Temples and shoes

[Madhav Deshpande]

	And while I was despondent about finding the apropriate authority 
for walking away with someone else's shoes from a temple, I "saw" the 
following verse which is missing from all standard versions of Manu's Laws:

	sarvathaa nuutana.m vastu nirmaatu.m ne.svaro' py alam |
	ekasyopaanahau tasmaad anyasmai pradadaaty asau ||

	Now no one needs to feel guilty.
		Madhav Deshpande

On Thu, 14 Mar 1996, Madhav Deshpande wrote:

> 	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
> > 
> > 
> > 
> 
>