I9I0.] HOPKINS— MAGIC OBSERVANCES IN HINDU EPIC. S5 



according to one version of the story, as they were digging out 

 ocean on earth's surface.^* 



That serpents have poison in their look may be inferred even 

 from the common word for such poisonous reptiles, ds'iz'isa, the 

 black " poison-tooth " cobra, as compared with its synonym 

 {drgvisa)', drstivisa or drsijvisa, "poison glance," which, be it 

 observed, is applied indifferently to snakes and to human beings 

 (another word meaning "eye-poison," netrairLa is used of the 

 aslvisa serpent only, as "possessed of poison from the eye"). 



Many incidental remarks testify to the belief that a look may 

 injure. Rama's "mere look" killed the dragon-worm, 12.3. 14. 

 In 3. 138.13, it is said; "Let not the one who slays a priest 

 see thy sacrifice; by even a glance he could injure thee," braliinahd 

 preksitcnd 'pi pidayet tvdm. The inference here, that the evil eye 

 is associated with an evil nature, is obvious ; yet it does not follow 

 that the injury to be done is voluntary. On the contrary the idea 

 of envy, invidia, being at the root of the evil eye is probably not 

 the primitive idea but a secondary notion. The evil eye works with- 

 out its owner's will, though the will to cast the evil eye may on any 

 occasion be present : " Beware lest the eyes of the weak consume 

 thee" (they are compared with the eyes of a snake and a saint in 

 power), 12.g1.14i. Yet the action may be as effective without 

 the wish to injure, and this is why the wedding-ceremony from the 

 beginning associates aghoracaksur apatighnl, " (be) a wife without 

 the evil eye, not a husband-slayer." 



This word ghora is indeed in the epic associated with the " look 

 of poison." In 5.16.26 it is said: "Never look thou upon Nahusa, 

 who takes away energy ; who has the poison-look ; who is very 

 terrible, tcjoharaiii drstivisaui sughoram. In a following verse : 

 " Let us overcome Xahusa who has the terrible glance, ghoradrstiiii, 

 our enemy," 5.16.32. The two verses show that drstiz'isa and 

 ghoradrsti are practically synonymous. ^^ 



" 3.47.9-19, darsanad cva. The account in 3.204.27 says that they were 

 destroyed by fire which came from the mouth of Kapila. 



"The meter of the last verse is noticeable, Ripum jayania tarn Naliusam 

 ghoradrstim. It should be added to the list given in my Great Epic, p. 299; 

 also S.29.16C: tatha naksatrani karmanamutra bhanti, and the verse (not in 

 B) C.797, asatyam apadi kannani vartamanah. 



