An author’s importance is not measured only by a line that can fit on a quotation card. A longer work may reward attention to its structure, choice of words and recurring ideas. The anthathi tradition also invites interest in the way verses are connected.
The first task for a reader is therefore to meet the work on its own terms. A future selection should present enough of a passage to make its thought intelligible, followed by an explanation that shows how the interpretation arises from the actual words.