Dr. Olivelle's edition of the Yatadharmasamucchaya is a significant contribution to the studies of the historical development of ascetic traditions in Hinduism. There are numerous medeival manuals on the Hindu institution of monasticism, but the text of Yadavaprakasa surpasses them by virtue of its comprehensiveness, and historical information contained therein. The works of Yadvaprakasa (11th cent. CE) show his acute insight on the historical development of the tradition whose text he is commenting upon, whether it is Sanskrit prosody, or Sanskrit lexicography, or monasticism. Extant ragments of his lost works also betray the same features. Dr. Olivelle has prepared the first critical edition or the text with great labour, and the translation presented by him is very clean, organized and lucid. The introduction to the book explores the connections between the life of Sri Yadavaprakasa and the contents of the text in an enlightening manner. The critical apparatus given is very useful, and the citations in the text have been traced to the original sources very accurately. However, there is one area where the book falters: the translation of Vrddha Manu is not 'Manu the Elder' as written by Dr. Olivelle. Rather, Vrddha Manu represents a confalted text of Manusmriti, which existed once but is lost now. Secondly, in my opinion, Yadavaprakasa omits the rules of monasticism given in the Puranas not because he did not attach much validiy to them, but probably because he wanted to narrow the scope of his work for convenience and for brevity. Otherwise, the Puranas are quoted with approval even by Mandana Misra, whose philosophy Yadavaprakasa is often said to subscribe to. In totality however, the book by Dr. Olivelle, who is an acknowledged authority on the Hindu institution of Asrama, is a must read.

This is a translation of an old Indian children's book that is, not surprisingly, also a moral tale on how to live, and, perhaps more importantly, how to govern. I'm not in a position to comment as to whether this is a good or bad translation; it is a fun read for adults and I suppose that a pretty progressive or multicultural parent could read it to their kids in place of the Brothers Grimm or something else....

I liked the book. Other books in the age-old stories of wisdom from around the world: "Monkey: A Journey to the West" by Wu Ch'eng-en (translated by Arthur Waley, among others), the tale of Mil-e-re-pa (translated by a number of people: this one might be too risque for a lot of kids....), the 'Meditations of Marcus Aureleus', and the 'Conference of the Birds' by Farud-din Attar. Not that I am an expert on raising kids through multicultural readings.....

This is a neat book (though I think that this particular translation might be a bit dry.... it's been a while since I read it...) and it should be bought. And someone other than me should have reviewed it!

Pancatantra the ancient book of fables, is an interesting collection of animal stories composed in India around the third century of the Christian era. It has been one of the first Indian classics to be translated into the western languages. Therefore these fables with their relevance to political, moral and religious life have become widely known and acclaimed. Patrick Olivelle the chair of the department of Asian Studies at the University of Texas in Austin, equipped with necessary expertise and familiarity with the subject matter and language, has translated these fables and rendered them in plain everyday language, though with all their complexities, for the sake of the American readers. The very informative introduction and extensive explanatory notes make the text fairly simple and easy to understand and relish. For those interested in the Indian classics, this storybook is a wonderful gift.

This translation pays no attnetion to traditional Upanshadic scholarship in India, is totally Germanic (i.e., indological, colonialist), misrendering terms with a Christian or at least theistic bias, e.g., the Isha Upanishad, where Shankara's long commentary on the first verse is totally ignored.

Olivelle takes special precautions to create accurate translations that are still easy to read. It's that simple. Also he is a very nice man, I attend the University Of Texas and he is the head of my department.

Patrick Olivelle's translation is an excellent insight into Upanisads for a first timer. He has designed this translation in a very easy to follow fashion keeping in mind that most of us are not learned pundits.

The clear introduction gives a comprehensive background of the Vedas. The history of Indian social structure when the Upanisads were written, their authorship, chronology, geography, etc. give the reader a comfortable feel as they go forth with their reading. The reader is also provided with a table dividing the Upanisads into the four Vedas.

I find the paragraph (and the divisions of chapters the author has used) format used in this edition much easier than the verse format. Each chapter is accompanied by extensive notes in the back to the book.

The Upanisads are difficult and sometimes tedious read but this translation makes it much easier for people who have no prior knowledge.