Indian Antiquary Vol 21

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 53

FEBRUARY, 1892.1
FOLKLORE IN SALSETTE.
a king Dharmaditya, but is not dated. It records the gift of a piece of land to a Brahman Sómasvamin of the Lauhitya gôtra and the Vâjasinêya bakhá, by & person called Vasudeva Svamin, apparently for the erection of a dharnasálá. The inscription commences as follows:
Svasty - asyám - prithivydm - apratirathé - Nriga-Naghusha - Yayáty - Ambarisha - sami. dhțita - Mahárájathirdja - Sri Dharmmdditya - bhaftáraka - rájyé tad - anumódan - álabdh - dspade (nadhyána ?) Kábikáyári mahápratihár - oparika - Nágadévasy = dddhyásana-kále.
This commencement strikingly resembles that in the well-known Gupta inscriptions. The term apratiratha, moreover, is one peculiar to Samudra Gupta (see Fleet, p. 14, footnote 4); and there are other indications, pointing to him as being referred to here as the Dharmaditya. All the great Gapta rulers, Chandragapta II., Kamara Gapta I., Skanda Gupta, have honorific titlus formed with Aditya (Vikramaditya, Mahendraditya, Kramaditya, respectively). In all probability, Samudra Gupta, who was the first great ruler of the family, also had such a title ; and I would suggest, that Dharmaditya was his title. Soldered on to the plate is a seal, show. ing in the upper portion the standing figure of Lakshmi, entwined by lotus stalks and flowers, and on each side , very small elephant besprinkling her with water. The scene shews a very close resemblance to one represented on a tympanum in the Ananta cave, and figured in Fergusson and Bargess's Cave Temples of India, plate I, fig. 1. Similar, though not quite so closely resembling, is the representation on the back of the uppermost beam of the southern gateway of the Sanchi stúpa, figured in Fergusson's Tree and Serpent Worship, plate VIII; also that on the Raypur copper-plate seal, figured in Fleet's Gupta Inscriptions, plate XXVII. In the lower compartment, almost effaced, there seems to be the legend Sri Maharajadhiraja-Dharmmadityasya. This, no doubt, is not the usual seal of the Guptas; but there is nothing to show, when the more usual Garuda seal was adopted. However, the question of the ascription of the plate may better be reserved till I shall be in a position to publish the whole inscription. Unfortunately the plate has suffered in some places so much from corrosion and inexperienced cleaning that I have not yet sacceeded in fully reading it,
FOLKLORE IN SALSETTE,
BY GEO. FR. D'PENHA.
No. 12. - The Fortune-teller's Daughter. Once upon a time there was a woman whose vocation was to tell the fortunes of people. She was one day invited by the páțál of her village to tell the fortone of his new-born child. The pátél had also invited the prince of that villagel to witness the ceremony.
Late in the evening the fortune-teller went to the pajel's house, but as she was entering the house she was stopped by the prince, who told her to see him on her way home. She promised to do so and entered the house, the prince remaining outside as a sentry to prevent any stranger entering the house during the fortane-telling. The fortane-teller, having performed many ceremonies and read out of many books, told the páçel what would be the fate of his child.
After she had finished her business and received her dues, and was going away, she was again stopped by the prince who asked her what was in the fortune of the pátel's child.
The fortune-teller replied: --"What the child's fortune is I have told the pátel: why do you want to know ?"
But the prince alternately begged and threatened, and said he would not let her go till she had told him the child's fortune. So at last she told him what it was. The prince next
1 [This in intereyting as shewing what ideas the words "king, prince, quoon, princess," &c., convey to the minds of the "folk." The prose rendering of "king" should no doubt be "looal magnate." - ED.]