The Clay Sanskrit library

"Here is a new Clay Sanskrit Library translation of two plays by Harsha, The Lady of the Jewel Necklace and The Lady who Shows her Love." "King Harsha reigned over Kanauj (near modern Kanpur) from 606 to 647 CE. He composed two plays about the mythical figures of King Udayana, his queen, Vasava dalta, and two of his co-wives. The plays abound in mistaken identities, both political and erotic. Characters masquerade as one another and as themselves, and each play refers simultaneously to itself and to the other." "Here language is not merely to look through to get to the story but to look at. Mistaken identities are mirrored in the rich use of puns and extended double entendre, and these verbal tricks are part of what happened, theatrical events like putting on a mask or telling a lie." "Mirroring the doubling of the characters, the plays too are doubled. Many stanzas and elements of plot appear in both, but key differences skew the mirror images."--BOOK JACKET.

"Here is a new Clay Sanskrit Library translation of The Five Discourses on Worldly Wisdom, well known also by its Sanskrit title as the "Pancatantra." The king despairs of his idle sons, so he hires a learned brahmin who promises to make their lessons in statecraft unmissable. The brahmin's lessons are disguised as short stories, featuring animal protagonists." "The Five Discourses on Worldly Wisdom is the book of India's folk wisdom, teaching the principles of good government and public policy through the medium of delightful stories and pithy proverbs. Its positive attitude towards life and its advocacy of ambition, enterprise, and drive counters any preconception of passivity and other-worldliness in ancient Indian society."--Jacket.

Critically edited text with Tilaka commentary.