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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[APRIL, 1882.
chatta or chdid I quote the following from a folk- song I have from the Kangrå Hills. A young girl describes how she was left in charge of the house and proceeded at once to mischief. She searched for the flour, the ghi, and the sugar (gur), which was stored away in order to make sweet cakes for herself. She says :
Tijd hath payd chata gure dd, bhainon! Thirdly, my hand found the pot of gur, O sister!
Here chdid is clearly the earthen pot in which the sugar was stored in the family store-room.
Mr. Childers's reference of the PAli chat to the Tamil sudi is remarkable. I know of no Sansksit derivation for chiite, but I would point out that the fact of chali in PAli and chatá in Hindi and Panjabi, both meaning "earthen pot," points at any rate to a Pråkpit origin for the word.
R. C. TEMPLE.
S&miri, a king of Malabar. The inscription on his tombstone says he arrived at that place A. H. 212, and died there A. H. 216. The tomb is regarded with much veneration as that of a Hindu (SdmiriSamaritan=worshipper of the calf-Kordn, S. 20) king of Malabar, who became a convert to Islam.
If the dates are correct, then
(a) This is almost certainly the tomb of the Kodangalar (Cranganore) king mentioned in the Tahafat-ul Mujdhidin, the author of which placed that king's conversion about A. H. 200.
(6) The origin of the Kollam era of the Malabar Coast is accounted for in the most natural way if it dated from the traditional Cheruman Perum & l's setting out for Arabia. The interval between A. D. 824 and his arrival at Zafhør (A. D. 827) is probably accounted for in the Tahafat-ul. Mujdhidin, which says he remained a considerable time at Shahr where he first of all landed.
It seems the Mukri of the mosque adjacent to the tomb came to Malabar some fifteen years ago soliciting subscriptions for repairing the tomb and mosque.
W. L. Calicut, 6th March 1882.
6. ABDUL RAHIMÂN SÂMIRI.-Can you or any of your readers verify the following facts which I have on the authority of an Arab living on the outskirts of Zafhår on the Arabian Coast?
At Zafhar lies buried one Abdul Rahiman
BOOK NOTICE. A MANUAL of HINDU PANTHEISM. The Vedanta Sra. not been proved. Moreover, Buddhism itself was Translated with copious annotations by Major G. A. Jacob. London: Trübner & Co., 1881, pp. 127.
actively militant against Hinduism-even Aboka We are glad to see Major Jacob's book. Of
had recourse to coercion ;-and it was but natural the six orthodox philosophical systems, that of the
that men like Kumirila and Sankara should re. Vedânta is by far the most widely prevalent; in taliate. Buddhism died, we apprehend, of sheer ex. fact, in Maharashtra and Gujarat hardly any
haustion; and its extinction forms a most interest. other system is known. That wonderful book ing subject of inquiry. Why could it not live on P the Bhagavad Gita, which, though to some extent Major Jacob clearly sees, and honestly expresses, eclectic, is yet prevailingly Vedantist in its his sense of the moral deficiencies of the Vedanta theology, is, in Western India at least, by far the philosophy. He writes thus:-"Some of the Upani. most popular of Sanskrit works; and its doctrines, shads, the chief sources of the Vedanta doctrine, through the medium of vernacular poetry, have do, without any qualification, declare that sin and been largely diffused among the people. The virtue are alike to one who knows Brahma; Vedanta Sára is by no means so much studied as and the system is therefore rightly charged with the Gitá. Still it is a clear and valuable summary immorality. But, independently of such teaching of Vedantism in its modern form; and when a as this, what moral results could possibly be ex. learned Brahman is asked to formulate his theory pected from a system so devoid of motives for a life of being, he will most naturally do so in language of true purity P The Supreme Being, Brahma, is a drawn from the Gita, the writings of Sankara, or cold impersonality, out of relation with the world, the Vedanta Sara.
unconscious of his own existence and of ours, and Major Jacob has done his work with care and devoid of all attributes and qualities. There is no praiseworthy assiduity. He has availed himself God, apart from ourselves, - no Creator, no Holy of the writings of Colebrooke, H. H. Wilson, Being, no Father, no Judge-no one, in a word, to Ballantyne, Fitzedward Hall, K. M. Banerjea and adore, to love, or to fear. And as for ourselves-we others. To his translation of the original text he are only unreal actors on the semblance of a stage!" has appended a very large body of notes. He has While dwelling thus strongly on the moral drawn from valuable authorities, and students will defects of the Vedanta, Major Jacob does not find many of his quotations very useful.
enter at much length on the metaphysical objec. Occasionally Major Jacob expresses a decided
tions that lie against the entire system. He opinion on points which are still, we apprehend, shows, however, that the Vedanta Sdra describes sub judice. Thus he speaks of " the attempt to Isvara as both personal and impersonal; and he suppress Buddhism by fire and sword." There points out, with perfect correctness, the inconsiste may have been there probably were-sporadic ency of the doctrines propounded by the most efforts to crush Buddhism by force; but the exist- celebrated defender of the system-Sankar. ence of any widespread active persecution has Acharya.
J. M, M.
