Indian Antiquary Vol 52

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Stephen Meredyth Edwardes, Krishnaswami Aiyangar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 364

348
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
(NOVEMBER, 1926
hanging their prisoners. The Ratnagiri District provided an important find of silver lurins, ranging in date from A. H. 964 to 1018, of which two bear a legend in Kanarese. Hitherto it has been up posed that All Adil Shah I was the first prince to strike coins in his own name; but the earliest of the larins in this hoard must be assigned to Ibrahim I. Some of the coins disclose a new name Tahmasp-perhaps the father of IbrAhim I. The researches of the department brought to light also at Broach two Muhammadan inscriptions of the time of the Tughlaq dynasty of Delhi, as well as records of the time of Shah Jahan and Farrukhsiyar and two later Mughal rulers. A new copper-plato grant of Naravarman of the Para mara dynasty of M&lava (A.D. 1110-11) was found in possession of an art collector in Bombay.
Mr. Banorji makes some pertinent remarks upon the neglect of the authorities in past years to strengthen the weaker portions of the famous Portuguese monuments at Bassein, in consequence of which a part of the fine barrel-vault of the Dominican church has now collapsed, and presumably can never be repaired. He also cites an instance of wilful damage by contractors. The débris of some old monuments at Bassein was sold by the P.W.D. to a firm engaged in building now police lines. The contractors thereupon proceeded to augment the débris by deliberately quarrying the existing portions of the Franciscan church and monastery, the Captain's palace and other monumenta of Portuguese rule, undermining them in such a manner that the next mongoon might cause them to fall in ruin. They actually out up one of the inscribed tomb-stones and carted the pieces, away to the site of the new polico. barracks, where fortunately they were discovered. Vandalism of this kind should be heavily punishod, but the report is silent as to the ponalty, if any, imposed on the contractors.
The Report which includes a full description of the monuments explored in Western and Con. tral India, is embellished with many good photographs, and affords ample proof of the valuablo activity of Mr. Banerji and his assistants.
• S. M. EDWARDES.
and the characters and the plot of the drama, the translator refers to the vexed question of the dato of Bhasa and of the authorship of this and the other twelve plays, but does not himself attempt to solve the problem. Bhattanatha Svamin of Kumbakonam published a paper in this journal for December, 1916, (pp. 189-95), in which he denied that the Swapnatieavadatta and the other twelve plays ascribed to Bhasa are really the work of that early author, and charao. terized the plays as "quite modern." His view was to some extent supported by Dr. Barnett who suggested that these works were not written earlier than the seventh century A.D. We are disposed, however, to prefer the opinion of Dr. Max Lindenau who places Bhase in the last quarter of the second century A.D., and relies upon internal evidence, discussed with much elaboration, for the support of his view that Bhasa was indeed the author of the plays.
The translator has given close attention to the structure and details of this particular drama ; and his rendering seems to have caught the spirit of the original, in which the superiority of the Brabman over all other men is constantly im. pressed upon the reader. We are not certain that “Middleman" is quite a happy translation of the Sanskrit Madhyama, though that is its literal meaning. Modern Associations have in. vested the word with a peculiar significance, which cannot be wholly suppressed. Is Dr. Janvier correct in his statement that the epithet Vrikodard (wolf-belly) was applied to Bhima on account of his enormous appetite? In an anno. tated edition of tho Kanarese poem Jaimini Bharata, published in Mysore, the term was said to refer to the hairy chest of the Pandava hero, not to his capacity for consumption of food. The use of the word "caste", too, in reference to the four-fold division of Manu is usually held now to be misleading, the Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaish and Shudra being more correctly described as "classes." But these minor matters in no way mar the worth of the translation, which is certain of a warm welcome from Sanskritists and others engaged in the study of ancient Indian literature.
S. M. EDWARDES. SELECTIONS FROM AVESTA AND OLD PERSIAN
(First Series), Part I. Edited with Translations and Notes, by IRACH JEHANGIR S. TARAPOREWALA, Calcutta. Published by the Calcutta University and Printed at the Baptist Mission Pross, 1922.
The author of this work is Professor of Com. parative Philology in the Calcutta University and has prepared this series of selections from the Avesta for the help of those Indian students who choose Comparative Philology as one of their
THE MADHYAMA VYAYOGA, & drama composed by the poet BHASA, translated from the original Sanskrit, with introduction and notes by Rev. E. P. JANVIER The Woaleyan Mission Press, Mysore, 1921.
This English edition of one of the much-discussed plays of Bhasa was originally presented by the author to the Faculty of the Graduate School in the Pennsylvania University in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Dootor of Philosophy. In the course of his introductory essay, which discusses the position of the Sanskrit poet, the historical setting of the play,