Read Book Online : VOLUME 1 : http://www.archive.org/stream/kathsaritsga01somauoft#page/n3/mode/2up VOLUME 2 : http://www.archive.org/stream/kathsaritsga02somauoft#page/n3/mode/2up

Download pdf Book : VOLUME 1 : http://ia700201.us.archive.org/12/items/kathsaritsga01somauoft/kathsaritsga01somauoft.pdf VOLUME 2 : http://ia700200.us.archive.org/8/items/kathsaritsga02somauoft/kathsaritsga02somauoft.pdf

Thanks to Sumedha Verma for suggesting this work of CH Tawney.

Would you believe it, just a week back I downloaded this volume. It has some wonderful stories including one of a village that was filled with mechanical toys. The toys were made by a carpenter who felt lonely in an abandoned village and therefore created mechanical human beings to give him company.

Thank you, RBSI! These stories are amongst the oldest in the world as they are based on the now lost ' Bada Kaha' of Gunadhya, which was written at least 4 or 5 centuries before the Common Era in a language called Paisachi Prakrit. Another interesting story associated with this is that it was written for the Andhra King of the day who did not show any interest in the stories. The writer who had spent years traveling around the janapadas of Jambudweep collecting plots and crafting the stories was so disappointed that he climbed up to the highest mountain in the kingdom and started throwing away the stories one by one. The King came hurrying to save the stories, could save less than half! And those are the ones that we read. They are a great reflection of the society and polity of the day and offer a deep understanding when read carefully. Some of the simplifications, however, have changed the stories so much in adaptation that what remains is a travesty.

MLBD has published an unabridged Sanskrit paperback edition, no translations. It is wonderful to read the stories in the original language, full of wit and humor.

Thank you Vasudevan. I hope it is available in print. Sumedha has stated it right that these were written in Paishachi Prakrit by GuNADhya along with the interesting story of the Andhra King for whom they were written in the first place. Somadeva's is only what he call a saMsKskR^itachChAyA.I would immediately want to buy a copy.

Today's children are running towards Enid blyton,Harry Potter etc not knowing the wealth of stories in India.In fact these stories are so good and they should be read by Management professionals to solve many of their problems.

@ Bharath Churam I agree. I brought up both my kids with these stories and they enjoyed them immensely, specially when my son would put himself in the place of Raja Vikramaditya and try to solve the ethical or social issues in the s questions set by Betaal to Vikram! @ Vasudevan Srinivasan I envy you. I have the Sanskrit edition but am not good enough at the language to read and understand it. ( trying to learn). I am glad to see the interest in these stories as I am engaged in research preparatory to writing a book around these plots!

Looking forward for your book Sumedha Verma...and I am sure many here on RBSI would share this sentiment too!

Well, i hope my dream becomes a reality!

The translation made is very good, the translator has added enough footnotes where he had found it difficult to translate and several other annotations. Looks like if I keep at it I will not have the pleasure of reading the original! So, I am forcing myself to take my eyes of this book. Thank you RBSI!

@Mahadeva Sarma: Yes it must be available in print, I bought it like an year ago. I dont remember the price, but it wasn't very expensive. Thanks to Sumedha and you pointing out that it was originally written in Paisacha language. @Sumedha: It takes a lot of time to for me to read, but it is very enjoyable. Good luck with your research! It is a superb source. Just want to caution one abridged Penguin edition (Eng translation) that is not of good quality, I bought that recently but returned it. I do like CH Tawney's translation.

@Vasudevan: Thank You. Subsequent to your information I happened to check out with MLBD but they weren't sure. But I got the same from another shop, Funny MLBD weren't knowing but Vedanta Book House had the single Volume Sanskrit only Katha Sarit Sagar edited by Sh.Jagadishlal Shastri. It is priced at Rs 450.- They have republished in 10 Volumes this very edition bu CH Tawney but with special notes by NL Penzer. It is priced at Rs 7500.- for the 10 Volumes!

Children need not be burdened with the cultural contents or the baggage of history. What they require at their stage of development is something that feeds their fancy, fantasy and stimulates curiosity. (If I may generalise, from personal experience of bringing up children in multiple language and cultural enviornments from time to time) children are equally at ease with Panchatantra, Aesop, Tenali Ram, Mulla Nasiruddin or Enid Blighton or Harry Potter. Let them get the best of literature suitable for their age from all over the world and not bother whether it is "ours" and "theirs" - there is plenty of time to do that later on! Apart from the contents of stories, it is the act of story telling or reading together which is equally important for that is how a bond is developed between the child and the mother or father or whoever it is.

Having bought the book I went through a part of the first chapter, from whereon this traslation is begun in right earnest. The translator has been very faithful to the original Sanskrit. By the direct reading of the introduction provided by Somadeva, I understand Gunadhya did not have the luck of his original work of some 8 lakh distiches grabbing royal attention. According to that only one lakh of them survived, the rest were cast into fire by Gunadhya frustrated as he was that he who had penned these stories using his own blood for ink as ink wasn't available to him in the forests of centtral India to where he had retired to bring out a very good book. What stirred my curiosity to begin reading the original was I found the story of Varshacharya, Upavarsha, katyayana, Vyadi all great figures from Sanskrit Grammar which is my favorite. I wanted to check my own understanding of the History of Sanskrit Grammar to which we were introduced as part of Grammar studies.. I mean each book on grammar briefly touches upon the historical background (often legendary) but interesting nevertheless... In fact I was reading the translation here on RBSI's soft copy. The translation being very good as I said earlier I wasn't able to take myeyes off. If it went on my "drive" to buy Somadeva's original would vanish. Now that the book is there with me I think I can find time to savour its literary excellence. Jagadishlal Shastri has given an introduction highlighting the deft handling of the subject in terms of literary flourishes as well as the subject content by Somadeva is indeed true.