DONEPUDI VENKAYYA Poet & Critic 11-2-22, Colony Road Narasaraopet - 522 601 THE WORSHIP OF BEAUTY This is a creative and critical commentary on the beautiful San- skrit hymn to KALI, The Universal Mother, written by Kalidasa, the great- est of the Sanskrit poets in a select metre Aswa - dhati, named after the brisk pace of a horse at a gallop. The hymn is a scintillating work bristling with a bewildering yet beautiful variety of word pictures, inter- laced with the symbols of mythological characters and unknown, unfa- miliar and startlingly new images that come one over the other like a cascade. In this hymn we catch a glimpse of the beauty of the Universal Mother, the attractive qualities of Her Head and Heart, the grace and grandeur of Her movements, the charm of Her physical appearance - all combined in a perfect harmony. We get spontaneously and completely absorbed in and identified with that Universal Beauty, the beauty of Brah- man, the divine beauty in its full manifestation. In presenting and interpreting the contents of this marvellously beautiful work of Kalidasa, Dr. Mellachervu Bhanu Prasada Rao, a well-informed scholar of conspicuous ability, has produced a master- piece in literary criticism, a brilliant work of critical understanding. With his vast erudition and dazzling skill and with the sweep and depth of his consummate scholarship coupled with a rare insight, Dr. Bhanu Prasada Rao could successfully unearth the hidden meanings of many a mind- boggling metaphors of Kalidasa and could thus kindle the flame of po- etry in capsules. Mr. Bhanu's keen sense of research is evident through out the book which is thought-provoking, being an original attempt at a re-interpretation of the poem in a new light. The commentary is exquisite and exhaustive. The style is irre- sistible and vibrating. The text together with the commentary shakes, jolts and moves the reader to the core of his heart and makes him sing and incites him to dance with joy. It is a real treat for the reader who wants to become aesthetically and socially aware as a poet. Dr. Bhanű has already become popular with his fascinating the- sis, Potana Bhagavatam - Sringaram and now this charming com- mentary, "Devi Aswadhati," is quite another feather in his cap. Donepudi Venkayya Narasaraopet 3-1-1998