The Weber manuscripts : another collection of ancient manuscripts from Central Asia / [A.F. Rudolf Hoernle].

  • Hoernle, A. F. Rudolf (August Friedrich Rudolf), 1841-1918
Date:
1893
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The Weber manuscripts : another collection of ancient manuscripts from Central Asia / [A.F. Rudolf Hoernle]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    which are attached to the Kausika Sutra of the Atharva Veda.8 I have not been able to examine any copies of them, but a brief account of them has been given by Professor Weber in his Vedische Nachrichten von den Naxatra (pp. 390-393). From this account it appears that the state¬ ments, especially, in the Nakshatra-kalpa, show a curious resemblance to those in our manuscript. Thus the Nakshatra-kalpa, too, gives lists not only of the shape, the divinity, the number of stars,'and the duration of muhurtas of every one of the 28 nakshatras, but also of their four¬ fold distribution into Eastern, Southern, Western and Northern, of their gotra (or race of Rishi), and of the kind of food that may be taken under them. The Nakshatra-kalpa adds some further particulars, cor¬ responding statements to which may have been in the lost portion of the manuscript, or may possibly be found in that portion which I have not yet been able to examine. A confirmation of the age of the work may be found in the cir¬ cumstance, that the information given in it is ascribed to Pushkarasarin. This renowned teacher is said to have been a contemporary of Buddha. He is mentioned as a teacher in the Pratisakhya Sutra; and is also cited in the Varttikas to Panini by Katyayana, their author.9 On the whole, therefore, and subject to the result of an examina¬ tion of the whole manuscript, for which I have not yet been able to find time, I have come to the conclusion that this part of the Weber Manuscripts contains a hitherto unknown work belonging to the last stage of the Vedic period of Sanscrit literature. I will, however, here add a few curious particulars that I have noticed in my cursory comparison of the manuscript with Prof. Weber’s account of the Nakshatra-kalpa and similar works. The list of gotras differs entirely; the only coincidence is in the gotra of Krittika. Most of the daivatas agree ; the most striking difference is in the case of the 27th nakshatra (Asvini), for whom our manuscript gives Gandharva as the daivata, while the Nakshatra-kalpa, in common with all other known works, gives the two Asvins. Other differences may be mere blunders, thus Yaishya in No. II and Pushya in No. 26, for Visve and Pushan respectively. Nariti in No. 18 may be a local variety of Nirriti. Curious are also, in our manuscript, Abhivriddhi and Aryamakalpa in Nos. 24 and 25, for Ahirbudhnya and Aja-ekapad respectively. The transposition of Apta in No. 17, and of Nariti in No. 18, may be an accidental mistake for Nariti in No. 17 and Apia in No. 18. In the case of No. 20 (Abhijit.) our manuscript gives no daivata at all, the usually given daivata being Brahman ; but this, too, may be an accidental omission. 8 See Weber’s History of Indian Literature, p. 153. 9 See Weber’s History of Indian Literature, pp. 102, 285. 16