The object of this thesis is an analytical study of the Udana, especially from the standpoint of aesthetics. True that the Tipitaka, that enshrines in it the Buddhavacana, is on the surface primarily, an untold treasure of philosophical truths, religious deliberations, ethical arguments, sociological prescriptions and so on. In short it compasses every conceivable topic that is relevant to man and his thoughts. But such a monument of human thought would not have been handed down through the generations, if it were not a piece of great literature. Literature as such could dwell of everything from the stars in the firmament to the pinpoint on earth. Literature cannot serve as a sugar-coating. When we observe things in the outer world, our mind becomes those things in actuality. Similarly when literature dwells on philosophy or sociology, literature itself becomes that, or to put it in another way, sociology and religion etc. become the very stuff of literature. Hence, we feel that looking upon the Udana as literature gives us a more comprehensive view of the masterpiece than, studying if from any other angle.
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