Book Title: Lalit Vistara
Author(s): Rajendralala Mitra
Publisher: Asiatic Society

Previous | Next

Page 168
________________ 166 LALITA-VISTARA. in a harem," and acıls "mahalla said to mean the inner apart.' ments probably the Arabic word us and kan added." In his Sabir kuruma, Sir Rájá Rálláhints assigns this meaning to mahallika, but for mahallaka gives warder of the inner apartinents' (antnhpuru-rukshaka) withont adding that the warder should be a much. lle quotes Jatá lhar, and the S'abdurustná. tuli for its sy onvrus, of which the former gives samidulla, kinchroki, sthapalyu, Sauvilalla and Velika, and the latter, Saar islalinka, and antarmuñs'ika. None of these imply a eunuch necessarily. But whether a eunuch or not, it is certain that the incaning is not applicable here, for it is to be presumed that those who sat iu Colib'ultation to decide upon appointing a foster-mother for the prin.. were men of higher rank than warders, whether toale or female. Moreover, in a subsequent passage the 'warler of the palace announcns to the king that a sage (rishi) old (rriddhil) emilciat (jirne ud nahulinku had appeared at the gate. It cannot be usumed that he meant the sage to be a warder or a cunch. Again, the sage describes himself is sold, emaciated, and mahallak," and did not an that he was wrder or a eunuch. It is a vidont then that the world has another wings, and this cours in Páli. In Childer's láh Dictionary the covalents given are "old, ager? ; spacious, large, broad, lix," (;». 2:28), ami Bubtlingk has given the ineaning of old, slerivellrom Buddhis works. As y text has old (vridilha) coupled with mahallaha, Linder that the latter means " vory old," i. e., not only old bui" very vlu.:10 ctogenarian or so, and these being the seniors or whers of the race, Jake it that the idiomatic meaning is seniors or Chelles, where in the preceding :-entence described as vriddh- uraduha. 41. All these are merperienced, p. 139. The Sanskrit word is Vauhuki, wlich means a young wife but not a matron, i..., 1 married woman but not usperienced in the duties of a mother. 42 Bulharm is the gunit matron Gautami, p. 138. The Sanskrit word which I render into matronie prajivati, froin prajá “off-pring," and vati "possessing," and it appears to be the inost appropriate in contrast with the young wives (vidhíhás) who tendered their services, but were rejected on the grounds of their youth and inexperience. It should be noticed, however, that the reading in the Tibetan, the Chinese, the Ceylonese, the Páli, the Burmese and the Siarnese texte is

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292