Temples and shoes

[Madhav Deshpande]

	After reading the long inscription "discovered" by Aklujkar, it
seems to me that the "scribe" has made some lapses in inscribing hrasvas
and diirghas.  I suggest that if Aklujkar were to visit the temple walls
at night again, he may find the corrected version of that great
inscription and report it to us.
	As for missing footware in temples, I have lost mine several 
times in temples in Pune.  It is one of the ways God makes the haves feel 
humble and vulnerable, and He rewards the non-haves.  Of course, as soon 
as I discovered that my footware was missing, I could always walk away 
with someone elses, with or without inscriptional support.
	Madhav Deshpande	

On Tue, 12 Mar 1996 aklujkar at unixg.ubc.ca wrote:

> In a light-hearted message, Narayan S. Raja wrote on 8 March:
> 
> <I also go to the temple to steal footwear.
> ..  I'm guided by an ancient Sanskrit inscription 
> that I found on the wall of my house in Srirangam,
> embodying the noblest of human values:
> "AkAshAt patitam tOyam   yathA gachchati sAgaram
>     sarva loka pAdarakshA:  pratigachchanti mAm tathA">
> 
> Quarter 'c  of this verse is metrically not correct.
> 
> As coincidence would have it,  my hobby is to wander in Srirangam at night
> and change the inscriptions found on its house walls. Unbeknownst to Mr.
> Raja, the inscription he quoted was changed some years ago to: 
> aakaa;saat patita  toya.m yathaa gacchati saagaram / 
> tathopaanaha aayaanti sarvaa maam ii a-mandiraat // 
> 
> Through my nocturnal wanderings, I also managed to get the authentic
> version of the much-talked-about inscription at Khajuraho. It goes as
> follows (refer to our resident expert Richard Salomon for translation): 
> 
> tvan-netra-sukha-kaariidam asmacchilpa.m, na sa.m;saya.h /
> bhavya.m divya.m ;siva.m kaavya.m paa.saa.ne.su prasaaritam //1//
> yathaa sajiivataa.m yaayaan nirjiivapi ;silaa tathaa /
> ta:nita.m ;silpibhi.h ;sre.s.thair viga.nayya nija-;sramam //2//
> bhartra ca ;silpinaa.m te.saa.m ga.nito na dhana-vyavya.h /
> cintita.m naiva  kaalasya kiyaan syaad vyaya ity api //3//
> kim etat prek.sakaa.naa.m syaan muhuurtam anura;njanam /
> ity etayaa k.rta.m buddhyaa sa.mbhogaade.h sucitra.nam //4//
> ti.s.tha, he pathikaatra tva.m nipu.na.m cintayasva ca /
> ki.m kalaa dharmato bhinnaa, ki.m kaamo dharmato 'pi vaa //5//
> naaya.m devaalayo vaastu kevala.m graava-nirmitam /
> ;sivo 'ya.m muurtimaan nyasta.h puras te tattva-cintakai.h //6//
> yathaa 'siva-caritre.su dharma.h kaama;s ca sa.mgatau /
> sa.myama.h sa.myamaabhaavo, yatitva.m patitaa, tathaa //7//
> asmin mi;sriik.rta.m dvandvam asmaabhir a;sma-ve;smani /
> sundare mahadaakaare mahaa-deva-nibhe 'dbhute //8//
> tavaapi jiivana.m. paantha, ;silpaad asmaan na bhidyate /
> ;silpa.m ca ;sivto 'bhinna.m. tasmadd asi ;sivaatmaka.h //9//
> maitad vismara, he dra.s.tar. maavamanyasva kaamitaam /
> d.r.s.tim aa;sritya paa;scaatyaa.m vik.toriiya-yugotthitaam //10//
> yathaa d.r.s.tis tathaa s.r.s.tir. dr.s.tyaa te mok.sa-bandhanau /
> d.r.s.tyaa s.r.s.ti.m vyatikramya bhukti.m muktyaa vi;sodhaya //11//
> raajaa vaa raaja-gopaalo gopaalo vavi;se.sa.na.h /
> ima.m lekha.m pa.thed ya.h sa bhaved buddha.h sva-jiivane //12//
> 
> Good wishes.
> 
> Ashok Aklujkar, Professor, Department of Asian Studies, University of B.C.,
> Vancouver, B.C., Canada V6T 1Z2. Tel: O: (604) 822-5185, R: (604) 274-5353.
>  Fax O:
> 822-8937. E-mail: aklujkar at unixg.ubc.ca
> 
> 
>