________________
160
N. M. KANSARA
SAMBODHI
(only in the words of Siśupāla in the Sabhaparvan), while he abused Krsna. The genuineness of such a place, according to Dr. Shastree, may perhaps be doubtful or perhaps it may be an earlier interpolation. To find out narrations of Krsna's childhood we have to turn to the Purānic literature, such as the Matsya, the Vāyu, the Brahma, the Visnu, the Agni, the Linga, the Bhāgavata, the Padma, the Brahmavaivarta, the Devi-bhāgavata Puranas, and also to the Garga-samhitā. Over and above these, the stories about the life of Krsna have been narrated in dramas and poems also, and in these works of creative authors fanciful incidents have been added. This sort of creative literature cannot help us in getting authentic material. Still however, Bhāsa's Bālacarita is perhaps the first drama so far known, which is noteworthy as it narrates the most natural boy-hood of Krsna; doubtlessly it is earlier even than the genuine portions of Harivamsa and than even Patanjali.. Dr. Shastree has then listed twenty events or topics calculated to help us to derive the details of the boyhood of Krsna, as known upto the time of Bhāsa (i.e. about the 3rd Cent. B. C.). It is a pity that on pp. Xlii-xliii, in the introduction, the last six lines of p. xlii and the first ten lines of p. xliii are duplicated due to the oversight of the proof-reader.
In Critical Notes, the editor has given a key to understand the essence of the Tenth Skandha. The chief topic narrated here is the confinement (nirodha) souls to achieve oneness with the Almighty, the sub-topics being the birth (janma) of the Almighty, the malignant (tāmasa) people, those endowed with the quality of emotion (rajas), those possessing goodness and purity (sättvika), and those surpassing all the three modes or qualities of rajas, sattva and tamas. i.e. Nirguna. These five topics have been treated in the Adhyāyas 1 to 4, 5 to 32, 33 to 60, 61 to 81, and 82 to 87, respectively. He has further tabulated sub-sub-topics, too. And lastly, an Errata has been given, though not fully, since a rubber-stamp informs us that it is to be continued in Vol. IV, Part-II. N.M.K. THE IDEA OF AHIMSĀ AND ASCETICISM IN ANCIENT INDIAN TRADITION by Dr. Bansidhar Bhatt. B. J. Institute of Learning and Research, Ahmedabad, 1995. pp. vii + 98. Rs. 78/-.
The present monograph is an outcome of the three research lectures delivered by the author in February, 1993 at the B. J. Institute of Learning and Research, and apart from some alterations and additions, it is identical with the one that was presented earlier in December, 1992 for publication at the Centre for Indian and Inter-religious Studies, Rome (Italy). The reason is it was practically impossible for the author to work out a new theme for the research lectures
