"Mr. Blochmann said he was much struck with a passage in Mr. Growse's translation; it was an additional proof that religious thought repeats itself, and that it was not difficult to cull passages from Hindu works that bear the most striking similarity to passages of the New Testament, though the authors could not be supposed to have been acquainted with Jewish or Christian writings. He hoped that Mr. Growse would have leisure and strength to complete the great—he might say national—work which he had commenced. Mr. Growse was well known both for the extent of his researches in Hindi folklore and philology and for the classical taste that pervades his translations, and there was no one better qualified to bring out a faithful and truly readable version of Tulsi Dás's Rámáyana."—Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal.
"I have read the book with very great interest. The language of Tulsi Dás is so difficult that even most of the Pandits in Hindustan can understand little of many passages in his books, especially in the Rámáyana, almost all sentences of which, besides allegory or other figure, have a number of colloquial Hindi words. Such being the case, an English translation must have been wanted by English readers; but now the author has done it beyond expectation. The version is quite literal and in easy style; and nothing difficult or figurative in the original text is omitted. So, after comparing the version with the original, I expect that this will assist not only English readers of the Rámáyana, but the Pandits also who have to teach English scho- lars."—Opinion of Pandit Guru Prasád, Head Pandit of the Oriental College, Lahor (received through Dr. Leitner).
"The Hindi Rámáyana is doubly valuable. It is in the first place a key to the living creed of the modern Hindu who does not know Sanskrit. Secondly, it is in a style of transition, like our Elizalbethan English, which shows the scholar and the etymologist what the language was three centuries back, as it passed from the Prákrit of the Suraseni into the modern speech. This is the work to the translation of which Mr. F. S. Growse has recently addressed himself; and the first book of his excellent translation (the first that has been made) is now before the public………The reputation of the translator for accuracy of knowledge and skill is a sufficient guarantee that none who use it will be disappointed."—Pioneer.
"A very faithful, elegant, and animated translation of the Rámáyana of Tulsi Dása, by Mr. F. S. Growse, C.S. The translation is executed in a scholarly style, and is carefully edited throughout, with footnotes explanatory of the mythological allusions."—R. T. H. Griffith, Director of Public Instruction, North-Western Provinces and Oudh.
