More questions about technical subjects

[mhcrxlc at dir.manchester-computing-centre.ac.uk]

Some comments on one:

>6)      _Mahaavastu_ (Senart) I.244.1-2:  ta.m putrasnehena nivaareti maa
>tatra paaradaariko ti k.rtvaa bhaatayi.syati //.  I cannot understand what
>is going on exactly.  The previous sentence says:  "[Meghadatta] fell in
>love with another man's wife, whom he visited early and late."  Then our
>sentences:  "[Her] mother kept him away out of affection for her child."
>So far this is OK.  But the next part seems to mean:  "Thinking 'I hope
>there is no adulterer here,' [or else?] I will kill him."  There are no
>significant variants.  Any suggestions?

It cannot be her mother that is meant here, as the whole point of the story
is that Meghadatta commits all five karmas which entail certain retribution
at death i.e. he must be a matricide. The construction must be maa with the
future - see BHSG p. 200 f. So perhaps:

 "[His mother] kept him away out of affection for her son, fearing lest,
behaving there as an adulterer, he should alarm [them]"

for bhaayayi.syati ? I have thought of various other possibilities for the
verb, but none seem very convincing. Surely someone will have something
better than this!

Lance Cousins




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