Indian Antiquary Vol 41

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 19

JANUARY, 1912.]
CORRESPONDENCE.
Soon after, Vasudeva was identified with to be identified with Visu leva.. In the course Kțishna whose name had been handed down as of their wanderings eastward from Syria or Asia that of u holy seer and who was the founder of a Minor, they brought with them probably tradiGotra or family. In later times, he was identi- tions of the birth of Christ in the stable, the fied with Narayana who had become an object of massacre of innocents, etc., and the name Christ worship as the source of all Naras or men and as itself. This name became recognised as Krishna, lying on the primeval waters; and in still later as this word is often pronounced by some Indians times, with Vishnu, who was originally a solar as Krishto or Kushto. And thus the traditional deity but had afterwards acquired the attributes legends brought by the Abbiras became engraftof supreme godhead. About the first century of ed on the story of Vasudeva-Kșishna of India. the Christian era, the boy god of a wandering These are the five elements that constitute the tribe of cow-herds of the naine of Abhiras came | Vaishnavisin of modern India.
CORRESPONDENCE. MY DEAR MR. BHANDARKAR,
india and Europe. Mr. R. Narasimhachar of Many thanks for your drawing attention to Bangalore says, in his letter to me dated the my notes on the dates of Subandhu and Dinnaga | 28th October 1911, that with regard to Dr. and sending me an advance proof of Dr. Hoernle's Hoernle's letter in the Indian Antiquary for letter dated 13th June 1911. Dr. Hoernle says, September, he had referred Dr. Hoernle to some "I have no prints or manuscripts of Vamana's manuscripts in which the reading Subandhu is work at hand, but it would seem that M. M. clearly given. Haraprasad's reading of Subandhu is a mere Reading carefully the verses which prefaco conjecture not supported by any manuscript evi- Subandhu's story of Våsa vadatta, it appears dence." When I wrote the note, I had the patent to everyone who is acquainted with SubanKavyamalá edition of the Kavyalamkára sttravritti dhu's punning style that he himself mentions before me. That edition is based on two manu- Chandraprakåsa in its élishta form Himakaroscripte, one from Jaipur and the other from Bena- dyota in the 5th verse. For in that verse he res. The Jaipur manuscript had Vastubandhu, says that the good man, who makes other people's while the Benares manuscript had Subandhu. So merita appreciated, becomes more fortunate and in my note I said, "there may be an objection to popular. The moonshine, which makes the this that in sume manuscripts the word is not kumuda flower blossom, Lears enhanced beauty.
Subandhu' but. Vastubandhu." Thus I had some Now moonshine Himakarodyota is Chandra manuscript evidence to support me when I wrote praktár. So it is a proper Dame, and I am glad that paper. Since the appearance of Mr. P&tbak's that Dr. Hoernle agrees with me. piper on Kumaragupta, the patron of Vasuban- Dr. Hoernle has done a service in pointing out dlıu,'I have consulted the only manuscript avail. that the bemistich in Vamana's work must have able in Calcutta, namely, the Sanskrit College been written shortly after the death of Chandmanuscript Alamkara No. 24. It has Sabandhu ragupta, that is, about A. D. 413, though I think with a little waving at the lower end of the right shortly before, as a reigning prince would not be Find vertical line which I take to be the sub- described as Chandraguptaktanaya. In that case,
ript U; though in the same page there is an by the showing of Dr. Takakusu, the hemistich istance of a more pronounced subscript U. In cannot refer to Vasubandhu who lived for 80 .Inandarama Baru's edition it is Vastubandhu. years between A. D. 420 and 500, and Mr. Tie Vidy&viláss Press edition of Vamana's Pathak depends on that eminent Japanese wirk, published at Benares under the supervision Scholar for referring the verse to Vasubandhu. of Dr. Thibaut, it is Subandhu. The edition is 1 Dr. Hoernle doubts that there was a civil war based on three manuscripts, though differences of after the death of Chandragupta. reading are not given. The three manuscripts all ! But the prefatory verses of Vascvadatta give evine from Southern India. Two belong to the A support to my contentions. In the sixth verso twe learned editors and the third to Våtsya Subandhu is very bitter against khalas-the Sundaracb&ryga of Vitthalapura. So I have five wicked-who are more mischievous than snakes, manuscripts to support the reading Subandhu. In his usual punning way he says that serpents I have not seen the Vanivilles Press edition are nakula-doeshi-enemy to weasles, at the same used by Mr. Pathak. It would be interesting in time na kula-dveshi-not envious to the family; this connection to consult other manuscripts of while the wicked are Sa-kula-dueshi--hard even the work which are to be found in other parts of to the family of their victims. In the seventh he