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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(JANUARY, 1897.
"I want to send Nûrzana away withoat her approaching Tanjore," was the explanation,
Have you any scheme for doing so ?" asked the voice out of space.
"Yes," replied our hero undauntedly, "but I cannot execute it unless I have divine assistance."
"What is the sort of assistance that you want?" demanded the great god.
"I want the assistance of Rambha, Orvasi, Tilottama, and other divine nymphs for a couple of ghaļikas on the morning of the day after to-morrow. They must be collecting cow. dung on the skirts of the Trichinopoly road. Nårzana will be approaching Tanjore early that morning. She will observe them and question them as to who they are. The nymphs mast state that they are the sweepers of the house of the Subhâdâr of the Cot. This is all that I want. After a stay of a couple of ghatikus in this world the nymphs can return to heaven," said our hero.
"A greed," snid the great god, and the voice died away, and the Sübhadâr, too, extremely delighted that everything was working well, returned to his palatial residence and spent a happy night.
The appointed day came on. Early in the morning, even half a ghafik& before the rising of the lord of the day, one hundred nymphs of the divine world were seen on the skirts of the Trichinopoly road, near the town of Tanjore, collecting cow-dung in baskets made of gold. The retinue of Nûrzana was marching first, and after them came the palanquin bearing Nürzana. Everyone in the company was struck at the unparalleled beauty of the maidens, and there was a dead stop in the march. The palanquin also stopped. Nûrzana lowered the shutters, and wanted to know the cause of the sudden halt. Before asking any one abont it, she herself saw about fifty beauties gathering cow-dong in golden baskets.
"Am I moving in fairy land?" thought she. To ascertain the truth she beckoned to one of them. At once several came running up. Nûrzana asked them who they were,
"Your supreme ladyship! We are the sweepers of the house of the Snbhadar of the Cot, and we collect cow-dung, as is our custom, to smear our lord's house with in the morning," replied they, and even without waiting for any answer, they went about their duty. Nürzana was in ntter confusion from top to toe.
She first of all ordered her men not to advance one more step from that spot withont orders. She gazed upon the beauties, who were only after all the sweepers of the house of the Subhadar. They appeared more like so many streaks of lightning than human shapes.
Said Nurzana to herself: _"If, after all, the sweepers of the house of the Subhâdâr of the Cot appear to be as fair as the divine nymphs themselves, what must be the beauty of the ladies of the palace of the Subhadar!” “Turn the palanquin towards Trichinopoly," ordered she, and retreated at once.
The object of our hero was accomplished. There was no more trouble for him. He lived in happiness for a long time with his well-earned reputation and wealth acquired from Navakoti Nárayana.
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MISCELLANEA. BUDDHIST MUDRAS.
interesting. In 1879 when I wrote the Appendix
on the Bauddha Mythology of Nepal added to The mudrás orsymbolic positions of the hands, Notes on the Rock- Temples of Ajanta. I called the are not peculiar to Buddhists. The Hindus recog. attention of the late Dr. Bhagwanlal Indraji to nise a large number and a paper, with illustrations, the subject; but he had not taken much note of explanatory of the meanings of these would be the matter, and could only name the better known
Ants, Vol. XXV. p. 145.
