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116
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[APRIL, 1876.
THE NÍTIMANJARI OF DYÂ DVIVEDA.
BY DR. F. KIELHORN, DECCAN COLLEGE, PUNA. At a time when both in Europe and in India that he cannot be older than the latter. The much attention is paid to the study of the Vedas, large number of Vedic and other writings quoted a short account of the Nitimanjari, composed by by himt give to his work at first sight some apDya Dviveda, may not be altogether void of pearance of originality, which it loses as soon interest, the more so because MSS. of it appear as one discovers that in this, as in everything to be rare,* and because the title describes the else, the author has simply followed SA ya na. contents of the work very vaguely and imper- The only work of which he does cite long pasfectly. The Nitimanjari is a collection of moral sages that are not to be found in Sayaņa's maxims in verse which differs from similar col. commentary is the Brihaddevata, a fact from lections in this, that the maxims propounded in which a future editor of the latter may be able it are in every case illustrated by some story to derive some advantage. told or alluded to in the Rigveda. Indra's battles On the whole, the Nítimanjari, together with with the demons, the many legends told about its Bhashya, appears to me to be of little value, the Asvins and Ribhus, the prayers addressed to and not to deserve a complete edition. To give the rising sun, interest the author only in so far the reader some idea of the way in which the as they appear to him to inculcate some moral author has accomplished his task, I publish, betruth,--that the wicked are sure to meet with low, the verses contained in the first chapter. punishment, that kindness towards all beings They are generally so simple and easy to underis the true sign of nobility, that father and stand that an English translation would be mother should be honoured, &c. &c. For illus- superfluous; but in order to show at once what trations of such maxims he has searched through Vedio passages are alluded to, I have quoted the whole of the Rigveda, and in making the under each verse the verse or verses of the Vedic legends serve his purpose he has shown Rigveda on which the author professes to have no small amount of ingenuity.t
based each maxim. The Nitimanjari contains about 200 verses;
बहुमजस्यापत्यस्य दारिद्यं सूचयति it is divided into eight chapters, each of which contains those verses of which the illustrations बहुमजस्य पुत्रस्य सुवाचो ऽपि सदा विपत् । are taken from the corresponding Ashtaka of सीदनिन्द्रं मधुच्छन्दा वस्वयाचदचीत नः॥१॥ the Rigveda. The whole is accompanied by a
(Rv. I, 4, 6.) commentary, which not only explains the original verses, but also cites the Vedic passages referred
याचकानां धैर्य कुत इत्यर्थ आह to in the latter and comments on them at great याचकानां कुतो धैर्य यत्तत्याज पुरंदरः । length. Both the text and commentary are
अभूत्सोममनाः सानौ दृष्टा तमिध्ममानसम् ।। २॥ composed by Dyâ Dviveda, the son of Lakshmidhara, grandson of Atri, and great
(Rv. I, 10, 2.) grandson of Mukunda Dviveda. Nothing cer- FrTrac T T TT TTC tain is known to me regarding his age, but as
निन्दावादरतो न स्यात्परेषां नैव तस्करः ! in the interpretation of the Vedio verses cited by him he closely follows and often copies the निन्दावादाद्धि गोहर्ता शक्रेणाभिहतो बलः ।। ३ ।। commentary of Så y an â charya, it is clear
(Rv. I, 11, 5.) The only copy which has ever reached Europe is, if I In the commentary on the first chapter the author quotes am not mistaken, in the possession of Prof. M.Müller. One
the following:-Anukramani, Åsvaldyana-stra, an Ujani. copy I bought some years ago and a few others are mentioned in the catalogues of Sanskrit MSS. that have lately shad, Riglakshana or Vaidikalakshana of Saunaka (Rig. been published in India.
veda prátisakhya), Rigvidhina of Saunaka, Kaushitaki. + It is hardly necessary to remind the reader that the brAhmana and grihyasútra, TAndyam, Panchavinia-brah Homeric poems have been treated similarly by the Greeks. mana, BțihaddevatA, BÅhmana, Bhashya (sometimes $8. Anaxagoras is said to have been the first who maintained
yana's commentary on the Rigveda, but perhaps also some την "Ομήρου ποίησιν είναι περί αρετής και δικαιοσύνης,
commentary on the Brihaddevatá), Ylska, Vishnupurana, or who considered the Homeric poems to be mohuara Tepl Olapopas diktov Te kal adikov. See Bernbardy's
Satapatham, S&tyâyanam, and Satyayaninab. History of Greek Literature, vol. II. 1, p. 66.
$ MS. :.
