[INDOLOGY] Two terms

[Seishi Karashima]

Dear colleagues,

Almost identical passages are found in the *Thūpavaṃsa*: *The chronicle of
the Thūpa and the Thūpavaṃsa: Being a Translation and Edition of
Vācissaratthera’s Thūpavaṃsa*, by N.A. Jayawickrama, London 1971: Luzac
(Sacred Books of the Buddhists / Pali Text Society, v. 28; Unesco
Collection of Representative Works), pp. 182f.


Jayawickrama translated the passages in question as follows:


Sakka, the king of the deities addressed Vissakamma: 'Ajatasattu, my dear,
has done the enshrining of the relics ; you provide protection there', and
despatched him. He came and set up *a contraption with a number of figures
of ferocious animals* and setting up inside the relic chamber (another
contraption) which made the wooden figures bearing crystal coloured swords
revolve with the speed of the wind, he had it all joined to one pin, had a
rampart of granite in the form of a 'brick-hall' 6 built, and having it
covered on top with a single (stone-slab) had earth thrown in and the
ground levelled and had a granite thiipa established upon it. (*ibid. *p.
46).


Cf. also *Dīghanikāyaṭṭhakathāṭīkā Līnatthavaṇṇanā*, ed. Lily De Silva,
London 1970: Luzac, vol. 2, p. 246, ll. 14ff. *vāḷasaṅghātayantan ti
**kakkhalaṃ
paṭibhayadassanaṃ aññamaññapaṭib{h}addhagamanāditāya saṅghāṭitaṃ
rūpakayantaṃ** yojesi. ten’ āha “kaṭṭharūpakānī”ti ādi*.


With best regards,

Seishi Karashima

2016-09-12 21:42 GMT+09:00 Madhav Deshpande <mmdesh at umich.edu>:

> Hi Artur,
>
>      I checked Google Images for "Nagayantra", and there are several
> interesting diagrams and designs for such Yantras, some of which are
> evidently found in Thai Buddhist temples.  Here is a link:
>
> http://www.sak-yant.com/archive/108yant/payanakarach/yantpayanakarach.jpg
>
> Madhav
>
> On Mon, Sep 12, 2016 at 8:32 AM, Artur Karp <karp at uw.edu.pl> wrote:
>
>> > 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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