58
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
and wife is a striking proof of the authenticity of of the Buddhist Săga, and agrees entirely with the results of recent research regarding primitive marriage. It is thus evident that the Rāmāyan a consists of an original saga as above, with the addition of a mythological fiction chiefly consisting of the rape of S it a and war with R & van a. As the paltry results of the euémerist interpreters are based on
the last part, they deserve but little attention ; if the original saga has any historical basis, the addi tions are certainly recent and spurious. It is much to be regretted that Orientalists habitually content
[FEB. 2, 1872.
thus told before the 10th cent. but the remark in
the Katak a commentary (the oldest we now pos sess, but which is certainly by no means an old work) that “the nectar of the tirth a of the Râmây an a has been made muddy by the dust of unsuitable comments"—proves that a difference of text was early noticed. The author of this, being a Telugu, cannot be put earlier than the 11th century. He follows the usual Southern text,” but does not in clude the Uttar a k in d a.
The number of verses
he puts at 24,000. It is remarkable that there is no allusion to R 4 m a in Hiouen-Th sang, except the name Rá ma-gr 4 m a be held to refer to the
themselves with a far lower standard of historical
hero of the saga.
evidence, than their fellow-students who occupy themselves with Classical and European antiquities. Few in the East have got beyond the long exploded euêmerism, and they have not spared the two Indian epics. To extract history out of them at present, when the texts and recensions have not been
critically edited, is at least premature, even though the inferences were legitimate in method ; but recourse to a vicious system is inexcusable when means are at hand, such as Professor Weber's essay and the work now noticed, by which the historical development of the Saga may be studied.
Dr. Fausböll has
tribe.
Short as Professor Weber's essay and Dr. Fausböll's D as a rath a-Játaka are, it would be difficult to mention two more important contributions to a cri tical study of Sanskrit literature since 1861, when Professor Goldstücker's P4 n in i appeared.
Though Professor Weber has been able to fix pretty nearly the oldest date for the redaction of the Rāmāyana, it is by no means so easy to say how late this may have occurred.
The story of Rāma is told in a number of works, of which Professor Weber has noticed several (p. 53ffg):
but in every case, it is the Rāmāy an a version. The Kathá-sar it - Ságara (12th cent.)and the per
haps still older Brihatka thé of Kshemendra evidently copy the Rām é y an a with the Utta
rak and a. The Tamil Rāmāy an a of Kampan, assigned to the 11th cent. by Dr. Caldwell (Compa rative Grammar, p. 88) is divided precisely like the
Sanskrit poem. The story must, therefore, have been
added an admirable critical
commentary, to justify his renderings of the many difficulties in the text. To his remarks (on p. 25) regarding lanch a, it may be added that this is probably a Dravidian word ; it is current every where in the South of India with the meaning of
A. BURNELL.
THE SAPTAshATI or CHAND1 PATH, being a portion of the Márkandeya Purán, translated into Gujarati from the English Version of Kavali Venkat Rámaswämi Pandit. 78 pp. sm. 16mo. Bombay : 1871.
THE Sapta Shati is held in great esteem by the devotees of Kāli, and was translated into English and published at Calcutta in 1823. From this ver sion it has now been rendered into Gujarati by a Parsi–Merwanji Nushirwanji Wādia, who does not seem to be aware of the Gujarati poetical version
made long ago by the famous Ranchodji Diwān of Junágadh.
THE ASIATIC SOCIETIES.
“Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1870-71.” This part of the Journal contains:–1, A paper “On methods of taking impressions of Inscriptions,” by T. W. Rhys Davids, C. C. S.; 2, A Prose Translation of the Introductory Stanzas of the ‘Kusa Jātaka’ by Lionel F. Lee, C. C. S., 3, Notes on a Sannas, by the same. This Sannas, the writer says, is a copper-plate 15 by 4 inches, with an ornamental border of silver, having the sun and moon in the margin on one side and the royal sign Shri between them, and on the other side the figures of the lion and leopard. Among the interpretations assigned to the leopard “the most remarkable seems to be that the figure stands for the word
diwi, signifying ‘life' as well as ‘leopard.' The interpretation then of the four figures would be “as long as the sun and moon endures, and as long as
life remains to the Royal Lion race.' The Shri or royal sign, is of gold, and so are portions of the other figures.” The translation runs thus :“The commandissued from the grandeur and light of divine knowledge and benevolence of our most ex
cellent, most gracious, and most high lord, anointed king of all men. “Whereas Vijiasundara Rájá Ka runayaka Herat Mudiyannehé has from his earli est youth remained most true and faithful to the most high royal family, and has also contracted
• The South Indian MSS, agree with one another far more than those from other partsof India, and differ but little from Schlegel's text'
