Recent Russian Publications On Indian Epic

Author(s): J W De Jong
Publisher: J W De Jong

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THE ADYAR LIBRARY BULLETIN
technique in M are the supporting words whereas pure formulas play only a subordinate role.
We have analysed in some detail Vasil'kov's two articles. It will not be possible to do the same for Grintser's book. His book is divided into two parts. The first is entitled 'oral and written tradition in the old Indian epic', the second 'typology of the old Indian epic'. The second part is a wide ranging study of the Indian epic in comparison with other epics in which fundamental problems concerning the relations between folktale, myth and epic are studied. This part of Grintser's book is much more speculative than the first part. Even a bare summary would be beyond the scope of the present article. For this reason we will limit ourselves mainly to the first part in which Grintser examines the characteristics of oral epic technique in the two Indian epics.
Grintser has published in 1960 a translation of the Vikramacarita according to the Southern recension, in 1963 a study on the Indian frame-story and in 1970 a little book for the general reader on the Mahabharata and the Rāmāyaṇa.1 From 1969 onwards he has published several articles on the epic which foreshadow the main conclusions at which he has arrived in his book.
The first chapter of part 1 deals with the oral performance of the epic and the performers. Most of the
1 Zhizn' Vikramy ili 32 istorii tsars' ogo trona. Moskva, 1960; Drevne-indijskaja proza (obramlennaja povest'). Moskva, 1963; 'Mahabharata' i 'Ramajana'. Moskva, 1970.