Indian Antiquary Vol 58

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 143

JULY, 1929)
NOTES ON THE KATHA SARIT SAGARA
133
springs from the tree of right conduct and gives promise of appropriate fruit." In his case, with further miraculous intervention, it was happiness with an immortal wife. Here it is not the tree, but the spirit in the tree, which is the cause of power.
12-a. The Wishing Tree. In Burma the tree-spirit and the tree-maiden are very commonly worshipped supcrnatural beings (vide, Temple, The Thirty Seven Nats), and in all the circumstances one cannot help suspecting that the powers of the Wishing Tree, already noticed in these remarks (sce above) are in reality due to the power of the spirit dwelling in it. 12-b. The Miraculous Child : c. Illumination : d. Speech at Birth :
e. Walking at Birth. The above quotations are now followed by others referring to several points in Folklore, and describe a miraculous child, that illuminates its surroundings and walks and speaks at birth. As regards the illuminating power of female beauty, it is of common occurrence both in European and Asiatic Folklore. On p. 63 & princess is spoken of as “illuminating with her beauty the whole region," as if this were a common attribute of princesses. Other quotations could be added.
At p. 39 in The Story of Soma prabha, a girl child covers the whole of the attributes. The wife, Chandraprabhá,“ of a great merchant, Dharmagupta," of Pataliputra (Patna)" became pregnant and brought forth a daughter (Somaprabha), beautiful in all her limbs. That girl as soon as she was born, illuminated the chamber with her beauty, spoke distinctly, and got up and sat down."
It will be thus seen that speaking, walking and illuminating at birth are spoken of as the signs of a Miraculous Child. Mr. Penzer gives many instances from European Folklore, and from the point of view of the Miraculous Child, the whole question may be worth further enquiry.
13. The Fire Saerifice and Immortality. At pp. 245 ff. Mr. Penzer in an Appendix discusses at length the very old legend of Urvasi and Puriravas, and on p. 248 he notices that one of the points in it is "the Fire-Sacrifice as a means of achieving Immortality." After going through the incident in the tale, from which the above point is evolvod, he writes (p. 257): "I think we can regard the fire incident of the story of Urvasi and Puraravas as showing the great symbolical significance of the FireSacrifice as a means of obtaining Svarga, the Abode of the Blessed, and ensuring a final state of Immortality.
At pr. 100 ff. there is a romarkable mythological tale of the Birth of Karltikera. the Hindu God of War, as a miraculous offspring of Siva, through the action of Agni, the Cod of Fire. Kårttikeya is a derivative term and means belonging to the Krittikas, or the Pleiades, and the story of his connection with Siva and Agni seems to be explicable only on the assumption of the meaning of the Fire-Sacrifice as a means of attaining Immortality.
In this story (p. 101) Siva is so long engaged in the sport of love with Uma [Pârvati] the daugater of Himalaya that the gods are disturbed and call on Agni to intervenc. "So he went to Siva and by his heat stopped Siva from his amorous play.... who as the impulso arose in him, dlepositod his seod in the fire. Neither the Fire nor Umå was able to bear this. The goddess, distracted with anger and grief, said: 'I have not obtained a son from you after all.' And Siva said to her: 'An obstacle has arisen in this matter, because you neglocted to worship Gancia, the Lord of Obstacles (also of Beginnings). Therefore adore him now that a son may speedily be born to us in the fire (p. 102).'” It will be seen then that the son was Uma's [Parvati's) only vicariously. The story also raises the point of Umar status as a goddess, as she had to worship Gaņeśa to get her desires. She was not then Devi, the Supreme Goddess, but merely a concubine, of siva. Was she thus regarded in Somadeva's