Indian Antiquary Vol 11

SR No.: 032503
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Jas Burgess
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1984
Total Pages: 396
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 19 MB

Page 261

August, 1882.]
MISCELLANEA.
233
whatever as to what the Lamia was in the tale, ences to Lat.labi; Lith. rambus; Angl. Sax. limpian viz., a snake woman.
ge-limp; Eng. limp. Lamba, hanging down, long, Now in the tale the Lamia is a "beautiful tall: name of a Muni: name of a Daitya. Lamba, damsel, beautiful as a flower," who is found by a kind of bitter gourd, or cucumber : name of one 'Ali Mardan' Khan in the forest above the Dal of the Matris attending on Skanda': a name of Lake at Srinagar, and gives herself out to be Durga or Gaurt: of Lakshmi: of a daughter of "the Emperor of China's hand-maiden." The Daksha and wife of Dharma or Manu: of a Viceroy, for that is what he really was, takes pos. Rakshasi. session of her, and lives with her in the celebrated In the same article lamba, long, is found comShalimar gardens for three years, " and yet he was pounded with the following names of demigods not happy, and a strange look came into his face, and demons. These are names of Mátris, attend. and a stony look into his eyes." At last a Jogi ing on Skanda or Karttikêya, the son of Siva: comes and explains to him that she is nothing lambapayodhard, hanging-breasted, and lambin, but a Wasdu, a Lamia, or snake, two hundred hanging. These are names of Rakshasas: lamba. years old, which has the power of taking the form karna long.cared: lambujibha, lolling-tongued : of a woman." This makes him determined to lambodari, pot-bellied. And lastly, Lambuki is destroy her, which he effects by tricking her into the name of a serpent-demon. an oven, and baking her from 4 P. M. to 4 P. M." The inference then is that the Lamia or snake.
There are two peculiarities about this Lamia woman is an old Indian Aryan word meaning which I would notice. She had to resume her long or length. As it might be of Muhammadan snake-shape if she went out of the house at night, origin I searched in Johnson's Persian and Arabic and after she had been burnt a small round stone Dict. 1852, where I find only Persian lamzadan, was found in the ashes, which the Jogi said was to sleep soundly, to stretch out, which may be " the real essence of the Lamia: whatever you compared with lambd hont in Hind., (lit. to be touch with it will turn into gold." This I take long.) to be off, go away. All the other words in to be the Puras, or Philosopher's stone, the Persian as lam, rest, tranquillity: lumtur, fat, classical Sparéa-mani. Clearly in the above story idle, tranquil, languid: lambar, lumba, fat, large; the Lamia is a snake-woman: but whence her point to a connection with the Sanskrit root ram, names ?
rest, repose. This strengthens the reference of Wasdu is the same as Båsdev, i.e. Vasudeva, Lamia to an Indian Aryan origin. the patronymic of Krishna and Balarima from I may here mention that a snake of 100 years their father Vasudeva. Balarama is constantly is able to fly and lives in the sandal wood tree, mixed up with Sesha Någa and Vasuki, now known thriving on the scent (chandana). A 200 years' as Basak Nag, the King of the Serpents. Hence snake is the Lamia. A 1000 years' snake can fly I fancy Wasdu comes to mean generically any to the moon, where it lives on ambrosia (amrita): supernatural serpent.
its name is chandramrita, which is pure Sanskrit, The derivation of Lamia, also generic be it though I can find no classical trace of it.. obserred, is not so clear.
If then we must go to Aryan mythology for an The Lodiúnd Mission Panjilbi Dictionary, 1854, origin for Lamia, I select " Lambá, the name of a gives-lammi, a tall man: also long, lengthy, daughter of Daksha and wife of Dharma or protracted : lammi.jhammi, a tall man: lammí, a Manu and of a Rakshasi," to investigate further. leech: lamiduna, to spin out, lengthen; lambd, long: Hindu mythology is more than usually confused lambat and lambiin, length: lambu, a tall man: regarding Dakshâ, but from Dowson's Classical lambo, a tall woman: limb and lim, length. Lam Dict. of Hindu Mythology, 1879, I gather :is also a compound for length, e.g., lan-rakke, Daksha, 'able, competent, intelligent.' This long-nosed ; lam-kannd, long-eared. And lastly, name generally carries with it the idea of a and here is the point,-Laame means also a snake creative power. Daksha is a son of Brahma: he or serpent. Fallon, New Hind: Dict. 1879, gives is one of the Prajapatis, and is sometimes lambi, long, tall: lambeii, length: lambu, long. regarded as their clief. There is a great shanks, tall: and also lana in composition for deal of doubt and confusion about him, which of length, as lan-tangit, long-legs: a crane.
old the sage Parisara could only account for by Monier-Williams, Sansk. Dict. 1872, says- saying "that in every age Daksha and the rest lamb, a laterform of root ramb, to hang down, de- are born and are again destroyed.".......... pend, whence the causal verb lambayati, to cause to According to Manu and the Mahdbharata he gave hang down, stretch out, extend: and gives referten of his daughters to Dharma and thirteen to *) The modern kakrt.
1.e. Karttik@ya, the son of Siva. Creators.