Indian Antiquary Vol 59

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 27

JANUARY, 1930]
BOOK-NOTICE
BOOK-NOTICE THE BHAGAVADGITA, TRANSLATED FROM THE SANS. editio princeps of Schlegel (and Lassen). The pre
KRIT WITH AN INTRODUCTION, AN ARGUMENTsent writer has, however, pointed to the quotationg WXD A COMMENTARY BY W. DOUGLAS P. HILL. from the Bhagavadgita by Albiranil as indicating xii + 303 pp. 8vo. Oxford University Press. the existence of another text, and he still believes London: Humphrey Milford, 1928.
this to be the case. Professor F. O. Schrader, who The Bhagavadgita still holds its sway over the ! on this point cherishes a different opinion, has Hindu mind as being one of the most admirable and pointed out the existence of a text containing 745 saintly poems ever brought forth by the human verses instead of the traditional 700—which is intellect. It still seems to interest and stimulate in fact mentioned already in the M. Bh. vi, 43, 4-6. Western scholarship as much as it did a hundred But the summary of that text given by Profesor years ago, and there is certainly not a year that Schrader proves it to be extremely doubtful whether passes without conferring upon us some learned it can really claim any great age at all. Thus there contribution towards the understanding of this is no room for textual conjectures although a few text--wbother in one of the very numerous perio. verses seem strongly to invite suggestions. To quote dicals of Europe, India or America.
ope or two instances : in 3, 23-29, we find the It is thus with every reason that Mr. Hill, former actual text roading thus: ly of King's Colloge Cambridge, and a lato principal Yadi ny aham na vartteyam jdtu karmasy alanof Jay Narayan's High School at Benares, has dritah undertaken to re-edit the Bhagavadgita together Mama vartmd nu variante manupyah pdrtha aarwith an introduction and an English translation.
vada) || 23 | Let us admit at once that he has succeeded quite Utsideyur ine lokd na kuryam karma oed aham well with his not very easy task, and that he has given Samkaraaga ca kartta Ayam upahanydm imda us a very useful handbook for lectures as well as for
praja! || 24 || private studies. The text is admirably printed, like
As these verses stand the latter half of v. 23 must everything issued by the Oxford University Press.
needs form a sort of parenthesis, which is rather The English translation is clear and fluent and
awkward. But this half-verse is identical with the gives & very good idea of the not always very pel second part of 4. 11. where everything
second part of 4, 11, where everything is in order ; lucid arguments of Srf Bhagavdn. The introduc. and I should think it very probable that in our tion contains what we might expect to find there, I passage the text originally ran thus: viz., a collection of notices on Krsna Vasudeva and
mama varttmdnu vartteran manupyda pdrtha aarhis cult, together with an exposition of the main doctrines of the Bhagavadgit; there is also an ample which would make the whole & well defined and and generally very helpful conspectus of the main unimpeachable sentence. And in 11, 12, it would contents of the poem. The commentary on tho
i certainly ameliorate the sense to a considerable de text limits itself to paraphrasing the native com
gree if wo were allowed to read thus : mentators. We might have wished it somewhat
divi odryasahasrarya bhaved yugapad ndhild otherwise, but we shall by no means argue this
yadi bhdsadrat na sydd bhdaas tarya mahdipoint, as that is mainly a matter of taste. The pre
manah Il went writer has already found opportunity to use Mr.
instead of the traditional sadra od sydd, etc., which Hill's work as a text-book for a series of lectures, and
is certainly rather tame. he can warmly recommend it for its sound qualities. On the questions dealt with in the introduction
But these may be futile speculations. There aro, we shall not dwell here, as they will partly be touch
however, several passages where we feel we must ed upon in a separate article in this journal. As for
disagree with the learned author on points of transthe doctrines of the Bhagavadgita, the main impres
lation, textual criticism, eto. And we shall now sion of the present writer is that they have been
allow ourselves to touch upon a few of these passages. strongly overrated. The poem in its present shape
In 1, 7, mibodha hardly means 'learn' but rather contains a most marvellous jumble of sublime doc.
mark,' observe.' 3 In 1, 10, aparydpla and par. trines and nonsensical platitudes; but that probR y dpta form an old cru translatoris. They cannot, bly has got something to do with the origin and
however, mean 'too weak' and 'too strong 'which growth of the text. Anyhow, the astounding hy.
in the month of Duryodhans sounds absurd; the pothesis of the late Professor Garbe concerning
sense must rather be that of 'full'='tightly closed,' & Samkhye and a later Vedanta version explains packed together, which talice fairly well with nothing, as it remains entirely fanciful.
the next vers. 1, 23, does not, of course, forma · The Bhagavadgita pretends to be a text with continuation of 1, 22, but is a self-contained sentence; next to no varice lectiones, and consequently the Schlegel correctly tranplates the words : yotoyamd. vext of Mr. Hill is on the whole identical with the ndn avekse, "ham ya ete' tra samdgardh by 'proelia
1 Cp. JRAS. 1925, p. 802. ? Cp. Aus Indiens Kultur Festgabe far R. v. Garbe (1927), p. 171 1. 3 Schlegel correctly translates animadverte.'
1 Cr.e.g., M. Bh. , 186 : dvdrdri...... parydptani bhansi ca and Kumaras. III, 54 : parydplaput pasabak ivanamrd, where the sense is somewhat the same.
wadah