52 



Essay on Telugu Literature. 



[July 



fort of the student: who is often advised by liis native tutors (as I was) 

 to study some obscure treatises which ultimately prove quite unprofita- 

 ble. Indeed so absurd is the native course of tuition that I have known 

 some docile Englishmen who have imprinted on their memories the most 

 abstruse Sanscrit canons of the ancient Telugu grammarians ; and yet 

 remained unable to construe a common poem such as many a half edu- 

 cated native reads for amusement. I look back with regret to the period 

 I passed in studying the Telugu treatises on grammar and etymology, 

 being fully convinced that half that time and less than half that labour, 

 had it been devoted to the Telugu classics, would have been much 

 more profitable. The result to which experience led me being diame- 

 trically opposed to the opinions held by ordinary native teachers, it is 

 requisite to poh.t out the true value of the critics whom they so highly 

 honour. — Nor is that honour undeserved. I only plead exemption from 

 a fruitless study on behalf of the foreigner. 



33. The oldest and most venerated critic (his chief predecessors having 

 perished), is Nannaya Bhatta, already mentioned as the translator of the 

 A'di Parvam : who is believed to have lived in the second century of 

 the Christian sera. This celebrated author compiled a brief grammar of the 

 language, entitled A'ndhra* Sabda Chintamani which is written in San- 

 scrit verse: just as Wallis composed his grammar of English in Latin, 

 because in discussing one language it is always convenient to make use 

 of another. 



34. It would be easy to point out many important subjects Which the 

 learned author passes over in silence : and I allude to these deficiencies 

 to caution the English reader against expecting much aid from this ob- 

 scure though standard work, which native scholars who rarely examine 

 for themselves wall declare to be in all respects complete. 



35. Bala Sarasvati, the oldest commentator on these dicta, wrote in 

 Telugu ; his work if printed would be about the size of Valpy's Latin 

 Grammar. Of course he discusses no subjects beyond those given in 

 his text. Many assert that the commentator was a pupil of the ancient 

 grammarian himself. 



36. After translating and closely examining this work some years 

 ago I perceived that it is not a grammar; butamere essay oii disputed 

 points. The principles of elision and permutation of letters are amply 

 discussed : but the verb is summed up in a few obscure verses, and the 



» A'ndhra is the Sanscrit name for Telugu, just as Gallia was the Roman name for 

 France. Ia the Laws of Menu (chap. x. 36), the Andhias (anjjkhras, not andhras) are 

 mentioned as a savage tribe : and perhaps were the aborigines. The absurd name G cn- 

 too, formerly used among the English for Telugu, is now pretty nearly forgot ten. 



