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August, 1889.7
MISCELLANEA.
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religion. It is a modern growth, contemporary with the decline of Persian political influence, and with the religious revival marked by the rise of Babism.
The tragic dramas are founded, like miracle. plays, on religious subjects, the theme being the death of the descendants of 'Ali. The authors are generally unknown, and the actors take great liberties with the text. They are of inordinate length, one play lasting a whole Muharramı, which is the season at which they are usually performed. A play begins with the history of Joseph, his sojourn in the well being considered a type of Hussain's capture. Thence we are taken day by day through the religious history of the Shi'as, the last act transporting us to the resurrec. tion, in which Jacob, Joseph, Abraham, Darid, Solomon, Noah, Muhammad, Ali, Fátima, Hassan, Hussain, &c., come to life. While the patriarchs and kings of Israel only think of their own salvation, Muhammad and his descendants intercede for sinners, who, saved by the blood shed at the Karbala, enter into paradise. The tinal moral is, therefore, that the belief of the Shitas is the only true religion.
(2) M. L. Feer discusses Vritra and Namuchi as described in the Mahabharata. Indra's combat with Vritra is described twice in that poem, once in the Vana-Parva (Sláka 8691), and once in the Udyoga-Parva (616ka 239). M. Feer maintains that, as these two accounts are mutually irrecon. cilable, the latter must refer to Namuchi, and not to Vpitra. References to the Vedic traditions show that Vpitra and Namuchi are confused at a very early period. They both represent the storm-clouds, which only yield to the god of the thunderbolt after a terrific combat. (c)-Vol. XV. No. 1, January and February, 1887.
Mr. Paul Regnaud discusses the meaning of the vadie adjectivo Amare. which Roth translates as "infallible" (connecting it with the root mar, break"), and Grassmann and Ludwig, as not benumbed,' 'wise' (connecting it with a root már, nearly related to marchh, and signifying,
be stupid'). M. Begneud prefers the latter interpretation, comparing the Sanskrit marta,
dried,'hardened,' múrti, ' a hard thing,' whence *a material form'; the Greek papós a fool,' and the Latin moles and mars. The common idea of the whole family is the condition of dryness.'
In the three passages in the Rig Veda, in which mara and amira are opposed, mirat designates men (the benumbed), and amura, the gods (the awakened). Comparing this with the cognate terms marta-amrita, it seems as if the original meaning of the root mar, to die,' was to be dry, hard, unmovable.'
(d)-Vol. XVI. No. 1, July and August, 1887.
(1) M. Paul Regnaud discusses the Vodio word pita, which is usually translated 'that which is applied.' The objection to this is that it is not the root ar (ri), but its causal, which means to apply. When the primitive form is used in this sense, it has the prefix a, prati, or sam.
Ar means properly 'to go,' 'to set oneself in movement,' hence to reach,' 'to bring oneself near to, which explains the meaning of the causative, 'to cause to approach,' 'to join,' 'to adapt.'
Rita, therefore corresponds, primitively, to the idea 'set in motion'; but we see from the Sansksit riju, Latin rec-tus, German recht, &c., (root arj, raj, 'to go,' to advance,' to approach') that the meaning of right,' at first physically, and afterwards morally, naturally proceeds from that of 'set in motion,'' sent forth, directed.' It seems, therefore, to M. Regnaud, that there is little doubt that rita eventually came to nean
that which is good,' that which is just,' ' that which should be done,' through the idea of right,' 'in right line.' Its contrary is an-ri-ta, u word of which the meaning not right,' false,' has remained in the carlier stage. The use of the word rite, without,' is also easily explained by the original meaning of 'set in motion;' riti luat means being set in motion to depart from thee, or simply separated from thee,' removed from thee, without thee.
(2) The same number contains a translation into French by M. J. A. Decourdemanche of the Turkish Akhlaq-i-Hamidi of Muhammad Sa'id Effendi. The work is a treatise on Muhammadan morals. The translation is conti. nued in the following number, and concluded in the first No. of Vol. XVII. (e)-Vol. XVI. No.2, September and October. 1887.
(1) Dr. Igu. Goldziher gives an interesting paper on the Monotheism of the Musalmans.
(2) M. Paul Regnaud follows with a note on jeux de mots in the Vedas. These are puns, but are natural and not intentional. The authors, instead of deliberately playing upon a twofold meaning, are misled by it. Thus Agni is properly Fire, and more specially the Fire of Sacrifice, but he is first of all the brilliant one (root ak, aksh), and as such is a déva, "a god' (root dio, to be brilliant). In this way he gets all the charac. teristics of the devas.
So also Indra was primitively the brilliant, or the burning one (root ind, indh) and therefore a deva. But, as brilliant and burning, he has become the ardent, the energetic one-whence his struggles and his victories.
