Madhuvidya

Author(s): S D Laddu, T N Dharmadhikari, Madhvi Kolhatkar, Pratibha Pingle
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 613

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stolen by some thieves and which they wanted to kill and eat the next day. The next day, however, when they went to the bamboo-grove where they had concealed the sheep the night before, they forgot to take a knife with them. They, therefore, in a pious mood released this sheep, which in joy began to jump here and there. Just then it struck against a bamboo tree where a bamboo-cutter had kept his knife. The knife fell down and the thieves having come to know of it killed the sheep with this knife and ate it. Thus it suffered death by its own foolish act. The Gatha (6) referring to this story is slightly different from the above account which is based on the prose narrative. It makes no direct reference to the thieves who are supposed to have made use of the knife to kill the sheep.
aja yatha velugumbasmim baddha avekkhipanti asik' ajjhagañchi/
ten' eva tassā galak' ävakantam ayam pi attho bahu tädiso vā//
DUTOIT, "Ne Ziege, die in einem Bambusdickicht war
gebunden, stiess beim Hüpfen an ein Messer.
Mit diesem schnitten sie den Hals ihr ab.
Dies bracht' etc."
Apparently a similar story but with a clear reference to the digging up of the knife from the ground (cf. the explanation of Vardhamana given above) is referred to in the Mbh 2.59.8 (critical edition) and has been discussed by EDGERTON in JAOS 59.366-68 (1939).10 He has also referred to the ajakṛpäniya and the Jätaka story (481) mentioned above. The verse and its translation as given by EDGERTON run as
ajo hi sastram akhanat kilaikaḥ
sastre vipanne padbhir apasya bhumim/ nikṛntanam svasya kanthasya ghoram
tadvad vairam mã khaniḥ pāṇḍuputraiḥ//
65
"For it seems that a certain goat dug up a knife, when the knife was lost, knocking away the earth with his feet,-(and so dug up) a cruel cutting of his own throat. In this manner do not you dig up enmity with the sons of Pandu!" The purpose of referring to the story of the sheep is clearly to warn the Kauravas not to do any foolish act which would lead to their own destruction. While mentioning the different versions of the story EDGERTON observes (p. 367), "All versions agree in treating the story as
16. I am indebted to my friend Dr. A. M. GHATAGE for his kind information about this article.
17. The Mbh. verse occurs at 2.66.8 in the Bombay edition where Nilakantha alludes to two versions of the story. They are, however, not very helpful for our purpose.
Bull. DCRI. xvii-5.
Madhu Vidya/588