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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
cap paper, which date from 1820 to 1830, and they already look decayed, mouldering, and touched in several places by silver-fish. Others on letter paper, which is thicker, larger, and stouter, are already so far injured that the ink has quite faded and become in many places illegible; whereas the MSS. which were originally copied on arsenicated paper for the College of Fort William in the first decade of this century are now quite as fresh as they were when first written. There are many MSS. in private collections which are much older and still quite as fresh. The ordinary yellow paper sold in the bazâr is dyed with turmeric, and not at all proof against the attack of insects. The oldest MS. Bâbu Rajendrâlâla Mitra has examined is a copy of the Bhagavata Purana, bearing date Samvat 1367, or A.D. 1310. It is consequently 565 years old. It is written on paper of very good quality. The oldest palm-leaf MS. seen bears date Samvat 1189, or A.D. 1132; but "such records are extremely rare, and the general run is from 150 to 250 years."
FROM THE XVITH CANTO OF THE BHAGAVAD. GITÅ.
By Prof. C. H. Tawney, M.A.
Nor to act, nor to abstain, do those of devilish nature know,
Not one seed of truth or virtue in their stubborn breasts can grow;
Say they" Soul-less, unsubsistent is this world, a mere pretence,
"Sprung without divine causation for the pleasure of the sense;" Clinging fast to this opinion, doltish, of perverted mind,
Still they practise evil actions for the ruin of mankind; Harbouring lust that's never sated, full of folly, pride and guile,
Blindly nursing wrong conceptions, following courses that defile,
Hugging this supreme delusion, that death ends the spirit's strife,
Glorying in sensual pleasures, crying" Let us live
our life,"
[APRIL, 1876.
"This foe, from my path I've swept him, others also I will slay;
"I am king, and I'm enjoyer, wealthy, powerful, and gay,
"High-born, evermore successful; who on earth can vie with me?
"I will offer, give, and squander."-Thus insanely they decree,
Lost in vain imaginations, as in folly's net they fell,
Or perhaps created by Kama (love). So the Greeks connected Erds with the creation of the universe.
(4
Clinging fast to foul indulgence, down they sink to murky hell. Stiff-necked, self-esteeming madmen, swoll'n with lawless pride of purse
Offer they unholy offerings which shall turn unto
a curse.
Self-conceit, and lust, and anger o'er their souls dominion claim,
Me they hate and torture present in their own and others' frame;
These I hold my bitterest foemen, lowest in this circling world;
These by my almighty fiat into devilish wombs are hurled ;
Born again in devilish natures, at each birth they downward tend,
Never finding me, till hopeless they to deepest gulfs descend.
Three-fold is the gate of Tartar, soul-destroying gate of woe,
Anger, lust, and greedy avarice, all these three thou should'st forego,
He who shuns these three temptations, gloomy mouths of the abyss,
He achieves his own salvation, and attains to sovereign bliss.
He who scorns the law of scripture, and is led by blind caprice,
Never shall behold perfection, heaven, nor the soul's release:
Then be thou by scripture guided, take it for thy rule of right, Whate'er deed's enjoined by scripture, do that deed with all thy might.
-From Calcutta Review.
UNKNOWN GODS.
Bound with hundred cords of longing, slaves of We worship the great gods and worship the small anger and desire,
ones,
Piling up ill-gotten riches, fuel for, their passions' We worship the young gods and worship the old fire; "This my object is attained now, this to-morrow I'll attain; "So much wealth I've heaped together, so much more I'll strive to gain,
ones,
We worship all gods to the best of our power, Nor may I forget to worship the gods of old times!
Rig-Veda, I. 2-4.t
+ From Baierlein's Land of the Tamulians, by J. D. B. Gribble, M.C.S.
