Shakti and Shâkta : essays and addresses on the Shâkta Tantrashâstra

PRESS NOTICES

recommendable to writers of rare and yet perfect translations of ‘Hindu scriptures. The Hymns selected are some of the most imaginative and beautiful of all the songs to the Divine Mother. We have rarely come across such an illuminating exposition and a masterly vindication of the underlying ideas and principles of Devi worship.’ —Prabuddha Bharata.

«A task of no ordinary difficulty, but Mr. Avalon has performed it with remarkable success ... His commentaries have elucidated many knotty problems ; he has brought to our knowledge an immense store of information of prime importance, which has been so long hidden from us . . . the Introduction is a masterly dissertation on the subject, and furnishes proof of his familiarity with the subject, a grasp of mind, and facility of treatment which we cannot but admire . . . he has elucidated to an extent, hithertc unattempted, some of the abstrusest mysticisms and obscurities of Tantrik literature. In reading his terse and lucid explanations of the many extremely abstruse points with which Mr. Avalon deals, it is impossible to realize that the writer is dealing with a subject which is quite foreign to the sphere in which he was born. We cannot but repeat an expression of thanks for the valuable services which Mr. Avalon is rendering to Tantrik literature.”’ —Amrita bazar Patrika.

‘<The author has treated the subject with care and attention, and discussed the Shastra in an impartial manner. In the Tantra, as in other Shastras dealing with the inner life, there are passages full of technical expressions. It is, therefore, not difficult to realize what endless trouble the author has gone through in the endeavour to master this technical language so as to enable him to write this book. The footnotes show that he has sought the assistance of Sadhakas versed in the inner meaning of the Tantra. We cannot say whether the publication to the world by a foreigner of these secret scriptures is a fulfilment of the prophecy contained in the Tantras, but we think that more good than evil is likely to result . . . The two volumes in question deserve a very high rank among books of their class. ‘The translation is as lucid as it is complete. In its perusal we do not recognize that we are reading a translation at all. We heartily desire that these books should be warmly received by all.””—Udbodhana.

“ Here again, (‘ The Hymns ’), as in the case of the Tantra, Mr. Avalon is a courageous pioneer, and deserves our grateful thanks, for he opens up still another field of research. One would imagine, from

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