The Katha Sarit Sagara or Ocean of the Streams of Story Part 110

[331] In the original sinsapa, which Professor Monier Williams renders thus; "the tree Dalbergia Sisu; the Asoka tree." Dr. King informs me that these two trees are altogether different. The translation which I have given of the word sinsapa, throughout these tales of the Vetala, is, therefore, incorrect. The tree to which the Vetala so persistently returns, is a Dalbergia Sisu.

[332] Dvesha must be a misprint for dveshat.

[333] For arudanniva the Sanskrit College MS. reads abhavanniva.

[334] Bohtlingk and Roth s. v. say that chira in Taranga 73, sloka 240, is perhaps a mistake for chiri, gra.s.shopper; the same may perhaps be the case in this pa.s.sage.

[335] For virupa the Sanskrit College MS. gives viruksha.

[336] Oesterley refers to Benfey's Panchatantra, Vol. I, p. 362, for stories in which snakes spit venom into food. Benfey gives at length a fable found in the Latin translation of John of Capua and compares a story in the Sindibad-namah, Asiatic Journal, 1841, x.x.xVI, 17; Syntipas, p. 149; Scott's Tales of the Seven Vizirs, 196; The 1001 Nights (Breslau) XV, 241; Seven Wise Masters in Gra.s.se, Gesta Romanorum II, 195; Bahar Da.n.u.sh 1, second and third stories; Keller, Romans des Sept Sages, CL; Dyocletian, Einleitung, 49; Loiseleur-Deslongchamps, Essai, 119, 1.

[337] I.e., Dharmaraja, possibly the officer established by Asoka in his fifth edict; (see Senart, Les Inscriptions de Piyadasi, p. 125.) The term Dharmaraja is applied to Yudhishthira and Yama. It means literally king of righteousness or religion. There is a Dharm Raja in Bhutan. Bohtlingk and Roth seem to take it to mean Yama in this pa.s.sage.

[338] I prefer the reading of the Sanskrit College MS. turyakulaih.

[339] See note on page 13. Rohde, (Der Griechische Roman, p. 111,) points out that there are traces of this practice in the mythology of Ancient Greece. Evadne is said to have burnt herself with the body of her husband Capaneus. So OEnone, according to one account, leapt into the pyre on which the body of Paris was burning. See also Zimmer, Alt-Indisches Leben, pp. 329-331. So Brynhild burns herself with the body of Sigurd, (Hagen's Helden-Sagen, Vol. III, p. 166).

[340] Cp. Mahabharata, Vanaparvan, Adhyaya 297, sl. 39.

[341] His name Manahsvamin would imply that he ought to be.

[342] For gaja the Sanskrit College MS. reads mada.

[343] The word siddha also means a cla.s.s of demiG.o.ds who travel through the sky: Sasin means moon.

[344] Cp. the shaving, by the help of which Preziosa, in the Pentamerone, turns herself into a bear. (Liebrecht's translation of the Pentamerone of Basile, Vol. I, p. 212.) As soon as she takes it out of her mouth she resumes her human shape.

[345] Compare Vol. I, p. 45.

[346] This part of the story bears a certain resemblance to the myth of Achilles.

[347] The 10 stages are thus given by Sivadasa: (1) Love of the eyes; (2) attachment of the mind (manas); (3) the production of desire; (4) sleeplessness; (5) emaciation; (6) indifference to objects of sense; (7) loss of shame; (8) distraction; (9) fainting; (10) death. (Dr. Zachariae's Sixteenth Tale of the Vetalapanchavinsati, in Bezzenberger's Beitrage).

[348] Here the MS. in the Sanskrit College has mantrinase mulanasad rakshya dharmakshatir dhruvam, which means, "we should certainly try to prevent virtue from peris.h.i.+ng by the destruction of its root in the destruction of the minister."

[349] See Chapter XXII for another version of this story. It is found in the Bodhisattvavadana-kalpalata: see Dr. R. L. Mitra's Buddhist Literature of Nepal, p. 77.

[350] The MS. in the Sanskrit College reads surasandrishtaprishthas.

[351] I adopt the reading of the Sanskrit College MS. adhrisya for adhrishya, invincible, instead of adrisya invisible.

[352] i. e., Parvati or Durga.

[353] See Vol. I, p. 48, and Baring Gould's remarks in his Curious Myths of the Middle Ages, Second Series, "The piper of Hamelin."

[354] Here there is an insipid pun about the army of the Pandavas penetrating by the help of Arjuna the host of Karna. There seems to be an allusion to Krishna also. For vivikshatim the Sanskrit College MS. reads vimathnatim.

[355] See Vol. I, p. 176.

[356] The Sanskrit College MS. has balad for the bali of Brockhaus's edition. For the "wager" see Vol. I, p. 182.

[357] The Sanskrit College MS. reads Tarkshyan nanakranda nityakarnana nirghrinam.

[358] The Sanskrit College MS. has sanunayam.

[359] The Sanskrit College MS. reads vidadhyad. This is the reading which I follow hero in preference to that of Brockhaus.

[360] Cp. Waldau's Bohmische Marchen, p. 594. See Bernhard Schmidt's Griechische Marchen, p. 106.

[361] The MS. in the Sanskrit College reads anyam vrittatmanam: anyam at any rate must be right.

[362] See Vol. I, pp. 104, 294, and 574.

[363] The Sanskrit College MS. reads prag for nama.

[364] The Sanskrit College MS. gives mandyam for maurkhyam.

[365] The Sanskrit College MS. gives mankshu for mantram.

[366] Duhkhavahe, the reading of Brockhaus's edition, is obviously a misprint for sukhavahe, which I find in the Sanskrit College MS.

[367] May we compare this king to Daphnis, who ton hauto anye pikron erota, kai es telos anye moiras?

[368] Cp. the behaviour of the followers of the emperor Otho.

[369] Bhanga also means defeat.

[370] This vice was prevalent even in the Vedic age. See Zimmer, Alt-Indisches Leben, pp. 283-287; Muir's Sanskrit Texts, Vol. V, pp. 425-430. It is well-known that the plot of the Mahabharata princ.i.p.ally turns on this vice.

[371] Compare the conduct of Mathura in the Mrichchhakatika. For the penniless state of the gambler, see p. 195, and Gaal, Marchen der Magyaren, p. 3.

[372] I read sakshyami with the Sanskrit College MS.

[373] Prabodhya should, I think, be prabudhya.

[374] It also means, in the case of Vishnu, "by his incarnation in the form of a boar."

[375] There is a probably a pun in suchitah.

[376] So in the legend of Pope Gregory the child is exposed with a sum of gold at its head, and a sum of silver at its feet. (English Gesta, edited by Herrtage, No. LXI.) The story will also be found in Simrock's Deutsche Volksbucher, Vol. XI; here we have the gold and silver, as in the Gesta. See also No. 85 in Gonzenbach's Sicilianische Marchen with Dr. Kohler's notes. Cp. V. and VI in Prym and Socin's Syrische Marchen for stories of exposed children who attain wealth and power.

[377] I read with the Sanskrit College MS. prayatah for prayatah. The latter reading however gives a fair sense. In sl. 67 I read tishthaty.

[378] The modern Allahabad.

[379] Literally "head of Gaya." When Gayasura was engaged in devotion on the hill Kolahal about 30 miles from Gaya, Brahma and the other G.o.ds came to him, and asked him what object he had in view. He said his wish was that his body might become the holiest thing in the world, so that all, who touched it, might at once obtain salvation. The request was granted. But Yama complained to Brahma that no one now came to h.e.l.l, so that his position had become a sinecure. Thereupon Brahma, after taking counsel with the other G.o.ds, went to Gayasura, and asked him to give his body for a place on which to perform a sacrifice. He consented. Then Brahma performed his sacrifice on the body of Gayasura, placed several G.o.ds on it, and made it immovable. His body now lies with its head towards the north and its feet towards the south. It is therefore called Gayakshetra. The area of Gayakshetra is ten square miles. The interior part of Gayakshetra, about two square miles in extent, is called Gayasirah or the head of Gaya. A more usual form appears to be Gayasirah the head of the Asura Gaya. It is a little south-west of Bishnu Pad. The pilgrims offer pindas there. The princ.i.p.al part of Gayasirah is called Gayamukha. Sraddhas are performed there. Dharmaranya which I have translated "Holy wood"

is a place in the east of Bodh Gaya, where Dharmaraja performed a sacrifice. Gayakupa or the well of Gaya is in the south-west of Gayasirah. Here pindas are offered to ancestors who have been great sinners. The above note is summarized from some remarks by Babu Sheo Narain Trivedi, Deputy Inspector of Schools, made for my information, at the request of W. Kemble, Esq. C. S., Magistrate of Gaya. Pandit Mahesa Chandra Nyayaratna has pointed out to me, that there is an account of the glories of Gaya in the Vayu Purana, and another in the Padma Purana. [These agree pretty nearly with that given above.] See also Barth's Religions of India, p. 278, note 2.