Questions Relative to Poetics in the Old-Indian Epic by S. L. LebedevaReview by: Ludwik SternbachJournal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 102, No. 4 (Oct. - Dec., 1982), p. 674Published by: American Oriental SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/602007 .

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674 Journal of the American Oriental Society 102.4 (1982)

Kleinere Schrifttexte. Heft 1, 2. By HEINRICH LUDERS. Pp. 375. [Monographien aus Indischen Archaologie, Kunst und Philologie. Herausgegeben von HERBERT HAR- TEL. Band I.] Wiesbaden: FRANZ STEINER VERLAG. 1979. DM 74.

The present volume is the first in a promised series of publications sponsored by the Ernst Waldschmidt Founda- tion, which will consist, according to its editor, Herbert Hartel, both of original works in the field of Indology and of reprints of significant older works long out of print.

This first volume, indeed, is a photomechanical reproduc- tion of the first two "Kleinere Sanskrittexte," originally published in 1911 and 1926, consisting of Heinrich Luders' edition and analysis of fragments of Buddhist Sanskrit works found in Chinese Turkestan during the early years of this century.

The first Heft is the famous "Bruchstiicke Buddhistischer Dramen," that so revolutionized our understanding of the chronology and development of the early Sanskrit drama. Although it was only after the publication of this work that Liiders definitely attributed at least some of these frag- mentary dramas to A?vaghosa himself, his painstaking method had already permitted him to situate the authorship in the A?vaghosa period, in part because of the incredible antiquity of the fragments themselves, belonging paleograph- ically to the Kus.ana period-"die altesten Handschriftenreste, die uns uberhaupt aus Indien erhalten sind" (p. 15.).

The second Heft consists of the "Bruchstucke der Kalpand- manditika des Kumaralata," based on fragments found in the same place, and perhaps of greater significance for the history of Inner Asian and Chinese Buddhism.

Both "Kleinere Sanskrittexte" are meticulously reproduced and are accompanied by photographic duplicates of the manuscript fragments themselves, together with a key to the script. This is certainly a welcome undertaking, and we wish Professor Hartel success in continuing it. The remaining three volumes of "Kleinere Sanskrittexte" are among the works scheduled for future publication in this series.

EDWIN GEROW

UNIVERSITY OF CHIGAGO

Outline of the History of the Vedic Literature. By V. G. YERMAN. Pp. 232. A. A. Zhdanov's State University of Leningrad. Nauka. 1980. Price 80 kop.

The book contains first an introductory part dealing with studies made on the Vedic literature in the West as well as in Russia and the Soviet Union and on general works con- cerning ancient India. It deals further in detail with the

Rgveda, Atharvaveda, Yajurveda, Brdhmanas, etc., and in its last part with the Vedanta and the Upanisads. It comprises also a short bibliography of works written in Western languages and in Russian on the entire Vedic literature and, separately, on the Rgveda, other Vedas and the Upanisads. It contains also indices of names, works and Sanskrit expressions.

It is an informative basic-booklet for non-specialists.

LUDWIK STERNBACHt PARIS

Questions Relative to Poetics in the Old-Indian Epic. By S. L. LEBEDEVA. Pp. 135. Akademya Nauk SSSR. Institute of Oriental Studies. Nauka. Moskva. 1979. Price 95 kop.

This small book deals with some questions connected with the use of epithets and comparisions in the Mahabhdrata; it contains also an exhaustive summary in English. The present work of S. L. Lebedeva is a by-product of the authoress' main work Mifologi'a drevne-Vindijskogox y'eposa (reviewed in JAOS 98.3; p. 323).

LUDWIK STERNBACHt

PARIS

Song of the Venerated CandT (Candimaigal) by Mukun- daram Cokroborti Kobikonkon. Translation from Bengali with an introduction, Commentary and indices. By I. A. TOVSTYKH. Pamyatniki Pis'mennosti Vostka 60. Pp. 304. Nauka. Moskva, 1980. Price, Roubles 2.50.

The book contains the translation into Russian prose of the first part of the mediaeval Bengali poem Candlmangal by Mukandardm Cakravarti Kavihkana, i.e., "The Tale of a Hunter." The translation is based on the text Kavikarkana CandI, pratham bhag, Calcutta, Visvovidyalaya. 1962.

The marigal, as the translator explains in a long and learned introduction/commentary, is a musical-verbal genre with elements of drama and dancing performance, an epic poem based on religious-mythic plot; it was performed with religious and ritual aims and usually took place at religious festivals. The Candimafigala was written by Mukandaram (Cakravarti Kavihkana) who, according to the translator into Russian, lived in the seventeenth century and according to D. Zbavitel in the second half of the sixteenth century.

As D. Zbavitel in his recent Bengali Literature wrote (it appeared in 1976), Mukandaram "was not only the greatest representative of the whole large field of marigalkibyas, but also one of the greatest writers of mediaeval Bengali poetry"

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