazardous.

In this case, however, Dr. Kondal Rao, who is an accomplished, writer and poet himself, did an admirable job. In the introduction, he clarifies how Pattabhi attempted the fusion of thinking of the East and the West. While the fiddle represents the West and raga the East, the title “Fiddle Ragala Dozen” is suggestive of the content of his poetry. No wonder, a reading of this translation beings out why Pattabhi was considered to have influenced the modern Telugu writers of free verse. The translation is smooth and the transportation so complete, one feels that he is reading the original Pattabhi himself.

Pattabhi is known, whether approvingly or disapprovingly, for his lines that he would break the of classical poetry with his free verse. The word used by him was “duddu karra” (a club). The translator uses the word whip as a noun (“With the whip of my free verse”). To whip may mean to beat with a rod as a verb; as a noun it denotes something else - a horsewhip, with which it is difficult to boast of breaking the of even mild poetry. Not that Dr. Kondal Rao has not weighed his words. One feels that a club would have conveyed better the meaning in Telugu.

Though this cute little book of translated verses of Pattabhi’s 12 pieces of poetry, is priced a little high, the get up and production is neat and appealing. It is one of those works which show how a translation should typically be. Congratulations to Dr. Kondal Rao on his achievement.
- Vemaraju Narasimha Rao

Sraddhanjali to Acharya K.R. Srinivasa Iyengar edited by K. Srinivasa Sastry, Osmania University, Hyderabad; Yugadi Publishers, Hyderabad; pages 69; Rs.75/­

This book is a compilation of twenty articles brought together at short notice by K. SRINIVASA SASTRY, an old student of Dr. Iyengar as a tribute to his teacher. The book contains the expression of the deep felt sorrow, mostly of his students, at the passing away of their master and their spontaneous appreciation of their guru as teacher and man. There are also a few articles by others who had known him over the years.

Dr. Iyengar, known as K.R.S. endearingly, will be remembered, among other things, as one who gave Indian Writing in English a habitation and a name in world literature, as a savant and a sage among teachers. As teacher, scholar, critic and man, he was simplicity personified, loving and loved by his students and colleagues alike for his qualities of mind and heart.

The reviewer, himself an ardent student of Dr. Iyengar, drank deep at the fountain of his master’s wisdom and partook of his love and affection during his student days in the University as well as in his teaching career later

This slender volume speaks volumes as a fitting tribute to a personality, the like of whom appear but rarely in the teaching profession and on the literary scene.

- D. Ranga Rao

“The Two Homorous Plays”: A.N. Sharma; 1-4-879/a, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad 500 080; Rs.20/­

Sri A.N. Sharma has authored several plays in Telugu and directed and participated in them, even when he was engrossed in his official duties as a Post Master. As the response was good, he attempted to translate into English two of his comic plays, the sole aim of which is to entertain and laugh away the time while enjoying the plays.

While the plots in these one - act plays are contrived to be hilarious, a la Moliere, the translation leaves much to be desired. The lack of free flow of expression in spoken language, and use of rarely used words and expressions impede the smooth flow of the dialogue. The contrast is all the more as the expressions in the original play click, those in English do not. A little smoothening of the dialogue will be in order. But the plays are meant only for amateur groups and schools and colleges.

As an attempt, the efforts of Sri Sharhla are praiseworthy. One hopes that he will improve the level of translation.
- Vemaraju Narasimha Rao

TELUGU

Rishi Vani: Dr Raparla Janardana Rao, MIG 72, APHB Colony, Machilipatnam, 521 001; pp 82; Price not known

This is a compilation of many well known, oft-used quotes from the various sources like the Upanishads, the Gayatri mantra, Gita, the Vedas, Sankaracharya and others. The explanatory notes under each are concise, yet clear and convey the relevance of the saying to the man. The author does not claim to be scholarly in his book, but his scholastic talent is evident in each of the pieces. It is not only enlivening but invigorating and gives in a nutshell the traditional wisdom handed down the ages.

An eminently readable book.

- Vemaraju Narasimha Rao