Indian Antiquary Vol 13

SR No.: 032505
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: John Faithfull Fleet, Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1984
Total Pages: 492
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 22 MB

Page 52

46
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[FEBRUARY, 1884.
the charm of female fascination,101 getting them this side, and this is their custom. But one day into their power, and knowing that they have five hundred merchants crossed over to their city. attained their wish, through loss of (men's) purity The females, approaching them, enticed them, and and wealth, are, on account of their sinfulness, bringing them to the Yakkha city, binding the called Yakkhinis, forin former days also Yakkhinis men whom they first captured as with supernatural approached a company of men by means of chains, they hurried them into the abode of destrucfemale artifice, and having fascinated the merchants tion, and made them their husbands, the chief and got them into their power, seeing other men Yakkhinis, the chief merchants, the others, the also, brought about the destruction of them all and remainder, and so the five hundred Yakkhinis, devoured them, crunching them, with the blood the five hundred merchants. But that chief flowing from both sides of their jaws." He Yakkhini in the night time, when the merchants then related the story:
had gone to sleep, rising, goes to the abode of In former times there was in the island of destruction, and killing men, eats their flesh, and Lanka a Yakkha city called Sirisavatthu. There- returns. The others also do likewise. When the in dwelt Yakkhinis. These, when a shipwreck chief Yakkhini had eaten the human flesh, on took place, were accustomed to go to meet the returning her body was cold. The chief merchant merchants in splendid clothing, surrounded by having embraced her knew that she was a Yakkhislaves, carrying children on their hips, and offer. ni, and thought: “These must be five hundred ing food and drink. That they might think, Yakkhinis; we must escape." On the morrow, in "We have come to an abode of men," they would the early morning, on going to wash his mouth, show here and there men ploughing and tending he told the other merchants: "These are Yakkhinis, cattle, and so forth, herds of cattle, dogs, &c., not human beings; they will devour us after and approaching the merchants they would say: making us their husbands, as they have done in "Drink this rice gruel, partake of this rice, eat times past to other shipwrecked men; let us now this food." The merchants unawares enjoy the flee." But two hundred and fifty 105 said: "We are things given by them. Thus having eaten and unable to leave them; you go, we shall not flee." enjoyed, while resting they exchange friendly The chief merchant, having persuaded the two greetings. They ask: “Of what place are you hundred and fifty by his advice, fled, terrified at the inhabitants, whence do you come, whither are you females. Now at that very time Bodhisatta was born going, on what business have you come hither P" from the womb of a mare; he was pure white, blackAnd they answer: “We have come hither having headed, 100 mužja-haired, 107 possessed of supernatubeen shipwrecked." Responding : "Well, sirs, our ral power, being able to go through the air. Rising husbands also, three years ago, went on board | through the air from the Himavanta, he went to ship and went away; they must be dead; you are the isle of Tambapanni, and having eaten paddy also merchants, we will be your wives," they produced spontaneously in the lakes and ponds of enticed those merchants with female blandish Tambapanni he went on, and thus proceeding ments, and leading them to the Yakkha city, the said compassionately three times in a well-modul. first men being captured, having bound them as it ated human voice: "Does any person wish to
ere with supernatural chains, they hurry them go ? Does any person wish to go P" They hearing into the abode of destruction. If they do not the speech came near with folded hands, and said: obtain shipwrecked men near their own place of "Sir, we folk wish to go." "Then get upon my abode they wander along the seashore, as far as back," said he. Then some got on his back, Kalyant on the further side and Nagadipa on some seized his tail, but some stood with folded
201 "Female fascination." The Påli is itthikuttals, the latter part of which is not given in Childers' Dictionary. It occurs three times in this Jataka, and is also found, as L. O. Wijesinha Mudaliyar kindly points out to me, in the Takkajataka, p. 296, vol. I, of Fausböll's edition. As to this word, which Dr. Morris does not explain, Mr. Wijesinha writes that he does not recollect meeting with it in any other Pali books but the Jataka, where it is almost synonymous with thath. He points out the resemblance to the Tamil kattu, dance, and suggests that it is of Dravidian origin, which is not improbable.
103 "Crunching." The Pali is murumurapetud, from me rumurdpeti, an apparent causative of murumudynti, an imitative word, not found in Childers' Dictionary. Dr. Morris, however, considers the word not onnsative but a " denominative verb of onomatopoetic origin, like our words munch, chump, crunch, &c." The verb murumuru, to murmur, ie given in Winslow's Tamil Dictionary.
The Sans, verb madamada in a similar sense occurs in the beginning of the IV th Act of Uttarardmacharita.
103 “Supernatural chains"PAli devasankhalikaya, whero, as Mr. Wijesinha points out, deva can hardly be translated divine; he suggests a corrupt reading for tadaheva, but as the word occurs twice, and Fausböll gives no alternative reading, I have let it stand.
104 "Her body was cold." I have not elsewhere met with this characteristic of Yakkhinis.
105 "Two hundred and fifty": Páli addhateyyasata, literally two-and-a-half hundred
106 "Black-headed." "Pali kakasiao, i.e., "crow-head
107 " Muñja-haired": muñja, according to Childers, is "a sort of grass, saccharum munja, from the fibre of which the Brahmanical string is made," also " sort of fish." No doubt the first meaning applies here. Accord. ing to the Roya-Tch'er-Rol-Pa, quoted further on, the horse's hair is plaited.
ed."