Sri Ramacaritabdhiratnam- A Remarkable Work of Pandit Nityananda Sastri

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Preface I came across Sri Ramacaritabdhiratnam of Pandit Nityananda Sastri for the first time when I was studying for my Ph. D. I had then read this book with great interest and curiosity. After reading this book I was very much impressed. I set up my mind to do a book on Pandit Nityananda Sastri.

At the beginning of this book I have discuss Sanskrit studies particularly in its fields of poems and dramas in 19th century onwards in different parts of this country. Then I have discussed the poet's life and works. Among many of his works Sri Ramacaritabdhiratnam is very remarkable. The present work is divided into 14 cantos as against the seven Kandas of the Ramayana, which were subdivided into cantos composed in Mandakranta meter of kalidasa's famous lyric poem Meghadutam are also the last Padas of the poem, composed by Sastriji’s. The other three lines of each of the verses of this poem are Sastriji's own composition but the symmetry has never been distrubed. I have earnestly tried to discuss Sastriji's valuable work Srirama caritabdhiratnam. It will be my pleasure if Scholars of kavya would take interest to go through the book.

I express my gratitude to my guide Late Dr. Manabendu Banerjee. I pay uncountable regards and pronama to him. I am also very much indebted to Sri O. P. Acharya, related to Pt. Nityananda Sastri his esteemed maternal grandfather. I convey my respect and gratitude to all my teachers of the Department of Sanskrit, Calcutta University and Jadavpur University and Sanskrit Sahitya Parishat. I would also be thankful to my colleague Gautam Mishra for his unconditional help.

I sincerely thank to "Abhoy Burman Sanskrit Book depot for published this book.

Introduction SANSKRIT, the classical language of India, has had a history of four thousand years in this country, its earliest literature, the hymns of the Rgveda, is the oldest and valuable record. Indo-European, writings. The Sanskrit is well known for its antiquity and continuity. In the same accents in which the Vedic seer uttered. A Vedic "mantra is even now intoned' in the same cadence and diction in which Kalidasa and - Bana composed. A Sanskrit’s today writes his verse or Prose. The Vedic dialects, the freedom of the popular epic style, the rules for the spoken words in Panini's grammar, the diction of early drama, all these point to a period when Sanskrit was a living spoken tongue. Even when out of its dialects, a literary norm got standardized and the early primary Prakrits came into increasing literary use, Sanskrit continued to hold its authoritative position; for as observed by the latest writer on the language, "though it appears paradoxical at first sight, the Sanskrit language only reached its full development as a language of culture and administration at a time when it had ceased to be a mother tongue." I Buddhism and Jainism, which started with the popular languages, Pali and Prakrits could not by-pass Sanskrit which they had to use later. In the long course of its history Sanskrit put forth intensive literary activities in every field namely-literature, philosophy, arts, science, the huge.

Quantity of this literature of which only a part has appeared into print-the bulk of it lying still in manuscript libraries and a good part having been lost-represents a prodigious class of world's literature. As to variety, Sanskrit has dealt with every imaginable branch of human activity. In examples of quality, Sanskrit's originality and executional skill, its philosophical systems and poetry and dramas could be cited.

Sanskrit authors kept themselves in close touch with contemporary events and utilized freely the fresh material with which they came into contact. In the earlier phase, it was the influence from Greece and Rome particularly in astronomy. In Periods closer to us i;e the Moghul times, Sanskrit writers learnt Persian, complied Perso-Sanskrit lexicons and translated into Persian and Arabic.

About the Author Dr. Chandrima Goswami Bhattacharya Author was born in 26/12/1973. She completed B.A. Hons. 1995 with First class from Jogamaya Devi College of Calcutta University and also got rank 2nd. She got her M.A. in 1997 with 1st class (rank 2nd) and M.Phil in 1999 from Calcutta University. After that she joined as a project fellow in the department of Sanskrit of Jadavpur University. In the year 2002 she joined as a lecturer in Dhruba Chand Haider College, Dakshin Barasat. In 2009 she got her Ph.D degree from Jadavpur University. This book is about her thesis based on Pandit Nityananda Sastri is powerful poet of Rajasthan. The author is now engaged as Associate Professor in Sanskrit at the same college. This is the first attempt of the author and hope this work should help Sanskrit lovers.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages