'â_k_âryaGopadattâdyair avadânakramo_ggh_itâ_h_ u_kk_ityo_kk_itya vihitâ gadyapadyavi_sri_ṅkhalâ_h_, ekamârgânusâri_n_ya_h_ para_m_ gâmbhîryakarka_s_â_h_ vistîr_n_avar_n_anâ_h_ santi _G_ina_g_âtakamâlikâ_h_.' 'There exist many "Garlands of Birth-stories of the _G_ina" by Gopadatta and other teachers, who, discarding the usual order of the Avadânas, gathered tales _carptim_, and told them at length in elaborate prose (gadya) interspersed with verse, holding themselves free as to the proportions of the two styles, which they made interchange. They all treat of the praise of the Right Path, but, owing to their profoundness, are hard to understand.' This definition of that class exactly suits the work, the translation of which is here published. This composition consists, indeed, of verse intermingled with flowery prose built up according to the rules and methods of Sanskrit rhetoric; it claims to be a florilegium, a selection of _G_âtakas, with the avowed object of rousing or invigorating the true faith in the minds of the reader; and the stories are told at length. It has perhaps been the most perfect writing of its kind. It is distinguished no less by the superiority of its style than by the loftiness of its thoughts. Its verses and artful prose are written in the purest Sanskrit[15], and charm the reader by the elegance of their form and the skill displayed in the handling of a great variety of metres, some of which are rarely to be met with elsewhere[16], and are sometimes adorned with the additional qualities of difficult and refined rhymes, and the like. Apparently _S_ûra, to whom the _G_âtakamâlâ is ascribed, was a poet richly gifted by Nature, whose talent must have been developed by thorough and extensive literary studies. Above all, I admire his moderation. Unlike so many other Indian masters in the art of literary composition, he does not allow himself the use of embellishing apparel and the whole luxuriant _mise en scène_ of Sanskrit ala_m_kâra beyond what is necessary for his subject. His flowery descriptions, his long and elaborate sermons, his elegant manner of narration, are always in harmony with the scheme of the whole or the nature of the contents. Similarly, in the choice of his metres he was guided by stylistic motives in accordance with the tone and sentiment required at a given point of the narrative. It is a pity that most of these excellencies are lost in the translation.