The Clay Sanskrit Library
Sheldon Pollock
General Editor
A New Series of Translations of Sanskrit Classics!
The Clay Sanskrit Library, co-published by NYU Press and the JJC Foundation, has been created to introduce classical Sanskrit literature to a wide international readership. This literature combines great beauty, enormous variety and more than three thousand years of continuous history and development. Learn more at claysanskritlibrary.org
“A marvelous new venture. Modeled on the Loeb Library of Greek and Latin classics, the Clay Sanskrit Library presents masterpieces of Sanskrit poetry, drama, and prose in a dual language format . . . one of the most admirable publishing projects now afoot.”— New Criterion
“Geek-chic.”—BookForum
“Very few collections of Sanskrit deep enough for research are housed anywhere in North America. Now, twenty-five hundred years after the death of Shakyamuni Buddha, the ambitious Clay Sanskrit Library may remedy this state of affairs…a good place to experience some deeply human poetry.”—Tricycle magazine
“A handsome new series of dual-language Sanskrit texts. . . . . No effort has been spared to make these little volumes as attractive as possible to readers.”—Times Higher Education Supplement
“The texts reflect the vibrant literary culture of the classical Sanskrit period, taking readers on an adventurous journey through the palaces and gardens of ancient India.”—East-West Times
For many interested readers, access to this vast treasure store has been hindered by an unfamiliar language and a difficult script. The new Clay Sanskrit Library makes everything easier: the Sanskrit text, written in familiar Roman letters, faces the English translation, and the convenient pocket size (4.5" X 6.5") is both elegant and practical. Each book, with a handsome jacket, retails for only $22.00
Twenty-eight leading scholars from eight countries are cooperating to produce fresh new translations that combine readability and accuracy. The first twelve titles appeared in February 2005. Nineteen volumes were published in 2005, and within the next five years the Clay Sanskrit Library will grow to a hundred titles. The selection will focus on drama, poetry and novels, together with the famous epics.
Each book is now available from booksellers everywhere.
Introduction to the Clay Sanskrit Library
By John Clay
The great national epics of India, the Maha·bhárata and the Ramáyana, reached their definitive form around the beginning of the common era. By their authority and comprehensive character they dominated Hindu literature for several centuries, as familiar episodes and themes were reworked. But Buddhism and Jainism developed their own literary traditions.
From early in the common era, a vast creative literature of novels, short stories, plays and poetry began to develop. Some took their subject matter from the national epics or the Buddhist scriptures, but many other sources also provided inspiration.
This new literary culture was vibrant and vivid. The dramatists wrote plays about palaces full of dancing girls, and gardens where peacocks screeched at the approach of the monsoon and elephants trumpeted in the stables, eager for combat or mating. Courtiers intrigued for influence and promotion. Merchants set off on their voyages with sadness at separation, and returned with joy and vast profits. The six seasons spun by at breakneck speed. Lovers kept their trysts in the cane groves down by the river. Holy men preached that worldly pleasures were worthless, and often were exposed as hypocrites.
This second flowering of a classical Sanskrit literature lasted for more than a millenium. We shall bring to a worldwide audience the entire text of the two national epics, and fifty or more titles from the heyday. We hope that readers will find much to enjoy.
For more complete book descriptions and to purchase, please click on book title.
Birth of Kumára
By Kali·dasa, translated by David Smith
The greatest long poem in classical Sanskrit, by the
greatest poet of the language, Kali·dasa’s The Birth of
Kumára is not exactly a love story but a paradigm of
inevitable union between male and female, played out
on the immense scale of supreme divinity. In this court epic,
the events are described leading up to but not
including the birth of Kumára, the war god destined to
defeat the demon Táraka.
The Emperor of the Sorcerers Volume One
By Budha·svamin edited and translated by Sir James Mallinson
Budha·svamin’s The Emperor of the Sorcerers is a racy
telling of the celebrated lost Indian narrative cycle The
Long Story, framed by Nara·váhana·datta’s magical
adventures on his quest to become Emperor of the
Sorcerers. It is indeed a great story, as its
Sanskrit title declares. Epic in scope and scale, it has
everything that a great story should: adventure,
romance, suspense, intrigue, tragedy and comedy.
The Emperor of the Sorcerers Volume Two
By Budha·svamin, translated by Sir James Mallinson
Volume Two continues this fast-paced tale of mystery and sorcery up
to canto 28. Nara·váhana·datta’s epic quest to become the human
emperor of the sorcerers leads him and his companions to win yet
more wives. Unfortunately, the surviving manuscripts of the text break
off while he is in pursuit of his sixth wife. The primary narrative is
punctuated by diverting subplots.
The Epitome of Queen Lilávati Volume One
By Jina·ratna, edited and translated by R.C.C. Fynes
Written in 1297 CE by the Jain poet-monk Jina·ratna,
The Epitome of Queen Lilávati is undeservedly almost
unknown outside India. In the stories, embodied souls
undergo all too human adventures in a succession of
lives, as they advance to final release. The book
abounds in memorable incidents and characters,
related to Queen Lilávati and her husband, King
Simha, by the teacher-monk Sámara·sena.
Epitome of Queen Lilávati Volume Two
By Jina·ratna, translated by R.C.C Fynes
The second volume of Jina·ratna’s thirteenth-century The Epitome of
Queen Lilávati completes his story. Embodied souls undergo all too
human adventures in a succession of lives, as they advance to final
release. The primary purpose of Jain narrative literature was to edify
lay people through amusement; consequently the stories are racy, and
in some cases the moralizing element is rather tenuous.
Five Discourses on Worldly Wisdom
By Vishnu·sharman, Edited and translated by Patrick Olivelle
The king despairs of his idle sons, so he hires a learned brahmin who promises to make their lessons in statecraft unmissable. The lessons are disguised as short stories, featuring mainly animal protagonists. Many of these narratives have traveled across the world, and are known in the West as Aesop’s fables.
Handsome Nanda
By Ashva·Ghosh, translated by Linda Covill
Nanda has it all — youth, money, good looks and a kittenish wife who fulfills his sexual and emotional needs. He also has the Buddha, a dispassionate man of immense insight and self-containment, for an older brother. When Nanda is made a reluctant recruit to the Buddha's order of monks, he is forced to confront his all-too-human enslavement to his erotic and romantic desires. Dating from the second century CE, Ashva·ghosha's Handsome Nanda portrays its hero's spiritual makeover with compassion, psychological profundity and great poetic skill.
The Heavenly Exploits:Buddhist Biographies from the Dívyavadána, Volume One
Edited and translated by Joel Tatelman
The Heavenly Exploits are “Buddhist Biographies from
the Dívyavadána.” The worldly face of religious literature,
these lively morality tales have inspired audiences
across Asia for more than two millennia. This
volume contains four of the thirty-eight Buddhist biographical
stories in the “Dívyavadána,” or Heavenly
Exploits. Where religion meets the world, these tales
present something for everyone.
Life of Buddha
By Ashva·Ghosh, translated by Patrick Olivelle
The Buddhist monk Ashva·ghosha composed The Life of the Buddha in the first or second century CE probably in Ayódhya. This is the earliest surviving text of the Sanskrit literary genre called kavya and probably provided models for Kali·dasa's more famous works. The most poignant scenes on the path to his Awakening are when the young prince Siddhártha, the future Buddha, is confronted by the reality of sickness, old age, and death, while seduced by the charms of the women employed to keep him at home. A poet of the highest order, Ashva·ghosha's aim is not entertainment but instruction, presenting the Buddha's teaching as the culmination of the Brahmanical tradition. His wonderful descriptions of the bodies of courtesans are ultimately meant to show the transience of beauty.
Love Lyrics
By Ámaru, Bhartri·hari and Bílhana, edited and translated by Greg Bailey and Richard Gombrich
This anthology of the Love Lyrics of three Indian poets
conjures up an atmosphere of love both sensual and
social, ever in tension with love’s rejection or repression.
The flavor of all these poems— Ámaru’s seventh century
CE “Hundred Poems,” Bhartri·hari’s anthology
“Love, Politics, Disenchantment,” from the fourth century,
and Bílhana’s eleventh-century “Fifty Stanzas of a
Thief”—is the universalized aesthetic experience of
love.
Maha·bhárata Book Two: The Great Hall
Translated by Paul Wilmot
The Great Hall relates some of the most seminal events of the epic, culminating in the famous game of dice between the Pándavas and the Káuravas. The Pándavas, happily settled in Indra·prastha, enjoy one glorious success after another. Yudhi·shthira, after erecting the most magnificent hall on earth, decides to perform the Royal Consecration Sacrifice, which will raise his status to that of the world's greatest sovereign. His brothers travel far and wide and conquer all known kingdoms. Yet just when the Pándavas are beginning to seem invincible, Yudhi·shthira mysteriously gambles everything away in a fateful game of dice to his cousin Duryódhana.
Maha·bhárata Book Three: The Forest, Volume Four
Translated by William J. Johnson
“The Forest” is Book Three of the Maha·bhárata, “The
Great Book of India.” This final quarter of the account of
the Pándavas’ twelve-year exile in the forest contains
four stirring stories that are among the best known in
Indian literature. From a hero overcoming great odds, to
a virtuous wife who rescues her family, and Indra tricking
Karna, and Yudhi·shthira’s victory in the verbal contest
with the tree spirit, these stories speak to common
human concerns across cultures and centuries.
Maha•bhárata Book Four: Viráta
Translated by Kathleen Garbutt
The Book of Viráta details the Pándavas’ 13th year in exile, when they live disguised in King Virata’s court. The Pandavas suffer the humiliation of becoming servants; a topic explored both through comedy and pathos. They manage to maintain their disguise until the very end of the year, when their troubles really begin. Bhima is forced to come to Dráupadi’s rescue when King Viráta’s general, Kíchaka, sets his sights on her. Later, taking advantage of his demise, Duryódhana and the Tri•gartas decide to invade Viráta’s kingdom, unaware the Pándavas are hidden there. In the ensuing battles the Pándavas play a crucial role and, after saving Viráta, reveal their true identities to him. The book ends on a note of celebration, with the Pándavas ready to return from exile and reclaim their kingdom. However, the battles in “Viráta” foreshadow the war to come, proving it will not be easy.
Maha•bhárata Book Five, Volume One: Preparation for War
Translated by Kathleen Garbutt
The Pándavas’ believe they have completed the terms of the exile, though Duryódhana claims they did not live unknown for the full thirteenth year, since Árjuna was recognised in the battle at the end of the preceding book, "Viráta." While the Pándavas and Kurus make their preparation for war they organise a series of embassies to negotiate peace. This volume constantly highlights the inevitablility of conflict and the futility of negotiation. Most characters are concerned that war between family cannot fail to be sinful. Contained herein is the "Sanat•sujatiya," a philosophical passage t rival the "Bhagavad•gita." Like the "Bhagavad•gita," the "Sanat•sujatiya" tells that karma will not chain one in the cycle of rebirth, if one refrains from desire. Through understanding the truth of non-duality, that the world is mere illusion, one is subsumed into eternal existence wiht Brahman.
Maha·bhárata Book Seven: Drona, Volume One
Edited and translated by Vaughan Pilikian
After Bhishma is cut down at the end of the previous book of the Maha·bhárata, the book which bears his name, Duryódhana selects Drona as leader of his forces. Drona accepts the honor with Bhishma's blessing, despite his ongoing personal conflicts as mentor to both the Pndava and Kurava heroes in their youth. The fighting rages on, with heavy losses on both sides. Furious and frustrated, Duryódhana accuses Drona of collaborating with the enemy, but he replies that as long as Árjuna is on the field, the Pándavas will remain invincible. When Árjuna is finally diverted from the main action of the battle, Yudhishthira entrusts Árjuna's son Abhimnyu with the task of making a breach in the Kurava formation. Abhimányu rampages through Drona's army, but at last is cornered by several Káurava warriors and finally killed by Jayad·ratha.
Maha•bhárata Book Eight: Karna, Volume One
Translated by Adam Bowles
The Book of Karna relates the events of the two dramatic days after the defeat of the great warriors and generals Bhishma and Drona, in which Karna – great hero and the eldest Pándava – leads the Káurava army into combat. This first volume of “Karna” depicts mighty battles in gory detail, sets the scene for Karna’s tragic death, and includes a remarkable verbal duel between Karna and his reluctant charioteer Shalya, the king of the Madras, as they hurl abuse at each other before entering the fray.
Maha•bhárata Book Eight, Volume two: Karana
Edited and Translated by Adam Bowles
In India's great epic the Maha·bhárata, the eighth book, "Karna," recounts the events that occurred during the mighty hero Karna's two days as general of the Káurava army. This second volume resumes on the war's seventeenth and penultimate day. This will be a momentous day for the Bhárata clans and especially for a number of their most distinguished heroes, with some of the epic's most telegraphed events reaching their climax. Not only will the epic's most anticipated duel between its greatest champions Árjuna and Karna be played out to its cruel and tragic end, but one of the more gruesome episodes in the epic will also take place wiht Duhshásana meeting the fate that has long waited him since his brazen maltreatment of Dráupadi in the assembly hall.
Maha·bhárata Book Nine: Shalya, Volume One
Translated by Justin Meiland
The Book of Shalya recounts in gory detail the final destruction of the
Káurava army and the defeat of its leader, Duryódhana. In this first volume
heroic duels and martial speeches abound as Shalya, the king of
the Madras, is made general of the Káurava army, only to be slaughtered
in his turn.
Maha·bhárata Book Nine: Shalya, Volume Two
Translated by Justin Meiland
In one of the most famous passages in the Maha·bhárata, Dur·yódhana, the heroic but flawed king of the Káuravas, meets his end when he is dishonorably defeated in battle by his arch-enemy, Bhima. Framing a fascinating account of the sacred sites along the river Sarásvati, the duel poignantly portrays the downfall of a once great hero in the face of a new order governed by Krishna, in which the warrior code is brushed aside in order to ensure the predestined triumph of the Pándavas.
Messenger Poems
By Kali·dasa, Dhoyi and Rupa Go·svamin, Edited and Translated by Sir James Mallinson
Sanskrit Messenger poems evoke the pain of separated sweethearts through the formula of an estranged lover pleading with a messenger to take a message to his or her beloved. The plea includes a lyrical description of the route the messenger will take and the message itself. The first was the Cloud Messenger, composed by Sanskrit's finest poet, Kali·dasa, in the fifth century CE. This inspired the next, the Wind Messenger, composed in praise of King Lákshmana·sena of Gauda (Bengal) in the twelfth century by Dhoyi, one of his court poets. Numerous more followed, including the third in the CSL selection, the sixteenth-century Swan Messenger, composed in Bengal by Rupa Go·svamin, a devotee of Krishna.
Much Ado About Religion
By Bhatta Jayánta, edited and translated by Csaba Dezso
Unique in Sanskrit literature, Bhatta Jayánta’s play,
Much Ado About Religion, is a curious mixture of fiction
and history, of scathing satire and intriguing philosophical
argumentation. The play satirizes various religions in
Kashmir and their place in the politics of King
Shánkara·varman (883-902 CE). The leading character,
Sankárshana, is a young and dynamic orthodox graduate
of Vedic studies, whose career starts as a glorious
campaign against the heretic Buddhists, Jains and other
antisocial sects.
The Quartet of Causeries
By Sudraka, Syamílaka, Vararuci, and Ísvaradatta, edited and translated by Csaba Dezsö and Somadeva Vasudeva
The Quartet of Causeries have been handed down as a collection of the
most ancient monologue farces in classical Sanskrit. Though stylistically
divergent, they share a common plot: the hero is an inept,
bungling procurer, who mismanages his client’s love affairs to an unexpectedly
successful completion. A wide spectrum of India’s urban
society is scandalized, from respected judges to clumsy poetasters,
from hypocritical Buddhist monks to greedy madams, from spoiled
scions of wealthy houses to criminal low-life.
Rákshasa's Ring
By Vishákha·datta, edited and translated by Michael Coulson
The aristocrat who wrote this vigorous political play eschewed sentimentality
in favor of realistic characterization and forceful action. It is
316 BCE, one year after Chandra·gupta Maurya, aided by his subtle
minister Chanákya, has seized the kingdom of Mágadha from the last
king of the Nanda dynasty. Rákshasa, Nanda’s incorruptible minister,
flees abroad and plots his vengeance, while Chanákya seeks to win
him over to honor Chandra·gupta Maurya as his new king.
Rama Beyond Price
By Murári, edited and translated by Judit Törzsök
Rama Beyond Price, a dramatized remake of the Ramáyana, is one of the most challenging pieces of Sanskrit poetry to read. Because of its elegant style, learned allusions, and often striking imagery, the poem has been a favorite among pundits. The well-known epic story of Rama's exploits is presented as a series of political intrigues and battles, and contrasted with lyrical passages of various kinds: on love and war, pride and honor, gods and demons, rites and myths, regions and cities of ancient India. This is the first English translation of the only surviving work by Murári, a brahmin court poet, who lived some time between the eighth and tenth century CE, perhaps in Orissa or in neighboring South India.
Rama's Last Act
By Bhavaobhuti , Translated by Sheldon I. Pollock
Ramas Last Act by Bhava·bhuti is counted among the greatest Sanskrit dramas. The work at once dramatizes the Ramáyana — it is one of the earliest theatrical adaptations of Valmíki's epic masterpiece — and revises its most intractable episode, the hero's rejection of his beloved wife. Human agency in the face of destiny, the power of love, and the capacity of art to make sense of such mysteries are the themes explored in this singular literary achievement of the Indian stage.
Ramáyana Book One: Boyhood
By Valmiki, translated by Robert P. Goldman
Valmíki’s Ramáyana is one of the two great national
epics of India, the source revered throughout South Asia
as the original account of the career of Rama, ideal man
and incarnation of the great god Vishnu. The first book,
“Boyhood,” introduces the young hero Rama and sets
the scene for the adventures ahead. It begins with a fascinating
excursus on the origins and function of poetry
itself.
Ramáyana Book Two: Ayódhya
By Valmíki, translated by Sheldon I. Pollock
“Ayódhya” is Book Two of Valmíki’s national Indian
epic, The Ramáyana. The young hero Rama sets out
willingly from the capital with wife and brother for a
fourteen-year banishment, which will entail great suffering
and further difficult choices in the books ahead.
Of the seven books of this great Sanskrit epic,
“Ayódhya” is the most human, and it remains one of
the best introductions to the social and political values
of traditional India.
Ramáyána Book Three: The Forest
By Valmíki, translated by Sheldon I. Pollock
The skies darken for the exiles, who have taken refuge in forest hermitages. First one demon, then another, attempts to harm or corrupt them. When these efforts fail, an army of demons is sent, and then a bigger one, but each time Rama again defeats them. Finally Rávana, the supreme lord of the demons, decides to cripple Rama by capturing Sita; he traps her, and carries her off under heavy guard to the island fortress of Lanka. Rama is distraught by grief, and searches everywhere without success.
Ramáyana Volume Four: Kishkíndha
By Valmíki, translated by Rosalind Lefeber
Rama goes to the monkey capital of Kishkíndha to seek help in finding
Sita. There he meets Hánuman, the greatest of the monkey heroes.
There are two claimants for the monkey throne, Valin and Sugríva.
Rama helps Sugríva win the throne, and in return Sugríva promises to
help in the search for Sita. The monkey hordes set out in every direction
to scour the world, but without success until an old vulture tells
them she is in Lanka. Hánuman promises to leap over the ocean to
Lanka to pursue the search.
Ramáyana Book Five: Súndara
By Valmíki , translated by Robert P. Goldman and Sally Sutherland Goldman
The fifth and most popular book of the Ramáyana of Valmíki, Súndara recounts the adventures of the monkey hero Hánuman leaping across the ocean to the island citadel of Lanka. Once there, he scours the city for the abducted Princess Sita. The poet vividly describes the opulence of the court of the demon king, Rávana, the beauty of his harem, and the hideous deformity of Sita's wardresses. After witnessing Sita's stern rejection of Rávana's blandishments, Hánuman reveals himself to the princess, shows her Rama's signet ring as proof of identity, and offers to carry her back to Rama.
The Recognition of Shakúntala
By Kali·dasa, Edited and translated by Somadeva Vasudeva
Kali·dasa’s The Recognition of Shakúntala is a play that
scarcely needs introduction. Among the first works of
Sanskrit literature translated into European languages,
its skilful plot of thwarted love and eventual redemption
has long charmed audiences around the world.
Shakúntala’s story is a leitmotiv that recurs in many
works of Indian literature and culminates in the master
Kali·dasa’s drama for the stage.
Seven Hundred Elegant Verses
By Go·várdhana, translated by Friedhelm Hardy
When Govrdhana composed his "Seven Hundred Elegant Verses" in Sanskrit in the twelfth century CE, the title suggested that this was a response to the 700 verses in the more demotic Prakrit language traditionally attributed to King Hala, composed almost a thousand years earlier. Both sets of poems were composed in the arya metre. Besides being the name of a metre, in Sanskrit arya means a noble or elegant lady, and Govrdhana wished to reflect and appeal to a sophisticated culture. These poems each consist of a single stanza, almost as condensed and allusive as a Japanese haiku. They cover the gamut of human life and emotion, though the favorite topic is love in all its aspects.
Three Satires
By Níla·kantha, Ksheméndra, and Bhállata, edited and translated by Somadeva Vasudeva
This volume presents three Indian satirists with three
different strategies: in the ninth century CE, Bhállata
sought vengeance on his boorish new king by producing
vicious sarcastic verse, “The Hundred Allegories;”
in the eleventh century, Ksheméndra presents himself
as a social reformer out to shame the complacent into
compliance with Vedic morality; and in the seventeenth
century little can redeem the fallen characters
Nila·kantha portrays, so his duty is simply to warn
about the corruption of every social type.
What Ten Young Men Did
By Dandin, translated by Isabelle Onians
What Ten Young Men Did is a coming-of-age novel
from the seventh century CE. In combat and in the bedroom,
ten individuals juggle virtue and vice on their
heroic progress from adolescence to maturity. Dandin’s
work is autobiographical in two senses: each of the
young men narrates their personal experiences, while
the author could not have written with such confident
realism had he not had many of the same picaresque
adventures in his native South India and beyond.
The Lady of the Jewel Necklace & The Lady Who Shows her Love
By Harsha, translated by Wendy Doniger
King Harsha, who reigned over the kingdom of Kanauj from 606 to 647 CE, composed two Sanskrit plays about the mythical figures of King Údayana, his queen, Vásava•datta, and two of his co-wives. The plays abound in mistaken identities, both political and erotic. The characters masquerade as one another and, occasionally, as themselves, and each play refers simultaneously to itself and to the other.
The Ocean of the Rivers of Story, Volume One
By Soma•deva, translated by Sir James Mallinson
Soma•deva composed his Ocean of the Rivers of Story in Kashmir in the eleventh century CE. It is a vast collection of tales based on the “The Long Story,” a now lost (and perhaps legendary) repository of Indian fables, in which prince Nara•váhana•datta wins twenty-six wives and becomes the emperor of the sorcerers. There are tales within tales within tales. By turns funny, exciting, or didactic, they illustrate points within the frame narrative or are told simply to provide entertainment for the protagonists. Its twenty thousand plus verses are written in simple but elegant Sanskrit and it has long been used as an introductory text for students of the language
For more information, visit the Clay Sanskrit Library site at http://www.claysanskritlibrary.org