SV: Etymology of shudra

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INDOLOGY, Lars Martin Fosse <lmfosse@o...> wrote:

> S.Kalyanaraman [sMTP:kalyan97] skrev 16. mai 2001 16:25:

> > According to Kaut.ilya's Arthas'a_stra, s'u_dra may be derived

from

> > ks.udraka, one engaged in making miniature beads.

>

> Not very likely. Ancient Indian etymologies are based on superficial

> resemblance and are not reliable from a linguistic point of view. If

the

> word is Indo-European, we would be looking for a stem/root *kuud-.

> According to Monier-Williams, the word is of doubtful derivation.

> Lars Martin Fosse

 

What does IE *kuud- signify? In Tamil, kuuttu = dance,

kUttar = dancers, kUTu = to join/to harmonize,

Words for music like "icai", "poruttutal" (porunan2 = singer),

also have semantic agreement with "kUTu". -T-/-t-

changes do occur within Tamil: kaTavu/katavu 'gate',

paTalai/patalai (a sangam era drum). kUtti = devadasi, dancer,

kuuti = yoni.

 

Reproduced is Prof. Witzel's translation of vrAtya ceremonies

where Dravidians participated.

 

------------------------

Thu, 08 Feb 1996 19:33:01 -0500 (EST)

witzel

Holi forever- some facts

Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

 

What about some facts?

 

As I do not have an older pre-colonial or pre-Muslim (?!) description

of Holi at my hands (anyone? we should check the early Nibandhas or

the Kaavyas) I offer something I have been working on recently: a

much older, c. 2500 years old description ---- by Brahmins for

Brahmins but ``graphic`` enough --- of another year-end

festival/ritual, the winter solstice rite of Mahaavrata (at the end

of the year long Gavaam Ayana ritual). This description, taken from

the Aapastamba Shrautasutra of the Black Yajurveda is ``smrti`` in

the technical, traditional Hindu sense, but some shorter versions of

this Sattra ritual are found in the Sruti as well: in the Samhitas and

Brahmanas --- again composed by Brahmins for Brahmins and therefore

definitely above all ``colonial`` (but certainly not anti-Shudra!)

suspicion.

 

Enjoy the musical chaos, the social upheavel and the (almost!) sexual

liberty -- this is a sanctified srauta rite, after all... -- all of

which we are used to in ``carnivals`` from ancient and present

Europe to Brazil, from the Dayaks in Indonesia to medieval Japan...

I have witnessed these things myself in the Rhineland (Germany),

during Holi and similar festivals in Nepal < with the worst

obscenities shouted in the streets, of course only during the

festival>, and a colleague has told me the story of his Holi in

Benares where he, after having had the common dosis of bhang the night

before with his Hindu hosts, awoke up next morning on the roof

terrace of his hosts, with no memory of last night and, equally, sans

culottes, -- the women of teh household smiling at him; he summarized

his experience: ``after that, I was accepted by all...``

 

 

A quick translation runs like this. Remember, all of this is part of

a Soma ritual!) Aapastamba Zrauta Suutra 21.9.1 sqq.

 

When the stotra belonging to the Mahendra drink < thus at noon> has

been "driven" near, 'all voices sound'.

2. The offerers (participants of the Sattra, all Yajamaanas) raise a

loud shouting din.

3. The wives play the ApaaghaaTalikas, Tamil lutes, and the

Piccholaas.

4. The lute players sound their conches, reed flutes, and flutes.

5. The Veda student and the prostitute fight, clinging to the right

door post. [According to the Saamavedic DraahyaayaNa Zrauta Suutra

11.3.9.10:

The prostitute shall say: "You who has behaved badly! You, who has

broken the vow of chastity!" and the student should answer: "Shame on

you! despicable one! Whore! You who 'washes off" the community of

the graama (settlement), who washes off the penis of men!"]

6. The prostitute and the native of the Magadha land (Southern Bihar)

get together (for sex).

7. There is a chariot race.

8. One beats the (large) drums, and the earth drum with the tail

piece.

9. The Arya and the Zuudra tear at the leather piece, which is wet,

white and cut of in a round shape: the Brahmin standing inside and

the Zuudra outside the Vedi.

10. The Zuudra denigrates, the Brahmin praises.

11. The Brahmin says: "These [offerers of the Sattra] have succeeded,

they have gained wealth"; the Zuudra: "These have brought

destruction, have brought damage." << one of the few cases where the

lower classes speak out!! >>

12. After the Brahmin has overcome the Zuudra, he throws the leather

piece into the aagniidhra hut.

13. The armored (nobility) drive around the skin which is spread out

as aim.

14. The Adhvaryu orders each one of them "Don't miss! Do not shoot

too far!"

15. When they shoot, they take care not to shoot too far.

16. According to some, it is the princes who shoot.

17. After they have driven north a distance, open to choice, they

turn back and unharness their horses.

18. At this moment the servant women put their pitchers, filled with

water, on their head, and go dancing three times around the

maarjaliiya hut, turning their right side towards it, stamping on the

ground with their right foot, singing the song, "here is the sweet".

19. According to [the ritualist teacher] Aazmarathya, they should

only sing: "Here is the sweet stemming from the bee, here is the

pressed out Soma, drink of it; they satisfy themselves. Hey, the

pleasure! Here is the sweet, here is the sweet!" 21.20.

1. According to Aalekhana, two of the girls should sing the Hillukaa

song, two the Himbinii, two the Hastaavaaraa, and two the "Year"

song.

4. The exclamations "Hey, pleasure!Here is sweet!" and "Hillu,

hillu!"

are added to the end of each verse.

5. Then the servant girls pour out the pitchers near the

(Maarjaliiya) and go away.

6. With the end of the stotra, the sound stops <<thus Veda recitation

plus all the din mentioned above... just as the ``mangal dhun`` --

read din -- during teh royal consecration of King Birendra of Nepal

1975>.

7. The Adhvaryu makes the response to the zastra of the Hotar after

he has sat down on the two boards or the bushels of grass, with two

verses.

8. This is the end of the Mahaavrata day.

 

21.21.6 On the ViSuuvat day (summer solstice) the same (soma) drinks,

first in rising, then in reverse order...

 

====================================For those who still want to read

on:

 

 

AApastambaZS 21.7: preparations for the Mahaavrata day.

 

1. [After the end of the ten days of the twelve day period at the end

of the year long Sattra] one performs the Mahaavrata day...

4. [While singing the Parimaad Saamans], the wives [of the offerers

participating in the Sattra] join.

5.-7. While taking out the Soma drinks for Indra and the Maruts ...

the Pratiprasthaatar priest puts the "ornaments" (zilpa) to be used

during the Mahaavrata, each at its location.

8-10. One has made ten holes in the staff of a lute made of the wood

of a fig tree. He ties ten strings of munja grass each to each hole.

This is the lute with 100 strings.

11. Others use a lute with 33 strings.

12. For the Udgaatar he puts down a "throne" of udumbara wood, with a

seat made of woven munja grass..

13. .. for the Hotar he makes a swing of Udumbara wood, which he

fixes above with a string of munja grass.

14. For the Adhvaryu he puts down two boards of Udumbara wood or two

tufts of grass.

16. The wives get ready the ApaaghaaTalika, the Tamil lutes and the

Piccholaa.

17. The lute players also get the conches, bamboo flutes, wooden

flutes ready.

18. A Veda student and a prostitute get ready, who will have a fight

in front of the right door post of the Sadas (hut).

19. In the northern "hip" part of the Mahaavedi [i.e. in the

northwest/southwest corner] one portions off a room for the

prostitute and the native of the Magadha land.

21.18

1. In the various directions of the sky (E.-S.-W.-N.) they put down

(large) drums, or at the corners of the Mahaavedi.

2. Behind the aagniidhra hut one digs the hole for the earth drum,

one half of it being inside, the other half outside the Vedi.

3. On this hole one spreads a wet skin, with the hairy side above,

and fixes it all around with pins in the ground, and puts down the

tail used for drumming next to it.

4. In front of the aagniidhra hut, an Aarya and a Zuudra stand ready,

in order to pull at the round, cut of leather piece.

5. North of the aagniidhra hut, one spreads a wet skin on a mat of

bamboo scaffold and erects its [to be used as the aim for bow

shooting]

6. The armored [princes and sons of the nobility] fix their girdles

(standing) on their chariots, in front of the aahavaniiya.

7. Near the maarjaliiya hut, 8 servant girls get ready, with pitchers

full of water.

8-9. After the Adhvaryu has recited "speech is favorable, mind is

favorable, maana is favorable: all this may be favorable to us!" he

sounds the lute, beating it with a three-section piece of UtkaTa

(reed etc.)

10-12 <other priests do the same>

 

==========================

 

Of course, I could go on quite a while with other sacred Vedic

rituals and texts, but much of that will come out soon in an article

dealing with ancient prose/metric texts.

[b

The other texts are much more ``explicit`` -- just think of the

Azvamedha... which has some features of this festival as well.

 

 

MW>