The Elephant-lore of the Hindus: The Elephant-sport (Matanga-lila) of NilakanthaMotilal Banarsidass Publ., 1985 - Počet stran: 129 This book is intended to serve as an introduction to the elephant-lore of Hindus. It consists primarily of a translation of the Elephant-Sport (Matanga-Lila) of Nilakantha, with notes, introduction, and glossary. The Matanga-Lila is without doubt the best available Sanskrit work on elephantology. It is a brief and succinct treatise in 263 stanzas, divided into twelve chapters of uneven length. Nothing is known of the Nilakantha who is mentioned as its author. According to the editor, Ganapati Sastri, the three manuscripts he used are about two hundred years old. But the work is probably very much older. For aught we know it may go back a thousand years or even to a much earlier date. This, however, is purely conjectural; all we can say is that there is no positive trace of modernity in the work. The elephant-lore of our text is based on a genuine traditional knowledge which grew up among those whose business it was to deal with elephants, and that this tradition has persisted to modern times. |
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Achyranthes aspera Alstonia scholaris animals asafoetida avagraha bodily humors Brahmā called castes catching elephants chap comm corrupt dealing decade deer discharge diseases driver Dwásala ears eating elephant cow elephant-lore elephant's body elephant's face elephantology elephants ends Chapter Evans excitement eyes favorable marks feet female gaja-śāstra gandharvas ghee girth glands Glossary goad hastas herd hermit hind Hindu hook Indian indigo plant Introduction jaggery kabala Kālidāsa King of Añga known lexicons mahouts male Matanga-līlā meaning Meerga mentioned method of catching mixed modern must-fluid musth nāga neck noble elephants odor Pālakāpya palate pandit penis phant phlegm plant quarters quoted reference regimen rice sage saṁdāna Sanderson Sanskrit Schmidt sensitivity sexual skin Somadeva's Yasastilaka stage stanzas stout Symplocos tail Terminalia catappa translation trap pen tree trunk tusks urine vedana verse vidu viii white mustard wild words yakṣa young elephant Zimmer
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Strana 19 - ... maximum that can be managed. The hunting party proceeds to the forest at the commencement of the dry weather — usually in December — equipped for two or three months, and the scouts having found a herd (a large one is always sought, as there is no more trouble in catching it than a small one), the hunters are halted within a mile, when half of them file off to the right and half to the left Along these diverging lines, which are to meet beyond the herd and enclose it, two men are left at...
Strana 13 - ... back, difficult to load and liable to galling ; his trunk is thin, flabby, and pendulous ; his neck long and lean ; he falls off behind ; and his hide is thin. His head is small, which is a bad point in any elephant ; his eye is piggish and restless. His whole appearance is unthrifty and no amount of feeding or care makes him look fat.
Strana 19 - ... as soon as the elephants are surrounded. For this work one of the two coolies is taken from each post from 8 AM till 4 PM, as the elephants give little trouble during the day, and a single sentry suffices. The Hindoostanee word kheddah means the enclosure or pound intended for imprisoning the herd. This is formed of stout uprights about twelve feet in height, arranged in a circle of from twenty to fifty yards in diameter, and strongly backed by sloping supports and binders behind. An entrance...
Strana 14 - ... back straight and flat, but sloping from shoulder to tail, as an upstanding elephant must be high in front ; head and chest massive ; neck thick and short ; trunk broad at the base and proportionately heavy throughout; bump between the eyes prominent; cheeks full ; the eye full, bright, and kindly ; hind-quarters square and plump ; the skin rumpled, thick, inclining to folds at the root of the tail, and soft. If the face, base of trunk, and ears, be blotched with cream-coloured markings, the...
Strana 47 - The creation of elephants was holy, and for the profit of sacrifice to the gods, and especially for the welfare of kings. Therefore it is clear that elephants must be zealously tended.
Strana 89 - Taking five or six reliable cow elephants and covering their backs (literally 'bellies') with leather coverings, elephant tenders shall hide under these skins, armed with ropes, etc. Then by striking them with their hands they shall drive the cows straight to a herd, and shall quickly tie up five or six elephants; thus the 'cow-seduction' is performed, by seducing them with cows.
Strana 19 - ... for the ingress of the herd. The enclosure is built on one of the elephants' chief runs, and in a spot where the thickness of the cover screens it from view. Elephants keep strictly to beaten tracks in traversing the jungles — a circumstance of great service in arranging plans for their capture. To guide the elephants to the gate, two lines of strong palisades are run out from it on each side of the path by which they will approach. These guiding wings diverge to perhaps fifty yards across...
Strana 29 - ... insufficient exercise. It occurs most frequently in the cold season and may perhaps be due to ungratified sexual desire in some cases, but not always so, since the society of a female by no means always quells or even pacifies animals in musth. At other times an animal in musth undoubtedly seeks a mate of the opposite sex.
Strana 30 - Cowardly mahouts are said at a certain stage of the attack to administer some species of pumpkin which has the effect of abating the excitement, etc. The effect of such treatment, however, is said to be very prejudicial to the health of the animal.
Strana 44 - Formerly elephants could go anywhere they pleased, and assume any shape ; they roamed as they liked in the sky and on the earth. In the northern quarter of the Himalaya Mountain there is a banyan tree which has a length and breadth of two hundred leagues. On it the excellent elephants alighted (after flying through the air).