1839] 



Essay oil Telugu Literature* 



43 



II. — Essay on the Language and Literature of the 9 Telvgus* — By 

 Charles P. Brown, Esq. of the Madras Civil Service. 



The morals and happiness of a people must always be primarily af- 

 fected by the state of literature among them; ana when we find a na- 

 tion possessed, like the Telugus, of an ancient and extensive literature, 

 constantly perused, and therefore constantly acting upon their condition, 

 the nature and extent of that literature becomes a question of interest. 

 For in arguing with one of another nation, we shall always find it pro- 

 fitable to know what has been the education pursued among those whom 

 we perhaps wish to instruct. Happily for the Telugus a strong desire 

 to know English is daily gaining strength among them, though it is 

 hitherto studied not by one in a thousand. But the works honoured 

 among them, as written by their favourite bards, are as likely to last, as 

 those of Shakspeare and Milton among ourselves. An outline of their 

 most popular poems may be useful to the foreigner, as guiding his judg- 

 ment: often liable to error on account of the crude and partial state- 

 ments orally given us by Telugus regarding their own literature. It will 

 be perceived that I have been led to form a low opinion of some favourite 

 works, particularly in the philological class : and have pointed out a path 

 which I hope will prove more short and agreeable than that which many 

 learned Bramins may advise. 



1. Telugu or Tenugu, also called A'ndhra (and by Musulmans Te- 

 diriga or Tailinga),is the language of a Hindu nation filling a semi-circle, 

 of which Rajah mund ry may be assumed as the centre, while the radius 

 extends to Madras. Trilinga and Trailinga are modern pedantic names 

 unknown to the ancient authors. 



2. The Telugu language borrows largely from Sanscrit and, in collo- 

 quial use, from Hindustani— yet it is an original tongue, and he that is 

 already acquainted with Sanscrit, with Hindustani, or any other lan- 

 guage, may yet find himself unable to understand poetry, correspondence 

 or conversation in Telugu. 



3. .The alphabet used shews that Telugu originated in the Carnataca 

 (Cannada or Canarese) language, spoken in the centre of the peninsula : 

 the ancient Telugu princes are spoken of as Carnataca Doralu : but in 

 modern days the two languages are as different as Welsh and English. 

 The Telugu alphabet resembles that of no language except Carnataca. 



4. AH Sanscrit literature in this part of India is preserved in the 

 Telugu character : in which as in the other alphabets of Southern India, 

 Sanscrit is written with perfect ease. Indeed we here rarely mee t with 

 any Sanscrit volume in any other character. The pronunciation of San- 



