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310 NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. original text, this is chiefly due to my keeping myself as much as possible independent of native commentators, who, though indispensable and extremely useful, are so much under the spell of the later systematic Vedânta philosophy, as often to do violence to the simpler thoughts of ancient poets and philosophers.
In the ancient Law-books we shall have fulfilled nearly all that was promised, chiefly owing to the excellent work done for us by Professors Bühler and Jolly. Their translations have opened an entirely new mine of ancient literature, and there has been an unanimous verdict as to the real benefit which they have conferred by their work both on the students of the ancient and on the administrators of the modern laws of India.
We have been less fortunate with the metrical Law-books, but there is every reason to hope that the series will not be closed without containing translations of Manu and Yâgñavalkya by Professor Bühler.
In the later Brahmanical literature we owe to Mr. Telang a careful translation, not only of the Bhagavadgîtâ, as promised by him, but likewise of the Anugîtâ and the Sanatsugâtîya.
The almost fatal illness of Dr. Rajendralal Mitra obliged. me for a time to give up the idea of a translation of one of the Puranas. Professor Bhandarkar has now declared his willingness to undertake a translation of that Purâna which, by common consent, was pointed out as at present the most important, viz. the Vayu-purâna. No one would have thanked us for a translation of the Bhâgavata-purâna, which, though very popular, is known to be very modern, and has been translated into French by Burnouf, a translation to be continued and finished under the auspices of the French Govern
