ORIENTAL SERIES.

NIRNA YA -SINDHUNISHADA. 223
immortal" The gods were willing to restore him to bodily life,
of soul and
but Nimi declined, declaring that the separation
body was so distressing that he would never resume a corporeal
shape and become liable to it "
again. To this desire the gods
assented, and Kimi was placed by them in the eyes of all
living creatures, in consequence of which their eyelids are ever
opening and shutting." Vishnu Purana. A wink of the eye
is called nimisha, and the legend was probably built upon the
resemblance of the two words.
NIR./VAYA-SINDHU. A work on religious ceremonies and
law by Kamalakara. It has been printed at Bombay and Benares.
NIRJ2ITI.
'
Death, decay. 3
Death personified as a god-
as the wife and sometimes as the
dess ; sometimes regarded
daughter of A-dharma. One of the Rudras.
NIRUKTA. <
Etymology, glossary. '
One of the Vedangas.
The IsTirukta is devoted to the explanation of difficult Vedic
words. The only work of the kind now known to us is that of
Yaska, who was a predecessor of Pamni ; but such works were
no doubt numerous, and the names of seventeen writers of
Niruktas are mentioned as having preceded Yaska. The
Nirukta consists of three parts :
(i.) Naighaftfrika, a collection of
synonymous words ; (2.) RTaigama, a collection of words peculiar
to the Yedas ; (3.) Daivata, words relating to deities and sacri-
fices. These are mere lists of words, and are of themselves of
little value. They may have been compiled by Yaska himself,
or he may have found them ready to his hand. The real Mrukta,
the valuable portion of the work, is Yaska's commentary which
follows. In this he explains the meaning of words, enters into
etymological investigations, and quotes passages of the Vedas
in illustration. These are valuable from their acknowledged
antiquity, and as being the oldest known examples of a Vedic
gloss. They also throw a light upon the scientific and religious
condition of their times, but the extreme brevity of their style
makes them obscure and difficult to understand. The text of
the Nirukta has been published by Roth.
NISHADA, A mountain tribe dwelling in the Vindhya
mountains, said to have been produced from the thigh of Ve?ia ;
the Bhils or foresters, and barbarians in general (See Ye;ia.)
Any outcast, especially the offspring of a Brahman father and
fi^udra mother.