1839] 



Essay on Telugu Literature. 



55 



scrit on the Sutras of Nannaj^a. This work is of modern date, written 

 (as the author's descendants inform me), about the middle of the last 

 century. It is very pedantic; strives to deduce every Telugu rule from 

 a distorted Sanscrit rule, and after a verbose preface, on every subject that 

 could be introduced, fails to solve real difficulties. For instance; it is 

 well known that the great stumbling block in Telugu is regarding the 

 classes of words denominated Cala and Druta. On this topic (quite as 

 abstruse as the rule regarding the Greek accents), the author gives up 

 the discussion : merely reiterating what Bala Saras wati had stated, and 

 not even adducing a new instance in proof. 



44. The treatises which have been mentioned are generally denomi- 

 nated after their authors. Thus the Appa Caviyam, Ahobala Panditi- 

 yam and Nannaya Bhattiyam. Those to be next mentioned have sepa- 

 rate titles. All the more ancient of these will be disposed of in a very 

 few words. 



45. Indeed none of these books have risen to much celebrity : the 

 Andhra Caumudi is a Telugu grammar, apparently as ancient as the 

 Bhattiyam, but framed wholly on Sanscrit principles ; just as the anti- 

 quated English grammars were on a Latin mode. There are also seve- 

 ral vocabularies, imitated from the Amara Cosha, as has been already no- 

 ticed ; being the Siva Andhram; audits rival the Vishnu Andhram. The 

 A'ndhra Ratnacaram, the Andhra Bhash Arnavam (now about to be 

 printed), and many more. 



46. There are various treatises on Telugu prosody, such as the differ- 

 ent Chhandams named after Hanumanta, after Marri, and after A'nanda 

 Ranga Raz (also called Laxan'a Chudaman'i) ; the Laxan'a Dipica, 

 Laxan'a Rajiyam, and several more. All these works and others on 

 etymology have fallen into comparative oblivion : though it is possible 

 a few may merit publication. 



47. The last work to be described is one that deserves honourable 

 mention being the Telugu dictionary compiled by Mamadi Vencaya, 

 a learned merchant (comati) of Masulipatam ; who died in 1816. This 

 work is arranged alphabetically, in the European method, and every 

 word found in the ancient lexicons (but no more) is briefly explained in 

 Telugu or Sanscrit. This work will always be of value to those who 

 study the poets. The title is Andhra Dipica. 



48. In one important point the arrangement is defective ; and for my 

 own use I was obliged to re-arrange the whole dictionary to remedy 

 this evil. In Telugu the four initials of each varga or class (Kj kh, (r. 

 gh; also ch, chh, J, jh : also T, th, D, dh, and P, ph, B, bh,) arc 

 changeable : so that many thousand Telugu words (Sanscrit w< rda .... 



