Indian Myth and Legend

See Chapter X.

74

Oldenberg, Rigveda, iii, 1.

75

A demi-god.

76

Vedic Hymns, trans. by Oldenberg. (Sacred Books of the East, vol. xlvi.)

77

Rigveda, i, 13 and i, 26 (Oldenberg).

78

Art. “Aryan Religion”, Hastings' Ency. Rel. and Ethics.

79

The air of life = the spirit.

80

Muir's Original Sanscrit Texts, v, 58, ff.

81

Professor Macdonell's A History of Sanskrit Literature.

82

Indian Wisdom, Sir Monier Williams.

83

The Rigveda, by Professor E. Vernon Arnold, p. 16 (Popular Studies in Mythology, Romance, and Folklore).

84

The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria, by Dr. T. G. Pinches, p. 68.

85

Frazer's “Golden Bough” (Adonis, Attis, Osiris, p. 255, n., third edition).

86

Professor H. W. Hogg, in Professor Moulton's Early Religious Poetry of Persia, p. 37.

87

“The Golden Bough” (Spirits of the Corn and Wild, vol. ii, p. 10).

88

Rigveda, ii, 38.

89

Indian Wisdom, p. 20.

90

Indian Wisdom, Sir Monier Williams.

91

Indian Wisdom, Sir Monier Williams.

92

Muir's Original Sanskrit Texts, v, 130.

93

See Teutonic Myth and Legend.

94

Kaegi's Rigveda, Arrowsmith's translation. This was apparently a rain charm; its humour was of the unconscious order, of course.

95

Iliad, xxiii, 75.

96

Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, v. 302.

97

Rigveda, x. 51 (Arnold's translation).

98

A History of Sanskrit Literature, p. 117.

99

As was also Manu of a different or later cult.

100

From Indian Wisdom.

101

A History of Sanskrit Literature, p. 117.

102

Early Religious Poetry of Persia, Professor J. H. Moulton, p. 42.

103

A History of Sanskrit Literature, Professor Macdonell, p. 68.

104

Rigveda, x, 10.

105

From Indian Wisdom.

106

Satapatha Brahmana, translated by Professor Eggeling, Part IV, 1897, p. 371 (Sacred Books of the East).

107

From Adi Parva section of Mahabharata.

108

Saraswati's rival. Brahma took Gayatri, the milkmaid, as a second wife, because his chief wife, Saraswati, despite her wisdom, arrived late for a certain important ceremony, at which the spouse of the god was required.

109

Unfaithful wives were transformed into jackals after death.

110

Lokapala-Sabhakhyana section of Sabha Parva.

111

Sons of the goddess Aditi. They are attendants of Varuna, their chief, as the Maruts are attendants of Indra.

112

Adi Parva section of Mahabharata, Roy's trans., p. 635.

113

The Tribes and Castes of Bengal. H. H. Risley (1892), vol. i, lxv, et seq.

114

Muir's Original Sanskrit Texts, v, 15.

115

Professor E. Vernon Arnold's The Rigveda, p. 54.

116

In the combat between Thor and the giant Hrungner, the thunder-hammer similarly cleaves a mass of flint hurled by the enemy.—Teutonic Myth and Legend.

117

Mahabharata, Vana Parva section, pp. 679-80, Roy's trans.

118

“Overwhelmed by misfortune” (Roy).

119

Heaven, Earth, and the Underworld.

120

Mahabharata.

121

Asuras are sometimes called Rakshasas also.

122

Pron. pe-shatch'as.

123

Bloomfield's Atharvaveda iv, 36 (Sacred Books of the East, vol. xlii).

124

Mahabharata, Roy's trans. (Sabha Parva, p. 32).

125

Vana Parva section of Mahabharata.

126

Dasyu and Dasa are “applied in many passages of the Rigveda to superhuman enemies”. The colour reference in Dasa is probable, but it is also used in other senses. For a full discussion on conflicting views regarding Dasyu and Dasa see Vedic Index of Names and Subjects. Macdonell and Keith, vol. i, pp. 347-9 and 356-8.

127

Mahabharata, Roy's translation (Adi Parva, section, pp. 495-6).

128

Like an Egyptian Pharaoh, the rajah is here a god among men. His presence was necessary to ensure the success of rain-bringing ceremonies.

129

A convenient term as explained in our Introduction.

130

“A Rishi, ‘seer’, is primarily a composer of hymns.... The Rishis ultimately become the representatives of a sacred past.” Vedic Index of Names and Subjects vol. i, pp. 115-117 (1912).

131

Satapatha Brahmana, trans. by Prof. Eggeling (Sacred Books of the East, No. XLIII, p. 170).

132

1 Kings, x, 22.

133

Satapatha Brahmana, translated by Professor Eggeling, Part I, p. 374 (Sacred Books of the East).

134

There are formulas in Gaelic for blessing a house, &c. The customs of nailing horse-shoes upon doors and hanging up holly at Christmas for protection against evil spirits indicate the persistence of ceremonial practices long after ancient beliefs have been forgotten.

135

Bloomfield's Atharva-veda (Sacred Books of the East, vol. xlii).

136

Bloomfield's translation.

137

A History of Sanskrit Literature, Professor Macdonell, p. 199.

138

Omens and Superstitions of Southern India, by Edgar Thurston, p. 799 et seq., 1912.

139

Muir's Original Sanskrit Texts, vol. i, pp. 9-10.

140

P'an Ku in his giant form. Like the Egyptian Ptah, he is now a dwarf and anon a giant.

141

A Journey in Southern Siberia, by Jeremiah Curtin, pp. 44-8.

142

Rigveda, i, 162, and i, 163.

143

That is, the so-called “royal house”, or house of the “king of the sacred rites”.

144

A broad-headed people.

145

Horse sacrifice.

146

The Brihad Aranyaka Upanishad.

147

Dr. E. Röer's translation (Calcutta).

148

Deussen's Philosophy of the Upanishads, p. 39.

149

Muir's Original Sanskrit Texts, vol. i, pp. 29-30.

150

See Egyptian Myth and Legend.

151

Muir's Original Sanskrit Texts, vol. i, p. 46.

152

Abridged from Muir's Original Sanskrit Texts, pp. 43, 44, and Wilson's Manu, p. 50.

153

Indian cuckoo.

154

In his character as the Typhoon.

155

The present Age, according to Hindu belief.

156

“Om” originally referred to the three Vedas; afterwards it signified the Trinity.

157

See Egyptian Myth and Legend.

158

Roy's translation.

159

Roy's translation. This conception of the World God resembles the Egyptian Ptah and Ra. See Egyptian Myth and Legend.

160

Mahabharata, Vana Parva, section clxxxix, P. C. Roy's translation.

161

History of Sanskrit Literature, p. 115.

162

See Egyptian Myth and Legend.

163

Paul Deussen's translation.

164

Psyche, Erwin Rohde.

165

De Bello Gallico, vi, xiv, 4.

166

A History of Sanskrit Literature, p. 411.

167

Rigveda, i, 154, 155.

168

Hinduism, by L. D. Barnett.

169

Rigveda, ii, 33.

170

The “Divine Song”.

171

Extracts from Roy's translation of Mahábhárata.

172

Or Muttra.

173

Karma, “works” and their consequences.

174

Buddha's negative attitude towards immortality and the conception of a Supreme Being was departed from by those of his followers who have taught that Nirvana is a conscious state of eternal bliss.

175

Burnouf, quoted by Max Müller, Chips from a German Workshop, i, 222.

176

Petrie, The Religion of Egypt, pp. 92-3.

177

Bede, Historia Ecclesiastica, lib. i, chap. xxx.

178

Juggernaut.

179

Condensed from Vana Parva section of Mahábhárata, sec. clxxxvii, Roy's trans.

180

Va'suki.

181

Brahma, as Prajapati, assumes, in one of the myths, the form of a tortoise to “create offspring”.

182

Celtic Myth and Legend, p. 49.

183

Or Kailāsa.

184

Combined with Vishnu he is Hari-hara.

185

Often spelled Suttee.

186

A familiar Bengali rendering is “Gonesh”, which is often given as a pet name to an exemplary boy.

187

In Vishnu Purana the Rishis are divided as follows: 1, Brahmarishis, sons of Brahma; 2, Devarishis, semi-divine saints; 3, Rajarishis, royal saints who had practised austerities. There are variants in other sacred books which refer to Maharishis, Paramarishis, &c.

188

Or Nãrada.

189

Rigveda, viii, 53. 9-11, and vii, 18.

190

Pron. bah´ra-ta or bhah´ra-ta.

191

The Indian cuckoo.

192

Pron. vish-wah-mit´ra.

193

The Gandharva marriage was legalized by Manu, but only for members of the Kshatriya (kings and warriors) caste.

194

A sign of martial and royal origin.

195

Pron. Gaj-as-ah-va´ya.

196

Queen.

197

This story is the plot of “Shakuntala”, the Sanskrit drama of the poet Kalidasa, who lived in the fifth century A.D. He makes the king give the heroine a ring, which she loses while bathing. A fish swallows the ring, and it is found by a fisherman, who delivers it to the king. Then suddenly His Majesty remembers his bride, whom he had forgotten and already denied. The misfortunes of the monarch and maid resulted from the curse of the sage Durvasas. Pron. Sha-koon´-ta-lah.

198

Pron. chun´dra (“ch” as in “change”). Also Soma, the moon god.

199

Subsequently the name for India as a whole.

200

Art thou a demon or nymph or fairy or dwarf or demi-god?

201

His other names are Deva-bratta and Ganga-bratta, and he was ultimately known as Bhishma.

202

The Pharaoh of the Anpu-Bata Egyptian story was similarly attracted by a perfume which issued from a lock of hair. See Egyptian Myth and Legend.

203

Pron. sat´ya-vat-ee.

204

Pron. vyas´a (two syllables). The reputed author of the Mahá-bhárata.

205

Pron. chit-ran´gad-a (“ch” as in “change”) and vi-cheet´ra-veer-ya.

206

An Aryan tribe in the north-west of India. Part of their territory was included in the Persian empire. Keith identifies them with the Gandarians who accompanied Xerxes in his campaign against the Greeks.

207

A festival at which a princess selected a husband from among the kings and warriors assembled together.

208

A drive of about 500 miles. Indian poets, however, have never troubled about geographical difficulties.

209

The Kasi tribe was Aryan but was disliked by the eastern Aryans because its beliefs were not according to the standards imposed by the Brahmans. Conflicts were frequent.

210

Pron. has-teen´a-poor. Marriage by capture was called a Rákshas marriage, and was sanctioned by Manu.

211

She helps to kill Bhishma in the great war, having changed her sex with a Yaksha.

212

A similar practice is referred to in Genesis xxxviii; it was a regular institution among the ancient Hebrews.

213

This custom is called “niyoga”, and was legalized by Manu, but only for the lower castes.

214

Pron. dreet´a-rash´´tra, Pan´doo, and Ve-dur´a (“u” as “oo”).

215

Pron. pan´davas and kow´ravas.

216

Pron. pree´tha and ma-dree´.

217

Krishna of the Yadavas was descended from the moon through Yadu: Bharata was descended through Puru, Yadu's brother.

218

A mantra.

219

Identified with Cashmere by some of the authorities.

220

Pron. yoo-dish´thi-ra (h sounded after t).

221

Pron. arjoo´na´´.

222

The upper part of the Punjab, which was ruled over ultimately by the sons of Duryodhana. Another explanation is that the Kauravas, or Kuru brothers, were called after their eponymous ancestor, King Kuru. The Kuru people are believed to be a group of the tribes mentioned in the Rigveda. The Kurus may have been late-comers who formed a military aristocracy, and displaced earlier settlers who opposed their rule.

223

Pron. bhee´ma.

224

The Mahá-bhárata favours the Pandavas from the outset.

225

Pron. door-yo´dhan-a.

226

Pron. droo´pa-da.

227

Pron. prish´ata.

228

Pron. pan-chal´a.

229

Pron. ash-wat-tha´ma. Aswa, a horse; sthama, sound or strength.

230

Apparently Drona had a claim to part of the kingdom ruled over by Drupada.

231

Like the Parthians, the ancient Hindus were expert archers on horseback.

232

This is a notable example of the characteristic exaggerations of late Brahmanical compilers. Other exaggerations are of milder form.

233

Kripa, like Drona, was of miraculous birth. He and his sister were found in a forest, and were adopted by King Shantanu.

234

Half man and half eagle, and enemy of the serpent race.

235

The Kurus and Panchalas were allies.

236

The modern-day Hindu regards Yudhishthira as an ideal man.

237

Allahabad, then probably a frontier town of the area of Aryan control, pronounced Var´an-a-vart´´ha.

238

The god of wind.

239

Bald as a pot. Pron. gat-ot-katch´a.

240

Pron. eka chak´ra.

241

As a rule the Asuras are the enemies of the gods and the Rakshasas the enemies of mankind. See Chapter IV.

242

Charms.

243

A man-devouring demon was supposed to sit under a bridge in Caithness every night. When a late wayfarer began to walk over, the monster growled, “Tramp, tramp, tramp”, so as to terrify him and obtain him for food. According to local belief, the demon “had eyes like a saucer, a nose like a poker, and a mouth like a cave”. The Egyptian demon Set was red like the Indian Rakshasa. Red-haired people are disliked in India still; a native girl with auburn locks is not cared for as a bride.

244

Pron. dhrish-ta-dyum´na.

245

Pron. drow´pa-dee´´

246

Pron. bal-a-rah´ma.

247

Pron. indra-prast´ha.

248

In Ganjam district, Madras.

249

Pron. pra-bha´sa.

250

Pron. soo-bhad´ra.

251

Krishna's father, Vasudeva, was the brother of Pritha, mother of Arjuna.

252

Pron. ab-hi-mun´yoo (“u” as in “bun”).

253

In one of the Egyptian temple chants Osiris is called “the progeny of the two cows Isis and Nepthys”.

254

Like the European household elves and fairies.

255

Pron. ja-ra-sund´ha.

256

That is, in Northern India.

257

Pron. sish-oo-pah´la.

258

Pron. chay´dee.

259

A gift of fruit or flowers, like an offering to the image of a god.

260

Krishna represented the worshippers of Vishnu, of whom he was an incarnation. Sishupala, who was reputed to have been born with three eyes, was an incarnation of Shiva. Rukmini was an incarnation of Lakshmi.

261

Candahar

262

Pron. doo-sas´a-na.

263

Similar to “Amen”.

264

The sun god.

265

Like the “Pot of Worth” possessed by the Celtic Finn-mac-Coul.

266

Like the Celtic giant Caoilte, who went swifter than the March wind, and the Teutonic storm-giant Ecke, who gave chase to Dietrich in his character as Thunor (Thor).—See Teutonic Myth and Legend, Chapter xxxviii.

267

Like the Teutonic elf-king Laurin, whose wonderful rose garden is among the Tyrolese mountains.—Teutonic Myth and Legend.

268

In the next life in this world, according to the belief in transmigration of souls.

269

Like Dietrich von Bern, he assumes the character of the thunder god, and reminds us of Thor going eastward to battle against the Jotuns.

270

For slaying a sea giant, the Celtic Finn-mac-Coul was awarded by the king of Erin the “Horn of Worth”, which could be heard “over seven hills”. Like Arjuna's war shell, it was evidently the “thunder horn”.

271

Demons and giants.

272

Dhritarashtra being still alive and the Pandavas having refused to attend, Duryodhana was unable, as he desired, to perform the greater sacrifice.

273

A necessary religious act of purification before prayer. Karna thus imperilled his soul's welfare to be avenged upon his rival.

274

A supernatural gift in such circumstances carried with it fatal consequences.

275

Pron. jay-a-drat´ha.

276

Babu P. C. Roy comments on this head: “The cow is the only food in this sense. The cow gives milk. The milk gives butter. The butter is used in Homa (the offering). The Homa is the cause of the clouds. The clouds give rain. The rain makes the seeds to sprout forth and produce food.”

277

A form of the goddess Kali, wife of Shiva.

278

Pron. vir-at´a.

279

Pron. kee-chak´a (“ch” at in “change”).

280

Pron. oot´ar.

281

The late Professor H. H. Wilson considered that the Kamboja were troops of Khorasan, Balkh, and Bokhara, that the Sakas, the Sacæ of the ancients, were some of the Scythians from Turkestan and Tartary, and that the Yavanas, “Ionians”, were the Greeks of Bactria. The peoples of south and east included half-breeds and aborigines.

282

A long section of the Mahábhárata occurring here, and forming a sort of episode or discussion by itself, is called “Bhagavadgita”, and is dealt with more fully in Chapters VI, VII.

283

Although the brother of Madri, mother of the two younger Pandava princes, he was an ally of the Kauravas.