Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c10.s3.t6.13

v2.c10.s3.t6.13

Since the beginning of 20ᵗʰ century, Chinese people's attention to India is growing. Lu Xun (Chinese writer) highly praised the ancient Indian literature including Mahabharata. He said in his book *On the Power of Mara Poetry* written in 1907 that India has four kinds of Veda that were brilliant, profound and world masterpieces. Among them, Mahabharata and Ramayana were the most wonderful. Monk poets Su Manshu has a good knowledge of Sanskrit and keen interest in Indian literature, hitting on the same idea with Lu Xun. In the same year, he said in the preface of Literature Karma that Mahabharata and Ramayana were the masterwork in China. Even Chinese works such as *The Peacock Flies to the Southeast*, *Northward Expedition and South Mountain* cannot compare with them”. In 1911, he said in Discussion on Buddhism that Mahabharata and Ramayana are long narrative poems, and even Homer cannot match up to it. Research on both epics can be traced back to the Shang Dynasty of China. At that time, there were no translations, and only the *Avatamsaka Sutra* mentioned their names. It is said that this was translated by Bodhisattva Asvaghosa. After a long time, Buddhist Yizanggong (Xuanzang) thought it had nothing to do with Buddhism and did not translate them into Chinese. In 1913, Su Manshu praised in his *Essay of Swallow Shrine* that Mahabharata and Ramayana were profound and elegant, seen as a treasure by European scholars, and were as important as Iliad and Odyssey of Greece. China did not have any translation with them but only *Avatamsaka Sutra* had mentioned the name of Mahabharata and Ramayana. Europe had their translation, and the translation of Mahabharata by an Indian scholar was the best with Max Muller writing the preface. Su Manshu was aware of the value of these two epics, and had a strong desire to translate them into Chinese. However, it was a pity that this undertaking was left incomplete due to his early death. In terms of two Indian epics, he was undoubtedly of important significance to contemporary scholars.