Menolibrikul; E-book Reviews; Part Six

This will be the final of this little series of reviews. Having never done reviews to this extent before, it has been something of learning for me too. Has there been too much of the teacher at work? Has any pertinent point been missed? Have I checked myself first?.. I may have been informed - hampered? - by the fact that earlier in life, I had the task of editing and proofreading and have never lost that particular 'muscle'. 

Then there is the assessment of the subject matter itself. Always these things are, to a degree, subjective because one is likely to choose from the list items that fall within one's area of interest. I do have an eclectic approach to my reading, so there has been variety. Then again, Some of these things have been very close to my own areas of expertise, and this last offering is absolutely that. Which has meant not only wearing the hat of a reader but also a peer. I admit to struggling with that slightly - given that is not the expectation from this particular e-book challenge. 

Anyway. Another thing that happens (some of you may have experienced it) is that thing called serendipity. If one accepts that the mind is but a river of thoughts, then when casting about for things to comment and write about, find that others have had the same idea, that the thing you are reading is what you have already put down on the page yourself albeit in a different fashion, (and assuming we are not faced with direct plagiarism), then you have to think 'here is some brilliance!' There is a confluence - and it helps when it is identified that there is a common source. The noble Ganges itself originates from two main branches, the Bhagirathi and the Alakananda, from the upper foothills of the Himalayan range. Both these rivers are held sacred for their contribution to the whole.

Did that seem rather too esoteric for this humble magazine blog? That's the stuff YAM usually reserves for Aatmaavrajanam, is it not?

Well, yes. Except that I am about to review a book selected from the Blogchatter e-carnival, and that fits fully into this blog. However, the subject matter holds a lot that is central to who I am and how I relate to the world. All you regulars here have seen something of it in the "Menoculayshunal" posts. It manifests more directly over at AV-bloggy. Regardless, here it is. You can see clearly the title. The "blurb" is direct and accurate... but let's get the teachery/proofreadery stuff out of the way first.

Of the nine items picked from the 'shelf', this is the closest layout and presentation to an actual book. This may sound a little fierce upon the previous offerings, but it is only a matter of degrees. Right from the start, one feels a level of professionalism - including on the frontispiece where it is made clear this is a 'first edition', demonstrating the author appreciates there will need to be some tidying up to do. By now, you know YAM's watch-cry on this... get a 'third eye' on it! You will see below that I consider this a masterful presentation, so it is sad to find typos, occasional unintended lapses into 'Indian' English (nothing wrong with that, just that the standard of English is actually very high, so these glare off the page) and slips into the highly personal occasionally, which, for this book, might be better removed. There is still, in places, reference to the origin being A-Z which can also go now... for this is a book I would heartily recommend to all and sundry who have any interest at all in the background to Indian thought and culture.

In terms of the language used, there is one quirk I find I cannot quite ignore. Mr Dash uses the word 'algorithm' a lot - and, it might be observed, not entirely correctly. Rather than mathematics, it is more a matter of logic to which he refers, and therefore a more appropriate word might be 'schema.' That is to say, a structural form by which to organise knowledge. And SanskRtam itself is a language of logic!

Let us leave the grammar and semantics of English behind as we now appreciate what is on offer here. I will not elaborate on all chapters; that is for the curious reader to do for themselves. What I do want to make clear is how authentic and straightforward this book is. That confluence I mentioned above? As I was reading, I was once again back in Sandeepany listening to achaarya-ji exquisitely explaining the difference between texts and philosophies (VARIETIES OF VIDYA), the need for a student to not be passive, but ever enquiring (ASKING QUESTIONS IS THE KEY), and elucidating various texts, (including BHAJA GOVINDAM and NARADA BHAKTI SUTRA, for example). What is more, much of the commentary of this author echoed my own. For example, although taken from a slightly different angle, there is a discussion on religion v spirituality (and here is mine), debate on history and dating of texts (FINDING OUT AND FIXING DATES + WHO WROTE AND HOW) as well as the concept basics of Sanskrit as a language (THE LANGUAGE OF GODS + ONES AND ZEROES + X FACTORS...) and the cultural aspects that come out of it, such as dance and drama, mathematics and other sciences... and a chapter most pertinent to today's political picture, the hows and wherefores of 'debating not hating' (TARKA SHASTRAS AND THE CULTURE OF THE ARGUMENTATIVE INDIAN). 

You have an idea now of where this book takes the reader. The author's love for the language and the culture provided by the texts and literature within it shine through but in a measured and worthy manner. I was particularly taken with the chapter, INTERPRETATION OF INDIC TEXTS. It is a plain fact that if one is to obtain the maximum benefit from any writing, it is best read in the language of its origin. I learned Russian to read Pasternak, Dostoevsky and Tolstoy and even at the most basic level of my understanding in that language, I could tell how some translations I had read were 'inventive'! In the case of The Bible, it is advisable to seek out authoritative translations from the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek. The same applies to Sanskrit. If one relies on interpretations taken themselves from interpretations and sometimes the third level, never mind lots of writers taking a text such as, for example, the Bhagavad Gita and giving their personal take on it, not necessarily having the appropriate background for doing so... well, you catch the drift. Mr Dash brings this out beautifully. 

This description of how chants in Sanskrit can wield a sort of power over one is clear and effective - I have myself considered it a sort of magic, but that also has all the wrong connotations! (To be fair, the early chants of western religious devotion have a similar effect - Hildegard Von Bingen is a personal favourite for bringing body, mind and spirit together.) The vibration created by such chanting goes beyond the words or even the sounds and reaches parts of us neither of these things could specifically of themselves. There is a formula in there somewhere - in this case, then, the word 'algorithm' might well apply!!!

This book's key point is to draw attention to the language, Sanskrit, and how it reaches out in so many ways in such a variety of written works (did I not mention several to you myself, just this Monday past?!) It does this with clarity and erudition. Referring back to the confluence mentioned at the start - although our teachers may come from slightly different branches, the source is the same, and the understanding flows as one mighty river.

I think, by now, you might surmise I have loved this book. It is not that any of it was news to me, but that perhaps, in different circumstances, this is the book I would have written (or liked to write). Semantics and typos aside, I give this publication my wholehearted two thumbs up and recommend it be added to your library! For that, I will direct you through to the author's own blog, where you'll find the link through to Blogchatter.  I am going to take the leap, though, for those of you who I know may not wish to sign up to the Indian website, and again offer to forward the PDF to any who request (via comments or email) - I am certain this author will be delighted to have a broad readership. The more who fully appreciate the setting, the deeper the bonds and understanding can grow between cultures.