ZBORNIK - Matica srpska

7 Pitris as protectors: Yajnyavalkya Smriti (Sraddhaprakarana, 270):
Vasurudradisutah pitaraha sraddhadevtah |
Prinayanti manushyanam pitruvyaddhena tarpitah ||
Ayuh prajam dhanam vidha svargam moksham sukhani cha |
Prayachchati tatha rajyam prita nrinam pitamahah ||
8 Prevention of Burial: “Heracles next vanquished Pyrachmus, king of Euboeans,
an ally of Minyans, when he marched against Thebes; and created terror throughout
Greece by ordering his body to be torn in two by colts and exposed unburied
beside the river Heracleius (Graves, II, p. 100).
Desecration of the corpse to weaken the opponent's spirit: The power of the
dead man was so formidable, his desire for reprisals so certain, that the murderer,
whenever he could, tried at least to escape his direct intervention so as to have to
answer only to his living avengers. He would therefore strive to render him
powerless by mutilating his corpse. He would cut off the latter's extremities, the
feet, ears and nose, pass a cord through them and fasten the whole to the victim's
neck by attaching the cord under the armpits. Deprived in this way, of his sensory
organs and means of movements, the victim was rendered inoffensive (Mireaux,
Emile, Daily Life in Times of Homer (London, 1959), tr. from French by Iris Sells),
p. 173.
9 Vengeance on the murderer: as above p. 177.
Banishment of Homicider: “Amphitryon vented his annoyance by throwing a
club at one of the cows which had strayed from the herd; it struck her horns, rebounded,
and killed Electryon. Thereupon Amphitryon was banished from Argolis
by his uncle Sthenelus… Amphitryon, accompanied by Alceme fled to Thebes,
where king Creon purified him and gave his sister Perimede in marriage." Graves,
Vol. II, p. 85.
10 Yajnavalkya Smriti (Rajadharma, 326). Suppliant (Tavahamvadin):
Tavahamvadinam klivam nirhetim parasangatam |
Na hanyadvinivrittam cha yuddhaprekshanakadikam ||
11 Promise of Achilles:
No, by the foster-son of Ocean's waves,
Nereus, the sire of Thetis who bare me,
King Agemmemnon shall not touch thy child…
(Iphigenia at Aulis, lines 948—50, tr. A.S. Way,
Loeb Classical Library)
12 Reference to Odysseus's supplication to Hekabe in Troy:
Hekabe: I saved thee — saved thee — send thee forth the land.
Odysseus: Ay, thanks to thee, I see the sun's light now.
(Hekabe as above 249—50)
However, true to his foxy character Odysseus was too mean to accept Hekabe
as his suppliant and return the favour that she had done to him when he was in her
power.
13 Supplication of Vibhisana: Mahaviracarita of Bhavabhuti, Act V.
Rama: Vatsa, Bruhi kim sandisha yatamevamvandinaha
priyasuhrido Lankeshvarasya maharajavibhisanasya |
Lakshmana: Yada lankeshvaraha priyasuhridatyuktamaryena
tatkimavashishyate sandeshasya |
165