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DECEMBIR, 1898.)
THE TELUGU LITERATURE.
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Sanskrit drama seems to have taken so firm a hold of Pingali Sûrana, that he could not help adopting the style of the dramatists in his poetic compositions. He had the greatest regard for Kálidaga and some for Båna. But still he did not tread the beaten track of poetic routine, and shews some originality in his poems. He lead a phase of Telugu poetry to a certain extent. The one great pecaliarity with him is that his descriptions are true to Nature, and are dramatic. The descriptions of Ayodhyâ and Hastinapura in his Raghavapandaviya are not byperbolical as is generally the case with other Telugu poets, and I am pazzled to observe that he has fallen into that pit in his descriptions towards the beginning of the Kaldpůrnôdaya, for there is a certain conventionality which Telugu poets generally adopt in their descriptions of towns and cities. which Sûrana did not generally follow. In his Prabhavati-Pradyumna he went straight on with the subject as if it was a drama to be enacted on the stage, and then made Indra and his charioteer, MÂtali, view Dvâraka from their seat in the heavens and describe the place, so that the description of the town was not the poet's but Indra's and Matali's.
The Kallpurņodays is the best among Surana's prabandhas. It was entirely a product of the poet's brain. The following is its story in brief :--
I. - In the Trêta-Yuga. Narada, put to shame by Tumbara, prays to Vishnu who confers on bim certain gifts.
II. - In the Dva para-Yuga. In a park at DvÂraků, Kalabhåshiņi with her female friends is swinging in a cradle. Narada informs his disciple, Manikandhara, that these women of the earth are setting the celestials at naught. Rambhâ, who is beneath a cloud, sauntering in the heavens with her lover Nalakubarn, overhears the conversation, comes before them with her lover, and speaks in rather an arrogant fashion, and says that in beauty she has no compeer. Nárada informs the celestial lovers that there shall arise a false Rambha and a false Nalakú bara, to put a barrier between them, and descends to the earth near the park. The two lovers go their own way. Meanwhile Kalabhishini, who is in the park, sees Nalakûbara and falls in love with him. Narada comes and sees Kalabhishiņi, and informs her that she will one day become a co-wife with Rambha. She hears the good news gladly, serves Närada as becomes a hostess and goes home. Narada then retires to Sri Krishna's court.
III. - Närada goes to Sri Krishna's seraglio with Kalabhâshiņi, leaving Manikandhara outside to play on the vind, and under the orders of Sri Krishna learns music from Rukmini and other members of the seraglio. Sri Krishna invites Naruda, Kalabhâsbiņi and Manikandhara to his presence, hears their music, and says that they are on a par with ench other in the art, and are unrivalled in the fourteen worlds.
IV.- Narada has doubts as to whether the praise bostowed on him by Sri Krishna is merely formal or real, and sends Kalabhâshiņi, with the gift of assuming any feminine form she pleases, to learn the true opinions that the members of the seraglio entertained about him, and informas Manikandhara of the cause of his bitter enmity with Tumbura. Kalabhâshini returns and informs Närada that the praise bestowed on him was real, which satisfies him very much. Nárada then dismisses her, and sends Maạikandhara on a mission to sacred watering places.
V. - Manikandhara goes to Eleśvara Upadhyâya of SÁradApitha in Kasmir on a mission which proves fruitless. He thereupon retires to perform tapas.
VI. - Kalabhashini who has centred her mind on Nalakú bara remains in her park, being very much troubled by her love for him, when Manistambha, a Siddha, comes and creates confidence in her, both by his words and deeds, tells her that he will take her to Nalakübara, and goes up to the heavens with her in his lion-shaped chariot (siviha vdhana).
VII.-Ag his chariot does not proceed far, Maņistambha informs Kalabhâshint that they have arrived at the temple of a deity who has a lion-shaped chariot, and that unless the deity is propitiated, they will not be able to proceed further, descends from his chariot, leaves Kalabhishini near the temple, and goes in search of flowers,
