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JULY, 1877.]
ON THE KRISHNAJANMASHTAM
177
trám) of silver, or plaited of reeds, and upon it the god (i e. image of Krishna) wrapped in a gar- ment is to be placed (v. 10). Then follow 16 upacháras, i.e. sacred formulas,t and gifts to Krishna, who is to be served as a beloved and honoured guest. This is followed by the worship of the persons forming his suite &c., by name-prayers (vv. 27-28). After this comes (till 33) the offering of incense, candles, delicious victnals (naivedyam), betelnuts, fruits, the fee for sacrifice to the priests, and lastly the lustratio (nirdjanam). To this new prayers to Krishna are added. When the moon rises, the argham to the moon follows, after Krishna and Devaki have previously received the like (37-43 entirely as above in D. 127-134; and a portion of the verses likewise as in 0.). The birth-ritual is manting. The night is to be watched through, with song, dance, &c., as well as by listening to old legends. At the grey of morning (pratyúshe), a bath, a gift of milk &c. are presented to "the lord of the world," as well as 108 ghoe-offerings, &c. connected with the Purushas úkta. Next the "teacher" (dchárya) is to be honoured with ornaments, clothing &c.; a brown cow (kapild) with her calf (conf. here with above, B. 80), richly adorned with gold, jewels, &c., is also to be given to him, or if none of the kapila colour is to be had, another cow (v. 50). After further rich presents to the Brahmans, who are besides to be festively fed, the landlord may himself eat, with his family.
Apart from the above-treated Bhavishya texts on the Janmashtami, I have at my disposal another text of this kind from the circle of the Puranas, purporting to be taken from the Vishnu Purána, which I therefore append in this place. I mean the brijanmashtamidratakatha, Chambers's collection 640 (=Vi.), in 130 verses
(to fol. 6a); annexed to it is yet another piece, in 75 verses (till tol. 8a), called janmashtamiuratodyapınavidhi, for which no special Purd na is mentioned as a source. I have already reported in the z. der. D. M. G. VI. 92, and Catal. of the Berlin MSS. p. 337-on the first piece, which appears in the form of a narrative of Nârada to Indra, and have observed that neither in Wilson's translation of the Vishnu Purána, nor in the MS. text of it (Chambers 799), anything corresponding to the order and words of this piece occurs. The contents of it are, however, closely related to Vishnu Pur. V. 1889. (Wilson, pp. 491 seq.), as it narrates likewise the antecedent history of Krishna's birth, as well as the birth itself and some of his infant deeds till the death of Kansa. Only the last verses (122 seq.) give a short account of the celebration of his birth-day, wherein mention is made also of a golden image of Kțishna, to be worshipped on a large pitcher (krishnamurtin cha sampádya sauvırnani kalasopari), as well as of the adoration of the ten avatáras of Vishņu. of Devakî, of the cowherds, and of Yasodá.
More particulars on this subject are com. municated in the second piece by Krishna himself, to Yudhishthira. To the bath, to be taken at noon of the eighth, an adoration of Hari is added (dváhanam, and ásand dini, v. 10). The further proceedings, although given in entirely different words, materially correspond with what has been communicated above from Sc., except for the insertion of an angapdjd, just in the manner of the one described in the Vrata rája. Wanting here, however, besides the birth ritual of the other texts, also there omitted, is the honour-gift to the moon. Of the nigh it is merely said that it is to be spent with song, music, and legendary tales (purdna
They are destined for--1. the dhyanam, the adoration of the god; 2. the dvdhanam, adduction of the god 8. Asanam, the offer of a seat; 4. padyam, the foot-water; 5. argham, the honour-gift (perfumes, flowers, roasted barley); 6. dchamaniyam, water for rinsing the mouth; 7. madhuparka, the honey-food; 8. again Achamanfyam ; 9. panchamritam, the five ingredients of the bath,-milk, sour milk, butter, honey, sugar; 10. snanam, the bath; 11. vas trayugmam, two new garmenta; 12. yajnopaustam, the sacrificial thread; 13. bhashanani, all kinds of ornamenta; 14. chandanam, sandal-ointment; 15. kunkumakshatan, roasted barley, anointed with saffron; 16. pushpdni, flowers.
I Sv. 8 Mda here yet a special worship of the separate limbs of Krishna (arigapdja), at each of which he is worshipped with another name.
Herewith some new points : Devaki, whose six first boys were slain by Kansa, and who is just pregnant with her seventh child, went to fetch water, and sita sadly under
large wafa-tree. Yasod, the likewise pregnant spouse of
the cowberd Nanda, arrives, and asks the reason of he tears. Enlightened on the subject, she promises to ec. change her own child in case it should be a girl for the seventh of Devaki if it should be a boy. Kansa, who does not find his sister at home, goes after her, and keepe ner henceforth shut up at home and closely watched. But after the birth of Krishna the bolta open spontaneously, the watchmen fall asleep, and Devakt goes to her husband Vasudeva and requests him to carry the infant to Yakodá, and there to exchange it for her girl, the Yamuni touched by Krishna's foot becomes shallow, so that all this easily takes place. Kan does not himself kill the girl, but causes a servant to do so. Of the "slaughter of the inno cents” (Vishnu Pur. V. 4, p. 504; Bhag. Pur. X. 4) no mention oocurs here.
Ver. 88: samprdpte bhadragado.
The frustration of Patani's evil intentions, as well as of those of a Brahman sent forth by Kaisa, the humiliation of the serpent prince Kaliya, the killing of Chandra, Kekin,
de.
