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The word dviraṭikā occurs twice in Jambhaladatta's VetāJapanca-vimsati of unknown date, but most probably anterior to the 16th century A.D.1 Emeneau's note on the word reads as follows:2 "It occurs in the phrase kṛpaṇena dviraṭikām kartayitva. I have hazarded the translation: 'dealt a sharp blow with his sword' which is admittedly merely a guess. Conceivably the word is based on vrat, 'to make a noise, crash (as an axe)'. In that case the words may mean 'giving an echoing stroke with his sword."3
LATE SANSKRIT DVIRATIKA
Now, karatyitvā usually means 'having cut', and this weakens whatever meagre value Emeneau's guess has As these are the only known ocurrences of the word under discussion, we have to fall back upon the consideration of the Vetālapañcaviṁśati passages wherein it occurs. I reproduce below from Emeneau's edition the original sentences containing the word dvirațikā along with translations and the relevant context :4
ઃઃ
the king in just that way went there to the river-bank and saw the Corpse as it had been described. And, when it saw the king it felt great fear. Then, when the king had gone to it and stretched out his hand to draw it towards him, the Corpse which was inhabited by a goblin went to the topmost branch of that tree and hung there. Then the king laughed and said to the Corpse Listen, you Corpse! Why are you trying to escape far
1. M. B. Emeneau, Jambhaladatta's Version of the Vetälapancavimsati, American Oriental Series No. 4, 1934, p. xi.
2. Ibid., p. xxi.
3. Emeneau continues: "But it should be observed that the word is not textually sound. The reason for the observation is obviously the fact that two Mss. read dvivātikām and vivaṭikāyāṁ in the place of dviraṭikām at Vetal, 12, 7 and one reads drivātikam at 12, 20"
4. Emeneau, op. cit., pp. 11-13.
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