Indiens Beitrag zur Kultur der Menschheit by Wilhelm RauReview by: Ludwik SternbachJournal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 99, No. 3 (Jul. - Sep., 1979), pp. 530-531Published by: American Oriental SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/602481 .

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530 Journal of the American Oriental Society 99.3 (1979)

well as her observation about rhymed verses. It is, however, difficult to accept S.S-F.'s assertion that "never before has one seen in Sanskrit rhymed verses" (p. 16). We come across some rhymed verses in samasyas (e.g., one quoted in the Bhojaprabandha 161). Though Bhallala was a later author than Jayadeva, the sama sya included in the Bhojaprabandha was attributed to early authors, viz., partly

Bana and partly to Kalidasa. The verse, in any case, must have been famous quite early, for it was included as a single subhosita in the Sarngadharapaddhati (3588); it is a perfect puspitagra verse and its padas end with patafigah, mattabhrfgah, vihafigah and anahgah.

S.S-F. sees the innovation in the kavya of GG. in the adaptation in Sanskrit of popular songs and their inclusion among verses composed in pure kavya-style. This mixture of the verses is completely new she concludes and observes that Jayadeva wanted to write a kavya-work but with strong ties to the current, at this time, popular literature. She closes her dissertation with the following:

"Le Gitagovinda se situe ... entre deux traditions differentes: celle du mahakavya sanskrit, et celle de la tradition populaire. Le genie du poete a su reunir et harmoniser en langue sanskrite des elements contra- dictoires, et il est ainse le temoin dune epoque tres fertile dans l'histoire du Bengale et de l'Inde" (p. 157).

On the other hand she writes that it is difficult to distinguish in a work as GG. is, between tradition and stylistical innovation, "for it is a poem of perfect harmony. It is better to talk about innovation in the tradition." Jayadeva, according to S.S-F. does not break with the great tradition of Sanskrit literature; on the contrary, "he infuses new life in the dying Sanskrit literature written in a dead language"

(p. 19). This reviewer cannot agree with the description of

Sanskrit of the twelfth century as a "dead language." Then, was it not as living as it was several centuries before when the main masterpieces of Sanskrit literature were composed: and even as it is living today? It was spoken and known among a class of people only, it is true, but it was not "dead"; it was known to exist at the court of king Laksmanasenal the probable patron and protector of Jayadeva and other poets of his court, as Umapatidhara,2 Sarana, Govardhana, Autkala, Soma, Svahasudhakara, Srutidhara, Kaviraja and others who all wrote in Sanskrit. The GG. was also not, as S.S-F. states "the last masterpiece of Sanskrit literature" (p. 19); it was perhaps one of the later chef-d'oeuvres of Sanskrit literature.

S.S-F.'s work is a very thorough, deep and well documented study on the GG., the best of its kind; in reality it is the only existing study on the entire GG. This reviewer

warmly compliments Stella Sandahl-Forgue for her study, as well as the critical text of the GG. appended to the volume (pp. 161-207) with a very useful and exhaustive index verborum (pp. 209-268); the bibliography (pp. 269- 275) should be read together with the New Catalogus Catalogorum (NCC6, pp. 26-37).

LUDWIK STERNBACH

PARIS

1 Although R. Pischel quoted only three verses of Laksmanasena (p. 18) thirteen verses were attributed to Laksmaniasena in subhasita-samgrahas: Sad-ukti-kamamrta 1061, 2056, 200 (=Padyavalf 202), 884 (=Sarftgadhara- paddhati 3567 and Jalhania's Saktimuktavalf 295.2 attributed to Rudra(ta); it is also a Rudrata's Srhgaratilaka verse 1.35, 282 (=Padyavalf 260), 552, 780, 998, 871; also (?) garfigadhara-paddhati 523 (=Padyaracana 103.68 and Padyavenf 702, etc.).

2 Although R. Pischel quoted only four verses of Umapati(dhara) (p. 18), one hundred and seven Sanskrit verses were quoted in subha ita-samgrahas as attributed to Umapati(dhara), viz., in Sad-ukti-karnamrta, Jalhania's Sfiktimuktavali, Padyavali, Subhasitaharavalf, Rasikajivana, Subhasitasavasktasloka and Vidyakarasahasraka. In addition, Umapatidhara was the author of the Deopara inscription 36 verses long (a prasasti) (see: Epigraphia Indica 1.307- 1 1, JASB. (I1865) 142-154, Inscriptionsfrom Bengal 3.42- 56; 106-116; Poona Orientalist 26.46, Journal of the Bihar and Orissa Research Society 3.24-25) of which four verses were included over the name of Umapatidhara in the Sad-ukti-karnamrta (Skm.), viz., 7 = Skm. 1614, 23 = Skm. 1455, 24 = Skm. 2379, 30 = Skm. 1454; and two verses in the Madhainagar inscription attributed to Laksmanasena, viz., 7 = Skm. 1613, 12 = Skm. 1569.

The mention by Jayadeva in GG. 1.4 that Umapatidhara "lengthens verses by additions of adjectives" (fait s' panouir les paroles comme des bourgeons [p. 13 1 ]) was influenced by Umapatidhara's own assertion in the Deopara inscription (verse 35) that his "understanding was refined by the study of words and their meanings."

Indiens Beitrag zur Kultur der Menschheit. By WILHELM

RAU. Pp. 27. Sitzungsberichte der Wissenschaftlichen Gesellschaft an der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universitdt, Frankfurt am Main. Band 13, No. 2. Wiesbaden: FRANZ STEINER VERLAG G.M.B.H. 1975.

"India's Contribution to the Culture of Mankind" is the text of a lecture delivered by W. Rau at the meeting of the

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Brief Reviews of Books 531

Scientific Society of the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt on the 4th of May, 1974. It was a popular and general rather than a scientific lecture which is now published in book form with inadequate references. It does not bring to light any new material hitherto unknown and deals mostly and sketchily with the contribution of India to mathematics, medicine, astronomy, world literature and grammar. Even the map showing the routes of expansion of Indian culture to the East, South, North and West of India is not original; it was taken from A. Foucher's "La vieille route de l'Inde de Bactres a Taxila," Paris, 1942, 1.5.

LUDWIK STERNBACH

PARIS

Od Bengalu do Bangladeszu (From Bengal to Bangladesh). By JAN KIENIEWICZ. Pp. 284. Warszawa: KSIAZKA I

WIEDZA. 1976. Price, zI. 40. Kerala od rownowagi do zacofania (Kerala; From

Equilibrium Towards Backwardness). By JAN KIENIEWICZ.

Prace Instytutu Historycznego Uniwersytetu War- szawskiego, No. 2. Pp. 184. Warszawa, WYDAWNICTWA

UNIWERSYTETU WARSZAWSKIEGO. 1975. Price, z1. 19.

The books were written by a historian and, in particular, the first one must be considered as a history of the birth of Bengladesh. In this book the author gives the history of the creation of the Anga kingdom in the Western part of Behgal in the sixth century B.C. (?), then the history of Bengal under the Maurya dynasty, under the Guptas and as part of the kingdoms of the Palas and the Senas. The second part deals with the conquest of Bengal by the Muhammadans, the battle of Tukuroi, the creation of the capital in Dacca in A.D.

1608 and the battle of Palasf (Plassey) in 1757. The third part discusses the East India Company, its conquest of Bengal and its administration and then touches upon the history of Bengal from 1905 (division of Benigal, creation of the capital in Caluctta, etc.) until August 15, 1947, i.e., the date of independence of India and Pakistan. The last part discusses the history of Pakistan, and particularly of East Pakistan, until April 10, 1971, when Bangladesh became independent, the book ends with the return of Majibur Rahman to Dacca on January 10, 1972.

The presentation is clear and the book is well written; it is rather destined for the general public than for specialists.

The second book of the author is somewhat different in approach and intent. Though the author gives a short history of Kerala from the fifteenth century onwards, he

concentrates on the reconstruction of the process of the formation of what is called today a state of backwardness. He deals, in particular, with the forms of ownership of means of production including joint ownership,1 rights to land and the crops, role of the caste order, biological environment, ecological equilibrium, population problems, etc.

His remarks are, generally, valid and sound and the conclusions well-digested. His study is worthy of translation into English, so that it may be accessible to Indian and Western readers.

LUDWIK STERNBACH PARIS

1 It is not as the author suggested a "specific" situation, but a remain of the "joint family" system known in ancient and mediaeval India and still prevalent in some parts of India of today.

Klassiceskaya drama Vostoka; India, Kitay, Yaponya [Classical Drama of the Orient: India, China, Japan]. Izdel'stvo "Chudozhestvennaya literatura." Pp. 80. Moskva. 1976. Price Roubles 2.41.

The book is divided into three parts: India, China and Japan. Each of these three parts contains translations of dramas written originally in Sanskrit, Chinese and Japanese, for the book deals only with the classical epochs of the drama. Each part is introduced by a concise and scholarly written preface dealing with the characteristics of dramas in the countries mentioned above by Y. Alichanova, V. Sorokin and V. Markova.

The first part dealing with Sanskrit drama contains translations of fragments of Bhasa's Svapnavasavadatta; Stidraka's Mrcchakatika, Kalidasa's Abhijhtnagakuntala, Harsa's Ratnavali, Bhavabhoti's Malat! and Madhava and the entire Vararuci's bhana, Ubhayabhisarika. The inclusion of this bhana (with an excellent translation by I. Serebryakov) is a very healthy innovation, for other works of a similar genre usually confine themselves to the well known dramas (as the five dramas mentioned above) and never contain translations of one-act comic monologues, the buadnas, which often throw a very interesting light on the life of ordinary people and their faults and vices.

Parts II and III contain the translations of the most famous Chinese and Japanese classical dramas in their entirety or in fragments only.

Each drama is supplied with useful notes and explana- tions of the terms used in the translations of the dramas

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