Indian Antiquary Vol 05

Author(s): Jas Burgess
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 39

JANUARY, 1876.]
BOOK NOTICES.
31
Among acquisitions referring to other sus- able extent. It was composed in the time of Zainu'l tras deserve to be mentioned a commentary on Abidin (1417--1467 A. D.) who, according to the the Bhagavadgita by Abhinavagupta; the Nydya- statements of the Pandits, caused many Sanskanlalt; the Nyáyakaliled; two birch-bark MSS. krit and Persian works to be translated into Kasof A parárka's commentary on Yajstavalkya; Brah- miri. magupta's Karana with Varunabhatta's and I have also secured a modern poem treating of Psithadakasvâmin's commentaries; and Kosas by the loves of Nå gårjuna and Hiya m & 1 d. NagMankha and Kshemendra deserve to be mentioned. arjuna, the great snake-king, who is enumerated
I bave finally to call attention to some works in among the rulers of Kaśmir, and the Barbarossa the Kaśmiri language which will have a special in- of Kasınir,-Lalitâ dit y a, are to the present terest for students of the Indian Prakrits. The old- day the favourite heroes of the bards. est amongst these is the song of Lalla,' Lallick. These acquisitions are so much more interesting ydni. It contains stanzas on the Saiva creed, and as Kasmiri was supposed to be destitute of an is attributed to a poetess named Lalls. The poem ancient literature. But it appears now that it was is accompanied by a full Sanskrit commentary. a written language quite as early as any of the
Another work, the Båndsuravadha, is of consider. | Indian Prakrits.
BOOK NOTICES. THE TANJORE MARATHA PRINCIPALITY: the Land of the LES STANCES EROTIQUES, MORALES ET RELIGEUSES DE Chola, the Eden of the South. By W. HICKEY. Madras,
BHARTRIHARI, traduites du Sanscrit par Paul Regnaud 1875.
Membre de la Société Asiatique. (Paris : Ernest LeThe greater part of this work is purely political,
roux, Editeur. 1875.) .but Mr. Hickey does not consider himself bound by unities of place or subject. Immediately after the
This is apparently the first of a series of Indian
classics for French readers. The object of the sestatistics of population of the interesting tâlukas of Kumbakonam and Negapatam, he gives us an essay
ries is sufficiently indicated by the motto Humani
nihil alienum which the translator has inscribed upon "statue-sculptured idolatry," which is illus. trated by a description of the caves of Elephanta.
on his title-page. As the Academy observes,
the number of students of Sanskrit literature, These our author considers to be "probably the most
considered as one of the most interesting pages ancient temple raised by human ingenuity in per
in the intellectual history of the world, is increas. petuation of religious truth," "tallying strangely with the symbolism of Egypt," and connected, as
ing every day, and M. Paul Regnaud no doubt far as we can comprehend his not very lucid argu
hopes to do for this class among his countrymen
what the late Dr. Horace Hayman Wilson so sucment, with Freemasonry! The great Trimurti is to him “the High Altar"; and various figures
cessfully accomplished for English readers. in relief are identified with "the I Am of the
He seems to us to have acted wisely in select. Holy Writ," and with Him "described as Jehovah
ing Bhartsihari's Stanzas on Love, Morality, and by penmen of inspiration." One group of what
Religion as the first volume of his series. The Mr. Hickey calls " sculptury" "portrays," in his
writings of that Indian Solomon contain many opinion, "the Mosaic account of the Fall," and an
shrewd reflections which are quite as applicable other suggests to his mind the Last Judgment.
to European as to Asiatic humanity; and, if a for. This farrago of nonsense is a fair sample of his
eigner may be permitted to make the remark, they archæological attainments. In modern history,
retain in the prose version of M. Regnaud much by dint of extracts (not always in inverted com
of the neatness and epigrammatic point which mas) from standard authors, he gets on rather
characterizes them in their Sanskrit dress. better, though he will find it rather difficult to
M. Regnaud is no bigoted Indianist. His re prove his assertion that "while the Maharaja marks on the value of Sanskrit studies seem to us Rajaram of Kolhapur was but a collateral and ad. to be so eminently just, that we cannot deny our optod descendant of the great Sivaji, the Princess selves the satisfaction of quoting them :of Tanjore is his direct lineal surviving descendant, "The importance, from the point of view of and has a claim not only to Tanjore, but also to linguistic science, of philosophy, and even of the kingdoms of Satara and Kolhapur, de facto de history in its inorganic state, of the great Indian jure" (sic)! A claim de facto to kingdoms two of literary monuments, especially of those of the which have disappeared for a generation, while the Vedic period, is no longer doubted by scholars; third is in the adverse occupation of a very lively but though when regarded in this light they and healthy young prince, is a novelty in political rival the most precious records which classical law, but not much more extraordinary than the antiquity has bequeathed to us, we cannot affirm greater part of this writer's eloquence.
the same with regard to their literary value.