Part 18 (1/2)

[Footnote 89: p. 40. l. 6. _Best of trees, the Asoca blooming_. The Asoca is a shrub consecrated to Mahadeva; men and women of all cla.s.ses ought to bathe, on a particular day, in some holy stream, especially the Brahma-putra, and drink water with the buds of the Asoca floating in it. This shrub is planted near the temples of Siva, and grows abundantly on Ceylon. Sita is said to have been confined in a grove of it, while in captivity by Ravana; other relators say that she was confined in a place or house called Asocavan. The Asoca is a plant of the first order of the eighth cla.s.s, of leguminous fructification, and bears flowers of exquisite beauty. Van Rheede (Hortus Malab. vol. v.

tab. 59.) calls it Asjogam. See Asiatic Researches, iii. 254, 277.

MOOR, Hindu Pantheon, 55.]

[Footnote 90: p. 40. l. 17. _Truly be thou named Asoca_. Asoca, from _a_, privative, and _soka_, grief: a play of words, as when Helen, in Euripides, is called '??e?as, the destroyer of s.h.i.+ps.' Many other instances will occur to the cla.s.sical reader. In Malati and Madhava, the forlorn lover in turn addresses different objects of nature, the clouds, the birds, and the elephants, to inform him whether they have seen his lost mistress. ACT ix. See, however, Mr. WILSON's note, who seems to think that he addresses the sylvan deities.]

[Footnote 91: p. 42. l. 8. _--Manibhadra, guard us well_. Manibhadra, the tutelar deity of travellers and merchants: probably a name of Kuvera, the G.o.d of wealth.]

[Footnote 92: p. 42. l. 11. _To the realm of Chedi's sovereign_. Chedi is the name of the country now called Chandail. The country is perpetually named in the marriage of Roukmini, extracted from the Harivansa by Mons. LANGLOIS, Monumens de l'Inde, p. 96.]

[Footnote 93: p. 43. Compare the Raghuvansa, ch. v. 43 to 49.]

[Footnote 94: p. 43. l. 12.

--_lo, a herd of elephants, Oozing moisture from their temples_--

Where the wild elephant delights to shed The juice exuding fragrant from his head

WILSON's Cloud-Messenger, p. 127, and note.]

[Footnote 95: p. 44. l. 7. _--the three worlds seemed all appalled_. Swerga, heaven, Martya or Bhumi, the earth, and Patala, h.e.l.l.]

[Footnote 96: p. 44. l. 21. _And Vaisravana the holy_. Vaisravana is another name of Kuvera, the G.o.d of wealth.]

[Footnote 97: p. 45. l. 13. _In some former life committed_. The soul, in its transmigration, expiates the sins committed in a former state of being. This necessary corollary from the doctrine of the metempsychosis appear to have prevailed among the pharisaic Jews in the time of our Saviour: ”Master, who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was born blind.” JOHN, ix. 2.]

[Footnote 98: p. 46. l. 15. _--in their curious gamesome play_. Kutuhalat, rendered by Bopp 'c.u.m voluptate,' means, 'from curiosity.' WILSON.]

[Footnote 99: p. 47. l. 13. _I with but one robe, him naked_. Bopp's text is incorrect here. Instead of 'Tam. ekavasanam,' the accusative masculine, it should be 'Tam. ekavasana, I with one garment clad,' the nominative feminine, referring to Damayanti, not to Nala: ”I with one garment following him naked and deprived of reason, like one crazed, had not slept for many nights.” WILSON.]

[Footnote 100: p. 47. l. 28. _That I eat not broken victuals_. Among the kinds of food proscribed to a Brahmin are, ”the food of a servile man and the orts of another.”]

[Footnote 101: p. 47. l. 28. _--wash not feet with menial hand_. The Latin translation, 'ne faciam pedibus cursum,' is faulty: the sense is, ”that I perform not was.h.i.+ng of the feet.” Damayanti means that she is not to perform menial offices appropriated to persons of low caste.

Stipulating for a carriage would be rather extraordinary. WILSON.]

[Footnote 102: p. 49. l. 9. _Narada, the famous hermit_. One of the Devars.h.i.+s, and a great prophet, who is supposed to be still wandering about the world. 'Nara' signifies a thread or clew, a precept, and 'da,' giver.

Whenever he appears he is constantly employed in giving good counsel.

WILKINS, note on Bhagavat-Gita.]

[Footnote 103: p. 49. l. 23. _Ere the tenth step he had counted--him the sudden serpent bit_. 'Dasa' means both 'bite' and 'ten.']

[Footnote 104: p. 50. l. 12. _Neither Brahmin fear, nor Sages_. In Indian poetry four cla.s.ses of holy men, or Ris.h.i.+s, are distinguished, and rise, one above the other, in the following rank: Rajars.h.i.+s, royal Ris.h.i.+s; Mahars.h.i.+s, great Ris.h.i.+s; Brahmars.h.i.+s, Brahminical Ris.h.i.+s; and Dewars.h.i.+s, divine Ris.h.i.+s. KOSEGARTEN. Another enumeration specifies seven grades. WILSON, in voce.]

[Footnote 105: p. 50. l. 26. _Saying thus, of vests celestial--gave he to the king a pair_. The dress of a Hindu consists of two pieces of cloth, one, the lower garment fastened round his waist, and one the upper garment thrown loosely and gracefully over the shoulders. WILSON.]

[Footnote 106: p. 51. l. 6. _In the art of dressing viands_. This, it will be remembered, was one of the gifts bestowed by the G.o.ds on Nala at his marriage.]

[Footnote 107: p. 51. l. 12. _--hundred hundreds is thy pay_. Suvarnas, a certain measure of gold. WILSON, Dict. in voce.]