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98
Secondary Tales of the two Great Epics
shown to slaughter the Nāga-tribes. The contradiction is irreconcilable unless we impose some metaphorical or mythical interpretation upon the episode of Sarpa-satra.
We may mention here that some fifty years before Winternitz had discussed 46 the nature of this Sarpa-satra and tried to show it to be a magic spell. "What .... is called surpasattra "serpent sarrifice" in the Mahabhārata, is in reality not quite a sacrifice, but a magic spell, by means of which the serpents may be brought to self-annihilation. Indeed, a clear distinction between "magic" and “sacrifice" is as little possible in India as elswhere .... These sattras of which the ritualistic works give us an account, are in no way, as is often supposed, pure inventions of theory-mongers dealing with sacrifice -- though many of the sacrifices certainly existed only in theory , but have come down to us from pre-historic popular magic-customs and cult-practices .... Now, the ritual books mention among other sattras of a year's duration, a sarpasattra, though unfortunately no further details are given concerning that. Still from the fact of its being mentioned we might conclude that there was in Anceint India a particular sacrificial ceremoney, the object of which was to expel the ever real danger of snakes. As a reminder of a sacrificial ceremony of this kind, we have to understand the serpent sacrifice of Janamejaya, which could still have, for all that, a mythulagical background.' In the footnote he refers to Śāmkhāyana śrauta sutra, XIII.23.8; Kātyāyana śrauta sütra, XXI.4.48 and in detail to Tāņdya Mahābrāhmāņa XXV.15 where, he says, 't is ... described as being a sacrifice offered by the serpents. There it is said : “By means of this sacrificial ceremony, serpents have come to hold a firm foot in this world......" After this there are mevtitoned the names of those persons and priests who performed this sacrifice; and among these are the names of Dhịtarā stra, Airāvata and Takşaka, these being very often met (sic) as the names of serpent demons, and in a remarkable manner, of Janamejaya als).'48 Winternitz then narrates in detail the entire story-cycle of Janamejaya's snake-sacrifice and compares it with imilar tales of snake-annihilation from some other countries. About the mother of serpents he says:
That Kadrū ("red brown"), the mother of the serpents, means the Earth, can scarcely be doubted. The Earth is called in the Aitareya Brāhmaṇa (V. 23) Sarparājai "queen of the Serpents." The serpents were regarded as the "offspring of the earth" among the Greeks, the Lithuanians and the Esthonians .... Vinatā ("bent down“) 46 "The Serpent Sacrifice mentioned in the Mahābhārata", M. Winternitz, Tr. N.B.Utgikar,
Journal of the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, (New Series). Vol.2, No.1, 1926.
pp, 74-91. 47 Op.cit. pp.75-76. 48 ibid. p.76. Cf. also above fn.32 and AdiP,52. 4,7,11,13, etc. where the names of the fami
lies of serpents who were victimised in the sacrifice are given as Vasuki, Takşaka, Airāvata, Kauravya, Dartarástra etc. Cf. also : 'In the Atharvaveda (V1I1.14,14-16) the well-known names of some mythical serpents viz. ! akşaka, Dhịtarāşțra and Airāvata occur." The History of Dharmaśāstra, P. V. Kane, Vol. II, ii p.823.
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