Indian Antiquary Vol 59

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

Page 50

THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
FEBRUARY, 1930
Seven Chola plates of minor interest are also The preface is somewhat grandiloquent for a published in this issue. In an Introduction to the book in English, but Sir N. Chandavarkar's forecompleted volume Krishna Sastri sums up the history word is frank and interesting. The story he tells of of the Cholas down to the conquests of Rajendre his childhood (p. xi) reveals a breadth of religious 1 in the Ganges Valley and Sumatra. But the Pre- view on the part of purely Hindu parents, which face, alas! is by another hand, for Krishna Sastri should put to shame many & Christian teacher of did not live to see this last work of his through the childhood. Of the Notes, I select, for the benefit of Press. In his ripe scholarship, and that of his prede- readers of this journal, that on Gandharva Laws of cessor, Venkayya, Hultzach's labours have borne
Marriage (p. 17): In the absence of a priest the splendid fruit, and Krishna Sastri's death is a grie
contracting parties enter a temple and in the presence vous lose to epigraphic research and to the many
of the deity garland themselves or throw wreaths friends he was always so willing to help and advise.
of flowers on each other's neck and thus they Mr. K. V. Subrahmanya Ayyar, a succesor of are said to become man and wife in perfect legitimate proved merit, has given the finishing touches to manner. The right of contracting Gandharva mar. Krishna Sastri's work, and it is he who edite the
riages is vested in royal personages, and this too minor Chola plates.
only permitted in the absence of priests. F. J. RICHARDS.
Altogether the book is not one to be lightly 19t
aside by the student. GESETZBUCH UND PURIŅA. (INDISCHE FOR
R. C. TEMPLE. SCHUNGEN begründet von A. HILLEBRANDT, in zwanglosen Heften herausgegeben von B.
LES CHANTS MYSTIQUES DE KAYHA ET DE SARAFA. LIEBICH. HEFT 7.) J. J. MEYERxii+122 pp. 8o. Breslau, M. and H. Marcus, 1929.
LES DOH KOSA (en apabhramsa, avec les ver
sions tibétains) et LES CARYA (en vieux-bengali) Dr. J. J. Meyer, shortly aftar publishing his very
avec introduction, vocabulaires et notes éditée bulky translation of the Kaufillya and his important
et traduits par M. SHAHIDULLAH. xii +234 PP. work, Uber das Wesen der indischen Rechtsschrif.
8o. Paris, 1928. ten, has now produced still another volume dealing
Scholars interested in the study of religion, as well with the interrelations between Purana and law.
As in that of philology, will feel thankful to Mr. book in Ancient India. The work is mainly a pole.
Shahidullah for providing them with an edition, mic against Dr. H. Losch, who, in his thesis on the
with introductory and explanatory notes, of these Ydjaavalkya-smrti, tried to subvert the previous ar. guments of Dr. Meyer and to prove that the Sm ti
interesting mystio songs of Kapha and Sarahe.
The Dohd-Koga are the only Buddhist texts in has been pieced together from fragments taken out
Apabhramsa that have so far become known, and of the Puranas, and that no individual authors of Hindu law-books existed.
their importance has been pointed out in brief
already by Professor Jacobi.1 Dr. Moyer pleads his cause in a spirited way, and his work as usual is full of learned and valuable in
To call these works Buddhist is, of course, scarceformation. Personally the present writer feels in
ly correct, for what they preserve of the old doc. clined to think that Dr. Meyer's arguments carry &
trine of the followers of the Enlightened One is good deal of weight and are, as a rule, of a stronger
next to nothing. It is more suitable to speak of
them as Tantric; and their vocabulary, as explained nature than those of his opponent. It is, therefore,
by Mr. Shahidullah (p. 9 sq.), is of the specifically a great pity that this book, like the previous one, should show a lack of proper arrangement and
Tantric trend which may well evoke interest, but be couched in a language that is only partly
which is mainly-like the doctrines it is used to understandable.
interpret-of a very repulsive nature. However, JARL CHARPENTIER.
in the history of Indian (and Tibetan) religion,
Tantra has played and is playing a great role. And FOLETALES OF THE LAND OF IND, by MN. VENKATA- no one interested in the manifold developments of
SWAMI with a foreword by Sir Narayan Chanda- what, for want of a better name, we persist in calling varkar. Madras Methodist Publishing House, 1927. Hinduism, can venture wholly to look away from it,
Mr. Venkataswami is a well-known student of unsavoury though it be from every point of view. Indian folktales, and has in this book given one more The grammatical parts of Mr. Shahidullah's work instalment of his efforts in preserving those to be are gound and full of interest. With his etymologifound in Southern India. He states exactly the cal suggestions we are not always at one, but, having provenance of each tale, has classified his collection found opportunity to go into some detail elsewhere, a and has drawn up, evidently with much labour, en we shall not enter upon that thorny gubject here. index of their contents which should be valuable to On the whole Mr. Shahidullah is to be congratulated students. Ho has also added notes on pointe pecu. for having achieved a good and sound piece of liar to India which require explanation. The book work. is thus of value to students in general.
JARL CHARPENTIER. 1 Op. Sana kumdracarita, p. xxvii. 3 In a review shortly to be publlabed in Le Monde Oriental