[INDOLOGY] Two terms

[Artur Karp]

> contraption

:)

any image of ?

2016-09-12 14:29 GMT+02:00 Madhav Deshpande <mmdesh at umich.edu>:

> Hi Artur,
>
>      It probably refers to some contraption surrounded by a host of
> serpents.  Serpents as guardians of hidden underground treasures is a
> reasonably common idea in Indian literature.
>
> Madhav
>
> On Mon, Sep 12, 2016 at 8:24 AM, Artur Karp <karp at uw.edu.pl> wrote:
>
>> Dear Madhav,
>>
>> The PTS,s Pali-English Dict.:
>>
>> *Vāḷa* - [cp. late Sk. vyāḍa, see Geiger, *P. Gr*. § 54⁶] I. a snake
>> Vism 312 (so read for *vaḷa*).- 2. a beast of prey [...] *vāḷa-miga*, a
>> beast of prey, predaceous animal, like tiger, leopard, etc. [...]
>>
>> When in search for the Elixir of immortality Garuda enters the
>> underworld, he kills *two serpents* hidden under the [eternally]
>> revolving wheel. (Mbh. I, 29. 3-9).
>>
>> When the relics of the Buddha are hidden by Ajatasattu in the underground
>> chamber, Vissakamma places over them, for their defence the [eternally]
>> revolving *vāḷa–saṅghāṭa–yanta.*
>>
>> If *vāḷa* would mean "snake, serpent", then this could be one of the
>> tropes linking both the narrations.
>>
>> *Yanta *means "contrivance, artifice, instrument, machine, mechanism" -
>> in what way could it be constructed/pegged together - using serpents?
>> Ataching it to serpents? Giving it a serpentine look?
>>
>> Artur
>>
>
>


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