Best Stories from Indian Classics

V.S. Naravane

Description

In this selection of stories from the classics of Sanskrit fiction, Professor Naravane offers fascinating glimpses of life in ancient India. Retold in modern English and presented in a lively, fluent style, those stories are marked by an amazing diversity of atmosphere, situation, attitudes and characterization. They reveal the centuries, and convey the unique, distinctive flavour of Indian life and culture.

Sujets

• Idioma inglés
• Anthology
• English
• Collection
• Short Stories
• Classics
• India
• Translation
• Fiction
• Sanskrit
• Anglais

Informations

• Publié par: Roli Books
• Date de parution: 27 décembre 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9788174368973
• Langue: English

Extrait

Vishwanath S. Naravane, born in Allahabad, received his Ph.D. from Allahabad University and taught there for twenty years. In 1965, he was appointed professor and chair of the Department of Philosophy, Pune University. He has lectured in various countries and worked as a visiting professor at several colleges and universities in the US. In addition to philosophy and religion, Dr Naravane taught courses in Indian history, art and literature.
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Selected and Retold by V.S. NARAVANE


Lotus Collection
© V.S. Naravane, 1994 Fourth impression, 2012
The Lotus Collection An imprint of Roli Books Pvt. Ltd. M-75, Greater Kailash II Market, New Delhi 110 048 Phone: ++91 (011) 4068 2000 Fax: ++91 (011) 2921 7185 E-mail: [e-mail] Website: www.rolibooks.com Also at Bangalore, Chennai & Mumbai Cover Design: Bonita Vaz-Shimray
ISBN: 978-81-7436-323-7

Contents
Preface
THE PANCHTANTRA
I Disruption of Friendship
The Servant’ s Revenge
The Crow and the Snake
The Rabbit who Outwitted a Lion
The Goldsmith’ s Ingratitude
The Blue Jackal
How Krathanaka Was Betrayed
The Thoughtful Enemy
II The Enmity of Owls and Crows
The Owl’ s Coronation
The Clever Rabbit
Three Rogues and a Brahmin
The Mouse-Maiden’ s Wedding
The Cunning Snake
KADAMBARI | BANAB HATTA
Kadambari
KATHASARITSAGARA OR THE OCEAN OF STORIES | SOMADEVA
King Brahmadatta and the Golden Swans
How Madanasena Kept Her Promise
Sundarasena and Mandaravati
Which is the Wickeder Sex!
The Story of King Udayana
Labdhadatta and the Power of Karma


‘Centuries before Kalidasa and Valmiki were heard of outside India, Indian stories were told and retold in distant corners of Asia and Europe. From Boccacio to Chaucer and Shakespeare, right down to Le Sage, La Fontaine and Voltaire - all were influenced by these tales!
‘The pure-minded sage, the distraught poet, the self-effacing reformer, the restless wanderer: characters such as these who emerge from the stories are intensely real. There is the credulous peasant, the voluble astrologer, the rapacious priest, the servile courtier, the pedantic scholar - each one of them has a story to relate and a lesson to teach. It is heartening to know that a thousand years ago, the Indian barber was as garrulous as he is today, and that, predictably, the grocer’s weights were not always accurate!’

PREFACE
I ndia is the original home of fiction. It was fiction, rather than poetry or drama, which first put India on the literary map of the world. Centuries before Kalidasa and Valmiki were heard of outside India, stories of Indian origin were told and retold in distant corners of Asia and Europe. They were picked up by the Persians and the Arabs, who passed them on to the Turks. From the markets of Constantinople this precious, though invisible, merchandize was forwarded to Venice and Naples. Many a tale in the Decameron owes its central idea to some episode in the Jatakas or the Kathasaritsagara. From Boccacio to Chaucer, from Chaucer to Cervantes and Shakespeare, right down to Le Sage, La Fontaine and Voltaire - what a wonderful journey in time and space.’
Ancient Indian fiction offers a diversity of theme, atmosphere and situation unequalled in world literature. Some of the stories are saturated with the spirit of piety and religious devotion; others reveal a refreshingly secular and objective attitude to life. Some are products of pure fancy, and show an insatiable love of invention for its own sake; others are realistic, and their shrewd practicalism provides a healthy corrective to the mystical excesses of the Indian consciousness. Some are profound, weighty, deep; others compensate by their vigour, their uninhibited freedom. Some are soft and delicate like the pulp of ripe pears; others are sharp like pineapples - their texture is far from tender, but the flavour is full bodied.
As we read these tales from ancient India, we are struck by the amazing continuity of Indian life and culture across the centuries. They show us how little India has changed in spite of mighty political upheavals, the rise and fall of empires, the mingling of races, the clash of sects and religions. In ancient times India was as much a land of contrasts as it is today: wealth and want, grandeur and simplicity, transparent sincerity and unashamed chicanery, saintliness and cynicism, refinement and crudeness.
The men and women who emerge from these stories are intensely real to us. There is the pure-minded sage, the detached philosopher, the distraught poet, the self-effacing reformer, the restless wanderer. There is the blushing bride, the tireless housewife, the miserable widow. There is the credulous peasant, the voluble astrologer, the rapacious priest, the pompous grandee, the servile courtier, the pedantic scholar. It would appear that a thousand years ago the Indian barber was as garrulous as he is now; and it is very much to be feared that then, as now, the grocer's weights were not always accurate.
In the pages that follow I invite readers to Join a series of expeditions into this exciting realm of fact and fancy. We cannot hope to explore more than a small portion of this vast continent. But we shall assuredly climb a few imposing peaks, step into some fertile valleys, tramp the lanes of a few populous cities and sail upon a number of interesting rivers. Now and again we might drift into regions where the path is rugged, the air oppressive and the water unpalatable. But these will be followed by healthier climes where the breeze will allay our fatigue and the fragrance of flowers will soothe our nerves. From some of these excursions we shall return wiser, though a trifle sadder. Others will bring us unmixed delight. But whatever the outcome, I feel sure that the journeying itself will not be tiresome.
V.S. N ARAVANE
The Panchtantra
I n the southern country there once ruled a great king named Amarashakti. Many monarchs recognized his overlordship and bowed before his might. King Amarashakti was not merely powerful; he was also wise, learned and intelligent. He was well-versed in all the arts and familiar with all the principle of practical conduct.
Blessed with so much renown, wealth, ability and virtue the king should have considered himself a very happy man. But he had, unfortunately, one great source of sorrow. All his three sons were utter imbeciles.
For a long time the king endured his anxiety and disappointment, hoping that in course of time the princes would overcome their stupidity. At last one day he summoned his advisers and said, ‘Gentlemen, as you all know, my sons are supreme idiots. They have neither commonsense nor discernment. Between them and education there seems to be a rooted hostility. When I see them, my kingdom no longer brings me any joy. It has been said that sons are of three kinds - those not yet born, those that are dead and those that are fools. Well, among these the unborn and the dead are very much to be preferred. They may cause grief for a limited period, but fools bring us sorrow throughout life. To beget a son who turns out to be a dunce is like buying a cow who neither bears a calf nor yields milk. I beseech you, gentlemen, to ponder over my problem. You must think of some method of awakening in my sons a spark of intelligence.’
The advisers suggested different solutions, but they carried no conviction to the king. The sciences and the arts recommended by them for the princes, as a necessary preparation for the awakening of intelligence, would have demanded years and years of study. The king was on the verge of despair, but one of the advisers held out hope. He said, ‘Your Majesty, life is short and the sciences involve much time. What we need is some kind of a precis containing, so to say, the essence of all wisdom and intelligence. We must pick out the fundamental facts and separate them from the subsidiaries, as swans extract pure milk from a mixture of milk and water. Now, there is onl