9058009433

PROF. H.D. VELANKAR'S CONTRIBUTION TO VEDłC STUDIES 231

5. Materiał world as upamśna.

M. B. Emeneau, in his paper “The Sinduvara Tree in Sanskrit Literaturę” (University of California publications in Classical Philology XQ (1944), p. 333) had suggested that the compilation of an encyclopaedia of traditional Sanskrit stock-in-trade comparisons “would be an aid to the scholar who occupies himself with the interpretalion of Sanskrit Literaturę.”

Prof. Velankar was perhaps the first to recognize the scholariy signiflcance of the historical compilation of Similes beginning from the Rgveda. It goes without saying that his presentations on Similes in the Rgvcda and Atharvaveda marks the beginning of the beginning in this direction. The writer of this paper had the privilege of working on the Similes of the Mah&bhirata with special reference to the technique of orał poetic composition. A student of Prof. Velankar had, if I remember aright, presented a paper on the R&mSyana Similes at a session of the Ali India Oriental Conferencć, some time in sixties. But it is unfortunatc that such an important aspect of Indological scholarship has not yet received the attenlion of scholars it deserves. It is high time that Prof. Vclankar’s work on Vedic Similes be further studied in greater dclails and a concordance of Similes of all the extanl texts of Vedic SartihitSs is compiled with a detailed analytical and comprehensive treatment-stylistic, acsthctic, aupamSnika, aupamcyika, aupamSnadharmika and aupamyav8cika. This may be followed by similar concordances of the Similes of Great Epics. Similes in the Pur&nas, Dharmaiastras, and even in the texts on Ayurveda are no less interesting.

Let us take some examplcs from what Professor Velankar designates as Emotional Similes and see how they work and how they interact with the Mahabharala Similes.

Mothcr and Child

The Usas hymn (1.123.11) describes Usas as a very lovely maiden carefully decoratcd by her mother, disclosing her body (for all) to see.

star

SS    4?^ I

Mother Cow and Catf

“The walers, flowing forward, went down straight to the Ocean, like lowing cows (to their calves).

W 54 $44: FH4TCT 3T3T:    II

(RV 1.32.2)

Here Velankar notes that the term “ 4?^" is understood in the text. This is in accordance with the generał principle of “Word Economy” in