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

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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[OCTOBER, 1882.
"After that, the Arhat and the Pandit rising The song from which the above was taken is a into the air spoke these verses to the king :
Hindú not a Musalman song, and lately I came The fores' whelps are not of the lion's race;
across a custom which has made me think that my A burning lamp is not like the sun and moon;
idea of the verse was not correct. In reading a A little pond is not like the whole ocean;
MS. account in Urdu and Panjabi of the adventures Every mountain has not the majesty of Meru; The cloud of the Law covers the whole world ;
of Raja Ras&ld the great (?) Scythian hero of the The rain of the Law moisteneth the seeds in the Panjab, I found the following: "Raja Rasala hearts) of all mankind ;
won Raja Sarkap's head at a game of chaupar, but By showing wonders and miracles (The Law) teaches mankind in all quarters of the
having mercy on him he said, If you will draw a world."
line on the ground with your nose that you will give "Having spoken thus, they returned to India me your daughter Kokilan to wife, I will not take by means of their magical powers.
your head.'” The expression used was Urdu "ndk This is the origin and history of this Sútra. se khatt khaincho," but it is in common use in Hindi, Originally it did not exist in Tibetan; but having thus : "ndk kane lakir khainch," and in Panjabi, been put in the Chinese Bkahhgyur (pron. "nak kane lik pdh," "draw a line with your nose.' Kanjur) it was translated into the Manchu In the Sikh days it was a common form of oath, the language by order of the High one guarded by penalty being death, and at the present day I heaven (Kienlung), and translated also into the understand it is still used in the Panjab Himalayas language of Bod (i. e. Tibet) by Dkahbchu as a particularly binding oath by the people Subhagabreyadhvaja and Dkah-bchu Dhyan. among themselves. I do not know its origin, and arishtamvyasa. It was translated into the language should be glad of further information regarding it. of Sog (i. e. Mongolian) by the learned professor
R. C. TEMPLE. Prajfodayavyasa. The patron of the doctrine of the Victorious (i. e. Jina, the Buddha), Hing lin, A TWICE-TOLD TALE ABOUT AȚAK. wishing to make known the Law, gave one
I have before remarked on the habit the natives hundred ounces of silver to have it engraved and have of fastening any well-known tale, or verse, or printed in the four languages.
saying, on remarkable characters of recent times, "May the seeds of virtue given to those who
though the tale or saying itself may be really of a have become exceeding holy help the doctrine of remote date. Here is a remarkable instance of it. the Victorious to be widely diffused for many years Atak (Attock) on the Indus, or, as the natives to come; may there not be in (all) the quarters of
always call it, the Aţak River, has, as its name the earth either sickness, or famine, or tumult, or signifies, been a stoppage to the armies of India quarrelling. May all living beings speedily arrive
from all time. The River Indus is there both swift, at that wisdom which has no superior."
broad, and dangerous, and as a ford the passage at
Atak is a deep one. Again the Hindus have at times RUBBING THE NOSE ON THE GROUND-AN
regarded the crossing of the Atak much in the same INDIAN OATH.
manner as they regard the crossing of the Kala Pani, In an article in the April number of the
as involving loss of caste. Hence the reaching of Calcutta Review for the current year, entitled
Peshawar has ever been popularly regarded as an "Some Hindu Songs and Catches from the
exceptionally great feat on the part of a general. Villages in Northern India" I translated the
Now in A.D. 1585 Råjå Mån Singh, the cele. following lines into English verse as follows:
brated Kachhwah Rajput general of Akbar and All&, Alla karat hain,
brother-in-law to his successor Jehangfr, led an Jo zât uski hai påk!
army across the Atak to PeshAwar. The usual Bin& prem rijhe nahin,
difficulties arose, and it is generally supposed, that Jo ghis-daro sab nak.
he quieted the religious scruples of his Hindd forces They call Him God, the ever good,
by the promulgation of the following verse :That is by nature so,
Sabhi bhúm Gopal Hi, That counts a worship love alone,
Td men atak kaha ? And not the outward show.
JA ke man men atak hai, And in a footnote I added : "lit. though you rab
Sof atak raha. away your whole nobe. The allusion is to the
All the earth is God's, Muhammadan method of praying by touching the
Where then shall be a stoppage ? ground with the face. The point is : without love,
Where the stoppage is in the mind, he is not pleased, however excessive the outward
There will the stoppage remain. form may be."
The play on the word Atak being obvious. Extracted from the Proceedings of the American Oriental Society, October 1880.