FOREWORD.
I consider it an honour and a privilege to be asked to write a foreword to this book. My friend Mr. Padhye must be congratulated upon his excellent idea of presenting the reader world with select quotations and extracts from the works of Kalidas, distributed under different heads. “A thing of beauty is a joy for ever". And his readers will feel grateful to the author for supplying them, in a good handy form, so many beauties culled and selected from the writings of the greatest poet in the Sanskrit language. Few can, I think, demur to the charge brought by Mr. Padhye that, though the Indian people are proud of Kalidas, they do not study him with sufficient devotion and assiduity. No doubt such study requires time and close attention. But both these are sure to be repaid by the joy one feels while reading Kalidas even cursorily, and specially so when one enters into his spirit and sentiment, It is probable that some other readers of Kalidas may put their w få some other beauties which have not found a place in this book, Tastes in a matter like this will always diffe : have no doubt that the collection actually made by Mr. Padhye includes passages as to the beauty of which opinion will be absolutely unanimous. It is, I think, impossible to find such elegance of diction, such happiness of expression, and such sublimity of thought in any other Sanskrit poet. Bhavabhuti and Bana have certainly their strong points. The former, in my opinion, sometimes excels Kalidas in his pathos of sentiment, and it would be difficult to imagine how the gushing flow of Bana and his
