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therefore, most worshipped by the lowest classes. One such spirit with great local reputation is Bischha Barham, the spirit of a Brāhmaṇ, who died a violent death. Bischha Barham

is one of the most dreaded of all the male violent deities, and has a famous temple in Motihari, where even Muhammadans make offerings through the Brahman priest who presides there."

With due deference to the aforementioned high authority, I now take the liberty to point out and correct the undermentioned inaccuracies which have crept into the foregoing account of Birchhe Deo ::

(a) The name of this godling is not Bischha Barham but

Birchhe Deo.

(6) This godling is not the spirit of a Brāhmaṇ who died a violent death, but is the spirit of a Bhumihār who died in the course of a fight. In fact, he is

one of the "sainted dead".

(c) He is not one of the most dreaded of all the malevolent deities; but, on the contrary, he is a benevolent deity who is always adored and prayed to for granting boons.

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By Surendranath Majumdar, Sastri, M.A., P.R.S. There is an interesting topic, in the Second Book of the Manusambită, dealing with the question whether "learning" or "age" is to be respected. In that connexion we find the following sloka :—

faqawargarara fagufęrs: afa: 1
पुत्रक इति होवाच ज्ञानेन परिगृह्य तान् ।

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II 151.

It has been thus translated by Dr. Burnell: "Angirasa kavi, a child, taught his elders and said to them children! ' having received them as pupils by reason of his knowledge." Dr. Bubler's version is: "young Kavi the son of Angiras, taught his (relatives who were old enough to bej fathers., and as be excelled them in (sacred) knowledge, he called them 'Little sons.""

Now the passage in question is, like so many other passages of the Bhṛguproktā Manusamhita, a paraphrase of a Vedic text and as such the meaning of it is to be settled by comparing it with the original Vedic text and its context.

The following is the Vedic original of the passage :— शिव ं भवति । शिशु-र्वा व्याङ्गिरसो मन्त्रकृतां मन्त्रदास्रौत् । स पितॄन् पुत्रका इत्यामन्त्रयत । तं पितरोऽब्रुवन् व्यधम्मैङ्करोषि यो न: पितृन सत : पुत्रका इत्यामन्त्रयसीति । सोऽब्रवीदह वा वः पितासिम, यो मन्त्रकृदम मोति । ते देवेष्वपृचछन्त । ते देवा अब्र ू वन्नेष वा ष: पिता यो मंाकृदिति । तदूव स उदजयदुज्जर्यात प्रशव न तुटु वान : (T&pḍya Mahābrāhmaṇa 13, 3, 23; Bibliotheca Indica series, vol. II. p. 18.)

It may be translated thus :-" It is the Saman-song composed [or seen] by Ŝiśu. [fayat zz'e ÃTM¶¶—Sāyaṇa] Sisu, the son [or descendant] of Angiras was the best of the

composers of hymns. He called fathers Little sons.' The fathers told him' you who are calling the fathers little sons are not acting righteously'. He said,' I am your father, for I am a composer of mantras (Vedic hymns). They asked the gods. The gods said, 'He is your father who is the composer of hymns.' So one is vietorious if he praises by [singing] the saman composed by Sisu. "

Now this passage occurs in a section which deals with the names of various sāmans almost all of which are named after

their composers. And this context would make Śiśu a proper name and not as meaning "young" as all commentators and translators have taken it. Dr. Burnell and Dr. Buhler took Kavi as the proper name. But this word does not occur in the Vedic text. Hence it is not the name but the epithet of the Ṛshi.

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Sisu "

Baudhayana Dharmasutra I, 3, 42 suggests, remarked Dr. Buhler in his footnote, that seems to be a name or nickname. But though he pointed out this fact, he followed the Indian commentators in taking the word in the sense of "young." But the Vedic passage is conclusive. On the authority of this passage of the Taṇḍya-Brahmaņa, its commentary by Sayaṇa and the Dharmasūtra of Baudhāyana pointed out by Buhler, I propose to translate "fafgza : afa : as "Sisu, the wise, descendant of Angiras."

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