Indian Antiquary Vol 50

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

Page 167

MAY, 1921]
TRANS-HIMALAYAN REMINISCENCES IN PALI LITERATURE
157
changes and revolutions, both bloody and bloodless, the village communities survived unaffected, and the Peshwa also found it convenient to continue the Provincial governments as they existed in Shivaji's time..
It may not be out of place to notice here, that during the short century that intervened between the rise of Shivaji and the death of Shahu, the Maratha Frequent changes of empire had seen no less than four capitals. Shivaji, the hardy capital. mountain rat, was enthroned in the impregnable hill fort of Raigar. His worthless son found the pleasure house near modern Mahabaleshwar more suited to his tastes. Rajaram driven from his paternal hills, had to take shelter in the southern stronghold of Jinji; his descendants continued their feeble rule at Kolhapur, even after the fall of the Peshwas. Sahu reigned at Satara, and a small principality was subsequently carried out for his lineal successor Pratap Singh, when the British government pensioned off Baji Rao II. Satara was the last capital of the Bhonslas, but a new act in the great drama opened with the transfer of the central government to Poona, destined to be the capital of a vast Hindu Empire for no less than four generations.
(To be continued.)
TRANS-HIMALAYAN REMINISCENCES IN PALI LITERATURE.
BY D. N. SEN, M. A.
WHILE studying the sutta literature. I was much struck by two words which I came across. One of them is far and the other
1 दीघरन्तं means long time, ' दीध= दीर्घ = long, and रतं -रात्रम् = night = time. The word रक्त or ta is used here as a synonym for 'time.'
Why are 'night' and 'time' held as synonymous ? Similarly, the word rag is compounded of and , the two together meaning a man of experience.' Literally, means a 'knower of time.' Here also it is significant that night' and time' have been used in the same sense. There is perhaps a long history behind the transformation of the word a period when' night' could stand for In Pali as well as in Vedic Sanskrit, the compounds made of them, e.g., रत्तिन्दिवं the people using the Pali language came from a country of long twilights and that this memory is preserved in words like नीषरत रत्तम्भु and रतिन्दिवं ? The Vedic Aryans speak of a (hundred winters), using the word as a synonym for years. This takes us back to a period of their history when they lived in colder climes. In the same way way and would take us back to a period of the history of the Pali-speaking people when they lived in regions where nights were more prominent than days.
into a synonym fore 'time.' Does it carry us back to time, 'the nights being more prominent than the days? word 'night often precedes the word 'day' in the in Pali, नक्कन्दिवम् in Sanskrit Could it mean that
It would, however, be rash to draw such a large conclusion on grounds which appear at first to be rather slight. We shall, therefore, scrutinise such geographical evidence as can be found in Pali literature to see if the conclusion is supported by it.
In looking for the geographical data, I came across some names which refer undoubtedly to a region beyond the Himalayas. I will examine these names one by one:
(a) उत्तरकुरु – The references to उत्तरकुरु are copious in the sullas. It is often mentioned in terms which would make it a legendary land, but it is also sometimes spoken of in a way which leaves no shadow of a doubt that s was a real country.
1 Cf.
fe Jatakas, VI, p. 92.
रन्तिन्दिवं विविना मेवन्ति - धम्मराबादमुत्तं, मज्झिमनिकाय, Vol. I. p. 13, P. T. 8.