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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
BOOK NOTICE.
PROF. WEBER ON AHALTA AND 'Axiλλeús.' On the 10th November 1887, Prof. Weber read before the Royal Prussian Academy of Science a short but suggestive paper on the above subject.
The popular story of Ahalya is well known. She was Gautama's wife, and was seduced by Indra, who presented himself to her in the form of her husband. Her indignant spouse condemned her under a curse to become a stone till she was touched by Râma's feet. The latter touched the stone with his feet on his way to Visvamitra's hermitage. She came to life, and went to heaven after seeing Råma. The early portion of the story, it may be added, is alluded to in Vedic literature. Professor Weber sets himself to solve the question as to what is the undermeaning of this legend of the beloved of Indra, whom he won so basely? A clue, he thinks, may be found in a legend of the Jainas, in which she appears in an altogether different connection. She is there classed with Sitâ, Draupadi and other women, who were the cause of mighty wars. Her name appears there as Ahittiya, Ahilliya, Ahiliya, Ahila, and Ahiņņika.' This leads to the conjecture that Ahalya may be connected with Ahanya, and may mean clearness,' light,' Aurora.' Indra, the god of the bright heaven would be therefore simply the 'lover of the light' (Ahalydyai jára, of the Subrahmanya ritual). So also he is called in another variant of the same ritual svasur jára, 'lover of his sister,' i.e. ushaső jára, lover of the Aurora.'
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Her husband was Gautama or Gôtama = [Gomattama (P)]' very rich in cows,' which may be a reference to the Sun's cows, whose rape is so often referred to in the old myths. Gôtama may therefore be the thousand-rayed cow' of the Vêda, i.e. either the sun or the moon, and Ahana or Ahalya would fitly appear as his spouse.
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If now, instead of using the picturesque expression lover of the light,' it were desired to express Indra with the help of a suffix meaning 'longing for,' we should get from ahan or ahar the forms *ahanyu, *aharyu, *ahalyu, and the last would agree in form with 'Axλeus, which would there fore appear to signify longing for the light,' 'for the day,' or 'for the Aurora."
There are several points of resemblance between Indra and Achilles. In the Mahabharata, Arjuna or Phalguna was an incarnation (or son) of Indra, and is continually and closely associated
Ahalya, 'Axiλλeus, und Verwandtes, Von Albr. Weber. In medieval and modern Hindi she is called Ahila or Ahilya.-G. A. G.
I may mention one thing in connection with Indra's seduction of Ahalya. She is according to tradition one
[OCTOBER, 1888.
with his friend and protector Krishna. In the Jaina version of the Krishna legend, we find that he was vulnerable in the foot, and that it was there that he was struck by the fatal arrow.
Further, neither Krishna nor Achilles (both of whom were the greatest heroes in their respective armies) took any share in the fighting of the side on which he appeared. The grounds of abstention were different, it is true. Achilles stays away in anger, and finally joins in the combat, while Krishna is bound by an agreement to abstain, though he helps the Pândavas by his advice. Is this symbolic of the slow gradual development of the storm-conflict, whose aim is the recovery of the ravished daylight?
These considerations lead to the discussion as to how much the Mahabharata owes to Greek influence, and to the Homeric poems. We find in it that the Yavana king Bhagadatta was an old friend of Yudhishthira's father; that the Yavana king Kasêrumant, in whose name we seem to see traces of the word katoap, was killed in battle by Krishna; that the mighty Kala-Yavana met the same fate; that the Yavanas joined in the battle between the Kurus and the Pandavas, beside the Sakas and the Pahlavas (the last word only dating from the 2nd century A.D.): and we cannot doubt that the present text of the Mahabharata belongs to a period in which the names of Greeks, Indo-Scythians, and Parthians were well known, and had wide influence.
As evidence regarding the gradual growth of the Mahabharata it is of interest to know that Al-Bêrûnî, in his description of the contents of that epic, omits all mention of the first book, the adiparvan, commencing with the sabháparvan as the first.
Prof. Weber winds up this portion of his argument by explaining that the question is a very wide one, and is in no way confined to the Homeric poems, but extends over the whole range of fables, tales, and myths. It is often impossible to say whether India has borrowed or has lent the original legends, and this can only be decided in each particular case on its own merits. As regards the Achilles-Krishna myth, he is unable to give a definite reply one way or another.
The author concludes his interesting essay with the text of the Jaina legend in which Ahalya is mentioned in connection with other heroines as already pointed out. G. A. GRIERSON.
of the typical sinners saved by Rama, and her typical sin was alasya, 'laziness.' Her laziness consisted in her not observing that, when Indra came disguised as Gautama, he cast no shadow. This is of course a common property of all Hindů gods, but the fact is significant in its present connection.-G. A. G.
