Indian Antiquary Vol 14

SR No.: 032506
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: John Faithfull Fleet, Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1984
Total Pages: 418
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 18 MB

Page 125

APRIL, 1885.
THE MALAYAS OF THE MUDRARAKSHASA.
107
supported by any of the manuscripts consulted certainly points to the northern frontier of by Mr. Têlang. It, therefore, appears that the India as the seat of these people. The terrisuperfluous syllables are spurious additions. tory of the prince Malayakêtu must have been If these redundant syllables are rejected, the bounded by the states of Kaśmîra and Kulûta, copy will be found to agree in many respects and the land of the Malayas ; for the kings of with manuscripts P. and M., and, in material these provinces are represented, by a secret points, with manuscript E. also. Thus the agent of Chanakya, to be all intent on seizing copies P. M. E. and B. will be all in favour of the kingdom of the prince and partitioning it the reading that is rendered into Sanskpit by among themselves. Hence the Malayas must be 44 f9:"the lord of the Malaya people."
looked for in the vicinity of Kalûta and Kasmira. The omission of the syllables .5 in the
Wo turn now to the testimony of the
Chinese traveller, Hiuen Tsiang, who observes reading ai, and the addition of the
that to the north of K'iu-lu-to (Kulûta) there syllables बद in the reading मलअजणबदाधिबो, ।
was the country of Lo-u-lo (Lahul). Still seem to be due to a preconception that the word
further to the north he places the country of Malaya designates a country here. And this Mo-lo-80, which would thus fall just about on must have originated from the fact that Kulûta the eastern boundary of the Kasmîra of the and Kašmira, both names of countries, are seventh century. The name and position mentioned immediately before and after Malaya. accord so well with the brief description of the
Mr. Têlang expresses considerable doubt as to land of the Malayas given by the anthor whether the reading HMR given by the the play, that it makes it almost certain that other manuscripts, is right; and there is the country of Mo-lo-80, spoken of by the little doubt that the reading is incorrect. Chinese pilgrim, must be the land of the Though the copies are here almost equally Malayas. General Cunningham, it is true,-in divided in reading 35 and 373T
identifying the country mentioned by Hiuen TIR, still their unanimous concurrence at page
Tsiang with Marpo or Ladak,--prefers reading
Mo-lo-po for Mo-lo-80. But Mo-lo-80 seems to 48 in reading मलयनरपति, and not मलयपुरपति,
be so easily derivable from such a word as -which ought to have occurred at least as a
Malayavása, 'the habitation of the Malayas,' variant' if TTT T were correct, --in- that I would accept it as the proper reading. clines us to believe that the original reading in And Marpo itself is derivable from any such this place was 473TURII, and that a second synonymous expression as Malayapada, which at was afterwards interpolated by ignorant has the same meaning. copyists. By this slight alteration, the various Thus, then, both the internal evidence of readings of page 204 are made to accord one the play, and the independent testimony of the with another. 43pure al is the same thing as Chinese traveller, agree in locating Mo-lo-80
or Malaya vâsa, 'the habitation of the Malayas, मलअजणाहिवो; since the word नर is synony
on the northern frontier of India, and somemous with 77. For its interpretation it may
where on the eastern limits of the Kasmira of be compared with 464 fer, Herra,
the seventh century. T rya &c. The reading thus arrived at The result thus arrived at will enable us to renders irrelevant all search for the assumed ascertain the position of the kingdom of the Malayanagara, which appears to be simply the king Parvates vara, or Sailêśvara, as he is production of a clerical error.
generally called in the play. The name Par From all that is set out above, it follows that vatdávara or Sailośvara literally means the Malaya, as used in this play, was the name of a king of the mountain,' by which is commonly people, and not of a locality. It now remains understooit the Himalaya mountains. What to attempt to identify the people, and to as- portion of the Himalayan range formed the certain their geographical position,
kingdom of Parvatesvara, can be easily deterThe internal evidence furnished by the play mined from the geographical data given st It may be remarked in further corroboration of my 404
or Yesugralat: is to be found. supposition, that, even at page 221, no such variation m