E-Library: June 2016

Friday, June 24, 2016

Vasantika Swapnam – Sanskrit translation of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream by R Krishnamacharya

Midsummer Night’s Dream is, perhaps, the first drama of Shakespeare that was translated into Sanskrit. Several decades after Krishnamacharya translated Midsummer Night’s Dream into Sanskrit, Sanskrit scholars turned their attention to translating other dramas of Shakespeare. Some of them are listed below:

1. Venisa sarthavahah (Merchant of Venice) – Ananta Tripathi Śarma 1969
2. Yatha Te Rocate (As you like it) – Ananta Tripathi Sarma 1969
3. Dinarkarajakumarahemalekham (Hamlet) – Sukhamay Mukhopadhyay 1971
4. Uthika (Romeo & Juliet) – Revaprasad Dvivedi 1978
5. Candrasenah Durgadesasya Yuvarajah (Hamlet) – SD Joshi & Pt. Vighnahari Deo 1980
Excerpts from the author’s preface in the first edition of “Vasantika Swapnam”

It has been my long-cherished wish, to render into Sanskrit some of the plays of Shakespeare. But a translation in the form of a Sanskrit drama, is attended with difficulties. A Sanskrit drama, even if it should be a translation, has to conform to a string of hard and fast rules. Failing in this respect, the work, no matter however good, is sure to offend the taste of Sanskrit Pandits, and a work like mine written in the first instance to give our Pandits a taste of Western poetry will have no reason for its existence.
It is for this reason that Prof. H. H. Wilson has adopted the form of the English drama in translating Sanskrit Natakas. Following the same plan a translation of Shakespeare should have the garb of a Sanskrit drama, though it may not be possible in every case to observe the rules laid down for Sanskrit Natakas.
This work is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Midsummer-night’s Dream. The rendering is free in some places, and literal in other places, without being detrimental to the general tenor of the passages in the original. The ideas are enlarged in some places, but the enlargement is generally in keeping with the dominant feelings. There are deviations in details with view to keep up the characteristics of the Sanskrit drama. Some few passages pregnant with such ideas as could be brought home to our Pandits have been omitted, as also some passages which relate purely to Western habits and customs. I dare say men of greater capacity and learning than myself may produce a much happier and better translation of the same play.
I have selected Midsummer-night’s Dream at the outset, since it is not long and most of the ideas in it are not unfamiliar to the best of our Pandits. This play of Shakespeare has, of all his plays, the most Oriental cast about it, and I have accordingly given Sanskrit names for all the characters in the play.
I sincerely hope that this essay of mine may induce abler scholars to take up the task, and, with far better success, introduce to the literatii of the East some of the most chaste and beautiful thoughts of the West.
R Krishnamacharya,
24th February 1892
Pudukota.
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Trivandrum Sanskrit Series – Anantasayana Samskrita Granthavali

Trivandrum Sanskrit Series (Anantasayana Samskrita Granthavali) is a collection of ancient, very rare and previously unpublished Sanskrit works published by Manuscripts Library, Trivandrum in the early part of 20th century. First book in Trivandrum Sanskrit Series – “Daivam”, a work on Sanskrit grammar, was published in 1905 edited by MM T. Ganapati Sastri. Nearly 100 texts were published within a short span of 20 years and the series continues to this day.

An article on Trivandrum Sanskrit Series written by G Harihara Sastri that appeared in Indian Historical Quarterly Volume 1 in 1925 describes the genesis and growth of this series and also evaluates the unique contributions of this series to the growth of Indological studies.

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Trivandrum Sanskrit Series

DOWNLOAD TORRENT OF COMPLETE SET OF “TRIVANDRUM SANSKRIT SERIES”

Anandashram Sanskrit Series (Anandashram Samskrita Granthavali)

Astavyastam – A Sanskrit play by S. Jagannatha

Sanskrit poet and writer S. Jagannatha is indeed familiar to visitors of this blog. His book of modern proverbs ‘Abhanakajagannatha’ was posted to this blog sometime back.
It is our good fortune that the author thought it fit to share with us ‘Astavyastam’, a satirical Sanskrit play in eleven acts. Message of this play is very simple – “Sanksrit language cannot be revived & rejuvanated merely by our taking pride in its greatness. We need to study Sanskrit earnestly and gain sufficient mastery over it to produce new Sanskrit works of every genre.”
‘Astavyastam’ is not just a play that one reads and enjoys, it inspires and compels one to think and act.

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Dve Mukhe (Sanskrit poetry) by S. Jagannatha

‘Dve Mukhe’ by S. Jagannatha consists of two short poems in Samskrta namely, Moghaduta (not Meghaduta), a humorous poetry ridiculing love (written in mandakranta metre) and Lokalankara-pankiya, a work of humorous figures of speech containing 112 examples with definitions (written in anustubh metre).

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Siddhantakaumudi with Sarala Vyakhya by Taranatha Tarkavachaspati

अपवादं तिरस्कृत्य पाणिन्यसत्त्वकं चिरं।
कृत्स्ना च कौमुदी येन सरलया हि टीकिता॥
विजयो वङ्गवासिनां पुनर्येन नवीकृतः।
कृत्याऽनया नवीनया विशालबुद्धिना खलु॥
तारानाथं प्रणम्य तं वाचस्पत्यादिकारकं।
कृतिः सा सरला तस्य पुनरुत्सृज्यते मुदा॥
परमप्रमोदास्पदमिदं यत् पण्डितरूपैः श्रीमद्भिस्तारानाथतर्कवाचस्पतिभट्टाचार्यमहाभागैर्विनिर्मिता वैयाकरणसिद्धान्तकौमुद्याष्टीका सरला नाम बहुवर्षात्परं विदुषां पुरस्तात् पुनःप्रस्तूयते। वाङ्गैश्च पण्डितैः कृतानां कौमुदीटीकानां मध्य इयमेव प्राथम्येन परिगणनार्हेति श्रीशम्भुचन्द्रविद्यारत्नप्रणीततर्कवाचस्पतिमहाभागानां जीवनचरिततः प्रतीयते। श्रूयते ततश्चास्या दर्शनेन काशीस्थानामपि विदुषाम् ईर्षासूये जाते। आतश्च प्रतिस्पर्धित्वेनेदृश्येका कौमुदीटीका केनचिदपि तदानीं निर्मातुमसाम्प्रतम्। एतट्टीकानिर्माणेन खलु तेषां विद्वत्प्रवराणां तर्कवाचस्पतिपादानां वैयाकरणत्वेन प्रसिद्धिरासेतुहिमाचलं परिव्याप्तेति। ग्रन्थकृतां भट्टाचार्यमहाभागानां जीवद्दशायां तावदस्याः संस्करणत्रयं जातमिति एतत्सरलाख्यटीकाया बहुलप्रचारितत्वे प्रमाणम्। अतोऽस्याः पुनःप्रचारेण तु पाणिनिव्याकरणपिपठिषूणां महोपकारो भविष्यतीति विश्वसिमः।
It is a matter of immense pride for us to present a digital version of the Saralā, a 19th century Sanskrit commentary on the Vaiyākaraṇasiddhāntakaumudī of Bhaṭṭojī Dīkṣita, by Prof. Tārānātha Tarkavācaspati Bhaṭṭācārya of Vācaspatya fame. From Pt. Śambhucandra Vidyāratna’s biography of Tārānātha Tarkavācaspati it appears that it is the first Sanskrit commentary on the Siddhāntakaumudī written by any Bengali scholar. From the same source we learn that this commentary, Saralā, generated professional and academic jealousy even in the minds of contemporary scholars of Pāṇinian grammar residing in Benares, the cultural capital of India, who when asked to compose a like commentary on the Siddhāntakaumudī to discount the uniqueness of the Saralā, remained silent in failure. The authorship of this commentary led to the widespread fame of Tarkvācaspati as an outstanding grammarian of the Pāṇinian School. Also the fact of the running of the Saralā through three editions during the lifetime of Tārānātha Tarkavācaspati legitimates its claim to immense popularity. Thus we earnestly believe that a widespread cultivation of this commentary will immensely benefit students of Pāṇinian grammar all over the world.

DOWNLOAD LINKS

Siddhantakaumudi with Sarala Vyakhya Volume 1
Siddhantakaumudi with Sarala Vyakhya Volume 2

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Complete Works of Jibananda Vidyasagara