Book Title: Indian Antiquary Vol 52
Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Stephen Meredyth Edwardes, Krishnaswami Aiyangar
Publisher: Swati Publications
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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
SEPTEMBER, 1923
August 5th 1671 and 7th ditto was no raine, which have been the only days without raine (except two before), since the 8th of June. Upon the 7th ditto two merchants in Pattana threw themselves into a common well and drowned themselves. Now a terrible sad cry of poor in the Bazzar.
August 12th. Rice fine 6 seer per Rupee or 6 rupees 104 annas per Maund, no course rice to be bought, wheat now 10 seer per Rupee or 4 Rupees per Maund. Some dayes neither rice nor bread to be bought in the Bazar.
August 20th 1671. Now Rioe in Pattana 5 seer per Rupee or 8 rupees per Mauind and very scarce to be bought for that price.
September the 15th 1671. In Pattana Rice was 8 Seer per Rupee, but Course, 12 Seer Goats flesh and 24 of Beefe per Rupee.
Such was the laziness of workmen in the time of Famine, That in the time of making one Casmeer boat for the Company, Six of the Carpenters died of Famine.
In Pattana and the Suburbs died in 14 months last past, ending 6th Nov., 1671, of the Famine 135400 Persons, an Account thereof being taken out of the Coatwalls Chabootry.
November the 17th 1671. Then came in the cold weather in Pattana aftor a little storme and raine.
I received [11th December 1671] an Act in writing out of the Coatwalls Chabootree wherein was writ that in the twelve months last past there had died in Pattana and the Suburbs of the Famine 103000 Persons (Vizt.) 50000 Mussulmen and 53000 Hindoos which were taken notice of in their bookes of Reoords.
December 26th. I received an exact account from the Coatwall Chabootry, to which give credit, that in twelve months, ending 22th November last, being 354 dayes, there dyad in Pattana and the Suburbs of the Famine 15644 Mussulmen to whom the Nabob gave cloth to cover them when were buried, having no friends to bury them, dying in the Streets, and tis thought 2500 dyed in the skirts of the towne in their houses, or where might be buried by some of their relations which were not reckoned, in all 18144, and tis supposed four times as many Hindoos died as Musselmen which were 72576, which, with the 18144, make in all 90720; and the townes near Pattana, some are quite depopulated, having not any persons in them. In one towne, about 3 Coss west from Pattana, where were 1000 houses inhabited, are now but 300, and in them not above four or five hundred Persons, the rest being dead. This Account I received from Mamood-herreef (Mahmud Sharif).
THE ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE BRAHMA VIDYA.
BY DR. NARENDRA NATH LAW, M.A., B.L., PH.D. The origination of the Brahma-vidyd is attributed by Deussen, followed by other western scholars, to the Kşattriyas from whom, in their opinion, the Brahmanas learnt it in later times. Their reasons for holding such an opinion are perhaps two :
1. The Brahmaņas who had been the originators and supporters of the karma-kanda of the Vedic samhitds and brdhmanas could not consistently and in view of their self-interest, be the originators of the jnana-kända of the Upanishads, in other words, the Brahma-vidya. So much occupied were they with rituals and ceremonies that the Brahma-vidyd could not possibly find a place in their thoughts.
II. There are narratives in the Upanishads themselves, the matrix of the Brahmavidya, describing a tow Brahmaqas as learning the subject from particular Kşattriyas.
