The Clay Sanskrit Library, co-published by NYU Press and the JJC Foundation, has been created to introduce classical Sanskrit literature to a wide international readership. This literature combines great beauty, enormous variety and more than three thousand years of continuous history and development.

The Complete Clay Sanskrit Library: 56-volume Set (Clay Sanskrit Library, 3)

Literature & Fiction

Clay Sanskrit Library

Poetry

Clay Sanskrit

Epic: Maha·bhárata The Maha·bhárata tells the tale of the epic battle between the Pándavas and the Káuravas for the thrown. It begins with the famous game of dice between the Pándavas and the Káuravas, which sets the scene for the war that will lie at the center of the Maha·bhárata epic. But even after the war is ostensibly over when the heroic but flawed king of the Káuravas is dishonorably defeated in battle by his arch enemy, the extended family is still wracked in conflict leaving survivors, victors and vanquished struggling to comprehend their loss. Perhaps the most enigmatic philosophical text from ancient India, the final book in the set, “The Book of Liberation” is presented as the teachings of Bhishma as he lies dying on the battlefield in the aftermath of war. Included in this set: Maha·bhárata Book II: The Great Hall Translated by Paul Wilmot. 588 pages / 978-0-8147-9406-7 Maha·bhárata Book III: The Forest Volume 4 Translated by William Johnson. 374 pages / 978-0-8147-4278-5 Maha·bhárata Book IV: Viráta Translated by Kathleen Garbutt. 516 pages / 978-0-8147-3183-3 Maha·bhárata Book V: Preparations for War Volume 1 Translated by Kathleen Garbutt. Foreword by Gurcharan Das. 720 pages / 978-0-8147-3191-8 Maha·bhárata Book V: Preparations for War Volume 2 Translated by Kathleen Garbutt. 760 pages / 978-0-8147-3202-1 Maha·bhárata Book VI: Bhishma Translated by Alex Cherniak. Foreword by Ranajit Guha. Volume 1 (Including the “Bhagavad Gita” in Context) 615 pages / 978-0-8147-1696-0 Maha·bhárata Book VI: Bhishma Volume 2 Translated by Alex Cherniak. 550 pages / 978-0-8147-1705-9 Maha·bhárata Book VII: Drona Volume 1 Translated by Vaughan Pilikian. 473 pages / 978-0-8147-6723-8 Maha·bhárata Book VII: Drona Volume 2 Translated by Vaughan Pilikian. 470 pages / 978-0-8147-6776-4 Maha·bhárata Book VIII: Karna Volume 1 Translated by Adam Bowles 604 pages / 978-0-8147-9981-9 Maha·bhárata Book VIII: Karna Volume 2 Translated by Adam Bowles. 684 pages / 978-0-8147-9995-6 Maha·bhárata Book IX: Shalya Volume 1 Translated by Justin Meiland. 371 pages / 978-0-8147-5706-2 Maha·bhárata Book IX: Shalya Volume 2 Translated by Justin Meiland. 470 pages / 978-0-8147-5737-6 Maha·bhárata Books X &amp; XI: “Dead of the Night” and “The Women” Translated by Kate Crosby. 350 pages / 978-0-8147-1727-1 Maha·bhárata Book XII: Peace (Part 2: The Book of Liberation) Volume 3 Translated by Alex Wynne. 540 pages / 978-0-8147-9453-1

The Clay Sanskrit Library: Mahabharata: 15-volume Set (Clay Sanskrit Library, 60)

Essays & Correspondence

The Ramáyana epic centers around Rama, the crown prince of the city of Ayódhya, providing a profound meditation on the paradox of the hero as both human and divine. After rescuing a sage from persecution by demons. Rama attends a tournament in the neighboring city of Míthila where he wins the prize and the hand of Sita, the princess of Míthila. But a court intrigue involving one of the king’s junior wives and a maidservant forces Rama into a fourteen-year banishment to the jungle with his wife, Sita, and his loyal brother Lákshmana. When Sita is abducted by the demon king Rávana, Rama goes to the monkey capital of Kishkíndha to seek help in finding her. It is there that he meets Hánuman, the greatest of the monkey heroes. In exchange for the assistance of the monkey troops in discovering where Sita is held captive, Rama has to help Sugríva win the monkey throne over his brother, Valin. In the final book of the set, Hánuman leaps across the ocean to the island citadel of Lanka, where he scours the city for the abducted Princess Sita. But when Hánuman reveals himself to the princess and offers to carry her back to Rama, she nevertheless insists that Rama must come himself to avenge the abduction. Included in this set: Ramáyana Book I: Boyhood By Valmíki. Translated by Robert Goldman. 424 pages / 978-0-8147-3163-5 Ramáyana Book II: Ayódhya By Valmíki. Translated by Sheldon I. Pollock. 652 pages / 978-0-8147-6716-0 Ramáyana Book III: The Forest By Valmíki. Translated by Sheldon I. Pollock. 436 pages / 978-0-8147-6722-1 Ramáyana Book IV: Kishkíndha By Valmíki. Translated by Rosalind Lefeber. 415 pages / 978-0-8147-5207-4 Ramáyana Book V: Súndara By Valmíki. Translated by Robert Goldman and Sally Sutherland Goldman. 538 pages / 978-0-8147-3178-9

The Clay Sanskrit Library: Ramayana: 5-volume Set (Clay Sanskrit Library, 5)

Religion A diverse set, the religion set includes works from the biographical narratives of Buddha and stories of his past rebirths, to the lyrical account of love affair between gods, to a play that satirized religions to make a laughingstock of their followers and their tenets. Included in this set: The Epitome of Queen Lilávati By Jina·ratna. Edited and translated by Richard Fynes. Volume 1 543 pages / 978-0-8147-2741-6 The Epitome of Queen Lilávati Volume 2 By Jina·ratna. Edited and translated by Richard Fynes. 650 pages / 978-0-8147-2742-3 Garland of the Buddha’s Past Lives Volume 1 By Arya·shura. Translated by Justin Meiland. 550 pages / 978-0-8147-9581-1 Garland of the Buddha’s Past Lives Volume 2 By Arya·shura. Translated by Justin Meiland. 543 pages / 978-0-8147-9583-5 Gita·govínda: Love Songs of Radha and Krishna By Jaya·deva. Translated by Lee Siegel. 200 pages / 978-0-8147-4078-1 Handsome Nanda By Ashva·ghosha. Translated by Linda Covill. 392 pages / 978-0-8147-1683-0 Heavenly Exploits: Buddhist Biographies from the Dívyavadána Edited and translated by Joel Tatelman. 444 pages / 978-0-8147-8288-0 “How the Nagas Were Pleased” &amp; “The Shattered Thighs” By Harsha and Bhasa. Translated by Andrew Skilton. 350 pages / 978-0-8147-4066-8 Life of the Buddha By Ashva·ghosha. Translated by Patrick Olivelle 561 pages / 978-0-8147-6216-5 Much Ado about Religion By Bhatta Jayánta. Edited and translated by Csaba Dezsö. 320 pages / 978-0-8147-1979-4

The Clay Sanskrit Library: Religion: 10-volume Set (Clay Sanskrit Library, 47)

Including poetry whose masterful artistry addresses themes such as love, Indian epic and religion with as much aesthetic appeal as thematic, the poetry included in this set contains the poetry of well-known poets such as Vedánta Déshika while giving a voice to the work of other important writers such as Bhanu·datta who have been given less modern attention. Included in this set: Bhatti’s Poem: The Death of Rávana By Bhatti. Translated by Oliver Fallon. 550 pages / 978-0-8147-2778-2 The Birth of Kumára By Kali·dasa. Translated by David Smith. 360 pages / 978-0-8147-4008-8 “Bouquet of Rasa” &amp; “River of Rasa” By Bhanu·datta. Translated by Sheldon I. Pollock. 475 pages / 978-0-8147-6755-9 Love Lyrics By Ámaru and Bhartri·hari. Translated by Greg Bailey. By Bílhana. Edited and translated by Richard F. Gombrich. 327 pages / 978-0-8147-9938-3 Messenger Poems By Kali·dasa, Dhoyi, and Rupa Go·svamin. Edited and translated by Sir James Mallinson. 293 pages / 978-0-8147-5714-7 Princess Kadámbari Volume 1 By Bana. Translated by David Smith. 490 pages / 978-0-8147-4080-4 The Rise of Wisdom Moon Krishna·mishra. Translated by Matthew Kapstein. With a foreword by J. N. Mohanty. 350 pages / 978-0-8147-4838-1 “Self-Surrender,” “Peace,” “Compassion,” and “The Mission of the Goose”: Poems and Prayers from South India Appayya Díkshita, Nilakantha Díkshita, and Vedánta Déshika. Translated by Yigal Bronner and David Shulman. With a foreword by Gieve Patel. 316 pages / 978-0-8147-4110-8 Seven Hundred Elegant Verses By Go·várdhana. Translated by Friedhelm Hardy. 360 pages / 978-0-8147-3687-6

The Clay Sanskrit Library: Poetry: 9-volume Set (Clay Sanskrit Library, 59)

This set of plays provides an array of Sanskrit drama and satire, with plots that vary from the “strikingly Shakespearian” (as H. H. Wilson described it ) “Little Clay Cart” to a dramatization of and amendment to the “Ramáyana” in “Rama’s Last Act.” In addition to its scope of genre, the set covers a large period of time (the “Three Satires” by Bhállata, Ksheméndra, and Nila·kan alone were written over a period of nearly a thousand years) and also includes several works traditionally given less modern attention, such as “Málavika and Agni·mitra” by Kali·dasa, in order to provide a multifaceted view of Sankskrit theater. Included in this set: “The Lady of the Jewel Necklace” &amp; “The Lady who Shows her Love” By Harsha. Translated by Wendy Doniger. 514 pages / 978-0-8147-1996-1 Little Clay Cart By Shúdraka. Translated by Diwakar Acharya. Foreword by Partha Chatterjee. 640 pages / 978-0-8147-0729-6 Málavika and Agni·mitra Kali·dasa. Translated by Dániel Balogh and Eszter Somogyi. 350 pages / 978-0-8147-8702-1 Rákshasa’s Ring By Vishákha·datta. Translated by Michael Coulson 385 pages / 978-0-8147-1661-8 Rama Beyond Price By Murári. Edited and translated by Judit Törzsök. 638 pages / 978-0-8147-8295-8 Rama’s Last Act By Bhava·bhuti. Translated by Sheldon Pollock. Foreword by Girish Karnad. 458 pages / 978-0-8147-6733-7 The Recognition of Shakúntala (Kashmir Recension) By Kali·dasa. Edited and translated by Somadeva Vasudeva. 419 pages / 978-0-8147-8815-8 Three Satires By Bhállata, Ksheméndra, and Nila·kantha. Edited and translated by Somadeva Vasudeva. 403 pages / 978-0-8147-8814-1

The Clay Sanskrit Library: Plays: 8-volume Set (Clay Sanskrit Library, 46)

Dramas & Plays

Adventure, conquest, romance, comedy, suspense, and tragedy are just a few of the themes woven together by the range of styles represented in this set of classical Sanskrit literature. The set brings together classics like the Aesop’s fables which originated in Vishnu·sharman’s “Five Discourses on Worldly Wisdom” with the less traditional, such as the adventures of Dandin’s “What Ten Young Men Did,” written uncharacteristically in prose rather than verse. Included in this set: The Emperor of the Sorcerers Volume 1 By Budha·svamin. Edited and translated by Sir James Mallinson. 452 pages / 978-0-8147-5701-7The Emperor of the Sorcerers Volume 2 By Budha·svamin. Edited and translated by Sir James Mallinson. 467 pages / 978-0-8147-5707-9Five Discourses on Worldly Wisdom By Vishnu·sharman. Edited and translated by Patrick Olivelle. 562 pages / 978-0-8147-6208-0“Friendly Advice” by Naráyana & “King Víkrama’s Adventures” Translated by Judit Törzsök. 742 pages / 978-0-8147-8305-4How Úrvashi Was Won Kali·dasa. Translated by Velcheru Narayana Rao and David Shulman. 300 pages / 978-0-8147-4111-5 The Ocean of the Rivers of Story Volume 1 By Soma·deva. Translated by Sir James Mallinson. 556 pages / 978-0-8147-8816-5The Ocean of the Rivers of Story Volume 2 By Soma·deva. Translated by Sir James Mallinson. 580 pages / 978-0-8147-9558-3The Quartet of Causeries By Shúdraka, Shyamílaka, Vara·ruchi, and Íshvara·datta. Edited and translated by Csaba Dezsö and Somadeva Vasudeva. 450 pages / 978-0-8147-1978-7What Ten Young Men Did By Dandin. Translated by Isabelle Onians. 651 pages / 978-0-8147-6206-6

The Clay Sanskrit Library: Story Collections, Tales, Fables: 9-volume Set (Clay Sanskrit Library, 55)

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