Renaissance literature
EZHUTHACHAN'S HARINAMA KIRTANAM — Ode to Hari Viswanath: P. Kurup; Swami Kaivalyananda, Shri Ramakrishnasramam, Kayamkulam-690502. Rs. 75.
THIS IS an excellent English commentary on the devotional hymns in praise of Lord Hari, the Supreme Lord, a treatise on Advita philosophy, written by Thunjathu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, hailed as the father of modern Malayalam language. There are 66 stanzas in the Kirtana.
It is significant that Ezhuthachan defied tradition and took the revolutionary step of writing such philosophical and devotional works in pure Malayalam and not in Sanskrit. The hymns blend the diverse strands of metaphysical thought. Each hymn is rich with intrinsic brilliance of spiritual ideas. The central theme is Jnana or knowledge of the Self. The diverse streams of Indian philosophy have been described in a lucid and informative manner with the writer's erudition coming out very clearly. The author's commendable and innate understanding of spirituality and philosophy is evident in the analysis and commentary of each verse.
K. KUNHIKRISHNAN
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