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OCTOBER, 1887.)
THE VIRTUE OF ASTIKA'S NAME.
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THE VIRTUE OF ASTIKA'S NAME.
BY R. D. M. There is a superstitious belief among almost appointed his charioteer. This great eagle was all the Brahmans in Southern India, that when named Aruna (i, e. the Red) for he was so any person pronounces aloud the name of much enraged by his mother's rash act that he Astika three or four times, he or she is then grew red all over and still retains his colour. free from any danger caused by venomous The sky looks red at the dawn, for the Red serpents. The origin of this belief is to be Charioteer driving the fiery horses of the found in the Mahabharata. The legend re- sun appears first. lating to Astika is as follows:
Vinatâ was very sad after the departure of Kabyapa, a son of the four-headed Brahmâ, her elder son, but took great care not to and one of the nine patriarchs, had thirteen disturb the younger son, still reposing in the sisters for his wives. Kaśyapa had the power egg of granting as many children to his wives as Once she accompanied Kadrû on a pleasure he chose, and of the kind that they wished to excursion. On their way, they saw the horse
have. He was once on a time very much Uohohaihkravas grazing on the distant • pleased with his two younger wives, Kadra shore of the Sea of Milk. His body was all and Vinata, and wished to reward them as they white, but the two sisters could not quite deserved. Kadrů chose for her boon one agree as to the colour of his tail. Vinatå said thousand powerful sons, all venomous snakes, it was white, but Kadrû contradicted her, but Virata in her turn asked for only two saying that it was black. They could not sons who should be mightier than the thousand settle the dispute then and there, but agreed snakes and be kings of all birds. Not very to go near him on another day to examine the long after both the sisters laid eggs, Kadrů one colour of his tail; and that if the assertion thousand and Vinatâ only two. Kadrû's one of either proved to be false, the defeated thousand sons hatched in time, filling the sister should then be a slave of her opponent mother's heart with triumphant joy. Vinata for five centuries. waited patiently for five hundred years, but Vinatâ went home without suspecting any neither of her eggs hatched.
calamity to come from this source, for she was Now that her co-wife had so many sons quite sure the horse's tail was white; she had playing about her, Vinata could no longer seen him several times before. Kadrû, on the bear to wait. She ventured to chip one of the contrary, was much troubled with all sorts of eggs when, lo! a mighty eagle of superior misgivings, she knew the horse's tail was white; splendour and glorious appearance sprang out but she wished very much to avenge herself of of it, but the mother beheld to her great grief the wrong she had suffered from Vinata, who that her son had no talons. The new-born beat her in obtaining two sons mightier than bird was filled with wrath, and said to his her own thousand snakes! She therefore remother :
solved to beat Vinatâ on this occasion. On "O thou impatient woman, thou hast caused reaching home, she called her thousand sons my unfortunate deformity by chipping the and ordered them to be transformed into black egg to satisfy thy curiosity. Thy crime shall hair and cover the tail of Uchchaiháravas ; for not go unpunished. Thou shalt for several she said she must needs play this trick in centuries be a slave and serve her, of whom order to beat her opponent. But the sons thou art so jealous. But if thou be patient and refused to obey this unjust order of their let this my younger brother alone, he will in time mother, whereapon Kadru, much enraged, cursed fully develop and be as mighty as thou didst her sons, and said that they should all be burnt wish him to be, and shall emancipate thee." in the great Serpent-sacrifice that King
So saying the bird flew out of his nest and Janamêjaya would offer to revenge his father's soared upward into the boundless heaven till death caused by snake bite. Now the thonhe reached the solar world, where he was sand mighty brothers were frightened at this cordially welcomed by the sun and at once horrible doom. They took council among
