Indian Antiquary Vol 04

Author(s): Jas Burgess
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 95

MARCA, 1875.)
CORRESPONDENCE AND MISCELLANEA.
देवा ऊचुः ॥ भवतः किमविज्ञातं यहुःखं समुपस्थितम् ॥
THE RING FINGER. 1 TK TECHY HETETTIIN
To the Editor of the "Indian Antiquary."
SIR.-In a paper prepared for the London HET I GT 79THALI
International Congress of Orientalists of 1874, ॥ मत्तो नैव वधो योग्यो मत्तो वृद्धिंगतस्य च ॥ Professor Hunfalvy pointed out that "in every It will be observed that the lines under discus
one of the ten Turanian languages-from Fin
land in the west to Manchuria, the northern sion must occur, if anywhere, somewhere between the first and the last of the lines here given. But
portion of the Chinese Empire, in the east, the
ring-finger is known as the finger without a name;" they do not occur there, nor indeed in the whole of the section of the Siva Purana treating of the
and the Pall Mall Budget further points out that in story of the Demon Taraka. It will be observed,
the Dravidian languages the word for this finger in too, that the last line of those just cited expresses
one of similar meaning, viz.' andmika,' the nameless identically the same idea as that contained in the
thing, adopted from the Sansk it and derived line irom Kumdra II. 55. If we look to other
from 'ndman,' a name, with the privative, 'a' parts of this chapter, we find that while there are
prefixed. No tenable explanation has as yet been no lines identical with any in the Kumdra Sam
suggested as to the reason for such a term being
applied to the ring-finger. bhava, there are several expressing similar ideas in other words. Thus compare the following:
The following verse on the subject,-one of those
traditionary verses which, like that which enuSiva Purana.
merates the names of the "nine gems" of literature II UT HITT: AT: HETTATII
who flourished at the court of the emperor Vikraविनं च निष्फलं स्याद्वैनं तु नैव कदाचन ॥ måditya, are known to all but cannot be traced to
an authentic source,-is current among the Pan. Kumara Sambhava.
dits of this part of the country. 117399 HECH ||
The little finger is called in Sanskrit kanish11 TT 9 AN II
thika.' One name in Sanskrit for the finger next And these others, where the point is brought out 1 to the little finger, on either hand indifferently, is in an exactly similar way in both. Kama says in "upakanishthikd,' and the verse in question is always the Siva Purana :
quoted as purporting to furnish the required expla11871 TTT TETT TIL
nation as to how the term andmikd' came to be
substituted for and preferred to 'upakanishthika.' And Indra replies :
It is almost needless to point out that the cor॥ यत्कार्यं मनसोदिष्टं तत्कायें कथितं त्वया।
struction of the verse itself shows that this is not Now in the Kumara Sambhava, too, Kama says- the caso; for, the erumerator of the poets did not
। कुयां हरस्यापि पिनाकपाणे धैर्यच्युति के मम धन्विनोन्ये।। give the name of anámiká' to the ring-finger And then Indra answers :
because, after Kálidasa whose name fell to the
little finger as being the name of the greatest of ॥ आशंसता बाणगतिं वृषाड़े कार्य त्वया न: प्रतिपत्रकल्पम् ।।
all poets, there was no poet whose name was Examples of this description might be multiplied, worthy to be mentioned and to be allotted to the but these are encugh for the present purpose. next finger; but, in consequence of his so being
Unfortunately I am unable to compare another unable to allot the name of a poet to the ring. copy of the Purana with this one, but it is an finger, the name of' anamika,' which had previously old Ms., bearing a date which is unluckily not been given to that finger, thereupon became a quite clear, but which, I think, is most probably term possessed of a significant meaning. Somvat 1716, and which, if correct, would make The verse, however, is of interest as showing it more than two centuries old.
that long ago curiosity was felt by the natives of The result is that when, in the paper alluded to this country as to the explanation of the name of above, I spoke of Sri Harsha as quoting the line "the finger without a name." विषवृक्षोपि संवर्य स्वयं छेत्तुमसाम्प्रतम् from Kalidasa, I To understand the verse, the native method of did not say anything that need yet be withdrawn. counting on the fingers must be borne in mind. For it is at least questionable whether that line The bands are held up with the palms towards does really occur in the genuine text of the Siva the face, and the little finger, usually if not always Purdna. I may add that as to this line in parti- of the left hand first, is bent down, then the cular, the evidence at present available is stronger
next finger, and so on to the thumb, and then with
next unger, and so on to the tnumo, and than that is to the other lines cited at the begin the right hand in a similar way :ning of this paper.
पुरा कवीनां गणनाप्रसङ्के KASINATE TRIMBAK TELANG.
कनिष्ठिकाधिष्ठितकालिदासः ।