Book Title: Indian Antiquary Vol 52
Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Stephen Meredyth Edwardes, Krishnaswami Aiyangar
Publisher: Swati Publications
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184
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[ JULY, 1923
Sahasâúka, distinguished for daring, and from what we know of him, his daring was of a special sort. By his exploit in the enemy's camp, Chandragupta seems to have got the popular title Vikramaditya. .
The next extract above quoted affords some more interesting information about DeviChandraguptam. This verse is addressed by a character called Madhava to his beloved Vasantasênå in the enemy's camp. It is not known whether Madhava and Vasantasênå were real historical characters. From the verse no new historical information can be gleaned, but the nature of this verse, as well of that of the one previously quoted, is such that it leaves in the mind of the reader a feeling of sorrow that he is unable to know more of the story and of the fortunes of the love between Vasantasênâ and Madhava.
From the discussion in the above paragraphs one would be inclined to think that Båna was referring to the subject matter of this drama, when he quoted the incident in his work. May it not be that Bâna was merely referring to several other historical dramas and poems, when he was recounting the fates of the sovereigns, who lost their lives by treachery or by their own folly ? The nature of the subject matter of these dramas being personal, they would not be particularly interesting to generations who came long after them, and as a consequence the works fell out of use. Only a few of the most popular, like the Mrichchakatiko, Mudrdrakshasa, Pratigndyaugandhardyana, Svapnavdsavadatta, Arimaraka and the Maļavikågnimitra, have been preserved, or rather rescued from oblivion, on account of their special merit or the nature of their subject matter.
COMMEMORATION OF THE KAININS OR MAIDENS IN THE AVESTA.
BY SHAMS.UL.ULMA DR. JIVANJI JAMSHEDJI MODI, B.A., Ph.D., C.L.E. MR. KALIPADA MITRA's paper entitled "About Buddhist Nuns," ante Vol. LI, p. 225 ff., has suggested to me the subject of this brief note. Mr. Mitra's paper, and the preceding paper of Mr. Lakshman Rao which it criticizes, and other writings show that in ancient India there existed both a class of married women and a class of unmarried women or maidens, who were poetesses and seers, and who, dedicating their lives to public gooi, formed as it were a class of public benefactresses. Among these, those belonging to the latter class, viz., the maidens, were spoken of as bhikkhunis, samanis and pabbaijitas.
What was the case in ancient Iran ? Asceticism had no place in the religious and social circles of Iran; but still there were public benefactresses, both married and unmarried, whose names have been commemorated in the long list of the calendar of Iranian saints. The Farvardin Yasht (Yt. XIII) treats of the Fravashis or Farohars, who stand fourth in the spiritual Hierarchy of the Avesta. Every man has a Frevashi of his own. These Fravashis are, like the Pitris of the Hindus, as it were the deified souls of the dead. Thus, the Fravardin Yasht, which speaks of the Fravashis of the dead, enumerates the names of the departed worthies of Iran who had served their country well. This part is, as Prof. Darmesteter says, "like a Homer's catalogue of Mazdeism." It contains as it were a calendar of all Iranian saints. In this Yasht we also find at the end the names of women who had served their country well and were sanctified or canonized. In this list of women, at first, we find the names of married women, and then those of kainins or maidens. Two sections of the Yasht (ss. 141 and 142) contain names of nine kainins or maidens who were sanctified or canonized for good deeds. The following formula illustrates the way in which these worthy maidens are commemorated :
"Kainyâo vadhûto ashaonyâo fravashôm yazamaide," i.e., We commemorate (or invoke) the fravashis of the holy maid Vadhut.
