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and serves to highlight Prabhakara Sastry's stupenduous exploratoty and anthological gifts.
"Thiruppavai" is a work of the Alwaars of what is now the TamilNadu. It represents the best in the Dravidian devotional thoughy and tradition. This intensely god-intoxicated work has continued to evoke utmost devotion from generations of men and women. It is recited with great veneration and fervour in thousands of homes throughout south India. The essential piety, -not to mention his versatility - of Prabhakara Sastry is reflected in his excellent rendering of this great poetic work into eminently readable Telugu. And as was usual with him, he added, too, a most comprehensive preface to it.
The volume under disussion also contains, in addition to the prefaces and commentaries briefly referred to in the preceding pages, some of the miscellaneous writings of the great scholar, like forewords, reviews, opinions and the like. Notable among these are "Andhra Kamandakamu", a digest of morality and matters realting to political ethics," Dhanurvidya Vilasa Peethika", pertaining to the art of archery. "Govinda Ramayanamu", etc.
The writings included and presented in this collection are pure gold. They serve to highlight the undoubtedly multi-faceted genius of Prabhakara Sastry. One looks forward with eagemess to nuture volumes of his complete works which are to follow and succeed this one, and all of which, together, might remind us yet again of the invaluable services rendered by this Titan among scholars in the cause of Telugu language and literature.
April 19, 1990.
(sd)
Hyderabad
H Rajendra Prasad.
