May 3, 1872.]
NOTES, &c.
163
had the good fortune to know him personally will recollect the singular fascination he exercised upon all with whom he was brought into contact. During the last three or four years he was repeatedly pros trated by the attacks of a torturing malady, to which
founded on the Agra MS., when his attention was directed to the Baidla MS. as the only one “which the noble families of Rájputána considered to be of any authority.” Finding that he would be unable
he had long been a victim, and to one of these
before March or April 1873, he wrote a letter to the
attacks he has succumbed after protrated suffering. “The Sthavira Yātrāmullé Dhammarama, of the Wanavāsa monastery, on the 28th day of this month of January, in the last watch of the night, passed away to another world.” Yātrāmullé, at the time
of his death, cannot, have been more than fifty years of age.
to do anything towards preparing it for the press Secretary of the Bengal Asiatic Society on 3rd February 1872, from which we extract the follow ing :— “I am convinced that in an editio princeps of a work of this peculiar nature, which is mainly in teresting to the philologist, it is imperative on an editor, having once secured a good MS., to adhere to its psissima verba, without the slightest attempt
MR. W. SKEEN.
at alteration or correction. If I continue editor,
WE regret to hear of the sudden death of Mr. W. Skeen, the author of “Adam's Peak,” and who had
I shall simply make a faithful transcript of the Baidla MS., adding at the foot of the page the
in preparation an elaborate work on the history of the Tooth Relic of Ceylon, which could scarcely have failed to throw much light on the history of
various readings which I find in the Agra copy. Now such a task, though laborious, is purely mechanical, requires no special knowledge and can
Buddhism, both in India and Ceylon. His loss to the Ceylon Asiatic Society will be irreparable.
be equally well performed by any one who can read the character. I would therefore suggest to the Philological Committee the desirability of having the two MSS sent down to Calcutta and there made
White and Black Yajur Vedas. IT is worth noticing that the followers of the Black Yajurveda are almost confined to Southern India while the predominant or only Veda among the Gaudas of the North is the White Yajur. The Gujarat people have got a trace of one Sákhá only of the former, the Maitrayaniya Among the Maráthas, the Chitpavana Brahmans are nearly equally divided between the Rigveda and the Black Yajurveda ; while the Desasthas are Vájasaneyins (followers of the White) and Rigvedis. Whether this is to be accounted for by a revolution or some such event enabling the followers of the White Veda to drive their rivals to the South, or by the supposition of that part of India being the country of the origin of the Black Yajur is not determined. But there is a prophecy in the Agni Purána which re
over to a native writer without engaging any re gular editor, but simply having some trustworthy corrector for the press to add the variae lectiones and compare the proofs with the MS. . . I am convinced that the adoption of the plan which I have suggested above, will obviate all cause for delay and secure a result in all respects as satisfactory as if the work had remained under my super vision.” The Philological Committee has resolved to recommend to the Council of the Society “ that for the present the edition of Ch and be de ferred ; but they have recommended also that on receipt of the Baidla and Agra MSS. a sum of about Rs. 200 be devoted to the collation of both MSS., the
variae lectiones of the Agra MS. are to be entered on the margin of the Society's Baidla MS.” But the
presents the White Yajurveda as a conquering or
Committee do not think that it would be of much use
triumphant Veda, saying that the only Veda that
to print any portion of Chand in the manner which Mr. Growse suggests, without separating the words, which is of course the greatest difficulty.
will prevail in the latter part of the Kaliyuga will be the Vájasenayaka"; all others being lost, and the
pur o hit a or priest of Kalki, the King that will overthrow the Mlechchhas, who will have over
spread the earth, will be Yājnavalkya.f This latter, part of the prophecy occurs in other Purānas also. Yájnavalkya is the founder or first teacher of the White Yajurveda.
Note on ‘Arachotis' p. 22. PROFEssoR Ramkrishna Gopal Bhandarkar doubts if Archotis ought to be rendered in Zend Hara qai ti or in Sanskrit Sar as v at i. He has the
Why should not a census be taken of the several
more reason for this doubt because Arc hot is does
Vedas and Sákhás, and of the most important sects of Theosophy or religious philosophy?
not belong to the Indo-European system at all, but conforms to the great group of ancient river names. Where these have any meaning in Sanskrit, as
Publication of Chánd. MR. G.RowsE, during the latter part of the rainy season of 1871, had begun an edition of Ch a n d
Za dud rus, for instance†, it is accidental. The river names belong to an older group, and that of
- Dasyavas silahináscha vedo Vajasaneyakah. . .
+ Kaiki Vishnuyas'ah-putro Yájnavalkya-purohitah.
Arc hot is to a well defined class of roots in f Zadudrus is called in the Vedas Sutudri, which in Sanskrit has no satisfactory Etymology.
