44 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [February, 1914. 



was filled with water flowing from the well placed before 



him." . 



This natural well of the vedic verse tallies accurately with 



an actual well called Gotaraa-kunda which is situated 28 



miles north-east of the modern town of Darbhanga in Behar. 



I visited it in October last. It feeds a perennial rivulet called 



Ksirodadhi (generally called Khiroi) which issues from the 



gorges in the Nepal terai. A mud-hill called Gotama-sthana, in 



the vicinity of the well, represents the place where Gotama of 



the vedic verse, resided. 



Another verse of the Rigveda mentions four rivers, which 

 are Indra's special gifts to the sons of Gotama. The verse 

 runs thus : 



zmzfc *t^;to ^fR^^s^W 'rarest n ^ H 



(Rigveda, mandala 1, sukta 62). 



' ' The deeds of that graceful Indra are most admirable ; 

 hi* ftY-nlnits a.r« tnnat, crlnrious. in that he has replenished the 



four 



XXV w X %J KJ X **7 TT V> \-S V » w t^v vv-* J. • k-i m+ ** ^r w ^-» *- *- - ^ — — — — — — — — — — — - 



The four rivers mentioned in the vedic verse seem to 

 correspond to the KausikI, Vahmati, Kamala and Gandaka 

 which intersect the district of Darbhafiga. 



It is further stated in the Rigveda that Gotama was the 

 priest a of the royal family of Kuru-srnjaya for whose victory 

 in battle he prayed to Indra. This statement harmonises well 

 with the account of a certain member of the Gotama family 

 named S'atananda, 8 priest of the royal family of Janaka in 

 Mithila (Darbhanga). 



1 Here "land " is substituted for "surface of the earth " in Wil- 

 son's translation. 



(Rigveda, mandala 1, sukta 81, verse 3, Sayana's Commentary). 





(Satapatha Brahrnana of the White Yajurveda, Kanda 1, adhyBya, 



Madhyand 



(Ramayana, adikanda, sarga 50). 

 *ftcT«i^ WffTf^ 5T«f^Tiff H^ff 5 ?^' I (Uttara-Ramacaritam). 



