Professor E. B. Cowell has referred me to an article by Dr. Liebrecht in the Zeitschrift der Morgenländischen Gesellschaft.
He connects the custom with that of the Jewish women mentioned in Jeremiah VII. 18, “The women knead their dough to make cakes to the queen of heaven,” and he quotes a curious custom practised on Palm Sunday in the town of Saintes. Dulaure states that in his time the festival was called there La fête des Pinnes; the women and children carried in the procession a phallus made of bread, which they called a pinne, at the end of their palm branches; those pinnes were subsequently blessed by the priest, and carefully preserved by the women during the year. This article has been republished by the learned author in his “Zur Volkskunde” (Heilbronn, 1879) p. 436 and f f. under the title of “der aufgegessene Gott.” It contains many interesting parallels to the custom described in the text.
[16] Literally bodiless—she heard the voice, but saw no man.
[17] Vara = excellent ruch = to please.
[18] I. e. Palibothra.
[19] Wilson remarks (Essays on Sanskrit Literature, Vol. I, p. 165). “The contemporary existence of Nanda with Vararuchi and Vyáḍi is a circumstance of considerable interest in the literary history of the Hindus, as the two latter are writers of note on philological topics. Vararuchi is also called in this work Kátyáyana, who is one of the earliest commentators on Páṇini. Nanda is the predecessor or one of the predecessors of Chandragupta or Sandrakottos; and consequently the chief institutes of Sanskrit grammar are thus dated from the fourth century before the Christian era. We need not suppose that Somadeva took the pains to be exact here; but it is satisfactory to be made acquainted with the general impressions of a writer who has not been biassed in any of his views by Pauránik legends and preposterous chronology.”
Chapter III.
Having thus spoken while Káṇabhúti was listening with intent mind, Vararuchi went on to tell his tale in the wood.
It came to pass in the course of time, that one day, when the reading of the Vedas was finished, the teacher Varsha, who had performed his daily ceremonies, was asked by us, “How comes it that such a city as this has become the home of Sarasvatí and Lakshmí,[1] tell us that, O teacher.” Hearing this, he bade us listen, for that he was about to tell the history of the city.