HINDOO eons .

CHAPTE R I .

01? THE HINDOO GODS.

Ta n Deities in the HindooPantheon amount to Yet a ll these Gods a nd Goddesses may be resolved into thethree pm wspa l ones, Vsshnoo, S iva , a nd B rahma the elements a nd the threefema les Doorga , Lukshmee and Saruswa tee. The f ollowing pages w ill conta in a ccounts of a ll those a t resent wor hi ed the H i d o t

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1 1in the Pfi

ov inces Q].

India under the E nglish government .p a pP by n o i ’ pa r w“ a r y

V ISHNOO.

( P la te No .

This god is represented m the form of a black m an ,

w ith four a rms , in one of Wt l'l he holds a club, in a no

ther a shell, in the tlu rd a chukru ,‘

a nd in the fourth a

wa ter—li ly. He rides o n Guroo ru , a n'

an ima l ha lf- bird a nd

h a lf- m a n , a nd wea rs yellow garments .

The Hi ndoo shas tra s give accoun ts of ten appeara nces

or incarna tio ns of in the characterof the Pre

serve r, n ine of wh ich are sa id to he past .

The firs t is ca lled theMu tsyu incarna tion . B ruhmugtthe one

,God , when he resolves to re- crea te the u n iverse

a fter a period ical des truction , firs t gives birth to Bruhma ,Vis hnoo , a nd S iva , to preside o ver the work of crea tion ,

preserva tion , a nd des truc tion . After a period ica l d isso

u tio n of the universe , the fou rveda s rem a ined in thewa ters .

In o rder to en ter upo n the work of crea t ion , i t wa s usees

sa ry to obta in these books, fo r the instruc tion of Bruhm a .

V ish noo wa s therefore a poin ted to bring up the vedas

from the deep who , ta ing the form o f a fish (some sayo ne kind a nd som e a no ther), descended into the wa ters,

and brou h t up these sacred books .

In thefinchyu pu inca rna tion Vishnoo assumed the formof a torto ise , a nd took the newly crea ted earth u po n h is

back , to render i t s ta ble. The Hindoos believe tha t toth is hour the ea rth is supported on the back of th is tor

$01 86 .

The Va raba inca rna tio n happened a t one of the perio

d ies l des truction s o f the world , when the ea rth sunk in to

the wa ters. Vishuoo . the preserver, a ppearing in th e form

of a boar, (vu rahu ) descended in to the wa ters , and , w ith

h is ta sks, drew up the earth . Wha t co ntempt ible ideason s uch a subjec t The earth with a ll its m oun ta ins , & c .

Etc . m ade fast on the back of a turtle, or drawn up from

the deep by the ta sks of a hogThe fourth inca rna t ion is ca lled Nuru - singh u .“Among

otherdescendan ts of Dukshu , ( the first m a n th a t Bra hm ac rea ted ) wa s Kushyupu . a m oonee, a nd h is fo ur wi ves,D i tee, Uditee, Vinn ta , a nd Kudrec . From B itee , spra ngthe gian ts from Uditee

,the ode from Via nta , Gurooru ;

a nd from Kudrec , the hydras . The gia nts possessed

am azing s trength , and am ongs t them two arose o f terrific

powers, named Hirunyakshu and Hirrm yu- l msh ipoo , bo th

o f whom performed religious austerit ies m any t housand

An iron instrument of destruction like a wheel.1

'l‘

h ls god is represented in varlom ways . and tha t Brahma means the ido l of tha t name.

I m n sder win pleese to kcep in mind that hmn means the ou God nm Nm a man ; and sh ghnn hon.

years to obta ined immortality. Bra hma a t length ga vet hem a blessing apparen tly equiva len t to tha t wh ich theydes ired . He pronn sed, tha t no common being shou ld des troy them ; tha t they should not d ie ei ther m the d ayor in the n igh t, in earth or in hea ven , by fire, by wa ter,o r by the sword . After th is these gia n ts conquered a ll thek ingdom s of the earth, a nd even dethroned l ndru, theking of hea ven . lndru , co llecting a ll the gods , wen t toBra hm a , a nd in trea ted h im to prov ide some way o f delive rs a ce , as the un iverse wh ich he had crea ted wa s des troyed . Bra hm a a sked the gods , how he cou ld des troythose who had obta ined h is bles sing

7 a nd adv ised themto go to Vishnoo . They obeyed , and informed this godo f the m iseries brough t upon the un iverse by these gian tswhom Bra hma had blessed . Na raya na prom ised to des troy them , wh ich he d id ia th e following manner : Him a

ya- kush ipoo

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s son Prulhadu was constantly absen t fromhom e perfo rm ing religious a us terit ies, a t which h is fa therbecame a ngry, a nd, tyin a s to ne to h is body, threwhim into the wa ter ; bu t ish‘noo descended , a nd liberated h im . His fa ther next threw h im under the feet o f anelephan t, bu t the elepha n t took h im up and put h im on

its back. He then bu ilt a house of sea ling wax, pu t h isson in to it, a nd set it on fire the wa x melted . a nd fellupon Prulhad a , bu t he received no inj ury. The fa thernext ga ve him po ison, but withou t effec t. At length ,wearied of trying to kill h im ,

he sa id , Where does yourpreserverV i shnoo dwell ? He is every s aysPrulhad u. ls he then in th is pilla r?

’‘Yes ,

’

sa idthe son . Then ’

sa id Hirunyu- kush ipoo, I w ill kill

h im ,

’a nd gave the pilla r a blow with his s tick— when

Vishnoo , in the form of ha lf- lion h alfm a n , burs t from theilla r ; la id ho ld of l l irunyu

- lt ish ipoo by the th ighs wi thhis teeth , and tore h im up the m iddle. Th is was inthe e ven ing, so tha t it was neither in the d ay nor in theu i It wa s done under the d roppings of the tha tch,abo wh ich the Hindoos ha ve a pro verb, tha t this placeis out o f the earth . He wa s no t k illed by a m an , bu t bya being ha lf- man half- lion . So tha t the prom ise o f

Bra hm a to h im was no t broken. Vishnoo next des troyed Hirunya lt shu . After the dea th o f h is fa ther,Prulhadu bega n to worsh ip Vishnoo under the form wh ichhe had assum ed , and with tears en a ired in to the fu turefa te of his fa ther. Vishnoo assur h im , tha t as he hadd ied by h is hands, he would surely ascend to heaven.

2 HINDOO cons .

Vishnoo wa s so pleased with the pra ises wh ich Prulhadubestowed on h im , tha t he began to dance, hanging theen tra ils of Hirun u -kuehipoo round h is neck . By Vishnoo

’s da ncing, t e earth began to m ove out o f its place,

so that Bra hma and a ll the gods were frigh tened , butdurst not go near him. However, a t the en trea ties ofPrulhadu , Vishnoo gave over dancing ; the earth becamefixed , and Vishnoo ga ve Prulhadu th is prom ise, tha t byh is hands none of h is race should d ie.

The fifth is theVanm nu incarna tion . Prulhadu ’s ra nd

son Bulee followed the steps of h is grea t-

grand a ther,a nd comm itted every kind of v iolence . In con tempt oft he god s, he m ade offerings in h is own name. He perform ed the ushwumedhu sacrifice one hundred times , bywh ich he wa s en t itled to becom e the king o f the gods ;buta s the tim e of the then reign ing

Indra wa s not expired ,the la tter applied for relief to ishnoo , who prom ised to

des troy th is'

an t to acomplish wh ich be ca used himselfto be born ogUditee, the wife of Ka shya pa , the moonee.

B eing exceed ingly sma ll in h is person , he obta ined the

n ame o f Vam unu, i . e. the dwa rf. At a cert a in period

k ing E ulee was m aking a grea t sacrifice, and Vam unu’

s

a rents being very poor, sen t him to a sk a gift of thelilag. It is cus tom ary, a t a fest iva l, to presen t gifts to

bram ins . Vamuna was so sma ll, tha t in h is journ eyto the place of sacrifice when he go t to the s ide of ah ole m ade by a cow

’s foot , and wh ich was filled with

wa ter, he thought it was a river, and en trea ted another

bram in to help h im over it . On h is arrival, he went toa sk a gift of Bulee . The king was so pleased with him ,

o n accoun t of h is dim inu tive form , tha t he prom ised to

give h im wha tever he should a sk . He petitioned only fora s m uch land a s he could m easure by three steps . Bulee

pressed h im to ask fo rmore, in tim a ting tha t such a quant i ty wa s no thing but Vamuna pers isted , a nd the kingo rdered h is pries t to read the usua l formulas in m ak ingsuch a presen t . The priest warned the king, declaring hewould repent of mak ing th is gift, for the little bram in

wa s no o ther than V ishnoo himself, who would deprive

h im of a ll he'

had . The king, however, was determ inedto fu lfil his prom ise, and the gra n t was m ade. Vamuna

then placed one foo t on l ndra’

s hea ven,a nd the o ther ont he ea rth , when , lo a th ird le

gsudden ly projec ted from

h is belly, and be a sked for a p ace u on wh ich hemightrest h is third foo t. Bulee ha vtn no t ing left, and beingu nable to fulfil h is prom ise, was a ll of anxiety. His wife

h a v ing hea rd wha t was going forwa rd , came to the spo t,a nd, seeing the king

’

s perplexity, adv ised h im to gi ve h is

h ead for Vam un a to set h is foot upon . He did so bu t

Vam una then a sked for wha t is ca lled duksh lnu , a sm a ll

presen t wh ich accompanies a gift, and without wh ich the

gift itself produces no fruit to the giver. Bulee knew no t

I t is a overb among the Hindoos , th at there is no pleasure in the dompany of the ignorant in any lace or circumsta nces , and tha t a bad place, in

the company of the wise, is tter than a good one inothet of the ignorant.

1 The earth personified .

I That is. the cow wh ich yields every thing desired .

wha t to do for duksh inu h is all was gone. His wifeadvised h im to give his life to Vam una as duksh inu .

He d id this a lso , but the la tter told h im , tha t as

he had promised Pru lhadu no t to des troy any of h israce, he would no t take h is life. He therefore ve

h im h is choice, either of ascend ing to hea ven, ta ingwith h im

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five i noran t persons, or of descend ing to

patalu, the worl of the hydras, wi th five w ise mart ."

Bulee chose the la tter, but sa id, tha t as he haddone much m ischief on ea rth , he was afra id of going to

vtulu, lest he should there be punished for his crimes .

amunu to ld him no t to fear, as he would, in the fo rm o fVishnoo , become h is pro tecto r. At the close, this godha ving restored every th ing on earth to a sta te of ordera nd prosperity, returned to hea ven .

The s ixth is the Purushoo -ramu incarna tion. Purushoois the name of a n ins trument of war. The oc ca sion ofth is appeara nce of Vishnoo is thus related The kshutrius, from the king to the lowest person of th is cast, werehecome very corrupt . E very one did as be pleased thek ing was Wi thou t a uthority all order was destroyed , andthe ea rth w as in the grea test confusion. In these circumsta nces the goddess Pri t

’hivee-

l wen t to Vishnoo , and

pra ed for relief. Her petition wa s heard , a nd one parto f ishnoo was incarna te , a s the son of Jumudugnee, a

descenda n t of Bhrigoo the sage . After twent - one diffet ch t defea ts the ksh a triya s were exterm inated yPa ra shoo - ramu ; bu t after a lapse of years they aga in becamen umerous Urjoonu, a ksha triya king with a thou sandarms , overcame the greates t m onarchs , and m ade dreadfulha vock in the world : he bea t Ha va na , and tied him tothe heels of a horse but Bra hm a delivered h im , andreconc iled them aga in . One even ing, in the ra iny season,Urjoonu being in the fores t, took refuge in the h ut of Jum ud agnee, the l t arned a sce tic . He had with h im

people yet Jumudugnee en terta ined them a ll. Urjoonu ,a ston ished , enquired of his people, how the s livingin the forest, wa s able to enterta i n so many pe0p e

l Thecould not tell they saw nothing except a cow whicBra hm a had given h im but i t wa s by her means perhaps tha t he wa s able to en terta in so ma nv gues ts i tsn ame was Kam a - dhenoo .1 In fac t, when Urjoona was

to be enterta ined a t the so a’s house , this cow in a m ira

c ulous manner ga ve him a l kinds of food , clothes, St c .

The king o n h is departure a sked for the cow, but the sagerefused i t to h im , though he offered for it h is whole kingdom . At length , Urjoonu made war on Jumudugnee ;and though the cow ga ve a n army to her master, he wa su nable to cope with Urjoonu, who destroyed both h ima nd h is army. After the v ictory. however, Urjoonu, cou ldno t find the cow , bu t went home d isappo inted . Pa ra shoo- ramu hearing of the defea t a nd dea th of his father

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HINDOO GODS. 3

Jamudugnee, wen t to compla in to Siva , on themounta in

Koilas a , but cou ld no t et access to him till he had

knocked down the god s guneshu and Ka rtika , Siva’s

door- keepers . Siva ga ve Pa ra shoo- ramu the ins trument

gurushoo , and prom ised h im the v ic tory. On h is returna rushoo- ramn met h is mo ther, who was abou t to throw

herself on the funera l pile o f her husba nd . After a ttend

ing upon th is ceremony, Purushoo—ramu went to the resi

dence of Urjoonu and killed h im .‘

These s ix incarna tions a re sa id to ha ve taken place inth e sa t a -

y a t There are no images respec ting them

m ade or worn ip.

The seven th incarna tion is tha t of Ram a to des troy the

giant Rava na-The eigh th incarnat ion is tha t of Ba lu

ram a , to destroy Pra lumbu and o ther gia nts . Th is la tterincarnat io n is said to ha ve taken place in the dwapuru

{Iooga F

-The ninth is the Booddhu inca rna tion . in wh ich

ishnoo appeared as Booddhu , to des troy the power of

the gian ts . In order to effec t this, Bouddha produced

among mankind by h is preach ing, Ste . a disposit ion to

un iversal scept ic ism tha t ha ving no longer any fa ith in

t he god s , the gia nts m igh t cause to apply to them for

these powers by which the had becom e s uch dreadful

scourges to mankind . In t is a ppearance the objec t of

V ishnoo , the preserver, wa s accomplished by a rt, without

the necessity of war though the dread ful a lterna tive to

wh ich he wa s driven to accomplish h is objec t, tha t of

plunging ma nkind into a sta te of un iversa l sceptic ism ,

affords a nother proof how wretched ly the world would be

overned if every thing depended on the wisdom ofman .

he tenth incarna tion is still expected , under the name o f

the Ka lkee Uvutaru .

The appea rance of Vishnoo when he took the name of

Krish na to destroy the'

an t Ka ngsha , is called the de

scen t of Vishnoo him se f, a nd no t a n inca rna tion of th is

god . There are, however, bes ide the preceding ,ten ia

carna tions, and this of Krish na , ma ny o thers m en tionedin the pooranus , all ha ving their source in Vishnoo

— The

Sh ree -bhaga va ta con ta ins acco un ts of the following :

Soo -

yugnu crea ted certa in god s, and removed d is tress

from the three worlds - Ka pila ta ugh t h is m o ther the

knowledge o f Bra hm a , bywh ich she obta ined absorption— Da tta treya delivered a ll h is d isciples , by means of the

ceremony called yoga , from future birth , a nd obta ined

for them absorption- Koorma ra declared the events tha t

had happened in a form er age tha t is , previous to the

d isso lu tion of th ings which preceded h is inca rna t ion

Nurn -Naraya na wa s such a perfec t asce tic tha t the co ur

tezans sen t by the gods to a llure h im from h is religious

austerities were unsuccessfu l Vishnoo h im self crea ted a

fem a le on purpo se to d ivert h im from h is devot ions, but

her a ttempts were equa lly abortive - Prit’

hoo opened

0 This story is told variously in the pooranus : according to the Ramayana ,Vnshis'thu was the owner of this cow, and Vlshwmnitra the person who

fough t wi th the moonee to obtain it .

‘l~ These ravages of tyranny and bloody contes ts form a and specimen of the

h appiness of the Hindoo sa ty

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a conga , could we blslicve that there ever had

been such a period .

the bowels of the earth, and brough t forth its treasu resRishuvu was a n incom pa rable yogee , who wa swo ish ippedby the purum

- hungsis and o ther‘

ascetics - Huyugree vu

who was so grea t a sain t, tha t the wo rds of the veda w ere

u ttered every time he brea thed — Huree delivered h is

d isciples from a ll their enem ies whether am ong m en or

the inferior an imals — Hungsu ta ugh t h is d isc iples the

mysteries of yoga , and obta ined absorptio n him se lf while

perform ing the ceremonies of a yogee— Munoo ’

s fame

filled the threeworlds, and ascended even a s far as Sa tyu

loku —Dhunwunturee delivered a ll d isea sed persons

from their d isorders on their m ere remembrance o f h is

name, a nd ga ve the wa ter of immorta li ty to the gods

Vyasu a rra nged the veda s , wa s the a uthorof the poora n us,8Lc .

- V ibhoo was the spiritua l gu ide of d isc iples,whom he ta ugh t the knowledge uf Bra hm a , a nd the cere

monies of yoga S a tya seun c lea red the ea rth o f hype

crites a ad wicked persons- Vo ikoon t

’

ha crea ted thehea ven of V ishnoo known by th is name, and performed

o ther wonders - Ujitu instructed the gods to churn the

sea to obta in the wa ter of immorta lity, a nd d id o ther

things wh ich d is tinguished h im as a n inca rna tion . Moh unee was incarna te to preven t the g ia n ts from obta in ingthe wa ter of immorta lity a t the churn ing o f the sea

Naradu revealed the work ca lled Vo ishnu vu Ta n tru .—The

following inca rna tions are expec ted Sarvubhoum a to

dethrone the present l ndru, and in sta te Bulee in h iss tead —Vishwult senu as the friend of Shumbhoo , when

he becomes the k ing of heaven —Dha rm a - setoo to nourish

the th ree worlds — Soodh ama to assis t Roodra - sa vurnee ,

the twelfth of the fourteen m unoos — Yoges liwuru to

pla ce Diva s-

pu tee on the throne of lndru— Vrihudba noo

to m ake known m any new religious ceremon ies — The

reader, however, is no t to suppose tha t there a re no o ther

incarna t ions men tioned in these ma rve llous books . E veryhero . and every sa int, is complimen ted by these writers as

an i nca rna te de ity.

We ha ve not d iscovered any proof in the Hiudeo writings,or in conversa tion with lea rned na tives , tha t these incur

na te persons are personifica tions of a ny o f the d iv ine a ttri

bu tes ; or tha t these stories ha ve a ny o ther tha n a litera l

m eaning. No doubt they were writ ten a s fables , wh ich

the ignora nce of modern Hindoos has converted in to fa c ts ;or,ma ny of them may rela te to common even ts here m agn ified into m iracles .

S tone images ofV ishnoo are m ade for sa le, and worsh ip

ped in the houses of those who ha ve chosen him fo r their

guard ian deity. There a re no public festiva ls in hono ur o fth is god , yet he is worshipped a t the offering o f a burn t

sacrifice in the form of m edita tion used da ily by the

bram ins a t the times when the five gods’

are wo rship

ped, and a lso a t the commencemen t of each shraddh a .

HINDOO GODS .

No blood sacrifices are offered to Vishnoo . The offerings

presents to h im cons is t o f fruit , flowers , wa ter, clarified

bu tter, sweetmea ts , cloth , o rnam ents , Ste .

Many choose V i shnoo for their guard ian deity. Thesepersons a re ca lled Vo ishnu va s . The distinc tive m ark of

th is sect of Hindoos, cons ists of two lines , ra ther o va l,drawn the whole length of the nose, and carried forward

in two straigh t lines across the forehead . This m ark iscommon to the werebi pers of all the different form s of

V ishnoo . It is general y made with the clay of the Gan

ges sometim es with powder of sandal wood .

V ishnoo has a thousa nd names,‘ among wh ich are the

following z— Vishnoo tha t is, the being into whom, a t

the des truction of the world, all is absorbed — Narayun a ,or, he who dwelt in the wa ters,1 and he who dwells in the

m inds o f the devout — Vo ikoo nt’

h a , or, the destroyer of

sorrow.— V ish turu- shruva , or, he who , in the form of V i

ra ta , is a ll eye, a ll ear, & c .— Rhisheekeshu , viz. the go d

of a ll the mem bers, and of lights—Kesh a va , or, he who

ve being to h im self, to Bra hm a and Siva ; or, he who

as excellen t ha ir.-Madhuva , or, the husba nd of Laksh

mee.—Madhoo -soodhnnu , the destroyer of Mad hoc , a

giant.-Swumbhoo , or, the self- exis ten t . Do it aree, or,

t he enemy of the gian ts . Poondureekaksha , or, e whose

eyes are like the wh ite lotus .— Govindoo , or, the ra iser of

the earth . Pitam vuru, or, he who wears yellow garments .

-Uchyoo tu , or, the a ndecayable.— Sharungee , or, he who

possesses the horn bow.— V ishwukshenu , or, he whose

soldiers fill a ll quarters of the wo rld .— Junardda nn , o r,

h e who a fflicts the wicked , a nd , he of whom em ancipa tion

is sough t.— Padm u - nabhu , or, he whose navel is like the

wa te r- lily.— Vishwumvuru, or, the protector o f the world .

— Ko itubhujit, or, he who overcame the gian t Ko itabh a .

Vishnoo ha s two wives,:t Lakshmee, the goddess o f

prosperi ty, and Sa ruswu tee, the goddess of lea rn ing. The

former wa s produced a t the churning of the sea . Sa ra s

w utee is the da ugh ter o f Bra hm a .

The following description of the hea ven of Vishnoo is

t aken from theMa habhara ta . Th is heaven , called Vo ikoont

’hn ," is entirely of go ld, a nd is eighty- thousand

m iles in c i rcum ference . All its ed ifices are composed of

jewels . The pilla rs of this hea ven , a nd a ll the orn amen ts

of the buildings, are of precious stones . The chrystal

The meaning of the principal names of some of the gods is to be found

in the comm ent upon the Umuru- kosbu by Bhurutu - mulliku .

Jupiter had so many names , they could scarcely be numbered‘

; some of them

derived from the places where he lived and was worshipped, and others from

th e ac tions he performed. 7,

1 At th e t ime of a pruluyu , when every thi is reduced to the element of

water, Vishnoo sits on th e sna ke Ununtn w has [000 heads .

it One of the Hindoo poets , in answer to the quest ion , Wh y has Vishnooassum ed a w ooden shape (alluding to the image of Juguna t

’hu) says , Thetroubles in his fam ily have turned Vish noo into wood : in the first place, heh as two wives , one of whom (th e goddess of learnitg)

is constantly talking,

and the other the goddess of prosperi ty) never rem us in o ne place to in

crease h is tro n les , he sits on a snake ; his dwelling is in th e water. and he

rides on a bird . All the Hindoos acknowledge that it is a grea t misfortune

for a man to have two w ives especially if both live in one h ou se .

it The work called Kurmn -Vipaka says . th a t the heavens ofVishnoo , Brahms , and Siva are upon three peaks of the mountain Soomeroo and that at

wa ters of the Ganges fall from the h igher hea vens on thehead o fDroo va , a nd from thence into the bunches of ha iron the heads of seven t isbees in th is hea ven , and from

thence they fa ll and form a river in Voikoon t’hu . Here are

also— fine poo ls of wa ter, co nta in ing blue, red and wh ite

wa ter- lilies , the flowers of some of which con tain one

hund red peta ls , a nd o thers a thousa nd ga rdens of nymphte as , Ste. On a sea t as glorio us as the merid ian sun , sittingon wa ter- lilies , is Vishnoo , and on h is right ha nd the goddess Lakshmee , From the body of Lu kshmee the fra

grance of the lo tus extends 800 m iles . Th is goddessshines like a continued blaze o f ligh tning. The devurshees,ra

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urshees, and supta rshees constan tly celebra te the pra isesVishnoo and La kshmee , and m ed ita te on their d ivine

form s . The brumhurshees chant the ved a s. The glori

fied voishnuvas approach Vishnoo , and constan tly serve

h im . The gods§ are a lso frequen tly em ployed in cele

bra ting the pra ises of Vishnoo ; a nd Guroora , the bird

god , is the door- keeper.

the bot tom of these peaks are the heavens of twenty- one other gods .

5 Theseogods are supposed to be vis itors at Vishnoo

’s .

One the names of Siva is Tri lochunu , via . the three - eyed . One of th enames of Jupiter was '

lh-ioculus , (Trioph th almos) given him b the Greeks , be

cause he had three eyes . An image of th is kind was set up in roy, which ,side the usual two eyes , had a third in the forehead .

H At the churning of the sea , Siva obtained the moon for his share , andfixed it , with all its’glory, in h is forehead .

n It appears that th is plant was form erly veneratcd by the E gyptians as much

as it is now by the Hindoe s . The sacred images of th eTat-tars . Japanese, and

o th er na tions are also frequently represented as placed upon it .I!" Bacchus , who up rs to bear a pretty strong resemblance to Siva, is

said to have wandered a a t naked, or to have h ad no other covering th an - a

tyger’s skin , wh ich is the common garment of Siva and of his fo llowers . the

sunya sees . The bloated image of Siva corresponds wi th tha t of Bacchus ,a nd though the Indian god did not intoxicate himself wi th wine, yet his image

is evidently that of a drunkard . Siva perpetually smoked intoxicating herbs.

SIVA.

( Pla te No.

Siva , the des troyer, has the second place among theH indoo dei ties , though in genera l, in a llusion to their

o ffices , these three gods are classed thus Bra hma , Vish

noo , S iva .

Th is god is represented in various ways . In the form

o f med ita tion used da ily by the bram ins he is described

as a s ilver- co loured m an , w ith five faces ; a n add itiona l

eye“ and a h a lf- moon races each forehead ;H he has four

a rms in o ne hand he olds a purushoo in the second a

deer ; w ith the th ird he is bestowing a blessing, and with

the fourth he forbids fear ;he s its on a lo tus,i j:and wearsa tyger

—sk in garmen t.At o ther t imes S iva is represented with one head, three

eyes , and two arms, rid ing on a bull, covered with a shes ,

n aked , h is eyes inflamed with intoxicating havingin one hand a horn , and in the o ther a drum .

Ano ther im age of S iva is the lingu , a smoo th blackstone a lmost in the form of a sugar

- loa f, with a projectiona t the base like the m ou th of a spoon .

There are severa l stories in the pooranus respecting the

HINDOO GODS . 5

origin oi the lingu worship, but they appear too gross , even

when refined a s m uch as poss ible, to meet the public eye .

I t is true we ha ve om i tted them w i th some re luc tance , be

cause we wrsh tha t the a po logis ts fo r ido la try sho u ld be

left w i thou t excuse, a nd tha t the s incere chris tia n should

know wha t those who wish to rob h im of the Chris tianRel igio n m ea n to lea ve in its stead .

From th ese a bom ina ble sto ries , temples inn umera ble

have a risen in Ind ia , a nd a S iva Lingu placed in ea ch

of them , a nd wo a s a i r r a n a s A s o n These tem ples ,indeed , i n Benga l a nd m a ny parts of Hindoos ta n , are fa r

more n umerous than those d ed ica ted to a ny o ther ido l ;a nd the n umber of the dai ly wors hippers of th i s sca ndalo us im age, (even amo ng the Hindoo women) , who m ake

the im age W i th the c lay of the Ga nges e very m o rn i ngand even ing , is beyond comparison fa r grea ter than the

worsh ippers of a ll the ot her gods pu t toge ther.

The accoun t of the origin o f the pha lli of the G reeksbears a s tro ng a nd un a cc oun table re ~em hla nce to some

pa rts o f the pou ra n ic acco un ts of the li ngu : Bacchu s wa sangry wi th the Athen ians , beca use they despised h i s ao

lem n i t ies , when they were firs t brought by Pega sus o u t of

Bre tia in to Attica , fo r wh ich he afi ic ted them with a

grievo us d isea se tha t co u ld ha ve no cure t i ll by the ad vice

of the oracles they pa id d ue reverenc e to the god ,'

and

erec ted pha lli to h is hono u r whence the fea sts a nd sacri

fices c a lled Ph a llica were yea rly celebra ted am ong theAthen ia ns .

—The s tory o f Priapus is too indecen t, a nd toowell known , to need reci ta l. Sho u ld the readerw ish forfarthe r informa tion on th is subjec t, he is referred to a n

extrac t from Diod orus Stenlns , a s given in the ReverendMr.Ma urice

’

s second volum e of Ind ia n An t iquit ies . The

perusa l o f th i s extrac t may help further to co n v in cc the

reader tha t the old ido la try, and tha t of the presen t raceof Hi ndoos , a t leas t in their abom inable na tu re , a nd in some

of the ir prom inent fea tures ,- are o n a .

Bes ide the c lay im age of the lingu , there are two kindsof bla ck s tone h ngus these are set up in the Hindoo tem

ples.‘ The firs t is ca lled swuyumbhoo , ( the self

- exis ten t) ,or una dee, tha t wh ich ha s no beginn ing. The secondthey c a ll va nu

- lingu , beca u se V a nu , a k i ng, first institu tedthe worship of th is im age . These s tones are brough t fromthe ne ighbo urhood o f t he ri ver Gu ndhukee , wh ich fa llsinto the Ga nges near Pa tna . The images a re m ade byHind oo and Musulm an stone- c u t ters .

There is a no ther form in which Siva is wo rsh ipped ,called Muha - ka lu . Th is is the im age of a smoke

- co loured

boy with three eyes , c lo thed in red ga rmen ts . His ha ir

sta nds erec t h is tee th a re very la rge he wea rs a neck

It is remarkable, that a stone image, consecrated to Venus , bore a strongresemblance to the lingu . Of t his stone it is said, tha t it wa s from th e topto the bo ttom of an orbicular figure , a li ttle broad beneath the

once was small , and sharpening toward the top like a sugar - loaf. The reason

unknown .

"

1 At th e time of a great drough t , the Hindoos after perform ing its worship ,throw very large quant ities of water upon this nnadee - lingu , in order to induceSiva to give them ra in .

2 Some say Saturn received h is name because he was satisfied with the

years he devoured . Sat urn was also represented as devouring his ch ildrenand vom iting them up a ga in .

it The shast ras proh ibit the bram ins from receiving the uttering-s presented

to Siva the reason I have not discovered . The bram ins , however, contriveto explain the words of the sh astra s in such a manner, as to secnrs the greater

part of the th ings presented to this idol .

5 B urn is’

the name of Siva , and Gout-es tha t of Donn a.

lace o f human skulls, and a large turban of h is own hair

in one ha nd he ho lds a st i ck , a nd in the o ther the foot ofa bedstead he bee n large belly, a nd m akes a very terrific

a ppeara nce . Siva is cal ledMuha - kalu , beca use he destroys

a ll by wh ich the Hindoos m ean , th a t a ll i s abso rbed inh im a t la st , in o rder to be reproducedsl:Im ages of th is fo rm of Siva a re no t made in Benga l,

bu t a pa n of wa ter, o r a n unadee - lmgu'

, is substitu ted , he s

fore wh ic h bloody sacrifices a re o ffered , a nd o ther cerem on ies perfo rm ed , in the m on th Cho itru , a t the new moon .

On ly a few pers on s perfo rm th is worsh ip. E xcept beforeth is im age , bloody sa crifices a re nevero ffered to S ave, whois h im selfca lled a vo ishn uvu , i . e . a wo rsh ipperof Vishnoo,before whose image no a n im a ls a re sla in, a nd whose d isc i

ples profess never to ea t anim a l food .

Under differen t names o ther im ages of Siva are describ

ed in the shas trus , but none of these im ages are m ade a t

presen t, nor is a ny public worsh ip offered to them .

Those who receive the name o f S i va from their spiri tual

gu ides, a re ca lled Soivyus . The m a rk on the foreheadwh ich these perso ns wea r, is composed of three curved

lines like a ha lf- moo n , to which i s added a round do t o n

the nose . I t is m ade either w i th the clay of the Ganges,or w ith sa nda l- wood , or t he as hes of cow-d ung.

Worship is perform ed da ily a t the temples of the Lingu ;when offerings of various kinds a re presen ted to this image.

If the temple belon to a soodra , a bram in is employed ,who rece ives a emafiannua l gra tuity, a nd the da ily ofi

'

er

ingsj These ceremon ies occupy a few m inu tes , or ha lf

a n ho ur, a t the pleasure of the worshipper. Many personsliving in Benga l employ bram ins a t Benares

i

to perform

the worship of the lingo in temples wh ich they have builtthere.

E very year, in the m on th Phalgoonu , theHindoos makethe im age of Siva , and worship it for one day, throwingthe im age the next day into the wa ter. Th is worship isperform ed in the n igh t , a nd is accompa n ied with s inging,da nc ing ,

‘

m us ic , fea s ting, St e . The image worshipped is

either tha t of S iva w ith five faces , . or tha t with one fa ce.

In the m on th Maghu a lso a festiva l in honour of Siva is

held for o ne d ay, when the ima ge of th is god s itting on a

hull, w ith Parvu tee on h is knee, is worsh ipped . Thisform of S iva is ca lled Huru -Go uree .§In the mo nth Cho itru an abom inable fest iva l in honour

of this god is celebra ted when m any Hindoos assum ing the

nam e o f sunya sees , inflict on themselves the grea tes t cruel

t ies . Som e of the chief sunyasees purify themselves fo r a

m on th prev io usly to these ceremon ies , by going to some

celebra ted temple o r im age o f Siva , a nd there ea ting only

6 HINDOO GODS .

once a day, absta in ing from certa in gra tifiea tions , repea t

ing the nam e o f S iva , da nc ing befo re h is im a ge , St e . O thersunyasees perfo rm these prepa ra tory c erem o n ies for fifteen

a nd Others fo r on ly ten d ays during w h ich t ime pa rt ies

o f m en a nd boys dance in the s treets , ha ving the ir bod ies

co vered w ith a shes , at e . a nd a lo ng p iece o f fa lse ha irm ix

ed w ith m ud wrapped ro und the head like a tu rban . A

large d rum a ccom pa n ies ea ch pa rty, m aking a horrid din .

On the fi rs t day o f the fes t i va l, these sunya sees cas t

themselves from a bamboo s tage w ith three res t i ng pla ces ,the h ighes t abou t twen ty feet from the ground . From

th is heigh t these persons ca st them selves o n i ro n spikes

s tuck in bags of s tra w. These spikes a re la id in a re

clin ing pos ture, a nd when the perso n fa lls they a lmos t

consta n tly fa ll down ins tead o f en tering h is body. Thereare ins ta nces however of persons being killed , a nd o thers

wounded , but they a re very ra re , A perso n a t K id

urpoo ru , nea r Ca lc u t ta , ca s t h im self on a kn ife used

in clean ing fish . wh ich en tered h i s s ide, a nd wa s the

cause of his dea th . He th rew h im se lf from the stage twice

on the same d ay, the second tim e, ( wh ich wa s fa ta l)to gra t ify a pros titu te with w h om he lived .

— l n some

v illages , severa l o f these s ta ges a re erec ted , a nd a s ma nya s two or three hundred people cas t them selves on these

spikes , in one day, in the presence o f grea t crowds of

people. The wm shippers of S iva m ake a grea t boa s t of

the power of their god in preserving his fo llowers in c ir

cum s tances of such da nger.

The next d ay is spen t in idleness, the sunyasees lyingabout Siva

’

s temple, a nd wa ndering abo u t like perso nsh a lf drunk, or jaded w ith revelling. On the fo llowingday, a la rge fire is kindled oppos ite Siva

’

s temple, a nd

when the burn t wood ha s been formed in to a grea t heap,one of the

‘

chief sunya sees , with a bunch o f canes in h i s

h a nd , fla t tens the heap a little , and wa lks over it wi th his

feet ba re . After him , the other sunyasees spread the fire

abou t, wa lk across it , da nce upon i t, a nd then cast the

embers in to the a ir a nd a t each o ther.

The next m orn ing ea rly the work ofpiercing the tongues

and sides commences : i n the year l806 , a pa rty wen t to

Ka lee-

gha tu , to witness these pra c tices ;a t which place theya rrived abo u t fi ve o

’

clock in the m orn ing, and o vertook nu

m erous companies who wereproceed ing th ither, ha v ingwi th

t hem drums a nd other instruments o f m usic , a lso spits,canes ,a nd d ifferent articles to pierce their tongues a nd sides .

Some with tinkling rings on their a ncles were da nc inga nd exhibiting indecen t ges tures as they pa ssed a long,while o thers ren t the a ir wi th the so unds of the ir filthysongs . As the en tered the v illage where the tem ple of

th is grea t go dess is situa ted , the crowds were so

grea t th a t they could with d i fficulty get through and a t last

were completely blocked up. They then wen t amongs t

the crowd . But who ca n desc ribe a scene like th is

Here, men of a ll ages , who in tended to ha ve their tongues

sieroed, or their s ides bored , were buying garlands of

errors to hang round their necks, ortie round their heads

—there, o thers were carrying their offerings to the goddes s ; a bo ve the heads of the crowd were seen no th ingbu t the fea the i s belo ng ing to the grea t d rum s , a nd thein s trum en ts o f to rtu re wh ic h ea ch v ic t im wa s c a rrying inh is h a nd . These wre tched sl a ves of supers tit ion were

d is t ingu is hed from o thers by the qua n ti ty o f Oi l rubbedon the i r bod ies , a nd by s treakes a nd do ts of m ud a ll o verthem ; som e of the c h i ef men belong ing to each compa nywere co vered w i th a shes, o r d ressed in a m o re fa n ta s ticm a nner, like the fool am ong m o un teba nks . Fo r the s akeo f low spo rt, som e were d ressed a s E ngli sh wom en, a ndo the rs had o n a ha t to exc ite the c rowd to la ug h a t E urOpea ns . As soon a s they cou ld fo rce theirw ay, they proc eeded to th e temple o f Ka lee , where the c rowd , inflamed to m adness, a lm os t trampled upon one a no ther, to

obta in a s igh t of the ido l. They wen t up to the doo rway, when a bram in , who wa s one of the owners of theido l, add ressed one o f them in broken E nglish Moneym oney

— for bla ck m o th er.”

He no t m uch lik ing thelooks of h is bla ck m o ther, dec la red he wo u ld giveher no th ing. From th is spo t they wen t in to the temple

ya rd , where two or three bla cksm i ths had begun the worko f pierc ing the tongues and bo ring the s ides o f these ihfa tua ted d isc iples o f S iva . The fi rst m a n seemed reluc

tan t to hold ou t h is to n na, bu t the blacksm i th , rubbingi t with som e thing like sour, and ha ving a piece o f c lo th

betw ixt h is fingers , la id firm hold , dragged it ou t, a nd,

pla c ing h is la ncet under i t in the m iddle, pierced it through,a nd let the fellow go . The next perso n whose tongue theysaw cu t, d irec ted the blacksm ith to cu t it on a con tra rys ide , as it had been a lready ou t tw ice . Th is m an seemedto go through the business of ha ving h is tongue slit with

perfec t sa ng froid . The com pany of na tives were en tirely unmoved , a nd the blacksm i th , pocketing the trifl ingfee given by each for whom he d id th i s fa vour, la ugheda t the sport . Theycould no t help a sking .whether they werenot pun ish ing these men for lying

— After seeing the cpera tion performed on one or two m o re, they wen t to ano ther

gro up, “here they were bo ring th e s ides . The fi i s t theysaw undergo ing th is opera ti on was a boy who m igh t betwelve o r th irteen years o ld , and who had been bro ugh tth ither by h is elder bro ther to subm it to th is cruelty. Ath read rubbed w ith clarified butter wa s drawn th io ugh

the skin on each side w ith a k ind of la ncet ha vingan eye like a needle. He d id no t fl inch , but hungby h i s hands over the shou lders of h is brother. Theya sked a m an who h ad jus t had h is s ides bored , why hed id th is

‘

2 He sa id he had m ade a vow to Ka lee a t a t ime ofdangerous i llness , a nd was now perform ing th is vow . Abye

- s tander added , it was a n act of ho lines s or merit.Pa ss ing from th is gro up, theysaw a man danc ing backwardsa nd forwards with two canes run through h is s ides as

thick as a man ’s little finger. ln re turn ing to Calcu tta

they saw m a ny with th ings of d ifferent th ickness thrust

through their sides and tongues , and severa l wi th the

pointed handles of iron shovels, conta ining fire, sticking

HINDOO GODS.

in their sides . i n to th is fire every now and then they th rew

I nd ian pitch , wh ich for t he m omen t blazed ve ry h igh . Theys a w o ne m a n wh o se s i ngu la r m ode o f self- torture s truck ,t hem m uc h h is brea s t , a ru is , a nd o ther p a rts o f h is body,w ere en t i rely co vered wi th pi ns , a s th ick a s n a ils or pa ck

i ng need les . Th is i s c a lled va n u -

pho ra .

‘ The person had

m ade a vow to S iva th us to pierce h is body, praying the

god to rem o ve some evi l from h im .

Som e sunyasees a t th is fes t iva l pu t swo rds th rough the

h o les in their tongues , o thers spea rs, o thers th ick pieces o f

round iron , wh ich they c a ll a rrows . Ma ny, a s a bra v ado ,

pu t o ther th ings through theirt ongues , a s liv ing snakes ,bamboos , ram i

'

ods , St e . O thers , to exc ite t he a t ten t io n

of the c rowd s t ill m ore, procure im ages of houses ,

gods , temples , 8tc . and plac ing them on a single bam~

boo , ho ld them up in the ir h a nds , and put the bam boo

th ro ugh their tongues . In 1 805 , a t Ca lcu tta , a few base

fellow s m ade a bam boo stage, placed a prosti tute upon it,and ca rried her th rough the s treets , her param o u r

accom pa nying them ,ha v ing one o f her a nkle ornam ents

in the s li t: of h is to ngue . A m a n pu t h i s finger

thro ugh t he tongue of a no ther person , a nd they wen t

a long d a ncing a nd m aking indecen t ges tures to ge ther.

O th ers pu t bamboos , ropes , ca nes , the s ta lk of a c limbi ng

plan t, the lo ng tube of the hooks , St e . through their s ides ,a nd rubbing these th ings with o il, wh ile two persons go

before and two beh ind to hold the ends of the th ings whic h

h a ve been pa ssed through the s ides , they dance backwa rdsand forwa rds , m aking indecen t ges tures . These peoplepa ss through the s treets with these m a rks o f self- torture

u po n them ,followed by crowds o f idle people. They are

pa id by the towns or v illages where these a c ts are per

formed , and a levy is m ade on the inhabita nts to defray the

expense . On the even ing of th is fes t iva l some s una y sees

pierce the sk in o f their foreheads , a nd place a rod of iron

in i t a s a socket , a nd on th i s rod fa s ten a lam p, wh ich is

kept burning a ll n ight. The persons bea ring these lamps

sit a ll nigh t in or nea r Siva’s temple, occa siona lly ca lling

upon th is god by d ifferen t n ames . On the same even ing,d ifferen t pa rties of sunyasees ho ld conversa tions respec t

ing S iva in verse .

On the fo llow ing day, in the a fternoon , the ceremonycalled Ghu ruku ,1 or the swinging by hooks fa stened in theback, is perform ed . The posts a

'

re erec ted in some c pen

pla ce in the town or subu rbs . They are genera lly fifteentwenty, or twen ty

- five cubits h igh . In som e places a k indof worsh ip is pa id a t the foo t o f the tree to S iva , whentwo pigeo ns a re let loo se , or sla in . In o ther pa rts , i . e.in the neighbourhood of Ca lcu tta , the worship of S iva is

performed a t h is temple, a fter wh ich the crowd proceedto

_

the swin i ng pos ts, and comm ence the ho rrid work oftortu re . T e m a n who is to sw ing prostra tes h imself before the tree, and a person, with his dusty fingers, makes

Piercing with arrows . 1 At Kidurpoorn.

1 Oom only called Cheddsl.

a m ark where the books are to be pu t. Ano ther person

im m ed ia tely gives h im a sm a rt s la p o n the back, a nd

pinc hes up the skin ha rd t h h is thumb a nd fingers ;wh ile a no ther trus ts t he hook through , taking ho ld o f

a bou t an inch o f the sk i n the o ther book i s then in like

m ann er pu t thro ugh the skin o f the o ther s ide o f the ba ck ,a nd the m a n ge ts up on h is fee t . As he is rising, som e

w a ter is t h row n in h i s face . He then mo un ts on a m a n’s

ba ck,o r i s eleva ted in some o ther way, a nd the s trings

wh ich are a t ta ched to the hooks in h is back are t ied to

the rope a t o ne end o f the horizonta l bamboo , a nd the

rcpe a t the other end is held by severa l m en , who , d raw

ing i t down , ra ise up the end on which the m a n sw ings ,a nd by the i r ru nn ing round w ith the rope the m a ch ine i s

tu rned . In sw inging, the m a n describes a c irc le of abou tth irty feet d iame ter. Some sw ing o n ly a few m in u tes ,o thers h a lf a n hour o r more . We ha ve hea rd o f m en whoco n t in ued swinging for hours . In the sou thern pa rts ofBenga l a piece o f cloth is wrapped ro und the body under

nea th the hooks , les t the flesh sho uld tear and the wre tch

fa ll a nd be da s hed to pieces , bu t the who le weigh t of the

body res ts on the hooks . Some of these persons take thewooden p ipe, a nd smoa k while sw inging , a s though insen

s ible of the leas t pa in . O thers take up fru it in their ha nds ,a nd e ither ea t it or throw it am ong the c rowd . We ha ve

heard o f a perso n ha ving a monkey’s colla r ru n in to h is

h inderparts ,:l: in wh ich s ta te them a n and the m onks wh irl

ed round together. On o ne occa sion , in the north o f enga l,a man took a la rge piece o f wood in h is mou th , a nd swungfor a considera ble time withou t a ny clo th rou nd h is bodyto preserve h im sho u ld the flesh of h is back tear. Onsom e occas ions these sunya sees ha ve books run through

their th ighs a s well as backs . About the year‘ 1 800five

women swung in th is m a nner, w ith books through their

ba cks a nd th ighs , a t K idupooru near Ca lcu tta . It is no t

very uncommon fo r the fles h to tea r, and the person to

fa ll : instances are rela ted of such perso ns perishing on

the spo t . Some years ago a m an fell from the pos t a t

K idurpooru , wh ile wh irling round w ith grea t rapidi ty ;a nd , fa lling on a poor woman who wa s se lling pa rchedrice, k i lled her on the spot : the m an d ied the next da y.

At a Vi llage nea r Bujbuj, some yea rs s ince, the swing fell,a nd broke a m an

’s leg. The m a n who was upon it, a s

soon a s he wa s loosed ra n to ano ther tree, was drawn up,a nd wh irled ro und aga in , as though nothing had happened .

We ha ve heard of one m an’s swinging three times in one day

on d ifferen t trees and a brem in a ssured us, tha t he had

seen four men swing on one tree ; w hile swinging, th istree wa s ca rried round the field by the c rowd .

On the day of swinging , in some places, a sunyasee isla id before the temple of S iva as dead , and is a fterwards

ca rried to the place where they burn the dead . Here theyread many incanta tions and perform certain ceremonies,

HINDOO GODS.

afterwh ich the (supposed ) dead sunyasee arises, when theydance a ro und h im , procla im ing the name of S iva .

The next m orn ing the sunya sees go to S i va’

s tem ple,and perform wo rsh ip to h im ,

when they ta ke off the po ita

wh ich they had wo rn d uring the fes t iva l . On th is d ay ,they beg, or take from their houses , a qua n ti ty of rice, a ndo ther th i ngs , wh ic h they m a ke in to a kind o f frumen ty,in the pla ce where they burn the dead . These t h ings theyoffer, w ith some burn t fish , to depa rted gho sts.

E ach day of the festiva l the sunyasees worsh ip the sun ,

pouring wa ter, flowers , Ste . on a clay image of the a lliga

tor, repea t i iig m untrus .

These horrid ceremon ies are sa id to derive their origin

from a k ing named Va nu , whose h isto r is rela ted in the

Muhabha ru tu . Th is work says, tha t a nu , in the m on th

Choi tru . insti tu ted thes e ri tes , a nd infl ic ted a number of

the cruelties here deta i led on his own body, v iz . he moun t

ed the swing, pierced h is tongue a nd s ides, d a nced o n fire,threw h imself o n spikes , 8 m. At length he obta ined a n

in terview with Siva , who surrounded h is pa lace w ith a

wa ll of fire , a nd prom ised to appea r whenever he should

sta nd in need of h is assis tance . Those who perform these

ceremon ies a t presen t , expec t tha t S iva will bestow upon

them some blessing'

e i ther in th is life or in the next .

Doorga is the w ife of Siva . This goddess is knownunder o ther names , as Bh uguvu tee , Su tee, Pa rvu tee, k c .

In one age S iva was ma rried to Su tee , the da ugh ter o f

k ing Dukshu , and ano ther to the same goddess under the

n ame ofPa rvu tee, the da ugh terof the moun ta in Hima laya ;hence she is t he m ounta in -

goddess .

When Doorga was perform ing religious austerities to

obta in Siva in marriage, the la tter was so mo ved th a t he

appeared to her, a nd enquired why she was thus employed She wa s asham ed to a ssign the reaso n, bu t her a t

tondan te replied fo r her. He , in jest, reproved her, oh

serving tha t people perfo rmed religious a usterit ies to oh

ta in something va luable ; in the a rtic le of m a rriage theyd esired a person of a good fam i ly , bu t he (Siva ) had nei

ther fa ther nor m o ther - or a rich perso n , tha t he had no t

a ga rm en t to wear ;—or a handsome person , but he had

th ree eyes .

When S iva was about to be ma rried to Parvu tee , her

m o ther and the ne ighbours trea ted the god in a very scur

rillous m a nner : the ne ighbo urs cried ou t , Ah a h ! a h !

Th is image of gold , th is m ost bea u tiful d amsel, the grea t

es t bea u ty ia the three worlds , to be given in m a rriage to

such a fellow— an old fellow with three eyes ; wi thou t

l n allusion to the th rowing of dead bodies into the river. This resc in

hles the surprise sai d to h ave been excited by the marri e of Venus to the

filthy and deformed Vulcan . Another very si ngular co ncidence betwixt the

E uropean idola try and that of the Hindoos is furnished by th e story of Va l .

can and Minerva and th at respect ing Siva. andMoh inee as given in theMarkundeyu pooranu ; but wh ich we have suppressed on account of its ofl'ensive

natu re .

1 In reference to th is markbf strong attachment , a Hindoo wi dow burn .

ing with her husband on the funeral pile is called Sam .

1 The pundi ts give proofs from the sh astrus , in wh ich Sh e is acknowledgedto be the grea test of the gods , orMuha - devu fromMuha , grea t , and , devu ,god

[I Rhoetus are beings partly in human sh ape, though some of them havethe faces of horses , others o f camels , o thers o f monkeys , 8m . Some have thebodies of h orses , and the faces of men . S ome ha ve one leg and som e two .

Some have only one ear, a nd others only one eye . Siva is attended by a namher o f t hese bhoo tns , a s Bacchus had a body of guards consisting of drunkensatyrs , demons , nymphs, soc.

teeth ; clo thed in a tyger'

s skin ; covered with a shes ; iac irc led W i th snakes ; wea ring a necklace of h uma n bones ;w ith a hum a n sku ll in h is hand ; W i th a filthy Ju ta (Viz.a bunch o f ha ir like a tu rba n ), twis ted ro und h i s head ;who chews in to xica ting d rugs ; h a s inflamed eyes ; rides

naked on a bu ll, and wa nders a bou t like a m adm a n . Ah

they ha ve thrown th is bea u tifu l da ugh ter in to the river ;- In th is m a nner the ne ig hbours excla im ed a ga ins t the

marriage, t i ll Na rud o , who had exc i ted the d i s turbance,in terfered , a nd the wedd ing wa s concluded .

A number o f s to ries a re re la ted in some of the Hindoo

books of a n inferior o rder, respec ting the qua rrels of S i vaa nd Pa rvu tee , occ a sioned by t he revd s o f the former, a ndthe jea lousy of the la t ter. These qua rrels resemble thoseof Jupiter a nd Juno . Other s tories a re told o f Siva

’

s de

scend ing to the ea rth in the fo rm of a m end ica nt , f or the

preserva t ion of some one in d istress to perform religious

a us terities , St e .

S iva is sa id , in the pooranus , to ha ve destroyed Kun

d urpa (Cupid ) for in terrupt i ng h im in h is devotions , pre

v ious to h i s un ion w ith Doorga . We find , however, the

god of lo ve res to red to ex is tence, a fter a lapse o f ages,under the nam e o f Prudyoom nu , when he aga in obta inedh is w ife Rutee . After h is '

m arriage w ith the m oun ta in

goddess , S ira ,

c h a certa in occa sion o ffended h is fa ther- iaaw , king B ukehn , by refusmg to bow to him a s he en teredthe c ircle in wh ich the k ing was s it ting . To be revenged,Dukshu refused to invite S i va to a sac rifice which he was

abou t to perfo rm . Su tee , the king’

s da ughter, however,was rm lved to go , though u n invi ted and forbidden by herhusba nd . On her a rriva l Dukshu po ured a torren t o fabuse on Si va , wh ich a ffec ted Su tee so m uch that she

d ied 1 ' When S iva hea rd o f the loss o f h is beloved wife,he crea ted a m onstrous gian t , whom he comm a nded to o

and des troy Dukshu, a nd pu t a n end to h is sacrifice. lgespeed ily accompl i shed th i s wo rk, by cut ting off the headof the k ing, and d ispers i ng a ll the gues ts . The god s, in

com pass io n to Dukshu, placed on h is decapitat ed bodyth e head of a goa t, and res tored h im to his fam ily andk ingdom .

Th is god h as a thousand nam es , among wh ich a re thefollowing : S i va , or, the ben efa cto r. Muheshwuru , thegrea t god .I E c shwuru , the glo ri o us god . Chundrushe

it em , be whose forehead is ado rned with a ha lf- moon .

B honteshu , h e who is lo rd of the bhoorua fl Mrira , hewho purifies . Mrityoonjuyu , he who conquers dea th .

Kri ttivasa , he who wea rs a skin . Oogru , the furious.

Shree- kuntu , he whose throat is beau tiful .‘ Kupalubhrit,

he who se a lms'

d is h is a sku ll.+ Sm uro - huru , the de

st royer of the god o f lo ve . Tripoo ran tuku , he who de

s troyed Tripooru an usooru-Gungadhuru , he who ca ught

t he goddess Gu nga in h is ha ir.I Vrishu - dwuj u , he whose

s ta nd a rd is a bull.“Shoo les , he who wields the trident §S t

’ha noo , the everlasting, Shurvu, he who is every thing.

Gi reeshu , lo rd of the h ills , he who dwells o n the h ills .

The follow ing a ccount of the heaven o f Siva is tra nsla tm the work ca lled K ri tyu

- tutwu . This hea ven ,wh ich is situ a ted on m oun t Ke i la su , and called Shivu

pooru , is ornamen ted w ith m any k inds of gem s and pre

cious th i ngs , a s pea rls , cora l, gold , s ilver,res ide gods , danu vus ,

1gundurvus ,

‘upsurus ,

’s iddhus ,

‘

charunus,‘hrumhurshees,

6 devo rshees ,’ a nd m uhu rshees ;3

a lso other sages , a s Suna tunu ,Sunu tkoom aru , S unund u ,

Ugustyu , Ungira , Poolus tyu , Poo luhu , Chitru , Angirusu ,Gou tum u , E hri oo , Pura shuru, Bhurudwaju , Mrikund u ,Markundeyu , hoonushepbu, Ush ta v i ikru , Dhoumyu ,Va lmeekee, Vush ish t

’

hu , Doorvasa , 8Lc . These personsconstan tly perform the worsh ip of S iva and Doorga , a nd

the upsuras are contin ually employed in s inging, danc ing,and o ther fes tiv ities . . . .The flowers of every season a re

always in bloom here among which are, the yoo thee,9

a tes ,“ mu llika ,

n ma lutee ,‘g dori i ,

" tuguru ,‘f kuru veeru ,

“

lha ru,'5k urn ikaru ,

l7 keaburu ,”poo nn agu ,

19drona ,sogun

dhuraju;21 shepha lika ,

” chumpuku ,” bhoomee- chumpu

kn ,“ rie go

- keshuru ,”5 m ooch ukoondu ,

$6 kanchunu ,"pico

lee,” jh in tee," 0 occlu—jhin tee ,” t uktu - jhintee,

“ khudum

be ,” ruji i neeg ii ndhu ,as turku ,“ turoo luta ,

“parija tu ,

” Ste .

ate. Cool, odo riferous a nd gentle winds always blow on

AM Sim to prssem the earth frcm destra ction . had drank ths poisonwhich arose out of the sea . when th e churned i t to obta in the wa ter ofimmortali he fell into a swoon , an appeamd to be at the po int of dea th .

All th e go? were exceedingly alarmed the usoorus were filled with triumph,under the expectation th at one of the gods , (even Siva himself) was about toexpire . The gods addressed Doorga , wh o took Siva in her arm s , and beganto repeat certa in incantations to destroy the efl

’ects of the poison : Siva re

vired . This was the first time incan ta tions were used to destroy the powerof po ison . Though the po ison did no t destroy Siva , it len a blue ma rk oni t throat and hence one of his names is Neelu - kun tu , the blue - throated .

f This is Brahma’s skull. Siva in a quarrel cut of one of Bruhma's five

heads , and made an alms’ dish o f it. Brahma and o ther gods , in the charac

ter of m endican ts , are represented with an ea rthen pot in the hand , whichcontains thd r food . Thi s po t is called a knmuadnloo .

I In Gunga’s descent from heaven , Siva caught her in the bunch of hair

tied a t th e back of his head .

a Siva’s conduct , on the day of hi s man

-i with Parvutee pu ts u s in m indof Priapns . The Indian god rode through amu - roopu on a bull nakedwith the bride on his knee .

5 Here Siva appears with Neptune’s scepter, though we ca nnot find that he

resembles th e watery god in any thing else .

1 A particular kind of giants . 1 2 Ge rtners racemosa .

a Th e heavenly choiristers . 1 3 Unknown .

8 Dancers and courtes an . 1 4 Tabernc montann corona l-ta.

4 , 5 Gods who act as servants to 1 6 Neri um odor-um .

some of the other gods . 1 6 Nymphaia cyanea .

6 Sacred sages .7 Divine sagea.

GODS.

these flowers , and diffuse their flagrance all over the moun

ta in . The shade prod uced by the pa rija tu tree is verycooling . Th is m oun ta in a lso produces the fo llowing trees

a nd fru its : sha la ,” ta lu ,“ tu rna lu ,so h in ta lu ,

“ kurjoo ru ,“

she ,“ m goodee ,“6 v utu ,

‘9 St e . A

va riety o f birds are constan tly s ing ing here, a nd repea tingthe names of Doorga a nd S iva , v iz. the ka lt u ,

“s shooku ,”

para vutu ,“ ti ttiree ,

“ cha tuku ,56 cha su ,

”bha su ,“ kok i lu ,”

sarasu ,60 da tyoohu .

61 chukruvaku ,‘52 Ste. Ste . The wa ters

o f the hea ven ly Ga nges (Mundakinee) glide a long in

purling stream s . The s ix sea sons a re un interruptedly en

joyed on this m oun ta in , v iz. vusun tu (spri ng), greeshmu

(summer), vursha (ra iny), ehurut (sultry), abish ira (dewy),and shee tu (cold ). On a golden throne, adorned Wi th

jewels , s it S iva and Doorga , engaged in conversa tion .

The Shree- bhaguvutu con ta ins another d escriptio n of

the hea ven o f S i va : S ixteen thousand m iles from the

earth, o n m oun t K o ilasu ,

’l resides th is god , in a

pa lace of go ld , adorned w ith jewels of a ll k inds . Th ispala ce is su rrounded wi th fores ts , ga rd ens, cana ls , trees

laden w ith a ll kinds of fru it, flowers of every fragra nce .

The ku lpu tree a lso rows here, from wh ich a person

m ay obta in every kin of food and a ll other thin gs he

m ay des ire. In the cen tre o f a roodrakshu+ fores t,under a tree, Siva frequen tly sits with h is wife Pa rvu tee.The fragrance o f the pa rija tu flowers extend 200m iles in

a ll d irec tions and a ll the seaso ns a re here enjoyed a t the

same time. The w inds blow softly filled with the m os t

refreshing odou rs . At the extrem it ies of this hea ven north

wa rds a nd sou thwards Siva ha s fixed two ga tes, one of

as Michelin ehampaca . as The citron or lime triss .

24 Kempferia rotunda . as Areca ca techu .

25 Mesua fer-res . 45 Artocarpus integrifolia .

Pterospermum subsrifolia. 46 E glc marmelos .

27 Bauhinia (several species .) 47 The grape vine.

28 Linum trigynum . 48 Unknown .

Barleria cri stata . 49 “ans l adies .

3 0 Ba rleria cmrulea . 50 Ficus relig io sa .

3 1 Barleria ci liata . 5 1 Pero nia elephantium .

3 3 Naucles orientalis . 5 2 The mow .

3 3 The tuberose . 6 3 The parrot .

3 4 E chynomenesesban . 54 The pigeon .

3 5 Ipomea quamocli t . 5 5 The partridge .

3 8 t nix paludosa . 56 The s w .

3 7 Ph oenix sylvestris . 5 7 Com e us Indies .

3 8 E rythrina fulgens . 5 8 Unknown .

3 9 Shores robusta . 69 The l adies cuckow.

so Boras sus fiabelliformis . 60 Th e Sibernian crane.

4 1 D iospyrns cordi folia. 6 1 The gallinule.

4s Mangii'era l ndica . 6: Aces casarca .

Soniui , during his travels in Greece and Turkey, made a journey into ancient Macedonia , and

“

d a it to mount Olympus , the abode of the

I t was the m iddle of J y when th is excursion was m ade, and si th ong the

heat was extreme towards the base of the mounta in , as well as in th e plai n ,

vas t m asses of snow rendered the summit inaccess ible . I t is not as toni sh

ing ,”says Sonini , th a t the Greeks have placed the abode of the gods on

a n emi nence which mortals canno t reach .

" The monks o f the convent, wh o

have suw seded them in this great eleva tion ,”confirmed what ha s been some

times disputed , the perpetual perm anence of ice and snow on the top of the

m oun ta in . With the exception of ch amo is and a few beers , there are hardlya ny quadrupeds to be seen beyond the half of the height of Olympus . Birdsalso scarcely pass this limit .

1 E lcocarpus ganitrus .

0 HINDOO cons .

wh ich is kept by Nundee, the other byMuha - ka lu . An um ber o f gods a nd other celestia l beings cons ta ntly t e

s ide here, among whom a re Kart ikeya a nd Guneshu , thew a s of S i va a lso the fem a le servan ts of Doo rga , Juya ,a nd V ij aya , eigh t n ayika s , a nd sixty

- fou r yoginees , wi thbhoo tus , pisha chus,

'

S iva'

s bu ll, a nd those d ismples o fS i va (shak tus ) who ha ve obta ined bea titude. The tim eis spen t here in the fes tivit i es and abom ina tions of the

o ther heavens.

BRUMHA.

( Pla te No .

As has been a lready men tioned , Brahm a , Vishnooa nd S iva derived the ir exi s tence from the one Brum hu .

The Hindoo pund its'

do no t adm i t these to be crea tures , bu t

con tend tha t they a re em a na t ions from , or parts of, the

one Brum hu .

Bruhm a first prod uced the wa ters then the earth , next,from his own m ind , be ca used a n um ber o f sages a nd four

fem ales to be born among the sages wa s K ushyupu , the

fa ther of the god s , gia n ts , and m en . From Ud i tee were

born the gods from Ditse the gian ts , from Kudroo thehydras , a nd from Vinuta , Gurooru a nd Uroon u . After

crea ting these sages, who were of course bram ins,Bruhm a caused a ksha triya , to spring from his a rm s , avo ishyu from h is th ighs , a nd a shood i u fro m h i s feet . In

th is order, a ccord ing to the poo ranus , the who le crea tio n

a rose . The Hindoo sh as tra s , howe ver, conta in a va rietyo f d ifferent acco unts on the subjec t o f crea tion . We ha ve

t hough t i t necessa ry to gi ve th is brief s ta temen t, a s i t

seems connec ted with the h is tory of th i s god .

Brum ha is represen ted as a m a n w ith fo ur faces , of a

gold colour dressed in wh ite garments rid ing on a

oose. In one h and he holds a s tick, a nd in the o ther a

um undu loo, or a lm s’d i sh . He is ca lled the Gra nd

fa ther (pi ta - m uhu ) of gods and m en .‘ He is no t m uch

rega rded in the reign ing supers tition nor does a ny oneadopt h im a s his gua rd ian deity.

The bram ins , in their m orn ing a nd even ing worship,repea t an i nca n ta tion con ta ining a description o f the image

o f Bra hm a ; a t noo n they perform a n ac t of worsh ip i n

h onou r of th is god , presen t ing to h im sometimes a singleflower ; a t the tim e o f a burnt ofi

'

erin cla rified bu tter is

presented to Bra hm a . In the m on th aghu , a t the fullm oon , a n earthen im age of th is god is worsh ipped , with

t ha t of Siv a o n h is right ha nd , and tha t of Vishnoo on

h is left. Th is fes tiva l la s ts on ly o ne day, a nd the th ree

gods a re , the next day thrown in to the river. Th is wor

sh ip is a ccom pa nied with songs , da nces , m usic , SLc . a s a t

a ll o ther fes tiva ls ; bu t the worsh ip o f Bruhm a is m os t

frequen tly celebra ted by a n umber of young m en of the

ba s er so rt , who defray the expenses by a subsc ription .

Bloody sacrifices a re never offered to Bra hm a .

Jupiter was called the father and king of gods and men.

Bra hma , notwithstand ing the venerable name of grandfa ther, seem s to be a s lea d as a ny o f the god s . At the

t ime tha t intox ica t i ng spi rits were fi rs t m ade, a ll the gods ,

gia nts , gund hurva s , yuksh a s , ki n i i a rus, Ste . were accus

tow ed to dri nk spi ri ts , a nd no blam e wa s then a t tac hed

to drunke nness : but one d ay Bra hm a , in a s ta te o f in

to rt iea t i on , m ade a n a ttempt o n the v irtue o f h is own

da ugh ter, by wh ich be i ncurred the wra th o f the gods.

Some tim e a fterwa rd s , Bra hm a bo a s ted in com pany, tha t

he wa s a s grea t a god a s S i v a . Hea ring wha t Bra hm a had

been sayi ng , the la tter infl i med W lth a nger wa s abo ut

to cu t. off one o f Bra hm a’

s heads , bu t wa s preven ted bythe in tercess iu us o f the a ssem bled gods . Bra hm a com

pla ined to Doo rga , who a ppea sed h im by saying, tha t

Siva d id n o t a t tem pt to cu t o ff h i s head beca use he a spi r

ed to be grea ter tha n be, bu t beca use he (B i a hn i a ) hadbeen gu ilty o f a grea t crime in endea vo uri ng to sed uce

h is da ugh ter. Bra hma wa s sa t isfied with th is a nswer,bu t pro nou nced a c urse on wha tever god , ga ndha rva , or

Upant‘a s ho u ld hereafter drink spiri ts .

The a bo ve i s the s ubsta nce o f the story a s rela ted in

the Ma habha ra ta . The Ka sheekund u o f the Sh a n da

poora nu says tha t Bra hm a los t o ne o f h is heads in t he

fo llowm g m a nner : Th is god was one day a sked by c er

ta in sages, in the presence o f K ra too , a form of V i shnoo ,who wa s grea tes t, B ra hma , V i shnoo , or S iva ? Bra hm aa ffi rmed tha t he wa s en ti tled to th is d is tinc tion . Kra too,a s a fo rm of V i shnoo , ins is ted tha t the superiori ty be

longed to him self. An appea l wa s m ade to the veda s ;bu t those books decla red i n fa vou r of Siva . On hearingth is verd ic t, Bra hm a wa s filled w i th rage, and m adem a nyinsulting rem a rks upon S iva who , a ssum i ng the terri fi c

fo rm ofKa la - BhOira vu , appea red befo re Bra hma and Kru

too , a nd , rece i v ing fa rther insu lts from Bruhm a , w ith h is

na ils to rs of? one o fBi uhm a’s fiVe heads . Bra hm a wa s now .

thorough ly humbled , a nd w ith jo ined hands acknowledgedt ha t he wa s inferio r to S iva . Thus th is narrei betwixt

the three god s wa s adj us ted a nd S iva , t e naked men

d iea n t, wa s a cknowledged as Ma ha - d ev a , the grea t god .

Bra hm a is a lso cha rged with s tea ling several ca lves

from the herd which Krishna was feeding .

Th is god assum ing the appea ra nce o f a religious m en

d iean t, i s sa id to ha ve appeared m a ny times on ea rth for

d ifferen t purposes . S tories to this effec t a re to be found

in severa l o f the poora nus .

The Ma habha ra ta co nta ins the following descriptionof the heaven of Bramba i Th is hea ven i s 800 m iles

long, 400 broad , a nd 40 h igh . Nerud a , when a ttempt

ing to describe th is hea ven , decla red him self u tterly ia

com peten t to the task tha t he cou ld no t do it in two

h und red yea rs tha t it con ta ined in a superior degree a ll

tha t was in the o ther hea ven s and tha t wha tever existed

in the crea tion o f Bra hm a o n earth , from the smallest

insec t to the la res t an im al, was to be found here.

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12 HINDOO GODS .

sh ipped daily in the temples by the sides of the Ganges a t

gin”

?but there a re no temples dedica ted to him in

n a

n esha is also ca lled Huridra - Ganesha . This nam eseems to ha ve a risen ou t of the fo llowing s tory : WhenDoorga was once prepa ring herse lf for ba thing, she wiped

off the turmerick, etc . w ith o i l, a nd formed a kind of cake

in her fingers! This she ro lled together, and m ade in to

the image of a child ; wi th wh ich she was so m uch pleased ,tha t she infused life into it, a nd ca lled it Ha ridra -Gaueshad

'

The fl indoos have a a istom of clannin their bodies by rnbhing them ailover with turn er-[ck and then, taki ng oil their hands , wiping it off aga in,when it falls as a pu ts all around them .

1 ' Hurrida is the name ior turmerick .

1 These are the companions of Siva .

5 One of Gsns sh a’smoth srs wasDoorga , and theother the female elephant

whose head he wears .

The image of th is god i s yellow , having the fa ce of an ele

pha n t . He holds i n one ha nd a rope in a n o ther the

pike used by the elepha n t driver in ano th er a round

sweetmea t, a nd in ano ther a rod .

The princ ipa l names of Ganesha a re : Ga n esh a , o r, thelord of the gunnu deva ts .I — Dwo im a tooru , t he two -mo

thered .§— E ku - duntu , the one- too thed .— Herum bu , he

who res ides nea r to Siva .— Lumbod uru , the long

- bellied .

- Gujanunu, the elephant - faced . Wa rd .

HINDOO GODS .

CHAPTE R II .

SOOBRAMANIAH on KARTIKE YA .

( P la te N o .

This is the god of war. He is represen ted sometimes

with one a nd a t o ther t im es w ith s ix faces is of a yellow

colour ; rides on a peacock.‘

The reason of the birth ofSoobraman iah is th us told in the

Koomaru- s umbhu vu , o ne of the ka vyus : Taruku, a gia n t,

performed religio us a us terities till he obta ined the bless ing

of Bram ha , a fter wh ic h he oppres sed bo th bram ins and

gods. He comma nded tha t the sun should sh ine only

so far as wa s neces sa ry to ca use the wa ter- li ly to blossom ;

tha t the m oo n sho uld sh ine in the d ay as well as in the

nigh t. He sen t the god Yam a to cu t grass for his ho rses ;command ed Vayoo va to reven t the w ind from blowingany s tronger than the puti

iof a fa n a nd in a s im i la r m a n

ner tyran n ized o ver a ll the gods . At length Ind ra ca lled

acounc il in hea ven , when the gods applied to Brumha bu t

the la tter decla red he was unable to reverse the bless inghe had bes towed on Ta ruka tha t theiro nly hope was Soo

hramau ia h , who shou ld be the son o i Siva , a nd des troy the

giant— After some t ime the gods a ssembled aga in to con

sult respe c t ing the m a rriage of S iva , who se m i ndwa s en

tirely abs o rbed in religious a usteri ties . After long consul

tatinna, K u nd urpu-

l was ca lled , and a ll the god s began to

flatter h im in such a m anner tha t he was filled W i th pride,

and decla red he could do every th ing he could conquerthe m ind even o f the grea t god Siv a h im self. Tha t, saysIndra , is the very th i ng we wa n t yo u to do .

’At th is he

appeared d isco ura ged , but a t length dec la red , tha t he

would en d ea vo ur to fulfil h is prom ise . He consulted h is

Wi fe Rute e who repro ved him for h is tem erity, but con

sen ted to accom pany her h usba nd . They set o ff, with

Vusun tu , ,t to m oun t Him a laya , wh ere they fo und S iva

sitting u n der a rood rakshull tree, perfo rm ing h is devo tions .

Previo u sly to th is , Him a laya§ had been to Siva , a nd

proposed tha t Doo rga , h is daugh ter, should wa it upon

him , tha t he m igh t i i n in terruptedly go o n w ith h is reli

gious a us te i-ities wh ich offer S iva a ccepted . One day,

after th e a rrival of Kundurpu a nd h is pa rty, Doorga , w ith

her two com pa n ions Juya a nd Vijuya , ca rried some flowersand a neckla ce to S iva . In the m omen t of opening his

Juno’s ch ariot was said to be drawn by peacocks .1 The god of love .

1 The spring. Th e H indoo poets always unite love and spring together.

II From the fruit of th is tree necklaces are made, the wearing of which is

a great act of merit amo ng the H indoos .

5 The m ountain of this name personified .

Th rough the hlessi of Siva to Ra tes Ka ndarpa was afterwards born in

the famil o Krishna , an to ok the name of Kama - dew , after which Rutee

(than edMahavutee) was again married to him .

1 1 Wh en this goddess , says a Kevyn shastru , told her mother that she

would perform aus teri ties to obtain Siva , her moth er, alarmed , excla imed

Ooma l (Oh i moth er how ca n you think of go ing into the forest to perform religious austerities Stay and perform religious services at home, and

you win obt ain the god you desire . How can your tender form bear t hese se

1 3

eyes from his medita t ion , to receive the offering, Kundu r

pu let By his a rrow a nd S iva , sm i tten with lo ve , awokea s from a dream , and asked who had da red to interrupth is devot ions .

— Looking towards the south he saw Kun

d urpa , when fire proceeded from the third eye in the centre of h is forehead , a nd burnt Ka nda rpa to a shes .

” Theenraged god left this place for ano ther fores t, and Doorga ,seeing no prospect of being married to S iva , returned homefull of sorrow. She sought a t las t to obta in her object bythe powerof religious aus terities ,

~

H' in wh ich she persevered t ill S iva was drawn from his devo tio ns, when the m arriage wa s consumma ted .

TheMa habha ra ta a nd Ramaya na con ta in accoun ts of

the birth ofSoobrama nia/r,the fru it of th is m a rria ge ,but theyare so indelica te tha t the reader, I doubt no t, will excusetheir om iss ion .

On the last evening in the month Kartika , a clay imageof this god is worshipped ,II and the next day thrown in tothe wa ter. These ceremon ies d iffer little from those a t

o ther festiva ls : but some images m ade on the occa s iona re no t less than twenty

- five cubits h igh ; tha t is, a wholetree is pu t into the ground , a nd worsh ipped as a god .

The heigh t of the ima e obliges the worshippers to fas tenthe offerings to the an of a lon bamboo , in order to ra isethem to themouth of the god . This fes tival is d istinguished by m uch s inging, m usic, dancing, and o ther accompan imen ts of Hindoo worship.

The image of Soobraman iah is a lso m ade and set up bythe side of h is m o therDoo rga , a t the grea t fes tiva l o f th is

goddess in the m on th Ashwiuu ; a nd ea ch day, a t the closeof the worsh ip o f Doorga , tha t of her so n is perfo rmed a t

considerable length . In the mon th Cho itru a lso the wo rs h ip of Soobramam

'

ah accompan ies tha t of h is mo ther.— No

bloody sacrifi ces a re offered to th is ido l.At the time when the above fes tiva l is held , some per

sons or purchase clay im ages , wh ic h they place intheir houses, a nd before wh ich the officia ting bram iu pe rforms the appo inted ceremon ies , preced ing w hich , a prayeris made for offspring . Th is is repea ted some times on thea nniversa ry of th is day, for four years toge ther. If the

person , long d isappo in ted , shou ld , in these years , or soon

a fter, happen to h a ve a child , particula rly a so n , the who leis ascribed to When persons ha ve m ade

verities . The flower bears the weigh t of the bee, but i f a bird perch upon it ,it breaks directly.

"

1 : Vas t numbers of these images are made in some towns as many as 500.

I t is en posed that inCalcutta more than five thousand are made and worsh ipped .

llll e who makes an image for his own use is supposed to do an act ofmuch greater merit than the person who purch ases one .

55 A part of th eMuhabarutu , is sometimes reci ted to obtain oflsprlng . Thepart thus read is a list of the ancestors of Huree (a name of Vishnoo). Whena person wishes to have this ceremony performed , he employs a learned nati veto recite these verses , and ano ther to exam ine, by a separate copy, whetherthe verses be read without m is ta ke ; if theybe read improperly, no benefit willarise from the ceremony. If the person who seeks o

flfipring be unable to at

tend himself during the cerem ony, he engages some end to hear the wordsin h is stead .

- Some verses of praise, addressed to Siva , are also occasionallyread in the ears of a husband and wife who are anxious to obta in oflsprin ir.

14 HINDOO eons .

a vow to Soobramaniah , they present offerings to th is idol a tthe completion of the vow . These vows are somet imes

m ade to obta in the hea lth of a ch ild , or a son a woma n ,when she m akes this vow, thus add resses the god : Oh !Soobrama n iah , t

’hakooru ,

‘give me a son , a nd i wi llpresent

to thee [here she men tions a number o f offerings , a s sweetni ea ts, fru its , & c .]— l do no t wa n t a fem a le child .

’ Thisvow may be made a t any tim e, or place, withou t any pre

v ious ceremony. When severa l wom en a re s itting toge

ther, anotherwoman perhaps comes amongs t them , a nd ,in the course of con versa tion , a sks the m is tress of the

house : Has your daughter- in - law a n children yet

She replies , in a pla in tive manner, Lo— no th ing bu t a

girl.’

Or, she answers altogether in the nega tive, add ing,I ha ve aga in a nd aga in m ade vows to Soobrama n iah , and

even now i prom ise before you a ll, tha t if the god wou ld

give her a son, 1 w ill worship h im in a most excellen t

;panner, and my daughter- in

- law will do i t as long as she

i ves.’

There a re no temples in Benga l ded ica ted to Soobram a

n iah , nor a re any images of h im kept in the ho uses o f theHindoos except during a fest iva l.

The principa l names o fSoobrama niah are :Kart ike u , or,

he who was cherished by six fema les of the name 0 Km

tika1'- Muha- senn , he who commands mu ltitudes— Shu

ranunu , the six- fa ced .- Skundu , he who amicts the gian ts .

— Ugn ibhoo , he who a rose from Ugues— Goohu , he who

preserves h is troo in war.— Tarul:ujit, he who conquered

Ta rultu .—Vishak a , he who was born under the constel

la tion of this name — Sh ikh ig va hunu , he who rides on a

peacock.- Shnktee-dhuru , he who wields the weapon

ca lled shuktee .—Koom aru , he who is perpetua lly young

“

;Kro a nchu- darunn , he who destroyed the gia nt Krounchu .

It is sa id tha t Soobram aniah wa s neverm a rried , but tha t

lndra ga ve h im a m istress named Devusena . He has no

sepa ra te hea ven , nor has Ganesha : they live with S iva on

m ount Ko ila su .

INDRA .

( P la te No .

lndra is ca lled the k ing of hea ven , and h is reign is sa id

to contin ue 1 00years of the gods , a fter wh ich a no ther

perso n , from among the gods, the gia n ts , or m en , by h is

own merit , ra ises h imself to this em inence. The sac rifice

o f a horse§ one hundred t im es ra ises a person to the ra nko f lndra .

The Shree -bhaguvu tu gives the following list of the

persons who ha ve been or w ill be ra ised to the rank o f

king of the gods d uringthe presen t li ulpu : Huree, Ro

ch i i nu , Su tyu-j i t, Trish ikh u , Vibhoo , Mun tru - droom u ,

and Poorund uru , the present lndra . To h im w ill succeed

B ulee, Shroo tu, Shum bhoo , Vo idhritu, Gundh a- dham a ,

D ivus-

pa tee, a nd Shoochee.

lndra is represen ted as a wh ite man , sitting on an ele

A term of respect , mean ing excellent .

1 Six stars, (belonging to a rea majo r) sa id to be thewives of the seven

rishees . Th ese females are ca lled Krittika . They ch erished Soobramaniah as

soon as he was born in the forest of wri ting- reeds , and hence his name is

a regular pan-onymic of Krittika , because theywere as his

1: Under sixteen years of§ The horse, on account of his usefnlaessMars .

w ri t s m inced »

phant called Oira vu tii , with a thunderbolt in his righ th and , he h a s 1000 eyes .

The worsh ip of lndra is celebra ted a nnua lly, in the dayt ime, on the i 4th of the luna r month B hadru The usua lceremonies o f worship a re accompa n ied w i th s inging,m usic, danc ing, &c . i n Benga l the grea ter n umber of

those who keep th is fes tiv a l a re wom en ; in whose names

the ceremonies a re perfo rmed by ofi c ia ting bram ins . i t

la s ts one day, a fter which the im age is thrown in to theri ver. Th is fes tiva l, wh ich is accompa n ied by the grea testfes tivities , is celebra ted a ll o ver Benga l ; eac h one repeating it annua lly during fou rteen yea rs . On the day ofworsh ip, a few blades of doorva grass a re t ied round therigh t a rm o f a m an , a nd the left o f a wom a n . Some per

so ns wear th is s tring, wh ich con ta ins fo urteen kno ts , fora mon th a fter the fes t iva l is over. Fou rteen kinds offruits , fourteen cakes, 8t c . m ust be presen ted to the image.

Th is worsh ip is performed for the purpose of proc uringriches , o r a house, or a son, or pleasure, or a res idenceafter dea th in l ndra

’s hea ven .

lndra is supposed to pres ide over the elemen ts , so tha tin times of drough t prayers a re addressed to h im a s the

giver o f ra in .

He is a lso one o f the ten guard ian de ities of the earth,

a nd is sa id to preside in the ea s t . To render theworshipo f a ny o ther god a cceptable, i t is necessa ry tha t the wo rsh ip of these dei ties be previo usly perfo rm ed , v iz. of Ind ra ,Ugues , Yam s , Nyroo thy,Va roona ,Vayoo va , Cooba re , YeeS awn iah , Bram ba , a nd Ana n ta , a lso tha t of the fi ve dei

t ies ,’

v iz. Sooryn . G i i napu ty ,S iva ,Doo rga , a nd Vishnoo ; and

o f th‘

e n ine pla nets , v iz . Soo ria li ,Ch a nd ra , Ungaraka , Bootha , Broopa spa ty, Sookra , Sa ney,Ra uhoo , and Ka thoo . i nconsequence o f th is rule, a few cerem o n ies of worsh ip a re

perform ed to lndra a t the comm encem en t o f every fes tival.The pooranus a nd o ther writings conta in a n um ber of

stories respec ting this k ing o f the god s , who is representeda s particu la rly jea lo us les t a ny persons should , by the perform ance of sa cred au steri ties , ou tdo h im in religious me

ri t, a nd thu s obta in his kingdom . To preven t these devo i ces from succeed ing in the ir obj ect, be genera lly sends

a capt iva ting fem a le from h is own i es idence to draw awaytheir m inds , a nd thus throw them down from the ladder

of religio us merit, a nd send them ba ck aga in to a life of

gra tifi ca t ion among the delusive form s of ea rth . B u t tha t

wh ich en ta ils the grea test in famy on the cha rac ter of th is

god is, h is sed uc ing the wife of h is spiritua l gu ide Gou

tum u . Th is s to ry is rela ted in the Ram ayana as fo llows

A fter rece iv ing the highest honours from Prumu tee, the

two descenda n ts of Rughoo , ha v ing pa ssed the n ight there,wen t towa rdsMit 'hila . When the sages beheld a t a d is

tance the bea u tiful c ity o fJun uku , they joyfully excla imedE xcellen t ! excellen t Raghuva , seeing a herm itage in

a grove o fMit'h i li, a sked the ch ief of sages , Wha t solitary wilderness is this, 0 divine one ? l des ire to hear

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1 6 HINDOO GODS .

( lndra’

s elepha n t) a nd o ther celes tia l beings, dwell in

th is hea ven . The i nhabi ta n ts a re con t inua lly en terta ined

wi th songs , da nces, m u sic , a nd every spec ies o f m irth.

Ne i ther S ickness , sorrow , nor sudden dea th , a re fo und in

these regions , nor a re i ts inhabita n ts a ffec ted Wi th h unger

er th irs t . When the god Na ra d a wa s sitting in a n assem

bly of princes a t king Yoodh is t’

h iru’

s , the la t ter a sked h imwhether he

,had ever seen so grand a scene before. Na

rudu , a fter som e hes ita t ion , dec la red he had beheld a

scene fa r more splend id in Indra’

s hea ven , o f wh ich he

then ga ve the abo ve acco un t bu t confessed tha t the place

exceeded a ll h is powers of descript ion .

A scene in Indra’

s hea ven : On a certa in occa s ion a n

a ssem bly of the gods w a s held in th is place, a t wh ic h ,bes ide the gods , Na rud a a nd the rishees , the gunus, duk

sh us , gundhurvus, Ste . were present . Wh ile the co u rte

zans were da nc ing, a nd the kinnurus singing, the who le

a ssembly was filled w i th the h ighes t pleasure . To crown

their joys , the gods ca u sed a shower o f flowers to fa ll on

the a ssembly. The king o f the gods, being the m os t di s

t ingu ished personage presen t, firs t took up a flower, a nd ,a fter hold ing i t to h is nose, ga ve it to a bram in . The a s

s embled gods la u h ing a t the bram in for rece iving wha t

l nd ra had used , e wen t home in d isgrace ; bu t cursed

Indra , a nd doomed h im to become a ca t in the house of

a person of the lowes t ca s t . Sudden ly, and unknown to

a ll, he fell from hea ven , a nd became a ca t in the house o f

a hun ter. After he had been absen t e igh t o r ten days ,Sh uchee , h is w ife, becam e very a nxious, a nd sent messen

gers every where to enqu ire fo r her husba nd . The ads

a lso sa id am ong themselves , Wha t is become of In ra ?

- A to ta l s ilence re ign s in h is pa lace , nor are we inv ited

to t he da nce a nd the us ua l fes t ivi ties Wha t ca n be them ea n ing o f this — All sea rch wa s in v a in a nd the

god s a ssem bled to enqu ire w here he wa s ? They fo undS huchee in a s ta te o f d is trac t io n , o f whom Bram ba en

qu ired respec ting the los t god . At leng th Bram ba c losed

h is eyes , a nd by the power o f m ed i ta tion d iscovered tha t

l ndra , ha v ing offended a bram in , h ad becom e a ca t . Shu

ch ee , fu ll o f a la rm , a sked B ram ba , wha t she wa s to do

He to ld h er to go to the house of the bram in , a nd obta in

h is fa vo u r, u po n wh ich her husba nd wo u ld be res to red to

her. Sh uchee obeyed the d irec tions o f Bram ba , a nd wen t

to the house of the bram in , who wa s at length plea sed

w ith he r a t ten tions, a nd o rdered her to descend to the

ea rth , a nd go to the house o f the h un ter, who se w ife wo uld

tell her wha t to do th a t her husba nd m igh t be res tored to

h is th ro ne in hea ven . Assum ing a hum a n form , she went

to the house of the hun ter, a nd , looking a t the ca t, sa t

weeping . The w ife o f the hun ter, s truck w ith the d iv ine

fo rm o f Shuchee , enqu ired w ith surprise who she wa s .

S huchee hes ita ted , a nd expressed her do ubts whe ther the

h un ter’

s w ife wo u ld believe her i f she dec la red her rea l name

At length she confessed who she wa s , a nd , po in ting to the

c a t, dec la red tha t tha t wa s her husba nd , lndra , the kingo f hea ven ! The hun ter

’

s wife, petrified w ith a s ton ish

A Hindoo considers the anger of h is spiritual guide, as th e greates t possible misfortune .

m en t, stood speech less . Shuchee, a fter som e fa rther discourse , sa id , s he had been info rm ed tha t she ( the hun ter

’

s

wife ) a lone co uld a ss is t her in obta in ing the d e li vera nce ofher h usband . After some momen ts o f reflec t io n , th is wom a n d irec ted Shuchee to pe rfo rm the Ka lika - v ra ta . Sheobeyed a nd poor l ndra , qu it t i ng the form of the ca t, as

cended to hea ven , a nd resumed his pla ce am o ng the gods .

No do ubt he too l: c a re in fu tu re no t to o ffend a bram in .

Another scene in the hea ven of Indra , from the Shreebhaguvutu .

- 0n a certa in occa s io n , t he hea ven ly co urte

zans a nd others were d anc ing before the gods , w hen lndrawas so cha rm ed wi th the d a nc ing, and th e person o fOorv ushee, o ne o f the courteza ns , tha t he d ltl n o t perceivewhen h is spiri tua l gu ide BroopaSpu ty en tered the a s sembly,a nd neglec ted to pay h im the u sua l hono urs . Broopaspntywa s so incensed a t th is , th a t he a rose a nd left t he a ssem

bly. The gods , perce iv ing the cause , in th e u tm os t. con

s terna tion ,‘ wen t to l ndra , and m ade h im a cqu a in ted with

wha t had passed . The la tter i n trea ted the ode to Joinh im in seeking for the enraged B roopa spu ty bu t the spiritua l u ide had , by the power of yoga , rende red h imselfinvis ib e. At las t they found th e a ngry goo ro o in his ownhouse, a nd the gods jo in ing their peti tio n s to those ofIndra entrea ted tha t the offence m igh tbe forg iven . Broo

pas pu ty dec la red tha t he had for ever rejec ted Indra , andtha t h is reso lu tion wo uld no t be changed . Ind ra , ofl

'

end

ed tha t for so sm a ll a n offence he should be so harshlytrea ted , decla red tha t he wou ld m ake no fa rther concessions , bu t seek a no ther religio us gu ide . The gods approved of h is reso lu tio n , a nd ad vised h im to chooseV ishwu - roopu , a gia n t wi th three heads . ln process of

t im e, a t the suggest ion of h is m o ther, Vis hw a - roopn

bega n a sa crifice to procure the increa se o f the power

o f the gia n ts , the n a tu ra l enem ies o f the gods . lndra

heard o f th is , h url ing h is th unders on the h ea d of the

fa ith less pries t, des troyed h im in an ins ta n t . The fa ther

o f Vishwa - roopu hea rd o f h is son’

s dea th, a nd by the

m erit of a saerifice , ga ve birth to a-

gian t, a t the sight

of w hom lnd ra fled to Bram ba , w ho in form ed the kingo f the god s tha t this gian t cou ld no t be destroyed by all

h is th unders unless he co u ld persuade Dudheechee, a

sage , to renounce life , a nd give h im o ne o f h is bones . The

sage consen ted , and by the power of yoga reno unced life ;w hen Vishwukurm a m ade th is bone in to a th under- bolt,a nd the gia n t wa s des troyed . B u t imm edia tely on his

dea th , a terrific mons ter a ro se from the body to punish

Indra for h is bram in ic ide . Wherever the k ing of the

gods fled , th is m ons ter followed h im w ith h is m ou th open,ready to swa llow him up, t ill lndra took refuge in a place

where the mons ter co uld no t approach‘

h im however he

s a t down , a nd w a tched the trem bling cu lpri t. After

some t ime the gods began to be a la rm ed there was no

king in hea ven , a nd every th ing was fa lling in to complete'

d isorder. After consu lta tion , they ra ised to the throne

of hea ven , in h is bod ily sta te, Nuhooshu , who had per

formed the sacrifice of a horse one hundred times . When

HINDOO GODS .

Nuhoosh u enquired for Shuchee, the queen of h eaven , he

found she was in the parija ta forest . He sent for her

but she declared she would not come, as he had a hum an

and no t a divine body. The m essen ers remonstra ted

with her, but she fled to Bram ha who adv ised her to send

word to the new Indra , tha t she would live w ith h im , if

he wou ld come and fetch her with an equ ipage superiorto wha tever had been seen before in hea ven . Th is m essage wa s conveyed to the new Indra , who received it with

much joy, bu t took severa l days to cons ider in wha t wayhe sho uld go to fetch home the queen . At last, he re

so lved to be ca rried to her in the arms of some of the

principa l sages . As the procession was mov ing a long, the

king, in h is excessi ve a nxiety to arrive a t the pa rija taforest, kicked the sacred lock of ha iron the head o f Ugus

tyn, who became filled with rage, and , pronounc ing a

dreadful curse on the new lndra , threw h im down , and he

fell, in the form of a snake,upon a moun ta in on the earth .

—Vishnoo , perceiving th a t one lndra was kept a prisoner,and th a t a n o ther had been cursed and , sent down to the

earth , reso lved to find a remedy for this ev il, and cursingthe mons ter who had im pri soned the former king of the

gods, res tored h im to h is throne a nd kin dom .

Another scene in Indra’

s heavenf rom t eMa ha bha rat aw Narudu o ne d ay ca lled a t Krishna ’

s,hav ing wi th h im

a parijata flower from the heaven of Indra . The fra

grance of t h is flower filled thewhole place with its odours.

Neruda fi rst ca lled on Rookm inee, one of Krishna ’s

wives, and offered the flower to h er. She recomm ended

him to give it to Krishna , th a t he m igh t dispose of it a s

he chose. He next wen t to Krish na , who received h im

with grea t respec t Well— Narndu— you are com e a fter

a long abse nce Wh a t flower is th a t C a n’t you tell by

its fragran ce sa id Narada , It is the parija ta I

brough t it from Indra’s g a rden and I now presen t it to

you .

’ Krish na received i t w ith plea sure, a nd , a fter som e

further co n versa tion , Na ra da retired into ano ther pa rt of

the house and wa tched Krishna,to see to wh ich of his

wives he wo u ld give t h is flower, th a t he m igh t exc ite a

gnarrel in Kris hna

’s fam ily, a nd u ltim a tely a war betwixt

nshna a nd Ind ra Krishna , after Na ra d a h ad retired ,went to Ro okm inee , and ga ve the flower to her, wa rn ingher to keep it secret , les t Sa tya

- bh aw a (another of K riab

na’

s wives ) shou ld hea r of it . As soon a s Na ruda saw to

whom Krish na h ad given th e flower, he pa id a v isit to

Satya- bh a m a she received him with grea t a tten tion , and ,

after the first complim en ts were over, Na ra da fe tched a

deep s igh , wh ich Sutyu- bham a n o t icing , enqu ired the

cause. He seem ed to answer with relucta nce, wh ich

made Sutyu- bham a s till m ore inqu isitive . He then ac

knawledged tha t h is sorrow wa s on her a ccount . Heranxiety wa s now inflamed to the h ighest degree, and she

begged h im to tell her w ithout delay wha t he m ea nt . Ihave a lways cons id ered you ,

’says Nerud a , as the m ost

beloved Wife o f Krishna . The fam e of your h appiness

A house set apart for an angry wife, where she retires till her husband reconciles himselt to ber.

17

has reach ed heaven itself but from wha t I have seen today, I suspect tha t this is a ll m istake.

’ Why — Why ?’

a sked Sutyu- bhama m ost anxiously. Nara du then a n

folded to her, in the mos t ca utious m anner, the story ofthe flower I brough t from heaven ,

’says he, a parijata

flower ; a flower wh ich is not to he obtained on earth,and gave it to Krish na . I m ad e no doubt but he would

parcseu t i t to you ; to whom else shou ld be present ita t ins tead of tha t he wen t secretly to the apartments ofRookm inee, and gave the flower to her. Where then ish is love to

’

you- Su tyu

- bhuma asked wha t kind offlower th is wa s . Nara du decla red th a t it was not in h is

power to describe i t . Do yo u no t perce ive,’

said he,its odours ?

’ I perceived ,’

sa id Sutyu- bhum a , the

m os t deli htful fragrance, but I thought i t was from yourbody.

’lgarudu dec lared th a t h is body was offens ive,

and tha t it was the parija ta that difl'

a sed its odours a llaround. Bu t,

’says he , when you see Krishna, ask

h im to let you look a t i t .’

And do you think then,’

sa id Su tyu- hham a , th a t I sha ll speak to Krishna, or see

his face, a ny more-You are righ t,

’said Neruda he

d id no t even let you see so prec ious a jewel but secretlyga ve it to another.

’— The enraged Sutyu- bhuma m ade

the most solemn protesta t ions tha t she had done wi thKrishna for ever. Narada pra ised her for her resolution ,bu t hin ted , tha t if she ever d id make up the ma tter withKrishna , she shoui d ins ist upon his fetching one of thetrees from hea ven , a nd giving it to her. Narada havingthus la id the founda tion of a dreadful qua rrel betwixtKrish na and h is wife, and of a war with l ndra , withdrew

and Su tyu- bhama retired to the house of anger!

Some days after this , Krishna wen t to see Sutyu- bhawa ,

but cou ld not find her on ask ing the servan ts , they toldh im tha t she had on some account retired to the

ho use of a nger. No t be ing able to d isco ver the cause,

he went to her, and m ade use of every soo thing eXpressi

on but in va in . At la st he threw h imself a t her feet whenafter m any entrea ties she consen ted to be reconc iled , on

cond it ion tha t he should fetch one of the trees fromheaven , and pla nt it in her ga rden. Th is he engaged

to do , a nd sent Gurooru to Indra w ith h is respec ts : butcomm iss ioned Ga roo ru in case o f refusal to threa ten h imw ith wa r ; and if th is d id not a va il, to add tha t Krishnawould com e a nd tram ple on the body of h is queen , o verturn his th rone , a nd take the tree from h im by force .

Neither the entrea ties nor threats or Krish na mo ved In

dra wh o , on the con trary, sen t h im a defi a nce . Krishna ,on the return of Gu rooru , collected h is forces, and invadedhea ven . Dreadful h avock was m ade on both s ides . All

the hea vens were in a s tate of frigh tful uproar and the

gods, full o f ala rm , adv ised lndra to subm it, as he wo u ldcerta in ly be overc ome . At length Krishna let fly a

weapon ca lled Sood u rshunu , wh ich pursued th e foewhether he went . The ods aga in exhorted l ndra to

sue for peace, to preven t is immed ia te d estruction he

1 8 nm noo eons.

a t length took th is advice, and subm itted to the enragedKrishna , who carried off the tree in triumph , a nd appears

ed h is jealous wife Sutyn - bham a .

The fo llowing a re some of the names of this god : Indra ,or, the glorious .

—Muroo twa n , he who is surrounded b

the w inds .- Paku - shasunu , he who go verns the gods wi th

justice .— Pooroohootu , he who wa s in vited to a sacrifice

perform ed by king Pooroo .— Poorunduroo , he who de

stroys the dwellings of his enem ies.— Jrshnoo , the con

querer.— Shukru , he who is equal to every th ing

— Shu

t umunyoo , he who perform ed a hundred sa crifices .— De

v uspu tee, the god o f the hea vens . —Gotrubhid , he who

clipt the w ings o f the moun ta ins .

* -B ajree , he who wieldsthe thunder- bolt.+— Vritruha , he who des troyed the gi

a nt Vritru .— Vrisha , the holy.

— Soo roo -

pu tee, the kingof the gods .

— Bulara tee , the destro er of Bulu , a'

a nt .

Hurihuyu, he who is drawn b yel ow hon ed —Eumooch isoodunu , the destroyer of umoochee , a gian t.

— Sun

krundunu , he who causes the wives o f h is enem ies to

weep.— Toora sha t , he who is able to bear all th ings .

Meghu - vah a n a , he who rides on the clouds.— Suhusrak

sbu, he who has a thousand eyes .:l:

UGNE E .

( P la te No .

This god is represented as a red corpulent man , with

eyes, eye- brows , beard , a nd ha ir, of a tawny colour. He

ri des on a goa t ; wears a po ita , and a necklace made

w ith the fruits of eleocarpus ganitrus . From his bodyissue seven s treams of glory, and in h is right hand he

h olds a spea r. He is the so n of Kushyupu a nd Uditee.

Ugues has his forms of wors h ip, med ita tion , Ste. likeo ther gods, bu t is espec ia lly worsh ipped , under d ifferent

names , a t the time of a bu rn t offering, when c la rified but

ter is presen ted to h im . The gods a re sa id to ha ve two

mon ths , v iz. tha t o f the bram in , and of fire (Ugues ) .At the fu ll moon in the mon th Maghu , when da nger

from fire is considera ble, some perso ns wors h ip this god

before the image of Bram ha w ith the accus tomed cere

monies , for th ree days. When a ny particular work is to

be done by the agency of fire, a s when a kiln of bricks isto be burn t, th is god is worsh ipped ; a lso when a tria l byordeal is to be performed .

Some bram ins are d is tingu ished by the name sagn iku ,because they use sa cred fire in a ll the ceremonies in wh ic h

YAMA.

( Pla te No .

This god is called the ho ly king, who judges the dead .

His image is tha t of a green m a n, wi th red garmen ts ; ihflamed eyes ; ha ving a crown on h is head , and a flowerstuck in h is ha ir s it ting on a bufl

'

a loe , w ith a club in h isright ha nd . His d readfu l teeth , grim aspec t, a nd terrificshape, fill the inhabitants of the three worlds with terrors .

An annua l fes tival is held in honour o f Yam s , on thesecond day of the moon

’s increase in the mon th Kartika ,

when an image of clay is m ade, and worshipped with th eth is elemen t is used , from the t ime of birt h to the bu rn u sua l ceremonies for one day, a nd then thrown in to theing of the body a fter dea th . This fire is preserved in honour of the god U nee, and to uiake religious ceremonies

m ore merito rious .

Ugues a s one of the gua rdian deities of the earth , is

worsh ipped a t the commencement of every fes tiva l. He

pres ides in the S . E .

l t is ssid, tbs t formerly the mous tains hsd wings , andinto all parts of the earth and crushed to s tem towns ,;ctt les ,

4‘ In this l ndra resembles Jupiter Fulmins tor.I Mr.Wilkins eondders l ndm with Ne thoa sand eyes , ss s deificstlon

“There rnsy be some resernblsnee ln this to the eustorn of the llnp sns ins perpetnal fire in the temple of Vesta .

river. No bloody sacrifices are offered to this god .

Yam s is a lsowersh ipped a t the commencemen t ofo therfestiva ls as one of the ten guardian deities of the ea rth .

He pres ides in the Sou th .

E very day the Hindoos offer wa ter to Yams , in the cc

remony ca lled turpunu, as well a s a nnua lly on the 1 4th

5 l t is veeyg

mmon to see s flower, which has been resented to anstuck in the ch of bair whlch the Hindoos tie beh the head . Thisdone ander the idea ths t the flower h s some virtne tn i t. Sever-el m

{St eube thhmcdu ss d promlse rewsrds to the n who plaees in

80dr dowers w h hsv

'

e been presented to hts deitymr to sny othh

:

Bhrigoo , a sagn iku bram in and a grea t sage, oncecursed h is gua rd i a n deity Ugues , because the la tter hadnot delivered Bhrigoo

’

s w ife from the ha nds o f a gian t ,who a ttempted to Viola te her cha s t i ty when she was in a

s ta te,of pregnancy. The ch ild , ho wever, spra ng from her

womb, a nd reduced the gran t to a shes . Bh rigoo doom edthe god to ea t every thing. Ugues a ppea led to the a s

sembled god s, a nd Bram h a soo thed him by prom is ingtha t wha tever he a te shou ld become pu re . Ugues wa sa lso once c ursed by o ne of the seven rishees, who turnedh im in to c i nders .

Urjoonu , the brother of Yoodh isth iru , a t the entrea tyof Ugues , set fire to the fores t Kh undu vu , in order tocure h im of a su rfei t con trac ted in the followi ng m a n ner :

Muroo tu , a lu ng, entered upon a sacrifice wh ich occ upied him twelve m on ths , d un ng the whole of which timeclarified butter had been pouring on the fire, in a s treama s th ick as a n elephan t

’

s trunk : a t length Ugues co u ldd iges t no mo re, a nd he intrea ted Urjoonu to burn th is forest , tha t he m ight ea t the m edic ina l plan ts and obta inh is appetite aga i n .

Swa ha , the daugh ter of Kushyupu , was married to Ugnee. Her name is repea ted a t the end of every incantation used a t a burnt offering, as well as in some o ther c crem onies . The reason of this honour is a ttribu ted to Ugnee

’

s uxoriousness .

The hea ven of th is god is ca lled Ugues - loku . His principa l names a re : Vun hee, o r, he who receives the c la rified bu tter in the burnt sacrifice (hom u ).— Veetiho tru , hewho purifies those who perform the hom u .

— Dhununjuyu ,he who conquers (des troys ) riches .

— Kripeetuyonee, hewho is bo rn from rubbing two st icks together.

— q luuu ,he who burns .

- Ugues , he to whom fuel is presen ted .

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20 HINDOO GODS.

m an o thers, by making their bellies immensely large,a nd their m ouths as sma ll a s the eye o f a need le ; o thers,by feed ing them wi th red hot ba lls ; o thers , by throwingthem in to pi ts filled with devouring worm s and insects , o rwi th fire. In o ther places he saw those who had practised severe m ort ifica tions liv ing in a s ta te of the grea tes tm agn ificence ; a nd women who had been burnt on the funera l pile, s itting w ith their h usbands, enjoying the grea test deligh ts . As he was com ing away, he saw prepa rations m aking for the reception of some one in the h igheststyle o f grandeur, a nd a sked the messengers who was toenjoy th is . The messengers replied tha t i t was for on e o fh i s neighbours , a very ho lyma n , whose appo in ted t im e wasnearly expired , and who , in fac t, d ied soon a fterwa rds .

A s tory very sim ilar to th is is o ften rela ted of a personn am ed Buluram u, of the vo idyu ca st, who lived some

years ago a t Chopee , nea r Nudeeya . Th is m an , to a lla ppeara nce, d ied ; a nd was lying by the s ide o f the Ga n

ges, wh ile h is rela tion s were oo lle c tin the wood a ndo ther m a teria ls to burn the body. Belgre the fire wa sli h ted, however, the body began to mo ve, a nd in a litt lew ile, the dead m a n arose , and told h is friends of h is having been carried by m istake to Yuma luyu, where h e sawterrific si h ts of the pun ishmen ts of the wicked . Thisr

lgan livesfifteen yea rs after th is journey to Yama ’

s pa

as .

The following s tory was in vented , no doubt, in order

to check exc ess ive sorrow fer decea sed rela t ions . A richbram in had on ly one son , who grew up to m an hood , a nd

was loved a lmos t to distraction by h is paren ts .

'

l Th is so n

however, died in h is yo uth , a nd h is w ife wa s burnt with

h im on the funeral pi le . The fa ther and muther were so

o verwhelmed with d istress , tha t for years they re fused a ll

com fort. Dui ing th is time, an o ld servant , who had ser

ved the bram in m a ny yea rs , a nd had ea ten of his food ,Id ied , a nd, for his meri t, was made one of Yam a

’s emeers .

Th is m an was going one day to fetch the soul of some onefrom the village where he had o nce lived , an d saw h isforni er mas ter weeping by the s ide o

f the roa d fo r the loss

of his son . Assum ing h is o ld form , he ra ised up his ma ster

, and endea voured to comfort him , but in va in . Hethen told h im , tha t he was become one o f Yama

’s officers ,

on account o f the merit he had obta ined by serv ing h im

( the bram iu) a nd e a ting of h is food ; a nd tha t now, th

remove his sorrow. he would take h im a nd shew h im hisson . The old m an go t on h is back, a nd the officer immed iately c arried h im to the residence of Yam a , a nd

shewed h im h is son a nd daugh ter- in-Jaw in the grea test

happiness , surrounded with every deligh t, playing a t

chess . But the son ha ving lost all afi'

ect ion for h is parent would no t even look a t him , tho ugh exh orted to i tby h is wife. He replied , tha t in numerous transm igrations i t w a s very likely tha t t his old m an m ight ha ve been

This instrument is used for the pun ishment of adulterers. When Ravana was ontrying oh

’ Seeta by”

force , she reminded him , that for this crime he

would have to go into the-burning arms o f this image after death .

1 The Hindoos in general ca rry their a tta tchmen t to chi ldren , especially to“

t ens , to th e greatest excesaw—‘I'

hey are amazed a t the u n used want of a f

fection in E uropeans , who leave their parents in o rder to traverse foreigncountries , some of them withou t th e hope of ever seeing them aga in

I Its a very meri torious action for a soodra to eat the lea vings (i f a in ln

iin . Hence a m dra wtll serve a bram in tar a thertess wages than - i o

t er person .

his son a ga in a nd aga in . The old man was so incensed, tosee th a t h is daugh ter

- i h - law had m ore a ffec tion for him

than h is own son, fo r whom he wa s d ing with grief, that

he des ired the constable to ca rry im back . The old

bram inee wou ld no t believe tha t her son's a fl

'

ectiuns

were thus a liena ted from them : the con s table, therefore,carried her a lso to see h im , but she me t w ith the same

trea tmen t . They bo th immed ia tely renounced the ir grief

for a son who had los t a ll his fili a l afi'

eCt ion , and resolved

to thin k no more abo ut h im .

O ther s tories abou nd - i h the poora nus respec t ing Ya

m a , some of w hich rela te to d isputes betwixt the messen

gers o f th is god a nd those o f some o ther god , abou t the

sou l of a departed person, whe ther it s h all be happy or

m iserable . We insert two of these stories : When the sageUn itnanduv u was a ch i ld of five years o ld , he put s straw

in to the ta ilof a locust , and le t i t fly away. In ad van c

ed yea rs , while once employed in perform ing religion

a usteri ties , he wa s seized as a th ief by the o fficers of jurtice, and, as he ga ve no a nswer on h is tria l, the kingtook it for granted tha t he was guilty a nd ordered him to

be impa led . After he had been impaled fo ur years , He

body h ad undergo ne no change, and tho ugh he appea l s!

perfectly insens ible to h uman objects , he wa s evi

a live . The king, being in form ed of this , was filled w'

lhas to ni shmen t, and declared tha t he wa s certa inly sons

grea t asce tic, equa l to one of the god s. He then imme

d ia tely ordered h im to be taken down ,bu t in end evnnr'

ugto extrac t the wood upon wh ich he had been impa led, itbroke w ith in his body. The sa ge was then suffered to de

pa rt, a nd , a fter som e t ime, h is religious abs tra ct ion W8

i n terrupted , though h is m ind h ad been so set upon h'

s

god , th a t neither impa ling h im for fou r yea rs , no t break

ing the s take w ith in h is body, had d isturbed h is in tense

devotion . On awak ing from th is s ta te he d iscovered whathad been done to h im , and tha t he had suffered a ll thisfrom the h a nds of Y am a , for ha v ing pierced the locus

when he wa s a child . He was exceed ingly a ngry w i th

Y am a for such unrighteous judgmen t . To pun ish a per

son for a sin com m it ted a t the age of five years, a nd form»

sm a ll a c rime to impa le h im for years , was wha t he could

n o t bea r. He then cursed Y am a , a nd doomed h im to be

bo rn on earth , a nd to take the name of Vidooru , the son

o f a serva n t girl in the house of the m o ther of Vedu - vya

eu .—How the adm in istra tion of j ust ice in the o the r world

wa s carried on a fter Yama assumed human birth ; this

eto does not rela te. Wha t a n excellent religion fo r a

w in ed m a n The crim ina l c an pun ish h is judge !Ujam ilu had comm it ted the m os t enorm ous crimes,

h a v ing killed cows a nd bram ins , dra nk spirits , a nd liv

ed in the prac tice of evil a ll h is days . H e had fo urs ons ;the n am e o f one wa s Na rayunu . i n the hour of dea th Ujam iin wa s extrem ely th irsty, and thus called to his son

HINDOO GODS. 21

Narayunu , Narayuna , Narayunu ,giveme somewater.’

After h is decease , the m essengers of Yama seized him ,

and were about to drag h im to a place o fpun ishmen t,when

Vishnoo’s messengers came to rescue h im . A furious

battle ensued, but V ishnoo’s messengers were victo rious,

and ca rried off Ujam ilu to Voikoontu, the hea ven ofVishnoo. The m essengers of Yama enraged , returned to their

master, th rew their clothes a nd sta ves a t h is feet, a nd de

clared th a t they would serve him no longer, as th ey got

noth ing but disgra ce in a ll they d id . Yama ordered

Chitru -

gooptu , the recorder, to exam ine h is books . He

did so , a nd reported tha t th is Ujam ilu had been a most notorious s inner, and tha t it was impossible for h im to reck

on u his s ins, they were so numerous . Yama ha stened

to o ikoo n tn, a nd dem anded of Vishnoo a n explana tion

of th is ad'

a ir. Vishnoo rem inded h im , tha t however wicked th is man m ight have been , he had repea ted the name

Narayuna i n his last momen ts ; and tha t he (Yam a ) ough tto know, th a t if a ma n , either when la ugh ing, o r by acci

story respecting thisMarriage : Yama was so'

pleased withth is female, on accoun t of herha ving performed the Boodhashtumee vrntu, tha t he appeared to her, a nd offered herm arriage. She was ala rmed a t the si ht of this stra n er,

a nd asked h im who he was . When s e found i t was a

m a , the judge of the dead , who was thus aying h is addresses to her, she was filled with terro r. g’ama ca lmedher fears, a nd permi tted her to acqua int her bro ther, ashe would be full of d istress after her departure if he wereleft in ignorance. Her brother told her she wa s certa in lym ad Wha t to be ma rried to Yama ! A fine husbandtru ly She however consen ted , a nd Yam a conveyed herto his pa lace, bu t cha rged her never to go to the so uthwards . She suspec ted th a t there Yam a had a no ther favourite, and would not be sa tisfied till he had expla inedto her, tha t h is rea sons for forbidd ing her to go so u thWards, were, tha t there the wicked were punished , andtha t she wou ld not be able to hear so d readful a s i ht.All these warn ings , however, were given in va in : w ile

dent, or in a nger, or even in derision , repea ted the name of Yama was one day busy, she took another fem a le or two ,Vishnoo , he would certa inly go to heaven tho ugh , likeUjamilu, covered with crimes, he had not a single metitori

ous deed to lay in the ba lance aga inst them .— This is the

doctrine tha t is universa lly ma in ta ined by the grea t body

of the Hind oos : hence, when a person in a dying si tua tion

is brough t d own to the river side, he is never exho rted to

repentance , but is u rged in h is last momen ts to repea t the

names of ce rta in gods , as h is passpo rt to hea ven . A

Hindoo sho p- keeper one da decla red tha t he should

live in the practice of adu tery, lying, 8tc . ti ll dea th ,and that then, repea ting the name of Krishna , heshould, with out d ifi culty, a scend to hea ven . How shockthis sentim en t ! How dreadful th is m is take !

Descripti on of the hea ven of l’

cum ,from theMa ha bharstu. Th i s hea ven , form ed by Vishwukurm a , is 800m ilesin circumference. From hence a re excluded the fea r o f

enemies, an d sorrow bo th of body and m ind ; the clima te

is mild and sa lubrious and ea ch one is rewa rded in kind ,according to h is works : thus, he who has given m uch awayonearth , rec eives a fa rgreater quan ti ty of the same thingsin hea ven . He who has no t been liberal, w ill ha ve o therkinds of ha ppiness , and will see food , houses , la nds, 8t c .

but will rec eive no thing. All kinds of excellen t food a re

here heaped up into moun ta ins ! To th is heaven ha vebeen ra ised a grea t number ofHindoo kings , whose namesare given in theMuhabha ru tu . The plea sures of th isheaven are like those of l ndra -

pooru : the senses are sa tiated with gra tifica tions as gross a s the writer of th is pooranu, the licen tious Vya su , cou ld m ake them .

Yama m a rried Vijuyu , the daugh ter of Veeru a bramin. The Bhuvishyu pooranu conta ins the following

This seems to be a hesven for glnt tons l1 The river Ynmoona .

and wen t southwa rds , till the cries of the damned hadnearly terrified her to d istrac tion . To add to the horror ofthe scene, she saw her mo ther in torments . On her return, Yam a found h er in a s ta te of the grea tes t d is tres s,and soon disco vered the ca use . She insisted on Yam a

’

s delivering her mo ther tha t very day, or he shou ld see herface no more. Yam a decla red th is to be impossible ;tha t her own bad conduc t had brough t her th ere, andtha t she cou ld only be delivered accord ing to the forms ofshas tru , after suffering the punishment due to her. Vij uyu became impa t ien t and clamorous ; t ill

“

Yama toldher, tha t i f she cou ld get the merit o f the Bood hastumeev rutu , had been th ree days in the pa ins ofch ild h irth , andtha t i f she would perform a certa in ceremony, wh ich hedescribed to her, the queen wo uld be delivered , and wou ldin return tra nsfer the m erits o f th is vru ta to her mo ther,who would immed ia tely be delivered from tormen ts .

V ijuyu took th is hd vice, a nd thus procured the deliveranceof her m other from hell.

Yama’s princ ipa l n ames are : Dhurmu

- raju, or, the holy king.

—Pitripu tee, the lord o f the ancien ts .— Sum u

vurtt t e , he who j udges impartia lly.— Pre tu - ra t , the lo rd

of the dead .— K ri ta n tu , the des troyer.

- Yumoona - bhra ta ,the brother of Y um oona st— Shum unu , he who levels a ll.— Yam a - ra t, the ch ief of the fourteen Y am as .I— Yama ,he who mkes ou t of the world . Ra lu , time .

— l) undudhut u , he who ho lds the rod of pun ishmen t

— Shradh u - devu ,the god of the cerem on ies pa id to deceased a nces tors ; or,he who ea ts h is sha re o f the shraddhu .

— Voivusn u tu, theson of Vivu swut, or, Sooryu .

— Un tuku, he who kills, or

puts an end to life.

1 Yama has thirteen assistants, whose names are here given asMomentnames of this jodge of the dead .

HINDOO GODS .

CHAPTE R III.

NY ROOTHE Y .

The Fo u rth G ua rdian of the World .

(P la te N o .

Acco rd ing to Hind o o Mytho lo c y there ex i s ted in

o ld en t im es a G ia n t ca lled Nyro o ili ey, a fierce v ile a nd

a ba n d o ned subjec t in th e wo rld,bu t by perfo rm ing

re lig io u s a usteri t ies, o f a very se ve re a nd in c red ible

n a ture in th e m id st o f live p i les o f e ver- bu rn ing wo o d

o f fi ve spec ies, w hich m a y be c o m pa red , n o t W i th the

Rom ish Pu rga to ry, bu t W i th fi ve h igh ly h ea ted he lls,w h i c h h e vo lun ta ri ly u nderwen t fo r the exp ia t ion o f

h is s in s w h ic h he fu lfi lled by s ta nd i ng o n t ip- to e in

the m id s t o f the se e ve r bu rn ing co m bu s t ibles fo r a n age

o f a. th o u sa nd yea rs he a t the ex li ira t io n o f th is pe

riod o b ta in ed sa lva t io n , by the gra c io u s fa vo ur a nd

fo rgive n e ss o f S iva the e verla st ing go d ,- wh o in re

com pen se o f Nyro o t hey’

s si ngu la r a nd se vere re lig i o u s

aus teri t ie s, w a s plea sed to ele va te h im to the ra n k a nd

m ajesty o f a G o d , a n d c o n ferred o n h im the hea ve n lyd ign i ty o f pres id ing a s th

e gu a rd ia n de i ty o f the So u th

West p o rt io n o f the wo rld , equ a l in e very respec t to

the ble ss ed ness a nd d ign i ty w h ich th e pre ced ing gua r

d ian d e i t ies enj o yed a nd wh ich s ta t ion h e o ccup ies to

the pre se n t tim e .

Th is go d is represen ted a s a d a'

l 'k- blue colo u red m a n ,

wi th in fl am ed eye s, w i th two tusks proj e c t ing o u t o f

h is m o u th . 81 C . i n fa c t h e is represen ted by the Hin

do o s a s bea ring th e m o st h ideo u s a spec t im ag in a ble .

His c o n veyan ce is a m o n s tro u s g ia n t , a d ia bo lica l

be ing, o ne o f th e five c la sses o f g ia n ts c a lled P ram o d

hag rm n u m , o n whm e sho u ld ers h e is bo rn e a ll o ve r t he

wo rld i n a n i n s ta n t o f t im e,even sw i fter th a n the

co urse o f th e w ind .

The w e apon s Nyro o th ey u ses, are a guddah , o r c lub,a swo rd a nd a d iscu s . [t is s u rpris ing Nyro o th ey h as

on ly o n e w i fe n am ed Deergh eka- Da vy

— qu ite u n like

the cu s t om o f a ll t h e o th e r Hind o o go d s, w h o a re sa id

to po sse ss a plu ra li ty o f th em . Nyro o th ey h a s the fu ll

and u n in terrup ted go ve rnm en t o f th a t po rt io n o f the

w o rld a ss igned to h im by S iva , c a lled Ra tch a vu t tyo r a co u n try o f g ia n ts, w h ich i s m o re o v er sa id to be

inh abi ted by o the r five c la sses o f very fero c i o u s a nd

wicked g ia n t , v iz .—Bho o tnm Pra tum ,

Da uken ny,Sa n

'

lt enny, l’ra m a d h aga n n um a n d It a u ch a sa ga n num

lt a ch a vu t ty is de sc ribed by the Hind o o S u s tree s to be

a glo om y a nd u n cu lt i va ted fo rest, o verru n by in n u

23

One o f the nam rs o f Nyro o th ey being Ne it a l hntm ajah is given h im in consequence o f the belief o f the Hindoo : that , when a gian t is bornhe u a t tha t m omen t 25 yea rs o ld . a nd therefo re ca pable o f knowing good and evil, and commi ts sin even when in the womb. An immenrschild iudeed twen ty five years o ld when born - the Hi ndoo : fai thfully believe this.

m erab le spec ies o f w i ld bea sts o f indescribable shapes,u po n wh ic h a lo n e th e inh ab i ta n ts o f N yro o they

’

s d o

m in io n s l ive— h e is a cc o u n ta ble to S iva fo r th a t po r

t io n o f the w o rld com m i t ted to h is ke eping , h e is

there fo re sa id to be a c t ive a n d v igila n t i n th e equ i ta b legovernm en t o f h is d o m in io n s , a nd

'

bes to w s co n st a n t

c a re towa rd th e pro tec t io n o f the sam e . Nyro o th ey is

n eve rthe less tyra n n ic a l a n d o ppress ive to th e inh a bi ta n ts

o f h is c o un try wh o a re a ll like h im se lf a w icked ra ce .

H o wever th e gu a rd ia n d e i t ie s o f the o ther po rt io n o f

the w o rld h a ve n o a u th o ri ty to in term edd le w ith the

a ffa irs o f hi s d om in io n s .

Nyro o th ey, h a s fifteen n am es, v iz. Ra tcha sa , o r the

gia n t, Ko n apa h a , o r h e th a t feeds o n ca rc a se s o f g ia n ts

a nd be a st s, Khra ve a d o r Kh ra ve a d a h , he w h o se w ays

a re u n rea so n a b le, u nju s t a nd ir i egu la r,—Ra t re n ch a ra.

o rRa trechera , o r a w a n de re r in d a rk n igh ts, C a rbo n

ra h , o r th e bla ck co lo ured , Neka sh a tm aja h , o r h e tha tis bo rn a s in ner‘“ o r o n e th a t c o mm its in c est w i th h is

m o the r o r s i s te rs,

- Y a t th o o d a n a h , o r a n u nm erc ifu l

tyra n t, Po o n ia hje n n a o r a sin fu l be ing, Nyro o th o o , o r

th e gua rd ia n o f the So u th -w es t co rn e r o f th e w o rld

Y a t th o o,Ra tch a va t ty o r the k ing o f Ra tch a vu t ty,

Asso ra o r th e gu a rd ia n o f th e Asso ra s, the in h abi ta n ts

o f Ra tch a vu t ty, a nd Asso o ra pa h .

In the m a rriage cerem o n ies o f Bram ins wh ich is

c a lled Sud d us a t wh ich t im e the wh o le a ssembly o f

gues ts pro n o un ce a bened ic t io n o n the Brid a l pa ir,the gu a rd ia n de i t ies w i th t he ex cept io n o f An a n t a

,a re

w o rsh ip ed by them ,a nd a prayer is add re ssed to ea ch

d e i ty, w t en a li t tle rice co lo u red w i th sa ffro n is pu t

in e igh t sm a ll po rt ions, in a c ircu la r tray in e igh t

po in ts to represen t th e gu a rd ia n d e i t ies— a n d a po r

t io n is pu t in the cen tre o f the tray to represen t Bram

h a a nd h i s w i fe Seru swa tee,— Omm o n c e rem o n ie s to

the n ine Pla n e ts, c a lled N a vagragum is then perfo rm

e d— then a ll th ese d e i t ies a re invo ked by th e a ssemb ly,t o pro tect, gu a rd an d bless th e n u pt ia l pa ir.

The H ind o o s a ssert th a t a ltho ugh Nyro o th ey, bythe n am es h e h ea rs

,is in ve ry deed a s in fu l a nd ty

ra n n ic a l d e i ty t o th e inh ab i ta n ts o f h is own d om in io n s,

ye t h e is m erc iful a n d kind t o the i nh ab i ta n ts o f th e

o th er pa rts o f the w o rld a nd them selves, a nd they co n

sequen t ly i nvoke a nd pra ise h im as a n in d u lgen t andm erc i fu l d e i ty. Th is go d is priv i leged to go roundthe w o rld bo rne o n th e sh ou lders o f h is swift ra cer the

gian t o n v isi ts o f le a sure, pa rt icu la rly to Kyla sa ,( S iva

’s resid en ce,) a t t ia logum , Vyco o n ta h , St e .

2 1

VAHOONA

The Fifth Gua rd ia n of the I’Vo rld .

( P la te N o .

Th is is th e god o f the w a ters . H is im age is pa in ted

w h i te ; h e s i t s o n a se a - a n im a l c a lled m uku ru,w i th a

rope" in h is righ t h a nd .

Va ro o na’

s n a m e is repea ted d a ily in th e w o rsh ip o f

th e bram in s ; bu t h is im age is n e ve r m a d e (o i w o r

sh ip, n o r h a s h e a ny pu blic fe s t iva l o r tem ple . He i s

w o rsh ipped h o we ver a s o n e o f t he gu a rd ia n d e i t ie s o f

the ea rt h a nd a lso by th o se w h o fa i m the la ke s in

Be nga l, be fo re th ey go o u t a fish ing a n d in t im es o f

d ro u gh t peo ple re pe a t h is n a m e to o b ta in ra iu .

‘l'

A s to ry o f th is go d i s c o n ta in ed in the l’udm u po o r

a n um to th is pu rpo rt Ra va n a w a s o n ce c a rrying a n

u n ad ee- linga from Him a lya t o in o rd e r th a t

h e m igh t a ccom pl ish a ll h is a m bi t io u s sch em e s aga ins t

the go d s , fo r i t w a s the pro pe rty o f th is s to n e , a lso

c a l led kam ufi - linga , to gra n t the w o rsh ippe r a ll h is

d es ire s, w h a teve t th ey m igh t be . S iva,h ow e ver

,

w hen perm i t t ing Ha va n a to rem o ve th is h is im age to

Lu nka , m a d e h im pro m ise th a t w he rever h e su ffe red i t

t o to u ch th e gro u nd , th e re i t sh o u ld rem a in . Wh e nth e go ds sa w th a t Ha va n a w a s ca i rying th is s to n e t o

Lu nka , a ll th e h ea v en s were i i i a s ta te o f ag i ta t io u fo r

t h e go d s kn ew ,th a t i f Ha va n a c o u ld be pe rm i t ted to

a cc o m plish h is W i shes,n e i th er ln d ra n o r a ny o th e r go d

w o u ld co n t inu e o n

‘

h i s th ro ne . Co u n c i l a tter c o u n c il

w a s he ld , a nd a ppl ica t io n s m a d e to d iffe re n t go d s in

v a in . It w a s a t la s t reso lved th a t Va ro o n a sh o uld

e n te r th e be lly o f Ha va n a , wh o w o u ld t h e reby be

c om pe lled to se t th e sto ne d o w n,

‘

w h i le d isc h a rgingh is u rine .“Va re nn a a cco rd ingly e n tered the be l ly o f

Ha va na,

a s he w a s c a rrying the h uge o n h is he a d ;a n d th e la t ter so o n bega n to fee l the effec ts o f h is v is it .

H is be lly swe lled pro d ig io u s ly,—he pro ceed ed h o w

e ver o n h is jo u i n ey, t i ll a t la s t h e c o u ld wa i t n o lo nger.

A t th is m o m en t l nd ra,i n th e fo rm o f a n o ld bra m iu ,

m e e t ing h im , Ha va n a , a fte r a sking w h o h e w a s,a nd

w he re he w a s go ing, e n tre a ted h im to ho ld the linga

fo r a sh o rt t im e, pro m is i ng to bes to w o n h im th e gre a t

e st fa v o u rs ; to w h ic h the bram iu c o n sen ted , agree ingt o h o ld th e s to ne a n ho u r

,bu t n o lo nger. Ha va n a

to ld h im h e w o u ld n o t d e ta in h im h a lf th a t t im e ; a n d

squ a t ted o n h is h am s to t id li im se lf o f Va ro o n a . Aft er

h e ha d th us sa t fo r (o ur h o u rs, the bra m in c o m pla in

Th is weapon is ca lled peel- ii . and ha s th is property. th a t whom so

ver i t ca t ches , i t binds en ta nt t ha t h e Ca n n e ver ge t lo o se . A ll the

gods , g ia n t s , rs k shu sus . Ste . lea rn the u se o f t li is w ea pon .

A t t he t im e o f a d ro ugh t . i t is com m o n fo r bram ins t o si t inc ro wd s by th e s ide s o f the Ga nges . o r a ny e th e r ri ve r. a nd addre s s the ir

pra ye rs to th is god . I t is repo rt ed th a t w hen K rishu n t h un ti ru the

Raj a h o f Nuvu d we epu gave presen t s to va s t m u l t i tude s o f bi am insth us employed . tha t i i i the m ids t o f the ir prayers , Y a roo na sent s

p len ti ful supply o f ra in .

1: Ceylon . fil’

Ksmi‘

i means desire.

HINDOO GODS .

I] Ri i va na could no t h o ld the lingo wh i le in th is ac t . a s e perso n here

by becom e s un c lea n u n t i l h e ha s ba thed T h i s is the s tric t ru le o f th0

sha s tra a t prese n t li o vve v s r. sho u ld it perw n . i n the m i ds t o f h is wo t

sh ip . be com pe lled to d i scha rge urine , he do es n o t ba the , but onlych a nge s h is c lo thes

T h e Hi n do o s d o no t do r k the wa ter o f th is riVer . bu t ba the in s iid

dri nk th e w a t er o f a poo l t here , n h ich th ey ha ve ca lled Nu vu 5 008‘s

Viz t h e Ne w G ungn.

Among th e s e dei ties a re included gods of wells, pools, lskel t

ba sins, Wh irlpools, h e.

ing h e co u ld h o ld th e stone n o longer, th rew i t d own

w h en th e lower pa rt s u nk in to the w o rld o f th e hyd ras ,

a n d the to p is s a id to be v is ible t o th i s d a y a t Vo id yu

n a t’

h n , a pla ce i n the z i lla h o f Bee rbh o om ,w h e re the

ri ve r Khurso o is be lie ved to h a ve a ris en fro m t h e u rine

o f th i s e n em y o f th e go d s .§ Ha va n a , wh e n h e a ro se,

a n d sa w w h a t h ad take n pla ce , wen t h o m e fu l l o f rage

a nd d isa ppo in tm en t : so m e a c co u n ts a d d , th a t h e w en t

a n d f ough t w i th the go d s ru th e m o s t fu rio u s m a n n er.

Th e h e a ve n o f th is g o d , c a lled Va ro o n a- lo k n ,

i s 800

m i les in c irc um fe ren ce, a nd w as fo rm ed by Vish

w uku rm a , the d iv ine a rch i te c t . In the c e n t re is a

ra nd ca n a l o f pu re wa te r. Va ro o n a , a n d h is queen%’a ro o n e e, s i t o n a th ro n e o f d iam o n d s ; a n d a ro und

th em the c o u rt, a m o ng w h o m a re S um o o d ru,( l u ngs ,

a n d o th e r rive r go d s a nd go dd esses ;‘W t h e t we lve

Ad i tyu s, a nd o the r de i t ies ; th e hyd ra s ; Oira vu tu the

d o i tyu s ; the d a n u v u s, & c . Th e p le a su re s o f th is

h e a ven c o n s is t in the gra t rfic a tio n o f th e sc o re s,a s in

the h e a ven s o f l n d ra a nd o th e rs . There d o e s n o t seem

to be a ves t ige o f a ny th ing he re , bu t w h a t w o u ld ex

a c t ly m ee t the w ish e s o f a libe rt in e .

A scene in the hea ren of Va ro ana z— N im c e , a k ing,in vi ted Vush ish t

’

h u to pres ide a s pries t o ve r th e cere

m o n ie s a t a sa crific e h e w a s a bo u t to pe rfo rm . Vus

h ish t’lru be ing e ngaged a t th a t t im e a s pries t to per

fo rm a sa c rifice fo r so m e o th er king, from w h om he

expec ted v e ry la rge p re sen ts , e x cu sed h im se l f fo r the

pre sen t ; w hen IN In ree , a lter u s in e n tre a t y in va in,

em ployed an o th er sage a s pries t . fil tl h ll is t ll ’h u h uv inco n c lu ded t he sa cr i fi c e i tr w h i ch h e w a s en gaged:pro ceede d t o th e pa la ce o f N tn rce ; bu t h e a ri ng tha t

the king h a d em p lo yed a n o th e r pries t , w a s fi lle d w i th

rage , a nd pro n o u n c ed a cu rse o n the king, by w h ich he

w a s red u ced to a she s . Be fo re th e c u rse to o k effec t,

h ow ever, the king cu rsed Vu sh ish t'

h u,a n d red uced

h is bo dy a lso to a sh es . T ire so u l o f Vish ish t’

h u a s

cen ded to Brum h a , to enqu ire h o w h e w a s to pro cure

a bo d y aga in . B rii m h a sa id,

G o t o th e go d s Va

t o o n a a n d So u ris h .

’He we n t a nd ob ta in ed h is body

in th e fo llow ing m a n n er : S o o ria h , c a pt iva ted w i th the

s igh t o f Oo rvu sh ee , a co n rteza n , a s sh e Wa s d a n c ing in

Ind ra’s h ea ven , i n v i ted h e r to h is h o u se . As she w as

go ing, Va ro o n a m e t her, a n d bec am e en a m o u red o f

her a lso . [He re the s t o ry beco m es t o o fi lthy to be

w rit ten . From th e i nfl a m ed pa ss io n s o f these

tw o go d s Ugu s tyu , a n em in e n t a sce t i c , w a s bo rn , a nd

Vu sh ish t hu , o ne o f the m o st e xa lted o f the H indoo

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HINDOO GODS. 25

sa ints, ob ta ined a new body . The priests wh o h a d

been em ployed by l\ im ee, fea ring th ey sh o u ld lo se a ll

emplo ym e n t h erea fte r i f th ey su ffered the k ing thu s to

perish , a t the c lo se o f th e sa c rifice fo rm ed from the a sh e s

o f a yo u ng m a n , to wh om th eyga ve the n am e o f Junu

ku, wh o be ca m e the (a ther o t B ee ta , the w i fe o f Ram a .

The m ea n ing o f th e n am e Va rn o n s is,he w h o sur

roun d s —'

l h is go d is a lso c a lled Pru - che ta, o r th e

wish . l’a s ltee,h e wh o h o ld s a ro pe .

— Y a d u sa ng

pu tee, the lo rd o f th e wa tery tribes .— Uppu tee , the

lord o fwa ters.

VAYOOVA .

The S ix th Gu a rdia n of the Wo rld .

( P la te N o . I I. )

This is the go d o f the w ind s,’ a nd the m essenger o f

the gods H is m o th er Ud i tee , i t is sa id , praye d to

her husba nd , th a t th is so n m igh t be m o re pow erfu l

than Ind ra : h e r requ es t w a s gra n ted bu t l n d ra , h e a r

ing o f th is, e n te t ed t he w o m b o l Ud i tee , a nd c u t the

foetus, firs t in to se ven pa rts, a nd the n e a ch pa rt in to

seven o the rs . Thus Va yo o va a ssu m ed f orty- n in e fo rm s 1

He is m ed i ta ted u po n a s a w h i te m a n,s i t t ing o n a

deer,w i th a wh i te flag in h is righ t ha nd .

Vayo o va h a s n o se pa ra te pub lic fes t iva l, n e i ther

image, no r t em ple . As o ne o f the te n gu a rd ia n d e i t ies

of the e a rt h , h e is Wo rsh i ppe d , w i th th e res t , a t th e

commencem en t o f every fe s t iva l . He is sa id to pre s id e

in the N . W . Wa te r is a lso o ffe red t o h im i n the

da ily cerem o n ies o f the bram i na ; a n d w he neve r a

goa t is o ffe red to a ny den y, a se rv ice is pa id to Vayo o

va . In the w o rk c a lled Ud iku ru n u - m a la, a bu rn t sa

crifice o f t he flesh o f go a t sfl i s o rd ered t o be o fi'

ered

to th is go d .

The fo llo w ing st o ry is re la ted o f Va yo o va tn th e Sh ree

bhaguvu tu On a certa in o cc a s io n N a ruda pa id a visit

In the funera l cerem o n ies o f the Sec t o f Drs vu i sh Bram in s s pa rs

ticular prayer is repe a t ed in th e ea rs of the dying m an The fo llow ingis a litera l tra n s la t io n o f a M S in our po sse ss i o n wh ich bears re ference to th e God of Wi nd , giver o r depri ver o f brea th to m a n . Whenthe grea t B hngnva n crea ted the wo rld a nd a ll crea tu res in i t . he se t

down certa in La ws a nd pn n c iples o f m o ra l i ty j s nd re lig io n fo r the

guidance a nd s t ri ct o bserva nce o f m a nk ind . wh ich a re compri sed in the(our principa l ho oks ca lled Veda s In th e se Veda s a re po in t ed o u t

vsrious inca n ta t ion s a nd fo rm s o f prayers by w h ich o n e m i gh t o bta inthe object o f h is w ishes w ith regs rd to

'

re ligio n Am o ng t he se th ereis one ca lled K am a munlru . wh i ch inca n ta t ion is repe a ted in the c a r

of a dying bram iu by t he n ext o f km o r he ir. by t he kno w ledge o fwhich i t is sa id, the sou l o f the deces s rd obt a ins s bso rh t to n in Bram ba ,or s happy tra nsm igra t io n i n a no ther life . Th e substa n ce o f the incsnts tion or prayer is simp ly this . The life wh ich is the m o ving princ ipleo f the ho tly t s in the hea rt , a nd ho lds a co nn ec t io n w i th t he so u l.Franco Vayoo va , w h i ch is the w i nd in the m ou th a nd n o se. ha s co n

a cet ic a Wi th Ups n u V s yoo vs ; Ups u n Vs yo o vs wh ich is t he wanddisclts rgt d from the a nus , is co n nec ted W i th th e S um anu Vayo ow ;

Sums nu Vuyo o va wh ich opera t e s upo n a n d reduces th e fo o d in thestomach . is co nnec ted with the Uo da n a Vayo o vs ; Oo dun s V ayoovawhich ascend ing from the th ro a t go e s u p in to the hea d , is co nnec tedWi th the Vysnu Vayoova Vysnu Vayoo vs which diffuses i tself over

Vayo o va w a s o n ce inflam ed w i th lu st tow a rd s th e

hu nd red d a ugh ters o f Ko o sh un a bh u , a raju rsh ee, a ndbe c a u se th ey re fu sed h is o ffers, h e e n tered the bod o f

ea ch , a nd prod u ced a curva tu re o f the spine . T ey

to So om ero o ,“and ex ci ted h is pride in su ch a m anner,

th a t he pro tes ted, the god Va yo o va co u ld no t a ppro a ch

h is summ i t . N a ru da ca rried the new s o f So om ero o’

s

in so lence to Vayo o v a , a nd ad v ised h im to go a nd brea kd ow n th e summ i t o f So om ero o , w h ich , even to the

d ep th o f 800 m iles be low the su rfa ce , w a s o f so lid

go ld ; Vayo o va w en t, a nd pro d uced such a tem pest,tha t th e e a rth trem bled t o i ts cen tre ; a nd the m o u n

t a in god , terribly a larm ed ; in voked G uro o ru , wh o

c ame to h is re lief, an d , c o vering th e m o u n ta in w i th h is

w ings, sec u red i t from th e w ra th o f V t

zyo o va . Fo r

twe lve m o n ths, h ow e ver, th e s to rm rage so th a t the

th ree w o rld s w ere h a s ten ing to d es tru c t ion . The gods

d es ired N a rud a t o preva i l o n Va yo o va to com po se the

d ifferen ce w i th S o om ero o i n stea d o f comply ing w i thw h ich , the m isch ievo us Reeh ee w en t , a nd ca lling Va

yo o va a fo o l fo r ex c i tin su chQa s to rm to n o pu rpo se , to ld

h im th a t a s lo ng a s (gu ro o ru pro tec ted the m o u n ta in

w i th h is w ings, there w a s n o h o pe ; bu t th a t if'

he w o u ld

a tt a ck So om a ro o wh en G u ro o ru w a s c a rry ing Vish n o oo u t o n a j o u rney, h e m igh t ea s ily be revenged . Th is

Oppo rtun i ty so o n o ccu rred A ll the god s

were in v i ted to S iva’

s m a rriage w i th Pa rvu tee , am o ngw h o m w ere the m o un ta ins So ome ro o , T riko o t ii , God u

yu ,§ U s tu , Vindhyu ,“ Ma lyuva nu , G u nd ltum ad u n u

,

Ch i t ruko o tu ,Mu luyu , N i lu ,Mo inaku ,'H' 8Zc . Vish no o,

ri d ing o n G u ro o ru , a lso wen t to th e m a rriage, a nd a ll

the h e a ve n s were le ft em pty . Se izing th is oppo rtun i ty,Va yo o va flew to So om e ro o , a nd , bre a king the summ it

o f th e m o un ta in , hurled it in to th e sewn

Va yo o va is cha rged w i th an a du l terou s in tercou rse

i th U njn na , th e w ife o f Késh u ree , a m on key. The

fru i t o f t h is in terco u rse w a s Ha n o om a n .

the who le ho tly i s connected with th e powers o f the eye , the sen se o f

s eeing is co nnec ted w ith the s en se o f hea ring . the ea r by its power ofhe a ring co nveys reflec t io n to t he m ind . t he m ind by reflec tion gi ves

u t tera n ce to t he to ngue. speech is con nec ted w i th t he soul ; the sou l

wi th Pri thevie or es rth Prith o vie is co n nec ted w i th e ther, the te ther

is co nnec t e d w i th the DaVu logum , o r the s phere o f t he gods , and the

D e v u lo gum is connected w ith the Brehma logum in which a ll th ings are

a bso rbed .

I The fo rty- n ine poin ts The Hindoo s have 49 ins tead of 3 2 poin ts ,and t he poom num s. wh ich con ta in a s to ry o n e very d is tinct fea ture of the

Hindo o phi loso phy ha ve g iven th is fa ble ; and in the sam e manner, a ll

th e e lem en ts a re perso n ified . and some remarkable story inven ted to

a cco u n t fo r their pecu lia r pro pert ies1 The goa t , i t W i ll be rem embered, was sla in in the sacrifices of

Bacchus .

ii The m oun ta in o f this name personified

3Moun ta ins o ver wh ich the sun rises . Behind wh ich the sun sets .

1' Som e o f these belo ng to the sn owy ra nge north o f Ind ia , a nd o thers

te the tro pica l ra nge d i v iding So u th from No rth India . These and

o ther mo un ta ins a re pers o n ified . a nd by the Hindoo poe ts are designa teda s the re s idence o f the gods , a nd by poetical licence ranged among theinferior gods .

It Here it became the island of Ceylon, (Lenka)

26 HINDOO GODS .

were m ade stra i h t aga in by a k ing n amed Brum h u

d a ttu , to wh om t ey w ere m a rried .

The n am e o f th e hea ven o f th is go d is Vayo o- lo ku .

H is princ ipa l n am es a re Shwu su - n u,o r

,he w h o is th e

iver o f brea th .— Spurshu nu , the to uch er.

—Va yo o va ,fie wh o tra ve ls .

—Ma turishwa , he w h o ga ve h is m o th er

sorrow .“ —Prishu d ushwa , he who rid es o n the deer

G u ndh uvu h u , h e wh o ca rries o d o u rs — Ash o ogu , h e

w ho o es sw ift ly .—Ma ro o tu , w i thou t wh om peo ple

d ie . he wh o m o ves in th e a ir.— Vayo o

va , the pu rifier.— Prubhungju nu , th e brea ker.

COORARA .

The Seven th G ua rdia n of the World .

(P la te No .

The Sca nda Po oran um co n ta ins th e fo llow ing sto

ry z— Co oba ra , the seven th d ivin i t w ho is the gua r

d ia n de i ty o f the No rth po rt io n 0 the w o rld,is th e

gra nd- so n o f Po lla steer- bra mba Reeshee , a nd the so n

o f V ish o o va va sh o o , a nd the s tep- bro th er o f Rava na

the fam o us gia n t o f Lu nka , w h o be ing in h igh fa vo u r

w i th , a nd u n d er th e es ec ia l pro tec t io n o f S i va w a s

m ade th e in heri to r and ing o f th a t w o nd e rfu l pa rt o f

th e wo rld c a lled A llagapo o ry, wh ere he pre sid es enjo ying the im m ense rich es o f h is d o m in ion s to the pre sen t

d ay.-

'

l‘

he m o ther o f Co obara is a m em ber o f the

Y e tch a cas te .

The H ind o oMy th o logists describe Co oba ra to be o fa red -

go ld co lou r a nd o f a m o s t bea u t ifu l figu re , a n d

a ngelic co un ten a n ce— bu t h e is lam e in o ne legi H is

co nveya n ce is a grey h o rse , bu t in c o n sequ en ce o f

Co o ba ra’

s lam eness h e prefe rs be ing a t t im e s,c a rried

by a m a n,a fter Nyro o they

’

s fa sh io n . H i s w e apo n s

a re a swo rd a nd a c lub, e i ther o f wh ich h e u se s . The

n am e o f Co o ba ra’

s w ife i s Ch i t tra ra ka h , a w om a n fa r

su rpa ss ing the bea u ty o f the goddesses o f th e o th er

co u n tries,th is go ddess po ssesse s so un d a nd ra re lea rn

i ng, wh ich en able s h er in a w o n de rfu l degree to d ive

i n to th e sec re ts o f fu tu ri t

The i n h ab i ta n ts o f Al agapo o ry, th e loya l subjec tso f Co oba ra a re o f five c la sses, v iz . Y e tch a l, Vuu n a ra u l,K inpo o ro o sh a u ll,

'

l'

o rra uga va da n a l o r th o se w ho se

fa ces resem b le tha t o f a h o rse’s,a nd Myh o o . Co o

ba ra's d om in io n s a re v e ry n ea r th e res iden ce o f Si va

a t Kyla s a (H im a laya Mo u n ta in s) a nd h o ld s th e h o no rab le a ppo in tm en t o i Prim eMin ister to h im to c a rryo n the a ffa irs o f th e wo rld . I t i s sa id

,th a t Co obera

’

s

very - superior a nd won de rfu l ta len ts h a ve ra ised h im

When I ndra cu t him in to forty- n ine pieces in the womb.

1 Vu lcan was lam e o f on e leg .

1 There a re prospert t ies o f e igh t descrip tions , v iz Dann ah - lu tchmee.o r Trea sures , m on ey in abunda n ce . D unn is h lu tchm ee . o r Pro visionssuch a s ric e, pulse do l l &c . Sa n tan na h lu tchm e e o r t he bege t t ing o fm a ny ch ildren Gh o lu tchm ee m ea ns th e po ssess io n o f n um ero u s cows .

c a lves . elephan ts , horses , & c. Dyeriah - lu tchm e e , o r the po sse ss io n o fv a luable jewels, pearls precious gems, &c. K irthee- lutchmee, to be

h eld in h igh repute , fam e . to he co n s idered i llustrious , a c . V iziah

lutchm ee . fo rtuna te lucky pro spero us, St e1 h iddee m ea n s s ro om fi lled wn h ext raord ina ry trea sure . a depo t of

trea sure a trea s ury— o f ea ch o f which the fo llow i ng a re tha n ames

Mahnpndmon . Pudmon S hun cko o Moha k a rra h . K u tcha pnh . Moocoontlnh

,K o o nduha . Nee la chs h . Vurra cha h . a nd a lso t u o ex tra N . d tlees,

v iz S a l tka lt Niddee, and Pudmah N iddee - a ll these s te in the charge

o f Coobera .

to th is h igh ofli ce . The e igh t L u tchmees

fa nd n ine

N iddees ll a re u nder the ch a rge a nd co n tro o f Co obara

,wh o is m o reo ver th e Lo rd genera l T rea su re r o f the

w o rld,—a s be it is w h o d i spen se s o r d i stribu te s riches

to th o se wh o pe ti t io n S iva fo r the sam e . Alla ga po o ryis the m o th er co un try o f pro speri ty, go ld , s i lver a nd

e ve ry d esc ript io n o f pre c io u s gem s a re to be fo und in

va s t qu a n t i t ies there , th e trees o f the fo rest a re a ll o f

go ld , th e pla n ta in , a nd the pom egra n a te s a re. pu re go ld.

Ro cks m o u n ta ins a nd va lley s a lso a bo u nd w i th this

prec io u s m e ta l,— in a w o rd the co un try is so ric h that

I t su rpa sses th e be st stud ied d esc ript io n th a t c o u ld be

writ ten a bo u t i t .

Co oba ra h as a n o n ly so n n am ed a fter h is fa ther,

N e lla Co oba ren o r the go o d Co o bera n w ho p o ssesses

in a grea t m ea sure the sam e cha ra cter a nd go o d qua li

t ies as h is fa th e r.

Co oba ra h a s a ca r or veh ic le com po sed en t irely ofthe m o s t ra re d esc ript io n o

fo d o rifero us fl o we rs h is

co u n try pro d uce s , wh ich th e Hind o o s c a ll P o o shpa lra

ven a n um ,a nd w h ich is s a id to po ssess the w o nd erful

po wer o f fly i ng in the a ir t o d iffe ren t reg io n s o f the

e a rth , i n a n in s ta n t o f t im e, a nd i t h a s t he po w er of

e n la rging a nd c o n tra ct ing i tse lf, a nd w i ll a t p lea sure

a c c om m o d a te o n e pe rso n , a nd if requ ired twen tyth o usa nd o r m o re .

In th e w a r w aged by Ra va na aga in s t th e gu a rd ian

d e i t ie s o f the w o rld , Co o be ra a ltho ugh the s tep bro ther

o f sin fu l Ra v a n a w a s n o t spa red , bu t he to o h a d the

m isfo rtun e o f h a v ing h is kingd o m bese iged by h im,

w hen h e by h is superio r s t reng th , subd u ed Co obara,a nd co nquered the w ho le k ingdo m ,

lund e red i t,a nd

re tu rn ed to Lu nka , W i th the Spo iro f th e c o u n try,am o ng wh ich wa s th e w o nde rfu l Ca r o f fl o wers , wh ich

he a ppropria ted fo r h i s own u se,a nd re ta in ed i t in h is

po sse ss io n , u n t i l h is dea th , w h ich w a s c a u sed by the

h a nd o f th e m igh ty Ram a , in the w a r w age d be tween

them , a n d o n h is re turn to lyo dea (Oude ) w i th h is

go dde ss th e bea u t i fu l See ta , h e u sed Co ubera’

s Ca r, on

wh ich we re a cco m m o d a ted bes ide h im se lf a nd h is fa

m i ly,seven ty - tw o Ve llom s o r legio n s o f Vu n na ra Sen

n a o r regim en ts o f m o nkies, Ha tm o o rn a u be ing o n e o f

th e genera ls o f th is m igh ty a rm y o f m o nkies . Rama

o n h is a rri va l a t Oud e a sc ended the th ro ne o f tha t

E m p ire, o n wh ich o cca s io n a ll th e go d s o r gu a rd ian

d e i t ies ho n o red the ce rem o ny,w hen the Ca r w as re

s to red to Co o ba ra by Ram a,w h ich is n ow a t A llega

po o ry.

I t is further sta ted th a t in Co oba ra’

s dom in io n s there

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

HINDOO LITE RATURE .

systems o f ph ilo so phy, n o t o n ly suggests the idea o f

some u n ion in the ir o rig in , bu t stro ngly plead s fo rtheir be longing to o ne age, no tw i th sta nd ing th e nu

fa thom able a n t iqu i t c la im ed by the Hindo o s : a nd,

a fter the reader sha li'

ha ve com pa red the two system s,the a u tho r is persuaded he w i ll n o t co ns id er the co njeetu re

'

a s im proba ble, tha t Pythago ra s a n d o thers d id

rea lly v is i t Ind ia , o r, th a t G o u tumu and Py thago ra s

were con tem po ra ries, o r n ea r

lyso . If th is be a m i t

ted,i t w i ll fo llow , tha t the ursh unu s were wri t ten

abou t five hund red yea rs be fo re the Christia n aara . The

vedus, we m ay suppo se ,w ere no t w ri t ten m any ea rs be

fo re the d u ts h un us, fo rKo pilu , the f ound er o f t te S a nkhyu sec t, w a s the gra nd son o fMuno o , the preserv er,and pramu l a tor of the fi rst a

lghorisms of the ccdus ;

G o u tum u , t te fou nder o f th e o iyayiku sec t, m a rried

the d a ugh ter o f Brum ha , the firs t m a le : a nd Kunadua nd Pu tun

'

u lee the founders o f tw o o ther o f these

schoo ls, belo nged to the sam e, o r nearly the sam e

perio d . We a re thus enabled to fix upon a n epo ch , in

the m o st in terest ing perio d o f Hindo o h istory, w h ichi s no t o n ly rendered probable by the a cco rda nce o f twoph i lo soph ica l system s, bu t by a ll the ch ro n o logica l

d a ta to be ga the red from the sca t tered fragm en ts o f

h isto ry fo und in th e po o ra nums.”

We sh a ll n ow pro ceed to o ffer to the read er some

a ccou n t o f th e Hindo o Ph i lo so phers, a nd a sum m aryo f the ir Opin ion s ; a nd in the succeed ing numbers

,to

give Tra nsla t io n s from the ir m ost importa n t wo rks, orAbridgemen ts o f the ir co n ten ts .

Of the H indoo P h i losophers a nd their Op in ions .

It is to be lamen ted, th a t the Hindoo w ri ters a ffo rd

us n o pa rt icu la rs o f the d om est ic h isto ry o f the ir

sages th o ugh they give us the trph i lo soph i ca l o pi n i o ns,

the names o f the ir w ives a nd ch i ldren, a nd o f the pla ces

w ere the ir herm i tage s were si tu a ted . I t is true , the

l ives o f m en so secluded from th e wo rld co u ld n o t ha ve

suppl ied ma nym a teria ls fo r h isto ry ; bu t there m ust

h ave been va ri o u s in terest ing o ccurren ces, even i n thefo res t s o r co nven ts where they resided , a nd in the ir

o ccasio na l in tercou rse w i th e a ch o ther, a nd w i th the

kings, the ir pa tro ns, wh ich wou ld h a ve given a peculia r in te res t to such m em o irs ; bu t h ere, a s I l l the i r

o lit ica l h isto ry, we m ee t w i th no th ing tha t ca n throw

igh t o n th e perio d s in wh ich they lived , n o r o n th ose

lea rned d ispu ta t ions i n wh ich we know they were

engaged ." i We a re , however, u nder grea t obl iga t i o n s to

these h isto rians fo r po in tingo u t so clea rl

y| _the subjec ts

wh ich engaged the enqu iri es o f these p tlo sOphers

tha t is, the divine na ture, the evidences of tru th, the

These d isputes as described by th e pours n ic wri ters, were equa lly v iolen t wi th tho se of the dialectic ph i losophers, oi zd were maintained by

'

d l'

bhl s , n ne rea so n in s . a nd im pm ing sophis nt s ,

"

like those o f the Greek s .

1"

e c

zillion:l tidjtt l orzgin w a

sthe h ighest obj ec t of study o f th e Py

tbsgoreen schoo ls

orig in of things, the na ture of the dif ereut fi rms ofm a tter, a nd the methods of obta in ing re - uu ion lo the sou l

of the world . I t w i ll no t escape the reco llec t io n o f th ereade r

, th a t these.w ere the very subjec ts so co n sta n tlyd iscussed in the G rec ia n sch o o ls . These sub s ets o fenqu iry, it mus t be co n fes sed lay a t the fo u nda t ion o fa ll tha t w a s in terest ing to them in those d a rk ages, b u tby the Hindo o asce t ics they were d iscussed in a m a n n e r

so metaphysica l, th a t o n ly m inds equa lly a bs tra c ted w i ththe irs co u ld be in teres ted in th em a nd th is wa s v e rym u ch the ca se w i th som e o f the G reeks, espec ia lly o n

po in tswh ich rela ted to the d ivine n a ture, and the o rig ino f th e

A m ode rn w ri ter ha s given the fo llow ing con c ise

sum m a ry o f the G ree k phi lo sophy, a s ta ngh t by i tsm o st celebra ted sages a nd the a u tho r here in serts i t,to a ssist h is rea ders in a com a riao u o f the two system s .

Like So cra tes, Pla to be ieved in the un i ty o f th eSupreme Be ing, w i thou t begin n ing or en d , bu t asse rteda t the sam e t im e the e tern i ty o f m a t ter. He ta ugh t ,tha t th e e lem en ts be ing m ixed to ge ther in ch a o s, we re ,by the wi ll o fGo d , sepa ra ted , reduced in to o rder, a n dtha t thu s the wo rld was fo rm ed th a t G od infuse di n to m a tter a port io n o f h is d ivine spirit, wh ich a n i

m a tes a nd m oves i t ; a nd tha t he comm it ted the c a reo f th is wo rld, a nd the crea tio n o f m ank ind, to be ingswho a re co ns tan tly subjec t to h is w ill . I t was furth erh is o pin io n, th a t m an k ind h a ve two so u ls, o f sepa ra tea nd d ifferen t n a tu res, the o n e c o rrupt ible, t he o th e rimm o rta l ; tha t the la t ter i s a po rt i o n o f the d ivi n eSplt

'lt, res ides in the bra in, and is the so urce o f reaso n

tha t th e fo rm e r, the m o rta l sou l, is d ivided into tw o

portio ns, o ne o f wh ich , resid ing in the hea rt, prod u c e s

pa ssio n a nd desires ; the o ther, be tween the d ia ph ragm

a nd n a ve l, go vern s the a n im a l func t ion s o f l i fe ; th a t

the m o rta l sou l cea ses to ex is t w i th th e life o f the bo d y,bu t th a t th e d iv ine sou l, n o lo nge r c logged by i ts u n i

o n w ith m a t ter, co n t inues i ts ex istence, e i ther in a s ta te

o f h appiness o r o f pun ishmen t . Tha t the so uls o f th e

v irtuo us, o f tho se wh o se a c t io ns a re gu ided by the i r

rea so n, re turn a fter d ea th in to the sou rce from w henc e

th ey flowed wh ile th e sou ls o f th o se wh o subm i t ted

to the go vernm en t o f the pa ssio ns, after be ing fo r a cer

ta in t im e co nfined to a pla ce destined fo r th e ir re cept io n

,a re sen t ba ck to ea rth , to a n im a te o ther bod ie s .

Aris to tle has by some been ch a rged w i th a the ism ,

bu t we a re a t a loss upo n wh a t grou nd s, a s a firm belie f

in the ex is tence o f a Suprem e Be ing, is c lea rl a sserted

by h im, a nd no t a ny where co n tra d ic ted . e taugh t,tha t the un iverse a nd m o t ion a re e tern a l, h a v ing fo r

everex isted , a nd being w i th o u t end ; a nd a ltho ugh

HINDOO LITE RATURE . 29

th is wo rld may h ave undergone, and be still subjec t to ,co nvuls ions a rising from ex t ra o rd in a ry c a uses, ye t m o

t io n , be ing regu la r in i ts ope ra t io n, bri ngs ba ck the

elem e n ts i n to the ir proper re la t ive s i tu a t io ns, a n d pre

serves th e w lto le ; tha t even th ese co nvulsio ns h a ve

the ir so u rce in n a tu re tha t th e idea o f a cha o s, o r th e

ex iste n ce o f the elemen ts w i th o u t fo rm o r o rder,is

co n tra ry to h er la ws,wh ich we eve ry wh ere see es ta

blished , a nd wh ich, co nsta n t ly gu id ing the princ ipleof m o t io n

,m u st from e tern i ty h a ve pro d uced , a nd to

etern i ty preserve, the presen t ha rm o ny o f the wo rld .

In every th ing, we a re a ble to d isco ve r a tra in o f mo

tive princ iple s, a n un inte rrupted ch a in o f ca use s a n d

effec ts a nd th a t a s n o th ing ca n h appen w ith o u t a

cause, th e w o rd a ccident is a n u nm ea n ing express io n ,emplo yed in speak ing o f effec ts, o f whose causes we a re

igno ra n t . Th a t in fo llow ing th is cha in we a re led upto the rim i t ive ca use

, the Suprem e Be ing, th e u n iversa l sou w h o , a s the w i ll m o ves the body

,moves th e

whole sys tem o f the u n iverse . Upo n these prin c iples,it was na t u ra l f or h im to suppo se t h e so u ls o f m a nk indto be po rt io ns o r ema na tio ns o f the d ivine spiri t, wh ich

at dea th q u it the body , a nd , like a d rop o f wa ter,ing in to th e o cea n, a re a bso rbed in the d iv in i ty .

Though h e therefo re taugh t the imm o rta li ty o f hum an

souls, ye t, a s he d id n o t suppo se th em to ex ist ind ivi

dua lly, h e c o nsequen t ly den ied a fu tu re sta te o f re

wards a nd pu n ishm en ts. Of a ll th ings ,’says he, ‘the

most terri ble is dea th, a fter wh ich , we ha ve ne ither tohope fo r go od , nor to d read e vi l.

’

Z en o, o f Cyprus, ta ugh t, th a t th ro ugh o u t na tu re

there a re two e terna l qua li t ies ; the o ne a c t ive, theother pa s s ive . Th a t the fo rm er is a pure and subtletether

, th e d ivine s ) ll ll , a nd tha t the la t ter i s in i tse lfentirely i n ert, u n t il un i ted w i th the a c tive prin c ipletha t the d iv ine spiri t, a c ting upo n m a tter, producedlire

, a ir, w a ter, a nd ea rth o r se ure ted the elem en ts

from each o ther tha t i t ca nno t owever be sa id , th a tGod crea ted th e wo rld b a vo lun ta ry de term in a t io n,but by th e effec t o f established prin c iples, wh ich ha veever ex is ted a nd w ill fo r ever co n t inu e . Y e t, a s thedivine Sp irit is the e ffic ien t princ iple , th e. wo rld c o u ldnei ther h a ve been fo rm ed n o r prese rved w i thou t h im ,

all na ture be ing m o ved a nd co nd uc ted by h im ,wh i le

no th ing ca n m o ve o r a ffec t h im . Ma tter m ay be d iv ided

, measu red , ca lc u la ted , a nd fo rm ed in to inn um e ra bleSliaPGS ; bu t the d i vine spiri t. is ind iv isible, infin i te,unchangeable, an d om n ipresen t . He suppo sed theuni verse

, comprehend ing m a t ter a nd spa ce, to be w i thout

'

bou nd s ; bu t tha t the w o rld is co nfin ed to certa inhun ts

, and is suspen ded in in fi n i te spa ce ; tha t the seed sof things ex isted in the prim i t ive e lem en ts, a nd th a tby mea ns o f the e li ic ien t princ iple they were bro ugh tforward a nd a n im a ted tha t m a nkind co me in to the

wo rld,w i thou t any inna te idea s, the m ind be ing like

a sm o o th s u rfa ce, upon wh ich the objec ts o f n a ture a regrad ua lly e ngraven by m ean s o f the senses ; tha t theso ul o f m an

,be ing a po rt io n o f the u n iversa l so u l,

re turn s,a fter dea th, to i ts fi rst sou rce, where i t w i ll

rem a in un t il the dest ruc t io n o f the wo rld , a period a t

wh ich the e lemen ts,be ing o nce m o re co n fo und ed , w i ll

aga in be resto red to thei r presen t sta te o f o rder a ndha rm o ny .

”

The reader who sh a ll ca re fully peruse these rem a rks,and com pare them w i th the op in io ns o f the Hind o oa sce t ics, herea fter g iven , ca nn o t fa il of be in as to n isheda t the am a zing agreemen t betw ix t the schoo s o f G ree ce

a nd Ind ia .

SWAYUMBHOOVU, on MUNCO.

“Th is sage is know n in the po o ra num s a s the son o f

Brumh a , and o ne o f the progen i to rs o f m ankin d . Heis a lso complimen ted as the prese rver o f the vo d n a a t the

t ime o f th e Hindo o d eluge, a nd as having given a n ah

s tra c t o f the con ten ts o f these bo o ks in the wo rk know nby h is n ame, a nd t ransla ted by Si rWi lliam Jo nes . I t

does n o t appea r im probable, tha t du ring the li fe o f

Munuo , certa in wo rks we re w ri t ten , perh aps from t ra

d i t io n , wh ich , a fter m a ny a dd it io ns, were ca l led the

vedu , o r shrootee, th a t wh i ch h a s bee n h ea rd .

” Per

haps Munoo h im self, a nd Ulurku a nd Ma rku ndeyu ,a re to be considered as the a u tho rs o f th e o rig in a l

apho rism s o f the vedu ; o r, i f n o t the au tho rs, the

compilers, from trad itio n, o f wha t then ex isted o f these

boo ks for, we a re no t to suppose, th a t the vedus were

a l l campiled a t one period ; som e o f the wri ters lived

i n th e re ign o f Ram a,a nd o thers even a s la te as the t im e

o f the ra ce o f the moo n .

”

KOP lLU .

Th is as e the gra nd son o fMunoe , wa s the fo undero f the Sank t u sec t, the a u thor of the o rigina l apho

risma to wh io the sec t appea ls, and is m en t ioned in

severa l wo rks,a s th e m o st em inen t o f a ll the ascet ics,

kn ow ing th ings pa s t , presen t, a nd to com e, and in fac t ,a s able to a ccomplish wh a tever he w ished fi' Th eSh ree - bhaguvu tu speaks o f h im as a n in ca rn a t ion o f

Vish no o , a nd decla res , th a t h is appeara n ce o n ea rth w a s

to lea d m ank ind to fu tu re h ap iness, by te a ch ing th e

d octrines o f th a t scho o l o f ph i o soph y o f wh ich h e wa sthe fo un der. The l

’udmu po o ra num says, tha t h is f

'

a

ther,Ku rm udu

, wa s one o f the progen i to rs o fm an kind ;th a t h is m o th er

,Devu - h o o lee, was the daugh ter o f

Swayumbh o o vu . tha tKopi lu wa sborn a tPonskuru , andl ived a t Gunga

- saguru , a nd tha t he w a s o f a da rk com

plex io n, a nd wore yellowgarmen ts.— The Kopi lu

sun h i ta is a scribed to h is penopi lu

’

s opin io ns a ppea r to approach very nea r to

li e is said to have reduced to ashes the sons of King Ssguru .

30

Bouddh ism : he taugh t, tha t G od exists in e sta tewho l lyd ist inc t from th e u n i verse, a s the wa ter o n the lea f o fthe w a ter- lily ; o r, to spe a k m o re la in ly, th a t h is n a tu rea nd ex is tence a re inscru tab le ; t ta t h e ha s no th ing to

d o w i th crea tures , n o r they w i th h im . In some pa rts o fh is w ri t ings, he den ies th e d iv ine ex isten ce a ltoge ther

a nd , in deed , one o f h is a pho rism s is,“ There is n o G o d .

He ca l led the u n i verse the w o rk o f na tu re, as be ing

po s~essed o f t it s three qu a li t ies wh ich give rise to d iv ine

w isd om,to a c tiv i ty, a nd t o s t ttpid i t He dec la red ,

tha t n a tu re was u ndefi nable, u ncrea te dest i tu te o f life,

a nd lia ble to d isso lu t io n . In reply to the ques t io n , h owtha t w h ich is dest i tu te o f life c a n g ive rise to c rea tu res

,

h e re ferred to the spid er’

s W eb spu n from i ts o wn bow

e ls, to the fa l l o f ina n im a te bod ies, to the produc t io n o f

m ilk in the udd er o f the cow , 81 0. He co ns idered na

t u re a s the ro o t o r o rigin o f the un iverse , because eve ryth ing pro ceeded from i t, o r w a s to be tra ced to i t a nd

tha t beyo nd i t n o th ing wa s d isco ve ra ble . Na tu re, he

sa id, wa s indes cribable ,beca use no ne o f the senses co u ld

com prehend i t, a nd ye t, tha t i t wa s one, u nd erd ifferen t

fo rm s a s t im e, spa ce , & c .

‘

a re o ne,though they h a ve

m a ny d ivisio ns ; tha t there was in n a tu re a prope rtyw h ich he c a lled G rea tness, from wh ich a rose pride , o r

co nsc io usne ss o f sepa ra te ex is ten ce , o r appro pria t io n

from the la t ter qu a l i ty, spri ng w a ter, fi re , a ir and spa ce,o r the prim a ry a tom s ; a nd h e described these elem en ts

com bined a s fo rm ing a pa t tern , o r arche t pe, from

wh ich the v isible u n iverse w a s fo rmed d ’ride , the

prim a ry e lemen ts, a nd th e e leven o rga ns, h e ta ugh t,w ere n o t essen tia l properties, bu t m od ifi ca tion s o f

n a ture.”

After defin ing the powers o f the hum an m ind , a nd

th e m embers o f the body, he spoke o f a n undefi ned

power, i nheren t in the d iffe ren t pa rts o f the hum a n

sys tem , a nd n ecessa ry to the ir effec t ive u s e, w h i ch he

ca lled an em a n a t io n from n a ture . He co nsidered m a n

a s c o mposed o f m a t ter a nd spiri t, a nd a ffi rmed , tha t the

a c t ive power enj o y s o r suffe rs , bu t rem a ins who lly se

pa ra te _

fi'om the pa ssive power, a s a m ere spec ta to r o f

i ts o pera tio ns, o r a s a pe rso n b lind . He com pa red thepa ss ive to a lum p o f in a n im a te m a t ter, a nd ye t a fh rm

ed, th a t n a tu re w a s th e so u rce o f life .

”

Kopi lu fu rther ta ugh t , th a t we de rive our pro o fs o f

th e tru th o f fa c ts from th e senses, from in ference , a nd

fro m test im ony, o r reve la t io n tha t we kn o w n o th i ngo f G o d bu t by i n fere n ce . He m ade no d istin c t io n

be tw ix t the so u l and the a n im a l spirit, bu t dec la red,

The bramins expla in this, as the desire to increase. or to become

grea t. or to po ssess .

i n telligible numbers. sa id Pythagoras . are those wh ich sub

sisted in the d ivine m ind before a ll th ings . from wh ich e very th ing ha th

received i ts form . a nd which a lways rema in immutably the same. I t is

t he m odel, or archetype, a fter which the world , in a ll its parts. is from

ed

t P la to a ppears to ha ve taught. tha t the soul o f man is derived byema na tion from God ; but tha t this emana tion was no t immedia te. butthrough the intet vention of the soul of the world, which Wit- i tself dc

HINDOO LITE RATURE .

th a t when the sou l became u n i ted to m a t ter, i t wasabso rbed in a n im a l ca res a nd pleasuresj He sa id ,h a ppiness a ro se from the qua li ty lea d ing to tru th th a tth e qua li ty g iv ing rise to a c t ivi ty o r res t lessn ess

, ia

c lines th e perso n to seek h is happiness am o ng the o h

je c ts o f sense, a n d pro d uces so rro w, a nd fro m th a t

le a d ing to da rkness, insens ib ili ty . The fi rs t qu a l i tyled to em a nc ipa t io n th e seco nd , to tem po ra ry ha pp in ess in the hea ven s o f the go ds, a nd the th ird , to m ise ry .

E xem ptio n from fu tu re b irth ca n be o bta in ed o n ly bya perso n

’s en t ire ly free ing h im se lf from a ll a tta chm e n t

to sensible objec ts ! Spa ce, he ta ugh t , a ro se fro m

so u nd a ir, from so u nd a nd co n ta c t ; fire , from so u nd ,c o n ta c t, a nd co lo u r w a ter, from so un d , co n ta c t,

co lo u r, a nd fla vo ur ea rth,from so und, co n ta c t, co lo u r,

fla vo ur, and o do ur.”

GOUTUMU .

Th is is the fo under o f the No iyayiku sec t. Fro mthe Ram aynn u , a nd the Po o ra n um s, we lea rn , th a t hew a s bo rn a t Him a la ya , a bo u t the t im e o f Ram a , th a t

i s,a t the co mm en cem e n t o f the tre ta yo ogu ; tha t h is

fa ther’s n am e w a s Deerghu

- tnm a ; th a t he m a rried

Uhu lya , the d a ugh te r o f Brum h a , a nd a fterwa rdscu rsed her fo r c rim in a l co nv ersa t io n w i th l nd ra

,t he

king o f the go d s ; th a t his d ress w as tha t o f a ve rya us tere a sce t i c, a nd tha t a ll h is ha ir h a d fa llen fro mh is body, thro ugh a ge , a nd exposu re to the e lem en ts .

H is so n, Shu t a n und o , w a s pri est to Jun uku , king o fMi t’h ila

, the fa ther o f See ta . From th is a cco un t, we

see wh a t l i t tle relia n ce ca n be placed o n the po ora num s

these wo rks a ssu re us, th a t G o u tumu , t ho ugh h e livedin the second , o r si lver age, m a rried a d a ugh ter o fBrumh a bu t they m ee t the o bjec t io n a rising from th is a n a

ch ro n ism , by a lli rm ing, th a t a ll the sages live thro ughthe fo u r yoogu s . Acco rd ing t o the sam e a u tho ri ty

,

G o u tumu lived a s a n a sc e t ic, fi rst, a t Pruyagn nex t

in a fo res t a tMit ’h i la,a nd tha t, a fter th e repud ia t io n

o f h is w ife , he re t ired to m o un t Him a laya . His ch iefd isc iples were Ka n aynnu a nd Jaba lee ; to the fo rm er

o f whom is a t tribu ted a ch a pter o f the rig ved u , wh ich

go es by h is n a m e a nd the la t ter wa s a s tud en t w i th‘

n a tum a a t the t ime Ram a re t ired from th e c ou rt o f

h is fa the r, a nd becam e a n a sce t ic ; h e w a s sen t byG ou tum u to fo rbid Ram a

’

s embra c ing such a life .

”

( To be continued .)

based by some ma terial adm ixture and consequen tly. tha t the human

soul, receding further from the firs t in te lligence, is inferior in perfect ion to the soul o f the world . The rela t io n which the human soul, ini ts original co ns titu tion , bea rs to ma t ter, Pla to a ppears to ha ve co n si

dered a s the source o f mo ra l e vil. S ince the sou l of the world. by par

ta king o f m a tter. ha s wi thin i tself the Seed! o f evi l. be inferred. that

this m ust he the ca se s t illmore w ith respect to the soul of m an .

”

,1 The S to len ta ugh t , tha t the sum o f a man'

s du ty wi th respect to

h imself. is, to subdue h is passions and tha t in propo rtion a s we approach

towards a s ta te of apathy, we advance toward perfec tion .

"

HinDo o GODS

CHAPTE R IV .

YJ

E E SAWNIAH.

The E igh t/z Gua rdi a n of the World .

(P la te No .

Th is God , th e creat io n o f Vish noo , th ro ugh the

instrumen ta li ty o f Bramba, in commo n w i th th e o ther

guardia n de it ies, is o f a m ilk-w h i te complex i o n , ha s

three eyes ( the th ird eye be ing in th e cen tre o f h is f ore

head) and fo u r ha nds —he uses va rious kind s o f wea

pons, bu t the prin c ipa l o ne s a re a So o lum o r a th ree

to nged fo rk w h ich he h o lds in on e h a nd a nd tn a n o ther

a drum ,w i th th e th ird he is represen ted as bestow ing

a blessing, a nd w i th the fo u rth , ex ho rt ing th e.people

aga inst fea r— he rides o n a bu ll,

— h is genera l a ppear

ance is like S iva h im se lf. The c rown he wea rs a s a

diadem a t ta ched to i t wh ich is the new m o on . Th e

name o f h is w ife is Ka theyeynee . Th e No rth E a s t

portion o f the wo rld is u nder h is gu a rdia nsh i a nd

governmen t, and the name o f h is kin d am is yla sa

putnum ,he is a lso the be lo ved friend 0 Co oba ra w ho se

dominio ns a re . adja ce n t to h is, a nd wh ich is sa id to be

as rich a s Co oba ra’

s kingd om . The h a ppyand righ to

ous inhabi ttm ts o f Y eesa w n ia lt’s kingd om a re m o s tl

Reeshees o r S a in ts, Mo on iespo o ra s ( or j ust m en m ade

perfec t a nd h a ppy a fter d e a t h ) a nd Bo o th aka n a s, the

atter alth o ugh a race o f gia n ts a re n o t d e fo rm ed,n o r

have they a ny tu sks projec t ing o u t o f th eir m o u ths

their complex ion a nd bea u ty a re, like Y eesa wn ia h

’

s .

These pio u s a nd repu ta ble pe ople a re h appy .

in theenjoymen ts o f the ind u lgen t a nd a uspic io us go vernm en t.or reign o f Y eesawn ia h .

The Hind o o s ven era te th is de i ty a s they d o Co oba t a ,and they pra ise h im a s a god o f wisdom a nd riches, a ndsuch is the na t u re o f the ir supers t i t io n, tha t they st ric t ly,observe wh en th ey la y the fo und a t io n o f a ho use, tem

ple, or o ther bu ild ing, th a t a corne r o f it sho u ld bea rorth E a s t, i t be ing the po s i t io n o f Y eesaw n ia h

’s king

dom — a dev ia t io n from th is ru le, they a lli rm,w i ll

a lways subjec t the owner to se ve re m isfo rtunes . Theyalso pa rtic u la rly observe th a t w he n a

'

m a rt iage pa nda llor shed is to be ere c ted , th a t th e first o r prin c ipa l po leof it sho u ld be fixed inthe N . E . d irec t io n .

The fo llow ing li t tle s to ry is fo u nd in the Veda s,which c lea rly d isplays the blindn ess a nd s i llyness o fthe Hindo os, a nd how very co n tra d ic to ry a n d in co nS| sten t the severa l Veda s a re T hey h a ve given Y ee

sawniah the a t tribu te o f the G od o f wisdom,

”a t the

same time they a re a wa re tha t Y eesa wn i a h wa s fa r frombglng wise ; i n ha v ing bestowed a gift, from the effe c tsofwhich he h imse lf na rro w ly escaped . A s in fu l a ndwretched gia n t nam ed Buzm ah so o rc n perfo rm ed re li

gious austeri ties of a most d read ful desc rip tion, for a

3 1

period o f a th o usa nd yea rs, w i th a hope o f ob ta in ingsa lva t io n , a nd a lso a gift o r Vo h rum fro m Y eesaw n ia h .

On th e ex pira t io n o f th a t t im e,Y ee sa wn ia h be ing

m o ved w i th tender compa ssio n to wa rd s th is pen iten t

gia n t, requested h im to a ppea r in h is presence, a nd to

so lic i t wh a tever he m ay be in need o f,a nd a ssured h im

th a t hewo uld to a certa in ty gra n t i t,Bezm ahso o ren to o k

a dvan tage o f th is o pportun i ty, a nd fe ll pro stt a te o n h is

fa ce befo re Y eesawn ia h the G o d of wisdom"

- who

aga in prom ised h im und er a n o a th th a t wh a tever gift

he wished , to ob ta in he w as o n ly to n am e i t free ly, a nd

tha t i t _wo u ld be gra nted h im . Bu zm a hso o ren then

so lici ted the'

fo llowm g gift, v iz. tha t on,

the hea d ofwh ichever m an he sho u ld lay h is h and tha lm a n sho u ld

be reduced to a shes that very i nstan t. Y eesawn ia h ,

qu i te though t less tha t su ch a gift m igh t pro ve ru inous

to him se lf, free ly bequea thed i t w hen Buzm ah soo ren

w i th a m a lic iou s self-gra t ific a t ion lo oked a bo u t,a nd.

saw no ma n upo n who se head he co u ld lay h is h and ino rder to pu t the g ift to a tes t

,a t th is m omen t

,w ith

ingra ti tude a nd m a lice combined toge the r, he turned

o n the bo un teo us giver o f the g ift, a nd w i th vio lence

a t tem pted to lay h is ha nd o n the head o f h is god a nd

bene fa c to r Y eesawn iah be ing awa re o f the dead ly

power o f the gift he had gra n ted , w a s obliged to ru n

'

or h is life from the pre sence o f the gia n t who a fewm om en ts befo re w as a n h um ble supplian t, pros tra te a th is feet, and who now cha sed h im a s he wo u ld a bo a r,a nd o n the po in t of be ing o verta ken

,Y eesawn i a h fe ll

in to a dense fo rest com po sed o f ly re/lun- hl a rum

wh ich bears w i ld fru i ts c a lled by the Hi ndo o s Iy oc llam/my , in o ne o f wh ich he ' h id h im se lf. The fru i t is

sa id to be o f the s ize o f a nu t- m eg fi lled w i th sm a ll

seed s, wh ich in appea ra nce resemble s the ido l o f Stra

Iing am . Buzm ahso oren o vercome w ith fa t igue in the

searc h o fY eesa wn ia h wa s re turn ing qu it e d isa ppo in ted .

A t th is t im e Vishno o h av ing hea rd w i th mu ch regre t

thej

drea d fu l po s i t io n in whi ch Y eesawn ia h had red u e

ed him se lf th ro ugh imprude n ce a nd w i th burn ing rage

aga in st Buzma h so o ren , se t o u t to destro y h im , a nd to

libera te Yeesawn ia h from h is co nfin em en t, in the w i ld

fru i t— to effec t th is, Vi shno o t ra nsfo rm ed h im se lf i n

the appea ra n ce o f a bea u t ifu l m a id , a nd w i th m ost

en t ic ing cha rm s appea red be fo re Buzm ahso o ren ,Buzm a hso o ren bec am e s o o verpo wered w i th ca rn a llu s t a t s igh t o f th is bea u t ifu l figu re, tha t he becam e

m o st impo rtu na te a t the sam e t im e. v io len t, w hen them a id repro ved h im o f h is v i le a t tem pts, a nd so l ic i tedh im n o t to d e fi le her in h is im pu re s ta te o f body a nd

nd ly requested h im i n the first in sta nce to go and pe r

fo rm a blu t io n by ba th ing , a s he w a s a gia n t, who f or a

th o u sa nd yea rs d id n o t perfo rm the righ ts o r a bide bythe injunct ious of the Vedas ( as regards purifica t ion )

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

HiNDOO GODS.

and Swayumbhoovu,anxious to obta in i ts emersion ,addressed h imse lf to the powers a bove . As the firs t

act o f d ivine fa vou r, he o bta ined a bo a t, con ta in in thevedus, i n to wh ich he, toge th er w i th h is w ife, and lurltu a nd Marku ndeyu, two sa es w ho h ad su rv ived thedeluge , en tered ; they bo un the vessel to the fins o f afish, ( a n inca rna tion o f Vishno o ,) a nd then prayed toBram ha fo r the emersion o f the ea rth . As the rewa rdo f the ir devo tio ns,Vishnoo, assum ing the fo rm o f thehour, w i th h is tusks d rew the earth from the wa ters,and fixed i t, a ccord ing to som e sh a st rus,

‘ on thethousa nd heads o f the serpen t- god Unan ta wh ileothers dec la re,

'

i ' tha t it rema ins suspended in the a irby the invisible ha nd o f G od .

1 kn ow n o t where to in trod uce be tter tha n in th is

place the fo llow ing descrip t io n o f the ea rth s The ea rthi s circu la r a nd fla t, like the flo wer o f

"

the wa ter- lily inwhich the pe ta ls project beyo nd ea ch o ther i ts c ircumference is o f m i les. In the cen tre

is moun t So omero o,a scend ing m i les from the

surfac o f the ea rth, a nd descend ing below it .

l t is l m iles in c ircum feren ce a t i ts ba se, a ndw id e a t the to p. On th is m o u n ta in a re the

heavens -o i Vishn o o , Siva , lnd ra , Ugn ee , Y ama , Nyro othey, Va ro o na Y ayo o va , Co oba ra , Yeesawn iah, a ndothergod s.

‘

he c loud s asce nd to abou t o ne th ird theheigh t o f the mo un ta in . A t i ts ba se, a re the m o un

tainsMu nd u ru, G u ndh n -m a d unu

, Vipo o lu, a nd So oarshwu ; o n ea ch o f wh ich grow s a tree

,m i les

lgb. On e a ch side o f th e m o u n ta in a re severa l co untries divide d by ra nges o f m o u n ta in s

,the f artherm o st

o fwhich is bo unded by the sa lt sea . All these co untries are ca l led Jum boo - dweepu . T he Hindo o geogra

phera fu rth e r a dd , tha t beyo nd th is sea,a re s ix o ther

seas d ivid ing from ea ch o ther, in a c ircu la r fo rm, s ix

o ther co un trie s,a s l’lukshu - dweepu , su rro unded by

lksltoo,the sea o f suga r

- ca ne ju ice ; Sh a lm u lu - dweepu ,by So o ra , t he sea o fspiri tno us liquo rs ; Ko o shudweepu ,byGhritu , the sea o f c la rified bu t ter Kro unch ud wee

pu, by Dnd hee, the sea o f cu rd s ; Shaku - dweepu , by

Doogdu, th e se a o f m i lk ; a nd Po o shku ru - dweepu, byJa la rnnvu , a sea o f swee t w a ter. Beyo nd a ll th esecoun tries a nd the ir c ircu la r sea s is a co un try o f go ld,as large a s the rest o f the ea rth th en a c irc u la r ch a inofmo un ta ins ca lled Loka—loku ; a nd then the la nd o fdarkness, o r he lld:To th is descript io n may be a dd ed the situa tion o f

the hea ve n ly bod ies : The firm a tn en t is o f equa l d imensio ns w i th the surfa ce o f the ea rth ; the ea rth is

m i le s d is ta n t fro m the sun , the spa ce be tweenwhich is c a lled Bho ovur- loku

,a n d is th e residence o f

the siddhusfl The d ista n ce fro m the so n to th e m o o n

is m iles . A t the to t a l wa ne o f the mo on,this

The poora num s a nd po t ical works. 1 A rac e o f dem i gods ll Canonizcd saints.‘l The wri ter of the Soo tyu siddha n tu . a nd o th er astronomers; Se e the Brum ha - poo ranumSee theMarkuud eyu po oranu and Shree - bhnga vu tu . The Inst itu tes o fMonoc

plane t is in a perpendicular line with the sun ,bywh ich

the liglt t o f the mo on is preven ted from descending to

the ea rt h . The d istance from the m oon to the con ste l

la t ions, st ill a scend ing, is m iles .

m iles a bo ve th is, is the plan e t Mercury ( B oothe ) ;m iles abo ve Mercury, is Venus ( Sookra ) .m iles above Mercury, isMa rs Unga raka .)

A t the same d istance, a scend ia is Jupi ter (B roo

p a spu ty ) ; m i les beyo n h im ,is Sa tu rn ( Se

u cy ) a nd m i les abo ve Sa turn is Ursa m ajo r,the seven princ ipa l sta rs, the hea ven s o f Se ven rishees

800m i les abo ve these is Dhroo vu , the po lar sta r. The

spa ce from the sun to Dh ro ova , is ca lled Su rgu- loku .

A t the des truc t io n o f the wo rld , the earth, a nd e veryth ing between it and th is s ta r, is

des troyed .

m i les abo ve Dhroo vu, the ch ief gods reside. Beyo nd

th is, is the residen ce o f the sons o f Bramba , ascend ingo f m iles. St ill h i her, m iles, is

the residence o f the regen ts o the qua rters a nd o ther

so ns o f Bram h a . The h ighest e leva t ion , the residence

o f Bram h a , is m iles above the las t -men t ioned

hea t enJ; Som e a ffirm , tha t a ll these re ions a lso are

de stroyed a t the t ime o f the d isso lu t ion o'

the world .

Q ecend in now to the e arth, let us persue the

cou rse m a rkedgby the poo ra num s, and tra ce the progress

o f huma n even ts as la id down in these writings

Swayumbho ovu, from the vedus found in th e boa t,fo rmed the work known a t presen t by his

a nd go ve rned the wo rld by the law s w h ich he h ad

thus c ompi led . After some t im e,he gave h im se lf up

to a life o f devo tio n, a nd p la ced h is e ldes t so n Priyu

v ru to o n the throne ,wh o m a rried a daugh ter o f Vishw u - ku rm a, the Hindo o Vu lca n , by whom he had

th irtee n so ns, a ud o ne da ugh ter. Six sons embra ced ana scet ic life, a nd the o thers go verned the seven d iv is io ns

o f the ea rth u nd er the ir fa ther, who gave Pluckshud weepu to Medha—t it ’hee Ko oshu to Jyo t ishm a n

K ro u nch u to Dyo o tima n Shaka to Bhuvyu ; Poo shkuru to S u vu lu Sha lm u lu to Vupo oshm an , a nd Jum

bo c to Agn idh ru . Afte r re ign ing yea rs .

Priyu- vra ta pla ced h is yo unges t bro therOo t ta n u -

paduo ver h is seven so ns, aba ndon ed the wo rld , a nd, by the

power of devo t ion, o bta ined ce lestia l h appiness. 00t

t a nu-

pa du wa s succee ded by h is so n Druvu , who reign .

ed yea rs, a nd then had a sepa ra te hea ven

a ssigned h im , a s the reward o f h is v irtues . Oo tku lu,

th e son o f Dru vu , re igned a sho rt t ime, a nd then

em bra ced the life o f a n a sce t ic h is so n Vu tsuru hadfive ch i ldren , the e ldest o f whom ,

Po o shpa rnnu , su cceed ed to the kingdom , a nd w a s fo llowed by h is eldestso n Vyo osh tu . His son Chuksho osh u , a t the clo se o fh is re ign , w a s ex a lted to the s ta te o f a m un o o , a nd

was suc ceeded in the kingdom Oo lmo okhu, the eldes t

3 6

th is h onorable ofl'

er upon grounds th a t he be in an

imme nse m a n possessing the combined s trength 0 ten

thou sa nd e lepha n ts, wou ld pro ve n o prope r m a tch to

HINDOO GODS.

the serpen t Sasha , d ura tion, and who is a lso called

An a n ta i' or e nd less .

Im ages o f th is god a re m ad e an d kept a lm o st i n a ll

su ch a de lica te a nd bea u t ifu l v irgin bu t sa id th a t h is Pagod a li s, pa rt icu la rly in the tem ples o f Sioulingnm,

b ro ther Arjo o nah Ma h a raja h w o u ld be gla d to a va i l

h im se lf o f th e h o no r o f being un i ted to her. After

Wh ich Beem a h pro po sed to take h is journey to h is

w o rld , w h ich he effec ted by th e wonde rfu l a ssis ta n ce

o f An a n ta . Th e‘

o u rney o f Beem a h fro m Pa tta lah lo

kum to th e w o rl a bo ve was effec ted b h is h a v ingbeen sea ted o n a three hea ded se rpen t, w i le innum er

able o thers o f the sam e tribe , en tw ined th em se lves o n e

a fter a no ther to the ta i l o f the first sna ke by w h ich

m ea ns th e snake o n wh ich Beem ah w as sea ted a rrived

a t the w o rld above in a n in sta n t o f t im e .

Ana n ta h a s two n am es, v iz. A dcsheshia , the fi rst cre

a ted se rpen t, o r d u ra t io n— An a n ta , o r the everla st ing,o r end less . No blo o dy sa crifice is o ffered to th is god ,o r a ny sepa ra te devo t io n pa id h im , bu t is on ly w o rshiped in the Omm om ce rem o n ies

‘

i n comm o n w i th the

o ther n ine gu a rd ia ns o f the w o rld, in the m a rriage

cerem on ies o f the Bram ins .

Vishnoo is sa id to be reposing during a ca lpa , ( an

Astro n om ica l period o f a th o usa nd ages,) upo n the

serpen t An an ta . Mr. Wilkins in h is tra n sla t ion o f the

Hee topad es speaks o f i t thus Nea rly o pposi te to

Su lta n unga a considerab le town in the pro vm ce o f

Bah ar, t ere s ta nd s a ro ck o f gra n i te, fo rm ing a sm a ll

i sland in the m id st o f the G a nges, known to E uro

pea ns byth e n am e o f th e ro ck of J eha ngucery , wh ich

i s h igh ly wo rthy the travellers n o t ice fo r a va st n um

ber o f image s ca rved in relie f upon every pa rt o f i ts

surfa ce ; am o ngs t these there is Ha ry‘ of a giga n t ic

size , recum ben t upo n a co i led serpen t , wh ose hea ds

wh ich a re n um erou s,the a rt is t h a s co n trived to spre ad

i n to a kind o f ca nopy o ver the sleeping go d , a n d from

ea ch o f i ts m o u th s i ssues a fo rked t ongue , seem ing t o

th rea ten dea th to a ny wh om ra sh ness m igh t prom pt to

d is turb h im . The who le figure lies a lmo st de ta ched

from the blo ck o n which i t is hewn ; is finely im agined ,a nd execu ted w ith grea t ski ll. The Hindo os a re ta ugh t

to be lie ve, th a t a t the end o f every Ca lpago r crea t ib n

,

a l l th ings a re abso rbed in the d ei ty, a nd th a t in the

in terva l to a n o ther c rea t io n, he reposeth h im self on

Preserver.

This god answer. as a bed-tend when Vishnoo is asleep. when l ea tcd a s a thro ne. a nd when wa lking a an umbrella and the lower parts

o f th e body a n ca uda ll

Hence Ra vao - va ro . or Sunday.

No t green . as m en tio ned byMr. Maurice .

The Hindoo s. like o ther ido la trouc na t ions, ha ve gone into the

wo rship o f the hea venly bodies . The pla nets , the cons te lla t io n s , th e

s igns of th e zodiac, the s tars in genera l. the s tar Canopus , ( I ) the s ta rK a la poo roo ohu . arc . ha ve a ll been deified . and are wo rsh ipped w i th

a pprOprinte form s o f pe t ition . pra ise , h e . some o f thcm a t the fes tiva l:

o f o ther gods, and o ther: a t different times . The constella t ions a re

where i t i s represen ted as a ca nopy o ver i t .

SOORIAH .

RAVE EJ o n TH E SUN .

The E leven th Gua rdia n of the World .

(P la te N o .

Th is god , the son o f Kushyupu , the sage, is pa inted

red . He h o lds a wa ter- l ily in ea ch ha nd, a nd rides in

a ch a rio t d rawn by seven red! h o rses .

[I Ha vee a s on e o f the p lane ts is w o rsh ipped onlya t the grea t fe st iva ls . The Jyo t ish

- tu twu sa ys, tha t if

a perso n be bo rn under the p la ne t Ra vee , he w i ll pos

sess a n a n x io u s m ind , be subjec t to d isea se a nd o ther

sufferings, be a n ex ile, a priso n er, a nd end ure m uch

so rrow from the lo ss o f h is w ife , ch ildren , a nd pro perty.

Wh i le ba th ing, th e H ind oo s repea t certa in incan

t a t io n s, in o rd er to bring th e w a ters o f a ll the h oly

pla ces in the h eaven o f th is go d i n to the spo t w here

th ey a re sta nd ing, a nd thu s obta in the m eri t o f ba th i ngn o t o n ly in G unga , bu t in a ll th e sa cred rivers, & c . i n

th e hea ven o f S o o riah . After ba th ing too th e Hin

do os m ake th e ir obe isa nce to th is god in a s ta n d ing

po s tu re ; the m o re devo u t d raw u p the ir jo ined ha ndsto the fo rehe ad , gaze a t the su n ,

m ake pro s tra t i o n to

h im,a nd then turn rou nd se ven t im e s, repea t ing cer

ta in fo rm s o f pe t i tion a nd pra ise . On these o c ca sions

they ho ld up w a ter in the ir jo ined hands, and then

po ur o u t a d rink- o ffering’to the sun .

When th e terrific be ing wh ich sprung o u t o f Siva’s

bunch o f h a irwen t w i th a ll the bh o o tus, 81 C. to destroyDuksh a

’s sa crifi ce, a ll the o ds be ing presen t, th is m o n

ster, se ized o n So o riah a n kno cked o u t h is tee th : in

con sequ en ce, a t the t im e o f worsh ip, o n ly so ft th ings,a s flo u r, & 0. a re now o ffered to th is god, su ch a s a

to o th less o ld m a n m igh t ea t .

So o ria h is ch a rged in theMuh abh a ru tu w i th ra v ish

ing Ko o n tee, a virgin, from whence Kurnnu, a g ian t,wa s bo rn .

worsh ipped separa tely a t the birth : o f children, a s well as at the anni

versaries of then births t ill the t im e of dea th .

Some persons suppo se . tha t the worship of the elemen ts was the

rim it ive ido la try o f t he “indoor, and tha t of heroes the inven t ion of

s ta r t imes . i t is pla in . however, tha t the vedus, suppo sed to be the

m o st a ncien t o f the Hindoo wri tings. coun tenance the wo rsh ip of deifi

ed heroes . The“ bo oks con ta in a ccoun t s o f Bramha . V ishnoo . and

S i va . and m os t o f the o ther dei ties . A paragraph in tho Rig- vcdu

speaks of the gods cho os ing l ndra to be the ir king, whom they placed

o n it throne fancifully con s tructed w ith text. of the vedu . Am ongst all

the gods none a re cha rged with grea ter crime: than Indra . who reduced

the W i fe of h is spiritual guide ; indeed; from a variety of facts i t is high

( 1 ) Cal led by the Hindoos Ugustyu , the sage.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

HINDOO GODS.

The bram ine consider Sooriah as one o f the grea t

est o f the go d s, beca u se in glo ry he resembles.

the o n e

Bramba , w h o is ca lled tejo m uyu , o r the lo rto u s . In

the ved us a lso th is go d is m u ch n o t iced t e ce lebra ted

incan ta t io n c a lled t he gayu tree , a n d m a ny o f the fo rm s

ofmed ita t io n , prayer, a nd pra ise , u sed in the d a i lycerem o n ies o f the bram in s , a re a ddressed to h im . He

is a t presen t w o rsh ipped d a i ly by th e bram in s,'

w hen

flowers, w a te r, 81 C . are o lfered,a ccompa n ied W i th in

canta t ion s .

On a Su nd ay, a t the rising o f th e sun,in a ny m on th

,

but m ore e spec ia lly in the m o n th Maghu , a n um ber o f

pers ons, ch iefly w om e n , perfo rm the wo rsh ip o fSo o riah .

The su n i s a n nua llywo rsh ipped o n the firs t Sunday in

the mon th Magh u . The n am e o f th is wo rsh ip i s ca lled

Dhurmu - bh a o o , o r So o ria h - bha o o . The cerem o n ies

vary in d ifl'

ere n t p la ce s, th e w om en appe a r to be the

rinciple a c to rs ; th ou h no ne a re ex c lud ed , a nd even

Elussu lm a ns a re so fa r ind o o ized a s to jo in tn th e ido

la try. A t th e d awn o f the m o rn ing a grea t num ber o f

ofi'

erings a re c a rried i n to the open fie ld , a n d pla ced in a

row. The o ffe rings co nsis t o f fru i ts,

swea tm ea ts,

pigeons a nd k id s . A sm a l l po t is pla ced by ea ch per

son’

s o ffering co n ta in ing abou t a p in t a nd a lta lf'

o f

lyprobable. tha t to the redus we a re to a ttribu te the fo unda tion o f thiswhole fabric o f su perst i tion . These books co n ta in prayers to procure

thedestruct io n o f enem ies , a s well as encourage the burn ing o f w ido wsalive. ( l ) wh ich is sure ly a fa r grea ter crime than a ny thing done in the

presence of the im ages o f ,Rama o rKrishna . The ancien t ido la try therefore, seems to h a v e been a s co rrupt a s a ny thing prac t ised a t presen tIs it no t probable tha t the horrid worship o fMo loch was rea lly tha t ofthe elemen t o f fi r aWe do no t find . however, tha t th e h ea venly bodies are worshipped

on the tops o f h o uses . a s appea rs to ha ve been the case am ong tho se natioas from wh om the Jew s learn t the ir ido la try . I t is sa id o fMa na sseh,that ‘

he wo rsh ipped a ll t he ho s t o f hea ven . and sen ted them .

’ Jos ia h ,the son ofMan a seeh . pu t down a ll tha t burn t in cense un to Baal . to thesun, and to th e m o on a nd t o th e pla n ets , a nd to a ll the ho s t o f hea ven .

By the prophe t Jerem ia h , God threa t ens . tha t the people sha ll bringout the bones o f the king o f Judah . of the princes , pri ests , prophe tsand people , a nd adds , And th ey sha ll spread them before the sun .

the moon . and a ll the ho s t o f hea ven , whom they haVe served ; theyshall not be ga thered no r be buried they sha ll be fo r dung upo n thefees of the ea rth By the pro phet Z epha n iah . God threa tens to cu t ofl

'

them tha t wo rsh ip the ho st o f hea ven upon the house- taps .

'

S tephen ,In rehearsing the h irto ry o f the children o f Isra el befo re the Jewishcouncil. decla res . tha t God form erly ga ve up their fo refa thers to worlhlp the ho s t o f hea ven , a nd m en tions among o ther objects o f worshipthe star of the god Remphan .

This worship, which has been so genera l among hea then na tions,seems to have origina ted in jud ic ia l a strology , a nd in the belief tha t theheavenly bod ies ha ve a grea t i nfluence upo n human even ts . Hindoo s .whose birth under a s uppo sed evil pla ne t ha s been ascerta ined , a re

often filled wi th m e lan cho ly ; som e abandon themselves to despa ir.careless of wha t becom es o f a n exis tence connec ted wi th such om en s .

The reader w ill perce i ve , in read i ng the a cco un t o f Sa turn , to wha t adegree the Hindoos dread the influence o f this pla net . espec ia lly a t thetune when it is in a certa in sign . Aga ins t fea rs o f th is kind the prophe tJeremiah warned the Jews Learn no t the way o f the hea then . a nd

Et

he rnet dismayed a t the signs of hea ven , for the hea then a re dismayed a tem

the

Asclepias giganti ae. (3 ) Butea frondoaa . (4)Mimosa catechu .

(1 ) 0 fire, let these women , w i th bod ies ano inted w i th ghee, eyes (coloured ) w i th st ibium and vo id of tears ,no t be separa ted from their husband s , may be in un ion w i th excellen t husbands , be einlesa,

(5) Achyranthes aspera .

enter the parent of wa ter, tha tand bejewela among women .

”Rigveda .

(6) Ficus religion . (7)Mimosa albi tla.

w a ter. A device m ade of a wa ter-plan t a spec ies o f

Millingto n ia , i n tended to represen t the Sun , is pla ced

on the edge o f the po t, a nd a sm a ll tw ig of the m angotree, w i th a few lea ves o n i t

, pu t i n to i t . The po t W i th

a ll i ts append ages repre sen t the sun, perhaps a s the

viv ifier o f n a tu re . By ea ch o fi'

ering a lso is pla ced

wh a t sh a ll we ca ll i t, a n i ncen se - a lter, o r cen ser ca lled

d ho o n a c hee . I t resembles a ch afiing- d ish

,m a de o f

copper, a nd stan d s upon a pedesta l abo u t a fo o t h igh .

I t co n ta in s co a ls o f fire, a nd a kind o f in cense fromt im e to t im e is th rown in to i t

, prin c ipa lly the pi tch o f

the sa lu - tree c a lled dho o n a . Nea r ea ch o ffering is

pla ced a lamp wh ich is kept bu rn ingal l day. The

w om en a lso ta ke the ir sta t ions n ear t e o fferings . At

su n - rise they w a lk fo ur tim es ro und the w ho le row o f

o ffe rings,w i th the righ t h a nd tow a rds them a nd th e

sm oking dho on a chees pla ced on the ir h ea ds, a fter wh ichthey re sum e their sta t io n s aga in , wh ere they con tinu edin a n e rec t po sture, fas ting the w ho le d ay, o cca sio n a llythrow ing a li t t le in cen se in to the dh o o na chee . To

w a rd s even ing th e bram in s wh o a tten d th e ce rem onythrow th e pigeon s up in to the a ir ; w h ich be ing yo ung,co u ld n o t fly fa r, a nd a re sc ram bled fo r a nd ca rriedaway by the crowd . The o ffic ia t ing bram iu perfo

A t the grea t fes tiva ls a sma ll offering is presen ted to a ll the planets a tonce ; bu t except o n these occa sion s th ey a re n ever worsh ipped toget her. They are , however. frequen tly worsh ipped separa tely by thesick or unfo rtun a te, who suppo se them selves to be under the banefulinfluence of some pla net . A t these t im es the n ine plane ts are worsh ipped, o ne a fter the o ther. in regu lar succession The cerem on ies consis to f the comm o n form s o f worsh ip before o ther im ages. and close with aburn t - ofi

'

ering to ea ch pla ne t .

To Soo rish are ofi’ered in the burn t sacrifice small pieces o f the shruburku ; (2) to Cha ndra , those of the puls shu ( 3 ) toMa rs . those o f thekhud tru (4 ) to Mercury, those of the upam argu (5 ) to Jupi ter.those o f the ushwet t

'

hu ; (6 ) to Venu s, tho se o f the o oroomburu ; toSat urn . tho se of the sh ames ; ( 7) to Rahoo , blades of do orva grass ;and to K e too , blades o f k oo sh u gra ss .I n h o no ur of Sooria h bo i led rice m ixed with molasses is burn t ; m ilk

is to be m ixed w ith the rice offered to Chandra w ith tha t to Mars ,curds ; with tha t to Mercury, clarified bu t ter to Jupiter is offeredfrum en ty ; to Ven us . bo iled rice a lone ; to Sa turn , va rious kinds o ffood a to Rahoo . goa t

’

s flesh or fish to K etoo , blo od from the ear o f a

gea r, m ixed with rice .

The image of Soorrs h is to be a rou nd piece o f mixed metal, twelvefingers in diame ter ; tha t o f Chandra is to be like a ha lf m oon , a cubi tfrom end to end tha t o fMa rs , a triangu la r piece o f meta l mea sured bythe thickness o f s ix fingers tha t o fMercury, a go lden bow m easuringthe th ickness o f two fingers from o ne extrem i ty to the o ther ; th a t o fJupiter like a fiower o f the w a ter lily ; tha t of Venus . a four- square

piece o f s ilver ; tha t o f Sa turn , an iro a scym i tar ; tha t of Rahoo , a n

iron m ukuru ; a nd tha t o f K eto o , an iron m akeThe fees accom panying the worsh ip o f the d ifferen t plan ets are various

a t tha t o f Sooriah , a m ilclt cow o f Cha ndra , a shell o fMars . a bu llo fMercury, a m o rse l o f go ld o fJupiter, a piece of clo th o f Ven us. a

horse of Sa turn , a black cow o fRahoo , a piece of iron , a nd of Ketoo .

a go a t .

When the omcia ting bremin perform s the worsh ip o f separa te plan.

e ts,he mu s t pu t on ves tmen ts of ti t t

’l co lors , and offer differen t k inds

of flowers.

3 8 HINDOO 6 005 .

ra tes th e ea rs o f the kids wi th a needle a fter wh ich th eya re se ized by th e firs t perso n wh o to u ches them . Abo u t

sun - se t the ofi'

erers a ga in take up the sm oking dho o na

chees, a nd m a ke th ree c ircu i ts ro u nd th e rows o f ofl'

e r

i n 9 . A fter t h is the o ffe rings a nd ligh ted lam ps a re

taEe n a w ay by th e ir respec ti ve owners, w ho thro w the

la m ps in to a po o l o f wa ter.

’

Wo m en freque n t lym a ke a vow to So o riah to wo rsh iph im

,on co nd i t ion tha t he give

— to o ne, a so n to

a no ther, riches ; to a n o th e r, he a lth , & c . Som e perfo rm

these cerem o n ies a fter h ea ring a so n . Th is wo rsh ipis som e t im es a t ten ded to by o ne wom a n a lo n e ; a t o the r

t im e s, by five , six , o r m o re in com pa ny.

So o ria h a nd the o ther pla ne ts a re frequen tlyw o rsh ip

ped in o rd er to pro cure hea lth . Th is the Hindo o s c a ll

a sa c rifice to th e n in e pla n e ts ,wh en flowers, rice , w a ter,

a burn t sa c rifi ce , Si c . a re o ff ered to ea ch o f these

p la n ets sepa ra te ly. It is sa id,tha t two o r three h u n

d red yea rs ago ,Muyo o ru - bh u t tu , a lea rned Hindo o , i n

o rd e r to o b ta i n a c u re fo r the lepro sy, bega n to wri te a

po em o f o ne h u nd red Sa n sc ri t ve rses in pra ise o f

ria h ; a n d th a t by the t im e he h a d fin ished the la s t

ve rse h e w a s res to red to he a lth . These ve rses ha ve

been publish ed u nd er the t it le o f So o ria h - sh u tuku ,th e a u th o r a t the c lo se givi ng th is a cco u n t o f h is c u re .

Som e t im es a s ick perso n pro cu re s a bram iu to reh ea rse

fo r h im a number o f verse s iu pra ise o f So o ria h , o fferinga t the sa m e t im e to th is go d , rice, wa ter a n d j u va‘flowers . If the perso n be v ery ill, a nd a m a n o f pro pe r

ty, he em plo ys two o r th ree bram in s, wh o repe a t a s

m a ny a s a t ho u sa nd verses . Th is cerem o ny m u st be

pe rfo rm ed s ta nd ing in the su n w hen a tho u s a nd ve rses

a re rehea rsed , the rec i ta t io n o cc u pies m o re th a n a d ay.

The o rigin o f th is m e tho d o f o b ta in ing re lief from

si ckn ess is a sc ribed to Sham bu,th e so n o fK rishn a o ne

o f the m o s t bea u t ifu l yo u ths in the three w o rlds, who

w a s d irecte d in a d rea m to repea t, tw ice a da y, the

twen ty- o ne n am es o f So o ria h th en revea led to h im .

The perso ns w h o rece ive the n am e o f So o riah,a nd

ad opt th is god a s th e ir gu a rd ia n d e i ty, a re ca lled So u

rus : th ey n e ver ea t t i ll they h a ve wo rsh ipped the sun,

a n d when th e su n is en t ire ly Co ve t'

ed w i th c lo u ds theyfa st . On a Su nd ay m a ny So u ru s

,a s w e ll a s H ind o o s

be lo nging to o th er se c ts, perfo rm , in a m o re pa rti c u la r

m a n ne r, the wo rsh ip o f th is ido l,a n d o n th is d ay som e

o f th em fa st .

The Ra m aya na co n ta in s the fo llow ing s to ry respec t

ing So o ria h , Ha no o m a n, 81 C . In th e w a r be tw ix t Ra m a

a nd Ra va n a , a n a rro w d is ch a rged b Pa ra n a pie rced

the body o f Lukshm u n u : Ra m a a nd a il h is friends we reexceed ingly a la rm ed f or th e l ife o f Lukshm u n u ; the

phys ic ia ns tried a ll the ir effo rts in va in . A t la st o ne

Hibiscus ro sa Sinens is .

i‘ See Pla te lO—Survum s on the righ t and Chsya on the left of See.

rish, 1: This word m eans a shadow.

Asrw u P a sss.

physi c ia n d ecla red th a t if fo ur kind s o f leaves cou ld bebro ugh t fro m th e m o u n ta in ( i n ndhu - m a d h unu

,a nd

a pplied to th e w o u nd , Luks hm u nu m igh t pro ba b ly be

res to red to h e a l th . Th e go d who ha d g i ven th is a rro w

t o Ra va n a h ad d e c la red , tha t wh o e ver w a s w o u nde d

w i th i t in the n iu h t s h o u ld n o t. re co ver i f'

a c ure we re

n o t o bta ined befo re d a y- li ht . It w a s n igh t whe n th e

Wo u nd wa s infl ic ted , bu t fia no om a n engaged to brin gthe le a ves be fo re m o rn ing . To sec u re the fulfi lm e n t

o f h is pro m ise , h e lea ped in to th e a ir,a nd a ligh te d o n

the m o u n ta in ; bu t s ea rc he d i n va in fo r the m ed ic i n a l

lea Ves . Wh i le in h is sea rch, Ra va n a , who h a d h e a rdw h a t wa s go ing fo rwa rd , sen t So o ria h to a rise o n th e

m o u n ta in a t m id n igh t . Ha no o m a n in a rage, le a pe d

u p a nd se izing S o o ria h’s cha rio t w h ee ls

, pla ced the

b la zing(go d u nd er h is a rm a nd the m o un ta in o n his

h ea d, a n ca rried them to the c am p o f If am a , wh ere the

friend s o f Lnkshm u nu sea rch ed o u t the pla n t s, app liedthe lea ves, a nd res to red h im to h ea lth a fter w h ich

Ha no oma n perm i t ted So o ria h to depa rt .

So o ria h h a s two w ires . Su rru rn a a nd Ch aya .+ The

fo rm er is the da ugh ter o f Vishwu - ku rm a . A fter th e ir

m a rriage, S u rvu rna , u n able to bea r the power o f h is

rays, m ad e a n im age o f he rse lf ; a nd,im pa rt ing, l i fe to

i t, ca lled i t Gheys ,i a nd le ft i t w i th So o ria h . She

then re t urn ed to her fa the r’

s h o u se , bu t V ishwuku rm a

repro ved h is d a ugh ter fo r lea v ing he r h u sba nd , a nd

refused her a n a sylum bu t prom ised th a t if she w o u ld

re tu rn,h e wo u ld d im in ish th e glo ry o f So o riah

’

s ra ys .

Su ruru a reso lved no t to re tu rn , a nd , a ssum ing th e fo rm

o f a m a re,fled in to th e fo rest o f B o n du ku . Ch aya

a nd Y am a, whom Su rvu rua ha d le ft w i th So o r i a h

,

cou ld n o t agree ; a n d Yam a o ne d ay bea t ing ( h a'

a,

she cu rsed h im ,so tha t h e h a s eve r s ince ha d a swe l e d

leg . Y am a , weeping, w en t to h is fa the r So o ri a h ,shewed h im h is leg, a nd re la ted wh a t h ad h appen e d ;u po n w h ich So o ria h bega n to suspec t tha t th is wo m a n

co u ld n o t be Su vu rna , fo r n o m o ther eve r c u rsed h er o wn

so n , a nd if she d id , the cu rse co u ld n o t ta ke effec t . He

imm ed ia te ly pro c eeded to the h o u se o f h is fa th er- i n

law , wh o rece ived h im w ith grea t respec t, bu t u n pe r

ce ived ga ve h im a sea t co n s is t in

go f d ifferen t sh a rp

wea po n s, by w h ich he bec ame iv ided in to twe l ve

ro u nd pa rts . So o riah was en raged , a n d co u ld n o t be

pa c ifi ed t ill h is fa ther- in - law in fo rm ed h im th a t h is

d a ugh ter, u nable to bea r th e glo ry o f h is ra ys , h a d

fo rsa ken h im . On enqu iring wh ere she w a s go n e , t h e

fa th er sa id he h ad se n t h e r ba ck to h im im m ed i a t e lyo n her a rriva l, bu t tha t where she n o w w a s he co u ld n o t

sa y. So o ria h , by th e po we r o f dhya n ufi perce ived t h a t

S u rvurna h ad becom e a m a re,a n d w a s go ne in to so m e

fo rest . The sto ry h ere beco m es to o o bscen e fo r inse rt i o n .

1 When the o ld Hindoo ascetics wished to a scerta in a fa ct . th e y pe rformed wha t is ca lled dhys nu . viz . they shu t t he i r eyes . and bega n t o m e

di ta te .when i t is said. tbe informs tiou theyso ugh t wa s revea led to th em

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40

BOOTHA orMercury. (a )

P la te No .

This god has four arm s : in on e h an d he holds the discu s, in ano th er a club, in another a scym itar, and w iththe fourth is bestow ing a blessing . He rides on a li on ;is of a placid coun ten ance ; an d wears ellow arm en ts .

Th e following is an accoun t of the irth o Boo th sOn a certain occasion Broopaspu ty , the spiri tual guideof the gods, m ade a great feast, to which he in vite d allth e god s : Ch an dra w as presen t am on the rest ; who ,during th e festiv al , fell in lov e with ara , the w ife ofBroopaspu ty . Not knowing how to accomplish hi s wi shes, afier his return hom e he in vited Broopaspu ty to a sa

crifice , beg'

ng him to bring his wife wi th him . Broo

paspu ty and1

his wife proceeded to the pal ace of Ch an dra ,bu t saw n o

.

reparation s for the sacrifice .

express' hi s surprize at thi s circum stan ce, Ch andra

told him t the sacrifice was u n av oidably delayed, an dadv ised him to return for a short tim e to h is devo ti on s

leaving his wife at his hou se . Broopaspu ty con sen ted ,an d during his absen ce Chandra di shon oured the wife ofhi s spiritual gu ide, who , on his retu rn , fin ding his wife

pregn an t , cursed Ch andra , and hurled him in to the sea ,

where he con ti nued like a cinder, leaving the earth indarkn ess for two calpu s, or years . Broo

paspu ty com lled his wife to deliver h erself, and, on

the birth 0 the child Boo th s , reduced her to ashes .

Bramh a afterwards raised her from her ash es, and, thus

purified , Broopaspu ty took her to his embraces again .

Sum oodra , (th e sea) incen sed a t hi s son for this horridcrim e of dish onouring the wife of his di v in e teacher, di sc

inh erited him . Ch andra then applied to his sister Lakshm ee , (b) the wife ofVishn oo , bywhose power part of hissin w as rem ov ed , and he becam e ligh t like the m oon

when three ears old . She also applied in his behalf toParvu tee , w o reso lved to restore Chandra to heaven ,

and for this purpo se plan ted him in the forehead of herh usband , (0) who w en t, thu s orn am en ted to a feast of the

gods . Broopaspu ty, on seeing Chandra again in heavenwas greatly in censed , an d could only be appeas ed byBram ah

’

s ordai ning tha t the lascivious god should beexcluded from heaven , and placed am ong the stars ; andthat the sin by which his glory h ad been obscured shouldrema in for ever. Chan dra n ow asked Bram ba to re

m ove the v om iting of blood , w ith which he had beenseized sin ce hi s fall from heaven , wh o directed him , as a

certa in cure, to hold a deer on hi s kn ees .

If a person be born under the planet, Boo tha , hebe very fortunate , obtain an excellen t wife, & c .

— Jyotutwu .

The form er

( a ) Boothavam , orWednesday. The mean ing of Boo ths is , the wiseHe is also ca lled Ronh ineyn , the son of Rohinee, and Sonmyn, the son .

o f Soma .

was born,like Chandra a t the Churning of the sea by

t e go s .

(c ) i n Siva’

s forehead is placed a halfmoon .

(d) B ropaspu ty - varu or Thursday.

HINDOO LITE RATURE .

BROOPASPUTY or Jup iter. (d )

The image of this god , th e son of the sage Ungira , ispain ted yellow . He sits on th e water- lily h as four arm s

in one hand he h olds a roodrak sh a bead - roll : in an oth eran alms

’

dish ; in an other a club ; an d with the fourth h e

is bestowing a blessing.

Broopaspu ty is preceptor and priest to the gods ; inwhose palaces he explain s the vedus , and perform s a

number of religious cerem on ies .

If a person be born un der the plan et Broopaspu ty , hewill be en dow ed wi th an am i able di sposition ; poss ess

palaces , garden s, lands , an d be rich in m oney, co rn ,& c . obta in ing the affections of all, his hon ours will in

crease ; he will possess m u ch religious m erit ; an d in sh ort

will h av e all his wi shes gratified . Schatryas , Vysina

and Soodras , if bo rn under this plan et, will be prosperou s and h appy ; bu t bram ins w ill n ot be so fortuna te

the reas on given is , th at Broopaspu ty is a bram in , and

therefo re does no t wish to exalt those of his own caste .

Jyoti sh- tutwu .

This god is charged in theMuhabharu tu wi th deflouring the wife of his eldest bro ther Ootu t’hyu .

Names . Broopaspu ty, or, preceptor to the ode.

Sooracharyu , the priest of the gods .— Gishpu tee, e elo

(

fii en tr—Gooroo , the preceptor.

— Jeevu , he who revi ves

t e gods . (e Angi rusu , the son of Ungira u

tee, the lorga '

words, viz. the eloqu en t.

HINDOO LITE RATURE .

(Coa tiau dfi om page

Gou tumu wro te a work call ed Nyaya , the aphorism s

of which are still preserved , thou h n o t m uch studi ed.

He also wrote th e law trea tise w'

ch bears hi s n am e .

He was followed by Vats aynun , who wro te a comm en t

on th e Nyayu . At the close of the dwapuru yoogu , Ga

lavu wro te a comm en t on bo th th ese writers, and , da

ring the tim e of the Bouddhu kings, Ooduyu n achsaid to have collected in to a sm all trea tise wh at h amen

before wri tten . After th e death of the last writer, Bach

u spu teemi shru , wrote a comm en t on the works of his

predecessors ; and , two or three en era tion s afterwa rds ,Gun eshu wro te the Tu ttwu ta - m un ee, the w ork

whio is read n ow by the pundi ts of this schoo l through

ou t Bengal . Num erou s comm en ts have been written on

th e work of Gungeshu , bu t in Bengal that of Shirom an ee, the sch olar of Vasom devu —sarvvubhoum u , of Nu

deeya , is alm ost exclu sive] studied . (f) Shirom on ee also

enjoyed th e in stru ctions 0 Pukshu - dhuru -m ishru , a learn

(e) Tha t is when the gods die in ba tt le, Broopasputy by inca nta

tions restores them to life .

(f )We ought to men tion anothercomment scarcely less popular,that of

Mut ’hoora na t’hn , one of Sh iromo nee

’s scho la rs and a sma ll compila

tion by Vishwu- na t

’hu - siddh an tu , given as the substance , or outlines of

the No iyas iku philosophy. Th is sma ll work has likewise me t wi th a

commen ta to r, whose name we have no t heard .

HINDOO LITE RATURE .

ed man of Jun uku -

poora . Th e fam ous Cho itunyu , was

his fellow studen t at Nudeeya . Man y comm en ts have

been written on the work of Shirom un ee , bu t those of

Jugudeeshu and Gu dadhuru ar e chiefly consul ted by

students in Bengal .

Gou tumu taugh t, th at God is th e Grea t or E xcellen t

Spirit, whose n ature has been defined, in variou s w ays,

by the philosophers of the differen t schools ; th at ev1

dence of the tru th of things is to be obta ined by proofs

discernible by th e senses, by inference , by comparison ,

and by sensible s'

s , or words ; and these m odes of

proof he applied to

l

giings ; the qu ali ti es of thin gs work,

or mo tion ; kin ds ; div ision s , or parts ; and absen ce . In

things, he comprised m a tter, (a ) water, (a ) ligh t, (a ) air,space, tim e, region s, an im al spiri t , the Great Spin t, and

mind. Under th e head light, he in trodu ced eleven subdivi

sions ; under th at respecting a ir, n in e ; under space, six ;

under the two n ex t heads, fiv e each ; and under the two

last, eight . He taugh t, that God is capable ofun ity of se

paration of be ing m ultiplied ; of assign ed dim en sion s ;that he is possessed of w isdom , desire, and though t. The

capacities an d feelings which he as cribed to the anim al

spirit, were, wisdom , joy, sorrow ,desire, envy, anx iety ,

numerical in crease, defini tion , separation , uni on , di sjun ction, vice , and virtue . To the un dersta ndinghe as cribed

the capacity of d iscerning first and second causes, and

the final end of thi ngs ; th e property of un ity and num e

rical increase , defini tion , separation , un ion , di sjun ction ,and velocity . Under th e head of qua lities , he in cluded

colours ; tas tes, six ; sorts ; kinds , two ; scen ts , touch ,numbers, m easures, distance, union , separation , bu lk ,wisdom , joy, sorrow , desire , envy, carefuln ess , heavin ess ,liquidn ess, affection , na tural order,m erit , dem erit , sound.

Bywork or motion , he understood , ascending, descendlng, desiring, stretching, going . Of sorts, he m ade twodivisions, the grea t an d the small . Under the head divisions , or

fa rts , he m ade n o separate distin ctions . Under

absence, e placed four division s, as distan ce, the absen ceofprev iou s existen ce, destru ction , n on - existen ce . Un

der the head of wi sdom , he m ade three di vision s ; certa inknowled e un certain , and error : these he again subdiv1ded . e likewise taugh t his di sci les, th at space, tim e,

l‘

tigion , kin d, the human soul, the (grea t Spiri t , and primary atoms, were etern al . (6) He divided sounds in totwo kin ds , that of th e vo ice, and all o ther soun ds ; andtaught, that significan t sounds , as gu tturals and palatals,proceed from those parts whi ch receive a stroke in th eact pf pronun ciation . He also described sound in its formati on

, con tinuan ce, and extinction ; and declared tha tall sounds are to be ascribed to air. Respecting colours,he opposed those who m ain tain , that th ey are derivedfrom the process through which things of various colours

(as) Under ea ch of these th ree heads he made fourteen subd ivisions.(5 ) All bodies, says E picurus, consi st o f pa rts, of which they are

“expo-«3d . and into which they may be reso lved and these parts a reeither simple principles, ormay be resolved into such . These firstPrinciples, or simple a toms, are divisible by no force, and therefore“Wt be immutable .

”

The Roodru -jam ulu the Vrihunn undee - keshwuru , and

the Pudmu pooran u , supply som e inform ation respect

(c) With respec t to God , Pythagoras appears to have taught, tha t insubstance he is sim ilar to ligh t .

”Accord ing to Z oroaster, the human

soul is a particle of d ivine ligh t , which will return to its source , and

partake of i ts immortali ty; and ma t ter is the last or mos t d istantemana tion from the first source of be ing, which , on account of its d istance from the founta in of ligh t , becomes Opaque and inert , and whilsti t rem a ins in thls sta te is the ca use of evil ; but , being gradually refined ,i t wi ll a t length return to the founta in whence it flowed .

”

(d ) God , tha t he m ight form a perfect world , followed tha t e terna l

pa ttern , wh ich remains immutable .

”By ideas, Pla to a ppears to have

m eant pa tterns . or arche types, subsisti ng by themselves , as real beings,

in the Divine Reason , as i n theiroriginal and e ternal region , and issuingthence to give form to sensible things , and to become objec ts of con

templation and sc ience to ra ti onal beings . It is the doc trine of theT immus, tha t the Reason of God comprehends exem lars of all things ,and tha t this Reason is one of the prima ry causes 0 th ings .

”The

exemplar.”says Seneca , is not the efi cien t cause of na ture , but a n

instrument necessary to the cause .

pass, as an earthen pot becomes red'

i n burning, &c . He

furth er taugh t, th at, the prim ary atoms excepted, all m a

terial things were open to the senses ; th at m aterial things

were destro ed i n three we 8 : first, by water, duringthe night of

0

«rumba secon by pestilence , fam in e ,w ar, and o ther extraordinary m ethods , thirdly, when all

sentin en t beings obtain absorption in Brumh a . In th is

mann er, Gou tumu proceeded through the division s al

ready m en tion ed , w ith their subdivision s, defin ing the

n ature of thin gs according to the logical rules the pre

scribed to him self.

On the subject of creati on , Gou tumu taught, that God ,being possessed of eight quali ties, or disposi tion s existingeterna lly within him self,

qm ani fested himself as a body of

ligh t ; (c) an d tha t from hence the p atoms issu ed ,

tha t the crea tor nex t gave existen ce to yrunu-

gorbhu ,the first form or pattern of th ings , and , having form ed

vice and v irtue , di rected this im agin ed being to create

things agreeably to this m odel. (J) Af ter this , H irunyu

gurbhu , i n un ion wi th these qu aliti es taking th e prim a

ry atom s , form ed the uni verse ; and Brum ha u ttered the

vedu s . According to the di vin e appo in tm en t, men are

born subject to tim e , place, vice and virtue .

He directed the person who wishes for suprem e hap

pin ess, first, to seek wisdom , by ere

pactmgtmg what

ul by ascertain ing what i s espah e of proof,is certain , particu larly respecting di vin e objects ; wha tbelongs to the senses to comparison ; to the reason of

; to proofs from the nature of things ; to the m e

a le n ature of things ; to that whi ch i s h o t doubtful

to tha t which con tains difficul ties ; to that whi ch is capa

ble of dispu te ; to tha t in the proofs of whi ch there are

faults ; to m ake him self m aster of what is un answerable ;to ascertain the distin ctions of things ; an d to learn how

to expose errors . He must then extinguish in himself

all sorrow , [the causes of] birth , v ice, an d false wisdom ;

he must listen to discourses on God , and fix them inde

libly i n hi s m ind ; and m.

thi s mm ann er he w ill obta in e

m an cipation , con sisting in the etern al ex tinction of a ll

OW

M HINDOO LITE RATURE .

in

hg thi s sage, to whom th e Pat imjulu school of philoso

phyowes its origin , and who wrote a work on the civil

an canon law . He i s said to have been born in Ilavritu - vurshu , where his father Ungira and his m o th er

Su tee resided , an d tha t imm ediately on his birth he m ad e

kn own things pas t, presen t , an d future . He married

Loloopa , whomphe foun d on the n orth of Soomeroo , m

the hollow of a vu tu tree, and i s sa id to have lived as a

m edican t to a gr ageat e . insulted by the inh abi

tan ts of Bhogugr

- bhan ds.ru , while engaged in religiousausterities, he

8 1 1

reduced th em to ash es by fire from his

He taught, that th e Divine Spirit and the soul of man

were distin ct ; that th e form er was free from passion , bu tn ot the latter , that God was possessed of form , or, was

to be seen by the yogee that he is p ,lacable lorious ,th e creator, preserv er, and the re en erator of things

that the universe first arose from will or comm and,

certain , un certa in , &c . that there are five kinds ofm enthose who are govern ed by their passions, the

frwrathful,

the ben evolen t, the pious, and those who are eed fi oulworldly atta chmen ts ; that em ancipation is to be obtain ed

Of the birth of th i s wonderful man , who di vi ded the

by yogu , that i s, by perfect abstraction of mind . (a)

The foun der of the Voisheshiku school, is to be placed i n the same age with Gou tumu . According to theRig

-vedu , h e was a tall m an , wi th a grey heard , hi s hair

tied round his head like a turban , an dyhia whole body

wi thered with age and religious austerities . H is fa therreceived the n am e Veda -shim , or, he who carried th evedu on hi s head , on accoun t of the great regard heshewed to these works . He lived as an an chorite uponm oun t Neelu : his disciple Moodgulu was a very learn

ed ascetic, whose posterity became so num erous , th atbramins are kn own as the descend

(b)The Pudmu pooran u speaks of him as a m ost devou t

ascetic , living on alm os t invi sible practices of grain .

Wh en hism gaustere devo tions had drawn V ishnoo from

(s ) Pythagoras taugh t tha t, “ in the arru it of wisdom , the utmostcare must be taken to ra ise the m ind a re the dom inion of the passions, and the influence of sensible objec ts , and to d isengage it from a llcorporeal impressions that i t ma be inured to converse wi th i tself

,

and to contemplate things spiri tu and d ivine . Contempla tive wisdomcanno t be completely atta ined , without a total abstraction from the osd inary affairs of li fe .

11(“

oilOne of these descendants ,Moora ree mishru,who died about two(I d and fi fty yeare ago, is famed as a poet ; and to h im are a ttributed a comment on a work o f Sha vuru, one of theMeemangsa writers ;and an epic poem founded on the story of the Ramayana.

h eaven , to ask him to so lici t som e blessing, he informedthe god, that he had only one favour to ask, whi ch was

,

that h e migh t h ave eyes in his feet, that he might notstumble on the road , bu t th at, even in his pilgrimages,w ith hi s eyes closed, he migh t con tinue to m editate onV ishn oo .

K un adu taugh t, that th e visible form of God waslight that when the desire of crea tion arose in the divinem ind , he first gave existence to water, and then to innum erable w orlds, floa ting on th e water like the mundan e egg ; tha t in th ese prim ev al e gs wa ter was con.

tain ed, on whi ch lay Vishn oo , an d om whose navel issued a lo tus, in whi ch E t umba was born that Brumha,receivin g in stru ction s from God , created the world, firstfrom his m ind, an d then with the prim ary atoms ; thatspirit and an im al life were separate subsisten ces .

In hi s aphor'

isms , he first explain s the n ature of reli

gion ; then arranges th e componen t parts of the universe ;and lastly, gives a discourse on the di vin e n ature, whichhe divides in to three heads , that God is essentially possessed of wi sdom , whi ch , however, does no t comprisethe wh ole of his nature , tha t he is the ever blessed, andin all his works irresistible . E man cipa ti on from m atter,he held, was connected wi th complete deliveran ce

‘

fromsorrow .

sect, an accoun t is given by him self in the Muh abharutu : bu t, being very indelica te, it is suppressed in thisedition . Having been born on an island, o r rather asand bank of the river Y um oona, he receeived the nameDwoipayunu ; having resided in a forest of Vu durees,hewas called Vadurayunu , an d as be arranged the vedus,he becam e known by the nam e n ow comm only given tohim , Vedu -Vyasu . It is said, tha t he was very ta ll, and

of a dark complexion ; that he wore a tiger’s skin , and

that hi s hair, tied round his head like a turban, was

changed in to the colour of go ld by th e ra s of the sun.

By hi s wife Shookee he had one son , Shoo u—deevu .

It is said, that Vedu -Vyasu obtained his kn owledge of

the veda s an d pooranus b the favour of Vishnoo , with

ou t study ; that he wrote e Shree -Bhaguvutu fi'

om the

instru ctions of Naradu ; that he comm um oated to Poilu,one ofhis disci les, the knowledge of the Rig

- vedu , andthat Poilu pu fished it to the world : that he commum

cated to Jorminee the Saxon vedu to Voishumpa

Yujoor vedu , an d to Soomun too , a descendan t of ugl

ra , the Ut’hurvu vedu that he taught the pooranus, and

theMuhabharutu , to Lomu -hi irshun u , who became the

in structor of his own son Soota ; and that Sootu read

these works to sages in the forest Noimisha.

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1“ HINDOO LITERATURE .

. H e is-

said to have been thfe suthcgof s lavzdtreatise

élgthe Narudeeyu pooranu ; o a wor on saer places

resort of pilgrims ; of auothercalled Punchu- ratru f and of

This sage, according to the Shree-bhaguvu tu ,

in the heaven of Brumh a : the K opilu pooranu describes

him as an old m an , in the habit of a m endican t, and says ,tha t he lived as an anchorite at Bhudrashwu - vurshu , where

he had two sons, Kushyupu and Pournumasu .

The doctrin es taught by Mureechee were sim ilar to

those of the vedan tu sect — K ebad disciples , amongwhom was K ashu -krishnu , the writer of a Sungskritu

gramm ar, and of the Vishishta -Dwoituvadu , a work on

n atural philosophy. Mureechee him self wro te a law

treatise, and another on religious services.

P oohu tyn.

A tall dark man , in the habit of a mendican t ; whomth e Hindoo writers call the son of Bruhma . He was

married to Huvirbhoo , and had seven sons , who became

seven celebrated sages . (a Vishwushru va , one

sons of this sage , was the ther of Bavun u , and other

giants, the heroes of the Ramayunu . Poolustyu is sa id

to have spen t his days in devotion at Kedaru a placen ear Himaluya . H i s opin ions were , in alm ost all

like those of the Nuyayiku sect ; bu t he admitte

pooting God , that all the varying opin ions of the phylo

phers m ight be right. (6) He was one of the sm ritee wri

ters ; an astronom i cal work is also m en tioned as his, andvrutu is ascribed to

Fochrlm .

th is u se, producaged m an , in the

dress ofa mendicant. By his wife Gu tee he had two son s,Vureeyanu and Suhishnoo . To the first is ascribed thecustom of preserving the sacred fire from the tim e ofm arriage ; and to the las t, the origin of those religi ous nusterifies perform ed by yogees am i ds t all the inclemencies ofthe seasons . Whi le Suhishnoo was one day at his devotions, an atheist com ing to him , r nested to be inform edin .wha t eman cipati on consisted e sage, after a little

( s ) The Hindoos have seven ortherwise men , vis .Mureechee,Uttree“ Ungira, Pooluhu, Krn to, Vash isht

’

ha , and this Poolnstyu , whoa re pronounced to be equal to Brun ha . Ha s this any agreement with

the seven wi se men of Greece r

b) Th is is something like Socra tes ; A wise man will worsh ip thes accord ing to the i nsti tutions of the sta te to which he belongs .

"

Or,perh aps, ra ther mo re like E pienrns, who , accord ing to a fragmen t

of h s found in Hercnlnnenm, says, the gods being described as

and beneficient, [he advises us] to honou r them with such one : c an:

bu t for h imself he has made no vows to th e gods, th inking i t n folly for

one, who ha s no d istinct conceptions respecting them, to give h imself

txnb

’le on theiraccount, and regard ing them wi th silen t venera tion

y.

hesitation, declared, that M cipation was not an objectof the senses, and that , as .he would believe nothingbutwhat could be exhibi ted to the senses, he mnet retum g

he com e . The unbeliever still urginghim to give s moteexplici t answer, Suhishnoo direcmd hm to shave hisheul,to cover his body with ashes , and give loose to allhis paisions, telling him , that this was emancipat ion . Whetherthe sage gave this reply in sincerity or in jest, it is a fact,tha t his sober opinions were equally licen tious : be main.tained, tha t an eme happinesswas to be fou nd inwomen,wine, an d the uxuries ofdiet (c) or, as the learnedbramhun who collected these facts from the us wonldhave it, in that fixedness of though t, an that somatic:of pleasure, produced by these ind nces, especiallywin e . Many of his opin ions were to those ofthevedan ta school ; he did not believe, that God waspaisessed of passions ; su ch an opinion , he said , was founded upon ignorance ; fbr, the man who was himself hasfrom the influence of the passions , attribu ted none toGod.Pooluhn lived as a hermit on moun tMunduru , whereinhad disciples , the most em in ent of whom wasPi

who made known the formulas for conducting»To Pooluhu is ascribed one of the smritees.(d)

Vusm’

slit’lm .

The Shree- bhaguvu tu men tions a birth of this celebrated philosopher in the sutyuyoogn, in the heaven ofBrahma , from whose m ind he was born , and that Kaliku

ran u gives an accoun t of an other birth in the Pudmu

pu , when his father’s nam e was Mi tra - vuroonu, andhis mother’s Koombhu . (a) Thehim as priest to the kings of themany ages. The description given of him , is that ofanascetic, with a long ey beard, having his hair,yello

w

as safi '

on , tied roundhis head like a turban . He is saidto have lived as an ascetic on m oun t Him aluyu ; but, according to the Tun trus, in what the Hin doo s call Great

Chin a . In hi s first birth , he was married to Sundhyt.the daughter of Brumha , whose chesti her father attempted to violate ; and, in the next b

'

to Corja. Bythe first marriage, he had several sons, the eldest ofwhomwas Shuktree ; and by the nex t he had th e seven risheeewho have been deified, and are said to be emplo ed inchan ting the vodna in the heaven assigned to them . ese

seven sages are worshipped at the festival o f Shusht’hee,

and a t the sacrifice called Swur an d a drink-offering is poured ou t to them at the aghu ba thing fes

tival ;their names are Chitru - ketoo , Swurochee , V irq Mitt“.Ooroolm unu , Vuhooddam u , and Dyoo tim an .

( To be Continued .)(c)

“That pleasure is the first good ,”

said E picurns , appear! f"the inclina ti on which eve ry animal, from i ts bi rth , discovers to pi n .

p leasure and avoid pa in .

”

(4 ) This is anot her proof that the vedus a nd the smri tees must i t "

been written in one age, for Poolnh n is sa id to ha ve been the sol Of

Bram ha.

(c) This is the name of a water-pan, in which this sage was born ;Wthe story is too indilicste to be published.

HINDOO GODS.

C HAPTE R VI .

SCORRA or Venus .

P la te No .

This god , the.son of th e sage Bhrigoo , is dressed in

yellow ; sits on the w a ter- Ii] h as four h an ds : in oneh e

holds a roodraksh a bead - roll; in an o th er an alm s’dl sh ;

in another a club, and wi th the o ther is bestowing a

blessing.

Sookra is preceptor an d officiating priest to th e gran ts .

He is represen ted as blin d of on e eye ; th e reason of

which is thus related : When Vam na n w en t to king E u

lee, to solicit a presen t , Sookra , being Bulce’s preceptor,

forbad his giving him an y thing . Th e king disregardinghis advice , the priest was obliged to read th e n ecessaryformulas , an d to po ur ou t th e w a ter from a vessel, to ra

tify the gift. So okra , still anxi ou s to w ithh old the gift ,

which he foresaw would be the destruction of his m aster,

entered the w a ter in an inv isible form ,an d by his m agic

power prev en ted it from fallin bu t Vam na n , aware of

the dev ice , pu t a straw in to e bason of w ater, which

entered Sookra’s eye , an d gave him so m u ch pain , that

he leaped ou t of the bason : the wa ter then fell, an d th e

gift was offered .

If a person be born under the plan et Sookra , he w ill

have the facu lty of knowing things past, presen t, an d fu

ture ; will h av e m an wives ; h ave a kingly umbrella ,

(the emblem of m y ty) and o th er kings will w orshiphim ; he will po ssess elephan ts , h orses, pal anqu eens, foo t

men , &c .— Jyotr

'

sfi- tu twu .

Sookra’s daugh ter Devu

'

an ee , was deeply in love w ith

one of her fathe r’s pupils , u chu , th e son of Broopaspu

ty. This you th h ad been sen t by his father to learn from

Sookra an in can ta tion for rai sing the dead . On e day De

vujanee sen t K uchu to bring som e flowers to be used in

worship 1' from a forest belongin to the gian ts . Pre

viousl to thi s , K uchu h ad been evoured several tim es,

by difieren t gian ts, bu t Sookra , by the abo ve in can ta tion

had restored him to life, when he tore 0 en th e belli es

of these cann ibals and destroyed them . The gian ts n ow

resolved to m ake Sookra him self ea t thi s boy, for which

purpose th ey caught him in the forest , cu t him in

to the sm allest pieces , bo iled him up in spirits , an d in vit

ed Sookra to the en tertainm en t . Ku chu no t retu rn ingfrom the forest, Devujan ee wept m u ch , an d to ld her fa

ther that sh e wou ld certa in ly kill h erself : ,if he di d

notbring backher lover . Sookra a t length , by the power ofmeditation , di scovered that he had ea ten thi s you th , sobeloved by his daughter, and he kn ew n ot how to bringhim back to life withou t th e attempt being fa tal to himself. At la st, however, while the boy con tinu ed in hi sbelly he restored him to life, and taugh t him the in can

Sookra -u rn , or Friday.

t Gathering flowers for the worship of the gods is often a t presen tthe employmen t ofyoung persons.t The Hindoo children often resort to this threat to extort some

favour from their parents.

h is teach er to life .

ta tion for raising the dead, after which K u chu , tearingopen Sookra

’s belly, cam e forth , an d imm ediately restored

K u chu , having obtain ed th e know

ledge of rev ivifying th e dead , to ok leav e of his preceptor,

an d w as abou t to return to his fa ther Broopaspu ty, when

Devu'

an ee insisted upon h is m arrying her. Ku chu de

clin e this honour, as she was the daugh ter of his pre

ceptor, a t which she w as so in censed tha t she pron oun c

ed a curse upon him by which he w as doom ed to reapn o a dvan tage from all hi s learn ing. In re tu rn K uchu

cu rsed Devujan ee, an d doom ed her to m arry a Schatrya

which curse, after som e tim e took effec t , and she was

m arried to kin Y ujatee . After Devujan ee had hom e

tw o children , gre discovered th at the kingm ain tained an

illicit conn ection wi th a prin cess of th e n am e of Sum

m ish t’ha , b whom h e had three son s . She appealed to

h er fa ther cokra , who pronoun ced a curse on Y uja tee ,— when his hair imm edi ately becam e grey, h is teeth fell

from hi s h ead , an d he w as seized wi th complete decrepi~

tude . Y ujatee rem on strated with hi s fa ther- in - law , and

asked him who should live w ith his daughter, who was

yet young, seeing th a t he had brough t o ld age upon him .

Sockt s replied , that if he could persuade any one to take

upon him thi s curse , h e m igh t still enjoy conn ubial feli

city. Y ujatee returned h om e , and asked his eldest son

by Devu'

anee to take this curse for a thousand years , and

ssess e kingdom , at the close ofwhich tim e he should

hgcom e young ain , an d con tinu e in the kingdom ; bu t

this son ,hi s bro er, and th e two eldest sons of Sum

m ish st’h a refused the kingdom on these condi tion s which

so enraged the fa ther, tha t he cursed them all. The

youngest son , however, by Sumish t’ha accepted the con

di tion s, and in sta n tly becam e week and decrepid when

the fa th er assum ed hi s form er you th, and return ed to the

com pany of his wives .

Names . Sookra , or, he wh o sorrow s at the destru ction

of th e gian ts .— Duityugooroo , precepto r to the gi an ts .

— K avyu , th e poe t .— Oo shun a , the friend of the gian ts.

— Bharguvu , th e descendan t of Bhrigoo .

SANE Y or Sa turn .

(P la te No .

This god is dressed in black ; rides on a vulture : 1'

h as four arm s ; in on e he h olds an arrow ; in an o ther a

jav elin ; in an o ther a bow , an d w ith the other is'

vinga blessing. He is sai d to be the son of Sooriah byghaya .

Saney- va ru ,or sa turday. One of the namesoi'

Saney isShunolshchut u , v is . he who tra vels slowly.

f Th is god is represented as sitting on th is bird , probably to denoteh is destructive wer. Sa turn , in the Grec ia n system of idola try, was

represen ted as evonring h is ch i ld ren . The vulta nes in B . nga l a re h ighlyu seful in devour- ing the dead bod ies of men and beasts , m any of wh ich

a re le ft in the road s a nd on the banks of rivers . i t is asto nishing how

swiftl the se bi rd s collect whe revc ra dead bodyfalls, though one of t hemshoul not ha ve be en seen in the place fo r weeks ormon ths be fo reillust ra ting themost st rikingm a nner, th e words o four Lo rd:

“ wheresoeve r the ca rcass is, there will the vultures be ga thered together. Ma tt .xxiv. 28

46 HINDOO GODS.

All the Hindoos exceedingly dread the supposed ban eful influen ce of this god, an d perform a num ber of cerem onies to appease him . Many stories of him are to befound in the writings of the Hindoos, such as that of his

burn ing off the head of Gunesha hi s burning Dush uru t

’hu

’

s chariot in his descen t from heaven ; his givingrise to bad h arvests , ill fortun e , & c .

If a person be born under the planet Saney, says theJyo tish

- tu twu , he wi ll be slan dered , his riches dissrpa ted ,h i s son , w ife , an d friends destroyed ; he w ill liv e a t v ari an cewith o thers and endure m any sufferings . The H indoosare un der con stan t fear of bad fortune from this plan et.Som e persons, if absen t from home at the tim e of his apearan ce , return through fear, an d o thers forsake theirusiness lest they should m eet w ith mi sfortun es . If on e

person persecu te ano ther, the latter som etim es takes it

pa tien tly, suppo sing it to arise from the bad fortun ewhi ch n aturally Springs from the influ en ce of this star.

The Hindoo s be'

eve that when San ey is in th e nin thstellar m an sion , the m ost dreadfu l evils befal m ankind :hen ce when Ram a broke th e bow of Siva , which wasthe condition of obta ining Seeta in m arriage , and whenthe earth sunk and the w aters of the seven seas were un ited in one , Puru shoo - ram a , startled a t the no ise of thebow , exclam ed—

‘Ah ! som e on e has lai d hold of th e hoodof the sn ake , or fallen under the ninth of San ey.

’At

presen t, when a person is obstinate , and wi ll n ot h earken to reason , a bye

- sta nder says I suppose he has fallen upon San ey, or he has lai d his hand upon the hoodo f the sn ake , viz. he is embracing his own destruction .

’

Wh en Ram a found that som e one had stolen Seeta , inthe mi dst of his rage h e exclaim ed , thi s person m us t

have been born when Saney w as in the ninth man sion .

RAUHOO.

The A scending Node.

Thi s god , the son of Singhika , is pain ted een : he

rides on a lion ; has four arm s , in three ofwhio he holds

a scym itar, a spear, an d a shi eld, an d wi th the other han d

is bestowing a blessing.

If a person be born under the plan et Baubee , says thework already qu oted , hi s wisdom , riches, and ch i ldren

will be destroyed ; he will be expo sed to m any affli ctions

and be subject to his en em ies .

Bauhoo was origin ally a giant , bu t at th e churn ing of

the sea he took his presen t nam e and form , that is , he be

cam e one of the heaven ] bodies, whi ch transform a

tion is thus described in t e po oranu s : At th e tim e when

the ode churn ed the sea to obtain the water of life , Soo r

iah the sun ) an d Chandra (the m oon ) were sitt in g toge

ther. When th e nectar cam e up, these gods hin ted to

We are here reminded of Jupiter

's deflou rlng Ca listo, the

d aughter of Lycaon, king of Arcad ia . t will be rem embered tha t when

h er d isgrace became known , Juno turned her in to a bear, which Jupitera fterwa rd s advanced into heaven,and made it a coustellatiou,now calledUrsa major.

Vishn oo th at one of the company who had drank of then ectar w as no t a god , bu t on e of the gian ts . Vishnooimm edi a tely cu t of hi s head ; bu t afte r the water of life , n either the head no r th e tx'urik co (1 perish.

The head taking the nam e of Rauhoo , and the trunk thatof K a thoo , wh ere placed in the heavens as the ascendingand descending n odes , and leave was gran ted , by way ofrevenge on Sooriah and Chandra , th a t on certain occasionRauh oo should approach these gods, and m ake them un

clean , so tha t their bodies should becom e thin and black.

Th e popular opin ion however is, that , a t the tim e of aneclipse, Rauho o swallows th e sun and m oon

, and vomitsthem up again .

’

Many persons perform a number of ceremonies onthese occasion s , as , th ose to the m anes pouring out wa

ter to deceased an cestors ; repeating th e n am es of the gods,setting up gods , m aking offerings , &c . The Jyotish - tut

wu declares th at perform ing these du ties now is attended wi th ben efits infin itely grea ter than at o ther times

,

Nobody m ust di scharge th e fences, n or urin e , nor eat anyfood, un til they h ave seen th e sun or m oon after theeclipse , though it be til l their rising the n ex t day. He whodoes n ot observe this law , w ill h ave a mi lli on of hells inon e .

Names . Tum u , th e dark, or he who is possessed of a

great proportion of the qu ali ty of darkness .-Rauhoo , he

who swallows and afterwards vomi ts up the sun ormoon.

— Swurbhan oo , he who shines in the heavens .— Soinghi

keyu , the son of Singhika— Vidhoon toodu , he who af

flicts the m oon .

KATHoo.

Tile D es cend ing Node.

(P la te No .

K a thoo is the headless trunk of Raho o , which became

imm orta l at the churning of the sea . Th is god is paint

ed of a copper co lour . He rides on a vu lture ; in one

hand holds a club, and with the oth er is bestowing a bles

sing .

In further explanation ofRauhoo and K athoo havingbe

com eimm ortal at the churn ing of the sea , w e have extract

ed the following fromMau rice ’

s Ancien t H isto ofHin

doo stan , Vol . l st , page 567, relative to the V i E mbro

sia or beverege of imm o rta lity called Am rootoo , bywhich

th ese gods in comm on with innum erable o thers became im

m orta l .

There is a volum e in the possession of the socieridof

An tiquaries in London , presen ted , I believe , by r.

I t is a most un accountable coincidence in the no tions of remote

na tions, tha t the Ch inese and the Green la nders, as well a s the Hindoos,should th ink tha t the sun , o r the m oon , is devoured at the time of l l!

eclipse . As soon as the ( the Chinese ) perceive tha t the sun or

moon begins to be d a rkene they throw themse lves on the irknee i fl fl l

knock their fo reheads aga inst th e ea rth . A noise o f d rums and cym

bals is imm ed ia tely heard th roughout the whole c ity. This is the te

ma ins of a n a ncient opinion eu te utained in China, tha t by such a horrid

d in th ey assisted the suffering lum inary, a nd preven ted it from bugd e voured by th e celestia l dra gon .

"Gra n ts in his history of Greeull

asserts, tha t a sim ila r custom exists among this people , who could

taiuly never have learnt it ei ther from the Hindoos or the Chine“.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

47HINDOO GODS.

Hastings, which is entirely upon the subject of the n in eIncarnations of Vishnoo — Am ong o ther delen iation s,

there is one which exhibits a very accurate display of the

events of the Courma Avata r, of Vishnoo’s descen t in

the form of a torto ise, to support th e earth sinking in

the Ocean as well as of the curiou s Indian H istorica l

Fable of the Soors and Assoors churning tha t ocean w i th

theMoun tain Mandar. Around this vas t m oun tai n the

serpen t Asookee is there represen ted as twi ned in dread

ful folds, by way of a rope, at the head and ta il of which

these im beings are pulling wi th all their m igh t,

to make t e churned deep disgorge the precious things

swallowed up in a certa in great delu e . The above

circumstances are thus related in Mr. ilkin s’

tran sla

tion of the Mahabbarat, and the reader will find it in

the 1 46th page of the Geeta . Thi s accoun t addu ced im

mediately from such respectable au thority, asMr. Wilkins undoubtedly is , will at on ce serv e to gratify curio

sity from the foun tain head of Indi an au then ti c in telli

gence and affo rd a specim en of the rom an tic style in

which that first and m ost celebrated Indian History, is

written .

”

The Soars , orgood genn , being assembled in solemn

consultation upon the sparkling summ i t of the great golden

MountainMeru , or Somm eir , asserted, in the Geogre

phical Disserta tion , to be situ ated in the cen tre of our

Globe an d to be of the al ti tude of a t last 1 6000Y ojan s,were m edita ting the discovery of the Amreeta , or water

of Imm ortali ty, under whi ch Allegory is shadowed out

the reanim ation of Natu re after the gen eral desolation

made b the deluge . The sea was to be deeply agi ta ted by the impetuous ro ta tion of the Moun ta in Mandar ;but as the united ban ds of Dewtahs were unable to re

move this m oun tain they went before Vishnoo , who wa ssitting wi th Bram a , an d addressed them with thesewords : exert , Sovereign beings your m ost superiorwisdom to rem ove the Moun ta inMandar, and employ

mar utm ost power for our good.

”Vishn oo and Bram a

ving replied , It shall be‘

according to your wishHe, with the Lo tos eye, directed the K ing of Serpen tsto appear. An an ta aro se, and was instru cted in th aty ork by Bram a , and comm anded byNarayen to erform1t Then An an ta , by his power, took up th a t ing ofMountain s together with all its forests and every inh abitant thereof, and the Soors accompani ed him in to the

presence of the Ocean , whom they addressed, saying,We will stir up thy waters to obta in the Am reeta

and the Lord of the waters replied , let m e also have a

share, seeing I am to hear the violen t agi tations th at will

be caus ed by the whirling of theMoun tain .

”Th en the

and Assoors spake un to Courm a Rajah , the K ingOf the Tortoises , upon the strand of the Ocean , and said ,My Lord is able to be th e supporter of thi sMoun ta in .

”

The Tortoise replied , Be it so and it w as placed up011 111 8 back .

”

Sp the Moun tain being set upon th e back of theTortol se

, Indra began to whirl it abou t as it were a MaThe Yojan is an ancient IndianMeasure in extent about 4Miles.

chine . TheMoun ta inManda: served as a churn , andthe Serpen t Vasookee for the rope and thu s, in form erdays, did the Dewtahs, the Assoors , and the Danoos, be

gin to stir up the w a ter of the Ocean for the discoveryof the Amreeta . The m igh ty Assoors were employedon the side of the Serpen t

’

s head , whilst all the Soorsas sembled abou t his tail. An an ta , that sovereign Dew,

stood n ear Narayen .

”

They n ow pul l forth th e Serpen ts head repeatedland as often let it go while there issued from his m ou t

thus viol en tly d rawin g to and fro b the Soors and Assoors a con tinu al stream of fire , an sm oke , and windwhi ch ascending in thick clouds replete with ligh tnin g itbegan to ra in down u on theHeavenly bands, who werealready fatigued wi thth eir labour whilst a shower offlow ers w ere shaken from the top of the Mounta in , cov ering th e Heads of al l, both Score and Assoors . Inthe m ean tim e the roaring of the Ocean , whi lst violen tlyagita ted wi th the whirling of theMoun tain Mandar bythe Soors and Assoors, w as like the bellowing of a m ighty cloud . Thousands of the various production s of thewaters were torn to pieces by th e Moun tain , and con

founded wi th the briny flood ; and every specific beingof the deep and all the inhabitan ts of the great Abysswhi ch is below th e earth were an n ihilated whilst, fromthe violen t agitation of theMoun tain , the forest trees w eredashed against each o ther, an d precepita ted from its u tmo st he

'

ht, with all the Birds th ereon from the violen t con ica tion of all which a raging (volcan ic) firewas produ ced, involving the whole m oun tain wi th sm okeand flam e , as

‘

with a dark blue cloud and the vivid flashof ligh tni ng

— The Lion and the retreating E lephan t areovertaken y the devouring flam es , and every vital being and every individual object are con sum ed in the

gen eral conflagration . The raging flam es, thus spread

m g destruction on all sides, were at length quen ched bya shower of cloud - born e water poured down by the imm ortal Indra . And now a Hetorogeneo us stream of thecon cocted ju ice of v arious trees and plan ts ran down into the briny flood . It was from thi s m ilk like stream ofjui ces, produ ced from those stream s, trees, an d plan ts

and a m ix ture of m elted go ld , tha t the Score obtain edtheir imm orta li ty.

”

The waters of the Ocean n ow being assim ilated wi th

those ju ices, w ere con verted in to m ilk , and from that

m ilk a kind of bu tter w as presen tly produ ced when

the h eavenly bands wen t again in to the presen ce ofBram a , the gran ter of boons , and addressed him , sayingE xcept Narayen , every o ther So or and Assoor is fa

tigu ed wi th his labou r and still the Am reeta do th n ot

appear ; wherefore the churning of th e Ocean is a t a

stan d .

”Then Bram a said un to Narayen E ndu e

them w ith recru ited strength , for thou art their support .

”

And Narayen an sw ered and said I will give fresh

vigour to su ch as co - operate in the w ork. Le tMandarbe wh irled abou t, an d the bed of the Ocean be kept

steady.

”

t en they heard the words of Narayen , they all

48

returned again to the work, and began to stir abou t, with

great force th at bu tter of th e Ocean when there presen tly arose from ou t of the troubled deep first the m oon ,

w i th a pleas ing coun tenan ce , shin ing w ith ten th ou san d

beam s of gen tle ligh t n ex t follow ed Sree , the goddess

o f fo rtun e , wh o se seat is th e white lilly of the w aters

then ~Soora -Dev oe , the goddess of win e an d the white

h orse called Oochisrav a . And after th ese th ere w as

produ ced, from th e un ctuou s ma ss, the jew el K ow stoobh ,that gloriou s sparkling gem w orn by Nara en on hi s

breast then Pareejat , the tree of plen ty, and orabhec ,th e cow th a t gran ted every h eart

’s desire .

”

TheMoon Soora -Dav ee, the goddess Sree , an d the

horse as sw ift as th ough t in stan tly m arched aw ay towards

the dew s keeping in the path of th e sun .

Then the Dew -Dh anw an ta ree , in hum an shape cam e

forth , holdi ng in hi s han d a white vessel filled w ith th e

imm orta l jui ce Amreeta .— \Vhen th e Assoo rs beheld these

w ondrous things appear, they raised their tum ul tu ou s

vo ices for th e Amreeta , an d each of them clam orou slyex claim ed This of righ t is m in e

In the m e an tim e Irav at, a m ight E lephan t arose,n ow kept by the god of Thun der an a s th ey con tin u

ed to churn the Ocean m ore th an en ough , th at deadly

poison issu ed from its bed, burn ing like a raging fire

who se dreadful fum es in a m om en t spread throughou t

the w orld, confoun ding the three regions of the un iverse

w ith its m ortal stench u n til Siva at th e word of Bram a ,

swallow ed the fatal drug to sav e m ankin d .

“

Con cern ing these extravagan t m ythological detai ls

o f th e H in doos, I m ust here repea t , th at however m ys

teriou s the allegory, and how ever w ild an d rom an tic the

langu age in whi ch i t is clo thed , this fact m ay be depen d

ed upon th a t there in en cral lies con cealed at th e bo t

tom som e astron om icfi m ean ing or deep Th eological

tru th . Divested of its infla ted dic tion and fabulou s in

c iden ts , th e inven tion of an orien ta l f an cy, wh a t can this

gen eral and stupendo u s convulsion of n ature the m oun

ta in buried in th e tempestu ou s bosom of th e Ocean th e

Ocean roaring and raging am idst th e conflict of con tend

ing elem en ts ; the torren ts o f descendin ra in pou red

down by In dra the H in doo God of the grm am en t the

to ta l an n ih ila tion of every living th ing on the m oun tain ,

an d o f all the inh abitan ts of the grea t abyss which is be

low the earth (an expression very sim ilar to the Scripture phrase of all the fou n tain s of the great deep);Wh at can all this accum u la tion ofm agn ificen t an d dread

ful images shadow ou t , except the desolation of the earth

during the period of th e un iversal Deluge , when th e

Soors and Asso ors who m ay be con sidered as the JE the

rial m in isters of the Divin e vengean ce were comm ission

ed to harass the agita ted globe ? What can the in carn ation of V ishnoo the preserving power of India in the

form o f a vast Torto ise to support the ponderou s m ass

on the strand of the ocean pro tend bu t th e benevolen t

in terven tion of Providen ce person ified by the in carn a

tion of Vishnoo to save from total destru ction a perish

Geeta page 1 49 .

HINDOO GODS.

ing world ? Who is th at physician so renowned in ancien t San scrit histories th e great Dew Dhanw an tarreewh o at length ro se from the churn ed ocean the whitefoam of whi ch resembled m ilk , bearing in hi s hand asacred v ase full of the w a ter of life and who himselfis even represen ted in som e of th o se H is tories as a

tran sform ation of V ishn oo who I say is to be understood by th a t fictitiou s character un less th e venerablesage who ro se from th e o cean , wh o gave n ew life tohis expiring species and in hi s fam ily upheld the humanrace th at pi ous pa triarch who after his em erging fromthe hoary deep bu ilded an al tar un to th e Lo rd and oifered th e first gra teful obla tion after th e deluge (circumsta n ces recorded am idst th e constellations of th e southernsphere) th a t m ythologic character who is representedupon i t as the saerificer of the bea st tha t profoundphilo sopher whose kn owledge of the an tedelu vian astrono

m y en abled him to form that sphere , and who placedthe sh ip, by Grecian m ytholo

'

sts usurped , and ridicalou sly called A rgo, there ? T e Greeks , h owever, aswe have se en , rem arkably corrobo rating m y hypothesis,den om in a ted th is as terism of the sacrificer Cm noa

'

,

whom Pliny describes as the Son of Sa turn (TIME )and Phillira , the inven tor of the Bo ta nical andMedical

And ju stly m ay the sacrificcr be den ominatedChiron , tha t true Chiron of an tiqu i ty th ough not ofGrecian origin , n or the preceptor ofAch illes that greatBo ta n ist , who first plan ted the Vin e

, and retun ed to the

groun d that infin ite v ariety of m edi cal he rbs and inn um erable seeds ,

”which , in th e an cien t San scrit histo

ries , an d particu larly a t the comm en cem en t o f the Bha

gava t , Menu is represen ted as taking in to the ark forthe express purpose of ren ovating decayed vegeta tionalter the deluge that n obler Cen taur, who w as indeedborn of a clou d , in th e sam e m ann er as the ChineseFohi is represen ted in their histories to have had a rainbow for hi s progenitor who , as the n am e Cen ta ur properly sign ifies first tam ed the fierce bull an d who having taugh t m ankind the use of agricultu re, w as thencen o t only represen ted in all the orien tal myth ologies bythe apt symbol of the bull, bu t , if M. Anqu etil , in thec d . Avesta m ay be credi ted in the an cien t Persian

h istories was called l’homm e ta ureau sl' Su ch is the

tru e m eaning of th is Av a tar and such in m y humbleopin ion is the true Dhanwan ta ree of India , who sprangfrom the foam of the churn ed o cean , bearing the Amreeta , or vi tal Ambrosia to the ren ov a ted world . I

would not be un derstood , h ow ever, to have asserted

th at Dhanw an taree and Noah are th e sam e persons ex

cept in a mythological sense for th e sev en thMenu , orSa tyaurata is the undoubted and only genu in e Noah of

India , bu t I m ean th a t under the character of Dhanwan

tarree rising from the ocean , thi s ven erable personage is

in tended and sym bolized . According to M. Sonnera

he is gen erally depicted in the Pagodas , sacred to Vish

n oo , as a learned m an , in profound m edi ta tion wi th a

book in his hand.

Flinn Na t . Hist . Lib. Ch ap. 56 .

1 SeeM. Anqnetil da erron's Z end . Avasta. Tom . iii . page 364

HINDOO LITE RATURE . 49

HINDOO LITE RATURE .

(Continued from page

ph ilosoph er taugh t, in substan ce , the doctri n es ofthe V edan tu school : that God was the soul of the world ;th a t h e w as sentin en t, while all beside him was inamm ate ; incapable of change, while every thing else

w as con st a n tly changing ; was alon e everlasting ; undiscgverable indescribable ; in capable of in crease or dim in ution , an d in destructible . He further taugh t, that theun iv erse w as produ ced by th e un ion of the di vin e spiritwi th m a tte r ; 1 tha t in this union the qu ali ty of darkness prev a iled , and hen ce arose the desire of giving birthto creatu re s that th e first thing in creation was space : Ifrom whi ch arose air : from air, fire from fire , w ater andfrom w a te r, m a tter. E ach of these five elem en ts con

ta in ed equ ally the three qu ali ties whi ch pervade all thingsth e su ttu , ruju , and tumu goonus) . From the first

qu ali ty , in space , arose the power of h earing ; from thesam e qu ali ty in ai r, aro se feeling ; in fire , the sigh t ; inwater, tas te ; in m atter, sm ell . Th e whole of the fiveelem en ts gav e birt h to the power of though t and decisionFrom th e secon d quali ty in space , arose speech ; from thesam e qu ali ty in au , aro se the power of the han ds ; inlight , th a t o f th e feet ; in water, th at of gen eration ; andin m atter, th at of expulsion . From th is quali ty in th ewhole of th e five elem en ts arose the power of the fivebreath s, or air received in to and emi tted from the body.

The five senses , the five organ s of action , th e five breaths ,with m in d , an d th e understan ding, form th e embryo body. A parti cular combin ation of these , forms the bodyin its perfect sta te , and in this body all the pleasures oflife are enjoyed , and its sorrows endured . The soul, as

part of God , cannot suffer, nor be affected by the body ;P thagoras a

ppears to have taugh t, tha t God was the universa l

mind di used th rong all things, the source ofall animal li fe the properand instrinsic cause of a ll motion.

”

r Through the whole dialogue of the Tim-ms, P lato supposes twoeternal and independent causes of all th ings : one, that by wh ich a llthings are m ad e, which is god ; the o ther, tha tfrom which all thlngs aremade

, wh ich is ma tter.

t E mpedncles, the disc iple of Pythagoras . taugh t, tha t in theformat ion o f the world , e ther was first secre ted from chaos; then , fire;then

, ea rth ; by the agi ta tion of wh ich were reduced wa ter and a ir.Cicero , explaining the doctrines of P a to, says, when tha t

p nciple wh ich we callquality is moved , and ac ts upon matter, it undergoes an en tire cha nge, and then forms are produced,

from which a risethe d iversified and coherent system of the universe . It was also a doctrine of P la to , that there is in matter a necessa ry, but blind and refraci t)

?force; and tha t hence arises a propensity in mat ter to disord er and

dc orm ity, wh ich is the cause of a ll the imperfection which appea rs inthe works o f god , and the origin of evi l. On th is subjec t , Pla to writes

with wonderful obscuri ty: but, as far as we are able to tra ce his conceptions, h e appears to have thought, tha t matter from , i ts na ture , resists thewill of the supreme artificer, so tha t he cannot perfect! execute his del igu , and tha t th is is the cause o f the m ixture of and evil whichi. found in the ma teria l world. a I t cannot be , says he,

“ tha t evil Is i t not th is sent imen t which rf'intended in the celebrated max

Should be destroyed , for there must always be someth ing con tra ry toim ascribed to Apollo ,

‘

fknow ‘hy‘f ifgood

nand aga in

acd “m5 , “ f“ as it is possible , every thing good t Siva gave h im th i s bea rd from th e head of a goat wh ich had

and nothing evi 33 &ha t property there is in ma tter, wh ich

been sacrificed by kingDukshu , a t the same tim e tha t Dukshu, restoredthe wise and benevolent inten tionsof thefirst intelligence,ourphilosOpher

‘0 li fe,‘

obtam ed the head of thehas not c learly explained ; but he speaks of it as

uan innate propensi ty

” t Diogenes wore a coarse cloak;ca rried a walle t and a stud“

; mad eto disorder ; and says,

a tha t before na ture w” adorned wi th i ts presentthe po rcheaand other public places h i s bribi ts tion ; and depended upon

beautiful froms, it was inclined to confusion and deform ity, and tha t casual contri bu t ions f" h i’ d " ! bread .

’

slo

t

“

;this l

atitude a rises a ll the evil which happens in the world . i t is iioiial

p yw

flliigli

’

is”

h‘

l'a

ili0

0

“

?dcomp

lgsed12

1 °

3:mo m to th t the th ee goonu ill i i arera a po n c a n e wor sea m e n ;

score 3.Plato?r i w exp ii n " h“ appe so oh

and the irra tional,which includes the passions, and is’

sea ted in the heart .”

as a chrystal m ay receive on its surface the shadow ofthe

colours from a flower, while it undergoes no change, bu t

rem ains clear an d un spotted as before .

He taught m en to seek fu ture happiness in the follow

ing order : first, to purify the mind by religious cerem o

n ies ; then to ren oun ce cerem on ies , and seek a learned

m an to in stru ct them in the au steri ties called yogu ; inwhich th e di sciple mu st rigidly persevere till his m in dshall be wholly absorbed in God , an d he shall become so

assim ilated to the deity, as that h e sh all beh old n o dif

feren ce between him self an d God . Thi s is the com

m en cem en t of em an cipation , which is consumm a ted at

death , by hi s absorption in to the divin e na ture. In a

n other place , Vu shisht’

hu says, futu re h appin ess consists

in being absorbed in to tha t God who is a sea of

i;oy.

This sage is said to have had discip es . He

wrote a law trea tise kn own by his n am e ; as w ell as the

Y ogu-Vashish t

’hu Ram ayan a , and a Tun tru called Bha

vu - ni rn uyu .

Th e descripti on of th e person of this sage is given inseveral pooranus : he is said to hav e been tall , of a ligh tbrown complexion wi th silver locks , w earing the heardof a goat , 1

'a shred of clo th on ly roun d h is loin s , and

holding in his h an ds a pilgrim’

s sta ff and a beggar’

s

dish . .1: He was born in the heaven of Bram a , from th eskin of this god ; an d in ano ther age, as th e son of the

god Vuroonu , at Arya- vu rttu . By hi s wife Khya tee , he

had three sons Dh ata , Vidhata , and Bh arguvu , an d a

dau hter, Shree . He dwelt on m oun tMunduru ,where hetaug t, that the soul and life were distinct ; th at s ace,

tim e, the vedu s, &c . were un created tha t proofs o thereali ty of thin s were derived from sight, conjecture, comparis on , soun an d th e eviden ce of the sen ses ; th a terrorwas n ot real , bu t arose ou t of previou s impresiona res

pecting reali ties ; th at kn ow ledge w as of two kinds , universal, and th at which arose from reflection . Of God ,he taught , that he was n o t wi th ou t form , bu t th at n on eof the fiv e prim ary elem en ts con tribu ted to his form : hem ain tained the necessity bo th of cerem on ies , and of thetru e kn ow ledge of God , to obta in em an cipation . God ,h e said, created the w orld as an em ana tion of hi s wi llan d form ed creatu res accordi ng to the etern al destinyconn ected wi th their m eritoriou s or evil condu ct . Them an who h as , in successive birth s, suffered al l the dem erit of sin and secured the tru e kn owledge of Bram a ,

will obtain em an cipation .

00

To him is ascribed a law trea tise , and on e of the sak

has , or parts , of the rig vedu . He is said to h ave h ad

disciples , am ong whom w as Nu chiketa , who em

braced the opini on s of Shandilyu , di sregarding the in

terdictions of the cast respec ting food .

To this philosopher are a ttribu ted several law works

an d on e or two others on th e Bouddhu doctrin es . He

is described , in the Skun du pooranu , as of a yellow com

plexion , an d w ell dressed , n ot h a v ing assum ed the garbof a m endican t . Him alaya is m en tioned as his birthplace , and the celebrated Ungira as hi s father ; his m o

ther’

s n am e was Shrudha , and his wife’s Tara .

Vrihu spu tee lived as an an chorite in Ilavru tu . He

tau

gh t the doctrin e of the di vin e unity, in conn exion wi th

a p urality of gods likewi se th at God w as light invi si

ble ; from everlas ting, while every thing else h ad a deriv

ed existen ce ; that God w as the source of all life , and

w as wisdom itself ; that from ten prim ary elem en ts everything first arose , on e of which , uv idya , w as un created

th e n ine o thers were m atter, water, fire , air, v acu um ,

tim e, space , li fe , and the soul in cluding the un derstan d

fi ; that the way to final h appiness w as through the pn

cation of th e m ind by religious cerem oni es ; by kn ow

ledge obta in ed from a relig ious gu ide ;whi ch kn owledge ,h e said , w ould lead a m an to h appin ess accordi ng to hi s

idea of God : if he worshipped God as a v isible being, hewould a ttain happiness by degrees , bu t if as in visible , hew ould be absorbed in Bram a ; which absorption wou ld

imm edi ately su cceed the rem ov al of uv idya . 1'

He taugh t, tha t the desire of produ cing beings havingarisen in the di vin e m ind , God un ited to him self uvidya ,after which he gave existen ce to v acuum , from whi ch

arose air from a ir, fire ; from fire , w ater ; an d from w ater

earth ; from these the whole m a terial system .

Am ong th e di sciples of Vrihu spu tee , in addi tion to all

th e‘

gods , w as Sum eeku , Vedu -

gu rbhu , and others .

The Y ogu- vashi sht

’hu Ram ayan a , describes thi s phi

losopher, whose h air and heard had becom e grey, as verym ajestic in his person ; he w ore a shred of cloth onlyroun d hi s lo ins ; in one h and he carried a pilgrim

’

s staff,an d in the other a beggar

’

s di sh . H is father’s n am e was

Gorco hi s m other w as the dau h ter of Ugn ee . Ungira

had three wives, by whom h e ad four daughters an dm any sons : two of whom , Vrihu spu tee and Angirusu he

cam e fam ou s .

Ungira lived as an hermi t on m oun t Shu tu shringu ,an d ta ugh t, that the vedus existed from everlasting, and

This word , though i t generally means incorrec t knofl edge ,musthe re be understood as referring to inanima te ma tter. Ma tter, aceording to Pla to , is an eternal and infinite principle .

1» Here this term must be confined to its prima ry sign ifica tion, orerror.

HINDOO LITE RATURE .

In th e pooranus , thi s philo sopher, the son of Brama,is described as a very old m an , in the dress of an asce ~

tic . B u ttu , Doorv asu , and Chun dru , his three sons,

acti sed religiw ere born on m oun t Rikshu , where he

g“g one hunous austeri ties , an d absta in ed from breadred years . The opin ion s of thi s sage w ere the same as

th ose of th e vedan tu philo soph ers . To him hi s attributed on e of these smri te es , and a comm en t on on e of theoopun ishuds of th e v edus .

Ten person s of this n am e are m en tioned in th e pooran u s th e sage n ow before us is described as ta ll, of a

li gh t complexion ,w earing the dress an d ornam en ts of a

king . H is father, Pracheenu - vurhee , is said to havebeen an em in en t sage an d m onarch of the su tyn

-

yoogu.

A w ork kn own by th e nam e of this sage is placedam ong the smritees . H is philo sophical opin ions were sim ilar to tho se of the vedan tu school.

Dukshu .

To be Continuedj

were n ot delivered byVishnoo ; that Vishnoo only chant.

ed them ; that nothing was to be found in the vedu butthe nature of m eriton ous works ; th at space , & c . were

un created ; that anim al life and the sou l w ere distinct ;tha t God was possessed of a visible shape ; that he crea

ted the world accordi ng to his own will ; tha t future happiness was to be obtained by abstraction of mind ; andtha t it consisted in deliverance from all sorrow . Y ava~

lee Juru tkaroo , and others, becam e the disciples of this

philosopher. Ungira w as th e au thor of a law treatise

known by his nam e, and still extan t .

This person , an o ther of the progen itors of m ankind, ism en tioned as the wri ter of a law treatise . T he Mahabharu tu says, that h e was ta ll in sta ture , of a yellow com

plexion , an d very athletic ; tha t he w ore a crest on hishead , rings in his ears, an d w as dressed like the Hindoo s at the presen t da The sam e w ork says , tha t when

Bram a comm enced t e work of crea tion , in the pudmukulpu , Dukshu w as produ ced from th e great to e of hisrigh t foo t ; at hi s birth in the vu rahu kulpu , his fa ther

’

s

n am e w as Pru cheta . Dukshu lived as an an chorite on

m oun t Vrindhu , an d by hi s first wife , had five th ousandson s , the eldest of whom w as Hu ryu shwu , an d sixteen

daugh ters, on e of whom , Su tee, w as afterwards marriedto the god Siva . He had a thousan d sons and six tydaugh ters by his n ext w ife . Medhusu ,Man duvyu ,

‘Ubbukshu , an d m an y others, were hi s disciples . Medh usuis said , in th eMarkun deyu poo ranu , to have related thehistory of the eight m unoo s to king Sooru t

’hu and to Sum adhee , a voishyu

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HIND00 GODS.5 1

CHAPTE R VII .

SUCTE E VANAYAKA MOORTE E .

( PM No .

Suctee Vanayaka , or'

the eleph an t faced god emanated

in the beginning from Siv a and Parv atee at Kylasa , (Ha

malaiyaMoun tains) the SilverMoun ta in ,whi ch Hindoo

Mythologists have fixed as the residence of Siv a . This

god is represen ted as a being of a red colour, having an

elephan t’

s head , with only on e tusk . He is called the

god of wisdom N0 bu siness of any n a ture wh a tsoev er,

is undertaken by th e H indoo s, w ithou t first invoking him.

It is written in the Shastras , tha t once on a tim e , Par

vatee, the m o ther an dp reserv er of heaven and earth , to

effect the wise and benevolen t purposes of Providen ce ,

or to display its ju stice in th e prom otion of thirty- two

cardinal virtu es , w as in com pany w ith her consort Siva ,

in the inn er apartmen t, whi ch w as splendidly adorned

with refulgen t gem s of nine various kinds , and am u singthemselves in playing at Sutherugum

‘ in which she beingwell skilled , played so rem arkablywell, that she was on th e

point ofwmm ng the gam e , an d just tou ched the chessm anthat would tu rn th e scale of victory on h er side, bu t ima

gining that her lord would feel enraged in case of his be

ingbeaten , she m oved a chessman , that wou ld bring abou t

the victory on his side , and convin ced him th at she vo lun

tarily gave up her gam e . At this concession , he was ra

vished with joy unspeakable , an d looked at her am orous

which was responded wi th like passion by Parvatee .

rom this am orous look and passion sprung Suctee Va

myaka or Ganapathy, endued with the m ental powers of

his father, an d wi th the influence of hi s m other, havingfive faces (and lived wi th his m other on the northern side

ofKylasa ), which is hi s tru e figure bu t theMoortee or

e of this deity is represen ted with only one face , as

in late 25 .

Temples dedicated to this deity are inn um erable in India, and the on e atMadras , design ated, P era ttoo Condappen

’s P alliar for this w as the person who en dowed

and improved it, and rendered it conspicu ous , the temple

was prior to his having endowed it in an unn oti ced state .

It is sta ted that he had made a v ow to thi s deity, that if

he should su cceed in his speculati on in m erchan dise, hewould improve the bu ilding, and endow it wi th a largefertune for its permanent support . On the attainm en t of

his wishes , wh i ch he attribu ted to th e influen ce an d fa

mr of Suctee Van ayaka , he fulfilled h is v ow , and a t

great cost, procured from Casi or Ben ares, the B a rm a

putjna (one of the eighteenth Pooran um s or sacred books)whi ch treats on the m iracles ,

“

and wonderful exploits ofthis deity, and whi ch con tain s parti cular direction s, of the

Peculiar manner of the worship of this god, which h e

A kind of game something like the English gan e af Cheas.

closely studi ed , and according to the tenets con ta ined in

it , in sti tuted m any fes tivals, whi ch are performed a t

particular season s of the year. A parti cular feas t is kept

up in the m on th ofMargally (December) which is solemnized w ith great pomp and splendour for a fortn ight .

It is enjoin ed by th e Shastras , that a person who piou sly an d duly worships this image , secures to himself tem

poral as well as etern al happin ess .

As this god is possessed of the attri butes and perfec

tion s bo th of his father S iva , and his m other P arva tee, h e

is reckon ed th e source and foun ta in of wisdom . All sa

crifices and worship are in a so lemn mann er perform ed

{

S

irst to him and then to all the deities in the temple of

i n .

Su ctee Van ayaka or Ganapathy holds in one of hi s

h an ds th e elephan t’s goad , w ith which he pun ishes or

drives ofl'

the m toxicated or ign oran t ele han t and in the

o th er, a rope as a band for binding the°

cen tiou s spirit,with the sam e he is em bracing his wife nam ed , K oondilee

Suctee, Va lla bak Suctee,f whi ch are th e n am es of thi s

goddess, and w ith th e third he h olds a sort of sweet

m ea t, whi ch he con tinually feasts upon , an d wi th the

fourth he holds his broken tusk .

Veyas a , a celebrated sain t , wishing to commit in writ

ing theMahabharat (an e ic poem ) requ ested Suctee towrite it down , h e in comp ance to the request, broke off

on e of hi s tusks, which he made use of as a pen , and wrote

on the golden m oun tain calledMehroo , which he took upas a cadjain leaf to write upon !

LINGA MOORTE E .

( P la te No .

In the first Chapter of th is work , we have given a de

scriptive of this scandalous idol, collected from Wards’

works— which w as in conn exion of the descripti on of Si

va .— In Plate No . 26 is represen ted the Linga adorned

with Jew els an d flowers an d a priest anoin ting it .

We here in sert the several descript ions given of the

Linga in th e”

v arious Pooran um s of the Hin doos some

of these we regret we cann ot possibly in sert from

the in delicate accoun ts they contain , but our object beingto be true to th e origin al , and to the prevailing idolatryof this lan d, we cannot therefore reasonably om it anythin g m aterial , for perhaps thi s very om ission ma shew

Hindoo ism less h ein ous than what it really is . ut we

earn estly beg of our Christian‘

readers to overlook our

n on - in sertion of such obscen e and very indelicate m atters

eith er in E n li sh or in the Native characters .

We find e following description of the scandalous

Linga Moortee in the H in doo Shastras , en titled the P ar

blwolinga Lady, in which it is sta ted that ~ the un i verse

was all darkness , un di scern ible , undistingu ishable and al

1 Th is goddess is said to have been born with him , at the same time .

52 HINDOO GODS.

togeth er as in a profound sleep, till the self ex isten t in

v isible God , the origin and foun der of every thin g m ade

it m an ifest wi th the five elem en ts, and o ther glo riou s

form s , perfectly di spelled the gloom .— He then w ish ing

to exh ibi t his m ercy, personified i n the goddess called ,P a rasucktee exerted hi s crea ti ve,preserva twe an d destroymg Pow ers, which by poetical fiction perso n ified un der

the design ation of E m ma Vie/moo and Roodra .— He

a g ain assum ed th e form of Linga (the phullu s , or Siva

un der th at emblem ) i n order tha t the hum an beings m ightworsh ip him and thereby obta in salva tion . In thi s Lin

ga therefore , are un itedythe three powers abo ve sta ted ,

(Vide pla te No . 26 . The pedestal represen ts the crea'

tive , { E m ma}; the m iddlep

part having a circular form ,

(the preserva tive), Vishnoo an d th e top having a cylendrical form , the destroying [Roodm j powers . Thi s

sim ple explan ation i s found in the Shastras m en tion ed

above .

In the Terooceliya udel P oora num , it is sta ted th at the

n a i s po ssessed of th e n ature of m aterial an d spiritu al

things which are tw en ty- four in num ber, Autlzma t lzu

tha n}, of the attribu tes of Vishn oo , wh ic are five , as

well as of those of Bram a— and the work call ed Y

roosamayaveluckum m en tion s that the Lin a is th u s

compo sed of the trio is a position m ain ta ined o th by the

Shastras an d the Poo ran um s of th e Siv a sect . Bu t other

sacred Hindoo writings assert tha t the Linga is of thev ery opposi te n ature as tha t whi ch we have depicted it

in on e of our form er Chapters . In the Pooranum we n ow

allude to i t states tha t in tim es of old , when all the Bee

jees or Sages , who resided i n a w ilderii ess call ed D a ron

gavanum , devoted them selv es to au stere and severe reli

gions practices an d pen an ce , for whi ch they had obtained m an y a boon , whi ch rendered th em alm ost equ al tothe Gods , bo th i n ex cellen ce and dign ity : they conse

qu en tly grew so in so len t and presumptuou s, th at they as

sum ed unwarran table distin ctions , and hon ors , an d also

th e ti tles belonging to the gods , whom they subsequ en tlydespised . In con sequen ce of thi s, Siv a and V ishn oo , in

cen sed at th eir arrogan ce , determ in ed to m ortify their

pride an d debase them . The la tter appeared in the

shape of a m o st beau tiful virgin , under the design a tion

of .gloglu'

ny (an a ttractive w om an ) for th e purpo se of se

du cing an d corrupting them .— At the sigh t of thi s dam

sel, th e Reejees were com pletely captiv a ted w ith her

charm s and becam e en am oured of her : by th is circum

stan ce they sw erved from their em in en t piety an d supe

rior digni ty . The form er acted the part of a religiou s

m endi can t with su ch captiv ating bea u ty and charm s , that

the wives o f the Reejees co u ld n o t bu t indulge their

pas sion , and they violated the ir ch asti ty,— the Reejees

perceiving too la te tha t the gods them s elves h ad tempted

and corrupted them pronoun ced a m a led ictt'

on upon them .

H ere the story becom es too indelica te to be in serted .

Other writings affirm th at the m aledi ction did n o t inthe least affect them .

N .B .

‘l‘

oo indelicate to be inserted .

I t is sta ted in the Yer'oosamaya Vz'

la c/mm , that as acertain Reejee n am ed Goudama w as go ing to Kylasa(Siva

’

s residen ce) for the purpo se of paying adoration toth a t de ity, he saw flowing down the side of the mountaina stream , in whi ch he perform ed his ablu tion . He after.

w ards learn ed tha t, tha t stream w as form ed by an abomi.

n able fluid issu ing from & c . & c .

On becom ing acqu ain ted wi th the fact of h is havingpollu ted his body w ith the abom in able fluid, let us enqu ire wh at th e subsequ en t con du ct of thi s sage was, Whow a s travelling to pay his adora tion to thi s deity. He de.

libera tely pron oun ces an awful m al ed ic tion on his ownGod . From the effects of whi ch curse (diabolical asthe n arra tion w oul d he were we to publish it) Bramaand Siva form ed th e Linga

the abom in able Linga n ow worshipped in the Shrine ofthe temple of Siva .

It is al so sta ted , con cern ing the o rigin of the Linga,that a certa in Sain t rep aired to the Mou n t Kylasa to ado re Siva ; bu t w as prev en ted from seeing h im by Nundc

'

ca sa , a do or- keeper of Siv a’s,who sa id that the deity

w as in the in ner apartm en t , wi th h is con so rt, where no

person . w as allowed to in trude . He, after w a iting for a

con siderable length of tim e in va in , an d bec om ing vexedwi th Siv a

’s in temperate enjoym en t pronounced a curse on

h im an d left the place

From the effects of th is curse the Linga is said to havebeen form ed ,— th is doctrin e is gen erally disbe lieved bytheH in doos , who are as they say w ell read in the Vedas

bu t from what are th e above abom in able stories taken

bu t from som e of their Shastras ! Holy w ri tin gsH

The Linga is held m ost sacred by the Hin doos univer

sally and is placed in the Shrin e con secrated to i t , to which

n o on e aproaches withou t previou sly purifying himselfbyablu tion s . The m ann er of an o in ting it is a lso prescribed

by the Sh as tras .

The ingredien ts with which th is im age is ano inted are

th e following—Oil of superior kind pecu liarly prepared

and perfum ed, the in side of the wild gooseberry nu tsthe jui ce of lim es , m angoes , and sugar can e , milk tyre,h on ey, cocoan u t w a ter, j ack fru its , plan ta in s , & c . Whenano in ted , it is perfum ed wi th vario us odoriferous substan

ces an d then adorn ed w ith jewels of great v alu e . Then

the cocoan u t, fru its , be tel and nu ts are firs t offered to

the im age , whi ch is followed by the ofl'

erin of incense,

camphor, & c ,— Ligh ts of clarified bu tter are

°

t ,- But, as

has been observ ed before, it is prescribed bo th in the

Shastras an d Pooran ums that the offerings should be

made to Su cktee Van ayaka or Ganapathy, prev ious to the

offerings whi ch m ay be m ade to this im age o f abomina

tion— the Linga .

The Linga is nev e r carried in procession during the

tim e of festival s, yet the image of Siva in carn a te is car

ried in procession .

There are n um erou s sects am ong th e Bram ina and Soc

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54 HINDOO GODS .

this o ccasion fio m rem o te parts of Indi a for th e purposeof worshipsl

'

It is said that a m an born at Teroovaroor, as well as a

m an pilgrim age to Ben ares wi ll ohbeatitude, bu t a m an by m ere m edi tation on the Lin

ga in Trin oma llee will be sure of getting to heaven .

Plate No . 27, illu strates the above story. The figureNo . 1 is Brama in his proper form . No . 2 is the Swan nuder whi ch form Bram a ascended to see the top of the

co lum n . No . 3 is Siva,represen ted in the colum n . No .

4 is V ishn oo , in his proper form , and No . 5 represen ts

him in the form of a boar digging the earth to see the end

of, th e column . The plate represen ts the scene wh en

Brama and the Curderia were detected of the fabrication of their accoun t .

CHATURMOOKA LINGA MOORTE E .

(P la te No .

From Brama (the etern al on e) who was still as in pro

foun d sleep (as was sta ted in th e preceding descriptive)em an ated K oondilee; from K oondilee em an ated Natham ;from Na thum eman ated Vin thu ; from Vin thu em an ated

the worlds — th

§five godheads whi ch h ave each their res

pective power 0 crea ting, press-m i destr i mdgz

'

an d rem i nd ing, and in order to regim en t fhezgdifi'

erehgtpowers , viz . Brama , Yishuao ,Roodra and Mahiswera inon e person , Siva as sum ed th e sh ape or form of Cha tur

mooka -Linga from whose four faces proceeded fourVedas ,viz . Rook, Q

'

joor, Sam a , and A dam ana Vedas . He is

stated to h ave appeared un der this form to m any of his

devo tees .

Siv a in his origin al con stru ction of body had five faces,n am ely,Tatpum sha (that which looks E as tward) , Agaram

(th a t which looks Sou thw ard), Vamada cam (that whi chlooks Westw ard) , Sa ltyosa dam (that which looks North

ward and E s anam , th e prin cipal face placed in th e cen

tre 0 these four faces , and looking upward . From E sana m proceeded twen ty

- eigh t Agam am s (Sacred Scien ces)and mysteriou s sound Ongara , consisting ofAga ra , Woo

gra and P ronwmm togeth er wi th Coa ty— Mahamwzdra s

(or mysteriou s prayers , ten m illions in num ber) an d eighteen P uranums (or Sacred Books .)From Ta tpum slza proceed Rook

- vedu, whi ch is the

first of th e four Vedas , which is divided into ch apters ,secti on s , clau ses, & c . From Agoram , em an ated E jjoo r,the s econ d Veda , wh ich is di v ided in to 100 ch apters

from Vam adanum sprung Sam a the third Veda whi ch is

divided in to 1000 chapters from Sattyosadam origin

ated Adam a na the fourth Veda which i s divided in 9

chapters . This accoun t Siva comm un ica ted to Nou di

caswera , who rela ted it to Vishnoo , who assuming the

t Large Revenue is «amassed a t this annual feast—through the means

of the Pllgrims l

HINDOO LITE RATURE .

DOCTRINE S OF THE HINDOO RE LIG ION .

Of the tra nsm igra tion of sou ls ?

AFTE R dea th , the person is conveyed by the m essengers of

Yumu through the ai r to the place of judgment. After receiv

ing his sen tence, he wanders abou t the earth for twelve mon th s ,

as an aerial being or ghost, and then takes a body su i ted to h i s

fu ture condi tion , whether he ascend to the gods , or suffer in a

new body, or be hurled into som e hell . This is the doc tri ne o f

several pooranus ; others ma intain that immed ia te ly a fter dea th

and judgment, the person suffers the pains of hell, and remov es

his sin by suffering ; and then returns to the earth in some hon-H.

ly form .

Carissa Spina l-

um .

f E xtrac ted from Ward's celebrated work on the Hindoo Religion ,

Vol . 2d , Page 847 .

form of a Swan , flew and declared it to Bram a , whom he

bego t from hi s n a vel . Bram a comm unica ted it to the

seven sain ts , dem i - gods , and o thers, who han ded it down

to the succeeding gen erations .

Rav an ah th e king of Lunka , w ishing to try his physi

cal strength , attempted to lift up the m oun tain Kyla sa .

Siv a enraged at h is presumption pressed it down wi th

hi s great toe , by which pressure he was so su nk and ov er

whelm ed , tha t he could n o t s tir on any side, bu t con tin u

ed ln th at pain ful sta te for a long tim e, un der this dis

tressing situ ation , it was, proposed by som e who pi tied

him , that if he could m ake som e Veda in to verses , it

w ou ld pac ify Siv a who would then relieve him from his

pain and trouble , an d confer any favor upon him which

he m ay desire . As it was expected so it cam e to pas s . It

is sta ted that from this circum stan ce that Ravan ah m ade theVedas clear by turning them in to verses . As thi s also was

too abstruce to be un derstood by hum an beings— Vyasa ,who em an ated from th e di vin e n ature of Vishn oo baem ada

so judicious , m ethodi cal an d in telligible arrangem ents in

the Vedas and Pooran um s that they m ight be un derst oodby all classes of people .

The im age represen tin g Chaturm ooka - Linga is scarce~1 found in any temple in Sou thern Indi a , bu t in Cape

gom orin , a town in the Z illah of Tinn evelly— h ere the

im age bav in four faces like the on e re resen ted in Plate

No . 28 , is p aced un der a C'ula - tree’ , w'

eh , old as i t is.

is in a flourishing condi tion . The Hindoo s afi rm tha

this place has been celebrated for many m iracles wroughtth ere .

Here Adicora P aundia n , wh o was the renown edMon

arch ofMadura , an d celebrated au th or of m any wo rks,an d several others , worshipped the Linga , an d obtain edsalv ation .

The offerings m ade to Linga and devotion s paid t o it

are agreeably to the Agama Shastras .

Plate No . 28 represen ts th e Chaturm ooka - Linga— F ig .

1 . is Vishnoo— fig . 2, Roodra , —fig . 3 , Bram a and fig . 4 ,Mahisw era— all proceeding from the scan dalous im age,The Lingo

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5 6

would have nothing but happiness, and the wicked nothingbut sorrow?“

Sometimes the doctrine of transm igration appears in the con

versa tion of w idows, when they are ta lking over their sorrows one

am ongst another : One begins the conversation , by addressingone of the company, recently become a w idow,

in some such

words as these : Ah ! why is so m uch trouble fa llen upon you

you have continually perform ed works of merit . I hav e ohserved, that from your childhood you have been very reli

gious.’

i' Another replies How you talk ! W hat ! do you

think she is suffering for sins committed in this birth !’

The

widow addressed now adds Ah ! my sorrows are indescriba

ble. I am now suffering for the sins of many births ; the sins

of birth after birth , birth after birth , are fallen upon me . If

the s ins of numerous births had not been cast upon me, would

my husband (a lack o f lives in one) have been taken from me

O God, do not bring upon my worst enemy the m isery which

I endure. What had I done against God, and what aga inst

h im (her husband) that I suffer thus 23 I m ust have injured himin a former birth , and therefore he was m arried to me on pur

pose to bring upon me the sorrows of widowhood . He was

born in one womb and I in ano ther ; we were perfec t stra ngersfa te brought us together and I began to fla tter myself that I

should long enjoy the bless ings of a m arried sta te , when he wasseized with s ickness, and, w ithout m aking the least prov ision

for m e, has left m e to crouch and fawn for a h andful of rice .

W hen wa iting upon him in his last m om ents he d id no t say,I leave you th is or that ; you will not be destitu te ; but, shut,ting upmy food and garments, he has thus abandoned m e. He

he was my grea test enemy. If I m eet h im in a future sta te,I’

ll certa inly revenge myself. Instead of putting fire into his

mouth after death, if I had known tha t he would have served

me thus, I would have put fire in his month wh ile living . Ientrea t the gods, that in the next birth I m ay be a m an, and hemy wife, and that I may bring upon h im exactly wha t he has

brought upon me ; and that this m ay be continued through nu

merous births . Vile enemy Continuing her address to

a m arried woman, she says See ! you have two meals a day,while I have but one ; you have a ll m anner of ornaments, and

I am naked ; you are invited to all the feasts ;1 you can eat of

a ll kinds o f delicacies, but I m ust live o n the m eanest food ; Imust fast twice a month - there is no end of my sorrrows .

’

I have heard i t urged , in proo f of th e reality of successive births,that, if a child h ad not d rawn the brea st in a tb rmer birth , i t would not ,as soon as born , cling to the breast, and know how to suck. A person before whom this argument was once urged , asked how this was to be accounted forwhen the person arose from the sta te o f a fish to huma n birth ?t When a Hindoo fema le chil d shews her a ttachmen t to religion , she

ga thers v ilwu leaves and flowers, a nd , m aking an ima ge of the linga ,a ttempts to worsh ip i t : or she si ts d own a ttentively and watche s otherswhile they perform the cerem onies o f worship ; or she goes to a fes tival,a nd assists the females in making the necessary prepara tion s. Whenshe is grown to m aturi ty, she performs d ifl

‘

erent ceremonies to o bta int he blessing o f a good hu sband . Afte rm arriage , she worships Sh iva ando th er god s a nd pra ys that her husband m ay love her and live long, sot ha t she may not endure the hardships of widowhood . When sh e be~

comes a mother, she da ily bows to the god s, repea ts th eir names, a nd

prays tha t they Will bless her child .

t A widow can take no share in m arriage ceremonies, & c. She isnot even perm itted to touch the bride .

5 This fast is kept by widows on th e eleventh of the increase and dec rea se o f the m oon in every m ruth , which is observed so stric tly amongt h e h igher ca sts, tha t no twithstanding a widow has ea ten on ly once on

t he proc eed ing d ay, she does not touch the le ast ailment , not even ad rop of wa ter, on th is day.

HINDOO LITERATURE .

[From th e Pudmu Pooranu .]

AT the extrem ity of the earth southwards, floating on the vi

ters, is Sungyumunee, the res idence of Yam a , the judge oftlldead, and of his recorder Chitru - gooptu , and his messengers

Yama has four harm s, is of a dark colour, wi th eyes like thepe

ta l of the wa ter- lilly ; in his hands he holds a shell, a discus s

club, and a lotus ; he rides on Gurooru ; wears a golden poin.

a nd pearl ear- rings, and has a crown on his head , and a garland

of flowers round his neck. Chitru - goop-tu, the recorder,andYa.

m a’

s a ttendants , appear in the mos t pleasing form s .

Those who perform works o f m erit are led to Yama’s palacealong the most excellent roads , in some parts of which the he!

venly courtesans are seen danc ing or singing and gods, gum}

hurvus, &c . are heard chanting the pra ise s of o ther gods ; 1“

others showers of flowers are falling from heaven ; in otherpart!

are houses conta in ing cooling wa ter, and excellent food ; poolsof wa ter covered w ith nymphma s ; and trees, affording fragl

‘t lwe

by their blossom s a nd shade by their leaves . The gods are seen

to pass on horses or elephan ts , w ith wh ite umbrellas camel

over them , or in palanqueeus or chariots , fanned with the ch!

m urus of the gods , while the devurshees are chanting their pes as they pass a long. Some, by the glory issu ing from the!

bodies, illum ine the ten quarters of the world .

E very one who dies a t Kashec becomes a god .

( To be continued .)

If a person die an untimely death , it is attributed to a im,comm itted in a former sta te of existence . A person born blindis suppo sed to have destroyed the eyes of some one in a formbirth . A few neighbours sitting together, as a personMwith an incurable distemper, passes along, observe, Ah ! n,doubt, that man was guilty in a form er birth of such or such;crime, and now the con sequences appear in his present state:The prosperity of persons, especia lly if they have suddenly

risen from poverty to afliuence , frequently gives ris e to mmon the merits of such persons in a formerbirth : See,

’

says

such a person was poor, and is now worth so many lacks of

pees . He must have performed acts of extraordinary meritformer births, or he could not have so suddenly risen to sue

state of afli uence.

’ When conversing on this subject withH indoo , he instanced the case of Rama -Huree -Vishwasu l

of Khurduh : ‘He was so poor,’

said he,‘tha t he was indet

to others for a place to lodge in. After a few years of

with a E uropean, he obta ined a fortune of thirty lacks of ]

He bought an estate ; erec ted a number of temples to Shir

then went to K ashec , (Benares) where he died in a verytime . Such an auspicious l ife and death‘ can only be

ed to some wonderful ac ts of devotion or liberality in it

births .

’

A very learned m an is complimented with having given ll

ing to o thers in a former birth .

When the Hindoos see any of the animals used cruelly,cially cows , they excla im : Ah, — How m any sins must

crea ture have commit in a former birth They say the

i f they see a dog eating ordure. When they see a dog ridingw ith his m aster in his palanqueen , they say True, thoa ss

born a dog, bu t some good works have m ade thy fate tolerable!

The pooranus and other shas tras promise deliverance from

future birth upon the performance of different religious.ceremo

n ies.

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HINDOO GODS . 57

CHAPTER Vl lI .

SADASIVA MOORTE E .

( P late No.

It is stated in the Scunda and Sonnetitee-Maaray P ooranums , that Siva destitu te of passions w as in the beginning still an d m otion less, yet h e h ad power of

“

assum ingspiritual an d corporeal form s, as his substance pervadesthrough all substan ce .

It is also written in the vedas , tha t Siva in compas sion

to the inn umerable m'

ads of human beings, who sub

jected them selves infiz‘

crim ina tely to v irtuous and v i

cious acti ons , and were in consequen ce doom ed to beborn often , afier thi s li fe , and wh o being ignoran t of theSuprem e being, deviated from the pa th of God, in con ,

sequence o f the depravi ty and sin fuln ess of their lives,he (Siva) assum ed the bodily form , under the desi a

tion of Sa dass'

oa , for the purpo se of ran som ing m en cm

the bondage of sin and of leading th em to heaven ‘

The represen tati on in Plate 29, describes th e im age

of Sadasz'

va having 5 faces , these are respective] called ,E sonam, Tatpum sha , Agoram Vamadeoam an Sattyo

sadam , which Siva assum ed un der th e designa tion of

Sadaes'

oa Moortee, fo r the wise purpose of condu ctingfive differen t offices , nam ely, tha t of Q

‘ P reserv

2

?Destroying, Judging and Rewa rding, one of whi ch

0 ces was respectively allo tted to th e five aforemen tion

ed faces , a nd also , in this form was united five person s ,viz. Bram a (th e creator) V ishnoo (the preserver) Roodra (the de stroyer)Mahaswara (the judge) and Sadasiv a(the rewarder .)The ac coun t given of the las t m en tion ed dei in th e

Pooranums, is as follow s — Th ough thi s deity adas iv a

has five faces and ten arm s ; yet he can assum e a spiri

tual form for th e perform an ce of the'

five differen t offices

aforesai d , in the u n iverse . The n ature of these five

offices is , l st— Serooty (creating) whi ch sign ifies the for

mation of bodily substan ces &c . 2d , l s'

tliy (preserwhich is th e rovision of every n ecessary fdi'

n

ti esubsisten ce o l

pall crea ted things ; 3 d, Sangaram or Sum

maliram (destroying) or reducing to no thing created

things ; 4 th , Trobanam ( trial) or keeping the souls ofthe deceased in a state ofprobation and un consciou sness ;5th, Am ocra tum (rewarding) or di stribu ting rew ards ,and enligh ten in the souls . The abov e fiv e offices are

also denom inate - 1 st, Sa ckram , v igilan ce , activi ty,—2d ,

Soaqoam m , dream ,— 3 d, Sooloothy, deep sleep ,

— 4th ,Tboors

'

am , abstraction of mind ,— 5 th , Thooriathethum ,

insensibili ty,— an d although Siv a is desti tu te of pas

sions, yet he perform s th ese five o ffices , just in the sam emanner, as th e sun by th e influen ce of whose w arm th

some vegeta tion thrives while o thers decay, to operate

on either of which he has n o inclination— In likemanner, Serooty, TIu

'

thy, Sanga ram , Trobanam andAm ocratum are conducted in the uni verse , con tainingbeings an im ate and inanima te, by the Om nipresence of

MAHA SADASIVA MOORTE E( P late No .

m age is in represen ta tion of one of the sixtythree bodily form s w hi ch Siva assum ed, under the designation ofMaha - Sadasiva .

This m on strou s and diabolical im age is generallym ade of wood and ston e, bearing n o less than twen tyfive heads and fifty hands

— according to the numberdescribed in the Scunda Pooranum , bu t in the carvedimages m ade and worshipped by th e Hindoo s it bearstwen ty

- five heads and thir¥

~ two hands— (as represen ted in pleteNo . 30) thirty 0 whi ch are shown as holdingvarious kinds of destructive weapons— viz. the hand No .

In the North Arcot Collec torate.

Siva and by the pervasion of P arasuctee (fem ale energyof Siva) through th e whole creation .

The above bodily form Siv a assumed on the n orth ernside of Kylasa , accordi ng to the represen ta tion m ade ofSa dasivaMoortee in som e scu lptured statuesz— this deityis w orshipped an d an o in ted according to the Agamashas tras or religiou s system of worship .

The five offices opera ted even on the five naturalsen ses an d organ s of actions . Sigh t of an object implies Serooty, perception of it, T/oz

'

tliy, reflection on it,Sa nga ram , de termin ati on on it, Trobanam and discernm en t of it, Anoocratum . SadasivaMoortee operate s th usupon corporeal and incorporeal things as organ s ofsense , sensation and organs of acti on s— these powers areunsearchable .

A sta tue or emblem of this deity is to be found in thetem ple of Sree - Calahs try. Statu es of this deity are not

m ade of any m etal bu t of stone and wood .

During th e tim e of a festival design ated E m ma/iWoocha cam , which is celebrated for the space of tendays, in som e tem ples of Siva, a feas t in honor of Sadasiva Moortee is on the 9th day, perform ed in comm emo

ration of the five offices, which are perform ed by th edeity. On the m orn ing of whi ch day, the statu e isan ointed w ith cos tly unctu ous substan ce, and adorn edwi th jewels , when it is particularly worsh ipped .

In lieu of carrying thi s sta tue in procession , Sabanaiga Moortee an im age representing Siva is carried .

During the celebration of a feas t in hon or ofManet}:eas ar, a divin e sain t, in th e m on th ofMargaly (Decem r) thi s sta tu e of Sadas iv a Moortee is anoin ted,and a feast is perform ed in commem oration of the fiveoffices abo ve described .

There is a tem ple called Sadas iv acon am , dedicated tothis deity in th e n eighbourhood of Calahstry,

‘to which

temple pilgrims resort in great n umbers for the purposeof paying adoration , and spend much in their offeringsto this idol.

58 HINDOO GODS.

l , is shewn h oldi ng a Duncasoo ,‘ No . 2, an Umboo or

B a unum , No . 3, a Cudgbum or Chundranytodum No . 4,

a Gadum , No . 5 , a Cl mclcrum , No . 6, a Sun/coo, No . 7,a Vu litudy, No . 8 , an Unkoosum , No . 9 , a P ausum , No .

10, a Soolum , No . 1 1 , a Va ila ngoodum , No . 1 2, an E etty,No . 1 3 , an E ry

- Bett‘y, No . 1 4 , a B a llium , No . 1 5 , a

Chant/mm , No . 1 6 , a Mamum m , No . 1 7 , a P indgp au

lam , No . 1 8 , a B a unkoo , No . 1 9, a Cutta ury, No . 20, a

Ramp a nt , No . 21 , a Dunda nyoodum , No . 22, a Guthaya adam or Gu tlzy, No . 23 , a Vzy

'

rayoodum , No . 24 , a

P aras oo or Cunda Coa da ulg , No . 25 , a Na irsum , No .

26 , a Noosoondy, No . 27, a Goa nd , No . 28 , a Cupp unum ,

N0 . 29, a Na ugl mm , No . 30, aMulloo . The thirty- first

han d is in the attitude of bestowing a benediction andthe last , as prom ising pro tection . W e h ave describedthe above in strum en ts as n ear as possible in E nglish bythe corresponding n umbers in th e Note below .

I t is sta ted in the Scun da Pooranum , t h at the five

prin cipa l heads described in Pla te No . 30 as rising one

upon ano ther imm ediately from the n eck of the ido l, are

embl

f

em s of the five attribu tes of Siva , n am ely the pow

éers o — Creata'

P ressru'

n Destr J an

Rewarding, thgse are the five powggin

gf th

‘

isdgd

z

gilty ao

cording to the Agam a of the Siva sect . E ach of theseis again subdivided in to five separate offices m aking inall twen ty

- five , to represen t whi ch Siv a as sum ed in the

in terv al between creation and destru ction , the bodilyshape of Maha - Sadasiva having twen ty

- five faces and

han ds . The work of crea tion during its con tinu

an ce in cludes the exercise of the sev eral powers of crea ting, destroying , judging and rewarding

— an d th at

Maha - Sadasiva exerts hi s Omn ipo ten ce in all creation s

an im ate and in anim ate . The H indoo sacred wri ts al so

affirm in strong langu age, that m any Vishn o os, Bram as ,forty

- eigh t thou sand Reeshees or Sain ts , sevenMuroothoocal Indra , and n um erou s Devatahs , and heavenlym u sician s and o thers, so crowded togeth er to worshipthe emblem ofMaha - Sadasiva on the holy m oun tains o f

Mafia - Kyla sa , th a t their crown s clashed wi th each o th er.

The adoration , an d an o in ting of this im age are the

sam e as those perform ed for the idols preceding

OOMA MAHASWARA MOORTE E .

( P la te No .

The B ramma nda P oora num gives thefollowing story ofGameMakaswa raMoortee.

In th e above H indoo holy writ it is sta ted, tha t in the

No. 1 , B ow. N o . 2, Arrow. B road edged pocket knife . No.

No . 3 , Sword . No . 4, Sh ield . No . 20, A s'

aw. No . 2 1 , A destruc6 , Circula r Kn i le . No . 6 , Chunk. tive Club. No . 22, Club. No .

No . 7 , Crooked club. No . 8, 28

, Club made o f the stump ofGoad . No . 9 , K notted Rope . No . very old tree . No . 24 , An Ha t

1 0,Three tonged fork . No . l l , chet . No . 25 , A pec ulia r kind

Circula r spear. No . 1 2, Spea r. o f shield . No . 26 , A curiouslyNo . 1 3 , A spear ha ving the ower wrough t club. No. 27 , A Sling.

of a tta cking the enemy by ying. No . 28 , A m agica l club, which hasNo .M, The kind of spea r used by the power o f a t trac ting person s toP a lankin bearers. No . 1 5 . Sharp it . No . 29 , A spear resemblingIn strumen t . No. 1 6 , A thorn the h ead of a snake, and conta inspear. No . 1 7 , Crooked Swor ing poison. No . 30, A red hotNo. 1 8, Pocket knife. No. 1 9, iron .

beginn ing when Brahm a , (the etern al god) was ia a still

and m o tionless sta te (Para suctee) the power of produc

ing certa in v ital action s or operati on s , em anated from

Brahm a and assum ed the sh ape of a fem ale . She beingthe m o ther of the un iverse , possessed almigh ty power,and has an addition al eye on her forehead , from which

darts forth flam es . W ishing to h ave an eeable part

ner in life , su itable to hergch aracter an d ignity, she

first created Gan esha , (the god ofwisdom ) an d told himh er reason s for h av ing created him , bu t he observed toher th a t he con sidered her 1 n th e light of a m o ther, be

cau se she had brough t him in to exi sten ce an d earnestlyen treated her to ex cu se him from acting th e part of a

Hu sban d towards h er. She then created Bram a , to whom

she propo sed the sam e term s v iz. to becom e her consort,bu t hi s unwillingness to graatify her wishes , exasperated

her to su ch a dgn

cc , th at she opened the eye on her

forehead, fromWhi ch flam es issu ed forth , and burn t himto ash es . Sh e afterw ards created Vishn oo and m ad e him

th e like re u est — In con sequ ence of his refusal also to

comply Wi t her Wi shes, he w as likewi se con sum ed bythe flam es . She las tly created Siva and finding that he

was by no m ean s unfit for her purpose desi red him to be

her partn er in life . The Wily Siv a being endu ed with

Omniscien ce , and kn owing that he wou ld n o t have as

cendency over her as long as she had the eye on her

forehead , and which was capable of vast destructi on

promi sed to gratify her desire ,p

provided she would con

fer upon him th e eye on her forehead . Scarcely was

his requ est complied wi th , when he looked at her with

the fiery eye and redu ced her to ashes . Wishing to.

a

m use him selfWith the creation of the un iverse, he

recreated Bram a and V ishn oo . He then turn ed himselfto hi s left shoulder , from which Parasu ctee ali as Oomasprung . Siva with Oom a on his left thigh , sea ted him

self on a thron e com posed of Carbun cles, on the moun

tain of Kylasa and began to consult abou t th e creation

of the world . This sitting a tti tude of Siv a w ith Oomaon his left thigh i s represen ted m an im e designated

Ooma Ma ltaswam . This image is cast

a

? copper and

placed m a shrin e con secrated

agto it . The offerings made

to the 1m age are according to th e prescription contained

in the Agam ashas tras and wi th awe an d rev eren ce due to

the deity and a King : offerings are m ade four times a

day first with flowers and leaves of various kin ds ; secon dly with rice dain tily prepared , cakes , thickened

m ilk, cocoanu t, beetle and nu ts & c . thirdly wi th m

cen se, lights with clarified bu tter. Care is taken sub

sequ en t to the con secration of th e idol, to rem ov e the m

fluence of evil eyes being cast upon it, by reciting some

mystic prayers . Su ch daily, m on th] , an d yearly festi

v als‘

, as are ordained by the Agam as tras , are duly ce

lebrated in hon or of the deity.

The above i s the accoun t given of Oom a Mahaswara,an in carn ation Siva as sum ed m order to crea te the uni

verse and all crea tures in it .

In th e Scunda P ooranum , there is an o th er account

given of the origin ofOomaMahaswara , whi ch is as fol

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HINDOO LITE RATURE .

licity. They were afterwards , accordingly born o f a wom an namedMaya , the consort of (h a ia - bramha ,who was

perform i ng religious austeri ties . They underwen t sucharden t and austere m ortifica ti on s, that they obtained th eboon of n ever being killed by any one, and of t e

'

all over the universe Wi thou t any rival . They now

exercised every act of cru elty bo th upon hum an andheavenly beings, and even compelled the Devatahs to

zan y flesh upon th eir heads, and to do the m ean est ofces .

After having thu s given a short accoun t of SoomP udma , Siv a ordered Soobram any to assum e a hum an

shape an d rid th e world of th e tyran t.From the seat of Shaka -sand , Siva is called Sookasa naMoortee . This is reckoned as one am ong the six ty

three in carnations of Siva . Images represen ting th e

gookasana -Moortee is worshipped in several temples of1va .

This im age h as six arms , in on e he holds a deer, inan other a red ho t iron , in an o ther a sn ake , in an other a

club, in the fifth a bell , and the sixth represen ts the at

ti tude Siva w as in while giving prom ise of pro tecti on tothe Deva ta hs .

The figure under the foot of the image represen ts thedemon above stated .

HINDOO LITE RATURE .

DOCTRINE S OF THE HINDOO RE LIGION .

Continued from p age 56 .

Y ama receives the good w ith m uch affection , and , feas tingthem wi th excellent food , thus addresses them : Y e are

tru ly meritorious in your deeds ; ye are wise by the power

of your merits ascend to an excellent heaven . He who , bornin the world, performs meri torious ac tions, - he is my fa ther,bro ther, and friend .

’

The wicked have m iles to travel to the palace ofYam a , to receive judgment . In some places they pass over a

pavement offire ; in others the earth in which the ir feet s ink isburning ho t or they pa ss overburn ing sands, or over stones w ithsharp edges , or burn ing ho t ; som etimes showers o f sharp in

s trum ents , and a t o thers showers ofburn ing cinders, or scald ingwa ter, orst ones fall upon them burn ingwinds scorch theirbodieseverynow a nd then they fa ll into concea led wells full ofda rkness,or pass through narrow passages filled with stones , in whichserpen ts lie concealed ; sometimes the road is filled with th ickdarkness ; a t other times they pass through the branches of trees

the leaves ofwhich are full of thorns again theywalk overbroken

po ts , or over hard c lod s o f earth, bones , pu trifying flesh , thorns ,or sharp spikes ; they m eet tigers , jacka ls, rh inoceroses, elephun te, terrible giants , &c . and in som e parts they a re scorched

in the sun withou t obta in ing the leas t shade . They travel nak

ed ; their ha ir is in d isorder ; their throa t, lips , &c . are pa rched ;they are co vered w ith blood , or dirt ; some w a il and shriek as

they pa ss a long ; others are weeping ; o thers have horror

depicted on their countenances ; some are dragged a longby leathern thongs tied round their necks , wa ists , or hands ;others by cords passed through holes bored in their noses ;

The shastrus teach tha t there a re four kinds of happinessafter dea th, I . Tha t possessed in the heavens of the gods f —Q.tha t , when the person is deified ;

— 3 . tha t wh ich arises from

dwelling in the presence of the gods ;f- a nd , 4 . in adsorption tIn the three firs t , the person is subject to fu ture birth , but notin the last . The three first are obta ined by works ; th e last byd ivine wisdom .

The descriptions which the pooranus give of the heavens of

the gods are truly in the E as tern s tyle :~

all th ings , even the

l The sun . 2 The moon . 3 Wind . 4 F ire . 5 E i ther. 6 E arth.

7 Wa ter. 8 A lunar- day. 9 Day. 1 0 Nigh t . l l Mo rning. 12

E vening . 1 3 A representa tive o f Yama . All th e elements , a nd the

d ivisions of time . are thus ca lled upon to wi tn ess aga inst th e prisonem

The Meemangsu wri ters ha ve dec id e d , tha t the re is no separa te

pi ece o f future happiness ; tha t whether a pe rson enjoy happiness

o r endure m isery, the whole is confined to the prese n t li le . The poo

ra nus , on the o ther hand , declare , tha t there a re m any place of happi

n ess and m isery, and tha t persons go to these placesq l‘

ter d ea th .

t All ra ised to heaven are not perm i tted to approach th e god inwhose heaven they reside . Th is privilege belongs only to favou ri tes.

t The ved an ta shactrus teach that wherever a pe rson posse ssingd ivine wisdom d ies, h e is imm ed ia tely received in to th e d i vine na ture,

a s a ir, escaping from a vessel when broken , immed ia te m ixes wi th

the surrou nd ing a ir. The poora nus , h owever, teach , tha t the .

sou l of

such a person asce nds to God inhabi ting a certa in place, and is then

absorbed in the divine noun-e.

others by the hair, the ears, the neck, or the heels ; ando thers are carried having their heads and legs tied together.On arriving at the palace, they behold Yam a clothed withterror, two hundred and forty miles in height ; his eyes d istend.ed like a lake of water ; of a purple colour ; with rays of gloryissuing from h is body ; his voice is loud as the thunde rs at thedissolu tion of the un iverse ; the hairs of his body are each aslong as a palm - tree ; a flam e of tire proceeds from his mouth ;the no ise of the drawing of h is brea th is greater than th e roar.

ing of a tempest ; his teeth are exceedingly long ; and his nailslike the fan for winnowing corn . In his right ha nd he holds aniron club ; his ga rment is an anim a l

’s skin and he rides on a

terrific buffalo . Ch itra - gooptu also appears as a terrible monster, and makes a no ise like a warrior when abou t to rush toba ttle. Sounds terri ble as thunder are heard, ordering punishm en ts to be inflicted on the ofl

'

enders . At length Yama ordersthe crimina ls into his presence , and thus addresses them : Did

you no t know tha t I am placed above a ll, to award happinessto the good , and punishm en t to the wicked Knowing this,have you lived in s in ? Have you never hea rd tha t there aredifl

'

erent hells for the punishment of the wicked Ha ve younever given your m inds to re ligion To- d ay, with your owneyes, you shall see the punishmen t o f the wicked . From

yoogu to yoogu s tay in these hells l - Y ou ha ve pleased yourselves in s inful practices : endure now the torm en ts due to thesesins . What wi ll weeping a va il Yam a next direc ts Chitragooptu to exam ine into the ofl

'

ences of the crim inals , whonow demand the nam es of the w itnesses : let such , say they,appear, and give their e s idence in our presence. Yama sm iling,though full of rage , comm ands Sooryu ,

l Cha ndru ,’ Puvunu,

‘

Ugnee‘Akas hu ,

‘ Pri t’

hivee ,‘ Vuroonu ,

’ Tit’

hee ,’ Dinu,

‘

Ra tree ,1° Pra tu - ka lu ,

" S a ndhya—ka lu ,"and Dhurmu ,

“to appesr

aga inst the prisoners ; who , hearing the evidence , are s truckdumb ; and rema in trembling and s tupified with fear. Yama.then , gnashing is teeth , beats the prisoners with his iron club

till they roar wi th anguish ; after which he drives them isd ifferent hells.

Immoo LITERATURE . er

beds of the gods, are made of gold and precious stones. All

the pleasures of these heavens are exac tly what we should ex

pect in a system formed by uninspired and unrenewed men :

like the paradise ofMahomet, they are houses of ill - fame, rather

than places of rewards for the pure in heart .’Here all the

vicious passions are personified , or rather deified—the quarrels

and licentious intrigues of the gods fill these places with per

petual uproar, while their impuri ties are described with the

same literality and gross detail, as similar things are talked of

among th ese idola tors on earth . It would be a flagrant insult

to compare these heavens with the place which our Saviour

went to prepare for his disciples but the serious enquirer

atter truth will be struck with this additional proof, tha t the

Christian religion is worthy of all accepta tion .

’

I here subjo in an accoun t of the heaven of Coobera, the

god of riches, from the Muhabharutu It is eight hundred

miles long, and five hun dred and six ty broad . The wind, per

fumed wi th ten thousand odours , blows in soft breezes , and the

place, in every part adorned w ith gold and jewels, displays a

glory like tha t produced by the rays of the fu ll moon . Here

are also canals of the purest water filled with fish , water- foul,water lilies , &c . with flights of steps m ade of gold with for

cats and ga rdens in wh ich Coobera and his courtezans d ivert

themselves . In the treasury of this god are immense heaps of

jewels, gold , s ilver, &c . from which the gods and goddesses

supply them se lves w ith ornamen ts . Coobera si ts on a throne

glorious as the meridian sun , and reposes on a bed equallysplendid. He is surrounded by d ifferent gods, among whom

are Siva, Doorga , Siva’s bull, his servants Nundee ,Muha

kalu, Shnnkoo , K urnu , &c . and by a thousand goddesses, or

concubines, shin ing like the lightning, and adorned with loads

ofjewels ; by the titans, by Ravunn, Vibheeshunu , and other

rakshusus , th e pishachus , the gundhurvus , the kinnurus , theupsuras, the v idyadhurus , the m ountain gods, &c . Before this

assembly the apeuras dance the kinnurus , (with horses’

mouths), and the gundhurvus , sing and play on hea venly ih

struments . A ll the pleasures of the other heavens are to be

found here.

The follow ing are esteemed works ofmerit capable ofra isingaperson to celestial happiness : Honouring, enterta in ing, serv

ing, and giving gifts to bram ins : the more lea rned the

bramhun , the grea ter the merit . Worshipping, and repeatingthe names of the gods, and parti cu larly tha t of a person

’

s guar

dian deity. V isit ing, or residing a t, holy places, and performing the accu stomed religious ceremon ies there. Performingthe shraddhu for deceased ancestors . B a thing in the Gangesand other sacred rivers . Offering sacrifices . Building tem

ples, cutt ing roads and pools , plan ting trees, especially sacred

trees ; m aking and setting up images . Repeating the gayn

tree, and other parts of the vedus . Reading the vedu and

other shastru s, or'

hearing them read . Honouring and servinga spiritual gu ide . Hospita lity to guests , especially to bram

ins. F as ting , particularly a t times directed by the shastras .

B

l

am ing wi th a decea sed husband . Parting w ith life in sacred

p aces .

King Sooru t’hu was ra ised to the heaven of Indru for per

forming the sacrifice of a horsej K ing Trishunkoo obtained

heaven by the power of the m eri ts which Vushisht’

hu , a bramin, transferred to him; Umbureeshu , a king, was about to

perform a human sacrifice,in order to obta in heaven ; but when

John xiv 2 .

t Shree -bhaga va ta . t l bid.

He repea ted an incanta tion given h im by Vishwam itrn , which destroyed the power o f the fire .

1 Shree- bhaguvutu . t Muhabbarutu .

Though the au thor has drawn away the veil from some of thesescenes, yet the ch ri sta in public m ust give h im cred it respect ing the

rest, for they a re so in tolera bly gross , tha t they ca nnot be fully dragged

i n to public view.

aThe Hindoos ha ve as great a propensi ty to em brace new theoriesof re ligion as aninterfere .

y other hea thens wha tever, where the cast does not

going to slay the victim , through the interference of Vishwamitru, a bramiu, his sa crifice was accepted of the gods , thoughthe victim was not slain ,’ and the king ascended to the heavenof Ind K ing Indru -dyoomnu, by performing austerities ,offering sacrifices , and presenting giflzs to bramins, obtainedthe power of go ing to heaven whenever he chose .1:Beside these works of merit,

’

performed by Hindoos underthe hope of obtaining a heaven of sensual plea sures after death ,there are a number of other actions performed by them , supposed to be meritorious in their nature, but which , in the opinion of a christian , deserve pun ishment , even in this life - TheHindoo widow, burning with th e dead body of her husband , is

prom ised a residence in heaven during the reigns of fourteenIndras ; yet no christian doubts whether these are real murdersor not. The dea ths of vas t m ultitudes of Hindoos are procured or hastened annually by imm ersing a part of the body, in a

state of dangerous sickness, in the Ganges, and by pouringlarge quan tities of this wa ter into the body of the dying person : yet the Hindoos think it a work of great merit. Manyperson s voluntarily renounce life in the Ganges , under the hopeof obtaining immediate entrance into heaven ; and yet a juryof E nglishmen would pronounce it self-murder. Infa tuatedm others devote their children to this sacred river, not doubtingbu t they are sending them to heaven yet we feel certain thatevery such infant is m urdered . Many of the practices in the

presence of the H indoo idols , in the very m idst of worship,are so dreadfu lly obscene, tha t I am persuaded even a Billings .

gate mob would not suffer the ac tors to escape wi thou t some

m arks of their disapprobation and yet the Hindoos expectno th ing less than heaven for these works of merit . A grea t

number of the Hindoo m odern sain ts live in a sta te of perpetu

a l in toxica tion, and ca ll th is stupefaction . wh ich arises from

smoking intoxica ting herbs, fi x ing the m ind on God . Nor

do the Brumnucharees , who follow the rules of the Tuntru

shastrus , and practice unu tterable abom ina tions ,§ under whatthey call the form s of religion , ever doubt whether these acts

are meritorious , and capable of raising the person to heaven orno t. E ven wom en of the town ha ve worship performed bybram ine in brothels, from wh ich they expec t rewards

' in a

fu ture sta te ; so completely absent from the Hindoo m ind is

the christian idea of puri ty of heart and of the necessity of

th is in order to approach God .

The Hindoos profess to have a great reliance upon the merit.o f their works , though they do not depend upon any one cere

m ony to procure future happiness One Hindoo travels to thesouth ; ano ther to the north ; to obta in som e salvation -

givingcharm bu t after a ll, he listen s to any new nostrum wi th as

m uch eagerness as though he had hitherto done nothing towardsobta in ing heaven ]! As a person

’s continuan ce in heaven de

pends on the, quan tity of his m erit, this m ay be ano ther reasonwhy the H indoo perform s so m any different works to obta inthe same thing .

HINDOO LITE RATURE .

Alter the death of a Hindoo who has been particularly dili

gent ia practising the ceremonies of his religion , his neighbours

speak of him w ith much respect : one person perhaps asks ano

ther : Who has been burn t at the landing - place to - day The

o ther answers Such an one : he was an excellent chara cter

he assisted others ; he was very strict in performing his dailyablutions ; he v isited such and such holy places ; he was verygenerous to bram ins and to strangers ; he venerated the gods ,&c . No doubt he will obtain a place in heaven .

’ When a per

son dies who has no t been liberal to bramias, nor expended

any thing in the cerem onies of his religion , his neighbours doom

h im to hell withou t ceremony. When a neighbour mentions

him , th e person to whom he speaks , affects perhaps to be alarm

ed tha t the sound of such a person’

s name has en tered his ear,and , to remove the evil effects of such a circum stance, he re

pea ts the names of several gods in som e such form as this : Ah !— Ah l—Muhabharu tu !Muhabharutu !Muhabharu tu ! Doorga ! Doorga ! Doorga ! I m us t fast to - day, I fancy, for hearingthis vile person

’s nam e repeated .

’

If the person has lived inall manner of impuri ty, and , in the language of scripture hasdrank in iquity like wa ter,

”and yet has performed the popular

ceremonies with a degree of regularity, he is spoken of with respect, for it is a principle of th e Hindoo religion that goodworks absolutely a tone for bad ones .

‘ No twiths tanding it iscommon for surv ivors to speak in high term s of the future state

of those who were zealous ido lators, i t is a doctrine repea tedlyinculcated in the H indoo shastrus, that those who have no t

overcom e their pass ions, (pure and impure), though they m ayh ave performed the usua l ceremonies of their religion , cannotobta in celes tial happiness . The doors of heaven are thereforeshut against the grea t bulk of the people ; they have neither

performed splendid religious actions, nor subdued their passion s , nor fixed their m inds on God , nor performed severe reli

gious austerities . The shoodru, also , having no inheritance inthe vedus , is placed in far worse c ircumstances than the bramin . Heaven was m ade for bram ins, as well as the earth ;and in general a Hindoo must be raised to bramh inical birthbefore he can ra ise his eyes towards heaven as his home .1

'

Very few therefore indulge the hope of heaven .I On the contrary, when at the po int of dea th , almos t every H indoo is in a

state of the most perplexing anx iety, like ma riners in a stormwhen the vessel ha s become who lly unmanageable . Such a

wretched Hindoo , in these momen ts , is often heard giving ventto his grief and fears in the m idst of his relatives, as he lies bythe Ganges . If he be advanced in years, they endeavour tocomfort h im by remi nding him , that he could not expe ct toh ave lived m uch longer ; tha t he leaves a numerous fam ily incomfortable circumstances and further, tha t his merits w illcertainly raise h im to heaven . The dying m an , however, findsno com fort in the meri t of his works , but gives utterance toexcessive grief in some such language as th is I wha t meritorious deeds have I performed I have done nothing butsin . Ah ! where sha ll I go l— Into wha t hell shall I be plunged -What shall I do - How long shall I continue in hell

Nom inal christians little imagine how heathenish many of theirreligious notions are.

i How d ifl'

erent the spirit of the tru e religion To the poor is theospel preached .

”B lessed are the poor in spirit , for the irs is the

ingdom of h eaven .

3 As all other ways of obta in ing heaven are rende red so d ifficult tothe poor, tins is one reason which reco nciles a Hindoo widow to thefuneral i le, as by this act she is qui te certa in of obta in ing future happiness bo t for herself, her husband , and several genera tions of herancestors.

He who ba th es in the Ganges a t an auspiciou s junction ofcertairplanets, is assured tha t by this act he delivers himself a nd 3 ,000,000dancestors from hell .

1 What a contrast is this to the doctrine of the gospel : WhereinGod , willing more abundantly to chew unto the heirs of promise theirsmuta bility of his counsel, confirmed i t by an oa th tha t by two ilmutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie, we mighthave a strong consola t ion who have fled for ref to la hold a lithope set before us.

”Heb. vi . 1 7, 1 8.

age y pan

3 Bhaga va ta Geeta .

g Some of the followers of V ishnoo (Voishnuvns) are not pim dwi th the idea of obsorption, or of los ing a d ist inct and conscious nate

o f E x istence . They a re represen ted as praying thus : O Vishnoo‘

we do not w ish for absorpt ion bu t for a sta te of happiness in whichwt

shall fo r ever see and serve thee a s our Lord in which t hou wilt con:

t inue a s our beloved mas ter, and we as thy servan ts . Agreeably (9

this prayer, th ey believe that devoted Voiahnvous a fter dea th will bffreed from fu ture birth, and remain for ever near Vishnoo in the

heaven of this God .

To be Continued .)

What hope can I have of going to heaven —Here I havebeensuffering for sin and now I must renew my sufi

'

eringa tHow many births must I pass through —Where will my gut.rows term inate — As a forlorn and m iserable hope, he callsupon his fri ends to give him their blessing, that Gunga mayreceive him ; and he takes leave of them in the utmost pertur.bation of m ind . A Hindoo knows no thing of that hopeWhichis as an anchor to the soul, both sure and steadfast.”

When I urged upon a bram in with whom I was in con.

versation, that the shastrus m ade large promises' to thosewho

repeated the name of a god, or bathed in sacred rivers. orvisit.ed holy places , &c . I was told by a learned bramiu , that thesame shastrus declared , that these prom ises were only made toallure men to the performance of their duty, and were not

meant to be literally fulfilled .1'

Absorp tion — God , as separa ted from matter, the Hindooscontempla te , as a being reposing in his own happiness, destituteof ideas ; as infinite placidity ; as an unrufiled sea of bliss;as being perfec tly abstrac ted ; and void of consc iousness. The;therefore deem it the height of perfec tion to be like this being.Hence Krishnu , in his discourse to praises the manwho forsaketh every desire tha t entereth into his heart ; whois happy of himself ; who is without affection ; who rejoicedno t either in good or evil ; who , like the tortoise, can restrainhis members from their wonted purpose ; to whom pleasureand pa in, gold , iron , and stones are the same .

’

The learned,

’adds K rishun , beho ld Brumhu alike in the reverend

bram iu , perfected in knowledge ; in the ox , and in the ele

phan t ; in the dog, and in him who ea teth of the flesh ofdost'

The person whose very na ture, say they, is absorbed in divinemeditation , whose life is like a sweet sleep, unconscious andno

disturbed , who does no t even desire God , and who is thechanged into the image of th e E ver- blessed, obtains absorptiminto Bram a .§The ceremonies leading to absorption are called by the name

of tupushya , and the person perform ing them a tupushvee.Forsaking the world ; retiring to a forest ; fas ting, livingonroots , fruits, &c . remaining in certa in postures , exposure to allthe inclem encies of the weather, &c .

— these , a nd many otheraustere practices, are prescribed , to subdue the passions, to fix

the m ind , habitua te it to medita tion , and fill it with that serenityand indifference to the world , which is to prepare it for absorption , and place it beyond the reach of fu ture birth .

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68 HINDOO LITERATURE .

and with him fourteen generations of his family ; the man who

swears by the waters of the G anges involves h imself and fam ily

in the same sufferings ." If a H indoo at the t ime of worship

put a sta lk of doorva grass on the lingu, he and seven genera

tions s ink into hell ."

E ma nc ip a tion of the wicked , a s tory,f rom theM« habitaruta .

—Ravunu a t one time had conquered the three worlds,

heaven, earth, and pata lu, and , as is said of Alexander, he

s ighed tha t there were no m ore worlds to conquer. When me

di ta ting where he should go next , the world of m isery came ia

to his m ind ; and he immediately reso lved to pay a v isit to Y a

m a . B efore his arrival, it was announced that Ravunu was

coming ; Y am a , filled with fear, sen t word, thathe had already

surrendered to h im , and was become h is vassal. R i vunu, how

ever, pu shed forward , and found Y ama a ll subm ission . The

conqueror, before h is return , resolved to v isit the place of the

d am ned ; but on his arrival , he was petrified with horror a t the

cries of the m iserable wretches and, reflecting on what he saw,

said , I have conquered the three worlds , and there rem ains nothing which my prowess has not performed . It will be a glo

rious th ing for m e to set a ll these m atches at liberty— he

immedia tely attempted to com fort the sufferers, by assuring

them that he would not depart without accomplish ing their de

l iverance. A transien t gleam of hope visited the regions of

despair. Ravunu then commanded the spirits from the fierydeep,

’and , with h is twenty arms, began to drag them up ; but

a s fas t as he landed them on the s ide, they fell in again : still

he continued h is efforts, till he saw that they were u nava iling,

and that he could not reverse the decree which had fixed them

in m isery. Acknowledging h is d isappointment to the poor pri

soners, he left them , and returned to Lunka

H indoo sa mts, or mend ica n ts .

The H indoo shastrus have described four different states

(ashrum u) in to which it is proper for each bram in to enter,

v iz. Brumhucharyu ,* Grihust

'

hu ,fVanu -

prust’

hut and Brumn

gnanee and it appears to have been the design of the found

ers o f the H indoo religion , tha t these orders should be su ited

to the four d istinguishing periods in the life of m an : while the

youth continues in a sta te of instruction , he is called a

B rumhucharee, and the daily duties o f th is state are la id down

for him ; a fter marriage he becomes a Grihust’

hu , and per

forms the severa l duties of civi l life as a householder. A t the

age of ti tty he renounces the world“

, and enters a forest ; a nd

lastly, by the power of religious austerities , he becomes per

fectly insensible to all human th ings, and is absorbed in divine

m ed ita tion .

”

The duties of a bram iu student are laid down at large byMunoo and o ther wri ters. When the you th is abou t to leave

this sta te, and to enter on the duties of a householder, he takes

I h ave h ea rd a Hindoo say, tha t such a person not only incu rs a ll

this futu re m isery . bu t that the h and tha t touches the sacred wa ter

becom es wh it e . Th is person sa id he had seen several Hindoos who

bore this mark of the wra th of the god .

A student. f A householder.

0

Oc s

d

A h t f oI t Is a shocki ng ci rcum stanc e and reclaims the true on!

"

erm t r m vunu, a forest,“ d prust I“ going. the Hindoo religion, that it see he a ll’

occasid’

ns to d egrade and will“l

the feelings o f the soodra. How d ifferen t the Holy

g A person possessed of d ivine knowledge. Honour all men.

”

a stafi'

in his hand, and pretends to leave the house, and go in.to a forest, to read the veda s, and to obtain h is food bybeg.

ging,—but the parents stop him , saying, 0h ! child, return;

thou shalt not go into the wilderness ; we will supply theewithalms. Besides, become a householder, m arry, and perform theduties of a Grihust

’

hu .

’From the first to th e t welfth day, the

face of the boy is not to be seen by any soodra , nor is he tosee the face of a person of th is cast He bathes early in them orn ing with a clo th over h is face as he passes through thestreets, one person going before and another behind him, andif a soodra should approach they direct h im to pass anotherway as a Brumhucharee is going to ba the. He must eat onlyonce a day ; abstain from flesh , fish , &c . ; and perform the pro

per ceremonies three times a day. On the twelfth day, withhissta ff in his hand, he bathes , and casts his staff into the stream,repeating incan tations, intim ating tha t he renounces the state

of the Brumhucharee, and becomes a Grihust'

hu . On this day;some persons , for the sake of obtaining a few rupees, permit

their son to receive aims from the hands of a female soodn,who, from that time, calls this child the son of her almi.

Having no son of her own , she visits the child , and takeshimas a vis itor to her own house, where she feas ts and clothes lllm.

I have heard of very large sum s being gi ven to the chilcal

a bram iu when he has thus becom e the son of a person’

s slut

I can find n o o ther reason for this practice, than that a womu

without children is pleased even with such a son ; especiallyas he is the ofi

'

spring of a bram in . In a short time after tls

ch ild has thus resolved to enter the sta te of a G rihust'

hu, heir

generally m arried . The duties a ssigned to him by the shastrus,as a householder are, the daily offerings to the m anes andof

clarified butter in the burnt - ofi'

ering ; the da ily worshipofthe

shalgramu , and t he cow ; the ra ising of ofi'

spring ; his dai lybusiness ; the feeding of strangers ; the hearing of the sh

ba thin repeating the names of the gods, t he worship ofthe

gods in .

”

The next state is called Vauu - prust’hu , or, that of t

herm it ; for wh ich orderMunoo gives the following directionsW h en the fa ther of a fam ily perceives his m uscles become

flaccid , and his ha ir grey, and sees the child of his child, let

h im then seek refuge in a forest. Abandoning all food eaten

in towns , and a ll his household u tensils , let h im repair to the

lonely wood, comm itting the care of h is w ife to her sons,.

or

accompanied by her, if she choose to a ttend him . Let him

take up his consecra ted fire, and all h is dom estic implement!

of making oblations to it, and departing from the town to the

forest, let him dwell in i t w ith complete power over his organ!

of sense and of action . W ith m any sorts of pure food,all?“

as holy sages used to eat, with green herbs, roots , and fruit.

let him perform the five great sacraments , introducing themwi th due ceremon ies, Let him wear a black antelope

'

s hide»

or a vesture of bark ; let him ba the evening and morning;

let him sufi'

er the hairs of his head , h is beard, and his nail!

to grow con tinually. From such food as he may eats let

him , to the u tm ost of his power, m ake offerings and give aims;

and with presents of wa ter, roots, and fru it, let him honour

those who v isit his herm itage.

"

To be cont inued .)

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HINDOO LITERATURE .

Brumhucharees . The superior casts may en ter into thisorder, the members ofwhich subsi st bybegging, reside at tem

ples , or holy places ; wear red clothes, and bind round the

arms and neck, and suspend from the ears, strings made ofthe seeds of grapes . They have the head shaved. though theysometim es wear a beard . In outward appearance, the princi

pa l difl‘

erence between a brumhucharee and a dundee lies inthe form erhaving no staff in his hand . The time of one of these

mendicants is principally occupied in repeating the name of

his guardian deity, and co unting the repetitions by his main.

All brumhucharees drink spiri ts, smoke and eat intoxicatingdrugs , and reject no kind of food .

Dundee. This name is given because these devotees receive

a s taff (dundu ) when they first enter this order. The bu mp

ins, on m eeting with a person of this order, ros tra te them

selves before h im . The dundee shaves his sad and beard

every four months , wears a narrow cloth round his lo ins, and

another loo se red clo th over h is body ; abstains from fish, flesh ,oil, comm on sa lt, and rice which has been wetted in cleansing .

He trave ls with a staff in one hand, and an alms’-dish in the

other. The princ ipal ceremonies to which this order attend

are, repea ting the name of Vishnoo , bathing once a day, andwi th c lom d eyes medita ting (manusur' on the a ttributes of

Vishnoo . This las t act is done by the side of the river. Whenabo ut to ba the, they besmear them selves all over with theearth was hed by the waves of the Ganges . The dundee does

not beg his food , nor cook with his own hands , but is a guest

at the ho u ses of the bramins. If a householder hear tha t adundee is come in to the village, he goes to him and invi tes h imto becom e his guest . A dundee blesses a person who is pros trateat his fee t, by pro nounc ing the name of Narayuuu . When hepasses th rough a v illage, all the people come to their doors tostare at h im , so seldom are these people seen in Bengal. Assoon as a person becomes a dundee , he is freed from mortalbirth , and is sa id to become Vishnoo , and after death to obtainabsorptio n in Brama. Some bramine, on th e approach ofdeath , en ter into the order, for the sake of enjoying happinesswithou t any further transm igrations . The dundees do not burn,but bury their dead, repea ting incanta tions .

Gardby - oc hoa . These persons belong to the order of Sun

yasees . To fu lfil a vow to Vishnoo ,’r they hold up the right

arm till it cannot be brought in to its na tural position aga in }:For the first few days of raising the arm into this posturethe pain is grea t. Some make a vow to hold the arm up till dea th .and o th ers to hold it up for a certa in number of years . Thelonger it is held up, the greater the merit . When a person wishesto bring the a rm to its former posi tion , he anoin ts the jointswith clarified butter, and in about two mon ths , by degrees , thearm obtains its form erposition , and in time becomes as strongas before . When th is vow is fulfilled. the worship ofVishnoois performed , and a fee given to the head pries t of the sunyasees .

It is supposed , that on the road from Jugunnat’

hu’

s templein Orissa to Benares, not less than two hundred of thesemendican ts m aybe seen .

Mom . These devotees en ter into a vow of perpetualsilence They generally res ide on the banks of the Gauges ,a nd subsist on m ilk, sugar, fru its , roots, sweetmeats, and wa ter.They go almos t naked , besmearing their bod ies with theashes of cow - dung . The people supply them w ith food inconsiderable abundance as an act of merit ; or, their disc iplescollect food by begging . They should ea t only once a day.

In perform ing this ceremon Vishwsmitrs nt 1000 earswi thout breath ing.

y, spe y

t The d irec tions respecting this vom are contained in the smriteeshas trus .

I Until the arms has become stifl'

, they tie it up in the night.

78

P ersi st - bungee . A few'

persons are to be seen at hplyplaceswho call themselves by this name , but they do not come up to

the description of the shastru . They pretend to be desti tuteof all regard to visible objects : they go naked ; have no

apparent intercourse with human beings ; rem ain speechless ;ask for nothing, and yet subsist on alms ; ea t any thing giventhem ; disregard all outward purifica tions , and wear their beardand the hair of their head ,

‘

unless some one take compassion

on them and pay the barber. These persons aiiirm , that theyhave atta ined to tha t state of perfection which the shastrusrequire, viz. that thier minds do not wander afterworldly things ,and that they live in a sta te of pleasure ; but this abstractionand joy arise only from the fumes of drugs or spirits, by whichall the other passions are overcome. I have seen such personsat Kalee- ghatu, near Calcutta . Instead of dwelling in forestsaccording to the directions of the shastru , they rema in a t these

places , in order to a ttract notice, and to obtain vo lunta ry alms .

The pundit w ith whom I wro te this, acknowledged tha t pridewas the reigning principle in these modern purum - hungsus .

“Muha -poorooshu and S iddhu poorooshu . The most di stingu ished of the Hindoo sa ints have had the former nameassigned to them , which signifies, The Great. Siddhu

poorooshn implies, that thi s person has obta ined an intervieww ith his guardian deity, and tha t he can do whatever m iraclehe pleases .

When I enqu ired of a koelinu bramiu wi th whom I wassi tting, whe ther any modern Hindoo sought to obta in an

interviewwith h is guardian deity, he afi rmed there were such

persons . Asking him for particulars , he men tioned his own

uncle . I asked him what his uncle did to obta in this‘

interveiew

He said , from the age of fifteen he had been repea ting the nameof his guardian deity . He did not abide in the house

, but

mostly staid at a temple Siva in the neighbourhood . Hehad never married ; sought noe arthly happiness ; ate any where,and, obtaining a bed of straw , sought no th ing better. Hiswhole waking time , day and night, was spent in repeating thename of his god . When the uncle was asked by this nephewwha t he had obtained , he shook his head , but apologizedfor not having been blessed wi th the interview he expected , bydeclaring that he wa s not free from fear : that when he wassitting in a solitary place repea ting the name of his god, he wasafraid , and durst not rem ain there .

In January, 1 806 , the au thor Vi si ted what the na tives callG unga - Saguru (Saguru island . ) Near two huts m ade of heavylogs of dried wood on the sands, he found two Vo iragees whohad embraced the principle of perfect abstraction from all sublunary things . They were natives of the upper provinces .

These hu ts were pretty strong, and m ight be a tolerable defenceaga inst the tigers . A t their front , a broad heap of sand wasra ised , upon which they had kindled a fire, and before whichone of the Voiragees sat on a deer

’

s skin , squeezing the leaf ofan in toxica ting plan t called ganja , which he afterwards smoked .

This man had a poita on , his hair tied in a large bunch at the topof h is head , a rope round his waste upon which was tied a pieceof the bark of the pla inta in tree which in part only coveredhis nakedness , and a shred of cloth also tied round his head,except which he was perfectly naked . We entered into con

versation with this man , who professed to be a worshipper ofRamu . He decla imed against a wordly sta te ; told us we

were in a sta te of constan t agita tion ; but that he, indifferentto a ll these th ings , was full of joy ; if he had food, it was wellif not , he contended himself with the name of Ramu . Whenasked what he proposed to himse lf by this mode of life, be professed that he had neither desires nor h0pes ; and that he didnot become a yogee to expiate sin . He gave us, from a hole

74 HINDOO LITERATURE .

in t he sand before his but, some tolerably sweet water, forwhich we offered him a reward ; bu t he declined accepting it,unless we would lea ve it on the spo t ; he would no t m ove a

step to obtain it . I endeavoured to convince him,that h is love

o f ganja was a . proof tha t all passion was not extinct in him ,

bu t he tried to ward off th is attack by professing indifferenceeven towards this indulgence . After this, when a rupee was givento him , he asked what he could do with i t : and would not touchi t in the giver

’

s presence, who threw it down for him on thedeer

’

s skin upon which he sat .

From these huts we went to a neighbouring temple, whichcon ta ined a stone image o f K opilu , th

'

e sage . Here we foundtwo mendicants from the upper provinces , one of them a youngm an , an Oordhu - vahoo , who had held up his left arm till it wasbecome st ifl

‘

. They were bo th covered w ith ashes ; their hairclotted with dirt , and tied in a bunch at the top of the head ,and were w ithout any covering except the bark of some tree,and a shred of cloth drawn up betwixt the legs . At a distance,they cou ld scarcely be distinguished as m en : and it appeared

almost imposs ible for human beings to m anifest a grea ter dis

regard of the body. We asked the young man , how long he hadheld up his arm in th is m anner : he sa id, for three years .

’

To the question whether i t produced any pain , he replied ,that, as far as his body was concerned , it did so for the first

six months . The nai ls of th is hand were grown long like the

claws of a bird of prey. In his but we saw two bead - rolls

made of the stalk of the basil, a deer'

s skin , the horns of a de er,some embers , a piece of sacking, &c .

— When asked why be

embraced this manner of life, his reply im plied an indifl‘

erence

to future rewards ; he seemed scarcely willing to confess that

he had any connec tions , father ormo ther, and reluctan tly m en

tioned the place of his birth . Respecting his food , be manifested

the same indifference, though we discovered in one of the tem

ples a large quantity of corn , clarified bu tter, spices, &c. The

o ther pilgrim was less communica tive, but more intent on h is

devo tions : he had a separa te but , and , as though all desire of

human society and friendship was extinguished , these persons,the only hum an beings in this part of the forest, seemed to

have no connection with each other. A t a distance from the

temple, we saw a w ild hog, and on the sand , in several places,fresh marks of the feet of a large tiger . The young man in

formed na, with perfect indifference , tha t during the three pre

ceding months six persons had been taken away by tigers ; and

added , in the same tone , that the hum an body was the na tural

food of the tiger, and that such a death was no m ark of the

divine displeasure. We asked him , whether he did not think

it s fortuna te circum stance, however, that while so m any of

his companions had been devo ured by t igers , he was spared

he did not appear to feel this sen timent , but sa id that theywould take him also .

After rising in the morning, as we learn t from the young

yogee, each of these ascetics repea ts the name of some god,usingh is bead - roll ; he then performs the ceremonies of worsh ipbefore some representa tive of an idol ; then ba thes, and goes

through the ceremon ies (sundhya ) orda ined by the shas tru to

he perform ed three times a day, then he prepares the offerings ,worships his ido l, and again repea ts its name for some time . At

m id - day he ea ts ; then returns to the repeti tions of the name of

his god till the evening sundhya ; and after this he continues

repeating the name of th e idol till he falls asleep.

The follow ing sto ry is universa lly credited among the

H indoos in the neighbourhood of Ca lcu tta : Som e years ago,a E uropean , wi th h is H indoo clerk, Varanushee- ghosbu , of

Calcu tta , and other servants, passed through the Sunderbunds .

One day, as this E uropean was walking in the forest, he saw To be continued .)

som ething which appeared to be a human being, standing in ahole in the earth . He asked the clerk what thiscould be ;who afi rmed that it was a m an . The E uropean went up, andbeat this lump of anim ated clay till the blood came, but it didno t appear tha t the person was conscious of the leas t painhe u ttered no cries , nor m an ifested the least sensibili ty. TheE uropean was overwhelmed with astonishment, and asked whatit could mean ! The clerk said , he had learn t , from his shastras,tha t there existed such men , called yogees , who were destituteof passions, and were incapable ofpa in . After hearing this ac.count, the E uropean ordered the clerk to take the man home.He did so , and kept him some time at his house when fed,he would eat, and , at proper times , would sleep, and attend tothe necessary functions of life, bu t he took no in terest in anything. At length the clerk, wearied with keeping him , sent himto the house of his spiritual teacher a t Khurdu . Here some

lewd fellows pu t fire into his hands ; placed a prostitu te by hisside, and played a number of tricks w ith him , but withoutmaking the least impression on him . The teacher was soontired of his guest, and sent him to Benares . On the way, whenthe hos t one evening lay to for the n ight, th is yogee went onshore, and, while he was walking by the side of the river

,

another religious mendican t, w ith a smiling coun tenance, methim : they embraced each other, and— (as is said) wereseen no m ore .

I have endeavoured to ascerta in the probable numberofHindoos who embrace a life of mendicity ; and am informed,tha t scarcely less than an eighth part of the who le populationabandont heir proper employm ents , and live as re ligious mendicants by begging . Supposing tha t there are six teen m illions of.Hindoos in Benga l and Behar, and that each mendican t requiresonly one rupee mon thly for his support, it will appea r, that not

less than rupees or pounds sterling, arethus devoured annua lly by persons, the grea t m ajori ty ofwhom

are well able to support them selves by manual labour. Whata heavy tax this m ust be on the industrious, the grea t body ofwhom am ong the Hindoos are comparatively poor !When we add to this , the baneful effects of this system

on the morals of the m endicants them selves, as w ell as on the

public manners , every benevolen t m ind m ust exceed ingly .i s

plore such a sta te of things . These beggars are no t frowned

upon like those who have no th ing but their misery to plead for

them ; bu t are priv ileged and inso lent harpies , bo ldly demandingthe con tribu tions of the abject and superstitious Hindoos their

indolent habits too , and the filthy songs they sing, lead to everyspecies of impurity and to perpetua l acts of priva te plunder.

Many of the more enlightened Hindoos, especially the bramins , . hold these mendicants in the utmost contempt , and would

cons ider their being compelled to work as a grea t blessing con

ferred upon the country. On the other hand , som e persons of

property trea t them with the grea test reverence, and sometimes

invite a number of them to their houses , drink the wa ter with

which they have washed the ir feet, and , at the end of the enter

ta inment, eat of the refuse from the pla te of ea ch . Gunga

Govindu - Singhu , a person of the writer cast , who was patro

nized by Mr. Hastings, and who rea lized a prince

carried his attachment to the Vo iragee mendica nts to the great

est lengths . He sometim es gave a feas t to three or four thou.

sand , and performed the lowest offices of service to these his

guests : he also prov ided that . persons of this description should,after h is death , be constantly enterta ined , receive persents,

have medical a ttendance when sick, &c . a t all the temples which

be erected and dedicated to the different forms ofKrishnu.

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o H INDOO GODS .

ma le and halffema le . We give a short a ccount of this incarna

tion .

I t is written in the Arnachella P ooranum that , once upon a

time , manyV ishnoos , and Bramas , the e ight deities ca lled A sta

v asooeal and eleven Roodras , twelve suns and d ivine music ians ,Indras , and the th irty

- three m illions of gods , va rious spec ies of

serpen ts and their sovereigns the inhabitan ts o f the nether

worlds , nine P la nets a nd the eight guard ian deities o f the eight

com ers of the world , as sembled in abody and went up to Kyla sa in order to w orshi Siva and P arva tee , who rece ived

them sea ted on a splendidthrone set up for the occas ion— when

a concert ofm usic was perform ed by Sarasva tees and the irpart

ners the Bram as . The danc ing wom en named Rum ba and

Woorva sy, who were celebra ted for their skill in the art of

dancing,perform ed various figures wh ile Sarasva tees sung hymns

in pra ise of Siva and P arva tee . The who le as sembly trans

orted with joy a t such an agreeable scene w orsh ipped Siva and

Parva tee , by go ing ro und '

the throne , but B rinkhm ah Reeshee ,who was one of the assembly, and who w as an em inently pious

s'

a int a nd well versed in theo logy, adored S iv a only, and disre

ga rded P arva tee , a t wh ich conduct and effronte ry, she was

h ighly o ffended ; she demanded of S iva the reason of this

v ery strange conduct of th e Sa int towards her. He replied

and sa id , tha t as he (Brinkhm ah ) was a be ing not subject to herillusion , he thereby paid adora tion to h im in spirit ; tha t he w as

composed of the spiritua l know ledge and piety , which were the

sole objec ts which glowed in h is heart . I f th is was the case

a nswered P arva tee , w herefore is he c lo thed in clay , o r flesh a nd

blood , w hich were perfectly subject to her illusion . P ar

v a tee ca sting this rem ark , the Sa int shook o ff the flesh and

blood , these disappeared , and he stood before her in the form of

a m ere skeleto n , a portion belonging to Siva , and then danced

before h im , thro ugh rapture , being entirely d ives ted o f flesh

and blood , portions wh ich were under the influence o f illu

s ion . Then S iva observ ing tha t the sa int w as to ttering, he ga ve

h im a th ird leg, and now the Sa int danced w ith three legs , and

S iva was h igh ly pleased . P a rva tee ha v ing now become en

ra ged , her passion (which form ed one o f her three a ttributes , viz .

Wisdom , P assion and Delusion ) brough t into , being a fem a le ,whom she ordered to be born into the world and then use such “

m ea ns as to subdue Brinkhm ah Reeshee , and bring h im

under the influence of her illusion . O Mo ther of the Uni

verse”sa id the crea ted fem a le I w illby a ll means accomplish

your w ishes .

” Th is being was accordingly born o f one Ill a/mythe w ife ofMamaga ra , the king of Va na vasam anaga r , and

brought upby them w ith care and afl'

c ction— and as nature w as

v ery bountiful to her, she was a perfect m odel of bea uty and

pierfec tion . Wh ile she w as yet in her mother

’s womb , a ll the

eshees w ho were perform ing reli‘

ous austerities in the world ,became inflamed with lo ve , so tha they were in a grea t degreed iverted from their acts of devoti on , they were a t a loss to ao

count for the abena tion of their m ind . Then Doorvasah , a

d iv ine Sa int , to ld them tha t their m ind were afl'

ected by the

illusion of P arva tee the w ife o f Siva , one of whose attributes

w as to be born in the world , in order to a llure the sages intoillus ion .

When the child came into ex istence , Cama (the Ind ian eu

pid ) was much pleased because of the agreeable business of

influenc ing persons w ith love , who endea vour to absta in them

selves from it . When the child a tta ined her pubertical age ,Nira ngarmt the priest of the kingMamagara , canie to him , and

was h ighly pleased when he heard of the character and capfim.

ing beau ty of his daughter. He adv ised his d isc ipleMamaganto give her in m arriage to none , but S iva , who was the onlysu ita ble person to wed her— and therefore he ta ught the youngw om a n such mysterious pra yers and them odes of adoringSiva,as m ight induce him to marry her. She a ccordingly dailywot.

shipped S iva in the temple ofMoologa Na iga , that he mightcom e and espouse her. She regu larly ofl

'

ered to the deityin the temple , flowers of various kinds and fruits , and dulya no inted the Ido l w ith costly o intm ent , and danced in a

m ost gra ceful m anner befo re it . A s she w as well skilled inthe a rt of danc ing, on such occasions as this the temple wasso crowded tha t the young m en of the c ity sealed the walkof the temple to take a full v iew of her danc ing, and wereso charmed w ith her captiva ting bea uty a s to la nguish and diein love . The de ity h im self gra tified w ith her ersevering pietyd s teadiness in the pursuit o f her objec t m a e himself visible

to the dam sel under the appella tion and form o f P rooboodeven,w ith such incom parable beauty tha t Cam a , the Indian cupid,felt asham ed of his own ,when be w itnessed the diety. lirenuptia l cerem ony w as celebra ted , the bride a nd bridegroomretired into the bed chamber, to repose on a bed magnificentlydecora ted . Moyi (wh ich w as the nam e of the bride , ) embmcedher husband w ith grea t fondness , but to her grea t astonishment,she felt noth ing but the a ir,

’and as often as she embraced hims e

cou ld not feel any th ing so lid and she w as a t last much disappo inted and fa tigued and fell a sleep

— and on having awokeduring the night , she hugged h im , and was again most sadlyd isappo i nted , hav ing found tha t he was beyond her reach.P arva tee in order to allure Siva , sent two dam sels of amazingand m ost a lluring beau ty to a llure him into love , who used everyart imaginable to seduce h im , but fa iling in the ir a ttem t, theyw ent aga in to Kylasa . A t this fa ilure o f P a rva tee , iva oh

served to her tha t either he or Brinkhm ah Reeshee, could byno

means he a llured into th e influence of Illusion , but gra tifythew ishes of the indiv idua ls who worsh ip h im thro ugh pure mo

tives of piety . Upon th is P arvatee wa s determ ined to become

part o f Siva’s body by m ea ns o f a c ts o f dev o tion . She ac

cord ingly repa ired to a certa in forest ca lled Ca voory Kuthamm,

where she had every th ing requ isite rov ided by her maids andshe then began perform ing fervent religious aus teri ties and amof devotion , and observed certa in K a tka ri vera da m

,orreligions

fasts for the space oftwenty- one days . During the continuance

o f the fa st, she w as engaged in the contempla tion o f Siva , and,every day adorning a pitcher or earthen ves se l w ith leaves of

certa in flower pla nts , offered it w ith sweetmea ts , fruits , cocoanuts and bete l- nuts , togetherwith a silken cord , ha v ing twentyone knots , tied one a day . A t the conc lusion of the fast, the

pitchers twenty- one in number were to be given to twenty

-one

bram ins ea ch a piece togetherw ith va luable presents . TwentyReeshees or sages were now assembled , and one was wantedto

complete the number —persons were set on foo t to invite one,

and notw ithstanding their sea rch they co uld not meetwith one,and were consequen tly returning hom e m uch disappo intedwhe

n

S iva d isgu ised h im self in th e habit o f a Bram in , and presented

h im se lf before them he was glad ly introduced to Parvateeas

a fit perso n to receive her gifts . She then gave ea ch Reeshee

a pitcher w ith pres ents consisting o f co ins and rich wearingapparels , and a t las t , cfl

'

ered the la st pitcher togetherwith suit

a ble presents to the disgu ised Siv a ,— but he dec lined receiving

the gi fts , for a husband could not with propriety receive gifts

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82 H INDOO LITE RATURE .

in extreme dread and despa ir. At last this w onderful anima l jo ined , O mendicant th is'

is not the only time ofmy departurea ttempted to a tta ck S iva , who bo ldly ste pped forward and form erly, to a ccom plish una tta ined a u sterities , let it no t surpri zedestroyed it w ith the grea test ea se , a nd then flayed its skin you tha t 1 left my kingdom , and depa rted into the forest .

’Havingand wrapped it round h is body . From th is c ircum sta nce S iva sard th i s , he rem a ined s ilen t . The medica nts entrea ting, Bhurece ived the a ttri bute o f Saurthoo lohara V igrahaMoo rtee , or theform under which he o vercame and des troyed the tiger

— or the

flayer o f tiger and wea rer of its skin .

For this grand exploit of Siva’

s , which took pla ce a t Kylesa ,it is sa id t he gods bes towed on h im unbo unded pra ises .

The festiva l in comm emora tion o f th is fo rm o f S i va , is a l

w ays observed wi th pomp and para de . On the e igh th day of

the festiva l cal led Bram a W'

oo tcha vum , when the Idol of Siva

is ca rried in a gra nd proc ess ion on the vehic le of a wooden

tiger, the image its elf being in a hunting co stume .

Offerings , cons isting of rice prepared in a da inty m anner,cocoanuts , planta ins , and o ther cho ice fru its , betel nuts , & c .

are m ade to the Idol , and Siva’s thousa nd nam es or a ttribu tes

are re ted b the worsh ippers— and the Ido l is also decora ted

with liza

gran t erbs and flowers of various kinds .

HINDOO LITE RATURE .

ACCOUNT OF TH E BOUDDHUS .

( Continued from page

-Formerly, it would seem , th a t religious feas ts were held

monthly among the Burm ans , as , the w a te r fea sts ; tha t for pre

senting drink- o fferings to the im ages of Bo uddhu ; tha t forwa

tering th e trees of the Ficus Ind ica the inte rroga tory fea st one

in honour of the riests ; ano th er in honour ofGuneshu ; the

boa t festival ; the tides t of alm s ; th e candle fea st ; the feas t of

giving clothes to the priests the lot fest iva l and the festival

for placing fire nea r the images of Bouddha . A t present , the

B arm an feas ts are held at the fu ll and chan of the moon only.

A t these tim es a ll public buisness is suspen the people paytheirhomage to Goutumu a t the tem les ,presenti to the im age ,rice , fruits , flowers , candles , & c . ged people 0 fas t duringthe who le day . Some v isit the co lleges , and hear the priests

read portions from the Bouddhu writings .

Accord ing to the religion of Bouddha , there are no d is

tinctions of cast . P oligamy is not forbidden by the Bouddhu

doctrine , and it is no t uncommon for a m an to have a plura lity of

wives . The Burm ans burn their dead with m any ceremonies ,especially the bod ies of the priests .

Respecting the Hindoo deities , the Bouddhus believe tha tB ramba is the head of the Brumhacharees , and lives w ith themin one of the h igher hea vens that Vishnoo , Siva , Kartiku , andSoom una , a re the chief m inisters of Indra , the king of heaven ,who has twenty

- oi ht inferior m inisters . An intelligent na tiveof Ceylon assured 9 author, th at the Bouddha s dislike theH indoo religion more than they do Mahometanism .

Transla ted’from the Burman ,byMr. F. Carey .

The divine one , while remaining in the Jam forest, beganto rela te his celebra ted departure into the forest , and in rec itingthe encom ium , uttered this Jatu of king Temee .

Upon a certa in day, the mend icants , met in the assemblyof audience , continued to celebra te th e departure of Bhuguvu .

Bhuguvu sa id, Oh me ndicants why are you assembled ?’

They replied : We are conversing on th is subject . He re

guv u revea led to them th e h istory o f the Ja tusO ye m end icants in the kingdom o f Kasheeku , and in

th e c ity o f Va ra nussee , (Benares ) , form erly reigned KasheeRain , 8. king who posse ssed every excellent quali ty, and hadsixteen thousand w ives . The c itizens sa id am ong themselves,Our so vere ign has neither son nor daughter to preserve hisfam ily from extinc tion they therefore assembled in the presence of the king, a nd , observ ing the rules la id down in theKoo shu Ja to , thus addressed h im 0 king supplica te for aso n .

’The king, calling h is s ixteen thousa nd w ives , said,

Supplica te ye for a son .

’

Cha ndra , and the o ther sixteenthousand w ives , ha v ing feas ted the gods , made supplica tion , butobta ined ne ither son nor daughter. This queen , Ch a ndra—devoe.

perfec ted in ho ly rite s , was the daughter ofMurd u raja . Theking sa id , O s ouse , do thou also entrea t fo r a son .

’The

queen , a t the fu I m oo n , rem a ined fas ting, and w h ile reposingupon a sofa , and reflec ting upon her v irtuous deeds , exclaimed , I ha ve certa inly perform ed perfect Vow s thereforeto m e a son wi ll be gra nted .

’Thus saying, she repeated

her vows . Thro ugh her piety, the angel having been made ac

qua inted w ith the queen’s desires , sa id Chundra - devee sup

plica tes for a son I will certam now grant her this blessing.

’

Looking around for a proper person to be inca rna te in herwomb,he beheld Bo uddhu - sutw u . Thi s person had re igned overthekingdom of Vara nusee during twenty years ; after death he fellinto Oo shnudun iruyu , w here he was pun ished eigh ty thousand

years he was next born in Tav utingsa , where he spent his life,and a t dea th po ssessed a n inclina tion to ascend to the higherhea vens of the gods . The angel go ing to him , sa id , 0 than

grea t one , produced in the world of morta ls , by thee works ofmerit sha ll be a ccomplished , and much people be m adehappy:the queen of Kashec prays for a son w ilt thou consent to beinca rna te in her womb ?’ He added , there are also fivehundred so ns o f the gods on the po int. of transm igra tion, whoare willing to be reproduced .

’ Booddhu - sutw u co nsented ; andhav ing transm igra ted w ith the five hundred so ns of the gods,he was conceived in the womb of Chundra—de vee ; the other

gods , in those of the w ives ofthe nobles . A t tha t time the wombo fChundra - Devee shone as with refulgent gem s ; and knowingthat she had conceived , she sent inform a tion of it to the king,who ordered a ttendants on her person . A t length she wasblessed w ith a son , replete with every excellence . On thesame day also , in th e houses of the nobles , the five hundredsons of the gods were born . A t the time of the birth , the king.surrounded by his assembled nobles , rem ained in the palace

yard , when thev addressed him thus O so vere ign, to thec ason is born .

’ The king was filled with a ffection towards hisfirst born ,which , penetrating through flesh-and bone, adheredtothe marrow in th is m anner he was filled w i th afl

'

ection, and

h is m ind became composed . The king then sa id to his nobles,To m e a son is born : are ye pleased ?

’They answered,

Wha t dost thou say Before , we were with out a sovereign ;now he is born , and we have obta ined a ruler.

’

The king thus commanded h is chief oflicer, It ismysell’fl

preroga tive to have a tte ndants go th ou to the houses of the no

bles , and see who ha vebeen born to - day.

’The chiefoflicerfoufltl

the five hundred sons , a nd , retum ing, re lated to the kingwhat

he had seen . The king sent garments to each of the five lrlmdl'

ed

H INDOO LITE RATURE .

children ; and also five hundred nurses . He also gave to

Bouddha - sutwu , four times sixty sma ll breasted , honey- like ,

milk -

produc ing nurses , ha ving rejected all women in whom there

was any defect .

“ Ifan infant s it upon the lap of a very ta ll wom an to draw the

breast , its neck grows long : if upon the lap of a short wom an ,it grows hump

- backed ; if u

pon the lap o f a thin woman ,h er

thighs injure it ; if upon the ap of very corpulent wom an , it

straddles or trembles when it wa lks if upon the lap of a ve

long breasted woman , it becomes fla t nosed . A very blacwoman

’s m ilk is co ld ; a n asthm a tic woma n

’s m ilk is sour ; a

woman who ha s an obstruction in the throa t, has acrid or bitterm ilk. Therefore , rejec ting all faulty nurses , and ha v ing givenfour times sixty sma ll- breas ted , honey

- like , m ilk-

producingnurses , and pa ying grea t hom age to the infant , the king bes towed a reward upon Chundra

—deves ; when she , rece iv ing thefavour, returned it aga in to her lord .

Upon the day the child was named , the king caused the

prognostica ting bram ins to be called , and making large presents to them , enquired concerning the child ’

s des tiny . Thebramins exam ined the m arks on the ch ild , and sa id , 0 most

illustrious Sovereign , this child is re lete w ith every pro itiousand excellent quali ty ; he is qua li ed to govern not o y th issingle island , but the two th ousa nd surround ing islands , nordowe perceive the leas t ev il in h is destiny .

’The king was pleas

ed, and proceeded to name the ch ild upon the day o fh is birthit rained a ll o ver the kingdom of Kasheeku . On tha t day theheart of the king, and the hearts Of a ll his subjec ts became tran

q‘uil. The child too was born wet, he was therefore calledemee.

When the child w as a month old , the nurses , embracinghim , brough t h im to the king, who , v iew ing his beloved child ,kissed its hea d , and ca using it to be placed upon his lap, remained sa tisfied .

A t th is hour, four thieves were brought before theking,whocommanded one of them to receive a thousand stripes w ith a

prickly wh ip ; another to be ca s t into priso n ; ano th er to be

pierced w ith a spear, and the o ther to be pla ced upon a shooee.

‘ Muha - sutwu , hearing the words of his fa ther, was afra idand trembling , reflec ted thus my fa ther, obliged to be a king,has comm itted many weighty, a nd hell

- deserving deeds .

’

On the fo llow ing day, the nurses caused him to be la idunderth e white umbrella , upon an adorned plea sure

- aboundingbed where, afte repos ing for a short time , he opened his eyes ,

and beho ld ing the white umbre lla , and the

(grea t splendour of his

apartm ent , he became exceedingly afrai more than before .

While reflecting how he came to this abode of cruelty, by thestrength ofhis former know ledge he perceived , tha t he had comefrom the hea vens of the gods ; looking still further back , heremembered tha t he had been burning in hell ; looking back toa still more remote period : he recognized himself a s a king of

tha t place, (Benares ,) a nd said to h im self : Hav ing reignedtwenty years in Varanusee, I was punished eighty thousand

years in hell , and now I have sprung to birth aga in in th is place ,in th is abode o f th ieves . To four cul rits yesterday my fa therspoke harsh hell- exposing words . ow undoubtedly I m ust

reign again , and be again cast into hell, where I must enduregrea t afllic tion . Terror fell uponMuha—sutw u , thus reflecting ,and his resplendent body w ith ered like a lotus rubbed betweenthe hands ; and while considering by wha t means he could be

{ An instrument upon which the crim ina l is impa led .

emancipa ted from th is abode o f thieves , he fell as leep. In the

mean tim e , the goddess , his m o th er, thus consoled him : 0ch ild , Temes - koomaru , be not sorrowful , doubtful, nor fearfu l ;thou des irest to be relea sed from th is abode of th ieves , thereforethough no t lame , thou makest thyself to appear as one lam e

though no t dea f, thou m akest thyself dea f ; ,tho ugh not dumb,

thou makest thyself as one dumb .

’Bouddhu- sutwu , bav in

derived conso la tion from the words of the goddess , repeathe second sta nza Ogoddess , I w ill do wha t thou hast comm anded .

’

The king, hav ing appo inted the five hundred youths toremain with his son as a guard , they cried for the brea st ; butMuha - sutwu , afi

'

righted a t the idea of being cas t into hell, excla imed , though 1 be even parched up to

- day, dea th is preferable to being cas t into hell .

’ Thus reflec ting, he neither criednorwept . The nurses made known th e fac t to Chundra - deves ,and she rela ted it to the king. From tha t time , they let thechild fas t beyond the usual period , and sometimes om itted to

'

ve him nourishment for the whole day ; through the drea d ofalling into hell, however, though exhausted , be neither cried norwept . Then the mo ther, sa ying my son is hungry,

’

ga ve himthe breast herself ; but th ough she nourished h im at intervalsdu a whole year, she could no t unders ta nd his intentions .S

n

are nobles afterwards , rem ind ing the king, th a t children ofthe age ofone year take a liking to sweetm ea ts and , add ing, w ew ill try Bo uddhu - su tw u w ith them , ca used the five hundred

youths to be sea ted by him , and plac ing various sorts of sweetmea ts befo re him and them , retired to a secret place . Theo ther yo uths , leaping and scram bling, devoured th e sweetmea tsbut Bouddhu- sutwu warned himself, sa ying, 0 thou , Temaekoomaru , desiring hell,

‘ dost thou w ish for this food ?’ Filledw ith horror, hedid no t even look upon it . Thus they tem tedhim w ith sweetmea ts for a whole year, but were unable to 00kinto h is heart .

[The work then goes on to rela te , tha t the next year theyendeavoured to excite his desires by setting various fruits beforeh im , but in va in . The fo llow ing year they put playthings beforehim ; and forano ther year grea t varieties of food . They next

endeavoured duriiig a yea r to efi'

right him with fire during anotherw ith a furious elephant ; during anoth er w ith serpents , buthe rem ained des titute o ffear as well as of des ire . A t the age ofe ight , they endea vo ured to am use him w ith da nces ; a t nine toterrify him w ith swords ; a t ten w ith loud noises from shells ; a televen w ith a horrid drum a t twelve w ith extraordinary lightsin his bed - room ; a t thirteen the covered him w ith mo lasses ,and let the flies torment him a t ouneen they almos t suffoca tedh im w ith o ffensive smells ; a t fifteen they scorched him w ithfire at six teen they introduced into h is presence beautifulfemales , perfumes , dances , & c . Thus they enticed him forsix teen years w ith the six teen grea t tempta tions , and tried himw ith many o ther tempta tions , but they were still unable toenter into his des igns .)

Then the king, dejected , ca used the destiny- foretellingbram ins to be called , and sa id to them A t the tim e ofm y son

’s birth , you said , Th is child is replete with e very for

tuna te and v irtuous mark neithsr is th ere any ev il token whatever ia him but beho ld he is born lame, dum , and dea f : yourwords a re not verified . The bram ins replied , 0 Sovere ign there is nothing unknown to the wise . If we had sa id ,the son born to the king is stupid , it would ha ve crea ted thee

pa in of m ind ; therefore we did not mention the ma tter.’ Thenthe king asked wha t was proper to be done . The bramins

M H IND00 LITE RATURE .

answered , Grea t Sovereign , while th is youth rem a ins in the

pa lace , we perceive three ev ils m ay happen one to the king

’s

'

fe , ano th er to the white umbrella , another to the queen there

fore , without delay , put th e unfortuna te horses to the unfortu

na te chariot , and plac ing him therein , carry h im out by the west

ga te to the burying-

ground , and ha v ing dug a square ho le ,bury him .

’ The king, through the dread of these evils . adopt

ed this adv ice .

Chundra - deves , inform ed of these des igns , went alone to

the king, and ha v ing m ade obeisan ce , sa id , O so vereign , tho u

conferredst a bless ing upon me , and I , hav ing received it , com

m itted it to thee now give it me a in .

’The king re lied ,

Take it, 0 queen .

’ She then sa i 0 king , give thekingdom to my son .

’The king replied , [t is out of my power

thy son is an idiot .’The queen replied , O so vereign , though

thou has t decreed no t to give him the kingdom in perpetuity ,give it him for seven years only .

’ The king replied , I cannot ,0 queen but she renewed her petitions , lowering ea ch o f themtill she solicited for a reign only of seven days ; th is was granted .

Imm ediately the mo ther, decora ting her son , thus addressedhim : OTemse - koomaru the kingdom is th ine .

’Then ca us

ing proclama tion to hé made by the sound of the drum , and com

manding the whole c ity to be adorned , she sea ted her son upon

an elepha nt , w ith the white umbrella carried over his head .

After being thus conveyed round the c ity , she caused him to

be la id u n a noble bed and besought herbeloved son , duringthe who e night, th us ; O son, Temee - koomaru , in a ttendingon thee for sixteen years , my eyes smart w ith weeping ; myheart is as though it were pierced through . I know thou art not

lame , & c . Do not leave me childless .

’ A lter th e same man

ger she besough t him the fo llowing day, and the five remainingays .

On the sixth day, the king , ha ving called his charioteer,thus addressed him , OSoonundu , chario teer, to - morrow , earlyin the morning, uni ting the unfortunate horses to the unfortuna te

chario t, take the youth , and cause him to be carried out by the

west ga te ; and after hav ing dug a square hole in th e buryingground , cast h im into it , and w i th the back of the spade break hisskull thus causing him to die , cover him w ith dust and hav ingaccomplished the work of increas ing the earth , ba thing, come

away .

’The queen , having overheard wha t passed , was filled

w ith sorrow , and go ing to her son , addressed him , O so n ,

Temee ! thy fa th er, the king of Kasheeku , has issued orders to

bury thee early to - morrow m orning. 0 son early to - morrow

thou wilt die .

’ Hearing th is , Muha - sutwu thus congra tula tedhimself, OTemee - koomarn ! thy six teen yea rs are now a c

ccomplished But his mother’s h eart was pierced through w ith

sorrow . Temee added , I ha ve a tta ined to the consumma tion

of my des ires but he refra ined from speaking to his mo ther.

E a rly in th e m orning, the charioteer, hav ing harnessed the

horses to the chario t, through the power of th e god , andMnhasutwu

’s , austerities , he pu t the fortuna te horses to the fortu

na te chario t then , stopping the chario t a t the king’s door, he

entered the innerapartm ents , a nd sa luting the queen Cha ndra ,

he thus addressed her 0 queen ! be no t wro th it is the

king’s command th us sa ying, w ith the back of h is hand hav ing

put awa y the queen who was sleepingwi th her son infolded in herarms , he took up the youth a s a ga rland o f flowers , [v iz . gently orca refully as a person would carry tender flowers] and des cended

from the alace . A t this time Cha ndra - devee , sm iting her

breast , andweeping aloud , remained in the alace - yard . Muhasutwu , beholding his mo ther, sa id to hi silently, Mymother

w ill d ie from the ang uish ofherm ind .

’ But correctinghimself,headded , in his own m ind , If I speak , the efforts of sixteen yearsw ill certa inly become abo rtive .

’

The chario teerha v ing put Bouddhu- su twu into the chariot,

sa id , I will go ou t a t the wes t ga te ,

’

bu t th rough the merit ofBouddhu - sutwu austeriti es , the chario teer, deluded by the gods,turned the chari ot , and dri v ing it out a t the eas t ga te ,was prec ipita ted ,

to the d istance of twenty - four m iles a t once . Thechario teer seeing before him a th ick fores t , m istook it forthe burying ground , and th inking it an excellen t place, drovethe chario t to one side of the road , halted and descended . Henow strippedMulza - sn twu o fhis ga rm en ts , tied them up, and laidthem in a su itable place , then w ith a spade , he began to dig asquare gra ve a t no grea t d is ta nce from the chario t . At thismom ent Bouddha - sa tw a reflected thus , Now is my time forexertion it is true , I have no t m oved hand nor foot for sixteenyears , but I w ill now see if I do no t possess strength .

’He

arose , rubbed his arm s and legs , descended from the chariot,and then walking ba ckward and forward several times, foundhe possessed s trength suffic ient to go the distance of eighthundred m iles in one day . He then said , should the charioteercontend w ith me , I will see w hether I possess strength to wrestlew ith him or not, and layin hold of th ehinderpa rt o f the carriage,threw it, as th ough it h been a child ’

s pla ything, so that itcontinued tw irling round and round .

A fter th is , Tem se’s guardian deity , ta king the raiments of

the gods , and calling V ishwa - kurmu , the son o f the gods, thusaddressed him , OVishw u- kurmu , go thou to Temse- koomaru,the son of the king o f Kasheeku , and arra y h im .

’ Vishwukurm a descended bearing ten thousand

sieces o f cloth, and

bound them round Bouddha - sutwu’s hea and th us , with the

garments o f the gods and mortals , arra ed him like a devu.

Bouddhu - sutwu, shining like the ing of the gods , went tothe ho le the chario teer w as d igging, and standing by the brink,invoking, uttered the third stanza : O chario teer whyartthou digging tha t gra ve in such ha ste ? O thou dost thou hearwha t I say wha t w ilt thou do with tha t gra ve The charioteer, hearing the abo ve words , w ith out looking up, sa id, Toth e king has been born a son who is dumb , lam e , a nd destituteo f understanding, and the king a s commanded m e to bury himin the wilderness .

’ Muha—su twu sa id , I am neither deaf, nordumb, nor lame . O chario teer if thou bury m e in th iswilderness , thou w ill do a bad a ction . Beho ld my th ighs, myarms ; hear me spea k , Ochario teer ! By burying me in this

w ilderness , thou w ill comm it an ev il act .’The charioteer asked

him self, Who ca n this personage be , who has continued praising him self from the time o f h is arrival then beholding hisfea tures exquisitely bea ut iful, he continued , Who can this person be ? Is he a man , or a god

? ’ and added the followingsta nza Art thou a god , or a ga ndharva , or the deva Poonmduru Who art thou Whose son H ow shall I know thee ?

’

Muha - sut , describing h im self in humble language, recited

this stan2a : I am ne ither a god , nor a gundhurvu , norPooran

dura I am the son of the king o f Ka sheeku , forwhom thou art

d igging th is grave ; the so n of tha t king by whom thou art nou

rished . O charioteer, undoubtedly it is an ev il th ing for thee

to bury m e in this wilderness . He who cuts the branches of

the tree under the shade of wh ich he sits and sleeps , is a worth

less person .

’

A lthough he spoke thus , the chario teer would not believe

h im to be Bouddhu - sutwu . The latter therefore sa id , I v ill eonv ince him by a god

- like acclam a tion .

’Then, by a dreadfnl

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86 H INDOO LITE RATURE .

sirest to see th y beloved sou , come I w ill certa inly ta ke theeto the place of his abode . Com e w ithout delay ; it becomesthee to hasten .

’

The devu , acqua inted w ith the youth’s desire o f becom ing

a mend icant , sent for V ishwu - kurm u , and sa id OV ishwukurmu , son ofth e gods , the youth Tem se is anx ious to becomea herm it bu ild him a house o f lea ves , and prepare for h im

every implement necessary for a pries t .’ Vishwa - kurm u , by

his own m i t , formed a delightful res idence in the twelve

m iles- ex ing forest , dug a poo l and a well crea ted trees

which bore fruit ou t of their season ; and near the herm itage ofleaves made a walk four and twenty cubits in length , and

strewed beautiful crystal- like sand upon it . H av ingvp

repa red

all the implements necessary for a priest , he added , hoso ver

desires to become a priest , let h im receive these implements !And hav ing driven awa y all nox ious an imals , and birds of nupleas ant vo ice , he return ed .

Muha - sutwu observing wha t V ishwu - kurm u had done ,and knowing tha t the devu had design ed it for h im , entered the

abode . Hav ing cast off his form er ga rments , he girded himself with those made from the bark of a tree , threw a leopard

’s

skin over his shoulders , covered h is head w ith his long tw istedha ir, and placed a bamboo across his shoulder. Then quittingthe house of leaves , with a staff in his hand , he ca used thelustre of his priesthood to appear, and while wa lking to a nd fro ,

excla imed , This is bliss ! How happy am I 1’ Soon after,returning to his abode , and sea ting himself upon a bough , he

coted the five and the eight ceremonies proper for a herm it .n the evening he seated him self a t the head of the walk , andtaking of the fruit of th e trees which bear out of their season ,and boiling them in tasteless wa ter, w ithout either salt or acid ,as on immorta l food , he fed upon this , in th e pot given him bythe devu . Thus , reflecting upon the four doc trines of Brumha ,he took up his re sidence in this ove .

“is ki of Kasheeku , hearing the words of thecharioteer, ed the chief officer of the arm y , and sa id , P utthe horses to the chariot , harn ess the elephants , blow the conches , bea t the well- braced drum , and the harmonioussma ll drum and et the inhabitants ofmy kingdom a ttend me ;I w ill go to instruct my son .

’

‘f The king sent before h im the four orders of warriors ,amounting to eighteen ukshouhinees .

‘ Three days elapsedbefore th ey were arranged ; and on the fourth day the sovereignof Kasheeku left the c ity . Step ing into his carriage , he sa idto h is concubines , A ll o f you ollow me to his a ttendants,Take th e chamuru , the diadem , the scim itar, and the white

umbrella , with the gold adorned shoes , and ascend the chariot .’

Th e king then departed , and qu ickly arrived at the place wherehis son Temee was . Beholding the king approa ch surro undedwith swords , and shining like a flame, Temse enqu ired after thewelfare of his father, his sisters , his mother, the inhabitants ofthe kingdom , & c . He asked also respecting the vehicles , the

aries , and treasuries ; and farther, whether th e king did notelight in inebriating liquors ; whether be delighted in vows , invirtue , and in bestowing aims .

The king, out o f respect toMuha - antwa , would no t situpon h is throne ; his son therefore prepared a sea t of lea ves ;upon th is too he refused to sit, and placed himself on the ground .Muha - sutwu seeing his father thus sea ted , entered h is but of

A complete a rmy is compo sed o f one uksho uh inee . or foo tlro rses ,2 | ,870chario ts , a nd e le ph a n ts . Acc o r di ng tn th is

.

account.therefore, th is k ing of Benares hsd an army 600, strong.

leaves , a nd brough t forth some of the bo iled leav es w ith whichhe w ished to entertain his sire , and repea ted the fo llOWingstanza O so vereign , partake of my sal tles s prepared foodof lea ves ; thou art my guest .

’ The king replied , I cannot

ea t lea ves ; it is not my food ; I ea t th e soup o f c lean flesh,and rice .

’Still, out o f reverence to Muha - antw a , he received

a small quan tity of the food in h is hand , and th us addressingh im in a ffectiona te language , 0 child I do no t feed uponsuch food ,

’sea ted himself. The queen , Chundra - d evee , sur

rounded w ith her ma idens , came by a stra ight roa d to the re.

s idence o f Bouddhu - sutw u , and behold ing her be lo ved son, fellon the ground senseless . Re v iv ing , she a rose , and em brac ingBouddhu - sutwu

’s feet, worsh ipped him then aris ing , with her

eyes full of tears , she sea ted herself in a suitable si tua tion . Theking said , 0 queen ! beholdest thou the food o f thy sonand putting a little o f it into her hand , he gave the remainderby little and little to his concubines , a ll of whom sa id , 0S ir, dost thou live upon such food as this (putting it on theirhead s) thou performest very severe austerities .

’Thus saying

and w orshi ping h im , they sea ted them se lves . The king said,O be loved

)

yo uth , this food as tonishes me ; thy dw elling aloneis an as tonishment to me . How is it th a t tho u , subsistingupon such coarse food , has t such a beautiful appearanceMuha - sutwu said , Because , 0 king, I sleep upo n this bed oflea ves , my countenance appears so beautiful ; no instrumentsof defence , used for the pro tec tion of kings , are pla ced overme ;but on account o f my serene repose , my countenance is of di sbeau ti ful hue . I feel no rem orse for wha t is pas t , no concern

about wha t w ill occur, and I am res igned to wha t happenstherefore my countenance appears ga y the foo lish , because theyare anxious abou t wha t m ay happen , and sorry forwhat is

past , wither away a s a plucked green reed .

’

The king , reflecting, I am come here to ano int my son,

and inv ite h im to the kingdom ,

’sa id , 0 Son I w ill bestow

upon thee the elephant- drivers , the chario teers , the horsemen,

and a rrayed foo tmen , wi th deli htful horses : I w ill also givethee the m a idens adorned with sorts of ornam ents ; raise upprogeny by them , and thou sha lt become our so vereign . Vir

gins well versed in danc ing and singing, and acted in thefour accomplishments , shall delight thee w ith eir a ttractions.Wha t dost thou in this w ilderness ? I w ill bring the adorneddaughters o f o thers kings , and after thou has t ra ised a numerous

progeny , thou mayest become a priest . Thou art oung andtender, it is good for thee to reign . Wha t art thou doing in thiswilderness

Here commence the v irtuous sayings of Bouddhu- sum0 S ir ! a youth ought to perform v irtuous acts ; the young

m ay become asce tics a youth ’s becom ing a priest is extolled

even by the sages . I will rform v irtuous ac tions ; I have notth e least des ire to be insta l ed in the kingdom . I have seen a

youth , the beloved son ofmuch anx iety , who could but just sayfa ther, mother,

’ d ie before he rea ched ma turity. I havebeheld the life of beautiful young ma idens consume away.being rooted up (by dea th) a s the young sprout of a bamboowhen plucked . Men and women , even when young, die : iftherefore the young die , who can confide in life ? E ven as thelife of fish in a scarcity o f wa ter is very short , so the life ofmortals shortens by every pas sing night : o f what ava il then is

youth ? Men are constantly hara ssed , constantly surroundedthey awa y without seeing good ; therefore whywilt tho

u

insuring

; in the kingdomTo be continued .)

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88

fu lly oppresfi d and tyrann ized over the deva tahs wh ile

h e pro tec ted the Ra tcha sa s a nd d id every th ing in h is

power to prom o te the ir h app iness a nd c om fo rt . His

governm en t h a vin now becom e in to lera bly cruel to

w a rd s the Deve ta s, A t i ty the ir m o ther pe t i t io ned

C a s io B rama , praying h im to pro cu re redress fo r th e

grieva n ces u n d er wh i ch her so n s labo ured , h e w a s

p lea sed to tea ch her certa in inca n ta t io n s o r m ysterio us

pra ers, and ad vised her t o repea t them fo r tw e lve d ays

a t t e expira tion o f wh ich t im e, he prom ised her

th a t Vishno o wo u ld m ake h im se lf v isible to her a n

relieve h er from her tro ubles . Sh e a cco rd ingl re

pea ted the'

pra ers, a nd o n the twe lfth d ay, Vl s n o o

a ppeared, a nd ra v ing lea rned the n a ture o f her reques t,h e de sired her to ha ve c a rna l know led e o f Naga siapa,a sa in t, a nd from th is u n io n , sa id ishnoo , tha t he

him self w o u ld spring a nd de liver the Deve tahs from

th eir bo ndage a nd m ise ry. In o bed ience to th is d irec

t io n , sh e knew the sa in t, (who w as a bram iu by ca s te )a nd Vishnoo w a s co n ce ived in her w omb, who be in

b orn in d ue t ime, the ch i ld wa s brough t up w i th allca re a n d tenderness, un t il he a tta ined the a ge o f m a

tu rity. At th is t im e Ma ha ba lli sen t fo r Soocra cha ri( or the pla ne t Ven u s ) the prin c ipa l priest o f the Ra t

chasa s, a nd desired h im to o ffer up a gra nd sa crifice

fo r the in crea se a nd co n t inuance a nd prosperity o f

h is go vernmen t . The l’riest observ ed to h im , tha t

d u ring the perform a nce o f the sa crific e, he sho u ld

con fer presen t s to Bram ine a n d m end ican ts, wha tever

m igh t be solic i ted by them i t maybe gran ted w i tho u t

den ia l . Ha v in

gpro cured every requ is i te fo r the sa cri

fice, he bega n t t e perfo rm an ce o f it, first by d istribu t

i ng presen ts to a ll th a t a t tended the sa crifice , wh a tever

they dem anded o fMah aba lli . On th is o c ca sio n Vish

n o o in th e d isgu ise o f a dwa rf Bram iu , ill- appa relled ,

presen ted h im self befo re Mah a ba lli in a m o st humble

a nd sup l ica t ing po sture . Mah aba lli observing the

poo r a n s ingu la r a pea ra nce o f the bram in, bade h im

to a sk wha tever he esired ; the pre tended Bram in m o st

respec tful ly so lici tedMahaba lli a sm a ll spo t o f land

(We h a ve here ex tra c ted the rema in ing port ion o f

th is His to ry fro m Mr. Mau rice’s Anc ien t H isto ry of

H ind o os ta n . Vo lume 2d , Page

The Bam un Ava tar a s before observed . exhibits to us

the in structive les son o f imperia l pride and arrogance bum

bled by so ins ign ifican t an ins trum ent as a mendican t dwarf.

Mah al i . orMah eha lli, th a t is , th e grea t Balli bad , by the

u sual m eans, ( severe austerit ies ,) obta ined from Brahm a . the

s overe ign ty of the un iverse, or the three regions o f the sky.

th e earth , a nd Pa tala . He was a generous and m agn ificen t

m o narch h e did no t oppress h is subjec ts, nor wa s h e gu iltyo f any o ther grea t crim es . His ru ling pas ion seem s to have

been a n unwa rran table pride, th a t led h im to look down on

all crea ted beings w ith suprem e con tempt a t th e sam e t im e,

h e n eglected to pay proper hom age a nd render th eir due

obla t io ns to the Devetas . In sho rt , in the skies he wo uld

a cknowledge n o superior on the earth . h e would allow o f

no equal ; and he boasted, that, by this unlim ited extent of

H INDOO GODS.

h is power, he could control even the infernal regionsu uul

precipita te h is enem ies to the abyss o f hell.'

I he Devatas.o r a t lea st their priests fo r them . were dreadfully incenseda t being deprived of their righ ts , the h o ney, the c larified

bu tter, the delicious frui ts . and oth er rich ofl'

erings , that

used to load their altars ; and , in consequence , th e former

applied to Visho c e , through the m ediat ion o f Brahm a . for

redress . As the princ ipa l crime la id to h is charge was the

defrauding of those Deva ta s , exac t retribu tion wa s reso lvedo n in hea ven , an d he was doomed to be deprived of h is crown .also , by a spec ies of h armless fraud . wh ich . it seem s, the

Ind ian deity did no t th ink i t benea th h im to practise on this

occas ion . Vishn oo , descend ing for th is purpo se, became

in ca rn a te in the h ouse o f a Bram in , venerable fo r years and

piety, a nd , assum ing th e contem pt ible form o f a dwa rf, ill

apparelled, and apparen tly des titu te of a ll human pos sess ions.

presen ted him self in a suppl ica t ing po sture before the arro

ga n t monarch jus t a t the period in wh ich he had been d is

playing h is a ccustom ed pomp a t a banquet o f u nbo u nded

m agn ificence bu t a t wh ich h e had aga in i nsulted hea ven byn o t of ering the usua l ti the to the m in isters o f the sovereign

de i ty who bestows a ll things . Ba lli . adm iring the s ingularityo f h is figure, and sm iling a t h is deform ity, but a t th e same

time compass io na ting h is d is tress , bade h im ask wha tsoever

he des ired. and h is reques t should be gran ted . Bam un , w ith

respectful difli dence, so licited o nly a sm a ll spo t o f ground.three paces in length , for the purpose o f erecting upo n it s

hu t sufficiently large to c on ta in h im self. h is books , h is um

brella . and the drink ing- cup and s ta fl

'

, wh ich the Bram ins

usual ly carry with them . Balli, a sto n ished a t the m odestyof

h is reques t. adv ised h im by no m ea ns to lim it h is dem and

w ith in such narrow bounds ; to ld him tha t a ll the kingdoms

of th e world were a t h is disposa l, and that he need not be

afra id o f in trud ing upon h is generos ity. even though he

should request ground suffic ien t fo r the erection of a large

palace . A Bram in , replied the artful deity . h as no

occa s ion for a splend id pa lace h is rea l wa n ts are few , and

by them his des ires should be regu lated . Only swea r that

yo u w ill gran t m e th is humble request , and my utm ost ambi

t ion is gra t ified .

” Balli. being about to confirm h is promise

to the m istrustful Bram in by the usua l cerem o ny of a n oath

in Hindoostan, the pouring out o f wa ter from a vessel upon

the h and o f the person to whom it is g iven . wa s inturrupted

by the planet Venus , a m ale deity in India, who wh ispered

h im . that the apparently-m iserable mendica n t before h im was

V ishnoo in d isguise , and exhorted h im to be caut iou s to what

h e pledged h is so lemn o a th . The h igh -m inded monarch.

however, d isda in ing to dev ia te from h is word, co nfirm ed his

prom ise w ith th e required o a th and , bidd ing h im stretch

forth his h and , poured ou t upon i t the sacred wave th a t rat ifi

ed it . As the wa ter, in a full s tream , descended upon his

extended hand , th e form o f Bamun gradually increased in

m agn itude, t ill i t became o f such enormous d im ens ions that

i t reached up to h eaven . Then , w ith one stride he meansured

th e vast globe of the ea rth ; w ith th e second , the ample ex

pa nse of heaven ; and , w ith the th ird, was go ing to compass

the regions o f Pa ta la when ll alli , conv inced t ha t i t was even

Vish noo h im self, fell prostra te and adorned h im yieldingh im up. w ithout a ny farther exertion , the free po sses s ion of

the th ird region of the un iverse . Vishnoo then to ok the

reins of government in to h is own hands and , as an order

of th ings, difl'

erent from what prevailed in the Sa tya,was to

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92

fu ria te and insane, he then to ta lly unconscious o f h isa c ts, fe ll upo n the very G o d s wh om he unde rto o k to

resc ue fro m Ha rinka ssa p’

s o ppress i o n . The im age i n the

a bo ve re f e rred to Pla te is in tended to show tha t to a o

a ble Siva to o ve rcom e Vish no o a nd render h im sa ne,

to ok u po n h im se lf a fo rm m o re m igh ty a nd pro d i

gio u s

th a n the o ne assumed by Vish no o when h e se nse a nd

ex tra c ted the venom o us b lo o d fro m h is system ,a nd

the re by a t o nce re s to red V ishn o o to h is usua l serene

s ta te o f m ind a nd sta t ion am o ng the gods.

(We h e re ex tra c t the w h o le tra n sa c t i on co nnec ted

w i th Vi shn o o’

s inca rna t io n in the fo rm o fMa n - Li o n ,fro m Mr. Ma urice

’

s a ncien t H isto ry o f Hindo os tan .

V o lum e 2d , Page i 5 . )'

1 h is passage is preceded , in Mr. Chamber’

s narra t ion ,by an a cco un t o f the G iant Hirina cheren , wh o , the reader

m ay reco llect , rolled up the earth in to a sh apeless m a ss . and

carried it o n h is shoulders down to Pa ta la , (h ell) ; c ircums ta nces th a t gave birth to the events o f the second Ava ta r,in wh ich Vishnoo , in th e form 4 a boar, is represen ted as

pursuing tha t m onster to h is retrea t, and bringing back the

earth upo n h is m igh ty tusks .

Acco rding to Mr. Ch ambers , th e younger bro ther o f tha t

gigan tic daemo n wa s Ha rinkassap, who succeeded h im i n h i s

k ingdom over the inferior wo rld . a nd refused to do hom age

t o Vishno o . He h ad a so n n am ed l’ra lh aud, who , a t a n earlyage , openly disapproved th is pa rt o f h is fa ther

'

s co nduct , beingu nder the tu itio n o fS okera ch a rj. His fa ther persecu ted h im

o n th is a ccou n t, ba n ished h im . a nd even sough t to kill h im ,

but w a s prevented by th e i n terpo s it ion o f heaven , wh ich ap

peared on th e s ide o f Pra lh aud . A t length . Hari nkas sapw a s so ftened, a nd recalled h is so n to h is co urt where, a s he

sa t in full a ssembly. he bega n aga in to argue w ith h im aga ins t

supremacy o f Vishnoo , bo a s ted th a t h e h im self was lord qfall the v is ible world , and a sked wha t Vishnoo co uld pretend to

m ore. Pra lh aud replied . tha t Vishnoo had no fixed abode,

but was presen t every where .

Is h e ,”sa id h is fa th er, in th at r tnns a ? Yes ,

returned Pra lhaud. Then let h im c ome fo rth , sa id Ha rin

lt assap ; and , ris ing from h is sea t , s truck the pillar with hisfoo t upon wh ich , Vishnoo , in th e form o f Na ra -Si ng . th a t i s

to say, w ith a body like a m an , but a head like a l i on 3 cam eo ut o f the pillar and to re Harin lta s sap i n pieces . Vi shno o

then fixed Pra lhaud o n h is fa ther’

s thro ne, a nd h ts re ign w as

a m ild a nd a v irtuous one , a nd , a s such , wa s a co ntra s t to tha t

o f h is fa th er. He left a son n am ed Nam achee , who inh eri ted

h is power and h is v irtues , a nd was the fa ther o f Ba lli, the

fo under o f the once m agn ificen t c ity o fMah aballipoo r.‘Thro ugh th e d isgu ise o f these fables ,Mr. Chambers jud ic io us lyobserves . we m ay discern som e imperfect reco rds o f grea t

events , a nd o frevolut io ns tha t h a ve h appened i n rem o te tim es ,a nd th ey perh aps merit o ur a tten t ion the

.

more, a s i t i s n o t

l ikelv th a t any records o f very a nc ien t Hi ndo o h is to ry ex i s t

but in this obscure and fa n ta s t ic dres s . Their poets seem t o

h a ve been th e ir only h isto ria n s . a s w ell a s d iv ines a nd wh a t

ever th ey rela te is wrapped up in th is burlesque'

grab,se t 06 .

by way o f o rnam ent , w ith c ircum s ta nces h ugely incred ible a n d

absurd and a ll th is w ith o ut a ny da te . a nd in no o th er o rder

o r m ethod th an such a s the poet’

s fa ncy sugges ted a nd fo und

m ost convenient . Nevertheless, by comparing names and

Asia tic Researches , vol. i . p. 1 58.

B IND00 GODS.

grand even ts recorded by them w ith those interspersed in theh is to ries o f o ther n a t io n s . a nd by calling in the as s is ta nce ofa nc ien t m o numen ts . co in s , a nd inscript io ns, as o ccas io n shallo ffer, som e probable co njec tures . a t leas t . i f n o t importantd iscoveries , m ay, i t h is hoped , be made o n these in teres tingobjects .

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Ofthe tru th o f these observations almos t every page ofth is h isto ry w ill afi

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o rd s triking exam ples , and grea t exert ionso f ca ndo urw ill therefore, [ fla t term y self, be made in fav or ofa n a uthor, who ha s so few ligh ts o f genu ine h is to rical deta ilto

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co nduct h im through the pa thless w ilderness of the a nc ientann als o f Ind ia . I w ill en dea vour, however, to be fa ithfulto such o rigina ls a s I m ay be able to obta in a nd , w here Icanno t hope to pro duce subjects o f instruct ion to th e reader,1 w ill endeavo ur to pro cure tho se that m ay en terta in h im . Intha t hope I presen t h im w ith the fo llowing m o re extensiveh is tory of th is Ava ta r. ex tra cted immedia tely byMr. Hslhedfrom the S iva Pa raun , pro m is ing two th ings ; firs t , tha t theMe tempsychos is is the ba s is o f al l their mytho logy . the grandagent tha t mo ves th e va s t m a ch ine and, secondly. th a t thetremendous aus terit ies , v o lun tarily undergone a nd long cont inned in by the Hindoos , a re s upposed to give the devo tee

power even o ver the elem e n ts o f n a ture , to arres t the o rbs ofh ea ven in the ir rapid career. to d isa rm Vishno o o f h is thunder,and a lmost ava il to annul the abso lute decrees o f fa te .

As we are no w o f necess ity som ewh a t immersed in thecon tes ts o f the go od a nd ev il gen i i, tha t is, th e good a nd evilspiri ts tha t ag ita te the m ind , varia ble a nd fl uc tu a t ing , ofhum a n be ings . n ow a rdent in v irtue a nd now fu rious i n gu ilt ;thos e dreadtul co n tes ts fo r the empire o f the ren o va ted w o rldwh ich d is turbed its peace in the infa ncy o f its dura t io n w h ich.in fa ct , fo rm the grea t bas is o f anc ien t m y tho lo gy a nd ofwh ich , wh ile the former a re d istingu ished by t he t it le o f goodand benevolen t , the son s of ligh t , the fa vored o f Jo ve , thela t ter are s t igm a t ized as gian ts an d Tita n s . the so ns o f darkness a nd ea rth : wh ile we a re engaged, I s ay, in th us cons idering their m utua l s truggles , i t m ay n o t be am iss to m ru

the reader aga inst en terta in ing suspic ions s o injurious to the

principles o f the t rue pa tria rch al devo t io n as m igh t lead h imto suppose these dread ful pena nces . unprescribed by the de ity,u nsa nctioned by revela t io n . h o s t ile to rea so n , and terrifyingto na ture . cons t itu ted a pa rt o f the prim it ive code . Pure andbenevo lent , like i ts a utho r, the prim it ive relig ion w as a n

s ta ined w ith s angu inary rites but . when the worsh ip ofde ified heroes w a s es t a blished , the public devo t io n s o on partook of the n a ture o f th e ir fero c ious cha ra c ter. 1 h e increa sing apprehen s io n s , w h ich , from a confined and superfi cialv iew o f Pro viden ce , m en bega n to en terta in o f the agency ofevil de mon s in the go vernmen t o f the world . graduallydeepened the gloom o f relig io us terror. E xpia t io ns and

pen ances o f t he m os t drea d ful kind were mult iplied wi th ou tend a nd w ithou t n umber, wh ile the de ity wa s seen arrayedo nly in the ens igns o f terror, and frown ing wi th an aspect ofvengeance .

Of the length , the n umber, and the severi ties , of their

pena nces . there i s a rem arlt a ble d isplay g iven , in the Poorauu

jus t c ited , in the ins ta nce o f Tarekee . the gia n t . the Indianterm for an o vergrown tyran t. on e of the m o s t powerful andm a lignan t of all the degraded spirits . indeed h is characterv ery m uch resembles tha t o f S a tan h im self ; a nd there are

circumstances in h is h isto ry that naturally lead us to suspect

Asia tic Researches, vol. 3. p. 1 66.

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