CO 



VEMANA. BY 



certain verses~on the ground that they contained profane 

 attacks on their religion. Brahmins, in particular, most cor- 

 dially detest this author, and, in support of their view, 

 often point with triumphant scorn to the vulgarity of his 

 style and the libertine character of his matter. 



I will now recur to the verse quoted by the Proddatur 

 Tahsildar. It may be remarked that, as it stands at present, 

 there are three errors in the metre. Mr. Brown's manu- 

 scripts appear to have been full of similar mistakes, which 

 in many instances he has corrected con jectur ally. A native 

 critic suggests that three very slight alterations will make 

 the verse scan 



This verse may be literally translated as follows ; — ■ 



The town is Conclaveed ; the street is the western street ; 

 It is the first road to all the tamarind trees in the corner ; 

 Those people who know that road shall reap benefit therefrom. 



In this sense it may be considered as containing an 

 enigmatical announcement of the town and street in which 

 Vemana was either born or lived. It may however also be 

 intended to bear a secondary or mystical meaDing. If so, the 

 sense becomes still more obscure, as the following is the 

 least unintelligible of the various versions which have been 

 suggested to me. 



The town is Kylas j the street is the road to heaven ; 



It is the first road to the chief meditation. 



Those people who know that road shall reap benefit therefrom. 



Since my return to the Presidency I have had an oppor- 

 tunity of examining the manuscript noticed by Mr. Taylor 



