An in-depth critique on the whole gamut of Prime Minister Mandana’s writings, the book brings into relief the wealth of his creative and critical equipment, which he happily possessed in ample measure. Visibly confident of his erudition and poetic talents, he made substantial contributions to Balles Letters and technical literature. His Writings include in their ambit a Mahakavya, Campu, Sataka, poem on Prakrticitrna, besides a delightful compendium of Bana’s burly Kadambari, a treatise on poetics and an exhaustive gloss on the Sarasvatavyakarana. With his poetics and scientific writings Mandana belied the oft- repeated charge that good poets do not make god critics. All of Mandana’s writings have been subjected in the book to a sustained evaluation, which even if not exhaustive, is decidedly all-embracing. All the writings have much to commend themselves. No study of the respective genres can be deemed to be complete without taking note of Mandana’s writings. The book has the distinct merit of turning focus on them.

Widely known for his writings over the last forty years, Dr. Satya Vrat got the Ph. D. Degree from the University of Rajasthan, Jaipur on a comprehensive study of the Jaina Sanskrit Mahakavyas. The zenith of his academic career came with the conferment on him of the D.Litt degree by the Kumaun University, Nainital. The conferment of Honorary Professorship on him by the Vishvesh-varnand Vedic Research Institute, Hoshiarpur was a feather in his cap.

Dr. Satya Vrat is well-equipped in English, Sanskrit and Hindi. He writes in all the three languages with equal ease and felicity. His rich contributions to the various branches of Sanskrit learning including the Jaina Belles Letters, have brought him name and fame. He has authored till date twenty four books which include the ten translated into English from Sanskrit. He has, moreover, contributed over two hundred research papers and articles to prestigious journals and magazins. There is hardly any journal of note to which he has not contributed over the years. Though a Sanskritist, his interests stretch to such diverse disciplines as Numismatics and Iconography.

Dr. Satya Vrat’s zeal for writing is matched by administrative competence. He retired as P.G. Principal from the Rajasthan Educations Service. Even after his retirement from service ten years ago, he is pursuing his literary activities with unabated vigour.

Better known as the Prime Minister of Hushang Ghori (1405-1432 A.D.) of Mndu, Mandana was a man of many parts. He represented a unique fusion of wide erudition, administrative competence, devotional fervour and phenomenal affluence. His versatility brought him rich laurels and made him a leading light of the Srimala dynasty of Malaya. While ministerial skill and religious zeal were part of his inheritance, he cultivated literary equipment on his own. He was well versed in such diverse disciplines as poetics, grammar, philosophy and music.

Mandana was an author of substantial order, endowed with critical and creative faculties in equal measure. His creative genius unfolded itself in a number of poetic works which include in their fold such distinct genres as Mahãkavya and Sataka. His Sastric writings, on the other hand, bear testimony to his vyutpatti which was fairly sound by all standards. His anxiety to project himself as a prolific writer is evident from the fact that apart from the comprehensive poem (mahakavya) Kavyamandana, Campumandana and Srngaramandana, he wrote an excellent compendium of Bana’s burly Kadambari to bring it within the reach of the not-so-equipped readership.

His critical writings serve to establish him as a critic of no mean order. While it does not make tall claims about its sweep or depth, the Alankaramadana turns out to be a worthy text to acquaint the beginner with the main concepts of Sanskrit Poetics. Mandana embarked upon the venture with the confidence of a scholar and zeal of a missionary, keen to minister to the needs of the young aspirant. It doubtless provides sumptuous fare to the inquisitive reader, its slimness notwithstanding. The Sarasvatamadana, which is not available in print, purports to be a perceptive vrtti on Anubhutisvarupacarya’s Sarasvatavyakarana. It is a deterring task to undertake its appraisal on the basis of the corrupt and incoherent text as it is preserved in the Ms. A short note thereon is all that we thought fit to add.

Manan’s works were issued in the beginning of the last century. It is now hard, rather impossible, to come by them. Before undertaking the arduous task of editing them de nova, it would be worthwhile to evaluate the whole gamut of the writings in some depth. This is what the monograph means to do. It would enable the reader to have a fair idea of Mandana’s poetic talents and his grounding in poetics and grammar.