Avimāraka (Love's Enchanted World) by J. L. Masson; D. D. KosambiReview by: Walter Harding MaurerJournal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 98, No. 4 (Oct. - Dec., 1978), pp. 545-546Published by: American Oriental SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/599800 .

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Reviews of Books Reviews of Books

the lokottara divinities in a specific religious system-are not borrowings in any proper sense of the word from Hinduism by Buddhism, but rather pan-Indian deities, genii, etc., that are common to Hindus and Buddhists, who were after all equally Indians.2

This volume, although it leaves in suspense a number of iconographical and iconological points, will be of the

greatest value to students of Buddhist and Indian culture, and it is thus a fitting monument to the late Dr. de Mall- mann's lifetime of research devoted to the study of Indian iconography and art. Now that such a convenient

iconographical reference work is available it is to be hoped that research into the other aspects of Indian and Bud- dhist art and iconology may be pursued on the founda- tion provided by it.

D. SEYFORT RUEGG

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, SEATTLE

the lokottara divinities in a specific religious system-are not borrowings in any proper sense of the word from Hinduism by Buddhism, but rather pan-Indian deities, genii, etc., that are common to Hindus and Buddhists, who were after all equally Indians.2

This volume, although it leaves in suspense a number of iconographical and iconological points, will be of the

greatest value to students of Buddhist and Indian culture, and it is thus a fitting monument to the late Dr. de Mall- mann's lifetime of research devoted to the study of Indian iconography and art. Now that such a convenient

iconographical reference work is available it is to be hoped that research into the other aspects of Indian and Bud- dhist art and iconology may be pursued on the founda- tion provided by it.

D. SEYFORT RUEGG

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, SEATTLE

Avimaraka (Love's Enchanted World). Translated by J. L. MASSON and D. D. KOSAMBI. Pp. xxi, 151. Delhi: MOTILAL BANARSIDASS. [1970.]

Though the title-page tells us that this translation of the Avimdraka is the joint work of J. L. Masson and D. D. Kosambi, we learn from the Acknowledgments (p. xix) that the translation was in fact made by Masson, who

subsequently went over the whole with Kosambi and made some alterations, all of which are indicated in the Notes to the Translation, pp. 134-151. Kosambi's inten- tion to write an introduction failed to be realized due to his sudden passing away. One has the impression, then, that the ascription of joint authorship was largely born of Masson's deep esteem for both the learning and friend- ship of Kosambi, especially as the Notes reflect remark- ably few instances of alteration in the original version of the translation.

The translation is prefaced by a succinct statement of the so-called Bhasa problem, as a pendant to which there is a long, separate section of notes treating of matters of detail, so that the ordinary reader, who wishes only to have some notion of the problem, need not be encumbered by minutiae of certain interest only to the Sanskritist. Inexplicably interspersed between these two sections, which by their nature belong in the closest proximity, are two short chapters, wholly unrelated to each other as well as to the sections on the Bhasa problem. The first of these describes the three Sanskrit editions of the Avi- maraka and the three translations, two of which, viz., that into German by H. Weller (Leipzig, 1924) and that into English by A. C. Woolner and Lakshman Sarup

2 Cf. Journal asiatique, 1964, p. 77ff.

Avimaraka (Love's Enchanted World). Translated by J. L. MASSON and D. D. KOSAMBI. Pp. xxi, 151. Delhi: MOTILAL BANARSIDASS. [1970.]

Though the title-page tells us that this translation of the Avimdraka is the joint work of J. L. Masson and D. D. Kosambi, we learn from the Acknowledgments (p. xix) that the translation was in fact made by Masson, who

subsequently went over the whole with Kosambi and made some alterations, all of which are indicated in the Notes to the Translation, pp. 134-151. Kosambi's inten- tion to write an introduction failed to be realized due to his sudden passing away. One has the impression, then, that the ascription of joint authorship was largely born of Masson's deep esteem for both the learning and friend- ship of Kosambi, especially as the Notes reflect remark- ably few instances of alteration in the original version of the translation.

The translation is prefaced by a succinct statement of the so-called Bhasa problem, as a pendant to which there is a long, separate section of notes treating of matters of detail, so that the ordinary reader, who wishes only to have some notion of the problem, need not be encumbered by minutiae of certain interest only to the Sanskritist. Inexplicably interspersed between these two sections, which by their nature belong in the closest proximity, are two short chapters, wholly unrelated to each other as well as to the sections on the Bhasa problem. The first of these describes the three Sanskrit editions of the Avi- maraka and the three translations, two of which, viz., that into German by H. Weller (Leipzig, 1924) and that into English by A. C. Woolner and Lakshman Sarup

2 Cf. Journal asiatique, 1964, p. 77ff.

(Oxford, 1930), are complete, whereas the third, an Italian version by E. Beccarini-Crescenzi (Florence, 1916), is a mixed translation and summary. The other

chapter, entitled Literary Estimates, records a few brief comments by Indian scholars on the sexual openness of the play along with a selection of verses which are held in particularly high regard by the translator.

By a very peculiar typographical format the English translation is confined to the righthand half of each page, the other half, otherwise blank, featuring the names of the characters in large capital letters. This extraordinary procedure, which we may presume to be a concoction of the publisher, has, of course, approximately doubled the number of pages of the translation without seeming to have achieved any useful purpose beyond that of fur-

nishing to the reader overly ample space for notations. The translation, which is cast in a modern mold, is

generally free of the sort of wooden phrases that often permeate translations, and the notes, which follow at the end of the volume, bring out many points cf interest to the Sanskritist. Some objection can be raised to the

tendency here and there to replace peculiarly Indian

concepts by their nearest Western counterpart, with the

idea, however well-intentioned, of rendering clear allu- sions that would be otherwise obscure or meaningless to the Western reader. An example of this is found near the end of Act IV, where the Vidiusaka says to Avimaraka

(p. 100): 'Why this great hurry? You act like a boy coming home from a boarding school, after graduation'. A fairly literal rendition might read: 'Why are you hurry- ing like a lad who is returning home after the completion of his Vedic studies ?'1 A brief footnote would suffice to make this purely Indian allusion clear to the Western reader, and the Indian flavor of the original would be

preserved. It is in fact an important principle of transla- tion that, apart from accurately rendering the sense, all the peculiar allusions of the original must be preserved insofar as this is possible. After all, it is the sum of these that constitutes the particular nature of the original, what might here be termed the Indian-ness of it.

Related to this matter of the retention of the character of the original is the overtranslation of interjections like aho and hanta by Oh God and damn, which convey a much stronger sentiment than the Sanskrit and, in any case, give a somewhat distorted impression of the language of the original, which, while essentially simple and collo-

quial, is neither coarse nor vulgar. Thus, Avimaraka's words aho tasyd ripasampad early in Act II mean no more than is conveyed by '\hat beauty she has l' where 'Oh

1 This passage, which is in Prakrit, reads: kissa tuvam kidasamdvlutto vaduo via tuvarasi, i.e., kasmat tvam krtasamavarto batuka iva tvarase.

(Oxford, 1930), are complete, whereas the third, an Italian version by E. Beccarini-Crescenzi (Florence, 1916), is a mixed translation and summary. The other

chapter, entitled Literary Estimates, records a few brief comments by Indian scholars on the sexual openness of the play along with a selection of verses which are held in particularly high regard by the translator.

By a very peculiar typographical format the English translation is confined to the righthand half of each page, the other half, otherwise blank, featuring the names of the characters in large capital letters. This extraordinary procedure, which we may presume to be a concoction of the publisher, has, of course, approximately doubled the number of pages of the translation without seeming to have achieved any useful purpose beyond that of fur-

nishing to the reader overly ample space for notations. The translation, which is cast in a modern mold, is

generally free of the sort of wooden phrases that often permeate translations, and the notes, which follow at the end of the volume, bring out many points cf interest to the Sanskritist. Some objection can be raised to the

tendency here and there to replace peculiarly Indian

concepts by their nearest Western counterpart, with the

idea, however well-intentioned, of rendering clear allu- sions that would be otherwise obscure or meaningless to the Western reader. An example of this is found near the end of Act IV, where the Vidiusaka says to Avimaraka

(p. 100): 'Why this great hurry? You act like a boy coming home from a boarding school, after graduation'. A fairly literal rendition might read: 'Why are you hurry- ing like a lad who is returning home after the completion of his Vedic studies ?'1 A brief footnote would suffice to make this purely Indian allusion clear to the Western reader, and the Indian flavor of the original would be

preserved. It is in fact an important principle of transla- tion that, apart from accurately rendering the sense, all the peculiar allusions of the original must be preserved insofar as this is possible. After all, it is the sum of these that constitutes the particular nature of the original, what might here be termed the Indian-ness of it.

Related to this matter of the retention of the character of the original is the overtranslation of interjections like aho and hanta by Oh God and damn, which convey a much stronger sentiment than the Sanskrit and, in any case, give a somewhat distorted impression of the language of the original, which, while essentially simple and collo-

quial, is neither coarse nor vulgar. Thus, Avimaraka's words aho tasyd ripasampad early in Act II mean no more than is conveyed by '\hat beauty she has l' where 'Oh

1 This passage, which is in Prakrit, reads: kissa tuvam kidasamdvlutto vaduo via tuvarasi, i.e., kasmat tvam krtasamavarto batuka iva tvarase.

545 545

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Journal of the American Oriental Society 98.4 (1978) Journal of the American Oriental Society 98.4 (1978)

god, what beauty' (p. 49) has the effect of lowering the tone.

There are many passages where a closer adherence to the original is desirable, though, no doubt, in some of the examples that could be cited there might be some reasonable difference of opinion as to the precise inter-

pretation. At random may be chosen these remarkable words, spoken by the vidyddhara Meghanada to his consort Saudamini, as they are flying down to earth from high in the sky (Act IV, 12): 'The earth, as though leaving the mass of clouds behind, on account of our

speed seems to be flying towards us with its ring of ocean; yonder mountains, bursting into view, look much like clouds in the rainy season'; in Masson's translation

(p. 89): 'Our speed is such that the clouds seem to race

away in panic, and the earth, runs forward to greet us with only the sea for a skirt. Now we're so close that the black hills are shining. Like thunder clouds as they burst into sight'.2

There are many small points with which one might take issue, and some of these are discussed at some length in the Notes to the Translation. Thus, for example, in the

stage direction tatah pravisati cdagerikdhastd mdgadhika at the beginning of Act IV, which is translated 'Enter

MSgadhika with a bamboo basket in her hand' (p. 81), Masson resolves cdngerikd-into ca and angerikd-, a view in which he is supported by Patwardhan (v. note 82, p. 144), who says he is unsure, however, of the exact

meaning of angerikd-. But if cdngerikd- is a coalescence of ca and angerikd-, both the meaning and position of ca

require some explanation, since ca, even on the assump- tion that its sense is appropriate at all here, would

normally follow tatah. Now, though the Sanskrit lexicons are of no help here, since they list neither a cdagerikd nor an ahgerikd, logic is on the side of the existence of the former, a supposition which is corroborated by the oc- currence in Bhojpuri of its lineal descendant cangeli 'basket',3 the meaning tentatively accepted by Masson and Patwardhan.

There are the usual misprints: missing diacritics, misspellings, wrong capitalizations and an occasional incorrect assignment of a character's name to a speech (e.g., on pp. 54 and 90), but these are faults for which the publisher should principally bear the blame.

There can be no question about the singular effort and care that were devoted to the production of this transla-

2 jaladagahanam ujjhativa vegdd abhipatativa mahi samudramudra/

jaladasamayatoyadd ivdmi bhrgam abhibhdnti nagd vi- jrmbhamandh//

3 My attention was called to this Bhojpuri word by my colleague Professor Rama Nath Sharma.

god, what beauty' (p. 49) has the effect of lowering the tone.

There are many passages where a closer adherence to the original is desirable, though, no doubt, in some of the examples that could be cited there might be some reasonable difference of opinion as to the precise inter-

pretation. At random may be chosen these remarkable words, spoken by the vidyddhara Meghanada to his consort Saudamini, as they are flying down to earth from high in the sky (Act IV, 12): 'The earth, as though leaving the mass of clouds behind, on account of our

speed seems to be flying towards us with its ring of ocean; yonder mountains, bursting into view, look much like clouds in the rainy season'; in Masson's translation

(p. 89): 'Our speed is such that the clouds seem to race

away in panic, and the earth, runs forward to greet us with only the sea for a skirt. Now we're so close that the black hills are shining. Like thunder clouds as they burst into sight'.2

There are many small points with which one might take issue, and some of these are discussed at some length in the Notes to the Translation. Thus, for example, in the

stage direction tatah pravisati cdagerikdhastd mdgadhika at the beginning of Act IV, which is translated 'Enter

MSgadhika with a bamboo basket in her hand' (p. 81), Masson resolves cdngerikd-into ca and angerikd-, a view in which he is supported by Patwardhan (v. note 82, p. 144), who says he is unsure, however, of the exact

meaning of angerikd-. But if cdngerikd- is a coalescence of ca and angerikd-, both the meaning and position of ca

require some explanation, since ca, even on the assump- tion that its sense is appropriate at all here, would

normally follow tatah. Now, though the Sanskrit lexicons are of no help here, since they list neither a cdagerikd nor an ahgerikd, logic is on the side of the existence of the former, a supposition which is corroborated by the oc- currence in Bhojpuri of its lineal descendant cangeli 'basket',3 the meaning tentatively accepted by Masson and Patwardhan.

There are the usual misprints: missing diacritics, misspellings, wrong capitalizations and an occasional incorrect assignment of a character's name to a speech (e.g., on pp. 54 and 90), but these are faults for which the publisher should principally bear the blame.

There can be no question about the singular effort and care that were devoted to the production of this transla-

2 jaladagahanam ujjhativa vegdd abhipatativa mahi samudramudra/

jaladasamayatoyadd ivdmi bhrgam abhibhdnti nagd vi- jrmbhamandh//

3 My attention was called to this Bhojpuri word by my colleague Professor Rama Nath Sharma.

tion and its accompanying apparatus by Professor Mas- son. Moreover, the endless patience with detail every- where apparent in the notes, the extent to which he

attempted to resolve the numerous problems by seeking out the opinion of various scholars, to whom he is metic- ulous about giving due credit, the honesty with which he confesses his inability to understand this or that passage or word, and finally the great breadth of his knowledge of Sanskrit literature-all these are characteristic features of this volume, and for them he deserves the highest commendation.

WALTER HARDING MAURER UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII

Mlahdsubhasitasamgraha. Volume II: Subhdsitas, Nos. 1874-4208 (Apah - Ahni). By LUDWIK STERNBACH. Edited by S. BHASKARAN NAIR. Pp. vii + 425-1032. Vishveshvaranand Vedic Research Institute Publica-

tion, 636. V. I. Series, 69. Hoshiarpur: VISHVESH- VARANAND VEDIC RESEARCH INSTITUTE. 1976. Rs.100.00

The XXIX International Congress of Orientalists held at Paris in July 1973 took a resolution considering the Mahasubhiaitasamgraha to be an important publica- tion and requesting that this publication be speedily brought to an end and published by the V.V.R.I. as

quickly as possible. While reviewing the first volume of the work (published in 1974) in the JAOS. (Vol. 96, No. 2), this reviewer wholeheartedly endorsed the resolu- tion and gave clear expression to his opinion that the work was an outstanding contribution to Indology. It is gratifying that the second volume of the work has come out within a reasonable gap of time maintaining the standard of the first volume. This volume contains the text as well as English translation of 2335 subhdsitas, each critically edited, with variants noted and metres mentioned, as in Vol. I. This finishes the collection of subhdsitas beginning with a, the first letter of the De-

vanagari alphabet. Primary, secondary and 'Greater India' sources of the subhasitas have been noted as in Vol. I. Three useful Indices, viz., "Index of Authors and Sources of Individual Verses," "Index of Sanskrit Metres"

(classified) and "Subject Index" have been annexed to this volume too. In addition to "Addenda and Corrigenda to Volume II," the author has annexed "Further Adden- da and Corrigenda to Volume I," thus making the work as complete as possible and lessening the necessity of

supplementary volume(s) proposed in the Preface of Vol. I.

Though in the opinion of this reviewer the selection of subhdsitas has been highly satisfactory, he feels that the

tion and its accompanying apparatus by Professor Mas- son. Moreover, the endless patience with detail every- where apparent in the notes, the extent to which he

attempted to resolve the numerous problems by seeking out the opinion of various scholars, to whom he is metic- ulous about giving due credit, the honesty with which he confesses his inability to understand this or that passage or word, and finally the great breadth of his knowledge of Sanskrit literature-all these are characteristic features of this volume, and for them he deserves the highest commendation.

WALTER HARDING MAURER UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII

Mlahdsubhasitasamgraha. Volume II: Subhdsitas, Nos. 1874-4208 (Apah - Ahni). By LUDWIK STERNBACH. Edited by S. BHASKARAN NAIR. Pp. vii + 425-1032. Vishveshvaranand Vedic Research Institute Publica-

tion, 636. V. I. Series, 69. Hoshiarpur: VISHVESH- VARANAND VEDIC RESEARCH INSTITUTE. 1976. Rs.100.00

The XXIX International Congress of Orientalists held at Paris in July 1973 took a resolution considering the Mahasubhiaitasamgraha to be an important publica- tion and requesting that this publication be speedily brought to an end and published by the V.V.R.I. as

quickly as possible. While reviewing the first volume of the work (published in 1974) in the JAOS. (Vol. 96, No. 2), this reviewer wholeheartedly endorsed the resolu- tion and gave clear expression to his opinion that the work was an outstanding contribution to Indology. It is gratifying that the second volume of the work has come out within a reasonable gap of time maintaining the standard of the first volume. This volume contains the text as well as English translation of 2335 subhdsitas, each critically edited, with variants noted and metres mentioned, as in Vol. I. This finishes the collection of subhdsitas beginning with a, the first letter of the De-

vanagari alphabet. Primary, secondary and 'Greater India' sources of the subhasitas have been noted as in Vol. I. Three useful Indices, viz., "Index of Authors and Sources of Individual Verses," "Index of Sanskrit Metres"

(classified) and "Subject Index" have been annexed to this volume too. In addition to "Addenda and Corrigenda to Volume II," the author has annexed "Further Adden- da and Corrigenda to Volume I," thus making the work as complete as possible and lessening the necessity of

supplementary volume(s) proposed in the Preface of Vol. I.

Though in the opinion of this reviewer the selection of subhdsitas has been highly satisfactory, he feels that the

546 546

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.212 on Fri, 13 Jun 2014 00:17:19 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions