Anandamath, or The Sacred Brotherhood by Bankimcandra Chatterji

Product Description

This is a translation of a historically important Bengali novel. Published in 1882, Chatterji's Anandamath helped create the atmosphere and the symbolism for the nationalist movement leading to Indian independence in 1947. It contains the famous hymn Vande Mataram ("I revere the Mother"),
which has become India's official National Song. Set in Bengal at the time of the famine of 1770, the novel reflects tensions and oppositions within Indian culture between Hindus and Muslims, ruler and ruled, indigenous people and foreign overlords, jungle and town, Aryan and non-Aryan, celibacy and
sexuality. It is both a political and a religious work. By recreating the past of Bengal, Chatterji hoped to create a new present that involved a new interpretation of the past. Julius Lipner not only provides the first complete and satisfactory English translation of this important work, but
supplies an extensive Introduction contextualizing the novel and its cultural and political history. Also included are notes offering the Bengali or Sanskrit terms for certain words, as well as explanatory notes for the specialized lay reader or scholar.
Product Details
Amazon Sales Rank: #2734479 in Books
Published on: 2005-08-23
Number of items: 1
Binding: Hardcover
336 pages
Editorial Reviews

Review
"We have waited one hundred years for this book. The last two faithful (but incomplete) translations of Bankimcandra Chatterji's classic novel were in the early 1900s and are long out of print. Lipner's translation supersedes all previous versions: his rendering of Anandamath, complete with introduction and splendid critical apparatus, will delight scholars of Indian literature, religion, and history, Bengali culture, and Hindu goddess worship. At last." -- Rachel Fell McDermott, chair of Asian and Middle Eastern Cultures Department, Barnard College

About the Author
Julius J. Lipner is Professor in Hinduism and the Comparative Study of Religion and Chairman of the Faculty Board of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of several books, including Hindus: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices and Brahmabandhab Upadhyay: The Life and Thought of a Revolutionary.
Customer Reviews

Excellent contextualization of an historically important novel
Those who have done a decent amount of reading on the subject of Hindu nationalism in India have very likely heard of Bankimchandra Chatterji's novel, Anandamath. This 19th century novel greatly influenced the Hindu revivalist and anti-colonial movement, which sought to rid India of British rule and, in its more extreme form, "reclaim" India for the Hindus and to subordinate the Muslim population. It is odd that, given its importance, Julius Lipner's is the first book in a century to critically examine the novel and translate it into English. As the author of this volume points out, from a literary standpoint, Chatterji's novel is nothing special--hence only a 4-star rating. The novel itself is a quick read, often boring, with (in my opinion) no real memorable characters, no capturing prose (except for the song "Bande Mataram," which became a second national anthem of sorts after India's independence), etc. It was able to capture a great many readers through it's overall message of India's "decline" and Hinduism's "degeneration" during the period of Mughal rule. This message has led to both great praise and bilious criticism of the novel, and it is to this topic that Lipner's particular volume offers great insight.

The editor of this volume writes a 100+ page introduction about the life, times, and writing of Bankimchandra Chatterji. It is both very readable and extremely informative. It discusses his upbringing and schooling in both Sanskritic and English-medium schools (which profoundly affected his outlook), his early career and writings, the historical setting of the major events of Anandamath (the book is largely about a group of Hindu ascetics who go about attacking Muslims, and is supposedly based on the 18th-century Sannyasi Rebellion that took place in Bengal), and other topics relevant to this seminal work. The author analyzes many other writings and correspondances of Chatterji, and tackles questions of historical relevance: Was Anandamath truly based on the Sannyasi Rebellion? Was Chatterji truly anti-Muslim, and/or was he a Hindu fundamentalist? Was Chatterji favorable of British rule, if it meant at least getting rid of Muslim rule? What censorship problems did Chatterji encounter when publishing Anandamath, how did they affect his writing, and what does it all mean? The analysis of these and many other important questions greatly contextualizes Chatterji's novel, and this work is absolutely essential to understanding how one novel had such a profound affect on the Indian nationalist movement, and what the author's true intentions may have been. Lipner even re-translates the title from its original "Abbey of Bliss" to "The Sacred Brotherhood," examining the language, events, and themes of the novel, concluding that there is nothing "blissful" about this novel and therefore the longstanding english translation of the title is incorrect. I cannot recommend this book enough, especially to specialists of Indian history and literature.

Mahabharata by William Buck

Product Description

Few works in world literature have inspired so vast an audience, in nations with radically different languages and cultures, as the Ramayana and Mahabharata, two Sanskrit verse epics written some 2,000 years ago.
In Ramayana (written by a poet known to us as Valmiki), William Buck has retold the story of Prince Rama--with all its nobility of spirit, courtly intrigue, heroic renunciation, fierce battles, and triumph of good over evil--in a length and manner that will make the great Indian epics accessible to the contemporary reader.
The same is true for the Mahabharata--in its original Sanskrit, probably the longest Indian epic ever composed. It is the story of a dynastic struggle, between the Kurus and Pandavas, for land. In his introduction, Sanskritist B. A. van Nooten notes, "Apart from William Buck's rendition [no other English version has] been able to capture the blend of religion and martial spirit that pervades the original epic."
Presented accessibly for the general reader without compromising the spirit and lyricism of the originals, William Buck's Ramayana and Mahabharata capture the essence of the Indian cultural heritage.
Product Details
Amazon Sales Rank: #135823 in Books
Published on: 2000-11-14
Number of items: 1
Binding: Paperback
440 pages
Editorial Reviews

Times Literary Supplement
A pleasure to read . . . Anyone interested in Indian literature should read it.

Language Notes
Text: English (translation)

About the Author
William Buck died in 1970 at the age of 37 after more than 15 years of work on the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and the unfinished Harivamsa. Of the two finished books, he wrote, "My method in writing both Mahabharata and Ramayana was to begin with a literal translation from which to extract the story, and then to tell that story in an interesting way that would preserve the spirit and flavor of the original."
Customer Reviews

Buck's Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is the world's longest epic, but this version is short and sweet. Like Buck's Ramayana, it conveys the essence and spiritual energy of the original, in this case without having to read all 18 volumes. Highly recommended.
I enjoyed C. Rajagopalachari's version but vastly prefer Buck's and have recommended these to many people over the years who have been delighted with it.

Not the best version of Mahabharata to read
I would strongly recommend you to get "The Mahabharata" retold by C.Rajagopalachari. This is the best version of the Mahabhatata you can ever read!!! Please do not buy the version by William buck...

For Flavor and Sense, A Fine Introduction
I am pleased to see so many reviews of this book. I have read it several times, most recently a week ago, and though I now like it less than I first did, the first encounter was delight, and I still enjoy the warmth and energy of Buck's version. He is validated by centuries of prior writers adapting the MAHABHARATA for their audiences.

I, too, am sorry that Buck decided to make some of the changes and omissions he did, but as others have pointed out this volume is a fine way to sample the taste and sensibilities of Sanskrit literature, including its humor.

Buck was pretty good at inserting translations of key phrases, suggesting the use of aphorism throughout the epic, and he provided plenty of clues to the complexity of original. Most important, he kept the story moving along. (His RAMAYANA is an even better example of his rendering of Sanskrit epic into English story.) Like others, I would recommend this MAHABHARATA in preference to the R. K. Narayan version from Penguin, which is much more drastically condensed.

The Clay Sanskrit Library is now issuing new translations, real translations, of the MAHABHARATA in parts. I'd recommend "The Forest" for anyone seeking to get a better sense of how extensive the subplots and interspersed stories are.