Essays on Gupta Culture. by Bardwell L. Smith Review by: Vidya Dehejia The Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 44, No.3 (May, 1985), pp. 655-656 Published by: Association for Asian Studies Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2056327 . Accessed: 22/02/2014 09:20 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. . Association for Asian Studies is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Journal of Asian Studies. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 103.21.127.76 on Sat, 22 Feb 2014 09:20:34 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Vatsabhatta. 360 pp. but the headings nevertheless retain their validity. Narain's conclusion that the king's duty was not the active promotion and patronage of a religion. since his work is a referencegrammar. He has collected the information concerning the facts of the language from sources such as articles."There is an overlap between the first two categories. is well considered. His analysis of the Mahanavamifestival in Vijayanagarand modern times. Isllustrations. but the maintenance of a social equilibrium. is that the two scenes taken together are intended to extol the glory of the Pallava monarch. The painstaking presentation of this material testifying to the religious pluralism of the monarchs is valuable. Columbia. who. brought waterto the people (through the ancient canalsystem) and simultaneously. Part 2 commences with Basham's useful translation of the Mandasorinscription of the silk weaverswho commissioned a local hack-poet. However.BOOK REVIEWS-SOUTH ASIA 655 Bookhouse. ROCKY V MIRANDA Universityof Minnesota Essays on Gupta Culture. Schiffman says that in writing this book he has tried to keep in mind both the professional linguist and the lay person who may have had no training in grammatical analysis. SMITH. an intriguing one. as a royal public ritual intended to reinforcethe quality of sacredkingship. Mo. Bibliographic Essays. but it seems out of place in Essayson GuptaCulture. makes fascinating reading. L. "Historical and Political Allegory in Gupta Art. Schiffman states that. 22 Feb 2014 09:20:34 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions . Schiffman has pointed out areas where there are uncertainties because of disagreement among his sources. When the sources are so diverse. to write a dedica- This content downloaded from 103. which are grouped together under the headings of "Political Power. In his preface.Asher's suggestion.127. dissertations.21.76 on Sat." and "Literaryand Artistic Expression.: South Asia Books. and he proceeds similarly to consider images of Trivikramaand of Vishnu's wheel as metaphors. 19781). like Bhagiratha. and it is inaccessibleto many scholars who might like to find out more about Kannada syntax. his primary interest has been in assembling the facts of the language and not in getting involved in debates about linguistic theory." "Religious Pluralism. Papers delivered at a symposium are not often consistently of the high quality of these essays. $18 (paper). K. Such a goal is difficult to achieve in linguistic presentations. Edited by BARDWELL L. the disagreement appears to stem from dialect diversity. A. $34 (cloth). controlled its excesses! Burton Stein considers the concept of sacred kingship and the role of public ritual in sustaining the institution of monarchy. 1983. but Schiffmanhas succeeded in keeping technical jargonto a minimum. A.Asher convincingly suggests that such images served as a metaphor for the monarch.." emphasizes the many large images of Varaha-Vishnu. In many such instances. Bhat's work is in Kannada. and grammars of literary Kannada as well as various dialects. He has also consulted with Kannada-speaking linguists and other native speakers.like Krishna. The essay concludes with a new interpretation of two sculptured cliffs at Mahabalipuram. xvii. Basham'shistorical and cultural review of the Gupta Age is tightly put together and forms an excellent introduction to the book. Narain's "Religious Policy and Toleration" contains a welcome analysis of Gupta numismatic and epigraphic sourcesas they relate to his theme. the Descent of the Ganges and Krishna upholding Mount Govardhanaas shelter from the rainstorm. FrederickAsher's thought-provoking essay. there are bound to be disagreements and contradictory statements on some points. General Index and Author Index for Bibliographic Essays. 162). concluding that there was "a sophisticated and independent CentralVakatakastyle" (p. my problem was finding its relevanceto a work on Gupta culture. which first appearedin the Vishnu Puranabetween 400-500.21. She discusses myths relating to the supression of heresy. Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty'sprovocative essay on the heretic in the Gupta Puranasemphasizes that the Golden Age for the privileged was a dark age for those heretics outside the inner sanctum. Miller contrasts the elegant and subtle courtly Sanskrit of Kalidasa'spoems with the wider appeal of his plays. as "the most important of the anti-Buddhist myths of this period" (p. concluding with the controversial statement that the much-vaunted gold of the Gupta era "may have been little more than a desperateattempt to plate a fast-tarnishing Establishment made of baser stuff" (p. The book concludes with two valuable analytical and evaluative bibliographic essays. He utilizes inscriptional material as well as the accounts of Chinese pilgrims to present a picture of Buddhism as "a noble and integral part of an age of classicism" (p. lists those special to Ajanta. Stoler Miller'sessay on classicaldramain the Gupta Part 3 commenceswith Barbara Age. Williams considers various images in the Vidarbharegion. The essay presents a fascinating analysis.76 on Sat. Joanna Williams's essay entitled "VakatakaArt and the Gupta Mainstream"addresses the question as to whether Ajanta is part of Gupta art.The second and more controwhich versial half of his essay is devoted to a discussion of Dandin's Dasakumaracarita. Ramanujan and Norman Cutler present a joint essay on Tamil poetry entitled "From Classicism to Bhakti. and he suggests that they were used for the payment of craftsmen who worked on the Great Cave. K. The complex historical associations suggest to him that Ajanta'sHarisenawas the great-grandfatherof Elephanta's Krishnaraja. She enumerates the features that Ajanta has in common with Gupta monuments.127. Historians may dispute his identifications. A. He then presents detailed comparative material to establish that Elephanta is a mid-sixth-century Kalacuri monument. She cites the concept of Vishnu's incarnationas the Buddha. In the first half of his essay Spink highlights the vast number of copper coins of Krishnarajafound on the island. 22 Feb 2014 09:20:34 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions ." Marg 22 [19671). 108). Walter Spink's fascinating essay on the Great Caveat Elephantaclarifiesa number of points not detailed in his earlierstudy ("Ajanta to Ellora. 233). Essayson Gupta Cultureis a valuable contribution to the understanding and appreciation of aspects of the Gupta age. built by the emperor Krishnaraja. 129). In contrast to O'Flaherty's pessimistic picture is Balkrishna Govind Gokhale's account of the prosperity of Buddhism in the Gupta Age. 153). but Spink's basic chronology of art history holds firm. and concludes that the Ajanta sculptors must have been trained in a local workshop. O'Flaherty's analysis of the many Sanskrit terms used to imply heretic is revealing." They examine the poetic conventions used in early Sangam poetry and their transformationinto the genre of Bhakti poems. EleanorZelliot deals with "Gupta History and Literature". which has been elaborated on elsewhere by its authors. in which she points out that the poet's task "was to create verbal bridges to the divine as a means of glorifying and strengthening the kings they served" (p. VIDYA DEHEJIA ColumbiaUniversity This content downloaded from 103. which bring in the Prakrit language and in which an array of charactersis presented for comic relief in order to cater to the medley of spectators in attendance. downVakataka the the time of at the Deccan he believes reflects faithfully events in fall.Bardwell Smith analyzes Gupta religion and art. of which Ajanta is the main surviving monument.656 JOURNAL OF ASIAN STUDIES tory poem for the sun temple they were building.