The Essential Katha Sarit Sagara

*The Essential Katha-sarit-sagara*
A R Krishnasastri
Price: Rs. 800/-

India is a land of stories. It is a fountainhead of various story-telling traditions of Greater India, Asia, and Europe. The now lost Bṛhat-kathā of Guṇāḍhya was an inexhaustible treasure-trove of stories that influenced generations of listeners. Somadeva’s Kathā-sarit-sāgara is a twelfth century Sanskrit retelling of this grand compendium. To read this work is to understand the heart of the common people. The Kathā-sarit-sāgara is a layered work, with stories within stories, most of which are complete in themselves. The basic plot involves the far-famed Vatsa-rāja and his family—Vāsava-dattā, Padmāvatī, and Nara-vāhana-datta. Within this grand narrative, we encounter many tales, some of which are popular as parts of the Pañca-tantra, Jātakas, ‘Vikram-Betal’ stories, and so forth. Needless to say, most of these fantastical tales are figurative and have underpinnings of profound human values. They appeal to people of all ages. Prof. A R Krishnasastri’s Kathāmṛta is remarkable Kannada retelling of the Kathā-sarit-sāgara. Ever since its first publication in 1952, it has captured the hearts of Kannada readers across generations. His abridgement is akin to capturing an array of rivers in a high-resolution photograph. And his erudite Introduction reveals the depths of this ocean. The Essential Katha-sarit-sagara is a lucid English translation that has been undertaken by literature enthusiasts Arjun Bharadwaj, Srishan Thirumalai, Raghavendra G S, and Hari Ravikumar. For anyone who wishes to take a dip in the rivers of stories and savour the ocean of rasa, this book is a must-read!