Wilson, Hh - Hindu Mythology And Tradition Vol 2

JAN g"

BL/f35 ,FSA3 1864

(

W

R K

JAN

30]S:,j

S

BT

THE LATE

HORACE IIAYMAN WILSON, M.A., F.R.S., MEMBER OF THE ROYAL

ASIATIC SOCIETY, OF

THE ASIATIC SOCIETIES OF

CALCCTTA AND PARIS, AND OF THE ORIENTAL SOCIETY OF GERMANY; FORBtGN MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FRANCE;

MEMBER OF THE IMPERIAL ACADEMIES OF

ST.

PETERSBURGH AND VIENNA,

AND OF THE ROYAL ACADEMIES OP MUNICH AND BERLIN; PH.D. BRESLAU

;

M. D.

AND BODEN PROFESSOR OF SANSKRIT

VOL.

MARBURG, ETC.; IN

THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD.

V'll.

LONDON: TRUBNER &

CO., 60,

PATERNOSTER ROW.

1865.

THE

.

VISHNU PURANA. A SYSTEM OF

HINDU MYTHOLOGY AND TRADITION. TRANSLATED

FROM THE ORIGINAL SANSKRIT, AND

ILLUSTRATED BY NOTES DERIVED CHIEFLY FROM OTHER PURAnaS, BY THE LATE

H. H.

WILSON,

BODEN PROFESSOR OF SANSKRIT

IN

M.A., F.R.S., THE UNIVEHSITY OF OXFORD,

ETC., ETC.

EDITED BY

FITZEDWARD HALL. VOL.

n.

LONDON: TRUBNER &

CO., 60,

PATERNOSTER ROW.

1865.

VISHNU PURANA. BOOK

(continued).

I.

CHAPTER

XV.

The world overrun with trees: they are destroyed by the PracheSoma pacifies them, and gives them Marisha to wife: tasas. lier

story:

of Kai'idu.

the daughter of the

nymph Pramlocha. Legend Daksha the son of the

Marisha's former history.

Prachetasas: his different characters: his sons: his daughters: theirmarriages and progeny allusion to Prahhida, his descendant. :

Whilst the Prachetasas were thus absorbed in their devotions, the trees spread, and overshadowed the unprotected earth and the people perished. The winds coukl not blow; the sky was shut out by the forests; and mankind was unable to labour for ten thousand years. When the sages, coming forth from the deep, ;

they were angry, and, being incensed, wind and flame issued from their mouths. The strong beheld

this,

wind tore up the trees by their roots, and left them sear and dry; and the fierce fire consumed them; and the forests were cleared away. When Soma (the moon), the sovereign of the vegetable world, beheld

all

except

a few of the trees destroyed, he went to the patriarchs,

the Prachetasas, and said: "Restrain your indignation, princes, and listen to me.

tween you and the II.

trees.

I will

form an

alliance be-

Prescient of futurity, I have 1

VISHNU PURANA. nourished, with

my

rays,

this precious

maiden, the

and is, She shall be your bride, and the multiplier of the race of Dhruva. From a portion of your lustre and a portion of mine, mighty sages, the patriarch Daksha shall be born of her, who, endowed with a part of me, and composed of your vigour, shall be as resplendent as fire, and daughter of the woods.

She

is

called Marisha,

assuredly, the offspring of the trees.

shall multiply the

human

race.

"There was formerly (said Soma) a sage named Kahdu, eminent in holy wisdom, who practised pious austerities on the lovely borders of the Gomati river. The king of the gods sent the nymph Pramlocha to disturb his penance;

and the sweet -smiling damsel

diverted the sage from his devotions.

They

lived

Mandara, for a hundred and fifty years, during which the mind of the Muni was wholly given up to enjoyment. At the expiration of together, in the valley of

nymph

requested his permission to return to heaven; but the Muni, still fondly attached to her, prevailed upon her to remain for some time longer; and the graceful damsel continued to reside

this period, the

for another

hundred years, and delight the great sage

by her fascinations. Then again she preferred her

suit

to be allowed to return to the abodes of the gods; and again the Muni desired her to remain. At the expiration of

more than a century, the nymph once more

said to him, with a smiling countenance:

'Brahman,

I

depart.' 13ut the Muni, detaining the fine-eyed damsel,

replied: 'Nay, stay yet a

little;

you

will

go hence for

Afraid of incurring an imprecation, the graceful nymph continued with the sage for nearly

a long period.'

BOOK

two

I.,

CHAP. XV.

more, repeatedly asking his per-

liLindred years

mission to go to the region of the king of the gods,

but as often desired, by him, to remain.

be cursed by

liim,

and excelUng

Dreading to manners,

in amiable

is inflicted by separafrom an object of affection, she did not quit the Muni, whose mind, wholly subdued by love, became,

well knowing, also, the pain that tion

every day, more strongly attached to her.

"On one

occasion the sage was going forth from

The nymph asked him where he was going. 'The day\ he replied, 'is drawing fast to a close. I must ]:>erform the Sandhya wor-

their cottage in a great hurry.

The nymph smiled 'Why do you talk, grave close? Your day is a day

ship; or a duty will be neglected.'

mirthfully, as she rejoined:

of this day drawing to a

sir,

of

many

years,

Explain what

—a

day that must be a marvel to

this means.'

The Muni

all.

said: 'Fair damsel,

you came to tlie river-side at dawn. I beheld you then; and you then entered my hermitage. It is now the revolution of evening; and the day is gone. What is Tell me the truth.' the meaning of this lauohter? Pramlocha answered: 'You say rightly, venerable Brahman, that I came hither at morning dawn. But several hundred years have passed since the time of

my

This is the truth.' The Mimi, on hearing was seized with astonishment, and asked her how long he had enjoyed her society. To which the nymph replied, that they had lived together nine hundred and seven years, six months, and three days. The Muni asked her if she spoke the truth, or if she was in jest; for it appeared to him that they had spent but one day together. To which Pramlocha replied, that she arrival.

this,

1*

VISHNU PUR AN A. should not dare, at any time, to

tell

him who Hved in when inform him what

the path of piety an untruth, but, particularly,

she had been enjoined, by him, to

had passed.

"When

the Muni, princes, had heard these words,

and knew that

it

was the

truth,

he began to reproach fie upon me! My

himself bitterly, exclaiming: 'Fie,

penance has been interrupted; the treasure of the learned and the pious has been stolen from me;

my

judgment has been blinded. This woman has been created, by some one, to beguile me. Brahma is beyond the reach of those agitated by the waves of infirmity.^ I had subdued my passions, and was about to attain divine knowledge. This was foreseen by him by w^hom this girl has

been sent hither. Fie on the passion that

has obstructed

my

devotions!

All the austerities that

would have led to acquisition of the wisdom of the Vedas have been rendered of no avail by passion that is

the road to

The pious sage, having thus renymph, who was sitting

hell.'

viled himself, turned to the nigh,

and said

wilt.

Thou

the

to her

:

'

Go, deceitful

girl,

whither thou

hast performed the office assigned thee

monarch of the gods,

by

— of disturbing my penance

by thy fascinations. I will not reduce thee to ashes by the fire of my wrath. Seven paces together is sufficient for the friendship of the virtuous:

I

have dwelt together.* And, ^

in truth,

but thou and

what

fault hast

Or, 'immersed in the six Urmis' (^f^'^^)? explained hunger, sorrow, stupefaction, decay, and death.

thirst,

BOOK

CHAP. XV.

r.,

5

committed? Why should I be wroth with tliee? is wholly mine; in that I could not suhdue my passions. Yet fie upon thee, who, to gain favour with tliou

The

sin

my

Indra, hast disturbed

devotions,

—

vile

bundle of

delusion!'

"Thus spoken to by the Muni, Pramlocha stood trembling, whilst big drops of perspiration started from every pore; till he angrily cried to her: 'Depart, begone.' She then, reproached by him, went forth from his dwelling, and, passing through the air, wiped the perspiration from her person with the leaves of the trees. The nymph went from tree to tree, and, as, with the dusky shoots that crowned their summits, she dried her limbs, which were covered with moisture, the child she had conceived by the Rishi came forth from the pores of her skin, in drops of perspiration.

The

trees received the living dews;

and the winds them into one mass. This", said Soma, "I matured by my rays; and gradually it increased in size, till the exhalation that had rested on the tree-tops became the lovely girl named Marisha. The trees will give her to you, Prachetasas. Let your indignation be appeased. She is the progeny of Kandu, the child of collected

Pramlocha, the nursling of the trees, the daughter of the wind and the moon. The holy Kandu, after the interruption of his pious exercises, went, princes,* to the region of Vishnu,

* its

The

by the translator; and, for have seen give ^TtRTI, an adthe singular number, and belonging to Kaiidu.

v?ord

"princes"

is

here supplied

epithet, "excellent", all the

jective in

excellent

termed Purushottama,

MSS.

I

:

:

VISHNU PURANA. where, Maitreya/ with his whole mind, he devoted himwith np-

self to the adoration of Hari; standing fixed,

arms, and repeating the prayers that comprehend

lifted

^

the essence of divine truth."

There

'

some confusion, here,

is

in regard to the person ad-

dressed: but the context shows that the insertion of Maitreya's

name

is

an inadvertence

,

and that the passage

is

a continuation

of Soma's speech to the Prachetasas.

The phrase

2

further

^^qiT'T^ ^

is

WTfi,

*"-

boundary of Brahma'; implying

I

'made up of

either

the

'comprehending

Supreme or Brahma, and transcendental wisdom, Para'; or Vedas or

the

'consisting of the furthest limits (Para) or truths of the

Brahma'; The hymn

being the essence of the Vedanta philosophy.

that is,

commencing with the

reiteration of the

xrrt

be attained by crossing a river or sea,

world or existence.

or, figuratively, the

as:

and Para, 'the further bank or

infinite';

limit', the point that is to

Vishnu, then,

is

Param,

which nothing surpasses; and Param, the end or object of

that

existence: he

is

Aparaparal:', the furthest

illimitable, or space

beyond the is

and time: he

highest, being

is

is

that

beyond or superior

is

He

is

Parah

,

or knowledge

or chief,

which are beyond the senses: and he

or the boundary of boundaries

I

is

or

spiritual

said to imply the further limit (Para)

of rudimental matter (Para).

Tho MSS. which

which

to all the elements

final truth,

Brahmaparah, the object or essence of

wisdom. Paraparabhiitab of those objects

bound of

Param parebhyah, above

Paramartharupi, or identical with

of soul: he

*

word Para and Para;

^ f^^T^T^TT

Para means 'supreme,

he

mantra or mystical prayer,

that follows is, in fact, a

;

that

is

,

he

is

is

Paranam, Paraparah,

the comprehensive

have examined exhibit, without exception, Tf^:

BOOK

The

I.,

"We

Pi-aclietasas said:

Kandu

are desirous to hear the

of

all

is

boundless; he

is

which

reciting

On which Soma

propitiated Kesava."

repeated as follows: '"Vishnu things; he

7

by inaudibly

transcendental prayers the pious

CHAP. XV.

beyond the boundary is beyond that which

the infinite; he

is

above

is

as finite truth; he

is

all

that

is

above; he exists

the object of the Veda; the limit

of elemental being; unappreciable

He

sessed of illimitable might.

by the senses; pos-

is

the cause of cause;

the cause of the cause of cause; the

cause of

finite

cause; and, in effects, he, both as every object and agent, preserves the universe.

Brahma

beings;

all

the imperishable.

Brahma

He

is

He

is

Brahma the

the progenitor of

all

lord;

beings;

the undecaying, eternal, un-

born Brahma, incapable of increase or diminution. Purushottama

is

the everlasting, uncreated, immutable,

Brahma. May the imperfections of

my nature be anni-

Reciting this eulogium,

hilated (through his favour).'

the essence of divine truth, and propitiating Kesava,

Kandu obtained

"Who

final

emancipation.*

Marisha was of

old, I will also relate to

you;

as the recital of her meritorious acts will be beneficial to you.

She was the widow of a prince, and

less at her husband's death.

left child-

She, therefore, zealously

worshipped Vishnu; who, being gratified by her adoration,

appeared to her, and desired her to demand a

investure of, and exterior to fined;

sage

he

is

may be

free

from

all

,

those limits by wliich soul

incumbrance or impediment.

interpreted in different

genuity with which the riddle

Siddhi, in the original.

is

ways, according

read.

is

con-

The

pas-

to

the in-

VISHNU rURANA.

8

boon on which she revealed to him the wishes of her heart. 'I have been a widow, lord', she exclaimed, 'even from my infancy; and my birth has been in vain. Unfortunate have I been, and of little use, sovereign of the world. Now, therefore, I pray thee, that, in suc:

may have honourable husbands, and May I be possessed of affluence and beauty; may I be pleasing in the sight of all and may I be born out of the ordinary course. Grant these prayers, thou who art ceeding births,

I

a son equal to a patriarch (amongst men).

;

propitious to the devout.'* Hrishikesa, the god of gods,

the supreme giver of

all

blessings, thus

prayed

to,

raised her from her prostrate attitude, and said: "In

you

have ten husbands of mighty acts. And you shall have a son, magnanimous and valiant, distinguished by the rank of a patriarch, f from whom the various races of men shall multiply, and by whose

another

life

shall

prowess, and renowned for glorious

posterity the universe shall be

filled.

You, virtuous you shall be

lady, shall be of marvellous birth ;t and

endowed with grace and loveliness, delighting the Thus having spoken, the deity disap-

hearts of men.'

peared; and the princess was, accordingly, afterwards

born as Marisha, who '

is

This part of the legend

given to you for a wife."^ is

peculiar to our text;

and the

Marisha was, thus, promised a son "endowed with the attributes of a patriarch." X

Ayonija.

BOOK

9

CHAP, XV.

I.,

concluded, the Prachetasas took Ma-

Soma having

had enjoined them, righteously to

risha, as he

wife,

and

relinquishing their indignation against the trees;

upon her they begot the eminent patriarch Daksha, who liad (in a former life) been born as the son of Brahma.^ whole story of Marisha's

The penance in

the

is

nowhere its

else so fully detailed.

consequences, are related

Bhagavata, Matsya, Padma, Vayu, and Brahma

Agni,

Purcirias;

birth

of the Prachetasas, and

and allusion

is

briefly

made

to Marisha's birth.

Kandu and Pramlocha is narrated Brahma Purtina, where the austerities

oriain from in the

necessity for their interruption that

authority,

was

,

Her

in

a different place

of

Kandu, and the The story from

are described.

,

translated by the late Professor Chezy, and

number of the Journal Asiatique. Daksha, and his share in the peopling similar of the earth, is narrated in most of the Puranas in a manner. It is, perhaps, the original legend; for Daksha seems

is

published in the •

The second

first

birth of

an irregular adjunct to the Prajapatis or mind-born sons of Brahma (see Vol. I., p. 100, note 2); and the allegorical nature to be

of his posterity in that character (Vol. recent origin.

Nor does

I.,

p. 109)

intimates a

more

that series of descendants apparently

occur in the Mahabharata; although the existence of two Dakshas is

especially

remarked there (Moksha Dharma):

In the Adi Parvan, which seems to be the freest from subsequent improvements, the Daksha noticed is the son of the Prachetasas.

The

incompatibility of the

two accounts

is

reconciled

hy

referring

Manwantaras; the Daksha who proceeded from Brahma as a Prajapati being born in the first, or Swayambhuva, and the son of the Prachetasas, in the Chakshu-

the two

sha,

Dakshas

to different

Manwantara. The

latter,

pada, should belong to the

however, as descended from Uttana-

first

period also.

It is

confusion has been made, by the Puranas,

Mahabharata, Sdnti-parvan, 7573.

in

evident that great

Daksha's history.

10

VISHNU PUKANA.

This great sage, for the furtherance of creation, and the increase of mankind, created progeny.

Obeying Brahma, he made movable and immovable things," bipeds and quadrupeds, f and, subsequently, by his will, gave birth to females, ten of whom he bestowed on Dharma, thirteen on Kasyapa, and twenty-seven, who regulate the course of time, on

the

command

of

Of

the Moon.^

these, the gods, the Titans, t the snake-

gods, cattle, and birds, the singers and dancers of the courts of heaven, the spirits of evil, § and other beings, were born. From that period forwards, living creatures were engendered by sexual intercourse. Before the time of Daksha, they were variously propagated, by the will, by sight, by touch, and by the influence of religious austerities practised by devout sages and holy

—

saints.

II

—

Maitreya. Daksha, as I have formerly heard, was born from the right thumb of Brahma. Tell me, great Muni, how he was regenerate as the son of the PraConsiderable perplexity also arises in

chetasas.

how

my

who, as the son of Marisha, was the grandson of Soma, could be also his father-in-law. Birth and death are constant in all Paras ARA. creatures. Rishis and sages, possessing divine vision,

mind,

he,

—

That

*

is,

they are the Nakshatras or lunar asterisms.

The Sanskrit has avara and vara, "inferior" and "superior"; and

these epithets, not being given in the neuter, but in the masculine, refer to

putra, Professor Wilson's "progeny". t See Orujinal Sanskrit Texts, Part I., pp. 26 and 27. +

§ li

Daitya.

Ddnava. See Original Sanskrit Texts, Part

I.,

p. 27.

:

BOOK not [)ei'plexed by

are

CHAT. XV.

I.,

Dakslui and the other

this.

enunent Munis are present

11

in

every age, and,

die

in

Of this the wise Amongst them of okl there

interval of destruction, cease to be.^

man

entertains no doubt.

'They are removed' (f'T'^"^^), "wliich the commentator ^^ip^cf^"^^ 'are absorbed, as if they were fast in asleep.' But, in every age or Yuga, according to the text, every Manwantara, according to the comment theRishis reappear; '

explains by

|

—

—

the circumstances

of their origin

remarked

therefore, as

only being varied.

So Soma,

one period, the son of the Prachetasas, in another.

in

Daksha,

son of Brahma,

in the preceding note, is the

in the

Swayambhuva Manwantara, was born

in the

Chakshusha, he was produced by churning the ocean.

words of our

text occur in the

Hari

Vaifisa, *

as the son of Atri;

The

with an unimportant

variation

'Birth and obstruction are constant in all beings. But Rishis, and

men who

those

are wise, are not perplexed by this'

as rendered above,

by the alternation of

life

;

that

is,

not,

and death, but, ac-

cording to the commentator on the Hari Vaihsa, by a very difierent matter, the prohibition of unlawful marriages.

of progeny', the

is

is

the result of their will; Nirodha,

Utpatti, 'birth

'obstruction',

law prohibiting the intermarriage of persons connected by funeral cake: f?!'^^ f^<5I??^f^'^T^^'%f^ which Rishis and sages are not subject, either from

the offering of- the

fsnT^r: their

I

matrimonial unions being merely Platonic, or from the bad

example his

own

mystery 104,

p.

the

to

set

by Brahma, who, according

daughter: -R^TTTfTl^'

we have

note

2).

already had occasion to

The explanation

commentator appears forced

pretation preferred above.

*

Stanza 111.

to the

Vedas, approached

^^ff rlT'T^^T^Tf^fn

,

advert to

^f^T:

I

a

(Vol. L,

of the text, however, given by

and

less natural than the inter-

:

VISHNU

12

I'L'RANA.

was neither senior nor junior. Rigorous penance and acquired power were the sole causes of any difference of degree amongst these more than human beings.* Maitreya. Narrate to me, venerable Brahman, at length, the birth of the gods. Titans, f Gandharvas, serpents, and goblins, t Parasaea. In what manner Daksha created living creatures, as commanded by Brahma, you shall hear.

—

—

In the

first

place, he willed into existence the deities,

the Rishis, the quiristers of heaven, § the Titans,

||

and

Finding that his will-born progeny

the snake -gods.

did not multiply themselves, he determined, in order to secure their increase, to establish sexual intercourse

as the

means of

multiplication.

For

this

purpose he

espoused Asiknf, the daughter of the patriarch

Viraiia,^

a damsel addicted to devout practices, the eminent

This

'

is

the usual account of Daksha's marriage, and

of the Maliabharata, raiia,

Adi Parvan

which the Hari Vamsa,

portion, the Pushkara

(p.

113),

in the first part, repeats.

Mahatmya, however, Daksha,

converts half himself into

a

female, by

whom

it is

fl^

^"O^'S ^f5THT^"t^ ^KW'l

X

§ II

Bakahas.

Gandharva. Asura.

"Texts,

Part

I.,

p. 27.

said,

he begets the

This seems to be merely a new edition of an old story.

fTXT

(hat

In another

daughters presently to be noticed

See Original Sanskrit f Ddnava.

is

and of the Brahma Pu-

II

:

BOOK

I.,

13

CHAP. XV.

By her the great father of mighty sons, through thousand five begot mankind whom he expected the workl shouki be peopled. Nti-

supportress of the world.

them desirous

rada, the divine Rishi, observing

to

multiply posterity, approached them, and addressed in a friendly tone: "Illustrious

them

evident that your intention

Haryaswas,

to beget posterity.

it

is

But

—

why should you, who, like fools, not the middle, the height, and depth of the

consider this

first

is

know

world,' propagate offspring?

When your

intellect is

no more obstructed by interval, height, or depth, then how, fools, shall ye not all behold the term of the universe?"* Having heard the w^ords of Narada, the sons

'

^^^'tT"'^'^'?^"^

I

The

comnientatoi- explains

it

to

mean

the oriiiin, duration, and termination of subtile rudimental body;

but the

Padma and Linga

extent of the earth

t^jft

^^"^

^Tf^T

*fTTt vr^rTi

^r! "^^

^^^::^1T'^%^

The

larger

Puraiias distinctly express

^^mTf^5?l ^^t

'the

II

% ^T^T ^T^ff % ^^ ^^^ % TT^T:

commentary remarks

stanzas: -^TT^irT

it,

'

as follows,

^(?n^T^ ^T^TT^^t

on I

I

II

the last two of these

rfTq^TWTf^TfTWt

VISHNU PURANA.

14

of Dakslia dispersed themselves through the regions,

and, to the present day, have not returned; as rivers (that lose themselves) in the ocean

(come back no

more).

The Haryaswas having disappeared, the patriarch Daksha begot, by the daughter of Vh-aha, a thousand other sons. They, who were named Sabalaswas, were desirous of engendering posterity, but were dissuaded, by Narada, in a similar manner. They said to one another: ''What the Muni has observed is perfectly just. We must follow the jmth that our brothers have travelled; and,

when we have ascertained the extent we will nudtiply our race." Accord-

of the universe,

ingly, they scattered themselves through the regions;

and, like rivers (flowing) into the sea, they returned not again. ^ Henceforth brother seeking for brother dis-

'

first

and the

Naraila's interference,

progeny of Daksha,

(Adi Piirvan

p. 113)

is

fruitless

an old legend.

generation of the

The Mahabharata

notices only one set of sons,

who,

it is

said,

Moksha or liberation through Nareda"s teaching them The Brahma, Matsya, Vayu Linga, the Sankhya philosophy. Padma, Agni, and Bhagavata Puranas tell the story much as in obtained

,

the text, and, not unfrequently

,

in the

same words.

In general,

they merely refer to the imprecation denounced upon Narada, as above. The Bhagavata specifics the imprecation to be perpetual peripateticism.

Daksha says

place for thee in

all

to

him: 'There shall not be a resting-

these regions:'

a

BOOK

15

CHAP. XV.

I.,

appears, throiigli ignorance of the products of the

*

Bhdgavata-'purdna, VI., 5, 43.

ffood

The account

specimen of the Blidgavata-purdim

the chapter here referred to, "(,"uka dit:

is

— which

first

of Narada's curse,—

takes

up the whole of

thus rendered by Burnouf:

Le puissant Pradjapati, dunt la Maya dc Vichnu augnientait femme, fille de I'antchadjana, dix niille fds, nonmn's

les forces, eut de sa les Tlarya^vas.

"Ces les

fils

nienies

de Dakcha,

qui etaient tons uuis par les nicmes devoirs et

par leur pere

vertus, invites

a

du cote de I'occident. "La, au confluent du Sindhu et de Tocean,

se

livrer a la creation des

etres, se retirerent

est Ic vaste

etang de Na-

rayanasaras, qui est frequonte par les solitaires et par les Siddhas.

"Ces jeunes gens, en qui

seul contact de ces eaux avait efface les

le

souillures contractees par leur canir,

et

dont rintelligeuce

etait exercee

aux devoirs de Tascetisme le plus eleve, "Se livrerent, conformement aux ordres de leur pere, a de rudes mortifications; le llichi des Devas les vit, pendant qu'ils faisaient tons leurs efforts pour multiplier les creatures.

"Et sans

il

leur dit:

6

Ilarya^vas,

comment pourrez-vous

avoir vu les bornes de la terre?

Certes,

ereer les otres,

quoique vous soyez

les

souverains [du monde], vous etes des insenses.

"Vous ne

connaissez ui

le

royaume ou

caverne dont on ne voit pas Tissue,

ni la

il

n'y a qu'un

homme,

femme aux nombreuses

iii

la

formes,

I'homme qui est le mari de la courtisane, "Ni le fleuve dont les eaux coulent dans deux directions opposees, ni la merveilleuse demeure des vingt-cinq, ni le cygne au beau langage,

ni

ni

la

roue tonrnant d'elle-meme, comi)osee de foudres et de lames tran-

chantes.

"Comment

done, ignorant les ordres de votre sage pere, pourrez-vous

accomplir une creation convenable?

"Ayant entendu

ces paroles,

les ITarya^vas,

dont Fesprit

etait

done

d'une penetration naturelle, se mirent a reflechir tout seuls sur le langage enigmatique du llichi des Dieux. "La terre, c'est Tame, que Ton nomme la \ie, qui n'a pas de com-

mencement, qui est'le lien de I'homme: quel besoin a-t-ou impuissantes, quand on n'en a pas vu raneantissement?

"L'homme unique

est

le

d'a-uvres

Seigneur supreme, qui est Bhagavat, cet

Etre souverain, qui repose sur lui-meme et [embrasse tous les etres sous] sa qnatrieme forme: quel besoin a-t-on d'd-uvres impuissantes, quand on n'a pas vu que TEsprit est incree?

16

VISHNU pun ANA.

Daksha the

principle of things.

The Kurmti Narada

repeats the imprecation, merely to the eifect that

and gives no legend.

shall perish,

"La caverne dont I'homme ne fois

entre

patriarch, on finding

dans

est interieur: quel besoin

Brahma Vaiuue

revient pas plus que celui qui est

TAbime,

des regions de

ciel

le

In the

TEtre dont

c'est

I'eclat

a d'a>uvres inipuissantes celui qui ue le counait

monde? "La femme aux nombreuses

pas en ce

comme

quelle,

courtisane,

la

formes, c'est Tintelligence de I'esprit, la-

prend

divers

caracteres:

quel

a

l)esoin

d'ceuvres inipuissantes celui qui u'en a pas yu le terme?

"Semblable au mari d'une epouse coupable, avec I'intelligence, perd

la

souverainete

et

I'esprit,

roule

dans

par son union le

cercle de la

transmigration: quel besoin a d'anivres inipuissantes celui qui ne connait

pas ses voies?

"Le

ileuve, c'est I'lllusion, qui produit a la fois la creation et la des-

truction,

et

inipuissantes

qui

s'agite

rhomme

"L'esprit est

le

au bord de sa rive: quel besoin

a-t-il

d'onivres

enivre qui ne la reconnait pas?

merveilleux miroir des vingt-cinq principes: quel besoin

monde ne connait pas

a d'ceuvres impuissautes celui qui en ce

I'Esprit

supreme?

"Quand on

a renonce a la doctrine qui fait obtenir le Seigneur,

enseigne la delivrance de tous les liens, et qu'on ignore les paroles sont pures, quel besoin a-t-on

"La

qui

dont

d'a?uvres inipuissantes?

roue qui tourne, c'est celle du Temps, roue tranchante qui enleve

tout dans ce

la science

I'univers:

quel besoin a d'a'uvres inipuissantes celui qui en

monde n'en reconnait pas I'independance? "Le pere, c'est la science: comment I'liomme

qui ne connait pas ses

ordres touchant I'inaction, pourrait-il, avec la confiance qu'il accorde

aux marcher selon ses enseignements ? "Les llaryacvas unanimes dans leurs pensees etant arrives a cette conviction, tournerent autour de Narada avec respect, et entrerent dans la voie d'oii Ton ne revient plus.

qualites,

"Et

le

solitaire

qui tient sa pensee

des pieds de Ilfichikc^'a

que manifeste

indissolublement unie au lotus le

Veda,

se

mit de nouveau

a

parcourir le monde.

"En

apprenant que Narada

brillaient

par

donne

jour

le

la

vertu,

a des

etait

la

cause de la perte de ses

Dakcha penetre de douleur

se

iils

qui

lamenta d'avoir

enfants vertueux qui sont souvent une source de

regrets.

"Mais console par Adja, Dakcha eut encore de des uiilliers de

tils

nommes

les (^abala9vas.

la fille de

Pautchadjana

:

BOOK

17

CHAP. XV.

I.,

all these his sons had vanished, was incensed, and denounced an imprecation upon Narada.

that

Narada

varta,

become

cursed by Brahma, on a similar occasion, to

is

whence

the chief of the Gandharvas;

his musical pro-

" Charges aussi par leur pere d'accoinplir la creation des etres, ces houimes, fermes dans leurs desseins, se rendirent a I'etaug de Narayaiia, leurs freres aines etaieiit parvenus a la perfection.

oil

par

"Purifies,

Brahma,

"Ne

s'y

ils

co'urs;

a voix

repetant

basse

le

nom supreme

d'autres que d'air,

pendant

que d'eau

mois,

quelques

et

pendant

houorerent Idaspati (Vichnu) en recitant ce Mantra

ils

Adressons notre adoration a Narayaiia, qui est Purucha

'"Om!

de

livrerent a de grandes austerites.

nourrissant

se

de ses eaux, des souillures qu'avaient

seul contact

le

contractees leurs

grande ame, qui est

le

la

sejour de la pure qualite de la Bonte, qui est le

grand Brahma'.

"Narada voyant que

ces

sages pensaient

a reprendre

comme

creation, se rendit aupres d'eux et leur tint,

I'ffiuvre

de la

a leurs freres,

un

langage enigmatique. "Fils de Dakcha, leur suivez, Yous

qui

dit-il,

ecoutez les conseils que je vous donne;

avez de Taifection pour vos freres, la voie ou

ils

out

marche. "

Le frere qui connaissant la loi, suit la route que lui ont tracee ses freres, un ami de la vertu qui obtient de jouir du bonheur avec les Maruts. "Ayant ainsi parle, Narada dent le regard est infaillible se retira; et

est

les fils

de Dakcha, 6 roi respecte, entrereut dans la voie qu'avaient suivie

leurs freres.

"Marchant, qui ramenant

comme leurs aines, Thomme an dedans

d'une mauiere reguliere dans la voie de lui,

"En que

la

ce

temps-la

le

Pradjapati voyant de

mort de ses enfants

comme

etait,

conduit a I'Etre supreme,

le

ne revinrent pas plus que ue reviendront

ils

les nuits deja ecoulees.

nombreux prodiges, apprit

celle de leurs

Tceuvre

aines,

de Narada.

"Desole de et la levre

"Dakcha

la perte

de ses enfants,

tremblante de colere, dit:

fait

[de la vie]

et

leur bonheur pour ce

se mit en fureur centre Narada,

exterieur qui est celui des gens

du mal en enseignant a mes

des ascetes qui mendieiit. " [En leur donnant ce conseil]

II.

il

parla ainsi au Richi.

Ah! mechant, avec ton

de bien, tu m'as

dettes

il

qu'ils

monde

avant

qu'ils

fils

vertueux

eussent acquitte

eussent accompli des ceuvres, et

pour

la voie

les trois

tu as detruit

I'autre.

2

18

VISHNU PURANA.

Then, Maitreya, the wise patriarch,

But the Bliagavata.

pensities.

legend, and makes him, the son of Vaiiisa.

VI., 7, has

Vj'iyu Purfina,

have a

and, after

to

it,

the Hari

and not verv

different,

Daksha, being about

telligihle, story.

the reverse of this

a Gandharva, then a Sudra, then

The Brahma Furana,

Brahma.

and the

first,

handed

is

it

in-

pronounce an impreca-

upon Niirada, was appeased by Brahma and the Rishis; and was agreed, between them, tliat Narada should be again born, the son of Kasyapa, by one of Daksha's daughters. This

tion it

as

seems

The

to be the gist of the legend

version of the

the Hari

Brahma

:

Purai'ia,

but

very confusedly

it is

which

is

the

same

told.

as that of

Vamsa,* may be thus rendered: "The smooth-speaking

"Et cependant, homme sans des enfants,

toi qui te plais

pitie,

a troubler I'esprit

montres avec impudence an milieu des serviteurs de

te

tii

Hari dont tu detruis la gloire.

"Certes

lis

eprouvent

line

Bhagavat,

les serviteurs de

constante sollicitude pour tons les excepte,

toi

etres,

de la bienveillance,

toi reiineuii

qui fais du mal a ceux qui ne t'en veulent pas

"Non, quoique tu penses de tes conseils, 6 toi qui n'as

duirout jamais les "II ne salt rien,

des objets; mais

la

quietude qui tranche

le lien

de Taffection,

que I'apparence trompeuse du sage, ue con-

hommes au detachement. Thomme qui n'a pas eprouve Timpression

une

fois

monde, bien mieux que

qu'il la ressentie,

celui

il

se degoute

dont des etres superieurs

cuisaute

Ini-meme du

rompent

les

desseins.

"Quoique

tu

nous

voues aux ceuvres

aies

et qui

fait

uu

mal intolerable, a nous qui sommes

vivons en

uiaitres de

maison vertueux, nous

savons supporter ta mauvaise action.

"Mais parce qu'en interrompant a deux reprises, a cause de cela,

ma

descendance tu m'as

6 insense, je te

fait

condamne

du mal

a errer a

travers les mondes, saus pouvoir t'arreter nulle part. "(,'uka dit:

bien;

Ainsi

soit-il,

car le langage de

repondit Narada qui est estime des gens de

Dakcha

etait si sage, qu' I(;vara

lui-meme

Teiit

endure," *

The account

there given

— 122-129 —

is,

as edited, iu these words:

BOOK

down

I.,

19

CHAP. XV.

to us, being anxious to people the w^orld, created

Narada addressed the sons of Dakslia for their destruction and his own: for the Muni Kasyapa begot him as a son, who was the son of Brahma, on the daughter of Dakslia, througli fear of He was formerly the son of Paramethe hitter's imprecation. shthin (Brahma): and the excellent sage Kasyapa next begot him, ,

if he were his father, on Asikni, the daughter of Viraiia. Whilst he was engaged in beguiling the sons of the patriarch, Daksha, of resistless power, determined on his destruction. But he was

as

by Brahma, in the presence of the great sages; and it was agreed, between them, that Narada, the son of Brahma, should be born of a daughter of Daksha. Consequently, Daksha and, by her, w^as Narada gave his daughter to Paramesht'hin solicited,

;

born."

Now,

several difficulties occur here.

not the daughter, of Daksha. compiler;

for, in the parallel

But

this

Asikni

may be

is

the wife,

a blunder of the

passage of the Vayu, no

name

For, as we

occurs.

In the next place,

who

the progeny of

Daksha's daughters are fully detailed; and

all

or as

daughter, not to

daughter?

in

is

commentator on the Hari Vamsa solves

^^ t iff

rffr

this

by saying he gives

^^TT^^r^'^f^:

^t ^ ff w^r^wt ^T^: -^T^f^^T

^^JTRTT cnfr

shall see,

Narada mentioned as the son of either the son of Kasyapa. Daksha, too, gives his Kasyapa, but to Parameshthin or Brahma. The

no authority consulted of them,

this

is

^TT^T

^:

^fit

^

I

II

<^^ 5"^ ^f^fj -RT^Tf^^ % xrr^f^^

II

i

:

20

:

VISHNU PUR AN A.

sixty daughters of the

daughter of Viraiia;^ ten of he gave to Dharma, thirteen to Kasyapa, and

whom

The same bargain is noticed in Vayu; but Narada is also said, there, to be adopted by Kasyapa: ^ f^l?; ^r^tr^f?T Iff^TT: Again, however, it gives Daksha's imprecation in the same vv^ords as the Hari Variisa a passage, by the way, omitted in the Brahma her to Brahnui, for Kasyapa. the

|

;

'Narada, perish in the is,

womb.'

(in

your present form); and take up your abode

Whatever may be the

evidently, imperfectly given

French translation of the passage be admitted as correct.

not

'le

I'aieul

de

is

original of this legend

by the authorities here in the

,

it

The

Hari Variisa f can scarcely

Assuredly

Devarchi Dakcha, epoux d'Asikni, cet illustre

cited.

Mouni,

fille

de Virana, fut

ainsi regenere.'+

%'^f'^^TT^I is, more consistently, said, by the commentator, to mean Kasyapa.

The Vayu

Puraria, in another part,

orders of Rishis,

— states

—a

description of the different

that the Devarshis Parvata

and Narada

were sons of Kasyapa In the account of Kiirtavirya, in the Variisa,

Narada

is

Brahma Purana and Hari

introduced as a Gandharva

,

the son of Vari-

dasa; being the same, according to the commentator on the latter,

Gandharva elsewhere called Upabarharia. The prior specification (p. 10) was fifty. The Mahabharata, (Adi Parvan, 113, aud, again, Moksha Dharma), has the same number. The Bhagavata, Kurma, Padnia, Linga, and Vayu Purarias state sixty. The former is, perhaps, the original; as as the '

the fullest and most consistent details relate to them and their posterity.

* Harivamsa, 140. t Stanza 125.

+

M. Lauglois's Translation, Vol.

I.,

p.

13.

BOOK

21

CHAP. XV.

I.,

twenty- seven to Soma, four to Arishtanenu, two to Bahuputra, two to Angiras, and two to Krisaswa.* I Arundbati, Vasu, Yami,f will tell you their names. Lamba, Bhanu, Marutwati, Sankalpa, Muburta, Sadbya,

and Viswa were tbe ten wives of Dbarma,^ and bore him the following progeny. The sons of Viswa were

The Bhagavatat the usual list of Dharma's wives. Kakubh for Arundhati. The Padma Puraria, Matsya Puraiia, andHariVamsa contain two different accounts ofDaksha's descendants. The first agrees with our text: the second, which is supposed to occur in the Padma Kalpa, is somewhat varied, particularly as to the wives of Dharma, who are said to be five. This

'

is

substitutes

The nomenclature

varies, or:

There

may,

is

in

Matsya.

Hari VaAsa.

Padma.

Lakshmi

Lakshmi

Lakshmi

Saraswati

Kirtti

Saraswati

Ganga

Sadhya

Sadhya

Viswesa

Viswa

Viswesa

Savitri

Marutwati

evident inaccuracy in

some

instances,

all

Urjaswati copies;

the

From

be erroneous.

enumeration of their descendants,

it

appears that

and the names the

succeeding

Kama was

the

son of Lakshmi; the Sadhyas, of Sadhya; the Viswadevas, of Viswa; the Maruts,§ of Marutwati; and the Vasus, of Devi, who

may

be either the Saraswati

,

or Savitri

,

of the previous

enume-

ration.

* According to the Bhagavata-purdna, VI., 6, 2, these sixty daughters were bestowed away as follows: Dharma had ten; Prajapati, twelve; Indii, twenty-seven; Bhiita, Angiras, and Krisaswa, two each; and Tarksha, By Prajapati and Tarksha are meant Ka.syapa, the rest, namely, tive.

Indn is the same MSS. have Jami; one has Jami.

who, thus, bad seventeen. t Several :

VI., 6, 4.

§

Read "Marutwats".

See

my

first

as

Soma.

note in the next page.

VISHNU PURANA.

22

the Viswaclevas;^ and the Sadhyas/ those of Sadhya,

The Marutwats* were the children of Marutwati; the Vasus, of Vasu; the Bhanus (or suns), of Bhanu; and the deities presiding over moments, f of Muhurta. Ghosha v^^as the son of Lamba (an arc of the heavens); Nagavithi (the milky- way t), the daughter '

The Viswadevas

are

should be offered daily.

some of

a class

Manu,

the Puranas, as the

III.,

whom

of gods to 121. §

They

Vayu and Matsya

are

sacrifices

named

in

the former speci-

:

fying ten; the latter, twelve.!] ^

rites

The Sadhyas, according

to the

Vayu,

are the personified

and prayers of the Vedas, born of the metres, and partakers

of the sacrifices:

The same work names

twelve, which are,

all,

names of

and formulae; as: Darsa, Pauriiamasa, Biihadaswa &c.

The Matsya Purana, Padma

sacrifices

Rathantara,

Puraria, and Hari Variisa have

a different set of seventeen appellations selection, as

,

,

apparently of arbitrary

Bhava, Prabhava, Isa, Aruni, &c. IF

* Professor Wilson had "Maruts or winds". The Marutwats, "attended by the winds " are the Indras. The mother of the Maruts was Diti. See Chapter XXI. ad finem. t Called, in the original, Mnhiirtajas. The Bhdgavata-purdna, VI., 6, 9, calls them Mauhiirtikas. * ? The hirger commentary observes cTRT^^ ^f^^STTf^'f'^'^,

:

T^it ^^f

:

|

I

t^g^

ff ^tfTc^T'^t RTfTf^>Tt^'^ The MdrkaMeya-purdna, I., 7, 62, speaks of only five. "It would seem that, in Sayaiia's day, the purport of the designation Sadhya had become uncertain. They are named amongst the minor divinities, in the Ainara-koia; and from Bharatamalla we learn that II

II

*^

they were

twelve

in

number,

but

no

other peculiarity

Professor Wilson's Translation of the Riy-veda, Vol.

II.,

is

specified."

p. 144, note.

BOOK of Yaiiii"'

I.,

The

(iiis^it).

ClIAl'.

W.

23

divisions of the earth M^ere

horn of Arniidhati: and Sankalpa ([)ions |)in'pose), the sonl of all, was the son of Sankalpa. The deities called Vasns,

— because,

preceded by

splendour and might, ^

—

are,

fire,

they abound in

severally,

named Apa,

Dhruva, Soma, Dharaf (firet), Anila (wind), Anala (fire), Pratyusha (day-break), and Prabhasa (light). The four sons of Apa were Vaitandya, Srama (weariness), Sranta (fatigue), andDhur§ (burthen). Kala (time), the cherisher of the world, was the son of Dhruva. The son of Soma was Varchas (light), who was the father of Varchaswin (radiance). Dhara had, by his wife Manohara (loveliness), Dravina, Hutahavyavaha, Prana, and Ramana.'! The two sons of Anila (wind), by his wife Siva, were Manojava (swift as

Sisira,

thought) and Avijnatagati (untraceable motion).

The

son of Agni (fire), Kumara, was born in a clump of Sara reeds: his sons were Sakha, Visakha, Naigameya,

and Prishthaja.

named Rishi

The offspring of the Krittikas was The son of Pratyusha was the

Karttikeya.

named Devala, who had two

Or, according to the

^

Padma

philosophic and

Puraria, because they are always

present in light, or luminous irradiation:

*

Here

this

word occurs with the 6, 4 and 6.

last syllable short;

as

iu

the

Bhd-

gavata-purdna, VI.,

typographical error. t ? t For "Dhava" in the former edition,— a Dhwani, and Dhuri. § Nowhere do I find this reading, but Dhuni, Bhuri, II

•[

Varana and Ravaiia are variants. Professor Wilson has since defined them

rays."

Translation of the Rig-veda, Vol. II

,

as p.

"the personified solar 122, note.

24

VISHNU PURANA.

sons/ The sister of Vachaspati,* lovely and virtuous, Yogasiddha, who pervades the whole world, without being devoted to it, was the wife of Prabhasa, the eighth of the Vasus, and bore to him the patriarch Viswakarman the author of a thousand intelligent

,

mechanist of the gods, the fabricator of

arts, the

ornaments, the chief of

artists,

(self - moving) chariots of skill

men

obtain

the deities, and

subsistence.

all

the constructor of the

by whose

Ajaikapad, Ahirvra-

dhna,f and the wise Rudra Twashtri, were born; and the self-born son of Twashtri

Viswarupa.

There

was

also the celebrated

are eleven well-known Rudras,

lords of the three worlds, or Hara, Bahurupa,

Tryam-

baka, Aparajita, Vrishakapi, Sambhu, Kapardin, Raivata,

Mrigavyadha, Sarva, andKapalin.^ But there are

The Vayu supplies Manaswin (wise). ^ The passage is: ^

Whose to the

their

names, Kshamavarta

(patient)

and

sons they are does not appear; the object being, according

comment,

to specify only the 'eleven divisions or modifi-

cations of the youngest Rudra, Twashtri

^ItVT f^^ll^^ reading,

here,

Rudras, in

We

I

in

whom

have,

^^TTT^"^ ^^d ^^hlhowever, an unusual variety of :

'

two copies of the comment :+

the family of Twashtri (a

observed, sometimes, of Viswakarman)

is

'The eleven

synonym,

it

may

be

included, were born.

The enumeration of the Rudras ends with Aparajita. of whom Tryambaka is the epithet:" ^^^qT^T^^oRT^lT ''^^T

^f^

*

The

original has Brihaspati.

t All the MSS. that +

The

extract just

I

have seen give Ahirbudhnya or Ahirbudhna.

preceding

which follows, from the

larger.

is

from the smaller commentary; that

:

BOOK

I.,

25

CHAP. XV.

a hundred ap[)ellations of the hiuTieasurubly mighty

Rudras/

IJp:^

Accordingly, the three last names in

I

all the

other copies

of the text are omitted in these two; their places being supplied

by the three

first,

two of

whom

named

are always

in the lists

of

According to the Vayu and Brahma Puranas, the

the Rudras.

Rudras are the children of Kasyapa by Surabhi the Bhagavata makes them the progeny of Bhi'ita and Sariipa: the Matsya, :

Padma, and Hari Vamsa, in the second series, the offspring of Surabhi by Brahma. The names, in three of the Paurariik authorities,

run thus

Ahirvradhna

Ahirvradhna

Ahirvradhna

Hara

Niri'ita

Nirriti

Ugra Bhima

Is war a

Pingala

Vama

Bhuvana Angaraka

Dahana

Mahat

Aparajita

Bahui'upa,

Ardhaketu

Mi-igavyadha

Vrishakapi

Mfityu

Senani

Aja

Sarpa

Sajja

Bhava.

Kapalin

Kapalin (or Hari

other varieties. as,

Ajaikapad

Ajaikapjid

Hara

The Brahma all;

Bhagavata. *

Matsya.

Vayu.

Ajaikapad

And

in that of

Vamsa),

Raivata.

Padma,

the

the Linga, &c., have

the lexicons have a different reading from

Jatadhara, they are Ajaikapad, Ahivradhna,

Virupaksha, Sureswara, Jayanta, Bahurupaka, Tryambaka, Aparajita,

Vaivaswata, Savitra, and Hara.

The

variety seems to

proceed from the writers applying to the Rudras, as they legitimately do,

or

synonyms

of

different appellations

Rudra or Siva,

of the

common

may

prototype,

selected at will from his thou-

sand and eight names, according to the Linga Puraria. '

The

posterity of Daksha's daughters

VI., 6, 17

and

18.

And

here too

I

find

by Dharma ALirbudhnya.

are, clearly.

VISHNU TIRANA.

26

The

Daksha who were married

of

(laiiiifhters

syapa were Aditi,

Danu,* Arishta,

Diti,

Siirasa,

to

Ka-

Khasa^f

Surabhi, Vinata, Tamra, Krodhavasa, Ida,t Kadrii, and

Muni;' whose progeny

There

describe to you.

I will

were twelve celebrated deities in a former Manwantara, called Tushitas,^ who, upon the approach of the present two

allegorical personifications, chiefly of

classes,

one consisting

of astronomical phenomena, and the other, of portions or sub-

Vedas.

jects of the ritual of the

There

'

different

in

is

some, though not much, variation, in these names,

The Bhagavata§ has Sarama, Kashtha,

Puranas.

and Timi, the parents, severally, of canine animals, beasts with nncloven hoofs, and disposing of the

and

The Vayu has Prava, The

last differently.

and Anayus (or Danayus) for Surasa.

in place of Arishta,

Padma

Vinata, Khasa, and Kadru;

fishes, in place of

first

Puraria, second series, substitutes Ktila, Anayus, Simhika,

Tamra, and Muni; Khanda of the same,

Pisacha, Vach, for Arishta, Surasa, Surabhi, the Uttara

and omits Ida and Khasa.

In

Kasyapa's wives are said

be but four: Aditi, Diti, Kadru, and

to

Vinata.

In the sixth reign, or that of Chakshusha

-

to the text: but, in

book

III.,

chapter 1,

Manu, according

the Tushitas are the

The Vayu has

gods of the second or Swarochisha Manwantara. a

much more complete legend

In the beginning of the

subject.

Jay as

,

till

the seventh.

to

be repeatedly born

They were,

successive Manwantaras, Ajitas

*

+

Some MSS. This name

twelve gods,

his deputies

,

in

omitted in several

The more ordinary

§ VI., 6, 25, et seq.

reading,

it

commands;

each

Manwan-

accordingly, in the several

Tushitas, Satyas, Haris, Vai-

here insert Kala. is

named

and assistants

lost in meditation, neglected his

They,

on which he cursed them

-j-

Kalpa,

were created, by Brahmji, as

in the creation.

tara,

than any other Puraiia, on this

MSS.

seems,

is

Ira.

In place of Ira, or lAa,

it

has

Ila.

:

BOOK

27

XV.

CliAl'.

I.,

period, or in the reign of the last

Mann, Chakshnsha, "Come, let ns

assembled, and said to one another: quickly enter into the

womb

we may be

of Aditi, that

next Manwantara; for, thereby, we shall again enjoy the rank of gods." And, accordingly, they were born the sons of Kasyapa, the son of Marichi,

born

in the

Daksha; thence named the whose appellations were, respectively, Vishnu, Sakra, Aryaman, Dhatri"" Twashtfi, Piishan, Vivaswat, Savitri, Mitra, Varuha, Amsa,f and Bhaga.^ These, who, in the Chakshusha Manwantara, were the

by

Aditi, the daughter of

twelve Adityas

;

gods called Tushitas, were called the twelve Adityas, Manwantara of Vaivaswata.

in the

Our

kunthas, Sadhyas, and Adityas. as the

authority, and

Brahma, have, apparently, intended

some

to refer to

tliis

others,

account,

but have confused the order of the series. '

The

Purarias

contain

that

these names.

well in

this

genealogy agree tolerably

The Bhagavata adds many

details regard-

ing some of the Adityas and their descendants.

The first edition had "Dhiiti", an error of the press. One MS. has Aiiisu. * Professor Wilson appends the following note to the mention, in the Ruj-veda, II., 27, 1, of five Adityas, namely, Mitra, Aryaman, Bhaga, Varuiia, and Aiiisa: "The Adityas, or sons of Aditi, here enumerated *

•j-

are

only

five.

The

scholiast

quotes

the

Taittirhja for eight;

Dhatri, Indra, and Vivaswat to those in the text, and adding Ailisa.

The Pauranik enumeration

is,

universally, twelve;

adding

Amsu

for

Yishiiu, Pii-

shan, Twashfri, and Savitri being added to the eight of the Taittiriya"

Translation of the Rkj-veda, Vol.

The passage

of the Rig-veda

II.,

p.

274.

may

thus annotated

be taken, on one

construction, to speak of a sixth Aditya, Daksha.

For a

full

discussion

Part. IV., pp. 10-13

of

the

and 101-106.

Adityas,

see

Original Sanskrit Texts,

VISHNU rURANA,

28

The twenty-seven (daughters

of the patriarch)

who

became the virtuous wives of the moon were all known as the nymphs of the lunar constellations, which were called by their names, and had children who were The wives brilliant through their great splendour.^ of Arishtanemi bore him sixteen children.^ The daughters of Bahuputra were the four lightnings.^ The excellent Pratyangirasa Richas were the children of An-

'

The Naksliatra

Yoginis, or chief stars of the lunar mansions,

or asterisms in the moon's path. ^

None

of the authorities are

Arishtanemi's progeny.

another

name

more

specific

on the subject of

In the Mahabharata, this

is

said to be

of Kasyapa:

?Tft%: ^f^^:

j^^^ 1

^»nf^

^%

i

The Bhagavata* substitutes Tarksha for this personage, said, by the commentator, to be, likewise, another name of Kasyapa. His wives are Kadru, Vinata, Patangi, and Yamini, mothers of snakes, birds, grasshoppers, and locusts. ^

Enumerated,

and white

*

;

in astrological

works, as brown, red, yellow,

portending, severally, wind, heat, rain, famine.

VI., 6, 21

and 22:

¥^fc!Tr^

'^

^^^TTPl%^i[:

II

Burnouf translates these verses as follows: "Tarkcha eut ponr femmes Vinata, Kadru, Patangi et Yamini; Patangi donna le jour aux Patagas (les oiseaux), et Yamini aux (^alabhas (les

sauterelles).

"Suparna (Vinata aux belles ailes) mit au raonde Garuda, celui qui est connu pour etre la monture du Dieu chef du sacrifice; et Kadrii donna le jour a Anuru (Aruna qui est prive de jambes) le cocher du soleil, ainsi

qu'a la multitude des Nagas,"

BOOK

I.,

29

CHAP. XV.

giras/ descended from the holy sage; and the deified weapons of the gods^ were the progeny of Kfisaswa. These classes of thirty -three divinities^ are born again at the end of a thousand ages, according to their own pleasure; and their appearance and disappearance But, Maitreya, is here spoken of as birth and death. these divine personages exists age after age, in the

same manner

as the sun sets

presiding divinities

denominated Pratyangirasas.

,

vata* calls the wives of Angiras,

them the mothers of the

The

^

rises again.

or verses, thirty-five in number, addressed to

The Ricbas

'

and

Pitris

Swadha and

The Bhagaand makes

Sati,

and the Atharva-veda

Sastradevatas, 'gods of the divine weapons'.

,

severally.

A

hundred

are enumerated in the Ramayaria; and they are there termed the

sons of Krisaswa by Jaya and Vijaya, daughters of the Prajathat is, of

pati,

of Krisaswa,

Daksha.

The Bbagavataf terms the two wives The former is the

Archis (flame) and Dhisharia.

mother of Dhumrakesat (comet); the Devala, Vayuna, and Manu.

sira,

weapons ^

four sages; Veda-

allegorical origin of the

undoubtedly, the more ancient.

This number

the

to

is,

latter, of

The

Prajapati (either

^^

founded upon a text of the Vedas, which,

is

eight Vasus,

eleven Rudras, and twelve Adityas, adds

Brahma

or

Daksha) and Vashatkara, §

'deified

vydl^H ^^T ^^ITTf^c^IT: TT^T^ffT^^They have the epithet Chhandaja, as born, ^T%f^ '^^MWT* in different Mauwantaras, of their own will: l^'S^rT l['^T
sf^sf 1

1

*

VI., 6, 19.

t

VI., 6, 20.

+

Professor Wilson had " Dhiimaketa."

§

"Utterance of the word vashat', at the

on the

fire."

p. 80, note. il

Vide

ibid.,

moment

of

pouring the butter

Professor Wilson's Translation of the Aig-veda,

Vol.

I.,

p.

97, note.

Vol.

I.,

:

VISHNU PUR AN A.

30

It has been related to us that Diti had two sons, by Kasyapa, named Hiranyakasipu and the invmcible Hiranyaksha. She had also a daughter, Siiiihika, the wife of Viprachitti. Hh-anyakasipu was the father of four mighty sons: Anuhlada, Hlada, the wise Prahlada,

and the heroic Saihhlada,'" the augmentors of the Daityarace.^ looking on

Amongst

all

these, the illustrious Prahlada,

things with indiflFerence, devoted his

faith to Janardana. The flames that were liohted by the king of the Daityas consumed not him, in whose heart Vasudeva was cherished; and all the earth trembled, when, bound with bonds, he moved amidst the waters of the ocean. His firm body, fortified by a mind engrossed by Achyuta, was unwounded by the weapons hurled on him by order of the Daitya monarch; and the serpents sent to destroy him breathed iheir

whole

venomous flames upon him

vain.

in

Overwhelmed

with rocks, he vet remained unhurt; for he never forgot Vishnu; and the recollection of the deity was his

armour of proof. Hurled from on high by the king of the Daityas, residing in Swarga, earth received him

The Puranas

'

generally concur in this genealogy, reading,

sometimes, Anuhrada, Hrada, &c.

Although placed second

in the

,

for

Anuhlada and

the Daityas are, in fact, the elder branch. rata,

Moksha Dharma,

cTI^ ^^TH^f^fTTI

I

calls 'ind

Hiranyaksha the eldest of

So "Titan and *

With

his

Diti the

the

all

Thus, the Mahabha-

senior wife of Kasyapa:

Vayu" terms Hiranyakasipu and

the sons of that patriarch

enormous brood"' were " heaven's

a single exception,

all

the rest.

order of Kasyapa's descendants,

the

MSS.

hrada, Hrada, Prahrada, and Sailihrada.

first

born."

that I have seen read

Anu-

BOOK unluinned. bini up,

Tlie wind,

was,

dluisi'idana

itself,

31

CHAP. XV.

sent into bis

body

to witber

annibilated by bini, in wboni

was present.

broke tbeir

spberes

I.,

Tbe

tusks,

Ma-

fierce elepbants of tbe

and vailed

tbeir pride,

against tbe firm breast wbicb tbe lord of tbe Daityas

bad ordered tbem to assault. Tbe ministrant priests of tbe iiionarcb were baffled in all tbeir rites for tbe destruction of one so steadily attacbed to Govinda; and tbe tbousand delusions of tbe fraudulent Sanibara, counteracted by tbe discus of Krisbi'ia, were practised witbout success. Tbe deadly poison administered by and bis fatber's officers be partook of unbesitatingly ,

working any visible cbange. For be looked upon tbe world witb mind undisturbed, and, full of benignity, regarded all tbings witb equal affection, and witbout

its

as identical witb bimself.

He was

mine of purity and model for all pious men.

baustible

rigbteous, an inex-

trutb,

and an unfailing

CHAPTER

XVI.

Inquiries of Maitreya respecting the history of Prahlada.

Maitreya.

me

—Venerable Muni, you have described

the races of

human

But who was

the cause of this world.

Prahlada, of

whom you

could not burn;

who

to

beings, and the eternal Vishnu,

have

died not,

last

this

spoken;

when

mighty

whom

fire

pierced by weap-

whose presence in the waters earth trembled, shaken by his movements, even though in bonds; and who, overwhelmed with rocks, remained unhurt? I am desirous to hear an account of the unequalled might of that sage worshipper of Vishnu, to whose marvellous history you have alluded. Why was he assailed by the weapons of the sons of Diti? Why was so righteous a person thrown into the sea? Wherefore was he overwhelmed with rocks? Why bitten by venomous snakes? Why hurled from the mountain-crest? Why cast into the flames? Why was he made a mark for the tusks of the elephants of the spheres ? Wherefore was the blast of death directed against him by ons; at

the enemies of the gods?

Why

did the priests of the

Daityas practise ceremonies for his destruction ?

Why

were the thousand illusions of Sambara exercised upon him? And for what pm-pose was deadly poison administered to him by the servants of the king, but which was innocuous as food to his sagacious son? All this I am anxious to hear: the history of the magnanimous Prahlada, a legend of great marvels. Not that it is a wonder that he should have been uninjured by

BOOK the Daityas: for

who

I.,

CHAP. xvr.

can injure the

whole heart on Vishnu? But

it

is

33

man

that fixes his

strange that such

inveterate hatred shoukl liave been shown, by his

own in

kin, to one so virtuous, so unweariedly occupied

worshipping Vishnu.

what reason the sons of

me

for

Diti offered violence to

one

You can

explain to

so pious, so illustrious, so attached to Vishnu, so free

from

Generous enemies wage no w^ar with such and every excellence. How should his own father thus behave towards him? Tell me, therefore, most illustrious Muni, the whole story in detail. I wish to hear the entire narrative of the guile.

as he was, full of sanctity

sovereign of the Daitya race.

II.

:

CHAPTER Legend

XVII.

of Prahhida. Hirariyakasipu the sovereign of the universe

the gods dispersed, or in servitude to him: Prahlada, his son,

remains devoted to Vishnu: questioned by his father, he praises

Vishnu: Hiranyakasipu orders him

to

be put to death, but

in

vain: his repeated deliverance: he teaches his companions to

adore Vishnu.

Parasara.

—Listen,

Maitreya, to the story of the

wise and magnaniiiioiis Pralihkla, whose adventures are ever interesting and instructive.

Hiranyakasipu,

the son of Diti, had formerly brought the three worlds

under his authority; confiding in a boon bestowed upon him by Brahma/ He had usurped the sovereignty of Indra, and exercised, of himself, the functions of the sun, of air, of the lord of waters, of fire, and of the moon. He himself was the god of riches; he was

and he appropriated to himthat was offered, in sacrifice, to the gods. The deities, therefore, flying from their seats in heaven, wandei-ed, through fear of the Daitya, upon the earth, disguised in mortal shapes. Having

the judge of the self,

dead;'"'

without reserve,

all

conquered the three worlds, he was inflated with pride, and, eulogized by the Gandharvas, enjoyed whatever '

The boon, according

to

the

Vayu

Puraria,

shoukl not be slain by any created being: the cept by Vishnu.

The Bhagavata has

was, that he

Kurma

adds, ex-

a similar boon as the Vayu,

and, therefore, says the commentator, Vishnu assumed the form of the Nrisimha, as being that of neither a

Yama,

in

the Sanskrit.

man

nor an animal.

BOOK

The Siddhas, the Gandharvas, and the

he desired. snake-gods sipu, as

he

35

CHAP. XVII.

L,

all

attended upon the mighty Hiranyaka-

sat at the banquet.

The Siddhas,

delighted,

stood before him; some playing on musical instruments,

some singing songs

and others shouting of heaven danced palace where the Asura with

in his praise,

nymphs

cries of victory; whilst the

gracefully in the crystal

pleasure quaffed the inebriating cup.

The

illustrious

son of the Daitya king, Prahlada,

being yet a boy, resided ceptor,

early years.

by

in the

dwelling of his pre-

where he read such writings

On

as are studied in

one occasion he came, accompanied

his teacher, to the court of his father,

before his feet, as he was drinking.

and bowed

Hirahyakasipu

desired his prostrate son to rise, and said to him:

"Repeat, boy, in substance, and agreeably, what, during the period of your studies, you have acquired."

"Hear, sire", replied Prahlada, what, in obedience to your commands, I will repeat, the substance of all I

—

have learned. Listen attentively to that which wdiolly occupies my thoughts. I have learned to adore him

who

is

without beginning, middle, or end, increase or

diminution; the imperishable lord of the world, the universal cause of causes."

On

hearing these words,

the sovereign of the Daityas, his eyes red with wrath,

and

lip

swollen with indignation, turned to the pre-

ceptor of his son, and said: "Vile Brahman, what

is

commendation of my foe, that, in disrespect to me, you have taught this boy to utter?" "King of the Daityas", replied the Guru, "it is not worthy of you to give way to passion. That which your son has uttered, he has not been taught by me."

this preposterous

VISHNU PURANA.

3G

"By whom,

"by

then", said Hh-ai'iyakasipu to the lad,

has this lesson, boy, been taught you? Your teacher denies that it proceeds from him." "Vishnu,

whom

father", answered Prahlada, "is the instructor of the

whole

w^orld.

What

else

should any one teach, or learn,

save him, the supreme spirit?" "Blockhead", exclaimed the king, "who is this Vishnu, whose name you thus so impertinently before

reiterate

me, who am the

"The glory

sovereign of the three worlds?"

of Vish-

nu", replied Prahlada, "is to be meditated upon by the devout: it cannot be described. He is the supreme lord,

who is all To this

ceed."

things,

of death, fool, that

you give the

any one, whilst

to

me

title

survive?"

I

alone, but of

father, of you.

should you,

He

of

things pro-

you desirous supreme lord

"Vishnu,

who

is

and protector, human beings, and even,

sire,

silly

all

the supreme lord of

is

all.

Why

be offended?" Hirahyakasipu then

exclaimed: "What evil of this

all

said Prahlada, "is the creator

Brahma", not of

and from w^hom

the king rejoined: "Are

spirit

has entered into the breast

boy, that thus, like one possessed, he utters

"Not into my heart alone", said entered, but he pervades all Vishnu Prahlada, "has the regions of the universe, and, by his omnipresence, influences the conduct of all beings, mine, father, and such profanity?"

thme."^ '

The

"Aw^ay with the wretch", cried the king: Puraiias teach, constantly, incompatible doctrines.

cording to this passage, the supreme being

is

Ac-

not the inert cause

of creation only, but exercises the functions of an active providence.

The commentator quotes a

of this view: ^?RT: 3Tf%S:

soul, entering into

text of the

^"RTT ^^TRT

men, governs

Veda

^TWT

their conduct.'

I

in

support

'Universal

Incongruities,

BOOK

I,,

CHAP. xvrr.

"take hiin to his preceptor's mansion.

37

By whom

could

he have been instigated to repeat the lying praises of

my

foe?

According to the commands of his father, Prahlada was conducted, by the Daityas, back to the house of his Guru, where, assiduous in attendance on his preceptor, he constantly improved in wisdom. After a considerable time had elapsed, the sovereign of the Asuras sent for him again, and, on his arrival in his

presence, desired sition.

whom

moves or of

to recite

some

poetical

compo-

is

unconscious proceeds, he

who

is

the cause

Vishnu, be favourable unto us!" hearing which, Hiranyakasipu exclaimed: "Kill

all

On

him

Prahlada immediately began: "May he from matter and soul* originate, from whom all that this creation,

the wretch.

He

is

not

fit

to live,

who

is

a traitor to

burning brand to his own race." And his attendants, obedient to his orders, snatched up his friends, a

their weapons,

and rushed,

to destroy him.

in crowds, upon Prahlada, The prince calmly looked upon them,

and said: "Daityas, as truly as Vishnu is present in your weapons, and in my body, so truly shall those weapons fail to harm me." And, accordingly, although and repeatedly, by hundreds of the Daiand his strength was ever renewed. His father then endeavoured to struck, heavily

tyas, the prince felt not the least pain;

however, are as frequent

in the

Vedas as

apparently, the most ancient parts of the

an active ruler

in

the

in the

Hindu

Puranas.

creator of the universe; the notion

abstract deity originating with the schools of philosophy.

*

But,

ritual recognized

In the original, pradhdna and purusha.

of

'

VISHNU PUR ANA.

88

persuade him to refrain from glorifying his enemy, and promised him immunity, if he would not be so foolish as to persevere. felt all

of

no

fear, as

But Prahlada

replied, that

he

long as his immortal guardian against

dangers was present in his mind, the recollection

whom

was, alone, sufficient to dissipate

consequent upon birth or human

Hiranyakasipu, highly exasperated, serpents to

fall

upon

all

the perils

infirmities.

his disobedient

commanded

the

and insane son,

and bite him to death with their envenomed fangs. And, thereupon, the great snakes, Kuhaka, Takshaka, and Andhaka, charged with fatal poison, bit the prince in every part of his body. But he with thoughts immovably fixed on Krishna, felt no pain from their ,

wounds; being immersed that divinity. said:

"Our fangs

burst; there

in rapturous recollections of

Then the snakes is

cried to the king,

and

are broken; our jewelled crests are

fever in our hoods, and fear in our

hearts: but the skin of the youth

is

still

unscathed.

monarch of the Daityas, to some other expedient." "Ho, elephants of the skies!" exclaimed the demon, "unite your tusks, and destroy this (deserter from his father, and) conspirer with my foes.

Have

recourse,

our progeny are our destruction; consumes the wood (from which it springs). The young prince was then assailed by the elephants of the skies, as vast as mountain -peaks, cast down upon the earth, and trampled on, and gored by their tusks. But he continued to call to mind Govinda; and

Is is thus that often

as fire

the tusks of the elephants were blunted against his breast.

"Behold", he said to his father, "the tusks of

the elephants, as hard as adamant, are blunted.

But

BOOK this

I.,

CHAP.

39

xvir.

not by any strength of mine.

CalUng upon Jadefence against such fearful affliction." Then said the king to his attendants: "Dismiss the is

nardana

is

elephants;

my

and

consume him. And do thou, blow up the fire; that this wicked

let fire

deity of the winds,

wretch may be consumed.'' And the Danavas piled a mighty heap of wood around the prince, and kindled a fire, to burn him, as their master had commanded. But Prahlada cried: "Father, this fire, though blown up by the winds, burneth me not; and all around I behold the face of the skies, cool and fragrant, with beds of lotos-flowers."

Then

the

Brahmans who were the sons

illustrious priests,

and

reciters of the

of Bhargava, Sama-veda, said

to the king of the Daityas: "Sire, restrain

against your

own

son.

How

finding a place in heavenly mansions?

we

your wrath

should anger succeed in

As

for this lad,

be his instructors, and teach him obediently to labour for the destruction of your foes. Youth is will

the season, king, of

many

errors;

and you should

therefore, be relentlessly ofl^'ended with a child.

not,

he and abandon the cause of Hari, adopt infallible measures to work his death." If

will not listen to us,

we will The king of the Daityas, thus solicited by the priests, commanded the prince to be liberated from the midst of the flames.

Again established

in the

Prahlada gave lessons

mons,

,

dwelling of his preceptor,

himself, to the sons of the de-

"Sons of the was accustomed to say to them, "hear from me the supreme truth.* Nothing else is fit in the intervals of his leisure.

offspring of Diti ", he

*

Paramdrtha.

VISHNU PURANA.

40

to be regarded; nothing else, here,

creatures;

all

This

Daityas, in death.

it

is

all

beings, children of the

manifestly visible to

to

all;

me. That the dead are born again, and cannot be otherwise, the sacred texts are warBut production cannot be without a material

you, as

rant.

an object to be

and then succeeds gradual and inevitable

decay, terminating, with

that

is

Birth, infancy, and youth are the portion of

coveted.

it is

to

cause; and, as long as conception and parturition are

the material causes of repeated birth, so long, be sure,

pain inseparable from every period of existence.

is

The simpleton,

in his inexperience, fancies that the

and the like is pleaFor suffering gives darkened by delusion;

alleviation of hunger, thirst, cold, sure.

But, of a truth,

it is

pain.

whose vision is would be enjoyment to limbs that are incaThis vile body is a compound of pable of motion.

delight to those as fatigue

^

This

'

is

the purport of the sentence

which the comment in part confirms.* the pleasure of those

is

whose

limbs, exceedingly

The commentator 'As

fatigue

apparently

Literally

it

,

and

is:

is

that

'A blow

whose eyes are darkened by ignorance, benumbed, desire pleasure by exercise.'

divides the

would be

,

sentence, however, and reads

like pleasure to

it:

paralysed limbs; and a

that is, is enjoyment to those who are blinded by delusion by love: for, to them, a slap, or even a kick, from a mistress would be a favour.' It is, not improbably, an allusion to some

blow

,

such venerable pastime as blindman's

•

The remarks

of the larger

commentary

buff.

This interpretation,

are subjoined

:

"^(^"tI

f%fiT-

BOOK

CHAP. XVIL

I.,

phlegm and other huinours.

41

Where

are

beauty,

its

The

grace, fragrance, or other estimable qualities? fool that

fond of a body composed of flesh

is

,

blood,

membrane, marrow, and bones, enamoured of hell.* The agreeableness of fire caused by cold; of water, by thirst; of food, by

matter, ordure, urine, will be is

By

hunger.

other circumstances their contraries are

equally agreeable.^

The chDd

who takes much misery into

of the Daitya

to himself a wife introduces only so

bosom. f For, as many as are the cherished

his

tions of a living creature, so

many

anxiety implanted in his heart; and he

however, leaves the construction of the

affec-

are the thorns of

first

who

has large

half of the sentence

imperfect, unless the nominative and verb apply to both portions:

'

They

are so far from

selves, that, pain.

Heat

agreeable in cold weather; cold

is

hot weather. to

being sources of pleasure in them-

under different contrasts, they become sources of

Heat would then be

a thirsty man;

thirst

is

disagreeable.

agreeable to one

much: and more drink would be

painful.

agreeable in

is

Drink

who

is

pleasant

has drunk too

So of food, and

of

other contrasts.

* It is

only implied, in the Sanskrit, as read in

will be his portion.

The couplet

is

my

MSS.,

that hell

as follows:

entertains affection, f "Sons of the Daityas, just in measure as one does one introduce misery", &c. The original, in the MSS. by me, is:

^ftfTT In the larger

1 t^^^T

"^rr^^'TT^

commentary we read

:

^^I^

I

^^ ^g'^f^f TTf^^^ft ^-^1~

t

VISHNU PUR ANA.

42

possessions in his house

with the apprehension

is

Thus, there

or stolen.

haunted, wherever he goes,

tliat is

they

may be

or burnt,

lost,

great pain in being born.

For the dying man there are the tortures of the judge of the deceased, and of passing again into the womb. If you conclude that there is little enjoyment in the embryo state, you must, then, admit that the world is

made up

of pain.

Verily I say unto you, that, in this

ocean of the world,

this sea of

your only hope.

is

'We

this:

embodied

are children;

eternal; birth, youth,

'I

am

when

'Divine knowledge

'

I

is

bodies

spirit in

it is

in this

way

yet a child; but

purpose to exert myself when a youth; but,

sorrows, Vishnu

is

decay are the properties of the

body, not of the soul."* But deceive ourselves. f

many

ye say, you know nothing of

If

I

become

am

that it

a youth. I

old, 1 will

is,

who

live

we

my

am yet

do what

the province only of those

separate soul from body, that

is

who

is

can

independent of bodily

and passions. We have not overcome corporeal vicisand have, therefore, no concern with such abstruse in-

infirmities

situdes,

This

quiries.'

^^ ^T^T J^ft ^1g

HVSTf:

I

not suppose that you cannot judye of this, because you are child-

ren: for spirit

The

the commentator's explanation of the passage.

fn ^T^fT

*

"Do

is

fuller

find

is

eternal in bodies", &c.

comment

is

no Sanskrit, in

t

I

+

See, for the original,

as

follows:

^T^^T^^'N TT^lf^TT

my MSS., for this sentence. my first note in this page.

BOOK

I.,

needful for the good of all

my

43

CHAP. xvir.

my

soul.

duties are to be fulfilled.

I

am now

How shall

I,

old:

and

no\v that

me, do what was left undone when In this manner do men, was unimpaired?' strength w^hilst their minds are distracted by sensual pleasures, ever propose, and never attain final beatitude. They

my my

faculties fail

Devoted,

die thirsting.^

in childhood, to play, and, in

youth, to pleasure, ignorant and impotent, they find that old age is come upon them. Therefore, even in let the embodied soul acquire discriminative wisdom, and, independent of the conditions of infancy,

childhood

youth, or age, strive, incessantly, to be freed. then,

is

what

I declare

unto you: and, since you

This,

know

not untrue, do you, out of regard to me, call Vishnu, the liberator from all bondage. minds to your What difficulty is there in thinking upon him, who, when remembered, bestow^s prosperity; and by recall-

that

it is

whom to memory,

day and night, all sin is cleansed your thoughts and affections be fixed on him, who is present in all beings; and you shall laugh at every care. The whole w^orld is suffering under a triple affliction.^ What wise man would feel

ing

away?

'

Let

fMMlRl d.

all

I

of a washerman,

Alluding, says the commentator, to the fable

who,

whilst washing his clothes in the Ganges,

proposed, daily, to drink of his occupation; or of a

sued

boy,

its

waters, but forgot his purpose in

who proposed

the same, as he pur-

and never accomplished his intention, being

fish after fish,

Both died without drinking. Sankhya philosophy: internal, as bodily or mental distress; external, as injuries from men, animals, &c. and superhuman, or inflictions by gods or engrossed by his sport. »

The

three kinds

of affliction of the

;

demons.

See Sankhya Karika, ver.

1.

:

VISHNU PLRANA.

44

who

hatred towards beings

are objects of compassion?

be propitious to them, and

If fortune

I

am

unable to

partake of the like enjoyments, yet wherefore should I cherish

malignity towards those

perous than myself?

who

are

more pros-

should, rather, sympathize wdth

I

their happiness: for the suppression of malignant feel-

ings

of

is,

a re^vard.^

itself,

If beings are hostile,

and

indulge in hatred, they are objects of pity, to the wise,

encompassed by profound delusion. These are the

as

reasons (for repressing hate, which are adapted to the capacities) of those his creatures).

who

Hear,

see (the deity) distinct (from

briefly,

who have approached

what influences those This whole w^orld

the truth. *

but a manifestation of Vishnu,

is

things;

all

and

it is,

who

wise, as not differing from, but as the

Let

selves.

is

identical with

by the same with, them-

therefore, to be regarded,

us, therefore, lay aside

of our race, and so strive that

we

the angry passions obtain that perfect,

pure, and eternal happiness which shall be

power

beyond the

of the elements, or their deities, of fire, of the

sun, of the

moon, of wind, of Indra,f of the regent of

the sea:+ which shall be unmolested by spirits of air

The

^

sense

is

construction of the text

The order

of the last pada

"^^R; the abandonment of enmity

I

is,

'Whence (from

See Original Sanslrit Texts, Part

The

feeling pleasure)

verily, the consequence.'

III.,

t Parjanya, in the Sanskrit. +

and brief; but the

thus transposed by the commentator

is

^T^ ^^"^ ^"Nt^

*

is elliptical

suf6ciently clear:

Translator's definition of Varuna.

p.

224.

BOOK

I.,

45

CHAP. XVII.

or earth;* by Yakslias, Daityas, or their chiefs;

by the

serpent- gods, or monstrous demigods of S\Yarga;f

which

shall

be uninterrupted by

the infirmities of

human

nature;

men or beasts, or by by bodily sickness and

disease,^ or hatred, envy, malice, passion, or desire;

which nothing shall molest, and which every one who fixes his whole heart on Kesava shall enjoy. Verily I say unto you, that you shall have no satisfaction in various revolutions through this treacherous world, but that you will obtain placidity for ever by propitiating Vishnu, whose adoration is perfect calm. What, here, is difficult

of attainment,

when he

is

the fruit that

you

shall

is

pleased? Wealth,

moment. Precious gather, be assured, from the

pleasure, virtue are things of

little

exhaustless store of the tree of true wisdom."

The

*

original rather unpoetically specifies

some of these, or The whole of +

fever, ophthalmia, dysentery, spleen, liver, &c.

these

defects

are the individuals

of the three species

alluded to before.

*

The

original has Siddhas

and Rakshasas.

I "Monstrous demigods of Swarga"

is

to

render Kiiiinaras.

of pain

CHAPTER

XVIII.

Hiraiiyakasipu's reiterated attempts to destroy his son: their being

always frustrated.

The Danavas, observing reported

it

pleasure.

"My

vile

He

sent for his cooks, and said to them:

and unprincipled son

his impious doctrines.

him.

the conduct of Prahlada,

to the king, lest they should incur his dis-

Be

now

teaching others

Let deadly poison be mixed up with

viands, without his knowledge. sti-oy

is

quick; and put an end to

the

all

his

Hesitate not; but de-

wretch without delay."

Accordingly they

did so, and administered poison to the virtuous Pra-

hlada, as his father had

repeating the

name

commanded them.

Prahlada,

of the imperishable, ate and di-

gested the food in which the deadly poison had been

harm from it, either in body had been rendered innocuous by the name of the eternal. Beholding the strong poison digested, those who had prepared the food were filled with dismay, and hastened to the king, and fell down before him, and said: "King of the Daityas, the fearful poison given, by us, to your son has been digested, by him, along with his food, as if it were innocent. Hiranyakasipu, on hearing this, exclaimed: "Hasten, infused, and suffered no

or mind

;

for

it

hasten, ministrant priests of the Daitya race. Instantly

perform the

rites that will effect his destruction."

Then

the priests went to Prahlada, and, having repeated the

hymns fully

of the Sama-veda, said to him, as he respect-

hearkened: "Thou hast been born, prince,

in the

BOOK

I.,

CHAP,

47

xviir.

family of Bralima, celebrated in the three worlds, the

son of Hiranyakasipu shouldest thou

gods? of

Why

,

the king of the Daityas.

Why

acknowledge dependance upon the

upon the eternal? Thy father

the stay

is

the worlds; as thou thyself, in turn, shalt be.

all

from celebrating the praises of an enemy; and remember, that, of all venerable preceptors, a father is most venerable." Prahlada replied to them: "Illustrious Brahmans, it is true that the family of Marichi is renowned in the three worlds: this cannot be denied. And I also admit, what is equally indisputable, that my father is mighty over the universe. There is no error, not the the least, in Mdiat you have Desist, then,

said, 'that a father

teachers.'

He

is

is

the most venerable of

all

holy

a venerable instructor, no doubt, and

ever to be devoutly reverenced. To all these things have nothing to object: they find a ready assent in my mind. But, when you say: 'Why should I depend

is

I

upon the eternal?' who can give assent to this, as The words are void of meaning." Having said thus much, he was silent a while, being restrained by respect to their sacred functions. But he was unable to repress his smiles, and again said: "What need is there of the eternal? Excellent! What need of the right?

Most worthy of you who are my Hear what need there is of the hearken will not give you pain. The four-

eternal? Admirable!

venerable preceptors eternal; if to

fold objects of final

men

!

are said to be virtue, desire, wealth,

emancipation. Is he

of no avail

?

who

is

the source of

all

these

Virtue was derived from the eternal by

Daksha, Marichi, and other patriarchs; w^ealth has been obtained from him by others,

and, by others, the

:

48

VISHNU PURANA.

enjoyment of their desires; whilst those who, through wisdom and holy contemplation, have come to

true

know

his essence, have been released from their bondand have attained freedom from existence for ever. The glorification of Hari, attainable by unity, is the root of all riches, dignity, renown, wisdom, progeny, righteousness, and liberation. Virtue, wealth, desire, and even final freedom, Brahmans, are fruits bestowed by him. How, then, can it be said, 'What need is there of the eternal?' But enough of this. What occasion is there to say more? You are my venerable preceptors; and, speak ye good or evil, it is not for my weak judgment to decide." The priests said to him: "We preserved you, boy, when you were about to be consumed by fire; confiding that you would no longer eulogize your father's foes. We knew not how unwise

age,

you were. But,

if

you

tuation, at our advice,

will not desist

we

from

this infa-

even proceed to per-

shall

form the rites that will inevitably destroy you." To this menace, Prahlada answered: "What living creature slays, or

or

is

server, as

^

This

in the

is

slain

preserved?

he follows

is

?

Each

Wliat living creature preserves, is

evil,

his

own

destroyer, or pre-

or good."^*

not the doctrine of the impassibility of soul, taught

Vedas

'We do

not recognize either the doctrine that supposes the slayer

*

TT^T^

^TR

I

BOOK

Thus spoken

to

49

CHAP, xvrrr.

I.,

by the youth, the

priests

of the

Daitya sovereign were incensed, and instantly had recourse to inagic incantations, by which a female form, en wreathed with fiery flame, was engendered.

She and the earth was parched beneath her tread, as she approached Prahlada, and smote him, with a fiery trident,* on the breast. In vain; for the weapon fell, broken into a hundred pieces, upon the ground. Against the breast in which the imperishable Hari resides the thunderbolt would be shivered:

was of

fearful aspect;

much more

should such a weapon be

The magic

split in pieces.

being, then directed against the virtuous

prince by the wicked priests, turned upon them, and,

having quickly destroyed them, disappeared. But Prabeholding them perish,

hlada,

hastily

appealed to

to slay, or the slain to be killed: this (spiritual existence) neither

nor

kills

is killed.'

The same

is

inculcated, at great length,

and

with great beauty, in the Bhagavad Gita:f

'Weapons wound it not; fire doth not consume it; water cannot drown it; nor doth it wither before the winds'; or, as rendered by Schlegel: 'Non ilium penetrant flamma; neque ilium perfundunt aquse

new

edition.

tela; ;

But, in the passage of our text,

understand of Fate

is

referred to.

or adversity, are, in this duct in a prior existence.

life,

*

Siila,

+

II.,

II.

it,

if

they have.

a pike.

23.

all

that the

17,

Hindus

Death or immunity, prosperity

the inevitable consequences of con-

No man

can suffer a penalty which

his vices in a preceding state of being

he avoid

non ilium comburit

nee ventus exsiccat.' P.

have not incurred; nor can

VISHNU PURANA.

50

"0

Krishna, the eternal, for succour, and said:

dana,

who

art

of the w^orld,

preserve

these

magical and insupportable present in

all

Janar-

everywhere, the creator and substance

creatures,

fire.

Brahmans from this As thou art Vishnu,

and the protector of the world,

so let these priests be restored to

life.

voted to the omnipresent Vishnu,

I

resentment against my

who

foes, let these priests

come

whilst de-

If,

think no sinful

be restored

me, those by whom poison was given me, the fire that would have burned, the elephants that would have crushed, and snakes that would have stung me, have been i-egarded by me as friends; if I have been unshaken in soul, and to

life.

am

If

those

without

let these,

to life."

diately

fault, in

haA^e

to slay

thy sight; then,

I

the priests of the Asuras, be

implore thee,

now

restored

Thus having prayed, the Brahmans immerose up, uninjured and rejoicing; and, bowing

respectfully to Prahlada, they blessed him,

"Excellent prince,

may

thy days be many;

and

said:

irresistible

be thy prowess; and power, and wealth, and posterity be thine." Having thus spoken, they withdrew, and M^ent and told the king of the Daityas all that had passed.

CHAPTER

XIX.

Dialogue between Prahlada and his father: he

is

cast

from the

top of the pahice, unhurt: baffles the incantations of Sambara:

he

is

thrown, fettered, into the sea: he praises

When

Vishi'iu.

Hiranyakasipu heard that the powerful hiean-

had been defeated, he sent for and demanded of him the secret of his extra-

tations of his priests his son,

ordinary might.

"Prahhida", he said, "thou art pos-

sessed of marvellous powers.

Whence

are they derived?

Are they the result of magic rites? Or have they accompanied thee from birth?'' Prahlada, thus interrogated, bowed down to his father's feet, and replied: "Whatever power I possess, father, is neither the result is it inseparable from my nature. no more than that which is possessed by all in whose hearts Achyuta abides. He who meditates not

of magic rites, nor It is

of

wrong

to others, but considers

from the

them

as himself,

is

inasmuch as the cause does not exist. But he who inflicts pain upon others, in act, thought, or speech, sows the seed of future birth; and the fruit that awaits him after birth is pain. I wish no evil to any, and do and speak no oftence: free

for I behold

Kesava

Whence should inflicted

heart all

is

effects of sin;

in all beings, as in

my own

by elements or the gods,

aflect

me, whose

thoroughly purified by him? Love, then, for

creatures will be assiduously cherished by

who are When

soul.

corporeal or mental suffering, or pain

wise in the knoMdedge that Hari

is all

all

those

things."

he had thus spoken, the Daitya monarch, his

face darkened with fury,

commanded

his attendants to

VISHNU PURANA.

52 cast his son

was

down upon

from the summit of the palace where he and which was many Yojanas

sitting,

the tops of the mountains,

in height,

where

his

body

should be dashed to pieces against the rocks. Accordingly, the Daityas hurled the

boy down: and he

fell,

cherishing Hari in his heart; and Earth, the nurse of all

him gently on her

creatures, received

lap, thus

entirely devoted to Kesava, the protector of the world.

Beholding him uninjured by the in

fall,

and sound

every bone, Hiranyakasipu addressed himself to

Sambara, the mightiest of enchanters, and said to him: "This perverse boy is not to be destroyed by us. Do you,

who

are potent in the arts of delusion, contrive

some device

for his destruction."

will destroy

him.

You

Sambara

shall behold,

replied: "I

king of the Dai-

tyas, the powder of delusion, the thousand and

myriad rant

can employ."

artifices that it

A sura Sambara

Then

the

the igno-

practised subtile wiles for the ex-

termination of the firm-minded Prahlada. But he, with a tranquil heart, and void of malice towards Sambara, directed his thoughts, uninterruptedly, to the destroyer

of

Madhu; by

whom

the excellent discus, the flaming

Sudarsana, was dispatched to defend the youth; and the thousand devices of the evil-destinied

Sambara

were, every one, foiled by this defender of the prince.

The king

of the Daityas then

ing w^nd to breathe and, thus

its

commanded

blighting blast

the wither-

upon

his son;

commanded, the wind immediately penetrated

and insufferable. wind had entered into his body, the Daitya boy applied his whole heart to the mighty into his frame, cold, cutting, drying,

Knowing

that the

upholder of the earth.

And

Janardana, seated

in his

:

BOOK

1.,

CllAl'.

53

XIX.

waxed wrotli, and drank up the fearful wind, which had thus hastened to its own annihilation. When the devices of Sanibara were all frustrated, and the blighting w^ind had perished, the prudent

lieart,

prince repaired to the residence of his preceptor.

teacher instructed

him

His

daily in the science of polity,

as essential to the administration of

government, and

invented, by Usanas, for the benefit of kings; and, when he thought that the modest prince was well

grounded

in the principles of the science,

he told the

king that Prahlada was thoroughly conversant with the rules of government, as laid down by the descen-

dant of Bhrigu.

Hiranyakasipu therefore summoned

the prince to his presence, and desired

what he had learned; self

how

him

to repeat

a king should conduct him-

towards friends or foes; w^hat measures he should

adopt at the three periods (of advance, retrogression, or stagnation); how he should treat his councillors, his ministers, the officers of his government and of his household, his emissaries,

his subjects, those of

doubtful allegiance, and his foes; wdth wdiom should

with whom engage in war; what he should construct; how forest and mountain tribes should be reduced; how internal grievances should be rooted out. All this, and what

he contract

alliance;

sort of fortress

else

he had studied, the youth was commanded, by his To this, Prahlada, having bowed

father, to explain.

affectionately

and reverentially

to the feet of the king,

touched his forehead, and thus replied "It is true that I have been instructed, in all these matters, by my venerable preceptor; and I have learnt them. But

I

cannot, in

all,

approve them.

It is said

VISHNU PURANA,

54

that conciliation, gifts, punishment, and sowing dissension are the means of securing friends (or over-

coming

But

foes).^

father

I,

neither friends nor foes; and

— be

not angry

where no object

accomphshed, the means of effecting

it

—know is

to be

are superfluous.

were idle to talk of friend or foe in Govinda, who is the supreme soul, lord of the world, consisting of the world, and who is identical with all beings. The divine Vishnu is in thee, father, in me, and in all It

everywhere

else: and,

hence,

how can

or foe, as distinct from myself? It of time

I

speak of friend

therefore, Avaste

such tedious and unprofitable

cultivate

to

is,

sciences, which are but false knowledge; and all our energies should be dedicated to the acquirement of

true wisdom.

The notion

that ignorance

is

knowledge

from ignorance. Does not the child, king of the Asuras imagine the fire-fly to be a spark of fire?* That is active duty, which is not for our bondage; that is knowledge, which is for our liberafather,

arises,

,

All other duty

tion.

other knowledge

Knowing profitless.

this,

I

is

is

good only unto weariness:

only the cleverness of an

look upon

That which

is

all

all

artist.

such acquirement as

really profitable, hear me,

mighty monarch, thus prostrate before thee, proclaim. He w^ho cares not for dominion, he who cares not for '

the

t

These are the four Upayas, 'means of success',

Amara-kosa:f

II.,

8,

1,

20,

specified in

POoK

I.,

wealtli, shall, assuredly, obtain

55

xix.

riJAl'.

both

in a life to

come.*

All men, illustrious })rinee, are toiling to be great.

the destinies of men, and not their the cause of greatness.

Kingdoms

own

But

exertions, are

are the gifts of fate,

and are bestowed upon the stupid, the ignorant, the cowardly, and those to whom the science of government is unknown. Let him, therefore, who covets the goods of fortune be assiduous in the j^ractice of virtue. Let him who hopes for final liberation learn to look upon all things as equal and the same. Gods, men, animals, birds, reptiles, f all are but forms of one eternal Vishnu, existing, as it were, detached from himself.

By him who knows

world, fixed or movable,

is

to

this,

all

the existing

be regarded as identical

with himself, as proceeding alike from Vishnu, assu-

ming a universal form.t When this is known, the glorious all, who is without beginning or end, when he is pleased, there is an end of

god of

is

and,

affliction."

On

pleased;

hearing this, Hiranyakasipu started up from his

throne, in a fury, and spurned his son, on the breast,

with his foot. Burning with rage, he wrung his hands, and exclaimed: "Ho Viprachitti! ho Rahu! ho Bali!^

'

Celebrated Daityas.

Viprachitti

is

one of the chief Danavas,

Danu, and appointed king over them by Brahma. Rjihu was the son of Sin'ihika, more known as the dragon's head, or sons of

or ascending node;

t Sarisnpa.

being a chief agent in eclipses.

Bali

was

VISHNU PURANA.

56

bind him with strong bands/ and cast him into the ocean; or all the regions, the Daityas and Danavas,

become converts

will

of this silly

to the doctrines

Repeatedly prohibited by us, he

wretch.

in the praise of

our enemies.

Death

is

still

persists

the just retri-

bution of the disobedient." The Daityas accordingly bound the prince with strong bands,* as their lord had commanded, and threw him into the sea. As he floated

on the waters, the ocean w^as convulsed throughout whole extent, and rose in mighty undulations, threatening to submerge the earth. This when Hi-

its

ranyakasipu observed, he

commanded

hurl rocks into the sea, and pile

them

the Daityas to closely

on one

another, burying beneath their incumbent mass

whom

fire

would not burn, nor weapons

serpents bite; blast,

whom

the pestilential gale could not

nor poison, nor magic

destroy;

who

fell

from the

spirits,

whose

life

nor incantations

loftiest heights,

foiled the elephants of the spheres

heart,

him

pierce, nor

;

unhurt; w^ho

—a son of depraved

was a perpetual

"Here", he

curse.

he cannot die, here let him live for thousands of years, at the bottom of the ocean, overwhelmed by mountains. f Accordingly, the Daityas and Danacried, "since

sovereign of the three worlds tion, and, afterwards, ^

,

in the time of the

dwarf incarna-

monarch of Patala.

With Nagapasas,

'snake -nooses';

tortuous

and twining

round the limbs, like serpents. *

Ndgahandhana, my MSS., which here seem

t In

Wilson,

I

find:

to differ

from those used by Professor

BOOK

I.,

C'HAl'.

57

XIX.

vas hurled upon Prahlacla, whilst

in

the great ocean,

ponderous rocks, and piled them over him for many thousand miles. But he, still with mind undisturbed, thus offered daily praise to Vishnu, lying at the bottom of the sea, under the mountain-heap.

cod of the lotos-eye!*

"Glory to

of spiritual things If Glory to thee, soul of

Glory

thee,

Glory to thee, most excellent

to thee, wielder of the

all

worlds!

Glory to

sharp discus!

Brahmans and To Brahma, creates

the best of Brahmans;t to the friend of

of kine; to Krishna, the preserver of the world!

Govinda be glory! To him who, as who, in its existence, is its preserver; be praise! To thee, who, at the end of the Kalpa,

the universe;

takest the form of Rudra; to thee,

adoration!

demons,

Thou, Achyuta,

saints,

serpents,

who

art triform;

art the gods,

be

Yakshas,

choristers and dancers of

men, animals, birds, inand stones, earth, water, fire,

heaven, goblins, evil spirits, sects, reptiles, plants,

sky, wind, sound, touch, taste, colour, flavour, mind,

and the qualities (of nature). Thou and the chief object of them all.§ Thou art knowledge and ignorance, truth and falsehood, poison and ambrosia. Thou art the performance and intellect, soul, time,

art all these,

* i"

*

Pundarikdksha.

Purushottama.

Brahmanyadeva.

^nfr^f^^ ^Tg: ^^^^^T T^:

II

VISHNU PUHANA.

58

discontinuance of acts:^ thou art the acts which the

Vedas

enjoin.'^

all acts,

Thou

Thou, Vishnu, who might and goodness, tures, in

all

art the soul of

Thy

acts of piety.

all

art the enjoyer of the fruit of

and the means by which they are accomplished.

worlds.

is

all,

art the fruit of

universal diffusion, indicating

me,

in

Holy

others, in

in

ascetics meditate

pious priests sacrifice to thee.f

Thou

crea-

all

on thee:

alone, identical

with the ofods and the fathers of mankind, t receivest

The universe is thy whence proceeded thy subtile form, world. Thence art thou all subtile elements and

burnt offerings and oblations.^ intellectual form,'' this

elementary beings, and the subtile principle, that called soul, within them.

Hence the supreme

objects, distinguished as subtile or gross,

all

is

soul of

which is is even

imperceptible, and which cannot be conceived,

a form of thee. Glory be to thee, Purushottama!

glory to that imperishable form, which, soul of

And

all,

is

another manifestation* of thy might, the asylum of

all

^

Acts of devotion

— sacrifices,

oblations, observance of rules

— opposed

of purification, alms-giving, and the like

contemplative worship, which dispenses with the -

Havya and Kavya,

latter, to the Pitris.

product of nature,

'

Mahat, the

*

The preceding passage was addressed

itual nature of the

supreme being. This

essence, his other energy, '^'qjj

JT^Tl t There I

Pitris.

is

and

oblations of ghee or oiled butter; the

former presented to the gods, the first

to ascetic

ritual.

^ f^Tl ^

-^^

intellect.

is

l^flfi'.

to the

Purusha or

spir-

addressed to his material I

that is,

%^f^ft ^"^T^

to

Pradhana.

II

nothing, in the orioinal, answering to "holy" and "pious".

BOOK qualities, existing in

all

59

CHAl'. XIX.

T..

creatures!

1

salute her,

the

supreme goddess, who is beyond the senses; whom the mind, the tongue, cannot define; who is to be distinguished alone by the wisdom of the truly wise.'^' Om! Salutation to Vasudeva: to him who is the eternal lord: he from whom nothing is distinct; he who is distinct from all! Grlory be to the great spirit, again and again; to him who

who,

sole, is to

be

is

without name or shape;

known by

adoration ;f

whom,

in

the forms manifested in his descents upon earth, the dwellers in heaven adore! For they behold not his

supreme deity Vishnu, who, seated internally, beholds the good and ill of all. Glory to that Vishnu, from whom this world is not distinct! May he, ever to be meditated upon as the beguming of the universe, have inscrutable nature.t I glorify the

the universal witness,

compassion upon me!

1T^^\

May

he, the supporter of

^rtTT^^^XllR:

I

^^ ^^3:|f^ ^»T% 5^tT3TT^

t^JIigf^»tli

fT#

^^3^

II

^^T(3T^5rr

^T?r^ ^?TW

t

Param

irf^T^nj ^"rarrrt

^^T^# ^^frw ^m^r% rujpam.

rr^

i

f t^t

^fT(Ji%

I

ii

all,

in

:

VISHNU PUHANA.

60

whom

everything

is

warped and woven, ^ undecaying, me! Glory, again

imperishable, have compassion upon

are; to

all

proceeds;

him whom

and through things.

am

is all,

All things are in

spirit of the

Supreme.

soul, that

end of

all.

^^r{

who

me, who am

everlasting.

I

undecayable, ever-enduring, the receptacle of the

preme

'

I,

whom

whom

all returns, from and in whom all things also, am! For he is everywhere, all things are from me. I am all

and again, to that being to

whom

Or, rather,

'

is

woven

Brahma

before

as the

all

is

my

is

su-

after the

warp and woof

meaning 'woven by the long threads',

cross threads.'

name; the

things, that

and

iftfTi

'l>y

the

CHAPTER Vishnu appears

to Prahlada.

conciled to his son: he

fruit of

Thus

\isii.'iu

is

re-

as the Nri-

his posterity:

hearing his story.

upon Vishnu, as identical with his Prahlada became as one with him, and

meditatiiig

spirit,

finally

put to death by

Prahlada becomes king of the Daityas:

siiiiha.

own

is

XX.

Hiranyakasipu relents, and

regarded himself as the divinity.

entirely his

own

individuality,

He

forgot

and was conscious of

nothing else than his being the inexhaustible, eternal,

supreme

soul; and, in

consequence of the efficacy of the imperishable Vishnu,

this conviction of identity,

whose essence is wisdom, became present in his heart, which was wholly purified from sin. As soon as, through the force of his contemplation,* Prahlada had become one with Vishnu, the bonds f with which he was bound burst instantly asunder; the ocean was violently uplifted and the monsters of the deep were ;

alarmed; earth, with

all

her forests and mountains,

trembled and the prince, putting aside the rocks which the demons had piled upon him, came forth from out ;

When he beheld the (outer) world again, and contemplated earth and heaven, he remembered who he was, and recognized himself to be Prahlada. And again he hymned Purushottama, who is without beginning or end; his mind being steadily and undeviatingly addressed to the object of his prayers, and

the main.

his speech, thoughts, * •}

Yoga.

Uragabandha.

and

acts being firmly

under con-

VISHNU PURANA.

62

"Om! Glory

to the end of all*: to thee, lord, and substantial; mutable and immutable; perceptible and imperceptible; divisible and indivisible; indefinable and definable; the subject of

trol.

who

art subtile

attributes, and void of attributes; abiding in qualities, though they abide not in thee; morphous and amorphous; minute and vast; visible and invisible; hideousness and beauty; ignorance and v^isdom; cause and effect; existence and non-existence; comprehending all that is good and evil; essence of perishable and im-

perishable elements; asylum of luideveloped rudiments!

thou

who

cause of

all,

both one and many, Vasudeva,

art

manifest and hidden;

and

snuill;

and

art not all beings;

who

thou

glory be unto thee!

who

first

art large

art all beings,

and from whom, although

dis-

dinct from universal cause, the universe proceeds: to thee,

Purushottama, be

Whilst, with

nounced *

mind

all

glory !"f

intent on Vishnu, he thus pro-

his praises, the divinity, clad in yellow robes,

Paramdrthdrtha.

^WT^^ ^(TT^ci

^T'feTTT f%^WT(3I^>!rf^T

^IT^^ ^C^l? "^^T^^

^f^^t? '^^•^ •^^^^^^li{^^^ H'chMcJt

^?fr^

ii

^?T^«t ^T^^^Tt^WTTW^T,

^: ^ajnffr

w

^^

^^^fT:

5^^tt^t2i

i

II

I

II

II

BOOK

63

CHAP. XX.

L,

Startled at the sight,

suddenly appeared before him.

with hesitating speech, Prahlada pronounced repeated salutations to Vishnu,

worldly grief,

all

and

"0

said:

thou

who removest

be propitious unto me!

Kesava,

Again sanctify me, Achyuta, by thy sight." The deity am ])leased with the faithful attachment

rephed: "I

Demand from me,

thou hast shown to me.

Prahhida,

whatever thou desirest." Prahlada replied: "In all the thousand births through which I may be doomed to pass, may my faith in thee, Achyuta, never know decay.* May passion, as fixed as that which the worldly-minded feel for sensual pleasures, ever animate

my

Bhagavat an-

heart, always devoted unto thee."

swered: "Thou hast, already, devotion unto me, and ever shalt have it. Now choose some boon, whatever

Prahlada then said: "I have been

thy wish."

in

is

hated for that

Do

I

assiduously proclaimed thy praise.

lord, pardon, in

thou,

my

father, this sin that

Weapons have been hurled

hath committed.

he

against

have been thrown into the flames; I have been by venomous snakes; and poison has been mixed with my food; I hav^e been bound and cast into the sea; and heavy rocks have been heaped upon me. beside, has been wrought But all this, and whatever

me;

I

bitten

iill,

against

me; whatever wickedness has been done

me, because

I

put

my

mercy, has been suffered by To

commentator

t:I'?^TTT''§T^ the

Instead of ^JTirf^T'

•

Achyuta.

There

is

^^^

a

reads

pun

me

qxf%
here.

unharmed.

prefers TJ"?;;^!^'^

^"'^

f°^"

to

through thy

faith in thee; all,

;

And do

and he remarks:

^TT^ ^fl^^^-

VISHNU I'URANA.

64

thou, therefore, free

To

my

father from this iniquity."

"AH

this apphcation Vishnu rephed:

my favour.

unto thee, through

Demand

boon.

fulfilled

I

my

Prahlada an-

have been

lord,

desires,

by the boon that thou hast granted

faith in thee shall

never

know

be

this shall

give thee another

son of the Asura."

it,

said: "All

swered and

But

decay.

,

my

that

Wealth, virtue,

love are as nothing: for even liberation is in his reach whose faith is firm in thee, root of the universal world."

Vishnu

"Since thy heart

said:

is

filled,

immovably,

me, thou shalt, through my blessing, attain freedom from existence." Thus saying, Vishnu vanished from his sight; and Prahlada repaired to his with trust

in

and bowed down before him. His father kissed forehead,^ and embraced him, and shed tears, and said: "Dost thou live, my son?" And the great Asura repented of his former cruelty, and treated

father,

him on the

him with kindness. And Prahlada,

fulfilling his duties

like any other youth, continued dihgent in the service of his preceptor and his father. After his father had been put to death by Vishnu, in the form of the manlion,''^

'

Prahlada became the sovereign of the Daityas;

'having smelt his forehead.'

Literally,

had occasion

to

I

have elsewhere

observe this practice: Hindu Theatre, Vol.

II.,

p. 45. 2 Here is another instance of that brief reference to popular and prior legends, which is frequent in this Puraria. The manlion Avatara is referred to in several of the Puranas; but I have

met with the story said that

in detail only in the

Bhagavata.

Hiranyakasipu asks his son, why,

where, he assembled.

is

if

there

It is

Vishnu

is

every-

not visible in a pillar in the hall where they are

He

then rises, and strikes the column with his

fist;

:

BOOK

I.,

65

CHAP. XX.

and, possessing the splendours of royalty consequent on which, Vishnu, a

man,

issues

form which

in a

from

and a

it,

ranyakasipu's being torn to pieces. not, in all particulars, the

is

neither wholly a lion nor

is

which ends

conflict ensues,

Even

same

in

Hi-

this account,* therefore,

as the popular version of the

story.

*

Bhdgavafa-purdna

VII.,

8,

Oui,

tii

,

12-30.

Burnouf's translation of

it is

as

qui

te

follows

"Hiraiiyaka^ipu

dit:

vantes ainsi outre mesure; car

veux certainemeut mourir, est confus,

il

6 insense,

ceux qui toucbent au moment de leur mort. "Et celui que tu nommes le souveraiu du monde, s'il y avait un autre souveraiu que moi, oii est-il?

le

toi

langage de

o miserable, et

comma

est partout,

s'il

pourquoi ne parait

il pas dans cette colonne? "Orgueilleux, je te separerai la tete du corps: en ce jour ce Hari qui est ton appui desire.

"Narada

Apres

dit:

avoir insulte

qu'il

plusieurs

ainsi

paroles son

protege done

te

fois

par de

dures

fils, ce grand serviteur de Bhagavat I'Asura furieux, tirant son poignard, s'elanc^a du haut de son siege, et usant de toute sa force, il frappa la colonne du poing. ,

"Au meme I'enveloppe

instant

en

il

et des autres Dieux, leur

"Au moment entendit

ce

ou

un rugissenient

sortit

de I'cpuf du monde, fit

terrible, qui

fit

eclater

et qui s'elevant jusqu'au sejour d'Adja

croire a I'aneantissement de leurs palais.

de sa vigueiir, I'Asura, qui voulait tuer son

fier

rugissement

inouT,

tremble les chefs des Asuras,

il

fils,

au bruit duquel avaient

merveilleux,

en chercha, mais en vain,

la

cause dans

I'assemblee.

"Alors, pour

justifier

residait en realite

semblee au centre de ni celle

ce

qu'avait

au sein de tous la

dit

son

les etres,

serviteur et prouver qu'il le

Dieu apparut dans

I'as-

colonne, sous une forme merveilleuse, qui n'etait

d'un homme, ui celle d'un animal.

"Regardant de colonne, Ce n'est

tous les cotes

cet

ctre

qui sortait du

milieu

de

la

un animal, ni un homme [se dit-il] ah! que peut etre cette etonnante forme d'homme et de lion? "Pendant qu'il reflechissait, le Dieu a la forme d'homme et de lion s'elau(,'a devant lui, terrible, ayant des yeux rouges comme I'or bruni au feu, un visage dont une criniere epaisse et herissee augmentait ni

;

I'ampleur,

"De

larges

poignard, des II.

defenses, sourcils

une langiie trancliante qui fronces qui rendaient son

s'agitait

comme un

visage eflrayaut, des 5

VISHNU PURANA.

66

upon

exercised extensive sway, and was

his piety,

oreilles raides et dressees,

une bouche d'une profoiideur merveilleuse

et

seniblable a une caveriie, des narines elargies et des niachoires qui s'en-

tr'ouvraient d'une inaniere horrible. "II touchait au ciel; son col etait gros et court, sa poitrine large, sa

comme

les

rayons

developpaient autour de

lui

comme

taille

ramassee, son corps parseiue de polls, jaunes

de

lune; ses bras nombreux

la

se

cent bataillons; ses ongles etaient de voritables armes.

"Tel

montrait

se

le

Dieu,

inabordable

Daityas et les Danavas avec toutes

ou

devant

chassant

et

armes

grand magicien qui

croit ainsi

les

lui

irresistibles qu'il possedait

empruntees, quaud I'Asura se dit: Sans doute

qu'il avait

c'est ce

les

pouvoir

me

c'est Hari,

tuer; mais ses efforts

seront vains.

"Et

aussitot,

s'elan^a

poussant un

cri,

contre Nrisimha; mais

heros des Daityas arme de sa massue

le

semblable a I'insecte qui tombe dans

feu, I'Asura disparut absorbe par la splendeur de son

"Comment

s'etonner qu'il

ait

disparu aupres du Dieu dont la Bonte

est la forme, qui dissipa jadis par sa splendeur les

Cependant

le

grand Asura,

le

ennemi.

irrite,

Tenebres [primitives]?

assailiit Niisiiiiha

en

le

frappant des

coups repetes de sa massue.

"Pendant aussi cette

qu'il

arme

combattait en brave avec sa massue, le

saisit

comme

I'oiseau

grand serpent; mais I'Asura

lui

glissant entre [les serres de]

Garuda qui

"Tons et

les

caches

fils

les

nuages,

Dieu qui porte d'un

echappa des mains, pareil au reptile se joue.

immortels habitants des cieux,

derriere

le

de Tarkcha ferait

cbasses de leurs demeures

desapprouverent cette action;

grand Asura s'imaginant que Nrihari, aux mains duquel

il

mais

le

venait d'echap-

per, redoutait sa vigueur, saisit son bouclier et son poignard, et I'attaqua

de nouveau avec une activity infatigable.

"Au moment

ou

,

impetueux comme

le

vautour,

voies du glaive, frappant sans relache en haut,

il

s'elanyait

dans

les

en bas, Ilari, poussant

un violent et terrible eclat de rire saisit avec une irresistible rapidite sou ennemi qui fermait les yeux. "Semblable au reptile qui saisit un rat, Hari s'empara de son adver,

saire,

qui

s'agitait

en tons sens dans

les

douleurs de cette etreinte; et

renversant sur sa cuisse a la porte [du palais],

il dechira en se jouant peau impenetrable a la foudre, comme Garuda dechire un serpent venimeux. "Roulant des yeux dont la fureur qui I'animait rendait I'aspcct intolerable, lechant de sa langue les coins de sa large bouche, Hari, avec

le

avec ses

sa tcte

ongles

cette

entouree d'une criniere rougie par

le

sang qui en degouttait, s'est fait une guir-

semblable au lion qui apres avoir egorge un elephant, lando de ses entrailles,

BOOK

I.,

L'lIAP.

67

XX.

At the expiration

blessed with a numerous progeny.*

of an authority which was the reward of his meritori-

ous acts,f he was freed from the consequences of moral merit or demerit,

on the

deity, final

and obtained, through meditation exemption from existence.

Such, Maitreya, was the Daitya Prahlada, the wise faithful worshipper of Vishnu, of whom you wished

and

to hear;

and such was

The

cleansed from his sins.

by

night, or

by day,

Who-

his miraculous power.

ever listens to the history of Prahlada

shall

is

immediately

iniquities that

he commits,

be expiated by once hearing,

The perusal moon, of new moon,

or once reading, the history of Prahlada. of this history on the day of

full

or on the eighth or twelfth day of the lunation, yield fruit equal to tho donation of a cow." '

^

shall

As Vishnu

The days of full and new moon are sacred with all sects The eighth and twelfth days of the lunar half-month

of Hindus.

were considered holy by the Vaishiiavas text. tlie

The

eighth maintains

its

eighth of Bh;idra being the

eleventh,

in

as appears

,

birth-day of Krishna;

more recent Vaishnava works,

as the

varta Puraiia, has taken the place of the twelfth,

more sacred than the ^ Or any solemn sacred: ter,

but

— ornaments

gift.

arme de

la imiltitude

a des glaives,

il

and

is

even

That of a cow

is

held particularly

more

costly charac-

and gold.

"Quitta son ennemi, dont et

but the

Brahma Vai-

eighth.

implies accompaniments of a

it

from the

character, in a great degree, from

niit

il

avait arrache le coeur avec ses ongles;

de ses bras secondee par des griffes semblables

a moit les serviteurs de TAsura, qui brandissant leurs

armes, se levaient par

luilliers

de tontes parts a la suite de leur maitre."

j^ifT^^ ^ ^^^^T#g^^^

^

II

t There is nothing, in the MSS. at my disposal, answering words "which was the reward of his meritorious acts".

to

the

VISHNU PUR AN A.

68

protected Prahlada in

was exposed, so constantly to the ^

The legend

all

tale.

Kurma,

of Prahlada

It

is

,

is

inserted, in detail, in the

and

in

the Hari Vanisa.

listens

Moksha Dharma

Bhaga-

Khanda of the the Vayu, Linga,

the Uttara

adverted to, more briefly, in

&c., in the

him who

^

vata and Naradiya Purarias

Padma.

the calamities to which he

shall the deity protect

of the Mahabharata, and in

CHAPTER XXL Families

of the

Daityas.

Descendants of Kasyapa by Danu,

Children of Kasyapa by his other wives.

Birth of the Maruts,

the sons of Diti.

The sons

of Samhracla,* (the son of Hiranyakasipu),

were Ayiishmat,

Sibi,

and Bashkala/f

Prahlada had

named Virochana; whose son was BaU; who had hundred sons, of whom Bana was the eldest." Hiranyaksha also had many sons, all of whom were

a son a

Daityas of great prowess :t Jharjhara,§ Saktmi, Bhii-

'

The Padraa Puraria makes

Bhagavatal!

names. brated other

It also inserts the

demons Daityas,

Nisunda, and father

these the sons of Prahlada.

says there were five sons,

in

The

does not give the

sons of Hlada; making them the cele-

Ilvala and Vatapi.

famous

but

The Vayu refers making

Paurahik legend;

to

Hlada

his

son,

Sunda and Upasunda: the former, the of Maricha and Taraka; the latter, of Muka. his

sons,

The Padma Purana and Vayu name several of these: but The latter gives the names of two daughters, who are more celebrated, Piitana and Sakuni. '

they are not of any note.

*

In p. 30, supra, the Translator prefers to call

him

Saiiihlada.

See

the two notes there.

t According to the Bhdgavata-piirdnn, VI., 18, 15, Bashkala a brother, Mahisha was son of Auuhrada and Siirmya.

— who

had

—

§ Variants of this

and Piitana. At VI., ii

18,

name

are Urjhara, Bhiirbhura, Bhiirbhuva, Karkara,

13 and 14,

it

speaks of one son of Saiiihrada, Pancha-

jana, with Kriti for his mother; and of Vatapi and Ilvala, sons ofllrada,

by Dhamani.

VISHNU PUHANA.

70

Mahanabha, the mighty-armed and the These were the sons of Diti/ The children of Kasyapa, by Danu, were Dwimurdhan, Sankara,* Ayomnkha, Sankusiras, Kapila, Sambara, Ekachakra, and anotherf mighty Taraka, Swarbhanu, Vrishaparvan Puloman, and the powerful Viprachitti. These were the renowned Danavas or tasaritapana,

vaUant Taraka.

,

sons of Dann.-

Swarbhanu had

named Prabha;^ and

a daughter

Sarmishtha^ was the daughter of Vrishaparvan, as M^ere

Upadanavi and Hayasiras.' The descendants

'

Puraria,

to

of Hirariyaksha are said,

hundred and seventy millions. Kalanabha.

Some

which also the Bhagavata,§

furnish a

cording to the Vayu, she

*

for the

The Bhagavatall makes Prabha

^

seven

is

much longer

same

most

Namuchi.

Ac-

the mother of Nahusha.

Married to Yayati, as will be related. U

*

The

text might be understood to imply that the latter

MSS. inspected

list

as in the text,

part, agrees.

the wife of

*

In two

Padma

or

copies, for Taraka, read

of names: but those of most note are the "with

the

t

The Padma and Vayu Purarias

^

in

have extended to seventy-seven crores,

the reading

is

two

Sankura.

t The Sanskrit, in the MSS. I have examined, has nothing correspondent to this word. It should seem that mention is made, in the present chapter, of only one Taraka, but of two Kalanabhas. + Only in the text accompanying what I have called the smaller commentary do I find Taraka. Elsewhere the reading is Kalanabha. § At YL, G, 21) and CO, it names Dwimiirdhan, Sambara, ArisKta,

Ayomukha, Sankusiras, Swarbhanu, Kapila, Aruna, Puloman, Vrishaparvan, Ekachakra, Anutapana, Dhiimrakesa, Yiriipaksha, and Viprachitti. Many of these names occur again at VIII., 10, 19-22. VI., 6, 31. The reading which I find is Suprabha. ^ In Book IV., Chapter X. And see the Bhdgavata-purdna, YI., 6, 31. Ilayagriva, Vibhavasn,

il

:

HOOK

I.,

71

CHAT. XXT.

two daughters, Puloiiia and Kato Kasyapa,f and bore him sixty thousand distinguished Danavas, called Paulomas and Kalakanjas,^ who were powerful, ferocious, Vaiswanara^

and

luul

who were both married

laka;*

cruel.

The sons

of Viprachitti,

by Simhika,

(the sister of

Hiranyakasipu), were Vyamsa, Salya the strong, the powerful,

Nabha

Vatapi, Namuchi, Ilvala,t Khasrima,

Anjaka,§ Naraka, and Kalanabha, the valiant Swarand the Bhagavata H has were the daughters of Vaiswanara "The four lovely daughters of Vaiswanara were Upadanavi, ;

J

The Padnia substitutes Vajra The Vayu specifies only

Hayasira, Puloma, and Kalaka."

and Sundari for the two former names.

Puloma and Kalaka our

daughters ot Vaiswanara, as does

as the

Upadanavi, according

text.

to the Bhagavata,*''' is the wife

of Hiranyaksha; and Hayasira, of Kratu.

Though not

^

he

on the Bhagavata

The word

2

habharata,

•

specified,

by the

text,

included in the catalogue of the

is

I.,

is

also read Ki'ilakas and

And

Danavas,

and the commentator

Kalakeyas.ff The Ma-

Kalakanjas.

Professor Wilson had

warrant.

:

him a son of Danu.

calls

643, has

as one of the

Vayu

"Kalika",

for

which

I

have discovered no

see the Bhdgavata-pitrdna, VI., 6, 32, et seq.

\ The original gives Marichi. X

Variants are Ilvana, Ilbana, and Itthana.

§ It appears that this I!

It

is

scarcely so,

follows:

1 "

name

if I

may

is

as often written Anjika.

confide in ^

my

MSS.; the ^,

^.

text

being as

^

VI., 6, 32. VI., 6, 33.

Kalakhanjas, as against ft The most ordinary reading is, apparently, Kalakanjas. One MS, seen by me has Kalikeyas.

VISHNU PIRANA.

72

bhanu, and the mighty Vaktrayodhiii/* These were Danavas/ through whom the race

the most eminent of

liundreds and thousands,

Danu was multiphed, by

through succeeding generations. In the family of the Daitya Prahlada, the Nivatakavachas \vere born, whose

were purified by

spirits

rigid austerity.^

Tamra '

The

(the w^ife of Kasyapa) had six ilhistrious

text omits the

or sons of Siihbika,

two most celebrated of the Saimhikeyas

Rahu

(see Vol.

I.,

148, note) and Ketn,

p.

are specified both in the Bhagavataf

who

former, as the eldest son.

Vayu,

that they

Two names

^

were

Of

and the Vayu; the

the other sons

it

is

said,

by the

by Parasurama.

all killed

of note, found in the

Vayu, are omitted by

the

Vishnu; that of Puloman, the father of Sachi, the wife of Indra, and mother of Jayanta; and Maya, the father of Vajrakama and Mahodari. ^ The Bhagavata says the Paulomas were killed by Arjuna, who, therefore, the commentator observes were the same as the Nivatakavachas. But the Mahabharata describes the destruction as of the Nivjitakavachas, and of the Paulomas and Kalakeyas ,

,

the successive exploits of Arjuna. story

is

8:

I.,

633.

The

narrated in detail only in the Mahabharata, which

consequently, occurs.

Vana Parvan,

prior

According

to to

all

that

the Purarias

in

is,

which the allusion

work, the Nivatakavachas were Da-

number of thirty millions, residing in the depths of the sea; and the Paulomas and Kalakanjas Avere the children of two Daitya dames, Puloma and Kalaka, inhabiting Hirai'iyapura, navas, to the

the golden

•

city, floating in

the

air.

Vakrayodhin occurs in three MSS. that

The B/idyavata- purdna 71. eldest-born of the Ketns, who were t

,

,

6, :i

I

have seen,

35, speaks of

hundred

in

Rahu

nnnil)ev:

as being the

BOOK

named

daughters,

vuw,

r„

73

xxr.

Suki, Syeni, Bhasi, Sugrivi, Suchi,

and Gridhrika. Suki gave birth to parrots, owls, and crows :^ Syeni, to hawks; Bhasi, to kites; Gfidhri,"" to vultures; Suchi, to water-fowl; Sugrivi, to horses,

Such were the progeny of Tamra.

camels, and asses.

Vinata bore to Kasyapa two celebrated sons, Garuda

and Aruna. The former, king of the feathered

The

children

of Surasa were a thousand mighty

serpents, traversing the sky.^

All the copies read

^

which should

be, 'Suki bore parrots;

But Uluki

of owls.' of

was the

and the remorseless enemy

^

of the serpent race.

many-headed

also called Suparna,

tribes,

Tamra: and

may

the reading

and birds opposed

and Uluki, the several sorts

nowhere named

is

to owls',

i.

e.,

as one of the daughters

be ^^TTf^^chcfiT^ it 'Owls crows. The authorities generally

But the Vayu has a somewhat different account, or: Suki, married to Garuda, the mother of parrots; Syeni, married to Aruna, mother of Sampati and Jatayu; Bhasi, concur with our

text.

the mother of jays, owls, crows, peacocks, pigeons, and fowls;

Kraunchi, rashtri,

tlie

parent of curlews, herons, cranes; and Dhrita-

the mother of geese, ducks, teal, and other water-fowl.

three last are also called the wives of Garuda.

The

Most of the Puranas agree in this account. But the Bhagamakes Vinata the wife of Tarksha, and, in this place, subThe Vayu adds stitutes Saranui, + the mother of wild animals. -

vata

the metres

Padma ^

•

of the Vedas, as the daughters of Vinata; and the

gives her one daughter, Saudamini.

The

dra2;ons of

modern

fable.

Anayus (or Danayus)

is

Professor Wilson put "Gridhrika".

MSS. that I have examined. in the BhdKasyapa; and Garuda is said gavata-purdna, VI,, 6, 22 -to be his son by Suparna. Vide supra, p. 28, note fi, and my extract, there given, from the Bhdgavaia-purdna, t This reading actually occurs in two I

Tarksha

is

a

name

of

—

VISHNU I'URANA.

74

The progeny of Kadrii were a thousand powerful many-headed serpents, of immeasurable might, subject to Garuda;^" the chief amongst whom were Sesha, Vasuki, Takshaka, Sankha, Sweta, Mahapadma, KamAswatara, Elapatra, Naga, Karkotaka, Dhananjaya,

bala,

and many other

The family

fierce

and venomous serpents.^

of Krodhavasa were,

all,

sharp-toothed

monsters,^ whether on the earth, amongst the birds, or in the waters, that were devourers of flesh, ^f Vayu, and in one of the accounts The Bhagavata says§ Rakshasas were her oft-

substituted for Surasii, in the

Padma.

of the

t

The Matsya has both Surasa and Anayus; making

spring.

former the parent of

all

quadrupeds, except cows; the

the

latter, the

mother of diseases.

The Vayu names

'

the most noted

forty;

addition to those of the text,

in

amongst whom,

Airavata,

are

Dhfitarashtra,

Mahanila, Balahaka, Anjana, Pushpadan'ishtra, Durraukha, Kaliya, Puiidarika, Kapila, Nahusha, and Marii.

By

'

(^f^^) some

Dan'ishtrin

Rakshasas: but, by

tlie

seem intended.

fishes

understand

serpents;

The Vayu makes Krodhavasa

of twelve daughters, Mi'igi and others, from

whom

the mother

j

all

wild ani-

mals, deer, elephants, monkeys, tigers, lions, dogs, also reptiles, ^

• •}-

a half-stanza here:

inserts

"Krodha was

Suparna, in the original.

me

All the

MSS. accessiWe

"Know

thus her irascilile brood", &c.

Kadrii that

Vide stipra,

§ It |]

fishes,

and Bhiitas and Pistichas, or goblins, sprang.

One copy only

It is +

some,

context, carnivorous animals, birds, and

p.

says— VI.,

According

to

is

referred to

26, note

(),

to

;

read as follows:

and there

is

no mention of "Krodhavasa".

1.

28— Yatudhanas.

These are

the Bhdgavata-purdna

,

a sort of goblins

VI., 6, 27,

other reptiles were offspring of Krodhavasa.

the

serpents

(?).

and

BOOK

I.,

75

CHAP. xxr.

was the mother of cows and l»iit!aloes;^ and creeping plants, and shrubs, and every kind of grass; Khasa, of the Yakshas^ and Rakshasas; Muni, of the Apsarasas;^ and Arishta, of the Sui-abhi

Ira,* of trees,

ilhistrious

Gandharvas.

the mother of the Pisachas";t which

is

an interpolation, appa-

from the Matsya or Hari Vamsa. The Padma Puraha, second legend, makes Krodha the mother of the Bhutas and

rently

,

;

Pisacha, of the Pisachas.

Eudras, of the bull of Siva, and of two

has, of the eleven

daughters,

Rohini and Gandharvi; from the former of

descended horned

The

says, of animals with cloven hoofs.

The Bhagavata+

^

Vayu

cattle, and,

from the

whom

latter, horses.

According to the Vayu, Khasa had two sons, Yaksha and Rakshas, severally the progenitors of those beings. ^ The Padma, second series makes Vach the mother of both ,

Apsarasas and Gandharvas.

The Vayu has long

lists

of the

names

of both classes, as well as of Vidyadharas and Kimnaras.

The

Apsarasas are distinguished as of two kinds, Laukika, 'worldly', of whom thirty-four are specified; and Daivika or 'divine', ten

The

number.

in

engaged

in

furnish

latter

Menaka, Sahajanya,

as

the individuals most frequently

the interruption of the penances of holy sages, such

Piirvachitti.

Urvasi

is

daughter of Narayaha.

Ghi'itachi

,

Pramlocha, Viswachi, and being the

of a different order to both,

Rambha, Tilottama,

Misrakesi, are in-

There are also fourteen cluded amongst the Laukika nymphs. Gaiias or troops of Apsarasas, bearing peculiar designations, as Ahiitas, Sobhayantis, Vegavatis,

&c.§

* See my third note in p 26, supra. recognized t I find it in several MSS.; and it occurs in the text as by the smaller commentary. It is in these words:

But three copies have, instead :

VI., 6, 26.

§

See the note at the end of

of

sR^^T

this chapter.

"5,

1T^ ^

I

VISHNU PURANA.

76

These were the children of Kasyapa, whether movable or stationary, whose descendants multiplied infinitely

through successive generations/

Brahman, took place

tion,

This crea-

in the (second or)

Swa-

rochisha Manwantara. In the (present or) Vaivaswata

Brahma being engaged

Manw^antara,

at the great sacri-

by Varuna, the creation of progeny, as occurred. For he begot, as his sons, the

fice instituted it is

called,

who were, formerly, mind-engendered, and was, himself, the grandsire of the Gandharvas, serpents, gods, and Danavas.^

seven Rishis,

The Kiirma, Matsya, Brahma, Linga, Agni, Padma, and Vayu Puranas agree, generally, with our text, in the description The Vayu enters most into of Kasyapa's wives and progeny. '

details, different

and contains very long catalogues of the names of the The Padma and characters descended from the sage.

Matsya, and the Hari Vaiiisa, repeat the story, but admit several variations,

to in the preceding

some of which have been adverted

notes. ^

and

We it

have a considerable variation, here,

may

be doubted

if

in the

the allusion in the text

explained by either of the versions. In one

it is

commentary; is

accurately

said that 'Brahma,

the grandsire of the Gandharvas, &c., appointed the seven Rishis,

who were

born

in a

former Manwantara, to be his sons,

be the intermediate agents in creation. beings himself,

being

engrossed

by the

He

created no

sacrificial

or to

other

ceremony:'

Instead of "putratwe", 'in the state of sons', the reading

is,

the character of fathers', that

is,

sometimes, "pitratwe",

'in

Thus, the gods and the rest, who, in a former Manwantara, originated from Kasyapa, were created, in the to all other beings.

present period, as the offspring of the seven Rishis.

The

other

explanation agrees with the preceding, in ascribing the birth of

BOOK Diti,

having

lost

77

CHAP. XXI.

I.,

her children, propitiated Kasyapa;

creatures to the intermediate agency of the seven Risliis, but

all

calls

them the actual sons of Brahma, begotten,

Varuha,

of

'5R'f^
Xff^

modern

^^J

authority for the story

'^^'^^

'

I

being in other Puraiias

its

"^^

the sacrificial fire:

in

"cr?^TWT«TnC^

,

The

mystification.

member

latter

is

"^fft"

^T^^«T

not given, be}ond

I*

I

at the saci'ifice

cT"^

the air of a

^^^^

of

passage

the

is

separated altogether from the foregoing, and carried on to what follows; thus:

"In the war of the Gandharvas, serpents, gods,

and demons, Diti having

lost

her

children",

&c.

;

the

word

This f^'^^j ^fTJ ^^ is defended by the authority of the Hari Varhsa, where the passage occurs, word for word, except in the last half-stanza, Avhich, 'virodha' being understood,

it

said:

is

|

instead of

occurs

The *

by M. Langlois:! 'Le

parallel passages are thus rendered

The

mentary;

Sanskrit extract, in this note,

first

this

is

from the smaller com-

one, from the larger.

The passage annotated

%^^% ^

is

as follows:

TTffr[

^T^% f^Tm

^ffr

11

5^ cfi^^^^ ^^^^ fxTrn^WTJ^^^frnJI^m^t ^T^^"Rt t Harivamsa, 238.

+

is

Vol.

I.,

pp. 22

But the Calcutta

and

23.

The

^

I

Wt{^

II

edition has, in place of

original

— i/anrnwA'a

,

236 and 237 —

as follows:

T^T

?T^^

%^^% g

HTfT

^:

^T"frf^'% ^fTI

^ff^ ^T^% f^rm

^ctYiI

^•I'^TTI

I

78

VISHNU TIRANA.

and the best of

ascetics, being pleased

with her, pro-

mised her a boon; on which she prayed for a son of irresistible prowess and valour, who should destroy

The

Indra.

Muni granted

excellent

his wife the great

she had solicited, but wdtli one condition.

gift

he said, "who

shall bear a son",

shall slay

"You

Indra;*

if,

with thoughts wholly pious, and person entirely pure,

you carefully carry the babe m your womb for a hundred years." Having thus said, Kasyapa departed.

And

dame conceived, and, during

the

gestation, assi-

duously observed the rules of mental and personal purity.

Whenf

the king of the immortals learnt that

Diti bore a son destined for his destruction, he

came

to

her, and attended upon her with the utmost humility,

watching for an opportunity to disappoint her intention.

At

the last year of the century, the op-

last, in

portunity occurred.

Diti retired, one night, to rest,

without performing the prescribed ablution of her

and his

asleep; on

portions.

t

The

thus mutilated, cried bitterly;

child,

Manou Swarotchicha

avait cesse de regner

eut lieu: c'etait sous I'empire du

de Varouria avait commence.

Brahma, quand sacrifice,

et

il

jugea

qu'il

que, souverain

dans sa pensee

*

feet,

which the thunderer divided, with thunderbolt, the embryo in her womb into seven fell

et

La

quand

cette creation

premiere creation

etait

ai'eul

,

Manou Vevaswata,

le sacrifice

fut celle

de

temps de proceder a son

du monde,

il

enfanta les sept Brahmarchis.'

In the original, Sakra.

t Here the Sanskrit inserts the name of Maghavat.

forma lui-nieme

BOOK

79

CHAl'. XXI.

I.,

and Indra* repeatedly attempted to console and silence

On

but in vain.

it,

the god, being incensed, again

^yllich

divided each of the seven portions hito seven, and thus formed the swift- moving deities called Maruts

They derived

(winds).

this appellation

from the words

with which Indraf had addressed them

(ma

rodih,

'weep not'); and they became forty-nine subordinate wielder of the thunder-

divinities, the associates of the

bolt.':

This legend occurs

'

of Kasyapa's family

*

in all those

Puranas

whidi the account

in

is related.

Sakra, in the Sanskrit.

t Tlie original has Maghavat. I Since the publication of his dwelt ties,

Vishnu -purd/'ia,

Professor AVilson has

length on the Maruts, repeating, besides, from Hindu authori-

at

the various etymologies of the word that have been proposed.

"The

text of the Veda,

one remarkable passage in the

in

first

book,

recognizes a difterence of degree in the relative dignity of the gods, and

even

enunciating

age;

their

in

to the

young, and

portant share

of adoration

lesser,

to Indra,

— involving

veneration

tion

Vayu; but

with Indra,

The Maruts, on and

with

Pri.'sui,

and

to the

an im-

— the

said of him,

is

whom

he

is

identified

Maruts, or Winds, who

We

have, indeed, a god of and that chiefly in associaby scholiasts on the Veda.

the contrary, are frequently addressed as the attendants

allies of Indra,

aiding

little

great gods,

the lesser gods,

enjoyed by a group avowedly subordinate

is

an obvious allegory,

are naturally associated with the firmament.

the wind, in

the

to

Among

to the old.

confederated with

encouraging

him

exertions.

in

the battle with Vritra, and

They

are

the sons

called

of

and also Rudras, or sons of Rudra: the meaning

or the earth,

of which affiliations

his

is

not very clear, although, no doubt,

it

is

allegori-

on some occasions, withAgni; an obvious metaphor, expressing the action of wind upon fire. It is also intimated that they were, originally, mortal, and became immortal in consequence cal.

They

are also associated,

of worshipping Agni, which

is

also easy of explanation.

Their share in

the production of rain, and their fierce and impetuous nature, are figurative

representations

of physical

phenomena.

The

scholiast

endeavours

to connect the history of their origin with that narrated in the Purai'ias,

;

80

VISHNU rURANA.

but without success; and the latter, absurd as it is, seems to have no better foundation than one proposed etymology of the name, 'Do not (md) weep (rodi/l)', which is merely fanciful, although it is not much

—

—

worse than other explanations

name which commentators have

of the

Translation of the Rig-veda, Vol.

suggested."

Introduction, pp.

I.,

XXXIl

and XXXIII. " The scholiast here proposes various etymologies of the name Marut, some of which are borrowed from Yaska, Nir., 11, i;j. They sound having attained mid-heaven (mitain) ; or, They (ruvanti, from i'u) sound without measure (amitam); or. They shine (from ruch) in the clouds made (mitam) by themselves; or, They hasten (dravanti) in the ,

sky.

All

Vedas, is

the

the minor divinities that people the mid-air are said, in the

Maruts, as

to be styled

middle heaven

troops (of demigods),

the

,

'AH

in the text:

Sayana

are Maruts'.

females whose station

masculine Vayu

all-pervading

cites the

also

and

all

the

Pauranik

tra-

,

dition of the birth of the forty-nine Maruts, in seven troops, as the sons

of Kasyapa."

"The

Vol.

Ibid.,

by the scholiast: 'After

for

told

in

p. 225, note.

I.,

paternity of Rudra, with respect to the Maruts,

the Puraiias,

they

is thus accounted under the circumstances were beheld in deep affliction by Siva and

their birth

from

Diti,

The latter said to the me, transform these lumps of flesh into boys. Mahesa accordingly made them boys of like form, like age, and similarly accoutred, and gave them to Parvati, as her sons; whence they are The NUi-manjari adds other legends one, called the sons of Rudra' Parvati,

as

they were passing sportively along.

former: If you

love

;

that Parvati, hearing

the lamentations

the shapeless births forms; telling that

of Diti,

them not

to

entreated Siva to give

weep (md rodiH): another,

he actually begot them, in the form of a bull, on Prithivi, the

earth, as a cow.

These stories are, evidently, fictions of a much later being borrowed, if not fabricated, from the

era than that of the Vedas;

Tantras, and explain

the

may

be set aside, without hesitation, as utterly failing to

meaning of those passagas

in

the

Vedas

which

call

the

Maruts the sons of Rudra." Ibid., Vol. I., p 302, fourth note. "According to another text, there are seven troops of the Maruts, making up the usual number of forty-nine each consisting of seven ,

suggesting, most probably, rather than suggested by, the absurd legend

given in the Puranas."

Ibid.,

Vol.

Note referred

The following account

of the

III.,

p.

328, second note.

to at p. 75, sui)ra.

Apsarases

is

taken from Goldstiicker's

Sanskrit Dictionary, pp. 222 and 223:

"The Sdma-veda makes no mention such, Urvasi, (the

Anukram.

of

them; the Rig-veda names, as

of the Aig-v.,

two Apsarasas Sikhanflini, as

BOOK

I.,

authoresses of a hymn); in the

CHAP.

XXL

81

Vdjasan.-s. of the Yajur-veda there occur

— Punjikasthala

and Kratusthala, Menaka and Viswachi and Ghritachi, Urvasi and Purvachilti; in the Satapatha-br., Sakiintala and Urvasi; in the Atharva-veda, Ugrampasya, Ugrajit, and Rasht'rabhrit. In the Adiparvan of the Mahdbhdrata, several of these divinities are enumerated under two heads, the first comprising Anuchana {v. I. Aniina, another of Apsarases,

pairs

five

Sahajanya,

Pramloelianti

and Anunilocbanti,

MS., Annua), Anavadya, {v.

I.

Ganavara), Adrika

Gunamukhya {v.

(v.

/.

Priyamukhya), Gunavara

Soma

Attika),

I.

(v.

/.

Sachi), Misrakesi,

Alambusha, Marichi, Suchika («. /. Ishuka), Vidyutparua, Tilottama (v. I. Tula and Anagha), Ambika, Lakshai'ui, Kshema, Devi, ilambha, Manorama [v. I. Manohara: or devi 'divine' and manorama (or manohard) 'beautiful' are, {v.

I.

Rambha]

perhaps, epithets of

Kamya, and Saradwati;

second

the

Menaka, Sahajanya, Kariiika (v.

I.

,

Asita, Subahii, Supriya, Vapus

Suvapus), Pundarika, Sugandha, Surasa

{v.

I.

(v.

I.

Suratha), Pramathini,

comprising the following eleven: Punjikasthala,

Pariiiui),

Viswachi, Piirvachitti

Kratusthala), Ghritachi,

{v.

I.

Ritusthala

Viprachitti),

Umlocha, Pramlocha {v. I. Pramla), and Urvasi. (Hemachandra mentions two Apsarases, Saudamini and Chitra. Other names, too, will occur in the following,)

"As regards Ocean, when represents

it

the

their origin,

Rdmdyana makes them

was churned, by the gods,

them

as

for obtaining the

arise

from the

Manu

Amrita;

one of the creations of the seven Manus, themselves

created by the seven Prajapatis, Marichi, Atri, &c.; in the later mythology,

they are daughters of Kasyapa by Muni

(e.

g.,

according to the

Vishnu

and Bhdgav.-pur.), or by Vach (according to the Padma-p.), or some by Muni, some by Pradha; while a third class is created by the mere will of Kasyapa. Thus, according to the Harivamsa, the daughters of K. and Pradha are Anavadya, Aniika, Aniina (u. /. Aruiia), Aruiiapriya, Anuga, Subhaga, (two names seem omitted); of K. and Muni, Alambusha, Misrakesi, Puiidarika, Tilottama, Suriipa, Lakshmaua, Kshema,

Rambha, Manorama (or 'the beautiful Rambha'), Asita, Subahii, Suvritta, Sumukhi, Supriya, Sugandha, Surasa {v. I. Surama), Pramathini, Kamya {v. I. Kasya), and Saradwati. Those created by the will of the Prajapati, and called the Vaidik Apsarases, are Menaka, Sahajanya, Pariiini («. I.

Pariiika), Punjikasthala, Ghfitasthala, Ghritachi, Viswachi, Urvasi,

locha, Pramlocha, and Manovati.

The two

Rig-v. are also daughters of K.).

Another and more elaborate

Anum-

Sikhaiidinis of the Anukr. of the list is

that

Vdyu-purdna. [It is omitted in two E. I. H. MSS, of this P., and very incorrect in four other MSS. that I consulted, belonging, severally, of the

to the E.

I.

H., the R. A. S.,

rakesi instead of Mitrakesi,

and the R.

S.

In

some

instances, as Mis'-

Punjikasthala for Punjakastana, Kratusthala

for Vritastana, &c., the correction appeared safe; in others, to give the doubtful reading.] II.

it

was preferable

This Puraiia mentions, in the 6

first

place,

;

VISHNU PURANA.

82 thirty-four Apsarases,

the Gandharva-Apsarases,

called

or

-wives of the

Gandharvas, and daughters of Kasyapa by Muni (but the MSS. in question or, if Devi and Manorama are proper names, Antachara, Dasavadya (?), Priyasishya, Surottama,

only twenty-nine,

give

thirty-one, names):

Mis'rakesi, Sachi, Piiulini

(v.

Alambusha, Marichi, Suchika,

Pari'iini),

I.

Vidyudwariia, Tilottama, Adrika, Lakshaiia(?), Devi, Rambha, the divine, beautiful Rambha), Suchara, Subahii,

(or,

Si'in'iita (?,

Manorama SiinritaV),

Akshagandha (v. I. Sugandha), Sudanta, SuHema, Saradwati, Suvi'itta, Kamalachaya, Subhuja, Hamsapada

Supratisht'hita, Puiularika, rasa,

these are called the laukiki or worldly Apsarases;

then six daughters of

Gandharvas: Suyasa, Gandharvi, Vidyavati, Aswavati, Sumukhi, Varanana;

and four daughters of Suyasa, also called Apsarases: Lauheyi, Bharata, Krisangi («;./. Kfishi'iangi), and Visala; then eight daughters of Kasyapa, by Arisht'a Anavadya, Anavasa, Atyantaniadanapriya, Suriipa, Subhaga, Bhasi, Mauovati, and Sukesi; then the daivati or divine Apsarases: Ve:

daka

{sic,

but

v.

Menaka), Sahajanya,

I.

whom

Anumlochanti,

to

Besides these, the Vdyu-i). mentions fourteen

Brahma.

the daughter of

mind {manas)

^f^'ST^)>

of 3.

duced by Agni

Brahma, the Uryas

perhaps

(?,

Vdjas.,

(cf.

The Sobhayantyas, produced by the (? the MSS.

1.

the Vegavatyas, born in heaven

2.

18, 38),

Vdjas., 18, 39), 6. the Subhanchanis,

Moon (MSS.:

Kuravas(?), by the

name

perhaps their of one MS.; is,

cf.

cf.

18, 40),

a'lfl

cf.

Vdjas.,

the Ainritas, by Amrita,

^T'^r^WTI.

4.

Urjas,

Wind

by

....

cf.

Vcijas.,

the Ayuvatyas, (cf.

-^^T^

18, 41),

by the Sun

Vdjas., 18, 41),

%^T% ^T^:

6.

pro(cf.

the

^*IT:;

Bhekurayas, as occurring also in another passage

is

Vdjas.,

perhaps, Stavas,

haps, Esht'ayas, 9.

Punjikasthala, Kratu-

are added Urvasi, born from the thigh of Naruyai'ia, and Menaka,

ganas or classes of Apsarases:

name

Pari'iini,

Purvachitti, Pramlocha,

sthala, Ghritachi, Yiswachi,

7.

the Subhas(?), by Sacriiice (? their

Vdjas., 18, 42),

10.

8.

the

Vahnayas

(? per-

and Sdmanverses, the Mudas, by Water; (three MSS. have

18, 43),

by

the Rich

one MS., '^T'^f'TWTo which, however, must be corrected

"^"ra^TI occurs under 5; cf. Vdjas., 18, 38), by the Earth, 12. the Ruchas, by Lightning, 13. the Bhairavas, by Death (cf. Vdjas., 24, 37), and 14. the Soshayantyas, by Love: (this list is, probably, meant by the author of the Kddainbari, to

^T^rtTWT

'

1

since

11. the Bhavas(?),

who

— ed.

Calc,

but, in fact,

ksha).

but

p.

122

— professes

names only

The Ilarivaihsa

to

give fourteen classes of Apsarases,

thirteen; fathering, moreover, one class on Da(v.

without naming them.

6798) speaks of seven ganas of Apsarases,

Vyadi, as quoted in a comm. on Hema-

chandra, mentions an Apsaras Piabhavati, as born from a hole

in

the

Brahma, Vedavati, as born from an altar-ground, Sulochana, from Yama, Urvasi, from the left thigh of Vishnu, Rambha, from the mouth of Brahma, Chitralekha, from his ground

for receiving the fire consecrated

hand, and, from

his head,

to

Mahachilta, Kakalika

,

Marichi, Suchika, Vi-

BOOK

I.,

83

CHAP. XXI.

dyutpania, Tilottama, Adrika, Lakshana, Ksheraa, the divine and beautiful

Rama

(or Divya, llama,

Manorama), Ilema, Sugandha, Suvasu, Subahii,

Suvrata, Asita, Saradwati, Puiularika, Surasa, Siinrita, Suvata, Kaniala,

Hanisapadi, Sumukhi, Menaka, Sahajanya, Fan'iini. Punjikastliala, Ritusthala, Ghritachi,

and Viswachi.

"Originally, these

divinities

seem

have been personifications of the

to

vapours which are attracted by the Sun, and form into mist or clouds. Their character

where mention

may is

be thus interpreted in the few

made

hymns

At a subsequent

of them.

of the liig-veda

period,

when

the

—

Gandharva of the Rig-veda, who personifies, there, especially the Fire of the Sun, expanded into the Fire of Lightning, the rays of the Moon, and

—

other attributes of the elementary

of heaven,

life

as well as into pious

referring to it, the Apsarases become divinities which represent phenomena, or objects both of a physical and ethical kind, closely associated acts

with that

life.

Thus,

Sunbeams

in the Yajur-veda,

are called the Apsarases

Gandharva who is the Sun; Plants are termed the Apsarases associated with the Gandharva Fire; Constellations are the Apsarases of the Gandharva Moon; Waters, the A. of the G. Wind; Sacrificial gifts, the A. of the G. Sacrifice; Rich and Sdman hymns, the A. of the G. Manas (creating will). In another passage of the Vdjas., Fire is connected (Mahidhara, in the two months of Vasanta or spring) with the two Apsarases, Punjikasthala and Kratusthala (considered, by

associated with the

the comm.,

as

personifications of a principal

Wind (Viswakarman),

and an intermediate point

Menaka and Sahajanya (comm., in the two months of Grishma or the hot season). Sun (Viswavyachas), with Pramlochanti and Anumlochanti (comm., in the two months of of the compass).

with

Varsha or the rainy season). Sacrifice (Samyadwasu), with Viswachi and Ghritachi (comm., in the two months of Sarad or the sultry season), Parjanya (Arvagwasu), with Urvasi and Purvachitti (comm., in the two

months ofHemanta more systematized

or the cold season). in

the Paranas,

genii that attend the chariot of the

Bhdgavata-p. mentions

This latter idea becomes, then,

where a description

Sun

is

given of the

in its yearly course.

that, besides the Rishis,

Thus, the

Gandharvas, &c., also one

of Apsarases pays adoration to the Sun every month; and the Vishnu-p., that, among the genii who preside each in every

gana or troop

month over the chariot of the Sun, Kratusthala performs this function month Madhu, Punjikasthala, in the month Madhava, Mend, in

in the .

Suchi, Sahajanya, in Sukra, Pramlocha, in Nabhas, Anumlocha, in Bha-

drapada, Ghritachi, in Aswina, Viswachi, in Karttika,

Urvasi, in Agra-

hayaua, Purvachitti, in Pausha, Tilottama, in Magha, Rambha, in Phalguna. An analogous description is given in the Vdyu-p., with the only difference that Viprachitti takes the place of Purvachitti, apparently with less cor-

rectness; of the

as this account

is

a strict development

Yajur-veda [Vdjas., 15, 15-19).

In

the

of the quoted passage

last

mythological epoch,

6*

84

VISHNU PURANA. have saved from

•when the Gandharvas so

much

their

elementary nature merely

as to be the musicians in the paradise of Indra, the Apsarases

appear, amongst other subordinate deities which share in the merry of Indra's heaven, as the wives of the Gandharvas, but, as wives of a licentious sort; to heroes fallen in battle,

and they are promised, too,

when they

Indra; and, while, in the Rig-veda,

are

of penitent sages,

and

to

received into

life

especially,

as a reward

the paradise of

Soma to pour down his on earth, merely to shake the

they assist

floods, they descend, in the epic literature,

virtue

more

deprive

them

of the

have, otherwise, acquired through unbroken austerities.

power they would

To

this association

of the ethical with the physical element, in the character of the Apsarases,

belongs, also, that view expressed by Manu, according to which the soul, in its transmigrations,

is

reborn as an Apsaras, when

it

was, in

its

previous

existence, under the influence of 7-ajas or passion; and probably, too, the

circumstance, that, in the Atharva-veda, they are fond of dice: and three

whose names are given above, are supposed to have the power of removing faults committed at gambling with dice." Apsarases,

CHAPTER Dominion over beings.

Universality of Vishnu,

contemplation. attributes

XXII.

different provinces of creation assigned to different

Two

of Vishnu

Vishnu everything.

Four

varieties of spiritual

conditions of spirit.

The

perceptible

types of his imperceptible properties.

Merit of hearing the

first

book of the

Vishnu Purana.

—

Parasara. When Prithu was installed in the government of the earth, the great father of the spheres established sovereignties in other parts of the creation*

Soma was

appointed monarch of the stars and planets, ofBrahmans and ofplants,f of sacrifices and of penance. Vaisravana was made king over kings, and Varnha, over the waters. Vishnu was the chief of the Adityas; Pavaka, of the Vasus; Daksha, of the patriarchs; Vasava, of the winds, t To Prahlada was assigned dominion over the Daityas and Danavas; and Yama, the king of justice, was appointed the monarch of the Manes (Pitris). Airavata was made the king of elephants; Garuda, of birds; Indra,§ of the gods. Uchchaihsravas was the chief of horses; Vrishabha, of kine.

Sesha became the snake-king; the lion, the monarch of the beasts and the sovereign of the trees w^as the :

•}•

\

Virudh.

Marut.

§ Vasava, in the original,

;

VISHNU PURANA.

86 holy fig-tree/

Having thus fixed the hmits of each

the great progenitor*

authority,

Brahma

stationed

rulers, for the protection of the different quarters of

He made Sudhanwan,

the world.

the son of the patri-

arch Vairaja,f the regent of the east; Sankhapada, the son of the patriarch Kardama, of the south; the im-

mortal Ketumat, the son of Rajas, regent of the west; and Hiranyaroman, the son of the patriarch Parjanya,

By

regent of the north.^

seven continents and

these the whole earth, with

its cities,

is,

its

to the present day,

vigilantly protected, according to their several limits.

All these monarchs, and whatever others

may be

invested with authority, by the mighty Vishnu, as in-

struments for the preservation of the world ;t

all

the

These are similarly enumerated in the Vayu, Brahma, Padma, Bhagavata, &c.,§ with some additions; as, Agni king of the Pitfis; Vayu, of the Gandharvas; Sulapaiii (Siva), oftheBhutas; '

,

Kubera of riches and of the Yakshas Takshaka, of serpents Chitraratha, of ,

;

;

deva, of the Apsarasas; Viprachitti

,

Vasuki , of the Nagas the Gandharvas;

of the Danavas;

Kama-

Rahu, of

meteors; Parjanya, of clouds; Sariivatsara, of times and seasons;

Samudra, of rivers; Himavat, of mountains, &c. '

We

have already had occasion

Lokapalas, as specified

in

the

to notice the descent of these

Vayu

Puraria; and

it is

evident,

although the Vishnu does not supply a connected series of generations, yet that

*

both accounts are derived from a

f^^f^njcH

and

TTWr^ ^

^^T^ gf^^Tl»T

see the Bhagavad-gitd, X., 21-37;

Kiirma-purdna Affinity

,

in

source.

t Professor Wilson had "Viraja".

Prajdpatipati.

§ Also

common

II

the tswara-gitu,

from the

Colonel Vans Kennedy's Researches into the Nature

of Ancient

and Hindu Mythology, pp. 450 and 451; and and 280.

Goldstiicker's Sanskrit Dictionary, pp. 279

BOOK

87

CHAP. xxu.

I.,

who liave been, and all who shall he; are all, worthy Brahman, but portions of the universal

kings niost

Vishnu.

The

rulers of the gods, the rulers of the Dai-

Danavas, and the rulers of

tyas, the rulers of the

all

malignant spirits;* the chief amongst beasts, amongst

amongst men, amongst serpents; the best of

birds,

trees, of mountains, of planets; either those that are, or that shall hereafter be, the

now

most exalted of their

The power of protecting created things, the preservation of the world, resides with no other than Hari, the lord kind, are but portions of the universal Vishnu.

of

all.

He

is

the creator,

the eternal, preserves

destroyer, destroys

it

it;

who

creates the world; he,

in its existence;

and he, the

invested, severally, with the

attributes of foulness, goodness,

and gloom. f

By

a

fourfold manifestation does Janardana operate in crea-

and destruction. In one portion, as Brahma, the invisible assumes a visible form; in another portion, he, as Marichi and the rest, is the progenitor tion, preservation,

of

all

creatures;: his third portion

is

time; his fourth

And

thus he becomes quadruple in creation, invested with the quality of passion. In the preservation of the w^orld, he is, in one portion, Vishnu; is all

beings.

another portion, he

in

he

is

is

Manu and

time, in a third; and

all

the other patriarchs;

beings, in a fourth por-

endowed with the property

tion.

And

ness,

Purushottama preserves the world.

thus,

assumes the property of darkness,

*

PUitdiin.

t The original

is

"?^:^i^Tf^^^:

I

at the

of good-

When he end of

all

§

VISHNU PURANA.

88

unborn deity becomes,

things, the

in

one portion, Ru-

dra; in another, the destroying fire; in a third, time; and, in a fourth, all beings. And thus, in a quadruple

form, he is

is

the destroyer of the world.

This,

Brahman,

the fourfold condition of the deity at all seasons.* Brahma, Daksha,f time, and all creatures are the

four energies of Hari which are the causes of creation. Vishnu, Manu and the rest, time, and all creatures are the four energies of Vishnu which are the causes of duration. Rudra, the destroying fire, time, and all creatures are the four energies of Janardana that are

exerted for universal dissolution. In the beginning and the duration of the world, until the period of its end, creation

is

the

work

of Brahma,: the patriarchs,

and living animals. Brahma

creates, in the beginning.

Then the patriarchs beget progeny; and then animals incessantly multiply theii' kinds. But Brahma is not the active agent, in creation, independent of time; neither are the patriarchs, nor living animals. So, in the periods of creation and of dissolution, the four portions of the god of gods are equally essential.

Brahman, being, the body of Hari Whatever,

is

engendered by any living

is

cooperative in the birth of

whatever destroys any existing thing, movable or stationary, at any time, is the destroying form of Janardana, as Rudra. Thus, Janardana is the that being.

So,

creator, the preserver,

t The Sanskrit I Dhatri, in

§ Here,

and the

and

like,"

is

and the destroyer of the whole

^T^:,

"Daksha and

the like".

the original. in the following sentence, "patriarchs" represents "Marichi

BOOK world

CHAP. xxir.

I.,

—being threefold—

89

in the several seasons of crea-

and destruction; according to his assumption of the three qualities. But his highest glory ^ is detached from all qualities. For the fourfold essence of the supreme spirit is composed of true wisdom, pervades all things, is only to be appreciated by itself, and admits of no similitude. Maitreya. But, Muni, describe to me, fully, the tion, preservation,

—

four varieties of the condition of Brahma, and what

is

the supreme condition.^

Parasara. thing

— That, Maitreya, which

called the

means of effecting

the cause of a

is

it;

and that which

the desire of the soul to accomplish

is

it

is

The operations

to be effected.

is

the thing

of the Yogin

who

is

desirous of liberation, as suppression of breath'^' and the like, are his means. The end is the supreme Brahma, whence he returns to the world no more. Essentially connected with, and dependant upon, the means employed, for emancipation, by the Yogin, is discriminative knowledge: and this is the first variety of the condition of Brahma.^ The second sort is the

'

Vibhuti, f superhuman or divine

^

The

how to

the

power or

dignity.

question, according to the commentator, implies a doubt

supreme being, who

specific

variety,

without

is

equalities,

can be subject

or to existence in divided and different con-

ditions, ^

Of Brahmabhuta

comes

identified

(W^^lJfl)

spectively, with absolute

*

;

of

with the supreme

him who, or

spirit,

which

wisdom, Jnana ("^TT)?

that which, beis

'^"il

the

same, re-

discriminative

Prdndydma.

t The original

is

TfX^

IJrf*!^,

in

such MSS. as

I

have seen.

VISHNU rURANA.

90

knowledge that is to be acquired by the Yogin, whose end is escape from suffering, or eternal felicity.^' The third kind

is

the ascertainment of the identity of the

end and the means, the rejection of the notion of duality. The last kind is the removal of whatever differences may have been conceived by the three first varieties of knowledge, and the consequent contemplation of the true essence of soul.

who

of Vishnu,

dition

The supreme con-

one with wisdom,

is

is

the

knowledge of truth; which requires no exercise; which is not to be taught; which is internally diffused; which is unequalled; the object of which is self-illumination; which is simply existent, and is not to be defined; which is tranquil, fearless, pure; which is not the theme of reasoning; which stands in need of no support.^ wisdom, Vijnana (t%"^1«T); leading to felicity, or the condition of Brahma, expressed by the words Sach chid jinandam (^f^^I1«^*l.),t 'entire tranquillity of mind,' or 'internal enjoyment'; the same, also, with the combination of wisdom and tranquillity,

which the devotee believes

to

or unity of god and himself;

exist in

aggregate of these three processes is

Adwaita, 'non-duality',

and, finally, ,

the

same with the

or the conviction that spirit

one, universal, and the same. '

The

epithets of

Jnana, 'wisdom', here employed, are

from the Yoga philosophy.

This •what

is

taicen

'Requires no exercise', Nirvyapara

not very closely translated;

and the same

is

the case with

immediately follows.

t The

words of the

commentary

existence, intellect, and felicity."

are

^rf^TT'T^W^j "Brahma-

BOOK

I.,

Those Yogins who, by the are resolved

91

CHAP. XXII.

annihilation of ignorance,

Brahma),

(into this fonrfold

lose the

seminal property, and can no longer germinate in the

ploughed

field of

preme condition

worldly existence.

that

is

This

called Vishnu,

the su-

is

— perfect,

per-

and uniform.* And theYogin who attains this supreme spirit (Brahma) returns not to life again. For there he is freed from petual,

universal, undecaying, entire,

(f^T^ftr^),

is

explained, 'without the practice of abstract con-

'Not

templation', &c. (igT«TTf^^»^)('^•11*5)'^)

j

to

be taught', Anakhyeya

of being enjoined

'not capable

'

'In-

(f^TS'TrT'T^).

(^TfFTT^)? means 'mental idenwith universal spirit' (?f«rFrT W^T=BTT"

ternally diifused', Vyaptiniatra tification

of individual

The phrase ^TTfJre^^^Tf^'^"^

rrWT'^"'^'M*i,)-

object

of

which

is

self-illumination',

I

translated

explained

is

'the

^TT^RTIJ'

'Simply existent' (|Jt1I+IM) is said to mean, 'being unmodified by the accidents of happiness', &c. (T!rr«T«^'fef^^'Enn]'2T) con:

sequently

it is

not to be defined ('^^r^Xjr).

So the Yoga Pradipa

explains Samadhi or contemplation to be the entire occupation of the thoughts by the idea of

mind.

It is

the entire

Brahma, without any

abandonment of the

effort of the

faculties to

one

all-

(TT^^f^^^^I^ W^rnRTTfT"^ f^fcf^ ^WtH' cI^^^'T ^TrfVTf*r^^%)- 'Tranquil', Prasanta (-R^T^),

engrossing notion

is

'being void of passion', &c., (TTTITf^TP'Br)- 'Fearless'; not dread-

ing agitation or perplexity by ideas of duality (^'fT'^rr?^''Eni^).

'Pure';

undisturbed by external objects (fsff^'Cf^).

'Not the

theme of reasoning' (^f^jff^) that is, 'not to be ascertained by logical deduction' ('^'f%fl^). 'Stands in no need of support' ;

('^^t^^); not

resting

or depending

(f^rf^Mi
upon perceptible objects

VISHNU PURANA.

92

the distinction of vice and virtue, from suffering, and

from soil. There are two

states of this

Brahma one ;

with,

and

one without, shape; one perishable, and one imperish-

which are inherent in all beings. The imperishthe supreme being;* the perishable is all the world. The blaze of fire burning on one spot diffuses light and heat around. So the world is nothing more able;

able

is

than the (manifested) energy of the supreme Brahma.

And, inasmuch, Maitreya, stronger, or feebler, as

we

as the light

and heat are

are near to the fire, or far

is more or more remote from him. Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva are the most powerful energies of god. Next to them are the inferior deities; then, the attendant spirits ;f then, men;

off

from

it,

so the energy of the

supreme

less intense, in the beings that are less or

then, animals,: birds, insects, § vegetables:! each be-

coming more and more their primitive source.

feeble, as

In this

they are further from illustrious Brah-

way

,

whole world, although (in essence) imperishable and eternal, appears and disappears, as if it was subject to birth and death. The supreme condition of Brahma, which is medi-

man,

tated

this

by the Yogins,

in the

commencement of their is Vishnu, composed

abstraction, as invested w^ith form,

of

all

with

the divine energies, and the essence of Brahma,

whom

the mystic union that

is

sought, and which

The original has Brahma for "being". t For "attendant spirits" the Sanskrit has "Daksha and the like". + Insert "wild beasts", mriga. *

§ Sarisripa. II

This represents «|^J|^|«^i<

:,

"trees, shrubs,

and the

like".

BOOK

I.,

CHAP. XXII.

93

accompanied by suitable elements,

is

the devotee whose whole mind

who

is

the energies of Brahma,

is

This Hari,

object.

is

eifected^

is

by

addressed to that

the most immediate

of" all

embodied shape, composed entirely of his essence: and in him, therefore, is the whole world interwoven; and from him, and in him, is the universe; and he, the supreme lord of all, comprising all that is perishable and imperishable, bears upon him all material and spiritual existence, identified, in nature, with his ornaments and weapons.* Maitreya. Tell me in what manner Vishnu bears the whole world, abiding in his nature, characterized by ornaments and weapons. Parasara. Having offered salutation to the mighty and indescribable Vishnu, I repeat to you what was his

—

—

formerly related to

'

The

The

Vasishtha.

Yoga is produced (?T^T^T: « * Yoga or union is to have its relation

great

This great ('^

me by

l
which

is

Vishnu (^Xirr^); and

-:*

glorious

-J^

^"R^).

or dependence

seed (^R^lf),

its

or mystical ejaculations; and to be accompanied with Mantras

and

silent repetitions or

*

fTfTt

is

(^^

^irTifnTt f%^:

fl^

f This

Japa

^f^^

M f^TEff^rf) f I

^^ www: ^T'l

"fftff^ft

<j|J|^J|t|(^«^

<j[

%WTf%^ ^TcC ^T^Xf^^

taken from the smaller commeutary.

^

II

I

n

94

VISHNU PURANA.

Hari wears the pure soul of the world,

undefilecl

The

void of qualities, as the Kaustubha gem. principle of things (Pradhana)

is

seated on the eternal,

mark. Intellect abides

as the Srivasta

the form of his mace.

The

and chief

in

Madhava,

in

lord (Iswara) supports

egotism (Ahamkara) in its twofold division into elements and organs of sense, in the emblems of his conch-shell and his bow. In his hand Vishnu holds, in the form of his discus, the mind, whose thoughts (like the

weapon),

fly swifter

than the winds.

The

necklace of the deity, Vaijayanti, composed of five precious gems,

^

is

the aggregate of the five elemental

rudiments.* Janardana bears,

in his

numerous

shafts,

the faculties both of action and of perception.

bright sword f of Achyuta at

some

is

The

(holy) wisdom, concealed,

seasons, in the scabbard of ignorance.

In this

manner, soul, nature, intellect, egotism, the elements, mind, the senses, ignorance, and wisdom are, all, assembled in the person of Hfishikesa. Hari, in a delusive form, embodies the shapeless elements of the world, as his weapons and his ornaments, for the salvation of mankind. Puhdarikaksha, the lord of all, assumes ^'+

'

Or

^

We

Dhyana

of pearl, ruby, emerald, sapphire, and diamond.

have,

in

the text,

a repi'esentation of one

attempted to be rendered more definite by thinking upon

^ ^fTWg^^Trfr ^cT^MT ^ % f^ {•

mode

or contemplation, in which the conception of a thing its

II

Asi-ratna.

f^^it

wr^\^iMX %^%

TnfwTf

^:

ii

of is

types;

BOOK nature, with All that

that

is

not,

all

that

all

that

supreme eternal Hari

is

the lord of is

all

the world.

all

that

ignorance,

everlasting,

is

Madhu,

destroyer of

95

products, soul, and

all its

wisdom,

is

CHAP. xxir.

I.,

is,

The

creatures.

all

all

centred in the

is

time, with

its

divisions of

seconds, minutes, days, months, seasons, and years.

He

is

the seven worlds, the earth, the sky, heaven, the

world of patriarchs, of sages, of

whose form

is all

of truth;*

sahits,

worlds first-born before ;

the

all

first-

born; the supporter of all beings, himself self-sustained;

who

men, and

exists in manifold forms, as gods,

mals, and

is,

whose shape or form;

who

thence, the sovereign lord of is all is

who

visible things;

is

all,

ani-

eternal;

without shape

celebrated, in the Vedanta, as the Rich,

Yajus, Saman, and Atharva Vedas, inspired history,

and sacred science. The Vedas, and their divisions; Manu and other lawgivers; traditional

the institutes of scriptures,

and religious manuals;^ poems, and

or in which, at least, the thoughts are

by being addressed truth.

to a sensible

Thus, the Yogin here says

the jewel on Vishnu's

gem on and

brow,

more

emblem

,

all

that

readily concentrated

instead of an abstract

to himself:

"I meditate upon

as the soul of the world;

upon the

and so on;

his breast, as the first principle of things";

thus, through a perceptible substance, proceeds to an imper-

ceptible idea.

Akhyanani (^T^TTTf^) is Anuvada ('^•T^^) the Kalpa '

,

said to denote the Puranas, and Siitra,

and similar works con-

taining directions for supplementary rites.

cfiT^r^^TTt

^'T^T^Trft ffrr^^^ ^^Wr ^^^TtT^T

^J^T^^^ g^^^:

ii

I

VfSHNU PURANA.

96

body of the mighty Vishnu,

said or sung; are the

is

assuming the form of sound.

All kinds of substances,

"^

with or without shape, here or elsewhere, are the

body of Vishnu.

I

am

Cause and

ardana.

Hari.

The man who knows

him.

All that I behold

effect are

is

Jan-

from none other than

these truths shall never

again experience the afflictions of worldly existence.

Thus, Brahman, has the first portion of this Purai'ia been duly revealed to you; listening to which expiates offences.

all

The man who hears

this

Purana obtains

the fruit of bathing in the Pushkara lake^ for twelve years, in the

month

upon him who hears

of Karttika.f

work

this

The gods bestow

the dignity of a divine

sage, of a patriarch, or of a spirit of heaven.

'

The

celebrated lake Pokher, in Ajmere.

f

"At

the full of the

I

The

original, in the

^Wf^ "The listens

and the

gods to

+

the

and

moon MSS.

^sgi^fT: others

in Karttika", at

kdrUikydm.

my command,

^^

is

as follows:

\w\^l ^T^T ^%

bestow boons.

Muni,

upon

II

the

man who

origin of the divine Rishis, Manes, Gandharvas, Yakshas,

like, related in this book."

VISHNU purAna. BOOK

11.

CHAPTER

I.

Descendants of Priyavrata, the eldest son of Swayariibhuva Manu his ten sons: three adopt a religious life; the others become :

kings of the seven

Dwipas or

king of Jambu-dwipa distributes

amongst

,

divides

his sons.

isles it

of the earth.

into nine portions,

Agnfdhra,

which he

Nabhi, king of the south, suc-

ceeded by Rishabha, and he, by Bharata: India named, after him, Bharata: his descendants reign during the Swayariibhuva

Manwantara.

Maitreya. most

ceptor,

—You have

related to me, venerable pre-

fully, all that I

was curious

to hear re-

specting the creation of the world. But there

am

of the subject which I

is

a part

desirous again to have de-

scribed. You stated that Priyavrata and Uttanapada were the sons of Swayaihbhuva (Manu); and you repeated the story of Dhruva, the son of Uttanapada. You made no mention of the descendants of Priyavrata: and it is an account of his family that I beg you will kindly communicate to me. Parasara. Priyavrata married Kamya, the daughter of the patriarch Kardama,^ and had, by her, two

—

'

The

text reads

Kanya

'

:

and the commentator has: 'He married the daughter of Kardama, 7*

VISHNU PUEiANA.

100

daughters, Samraj and Kiikshi, and ten sons, wise, valiant, modest,

and dutiful,* named Agnidhra, AgniMedhas, Medhatithi,

bahu, Vapushmat, Dyutimat,

Bhavya, Savana,f Putra: and the tenth was Jyotishmat,^ illustrious by nature, as by name. These v^^ere

^^j

whose name was Kanya':

^•TT^TWTf'T'nT 1+ The copies has the same name, Kanya.

agree in the reading; and the

Vayu

But

the same, in other respects, as our

the Miirkarideya, which

is

Kamya. Kamya also is the name elsewhere given, by the Vayu, to the daughter of Kardama (Vol. I., p. 155, note 1). Kamya, as has been noticed, appears, in the Brahma and Hari text, has

Varhsa (Vol.

p. 108,

I.,

note

as the mother of Priyavrata, but

1),

erroneously: and the same authorities specify a wife of that sovereign.

'Another

states:

Kamya

So the commentator on mentioned

is

(in the text), the

of Kardama, the wife of Priyavrata:' fjpiWfT"^

^l*4|T^(2n^

I

Kamya

as

the

the Hai"i Van'isa

^T^

daughter
The name Kanya is, therefore, most probably, The Bhagavata§ calls the wife of Pri-

an error of the copyists.

yavrata, Barhishmati, the daughter of Viswakarman.

These names nearly agree

'

in the authorities

which specify

the descendants of Priyavrata, except in the Bhagavata.

!|

That

has an almost entirely different series of names, or: Agnidhra,

Idhmajihwa, Yajnabahu, Mahavira, Hiranyaretas, Ghritapiishlha,

and Kavi

Savana, Medhatithi, Vitihotra, Urjaswati.

vata, the sons of Priyavrata,

*

In

my

with one daugiiter,

;

Manus, Uttama, Tamasa, and Rai-

It also calls the

by another wife.

MSS., daiyta, "cherished".

the reading of all the MSS. accessible to me; and it is that probably the Bhagavata also. Professor Wilson had "Savala", corruption of a Bengal pandit, or of a fly. + This is from the smaller commentary, the unabridged words of which The first place is, are "^mirSfT^^twf ^^TT^^^f^TfTT TT therefore, accorded to the view that kanya is not intended as a proper name, but signifies "daughter". And herein concurs the larger commentary: ^T(5iwth"tt^' ^i'lrr^ '^'^i Tnftt^ ^t v., 1, 24, 25, and 28. § v., 1, 24.

t This

is

—

of the

:

^^"R

I

I

i

i

il

BOOK

II.,

the sons

of Priyavrata,

prowess.

Of

CHAP.

101

I.

— famous

for strength and Medha,* Agnibahu, and hfe. Remembering the oc-

these, three, or

Putra, adopted a religious

currences of a prior existence, they did not covet

dominion, but diligently practised the in

rites of

devotion

due season, wholly disinterested, and looking for no

reward. Priyavrata, having divided the earth into seven con-

sons.^f

gave them, respectively, to his other seven To Agnidhrat he gave Jambu-dwipa; to Me-

dhiitithi

he gavePlaksha-dwipa; he installed Vapushmat

tinents,

in the sovereignty

over the

Dwipa

of Salmali,§ and

made Jyotishmat king

of Kusa-dwipa; he appointed

Dyutimat

Krauncha-dwipa, Bhavya, to

to rule over

reign over Saka-dwipa; and Savana he nominated the

monarch

of the

Dwipa

of Pushkara.

Agnidhra, the king of Jambu-dwipa, had nine sons,

According

'

to

the Bhagavata,

|!

he drove his chariot seven

times round the earth; and the ruts the beds of the oceans, separating

*

my

\

A

corruption of Medhas, just above.

left

by the wheels became Dwipas.

into seven

For kindred depravations, see

third note at p. 107, infra.

The

original

is:

^Hf^ And

it is

Agnidhra. § All the

No other passage MSS. within my

v., 16, 2:

fl^f^TT^

I

^ITHTi:

^i ^^rr?T ^T

f^fH

II

determined, thus, that the Vish/iu-purdna reads Agnidhra, not

See the

used, however. !!

it

first

is

decisive of this point.

reach here have Salmala.

Both forms are

page of the next chapter.

TT^Tf^ f3T^5mrfT^^TWT7fT^T%: ^Ff»T:

And

see the

same work,

V., 1, 31.

^F f^'^^

VISHNU I'UHANA.

102

splendour, to the patriarclis. They were named Nabhi, Khiipurusha, Harivarsha,Ilavrita,Ramya, Hirar'ivat, Kuru, Bhadraswa, and Ketumala,^ who was a prmce ever active in the practice of piety. Hear next, Maitreya, in what manner Agnidhra apportioned Jambn-dwipa amongst his nine sons. He

equal, in

gave to Nabhi the country* called Hima, south (of the Himavat, or snowy mountains). The country of Hemakiita he gave to Kimpurusha, and, to Harivarsha, the country of Nishadha.

which mount Meru and, to

The region

in the

Ramya, the countries lying between

Nila mountain.

centre of

situated he conferred on Ilavrita,

is

To Hirahvat

try lying to the north of

it,

his father

it

and the

gave the coun-

called Sweta; and,

on the

north of the Sweta mountains, the country bounded

by the Sringavat range he gave to Kuru. The countries on the east of Meru he assigned to Bhadraswa; and Gandhamadana, (which lay west of it), he gave to Ketumala.'^ Having installed his sons sovereigns in these several regions, the pious king Agnidhra retired to a

of penance at the holy place of pilgrimage,

life

Salagrama.^ '

the Bhiigavataf concurs with the other Puranas in

Even

this series of Priyavrata's -

Of

these divisions

,

grandsons.

as well as of those of the earth

the minor divisions of the Varshas

,

we have

further

,

and of

particuhvrs

in the following chapter. ^

This

The term *

place is

of pilgrimage

has not been found elsewhere.

usually applied to a stone, an

ammonite, which

is

Varsha.

t v., 2. 19. and Hiraiivat.

But

it

has Rainjaka and Hiranmaya instead of

Ramya

I.

103

eight Varshas or countries,

Kimpurusha and

BOOK

The

II.,

CHAP.

the rest, are i)laces of perfect enjoyment, where happiness is spontaneous and uninterrupted. In them there

nor the dread of decrepitude or death: no distinction of virtue or vice; nor difference of degree, as better or worse; nor any of the effects produced, in this region, by the revohitions of ages.'' Nabhi, who liad (for his portion) the country of Hima,t had, by his queen Meru, the magnanimous Rishabha; and he had a hundred sons, the eldest of is

no

vicissitude,

there

is

whom was Bharata.

Rishabha, having ruled with equity many sacrificial rites, recelebrated and wisdom, and sovereignty of the earth to the heroic Bharata, and, retiring to the hermitage of Pulastya,: signed the

adopted the

life

of an anchoret

penance, and performing until,

all

,

practising religious

prescribed ceremonies,

emaciated by his austerities, so as to be but a

supposed to be a type of Vishnu

,

and of which the worship

enjoined in the Uttara Khaiida of the

Padma Parana, and

Brahma Vaivarta, authorities of no great weight or As these stones are found chiefly in the Gandak river,

is

in the

antiquity.

the Sala-

grania Tirtha was, probably, at the source of that stream, or at Its sanctity, and that of the its confluence with the Ganges. stone, are, probably, of comparatively

•I

p.

modern

origin.

%wf^ ^T^^T ^^^^f ^^^

II

See Original Sanskrit Texts, Part 1., p. 18G. "Himahwa", a word which t The Translator inadvertently put 102, 1. 7, supra,— he has rendered by "called Hiina". \

Two

excepted,

all

the

MSS.

that I have seen give Pulaha.

—

YISHNU PUKANA.

104 collection of skin

and

fibres,

mouth, and, naked, went the

he put a pebble

way

of

in his

The

flesh/*

all

'The great road', or 'road of heroes' (TT^lT^T«Tt or ^The pebble was intended either to compel perpetual The Bhagavatat adverts silence, or to prevent his eating. That work to the same circumstance: '^T"^ ^cTTTT^^^ '

^^^[^ Y

I

enters

into detail on the subject of Rishabha's devo-

much more

found in any other

and particularizes circumstances not

tion,

The most

Puraiia.

interesting of these are

bha's wanderings, which

said to be

is

the scene of Risha-

,

Konka, Venkata, Kutaka,

and southern Karriataka, or the western part of the Peninsula; and the adoption of the Jaina belief by the people of those countries. Thus, it is said: "A king of the Konkas, Venkatas,§ and Kutakas, named Arhat, having heard the tradition of Rishabha's practices (or his wandering about naked, and desisting from religious rites), being infatuated by necessity, under the evil influence of the Kali age,

abandon

own

his

will

become needlessly alarmed, and upon an

religious duty, and will foolishly enter

and bewildered unrighteous and heretical path. Misled by him by the iniquitous operation of the Kali age disturbed , also by the delusions of the deity, wicked men will, in great numbers, ,

,

,

desert the institutes and purifications of their

own

ritual

;

will

observe vows injurious and disrespectful to the gods; will desist

-^ ^^t g% The strange word defines:

vita,

^Wr ^Tl^^^T^

^\zi ^^c^: flj^^^:

t This term

is

is

|

is

preferred:

latter. : v., 6,

§

Yenka

8. is

Ifi:

II

used, by the commentators, in elucidation of the original, i» the larger usually, ^tTT'^^T'T^-

;fffTt^'W:, or, more commentary the former reading

which

fTffr

the larger commentary thus The smaller commentary says:

in the last line,

the only reading

I

have found.

the

smaller follows the

BOOK

CHAP.

ir.,

105

I.

country was termed Bharata from the time that

from ablutions, mouth-washings, and

purifications,

it

was

and will pluck

out the hair of the head, and will revile the world, the deity,

Brahmans, and the Vedas."*

sacrifices,

It is

also said,f that

Sumati, the son of Bharata, will be irreligiously worshipped, by

some

infidels, as a divinity.

or Jaina, Rishabha fifth,

is

the

Besides the import of the term Arhat,

name

of the

first,

and Sumati, of the

Tirthakara or Jaina saint of the present era.

no doubt, therefore, that the Bhagavata intends the Jaina system date,

*

this

was not matured

composition

Bhdgavata-purdna,

is

V., 6,

There can be

this sect; and, as

modern

until a comparatively

determined to be also recent.

10 and

1

1

:

fir^ ^f^WV^ ^3f^^TW ^fiTrl^^ ftifrff fT:

Burnouf's rendering of this passage

The

^^^^^^-

as follows:

is

"C'est Richabha dont les preceptes egareront fatalement Arhat,

roi

Vegkas et des Kut'akas, qui apprendra son histoire, lorsque, Finjustice dominant dans Tage Kali, ce prince, apres avoir abandonne la voie sure de son devoir, pretera le secours de son intellides Kogkas,

des

gence trompee a

mauvaise doctrine

la

et

aux fausses croyances.

"C'est par ses efforts que dans I'age Kali, egares par la divine Maya, les

derniers

regies de

la

des homines, meconnaissant les

purete,

jurieuses pour les Devas, tions, les purifications, I'injustice

toujours

devoirs de leur

loi et les

adopteront suivant leur caprice des pratiques in-

comme

croissante

Brahmanes, le sacrifice t Bhdgavata-purnna,

celles de negliger les bains,

ou de s'arracher et le

V.,

les

de cet age,

cheveux; ils

les ablu-

que troubles par

outrageront

monde de Purucha."

15, 1:

et

le

Veda,

les

:

VISHNU PURANA.

106

by

relinqiiished to Bharata

to the

his father, on his retiring

woods/

Bharata, having rehgiously discharged (the duties

kingdom to his son Sumost virtuous prince, and, engaging in devout practices, abandoned his Ufe at the holy place Salagrama.* He was afterwards born again, as a Brahman, of his station), consigned the

mati, a

in a distinguished family of ascetics.

relate to

From

you

hereafter

the illustrious Sumati was born Indradyumna.

His son was Pratihara,

His son was Parameshthin.

who had

I shall

his history.

a celebrated son,

named

Pratihartri.

wasBhava;f who begot Udgitha; who begot

His son Prasta-

allusions to the extension of the Jaina faith in the western parts

of the Peninsula

may

serve to

the limit of

fix

tiquity to the eleventh or twelfth century,

when

its

probable an-

the Jainas

and the Konkan.

to have been flourishing in Gujerat

seem

As. Res.,

Vol. XVII., p. 282.: '

This etymology

and Vtiyu have a

is

given in other Puranas: but the Matsya

different one, deriving

Bharata, or the cherisher, one

The Vayu

who

has, in another place, the

it

from the Manu called

rears or cherishes progeny:

more common explanation

The translation is here a good deal compressed. f This name I find in two MSS. only. One of them is The ordinary reading contains the smaller commentary. One MS. has Dhruva.

also

*

:

See Vol.

I.

§ This verse,

of practical

the

,iloka,

is

Bhuva.

of Professor Wilson's collected writings, p. 328. in its

second half,

deviations from see

that which

is

hypercatalectic.

the rules laid

Professor Gildemeister,

Moryenlandes, Vol. V., pp. 260,

et seq.

down

On

the subject

for the construction of

Zeitschrift fiir

die

Kunde

des

BOOK

II.,

CHAP.

107

I.

whose son wasPrithii. The son ofPrithu wasNakta. His son was Nara; whose son was Viraj. The vaHant son of Viraj was Dhimat: wlio begot Mahanta;f whose son was Manasyu: whose son was Twashtri. His son w^as Viraja. His son was Raja. His son was Satajit;t who had a hundred sons, of whom Vishwagjyotis was the eldest.^ Under these princes, Bharata-varsha (India) was divided into nine portions (to be hereafter particularized); and their ra,*

His son was Gaya.

descendants successively held possession of the country § for seventy-one periods of the aggregate of the

four ages (or for the reign of a Manu).

This was the creation of Sw^ayambhuva (Manu), by The Agni, Kurma,

'

Markaiicleya, Linga, and

Vayn

Puraiias

The Bhaga-

agree with the Vislinu in these genealogical details.

vata has some additions and variations of nomenclature, but

not essentially diifeient. cites

It

ends, however, with

a stanza 1 which would seem to

make

Satajit,|i

is

and

Viraja the last of the

descendants of Priyavrata:

^^ft^(2l^ *

^T^T

f^T^: IT'l^

^^

II

Prastava likewise occurs: and the smaller commentary has Prastavi.

t Mahatman

is

a variant.

ITrrfW^^RT^

^% 5^fT g%

II

Raja and Viraja, for Rajas aud Virajas, are corruptious, such as one For Raja, as our text shows. Rajas often meets with, of nouns in as. also occurs.

See, likewise, p. 86, supra.

§ Bharati, in the Sanskrit. ]!

At v., 15, the Bhdgavata-purdna

Devatajit,

Devadyumna,

traces Satajit as follows:

Paramesht'hin,

Pratiha,

Pratihartri,

Sumati,

Bhiiman,

Udgitha, Prastava, Yibhii, Prithushena, Nakta, Gaya, Chitraratha, Samraj, Marichi,

Bindumat, Madhu,

"Viraja, Satajit.

1

v., 15, 14.

Viravrata,

Manthu, Bhauvana, Twashtri,

VISHNU I'URANA.

108

which the earth was peopled, when he presided over ^ the first Manwantara, in the Kalpa of Varaha. '

The descendants

in the first or

his brother,

of Priyavrata were the kings of the earth

Swayarfibhuva Manwantara.

are placed,

Swarochisha Manwantara; whilst, with consistency,

daughter to It

Those of Uttanapada,

rather incongruously, in the second or still

more palpable

in-

Daksha, a descendant of Uttanapada, gives his Kasyapa in the seventh or Vaivaswata Manwantara.

seems probable that the patriarchal genealogies are older than Manwantaras and Kalpas and have

the chronological system of

,

been rather clumsily distributed amongst the different periods.

CHAPTER Description of the earth.

Jambu-dwipa. Mount Meru: of Ihivrita. gods.

II.

The seven Dwipas and seven its

extent and boundaries.

seas.

Extent

Groves, lakes, and branches, of Meru. Cities of

Rivers.

The forms

tiie

of Vishnu worshipped in different

Varshas.

Maitreya.

—You have

related to

Swayambhuva.

creation of

I

me, Brahman, the

am now

desh'ous to hear

—

from you a description of the earth; how many are its oceans and islands, its kingdoms and its mountains, its forests and rivers, and the cities of the gods, its dimensions, its contents, its nature, and its form.

Parasara.

—You

shall hear, Maitreya, a brief ac-

count of the earth from me.

A

full detail I

could not

give you in a century.

The seven great

insular continents are

Jambu,

Pla-

ksha, Salmali,^' Kusa, Krauncha, Saka, and Pushkara;

and they are surrounded, severally, by seven great seas, the sea of salt

water (Lav ana), of sugar-cane juice

(Ikshu), of wine (Sura), of clarified butter (Sarpis), of

curds (Dadhi), of milk (Dugdha), and of fresh water (Jala).^

'

The geography

and, in

all

the

of the Puranas occurs in most of these works,

main

features,

— the

seven Dwipas, seven seas,

the divisions of Jambu-dwipa, the situation and extend of Meru,

and the subdivisions of Bharata,^s the same. The Agni and Brahma are, word for word, tiie same with our text; and the Kurma, Linga, Matsya, Markahdeya, and Vayu present many

*

Two MSS. which

I

have consulted give Salmala.

VISHNU PURANA.

110

Jambu-dwipa

in the centre of all these.

is

the centre of this (continent) passages

The

common

Bhagavata from

all,

enters

differs, in its

and

is

most

in

,

or to one another.

fully into particulars.

nomenclature of the subordinate

The

details,

The others either omit The Mahabharata, Bhishma the same; and many of the

followed by the Padma.

the subject, or advert to

it

but briefly.

Parvan, has an account essentially

common

stanzas are

And

the golden mountain

them and the Vishnu

to

as usual,

Viiyu,

is

to

it

and

different

Puraiias.

It

does not

follow the same order, and has some peculiarities; one of which is,

calling

Jambu-dwIpa Sudarsana; such being the name of the It is said, also, to consist of two portions, called

Jambu-tree.

Pippala and Sasa, which are reflected in the lunar orb, as mirror.

in

a

*

Bhaskara Acharya, -writing in the middle of the eleventh century, an abstract, avowedly drawn from the Puranas, of some of the matters treated of in the present chapter. It would be curious to know *

gives

what authority he followed; since many of the particulars enumerated by him are deviations from ordinary Pauraiiik statements. His words are as follows:

"Venerable teachers have stated that Jambiidwipa embraces the whole northern hemisphere lying to the north of the salt sea, and that the other six Dwipas, and the [seven] Seas,

viz.,

those of salt, milk,

&c.,

are all situated in the southern hemisphere.

"To

the south of the equator lies the salt sea, and, to the south of

it,

the sea of milk, whence sprang the nectar, the moon, and [the goddess] Sri,

and

and where the omnipresent Vasudeva, to whose lotos-feet Brahma the gods bow in reverence, holds his favourite residence.

all

"Beyond

the sea of milk

lie,

in succession, the seas of curds, clarified

and wine, and, last of all, that of sweet water, which surrounds Vadavanala. The Patalalokas [or infernal regions] form butter, sugar-cane juice,

the concave strata of the earth.

"In those lower regions dwell the race of serpents [who live] in the by the rays issuing from the multitude of the brilliant jewels of their crests, together with the multitude of Asuras; and there the

light shed

Siddhas enjoy themselves with the pleasing persons of beautiful females,

resembling the finest gold in purity.

"The Saka, Salmala, Kausa, Krauncha, Gomedaka and Pushkara [Dwipas] are situated [in the intervals of the above-mentioned seas] in ,

BOOK

The height

Meru.

Yojanas; and

its

II.,

of

CHAP.

Meru

is

Ill

II.

eighty-four thousand

depth below (the surface of the earth)

regular alternation; each Dwipa lying,

it

is

said,

between two of these

seas.

"To

Lanka

the north of

lies

the Himagiri

[mountain], and,

beyond

beyond that, again, the Nishadha These [three mountains] stretch from sea to sea. In like

that, the Ilemakut'a [mountain], and,

[mountain].

manner, to the north of Siddha-[pura] lie, in succession, the Sringavat, Sukla, and Ni'la [mountains]. To the valleys lying between these mountains the wise have given the name of Varshas. of

"This valley [which we inhabit] is called Bharatavarsha. To the north it lies Kimnaravarsha, and, beyond it, again, Harivarsha. And know

that to the north of Siddhapura in Hiranmaya, and Ramyaka Varshas.

"To

like

manner

are situated the Kuru,

the north of Yamakot'i-pattana lies the Malyavat [mountain], and,

Gandhamadana [mountain]. These mountains are terminated by the Nila and Nishadha mountains; and the space between these two is called Ilavrita-[varsha]. to the north of Romaka-[pattana], the

two

"

The country lying between the Malyavat [mountain] and the sea is Bhadraturaga by the learned; and geographers have denominated the country between the Gandha mountain and the sea, Ketumacalled

laka.

"Ilavrita, which yaka [mountains],

bounded by the Nishadha, Nila, Sugandha, andSumaldistinguished by a peculiar splendour. It is a land by its shining gold, and thickly covered with the

is

rendered brilliant

is

bowers of the immortals.

"In the middle [of Ilavrita] stands the mountain Meru, which is composed of gold and of precious stones, the abode of the gods. Expounders of the

Puranas have further described

this [Meru] to be the pericarp of whence Brahma had his birth. "The four mountains, Mandara, Sugandha, Vipula, and Suparswa, serve as buttresses to support this [Meru]; and upon these four hills grow, severally, the Kadamba, Jambii, Vat'a, and Pippala trees, which

the earth-lotos,

are as banners on those four hills.

"From

the clear juice which flows from the fruit of the

the Jambiinadi.

From

Jambu

springs

contact with this juice, earth becomes gold; and

is from this fact that gold is called jdmhunada. [This juice is of so exquisite a flavour that] the multitude of the Suras and Siddhas, turning it

with distaste from nectar, delight to

"And

it

is

well

known

that

quafl' this delicious

upon those four

Meru,] are four gardens: Chaitraratha

,

hills

of varied

beverage.

[the buttresses of

brilliancy

[sacred to

VISHNU PUR ANA.

112 is

sixteen (thousand).

Its

diameter, at the summit,

thirty-two (thousand Yojanas), and, at

Kubera], Nandana, -which

is

its

is

base, sixteen

the delight of the Apsarasas, Dhriti, which

gives refreshment to the gods, and the resplendent Vaibhraja.

"And

in these gardens are beautified four reservoirs,

the Manasa, the are the lakes in

Mahahrada

viz.,

the Aruna,

and the Swetajala, in due order: and these the waters of which the celestial spirits when fatigued ,

,

with their dalliance with the fair goddesses, love to disport themselves.

"Meru divided

upon which are situated the Ka, and Purari [denominated Vaikuiit'ha, Brahmapura, and Kailasa]; and beneath them are the eight cities sacred to Satamakha, Iwalana, Antaka, Rakshas, Ambupa, Anila, Sasin, and Isa itself into

three cities sacred

[i.

e.,

three peaks,

to Murari,

the regents of the eight diies (or directions),

to Indra,

the

south-east,

viz.,

the east, sacred

sacred to Agni, the south, sacred to

Yama,

the south-west, sacred to Nain'ita, the west, sacred to Varuiia, the north-

west, sacred to Vayu, the north, sacred to Kubera, and the north-east, sacred to Siva].

"The

sacred Ganges, springing from the foot of Vishnu,

[mount] Meru, and, thence separating

itself into four

falls

upon

streams, descends,

through the heavens, down upon the four vishkambhas [or buttress-hills],

and thus falls into the four reservoirs [above described]. "[Of the four streams above mentioned], the first, called Sita, went to Bhadraswa, the second, called Alakananda, to Bharatavarsha, the third, called Chakshu, to Ketumala, and the fourth, called Bhadra, to Utfarakuru [or North Kuru].

"And

this sacred river has so rare

listened to, if

if

an efficacy, that,

she be sought to be seen,

her waters be tasted,

her

if

name

if

her

name be

seen, touched, or bathed in,

be uttered, or brought to mind, and

her virtues be celebrated, she purifies, in

men

if

many

ways, thousands of sinful

[from their sins].

"And

if

a

man makes

a pilgrimage to this sacred stream,

the

whole

bands [imposed on them by Yama], bound away in liberty, and dance with joy; nay, even by a man's approach to its banks, they repulse the slaves of Antaka, [who keep guard over them], and, escaping from Niraya [the infernal regions],

line of his progenitors, bursting the

secure an abode in the happy regions of Heaven. "Ilere in this Bharatavarsha are embraced the following nine khnndas [portions], viz., Aindra, Kaseru,

Naga, Saumya,

Tamraparna, Gabhastimat, Kumarika, Gandharva.

Varui'ia, and, lastly,

"In the Kumarika alone is found the subdivision of men into castes. khandas are found all the tribes of antyajas [or out-

In the remaining caste

tribes

of men].

In

this

region

[Bharatavarsha] are also seven

BOOK

CHAP.

II.,

thousand; so that this mountain of the lotos of the earth.

The shape

'

upon

by the comparison

on the

that of

is

the seed-cup,

to

to

amongst the Pauraiiiks.

the bell-shaped flower

to

represents

But there seems

circular.

this subject,

form

its

Uke the seed-cup

is

^

of Meru, according to this description,

an inverted cone; and,

form should be

113

II.

its

be some uncertainty,

The Padma compares The Vayu

of the Datura.

as having four sides of diffei'ent colours, or, white

it

yellow on the south, black on the west, and red on

east,

but notices, also, v^arious opinions of the outline of

the north;

the mountain, which, according to Atri, had a hundred angles; to

Savarni

Bhfigu, a thousand.

rangular

makes

western, golden; and

the

it

octangular; Bhaguri, quad-

has a thousand angles.

circular.

it is

of the colour of the ruby;

face

it

Galava

saucer-shaped; Garga, twisted, like braided hair; and

it

others maintain that

its

calls

and Varshayani says

;

same colours

its

its

The Linga makes

eastern

The Matsya has

northern, coral.

Vayu, and both contain

as the

its

southern, that of the lotos;

this line;

But the Vayu

'Four-coloured, golden, four-cornered, lofty!'

kuldchalas, viz., the Mahendra, Sukti, Malaya, Rikshaka, Pariyatra, Sahya,

and Vindhya

hills.

"The country to the

south of the equator

to the

north, the blHnm-[loka\; and

[loka\.

Next

jana-\loka\

;

the

is

ma]>ar-[loku\:

Meru in

is

called the bhur-loka, that

[the third]

the

is

called the swar-

heavens beyond

then, the ta[)o-[loka\, and, last of

all,

this

the satiia-\loka\.

is

the

These

lokas are gradually attained by increasing religious merits.

"When

it

is

sunrise

at

[90° east of Lanka], sunset

Lankapura, it is midday at Yamakot'ipuri at Siddhapura, and midnight at Romaka-

[pattaua]."'

Bibliotheca Indica,

siromani,

III.,

21-44.

Translation of the Qolddhydya of the Siddhdnta1

have introduced some alterations.

The Gomeda continent, Matsya-ijurdna

p

also.

in place of the Plaksha,

is

mentioned

in the

See Dr. Aufrecht's Catalog. Cod. Manuscript., &c.,

41.

See, further, the editor's last note on the fourth chapter of the present

book. II.

8

114

VISHNU PURANA.

The boundary mountains (of the earth) are Hhnavat, Hemakuta, and Nishadha, which he south (of Meru); and Nila, Sweta, and Sringin, which are situated to the north (of it). The two central ranges (those next to Meru, or Nishadha and Nila) extend for a hundred thousand (Yojanas, running east and west). Each of the others diminishes ten thousand (Yojanas, as

more remote from (Yojanas)

the centre).

and

in height,

as

They

many

are

it lies

two thousand

in breadth.^

The

Varshas (or countries between these ranges) are: Bharata (India), south of the Himavat mountains; next, Kimpurusha, between Himavat and Hemakuta; north of the latter, and south of Nishadha, is Harivarsha; north of Meru is Ramyaka, extending from the Nila compares tliat its

its

summit,

in

one place, to a saucer, and observes

circumference must be thrice

The Matsya,

According to the Buddhists of Ceylon

A

shaped like a drum. its is

surrounding

,

Meru

said to be of the

is

Those of Nepal conceive

it

to

be

Meru Brahmanda,

translation of the description of

mountains,

Researches, Vol. VIIL, pp. 343,

authorize;

contained

in the

but they

et seq.

There are some differences

version from that which ai'e

not,

in general,

Some, no doubt, depend upon

'

is

the same, exactly, as that in the Vayu, occurs in the As.

in Colonel Wilford's

difl'erent

measurement

considered quadrangular:

is

it

same diameter throughout.

which

diameter:

also, rather incompatibly, says the

that of a circular form, but

and

its

of

my MSS. would much importance.

variations in the readings of the

copies; of others I must question the accuracy.

This diminution

is

the necessary consequence of the dimin-

ished radius of the circle of Jambu-dwipa; as the mountain ranges

recede from the centre.

BOOK

ir.,

CHAP.

115

ir.

or blue mountains to the Sweta (or white) mountains;

Hiranniaya

lies between the Sweta and Sringin ranges; and Uttarakuru is beyond the latter, following the same direction as Bharata. ^'' Each of these is nine thousand (Yojanas) in extent. Ilavrita is of similar

dimensions; but

in

the centre of

the golden

it is

moun-

Meru: and the country extends nine thousand (Yojanas) in each direction from the four sides of the mountain. ^ There are four mountains in this Varsha, formed as buttresses to Meru, each ten thousand Yojanas in elevation. That on the east is called Mandara; that on the south, Gandhamadana; that on the west, Vipula; and that on the north, Suparswa.^ On each of tain

These, being the two outer Varshas, are said

'

form of a bow; that ments of the

circle.

The whole diameter

^

100000 Yojanas.

This

is

of Jambii-dwipa has been said to be thus divided from north to south: Ila-

vrita, in the centre, extends, itself,

to take the

they are, exteriorly, convex, being seg-

is,

each way, 9000, making 18000

at the base, is 16000;

;

Meru

the six Varshas, at 9000 each, are

equal to 54000; and the six ranges, at 2000 each, are 12000: and 18

+

16

+

54

+

12

=

100.

From

east to west

,

the Varshas are of

the extent necessary to occupy the space of the circle. ^

The Bhagavataf and Padma Kumuda.

call these

Mandara, Meruman-

dara, Suparswa, and

*

As

the translation here contains several explanatory interpolations,

the original

is

added:

^f^

crt^T^^I^ft^Vcft

f^

II

t v., 16, 12.

8*

VISHNU PURANA.

116

these stands, severally, a Karlamba-tree, a Jambu-tree, a Pippala, and a Vata;' each spreading over eleven hundred (Yojanas, and towering aloft like) banners on the mountains. From the Jambu-tree the insular continent Jambu-dwipa derives its appellation. The apples*

When

of that tree are as large as elephants. rotten, they

fall

upon the

they are

crest of the mountain;

and

from their expressed juice is formed the Jambu river,f the waters of which are drunk by the inhabitants: and, in

consequence of drinking of that stream

their days in content

and

,

they pass

health, being subject neither

to perspiration, to foul odours,

to decrepitude,

The soil on the banks sorbing the Jambu juice, and being organic decay.

breezes, becomes the gold termed

nor

of the river, ab-

dried by gentle Jambunada, (of

which) the ornaments of the Siddhas (are fabricated). The country of Bhadraswa lies on the east of Meru;

and Ketuinala, on the west: and between these two On the east (of the same)

is

Gandhamadana (wood)

is

the region of Ilavrita.

the forest Chaitraratha; the

on the south; (the forest and (the grove of Indra,

There are

'

of) Vaibhraja

or)

Nandana

is

is

is

on the west;

on the north.

also four great lakes, the w^aters of

which

Nauclea Kadaniba, Eugenia, Jambu, Ficus leligiosa, and The Bliagavata substitutes a mango-tree for the

Ficus Indica.

Pippala; placing

it

on Mandara, the Jambu, on Merumandara,

the Kadaniba, on Suparswa, and the Vata,

*

Phala.

t Compare the Bhdyaoata-purdiia, V., 16, 20. is nyagrodha. V., 16, 13 + The original

—

—

t

on Kumuda.

BOOK

CHAP.

ir.,

117

11.

are piirtaken of by the gods, called Arunoda, Maliabha-

and Manasa.^

dra, Asitoda,*

The

which project from

principal mountain ridges

the base of Meru, like filaments from the root of the lotos, are,

on the

east, Sitanta,

Mukunda,f Kurari,t

Malyavat, and Vaikanka; on the south, Trikuta,

Sisira,

Patanga, Ruchaka, and Nishadha; on the west, Sikhivasas, Vaidurya, Kapila,

Gandhamadana, and Jarudhi;

and on the north, Sankhaknta,§ Rishabha, Hamsa, Naga, and Kalanjara. These and others extend from between the intervals of Meru. ^

body, or from the heart,

in the

II

The Bbagavata IT substitutes Sarvatobhadra for tbe Gandhamadana forest, and calls the lakes lakes of milk, honey, treacle, '

and sweet water,

The Vayu

*

at great length,

gives these

names and many more, and and

forests, lakes,

upon these fabulous mountains, or (As. Res., Vol. VIII., pp. 354,

*

Kurara

purdi'ta,

§

is

v.,

One

of

In

my

to

one of

this

In

all

the

MSS. within

my

reach,

be the more ordinary lection,

my MSS.

my MSS.

It

the reading of the Bhdgavata-

is

reads

Sankha and

MSS., the original of

the

Kiit'a.

The Bhdgavata-purdiia,

Sankha.

mention of the Jarudhi, and

On

between them.

16, 27.

v., 16, 27, has II

in

in the valleys

enumerated as follows:

f Kramuuja seems +

describes,

of gods and demigods,

et seq.)

Professor Wilson had "Sitoda".

the four lakes are

cities

larger

frfwr^^TT^^ ^

is

this

passage follows immediately the

as follows:

commentary observes: ^'^T'T'tT'^^^ ^'3TT-

%f^(?T^:

I

1

v.,

16,

14 and 15.

VISHNU PURANA.

118

On

the

summit of Meru

is tlie

vast city of Brahma,

extending fourteen thousand leagues, and renowned in

heaven; and around

it,

in

the cardinal points and

the intermediate quarters, are situated the stately cities of Indra

and the other regents of the spheres.

^

The

The Lokapalas, or eight deities in that character: Indra, Yarna, Varuna, Kubera, Vivaswat, Soma, Agni, and Vayu.* '

Other cities of the gods are placed upon the spurs, or filamentmountains, by the Vayu; or that of Brahma on Hemasringa, of Sankara, on Kalanjara, of Garuda, on Vaikanka, and of Kubera,

Himavat

on Kailasa.

is

also specified, by the

the form

of a Kirata or forester;

same work, as the

Uma;

scene of Siva's penance, and marriage with

the Sara forest; and of his dividing the mountain

This

his spear.

latter legend,

stood by Colonel Wilford fanciful verifications.

of going to &c., to rest

is

made

the

It

his

Sankha,

six faces.

There, in the skirts of the mountains

of Krauncha, he flung his sword; the very fifth

theme of one of

"Here, says he", [the author of the Vayuf],

of the gods with the giants.

the

Krauncha with

having been somewhat misunder-

was born Shadanana, or Karttikeya, Here he wished or formed the resolution the mountains of Krauncha, Germany, part of Poland, and recreate himself after his fatigues in the wars

in the forest of

Mars with

,

of his assuming

of the birth of Karttikeya, in

century, asserted he

was placed

in his

As. Ees. Vol. VIII.,

a representation

tomb, where p. 364.

Seo note at the foot of

t

It

to

Attila, in

The

it

is,

probably, to be found."

text of which this is, in part,

is:

*

seems

same which

had found under a clod of earth.

p.

112, supra.

be from the Brahmdticla-purdna that Colonel Wilford

here professes to translate.

See the As. Res., Vol. VIII.,

p.

360.

BOOK of

capital

Brahma

CHAP.

II.,

119

II.

enclosed by the river Ganges,

is

which, issuing from the foot of Vishnu, and washing the lunar orb, falls, here, from the skies, ^ and, after The legend here

alluded to

is told,

Varaana Pu-

at length, in the

Taraka had Krauncha

Mahishasiira, flying from the battle in which

raha.

been slain by Karttikeya, took refuge in a cave mountain.

A

in the

dispute arising between Karttikeya and Indra, as

to their respective prowess, they

determined to decide the question

by circumambulating the mountain; the palm to be given to him who should first go round it. Disagreeing about the result, they appealed to the mountain,

who

untruly decided in favour of Indra.

Karttikeya, to punish his injustice, hurled his lance at the tain

Krauncha, and pierced,

Another division of Krauncha

Krauncha

is

sometimes considered

v. 59.*

name

of an Asura killed by Karttikeya.

also,

Megha

ascribed to Parasurama.

Duta,

is,

moun-

and the demon Mahisha:

at once, it

But

to

is,

this

be the

perhaps,

some misapprehension of the Paurariik legend by the grammarians, springing out of the synonyms of Karttikeya, Kraunchari, Kraunchadarana, &c., implying the foe or destroyer of Krauncha, occur-

Amara and other Kosas. The Bhagavataf is more circumstantial.

ring in the '

over the great toe of Vishnu's as he lifted

it

left foot

,

The

which had

river flowed ,

egg, and thus gave entrance to the heavenly stream.

merely

brings

it

from the lunar orb,

Vishnu's interposition. detention of

previously,

up, made a fissure in the shell of the mundane

In a different passage,

Ganga amidst

the tresses of Siva

rect her arrogance, until the divinity

and prayers of king Bhagiratha,

The Vayu

and takes no notice of

,

it

in

describes the

order to cor-

was moved, by the penance The Mahabha-

to set her free.

rata represents Siva's bearing the river for a hundred years on his

head, merely to prevent

*

its falling

too suddenly on the mountains.

See Professor Wilson's Essays on Sanskrit Literature, Vol.

t v., 17,

1.

II., p.

366.

120

VISHNU PURANA.

,

encircling the city,

divides into four mighty rivers,

flowing in opposite directions.*

These rivers are the and the Bhadra.

Sita,f the Alakananda, the Chakshu,+

The

faUing upon the tops of the inferior

first,

moun-

on the east side of Meru, flows over their crests, and passes through the country of Bhadraswa, to the ocean. § The Alakananda flow^s south, to (the country tains,

of) Bharata,

and, dividing into seven rivers on the

w^ay, falls into the sea. sea, after traversing

all

The Chakshu

falls

into the

and

the western mountains,

passing through the country of Ketumala.

And

the

Bhadra washes the country of the Uttarakurus, and empties

'

itself into

the northern ocean.

Although the Vayu has

other,

this account,

it

^

subsequently inserts an-

which is that also of the Matsya and Padma. In this, the Ganges,

after escaping

from Siva,

is

said to have formed seven streams: the

Nalini, Hladini, and Pavani, going to the east; the Chakshu, Sita,

and Sindhu,

to the

west; and the Bhagirathi, to the south.

||

The

t Nearly all the MSS. examined by me have Sita; and this is the reading of the Bhdgavata-purdna, V., 17, G. In both the commentaries, however, Sita seems to be preferred. +

Variants of this name, apparently, are Vanjii, Vanchii, and Vankshu.

II

In a

to the

much more

same

venerable work than any Purana

wc read, much

effect:

f^^^^ Tl^t

cT
'^^i

wft t^^^n:: -nf^ ^fTtf% ^f^ i

f^^^T^^ ^H

t>T^: irr^' f^ir

^t^^: f^^^^:

II

tjht:

ii

BOOK Meru, then,

Maluibharata* iiadi,

calls

and

first;

it

121

II.

confined between the mountains Nila

them Vaswokasara, Nalini, Pavani,

The more

Ganga, and Sindhu.

Siti'i,

the

is

is

CHAP.

II.,

offers

some

trace of actual geography.

^'ftT^^f^ TT^f^f^^ ^^^mf%fT: graphed *

is

to the

Mr.

f

II

Bdla-kdiiHa, XLIII., 11-14.

Ruinciija/ui,

This reference

Janibi'i-

usual legend, however,

genuine Rdmdyana,

that which has been

litho-

in India.

The Bhishmn-parvan, 243,

ll^fT^

^

is,

^r?T

presnme, the passage referred to:

I

^

Tm^-^

i[W[

^^^

II

Apparently, eight rivers are here named; the fourth being the Saraswati. The commentator Nilakant'ha who adopts the reading ^^ifj at the end of the second verse, asserts that Pavani and Saraswati are one name ,

only,

W^l

the purifying Saraswati.

e,,

i.

His words are: XJTcT'T^

The commentator Arjuna Misra, who the reading

^"3^^:,

the Sindhu

is

on

silent

this point,

adopts

in place of

\

-^^^^ 5|^:

have changed, in the note

order in

is

^"^^ft^ and explains it as denoting that "the seventh division", namely, of the Ganges: ^'^^fflj

f%5g: ^^;^\ I

^T^<^"

I

i

to

which Professor Wilson

which these remarks are appended, the

named

the

order will be seen in the quotation which

I

rivers

in

question.

make immediately

That

below.

t Professor Wilson has since written as follows: "According to one its descent, into seven streams, termed the Nalini, Pavani, and Illadini, going to the east; the Chakshu, Sita, and Sindhu, to the west; and the Bhagirathi or Ganges proper, to Pauraiiik legend, the Ganges divided, on

the south. In one place in the Mahdbhdrata, the seven rivers are termed Vaswokasara, Nalini, Pavani, Ganga, Sita, Sindhu, and Jambunadi; in

another, Ganga,

Gandaki. rivers,

Yamuna, Plakshaga, Rathastha, Saryu, Gomati, and

a text quoted and

In

named Ganga, Yamuna,

commented on by Yaska, we have ten Saraswati, Sutudri, Parushiii, Asikni,

Marudvi'idha, Vitasta, Arjikiya, and Sushomji. is

identified

with

the

Iravati,

Sushoma, with the Sindhu.

the

Arjikiya,

iV;V., III.,

26.

Of these, the Parushiu with

The

seven appears

to

the Puranas."

Translation of the Rig-veda, Vol.

The

the

Vipas, and the

original enumeration of

be that which has given rise to the specifications of I.,

p.

88, note.

above referred to, as quoted by Yaska, in the Nirukta, the Rig-veda, X,, 75, 5. text

is

VISHNU PUR ANA.

122

and Nishadha (on the north and south), and between Malyavat and Gandhamadana' (on the west and east). Mem,

Faber, indeed, thinks that

and

Ilavfita,

seems not unlikely

to

with the surrounding Varsha of

a representation of the garden of

is

,

(Pagan Idolatry, Vol.

Eden. it

four rivers

its

I.,

However

p. 315.)

have originated

in

this

may

be,

some imperfect account

of four great rivers flowing from the Himalaya, and the high lands north of that range, towards the cardinal points: the Bhadra,

representing the

to the north,

river of China, or

Oby

of Siberia; and the Sita, the

The Alakananda

Hoangho.

a main branch of the Ganges, near

well

is

known

very possibly, as Major Wilford supposed, the Oxus.

is,

The

Res., Vol. VHI., p. 309.)

It is said, in the

reading.

river runs, that

'

The

it is

It is

on the south

;

to

the former

the

more usual this

peopled by various races of barbarians:

name

so variously as to cause

given to one of the four buttresses of Meru, that

one of the filament mountains

a range of boundary mountains, on the south of Ketumala.

is

Vayu, of Ketumala, through which

text applies the latter

confusion.

(As.

printed copy of the Bhagavata, and

MS. Padma, read Vankshu: but

the

as

source; and the Chakshu

its

;

Here another mountain range

,

on the west

and is

to the

;

to

Varsha

intended;

or a

chain running north and south, upon the east of lUivrita, con-

Accordingly, the

necting the Nila and Nishadha ranges. states

to

it

be 34000 Yojanas in extent, that

Meru, IGOOO, and the breadth of together, Ilavfita

18000.

A

on the west.

Ilavi'ita

similar range, It

Vayu

the diameter of

on each side of

that of

was, probably,

is,

it,

or,

Malyavat, bounds

to avoid the confusion

arising from similarity of nomenclature, that the author of the

Bhagavata

substitut(Hl

difl'erent

names

other instances; calling the buttress, as

dara,*

*

t

the southern forest,

Vide supra,

p. 115,

note

Vide supra, p. 117, note

3. 1.

for

Gandhamadana in the seen, Meruman-

we have

Sarvatobhadra,! and the filament-

BOOK It lies

between them,

CHAP.

ir.,

123

II.

The

like the pericarp of a lotos.

countries ofBliarata, Ketuniala, Bhadraswa, andUttarakuni'^

lie,

like leaves of the lotos of the world, exterior

the boundary mountains.

to

Jathara and Devakuta

are two mountain ranges, f running north and south,

and connecting the two chains of Nila and Nishadha. Gandhamadana and Kailasa extend, east and west, eighty Yojanas in breadth, from sea to sea. Nishadha and Pariyatrat are the limitative mountains on the west, stretching, like those on the east, between the Nila and Nishadha ranges. And the mountains Trisringa and Jarudhi are the northern limits (of Meru),

extending, east and west, between the two seas.^ Thus mountain, Hamsa;§ restricting the term Gandhamadana eastern range: a correction,

may

it

to

the

be remarked, corroborative

of a subsequent date.

These

'

eight

mountains

Bhagavata and Vayu. seas

are

(^itTr^^^f^ff)

;

and

it

enumerated

similarly

But no mention is

is

clear

made,

in

that

the

in

the

them, of any eastern

and

western oceans cannot be intended, as the mountains Malyavat and Gandhamadana intervene. The commentator would seem to understand

'Ariiava' as signifying 'mountain'; as he says, 'Between the seas means within Malyavat and Gandhamadana':

?n^^^J^^T^-5fr^T^W^^n^^^f%ff|describes these eight mountains

as circling

The Bhagavata Meru for 18000 Yo1

janas in each direction, leaving, according to the commentator,

an interval of a thousand Yojanas between them and the base *

My MSS.

have Kuru.

t Tqi^^lM^rT,

which, four lines lower,

is

rendered "limitative moun-

"boundary mountains". Paripatra appears to be the more usual reading.

tains", and, further on, +

§ It is

though II

it

This

not altogether evident that the Bhdgavata-purdiia, V., 16, 27, omits Gandhamadana, intends to substitute Eariisa in its stead. is

from the smaller commentary on the Vish/m-purdna.

VISHNU PUEANA.

124 I

have repeated to you the mountains described, by

great sages, as the boundary mountains, situated, in

on each of the four sides of Meru. Those, also, which have been mentioned as the filament mountains pairs,

(or spurs), Sitanta

The

lightful.

and the

valleys

rest, are

exceedingly de-

embosomed amongst them

are

the favourite resorts of the Siddhas and Charanas.

And

there are situated, upon them, agreeable forests,

and pleasant cities, embellished with the palaces of Lakshmi, Vishnu, Agni, Surya, and other deities, and peopled by celestial spirits;* whilst thef Yakshas, Rakshasas, Daityas, and Danavas pursue their pastimes of the central mountain, and being 2000 high, and as

They may be understood separating

cording east,

to

it

to

from Uavrita.

the Bhagavata,t

many

The names

of these mountains, ac-

are Jathara and

Parana and Pariyatra on

Devakuta on the

it

Makara

the west, Trisringa and

on the north, and Kailasa and Karavira on the south. believing

broad.

be the exterior barriers of Meru,

Without

possible to verify the position of these different crea-

tions of the legendary

geography of the Hindus,

it

can scarcely

admit of doubt that the scheme was suggested by imperfect acquaintance with the actual character of the country, by the four great ranges, the Altai, Muztag or Thian-shan, Ku-en-lun

Himalaya, which traverse central Asia

in

,

and

a direction from east

west, with a greater or less inclination from north to south,

to

which are connected or divided by many lofty transverse ridges, which enclose several large lakes, and which give rise to the 'great rivers that water Siberia,

China, Tartary, and Hindusthan.

(Humboldt on the mountains of Central Asia, and Asia.)

•

Kiiiinaras, in the original.

f Gandharvas :

v., 16, 28.

is

here to bo inserted.

Ritter.,

Geogr.

BOOK

CHAP.

II.,

125

II.

These, in short, are the regions of (Para-

in the vales.

Swarga, the seats of the righteous, and where

dise, or)

the wicked do not arrive even after a hundred births. In (the country of) Bhadi-aswa, Vishnu resides as

Hayasiras (the horse-headed);

in

Ketumala, as Varaha

(the boar); in Bharata, as the tortoise (Kurma); in

Kuru, as the

where

:

fish

(Matsya); in his universal form, every-

for Hari pervades

the supporter of eight realms, of

places.

all

things: he

all

Kimpurusha and

of Bharata), there

is

is

all

He, Maitreya, things.

rest, (or all

is

In the

exclusive

no sorrow, nor w^eariness, nor

anxiety, nor hunger, nor apprehension: their inhabitants are

exempt from

all

infirmity

and pain, and

live

uninterrupted enjoyment) for ten or twelve thou-

(in

Indra* never sends rain upon them: for

sand years.

the earth abounds with water.

In those places there

no distinction of Krita, Treta, or any succession of ages.f In each of these Varshas there are, respectively,

is

seven principal ranges of mountains, t from which, best of Brahmans, hundreds of rivers take their rise.^

'

More ample

details

MahaKurma, Linga, Matsya, and

of the Varsbas are given in the

bharata, Bhagavata, Padnia,

Vayu

,

Markaiideya Puninas: but they are of an entirely fanciful nature.

Thus, of the Ketumala-varsba are black, the subsist

women

upon the

thousand years

,

fruit of the

countries and rivers

•f-

X

Deva,

is

in the original,

Compare

p.

Kuldchala.

is

said, in the

Panasa or

Vayu,

the

men

jack-tree, and live for ten

exempt from sorrow or

or main ranges of mountains in

*

it

of the complexion of the lotos; the people

103, supra.

it

are

sickness.

Seven Kula

named; and a long

list

of

added, none of which can be identiiied

f

VISHNU PURANA.

120

with any actually existing, except, perhaps, the great river the * Suchakshu, the Amu or Oxus. According to the Bhagavata,

Vishnu

is

The Viiyu worshipped as Kamadeva, in Ketumala. is Iswara, the son of Brahma.

says the ohject of adoration there

See,

Similar circumstances are asserted of the other Varshas. also, As. Res., Vol.

*

v., 18,

VIIL,

p. 354.

15.

in the Brahma-purdi'in, that, in the Bhadraswa, or China, In Bharata, resides with the countenance and head of a horse. In Kutuniahi, or Europe, he he has the countenance of a tortoise. resides in the shape of a vardha, or hoar; and he is described as the

t "It

is said,

Vishi'ui

chief of a in

numerous

offspring,

Ketumahi, rardhapa,

or followers in that shape.

He

or the chief of the vardhas, or hoars;

is,

then,

a

word

idiom of the spoken dialects, lodrdpd. course, In Kuru, he has the countenance of a matsya, or fish; and, of he is, there, iiro-matsxju, or with the head or countenance of a fish." to be

pronounced, according

to the

t

CHAPTER Description

of Rliavata- vavsha:

III.

extent:

cliief

mountains:

nine

principal rivers and mountains of Bluirata proper:

divisions:

principal nations: superiority over other Varshas, especially

as the seat of religious acts.

Parasara.

— The

(Topographical

lists.)

country that Hes north of the

ocean, and south of the snowy mountams,*

is

called

Bharata: for there dwelt the descendants of Bharata. nine thousand leagues in extent/ and

It is

of works, in consequence of which

is

men go

the land

to heaven,

or obtain emancipation.

The seven main chains of mountains in Bharata are Mahendra, Malaya, Sahya, Suktimat, Riksha, Vindhya, and Paripatra.^f As Bharata- varsha means

'

India, a nearer approach to the

truth, with regard to its extent, might

have been expected; and

Vayu has another measurement, which

the

not much above Kumari (Comorin)

is

twice the actual extent, or 1000 Yojanas from to the source of the Ganges.

These are called the Kulaparvatas

^

They

mountain ranges or systems. all

the authorities; and their situation

some

,

family mountains, or

are similarly enumerated in

may

be determined, with

confidence, by the rivers which flow from them.

Mahendra

the chain of hills that extends from Orissa and the northern

is

Circars to

Gondwana, part

Mahindra Malei, or *

Himddri,

i.

e.,

hills

of which, near

of Mahindra.

Ganjam,

Malaya

is

is still

called

the southern

the Himalaya.

t This mountain-range is not to be confounded with that named in connexion with the Nishadha, at p. 123, supra. I

The

cannot

il/
of Ptolemy,

represent the Mahendra

unless he has altogether misplaced of

Essays on Sanskrit Literature, Vol,

the I.,

text.

pp. 240

it,

See Professor Wilson's

and 241.

VISiINU PURANA.

128

From some

this region

heaven is obtained, or even, in from existence; or men pass,

cases, liberation

from hence, into the condition of brutes, or fall into hell. Heaven, emancipation, a state in mid-air, or in the subterraneous realms, succeeds to existence here: and the world of acts is not the title of any other portion of the universe.

*

portion of the Western Ghats.

of

its

Suktimat

northern portion of the Western Ghats,

Konkan. general

but

it is

Vayu,

is

doubtful; for none

Sahya

streams can be identified with any certainty.

it

Riksha

name

is

the mountains of

the mountains

the

Gondwaua. Vindhya

is

the

of the chain that stretches across Central India;

here restricted to the eastern division. is

is

of the

According to the

the part south of the Narniada, or the Siitpudti range.

Paripatra (as frequently written Pariyiltra)

western portion of the Vindhya.

The name,

is

the northern and

indeed,

is still

given

Guzerat (see Colonel Tod's map of Riijasthan); but the Chambal and other rivers of Mahva, which are said to How from the Pariyatra mountains, do not rise in

to a range of mountains in

All these mountains,

that province.

system, and are connected together.

have been known

to

belong to one

therefore,

The

Ptolemy; as he

classification

specifies

seems

to

seven ranges of

mountains, although his names do not correspond, with exception of the Vindius Mons.

Of

the others, the Adisathrus and

Uxentus

agree, nearly, in position with the Pariyatra and Riksha.

The

Apocope, Sardonyx, Bittigo,f and Orudii must be left for consideration. The Bhagavata, Vayu, Padma, and Markandeya add a

list

of inferior mountains to these seven.

X7\: •f

^^^ ^^^ ^^ ^T^^

i^^Ri^ ^^jwi

WR

1^*^

^1 f^v^%

I

II

situation of these t For Professor Lassen's speculations as to the mountains, see Indische AUei'thumnkunde, Vol. III., pp. 121, 123, and 163.

;

BOOK

The Varsha which

of Bharata

name

will

I

CHAP.

II.,

is

129

III.

divided into nine portions,

They

to you.

are Indra-dwipa,

Kaserimiat,* Tann-avari'ia,f Gabhastimat, Naga-dwipa,

Saumya, Gandharva, and Varuna. The is surrounded by the ocean, and Yojanas from north to south.

Dwipa

ninth

last or is

a thousand

^

On

the east of Bharata dwell the Kiratas (the bar-

barians); on the west, the Yavanas; in the centre reside

Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, and Sudras, occupied

This last

'

It is

similarly left without a name, in all the works.

is

most southerly,

the

doubt, intends India proper.

No

Kumarika.

§

divisions.

To

situated

,

Kumuda

:

for the

Varaha-dwipa

,

and

most part, by Mlechchhas, but

The Bhagavata||

and Padma

Swari'iaprastha, Chandrasukla, Avatrana,

Mandahara,

Colonel Wilford has

Anga-dwipa, Yama-dwipa,

Kusa-dwipa,

divinities.

eight such islands

Ramaiiaka,

anywhere attempted of the other six minor Dwipas, which are

islands:

or

Sankha-dwipa; peopled,

who worship Hindu

is

Vayu adds

beyond sea, and are

Matsya-dM ipa

name

Wilford places here a division called

description

these the

I

on the borders of the sea, and, no

that

Panchajanya,

endeavoured

and

Simhala,

Lanka.

verify the first series

to

of

Upadwipas, making Varaha, Europe; Kusa, Asia Minor, &c. Sankha, Africa; Malaya, Malacca: Yama is undetermined; and, by Anga, he says, they understand China.

more than doubtful; for, tion is made of them very is

,

*

in the three little

more

How

Puranas

is

all this

in

may be

which men-

upon the

subject.

Dr. Aufrecht,

Catalog.

said

Variants are Kaseru and Kasetu.

t

Two MSS.

+

In the MaUya-purdiia

have Tamrapariia. it

is

called

Manava.

Cod. Manuscript.^ &c., p. 41.

And

§

it

occurs in

Bhaskara Acharya's enumeration.

See note in

112, supra.

p. II

v., 19, 30,

n.

In place of "Mandahara",

it

gives Maudarahariiia.

9

:

130

VISHNU PURANA.

in their respective duties of sacrifice, arms, trade, service.

and

^

The Satadru, Chandrabhaga, and other rivers flow from the foot of Himalaya the Vedasmriti and others, from the Paripatra mountains; the Narmada and Surasa, from the Vindhya hills; the Tapi, Payoshi'ii, and Nirvindhya,f from the Riksha mountains; the Godavari, Bhimarathi,+ Krishnaveni, § and others, from the Sahya mountains; the Kritamala, Tamraparni, and ;

"'''

others,

'

By

from the Malaya

hills;

the Trisama, Rishikulya,

Kiratas, foresters and mountaineers are intended,

!|

— the

inhabitants, to the present day, of the mountains east of Hindusthan.

IF

The Yavanas, on

of Bactria and the Punjab

the west,

— to

whom

may

be either the Greeks

there can be

little

doubt

was applied by the Hindus — or the Mohammedans, who succeeded them in a later period, and to whom it is now applied. The Vayu calls them both Mlechchhas, and also notices the ad-

the term

mixture of bai'barians with Hindus, in India proper

The same passage, therefore, to the

the

mountainous

Gonds and

Mohammedans

occurs in the Mahabharata.

slightly varied,

It is said especially of the

of the north-west.

that infidels and outcasts

districts,

and may allude,

Bhils of Central India, as well as to

The

specification implies

had not yet descended on the plains of

Hindusthan.

*

Himavat, in the

original.

t

Some MSS.

l

One MS. has Bhimaratha. And

§ Krishnavei'ia

here add "&c."; others, Kaveri.

seems

see the

to be almost as

Mdrkandeya-purma, LVII.,

common

26.

a reading.

—

In two MSS. I find Aryakulya, which as we immediately afterwards read of a Rishikulya river may be preferable. It is the lection !|

—

commentary. For the Kirantis, a tribe of the Central Himalaya, see Hodgson, Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1858, pp. 446, et seq. of the smaller

^

**

Compare the Mdrkandeya-purdna, LVII.,

15.

BOOK

11.,

CHAP.

131

III.

from the Mahendra; and the Rishikulya, Kumari,* others, from the Saktimat mountains. Of such as these, and of minor rivers, there is an infinite number; and many nations inhabit the countries on their bor&c.,

and

ders, ^f

This

is

a very meagre

other Purarias.

compared with those given

list,

That of the Vayu

is

in

translated by Colonel Wil-

ford, As. Res., Vol. VIII.

; and much curious illustration of many of the places, by the same writer, occurs As. Res., Vol. XIV. The lists of the Mahabharata, Bhagavata, and Padma are given

without any arrangement: those of the Vayu, Matsya, Markaiideya,

and Kiirma are classed as for insertion in this place.

in the text.

Their

lists

are too long

Of the rivers named in the text, most The Satadru, 'the hundred-channelled',

are capable of verification.

—the Zaradrus: of Ptolemy, Hesidrus of Pliny — is the Sutlej. The Chaudrabhaga Sandabalis,§ or AcesinesJ is the Chinab. The Vedasmiiti, t in the Vayu and Kiirma, is classed with the ,

Vetravati or Betwa, the Charraanwati or Chambal,

and Sipra, and Para, rivers of Malwa, and may be the same with the Beos of the maps. The Narmada (or Nerbudda), the Namadus of Ptolemy,

m

the

*

All

is well known. According to the Vc4yu, it Vindhya, but in the Riksha mountains; taking

my MSS,

read

rises, not its origin.

Kumara.

t In none of the MSS. accessible

to

me

is

there anything to which

the latter clause of this sentence answers. +

Zadadrus

§

Ptolemy has Zav,S«[i<'d«

is

another reading.

which has been surmised

,

to

be a clerical

error for Zariiuiidyu.

M. Vivien de Saint-Martin

li

is

of opinion that the 'Ay.tatvriq of

Ptolemy

represents the Asikni.

This— a Vaidik name— and Chandrabhaga, he supposes, were, probably, already in the days of Alexander the Great, appHed to

the

same stream.

I'Inde, pp.

f

Etude sur

la

Geographic Grccque

et

Latine de

128, 129, 216, 407.

In a Pauraiiik passage quoted in the Nitiinayukha and Purtakama-

Idkara, the Vedasmi'iti

is

named between

the

Mahanada and the Vedasini.

132

VISHNU PURANA.

The

principal nations of Bharata are the

Panchalas, in the middle

marupa,

districts; the

Kurus and

people of Ka-

Puhdras,* Kalingas, Magadhas,

in the east; the

(and southern nations) are in the south; in the extreme

in fact, in

The Surasaf Gondwana:

Gondwana.

is

the Taptee, rising also in

The Godavarit

tified.

preserves

its

name:

have the Beeniah and the Krishna. reads RitumaUi: but neither

is

two are not iden-

in the other

For Kiitamahi

the

two we Kiirma

The Tamraparni

verified.

is

The Tapi

uncertain.

the other

is in

Tinivelly, and rises at the southern extremity of the Western

The Rishikulya

Ghats.

that rises in the

the Rasikulia or Rasikoila,

The Trisama kulya

to the

is

Mahendra mountain

is

which flows into the sea near Ganjani.

The

undetermined.

text assigns another Rishi-

Suktimat mountains; but,

in all the other authorities,

r

word is Rishika. The Kumari might suggest some connexion with Cape Comorin, but that the Malaya mountains seem to ex-

the

A

tend to the extreme south.

(Vana Parvan,

v.

Rishikulya river

is

mentioned

3026) as a Tirtha, in the Mahabharata, in con-

nexion, apparently, with the hermitage of Vasishtha, which, in

another passage

Abu. the

name

tains

(v. 4096),

In that case, and

is

said to

be on mount Arbuda or

the reading of the text be admitted for

of the river, the Suktimat range

of Gujerat.

XII., note.

But

this

is

doubtful.

would be the moun-

See Book IV., Chapter

In the Mahabharata, Adi Parvan, the Suktimati§

river is said to flow

*

if

by the capital of Chedi.

Variants: Uclras and Rudras.

The

Nitiinanjarl and

Purtakamalakara, in a passage which they between the Kunti and the Palasini. Chapter III., it is distinguished by the epithet X In the Revdindhdtmya of "the southern Ganges": I

cite,

mention

it

,

§ Colonel Wilford

would identify

the west coast of India.

1851, pp. 250 and 254.

this river with the Arbis, or

See Journal of

Hab, on

the Asiatic Society of Bengal,

BOOK

n.,

CHAP.

133

III.

west are the Saurashtras, Suras, Abhiras,* Arbudas; the Kariishas f and Malavas, dwelhng along the Pari-

patra mountains; the Sauviras, the Saindhavas, the Hiinas, the Salwas, the people of Sakala, the Madras,

Ramas,§ the Ambashthas, and

the

These nations drink of the water of the rivers

others. ^

The

'

t

the Parasikas, and

list

of nations

is

as scanty as that of the rivers.

however, omitted altogether

in the

Bhagavata.

It is,

The Padma has

so has the MahabhaVayu, Matsya, and Markarideya class the nations as central, northern, eastern, southern, and western. The names are much the same in all, and are given in the eighth volume of the As. Res., from the Brahmaiida, or (for it is the same account) the Vayu. The Markarideya has a second classi-

a long catalogue, but without arrangement

The

rata.

and, comparing Bharata-varsha to a tortoise, with

fication,

head and

enumerates the countries

to the east,

feet,

of the animal.

identification of the

tion

*

The

Siiras

sufficient, here, to

in the text: but

t ,

attempt an

further illustra-

The Kurus

are the

Doab, about

was read, by Professor Wilson, TnTT

his "Siiras, Bhiras",

are associated

some

the upper part of the

or

TTTTT^^I

original,

be

its

in the head, tail, flanks,

end of the chapter.

of Kurukshetra

^jft^l, whence

The

It will

names

offered at the

is

people

:

of the

lists

which

I

have ventured

to alter.

with the Abhiras in the Bhdgavata-purdna,

XII., 1, 36:

In the Mahdhhdratu Siidras

and Abhiras

Sdlya-parvan,

,

2119,

mention

is

made

of the

in conjunction.

In the Harivaihki, 12,837,— where the Calcutta edition has TI'5"nf^Tr j "Madras and Abhiras", M. Langlois reads TT^T^TI'' ^- ^-i "Siiras and Abhiras", whom he has welded into "Siirabhiras". See his trans•

—

lation, Vol. II., p. 401.

For

the

Abhiras

— or,

as

they were anciently called, Abhiras

Goldstiicker's Sanskrit Dictionary, p. 299.

t Malukas and Marukas are variants. \ One MS. has Bhadras. § Variants:

Romas and Vamas.

— see

VISHNU PURANA.

134

above enumerated, and inhabit their borders, happy

and prosperous. The Panchalas, it appears from the Mahabharata, occupied Doab, extending across the Jumna to the Chambal. Kulluka Bhatta, in his commentary on Manu, II., 19, places them at Kanoj. Kamarupa is the north-eastern part of Delhi.

the lower part of the

Bengal, and western portion of Assam.

Puiidra

is

with part of South Behar and the Jungle Mahals.

Bengal proper, Kalinga

is

the

sea-coast west of the mouths of the Ganges, with the upper part

of the Coromandel coast.

Magadha

Behar.

is

The Saurashtras The Suras

are the people of Surat, the Syrastrene of Ptolemy.

and Bhiras,

in the

direction, may be the Suri and Phauni The Arbudas must be the people about natives of Mewar. The Karushas and Malavas people of Malwa. The Sauviras and Saindha-

same

or Phruni of Strabo.*

mount Abu, or

the

are, of course, the

vas are usually conjoined as the Sindhu-Sauviras the nations of Sindh and western Rajputana. are to understand the white

Huns

By

,

and must be

or Indo-Scythians,f

established in the Punjab and along the Indus, at the

ment of our era confirmed

;

as

we who were

the Hiiiias

we know from

commence-

Arrian, Strabo, and Ptolemy,

by recent discoveries of

their

coins.

The Salwas

The "Bhiras" have already been disposed of. See my first note As to the reading Sari, Seri is thought to be preferable. See M. V. de Saint-Martin's Etude sur la Geog. Grecque, &c., *

in the last page.

pp. 422 and 423.

i I am not prepared to deny that the ancient Hindus, when they spoke of the Hiiiias, intended the Huns. In the middle ages, however, it is

certain that a race called Hiiiia

India,

to

RaghuvaiMa, to

the fact

was understood, by the learned of See Malliuatha on the

form a division of the Kshatriyas. IV., 68.

that,

in

We

have, farther, the attestation of inscriptions

medieval times, Kshatriyas married lliina wives.

Venkat'a Adhwarin, in his

Vimagunddaria

,

pretty evidently

means the

Portuguese, where he gives an estimate of the Hiinas; and the pandits present day, as I know from having heard them, very often employ Hiina as synonymous with Faringi, or Frank. See Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. VI., pp. 528 and 529: Journal of of the

the

As. Sac. of Bengal, 1862, pp.

3,

117, and 118.

— BOOK

CHAP.

II.,

In the Bhdrata-varslia

it is

135

III.

that the succession of

four Yugas or ages, the Krita, the Treta, the Dwapara,

(or, as also read, Salyas) are placed,

by the Vayu and Matsya,

amongst the central nations, and seem

have occupied part of

to

Rajasthan; a Salwa Raja being elsewhere described as engaging in hostilities

Dwaraka

with the people of

as I have elsewhere noticed

Sakala,

in Gujerat.

a city in the Punjab (As. Res.,

is

,

The

Vol. XV., p. 108), the Sagala of Ptolemy (Ibid., p. 107).

Mahabharata makes the ancients:

it

the capital of the Madras, the Mardi of

but they are separately named, in the text, and

were situated something more

to

and Ambashthas* are not named

Professor Wilson himself,

again

made

figure

in Chinese history,

of the

Hiiiias,

The Ramas

the south-east.

in the other Purarias:

where mention

further on in this work,

Hun

adverting to the

or

suggests, inasmuch as

but the

Turk

those

tribes

is

that

tribes

did not

appear until several centuries after the beginning of the Christian era, and inasmuch as the theatre of their recorded exploits is remote from that the coincidence of appellation may be merely accidental. See Book IV., Chapter XL, concluding note. * Ambasht'ha is "the name of a military people, and its country, situated in the middle of the Punjab (probably the 'J/LijSdarai of Ptolemy)".

India,

whom

Goldstiicker,

401

p.

— on

the

concludes that

I

the Aitareya-brdhma/ia , m\i«i\til

and 1,

this

171,

man

people

this

older denomination was,

its

Sanskrit Dictionary,

here quote, remarks as follows

name by which

is

is

found to be called, and

probably, Ambasht'ha:

met with

as

name

the

"In

of a king:

word, alledged by the Kdiikd, would, according to Pdnini, IV.,

come from "^T^^;

of a

the latter designating a Kshatriya or military

country bearing the same

name (comp.

IV., 1, 168).

Now,

", which is given by the Kdiikd, on Paiiini, IV., 2, 69, were derived from "^^^ , taddh. aff. "^nJT its plural, meaning the people of the country so named, would be '^?^^Tt, accord-

if

the instance "-4||'M^

:

,

ing

to Paiiini,

IV.,

2,

81, and

teaching, VIIL, 3, 97, that

becomes

'^, gives,

amongst

'^,

I.,

2, 51,

But

others, as first part of

and "^"n^j thus expressly denying that, in derivative of HJI^cCg^: for, had he considered alleging the

^

to '^5 in

word

itself

Pailini himself,

when

compounds, such compounds, "^IH^

as the latter part of certain

his

opinion,

^JJ^^

would have been superfluous;

to

"^JSf^

is

a

be such, the

as the

change of

such a derivative, would have been implied by that in

its

VISHNU PURANA.

136

and Kali, takes place;* that pious ascetics f engage in rigorous penance; that devout men+ offer sacrifices; and that

sacrifice, is

with

—

are distributed:

gifts

for the sake of an-

all

In Jambu-dwipa, Vishnu, consisting of

other \7orld.

v^orshipped, as the male of sacrificial

sacrificial

He

ceremonies.

forms elsewhere. Bharata

is,

is

rites, §

adored under other

therefore, the best of the

Jambu-dwipa, because it is the land of works. The others are places of enjoyment alone. It is only after many thousand births, and the aggregation of much merit, that living beings are sometimes born divisions of

amongst the western,

latter are

or,

more properly, north-western,

nations subjugated by Nakula, in his Dig-vijaya:

Ambas and Ambashthas

Sabha Parvan.

extracted, by Colonel Wilford, from the the latter are supposed

by him

,

The Parasikas carry us As far as to

Varaha

the list

Sariihita:!|

and

be the Ambastae of Arrian.

to

into Persia,

or that part of

it

adjoining

the enumeration of the text extends,

to the Indus.

seems applicable

,

Mahabharata,

are included in

it

the political and geographical divisions of

India about the era of Christianity.

base, -4|4c(?.

analysis of the

The necessary

'^T'^^

(into

inference, however, to be deduced from this

W(W

word could not have been

"^^T^

of

"^T^,

&c.

— but,

'^n'l

^)

«t*s|'HTI

then,

is,

— like

at the time of Pai'iini,

that the plural

tJ^T^Tt was

'-•f

of

Ml^ l^ rel="nofollow">,

"^^^^T^

Since,

on the other hand, however, no military people of the name of ^'P^^TI subsequent to occurs in the literature so far as it is known to me

—

Panini, Wl''-,

and

period, *

it

The

seems that,

—

to follow, that the older

name

was '^T^became, at a later

of the people

by a wrong grammatical analogy,

it

TR^^Tt." original adds

^5€T"^

•? Ifrf^fl^,

"aii
nowhere else".

I Muni. X Yajwin. § II

Yajnapurusha.

See Vol.

I.,

pp. 61

and 163, notes.

See Asiatic Researches, Vol. VIIL, pp. 344 and 346.

BOOK

"Happy

are those

dition of gods, as

the

way

CHAP.

who

are born, even from the con-

men,

in

Bharata-varsha

;

as that

Happy

are they who, con-

the unheeded rewards of their acts to the

all

supreme and eternal Vishnu, obtain existence

been

in that

We know

land of works, as their path to him.

when

is

to the pleasures of Paradise, or (the greater

blessing) of final liberation.

signing

137

III.

The gods themselves exclaim:

men.

in Bharata, as

II.,

not,

the acts that have obtained us heaven shall have

fortunate

we shall renew corwe know that those men are

recompensed,^ where

fully

poreal confinement: but

who

are born with perfect faculties^ in Bha-

rata-varsha."*

'

Enjoyment

Swarga,

in

like

punishment

When

individual.

the account

is

Naraka,

in

for a certain period, according to the merit,

is

only

or demerit, of the

balanced, the

man

is

born again

amongst mankind. '

A

crippled or mutilated person, or one

defective, cannot at once obtain liberation.

whose organs are

His merits must

first

secure his being born again perfect and entire.

^ The

larger

^Tf^^tftf^

^^^

I

*rTT^ %f^^rf%3TftWT:

II

commentary says: ^TJfT^Tf^ ^^HtTT«fTt;

%tT^ ^nrcT

Tt^^^'^'n^

The reader

will notice the

HTT^ ^i^

^^^

^^tx!r

would-be archaic forms of the text,

WpfTT

^(?iTf

I

^"nft^fTT

fil^^rf^:

i

I

and Trrc^TR-

And

see Original Sanskrit Texts, Part

I,,

pp. 188 and 189.

VISHNU PURANA.

138 I

have thus

briefly described to

you, Maitreya, the

nine divisions of Jambu-dwipa, which

thousand Yojanas if

in extent,

and which

by a bracelet, by the ocean of

dimensions.

salt

is is

a hundred

encircled, as

water, of similar

TOPOGRAPHICAL From

LISTS,

Bhishma Parvan,

the Mahabharata,

M. 317-378.

Mountains and rivers.^*

San JAY A speaks arch, in reply to

—Hear me,

detail to

monyou the par-

country of Bharata.

ticulars of the

'

to Dhfitarashtra.

your inquiries,

In attempting to verify the places or people specified in the

text, various difficulties are to

to apologize for

subject, such as the changes

graphy of India since the ness of the specification

disappeared

,

be encountered,

Some

but partial success.

,

must serve

which have taken place in the topo-

lists

itself.

and the imperfect-

w^ere compiled, States,

even from recollection

features of the country

vv^hich

are inherent in the

;

and

tribes,

and

have

cities

and some of the natural

especially the rivers

,

have undergone a

Buchanan (Description of Eastern Hindustan),

total alteration.

following Rennell over the same ground, at an interval of some thirty or forty years,

in the

lished, that can be

traced.

remarks that many of the streams

laid

down

Bengal Atlas (the only series of maps of India, yet pub-

Then

the

that they afford

regarded as of authority) are no longer to be

lists

which are given are such mere catalogues,

no clue

to verification,

beyond names; and names

have been either changed, or so corrupted as recognizable.

On

the other hand,

much

to

be no longer

of the difficulty arises

from our ow^n want of knowledge.

Scattered through the Puranas

and other works, the names given

in the topographical lists recur

with circumstances which verification

fix their locality:

have not yet been

but these

sufficiently investigated.

means of There

are,

also, geographical treatises in Sanskrit, which, there is reason to

*

See, for a general note, the conclusion of this extract from the

habharata,

Ma-

TOPOGRAPHICAL LISTS: RIVERS.

140

Mahendra, Malaya, Sahya, Siiktimat/ Gandhama-

afford much accurate and interesting information they common. Colonel Wilford speaks of having received a number from Jaypur: but, upon his death, they disappeared. After a considerable interval, some of his MSS. were purchased

believe,

:

are not

by

for the Calcutta Sanskrit College: but

of his collection had been dispersed.

A

far the larger portion

only on geo-

few^ leaves

graphical subjects were found, from which I translated and published a chapter on

geography of some of the

tlie

Bengal (Calcutta Quarterly Magazine, December,

districts

The

1824).

of

de-

were accurate and valuable, though the compilation was

tails

modern.

we

Notwithstanding these impediments, however, able to identify at least mountains and rivers, to a

extent than

is

now

practicable, if our

graphers have been oriental scholars.

greater

maps were not so miserably

None

defective in their nomenclature.

should be

much

of our surveyors or geoIt

may

be doubted

if

any

of them have been conversant with the spoken language of the

They have, consequently, put down names

country.

according to their lessly,

own

inaccurate appreciation

at

random,

of sounds care-

vulgarly, and corruptly uttered; and their

maps

of India

are crowded with appellations which bear no similitude whatever either to past or present denominations.

that

we

in the

need not wonder

immediate vicinity of Calcutta, Barnagore represents Bara-

hanagar, Dakshineswar

Ulubaria

is

metamorphosed

and Going a little further Darikeswari, Midnapore for Medinipur, into Duckinsore,

Anglicized into Willoughbury.

is

we have

off,

We

cannot discover Sanskrit names in English maps, when,

Dalkisore for

and a most unnecessary accumulation of consonants

mahry

maps

for

Kakamari.

There

is

scarcely a

name

in

in

Caugh-

our Indian

that does not afford proof of extreme indifference to accu-

racy in nomenclature, and of an incorrectness in estimating sounds,

which

is,

in

some degree, perhaps, a national

The printed some MSS.: but '

defect.

edition reads Saktimat, which is also found in

the

more usual reading

is

that of the text.

I

?

:

FROM THE MAHABHARATA.

141

dana/ Vinclhya, and Paripatra are the seven mountain As subordinate portions of them are thousands of mountains: some unheard of, though k:)fty,* extensive, and abrupt;f and others better known, though of lesser elevation, and inhabited by people of low stature.^ There pure and degraded tribes, + mixed to-

ranges.

may

here add, that a Suktimat mountain occurs in Bhima's in-

vasion of the eastern region: Mahabharata, Sabha Parvan.

Gandhamadana here takes the place of Riksha. For additional mountains in the Vayu, see Asiatic Researches, Vol. VIII., p. 334. The Bhagavata, § Padma, and Mar'

^

Mainaka, which,

kandeyall add the following. the Ramayaiia,

it

appears from

of the Sone;

that river being

termed Mainakaprabhava: Kishkindhya Kanda.

Trikuta, called,

also, in

is

at the source

Hemachandra's vocabulary,! Suvela.

Konwa,** Devagiri (Deogur, or EUora,

Rishabha, Kutaka,

the mountain of the gods

the Apocopi are said, by Ptolemy, to be also called mountains of

the gods).

Rishyamuka,

Sri.saila

or Sri'parvata,

Vol. v.,

p. 303).

in the

near

Deccan, where the Pampa

the Krishna

Venkata, the

hill

rises.

(Asiatic Researches,

of Tripati.

Varidhara, Man-

galaprastha, Droiia, Chitrakuta (Chitrakote in Bundelkhand),

Go-

vardhana (near Mathura), Raivataka,ff the range that branches ofif

from the western portion of the Vindhya, towards the north,

extending nearly to the Jumna: according to Hemachandra,

it is

Kakubha, Nila

(the

the Girnar range;

the Aravali of Tod.

it is

blue mountains of Orissat+),

*

Sdravat.

t Chitrasdnu, "having purdna, LVII., 12. +

•H"

I*

fair

plateaus".

But compare the Mdrkandeya-

Arya and mlechchha.

§ v., 19, **

Gokamukha, Indrakila,§§ Rama-

16.

The ordinary reading

!

is

LVII., 13,

d

%

se<j.

Kollaka.

See Lassen's Indische Alterthumskunde, Vol.

626.

I.,

p.

I.,

p. 551.

Rather, the " Neilgherries "

§§ See Lassen's Indische Alterthumskunde, Vol.

IV., 96.

:

TOPOGRAPHICAL LISTS: RIVERS.

142

gether, drink^ of the following streams the stately Ganga, :

theSmdhu, and theSaraswati/ the Godavari, Narmada, and the great river Bahuda;^ the Satadru, Chandrabhaga,^' and great river Yamuna; the Drishadwati/

(Ramtek, near Nagpur). Valakrama, Sudhamaii, Tungapi'astha,

girif

Naga

Ramgurh + ), Bodhana,

(the hills east of

yanta,

Arbuda (Abii

and Chakora.

Kiitasaila, Kritasmara,

named

are.

See note

^

The Sursooty,

western Ghats

Many

single

§),

mountains

at p. 130.

See the fourth note

The Bahudci

or Caggur or Guggur,

N.W.H

of Thanesur.

in this page.

elsewhere

is

Wilford considers

it

to

Ganges below Malda.

said

to

rise

the Himalaya.

in

be the Mahanada, which

The Mahabharata**

thas or places of pilgrimage

two

,

parently, near the Saraswati, one, gives, as

i|

Paiidara, Durja-

(in the

in different works.

'

^

Gonianta

iiiGujerat),

rivers of this

more

falls

into

the

has, amongst the Tir-

name, one, ap-

Hemachandraff

to the east.

synonyms, Arjuni and Saitavahinf; both implying the

'white river'.

A

main feeder of the Mahanada

is

called Dhavali,

or Dhauli, which has the same meaning.

The Diishadwati

*

is

history of the Hindus,

a river of considerable importance in the althougli

no traces of

its

ancient

name

*

Vide

t

seems that the usual lection is Kamagiri. Here ends the list of mountains named in the Bhdgavata-purdna. Probably the Ramgurh which is otherwise known as Huzareebagh

X

p.

131, supra, foot-note.

It

is

here intended. § See Lassen's Indische Alterthumskunde, Vol. II

Kora?

The printed

edition

of the

I.,

p. 626.

Mdrkandeya-purdna

,

LVII., 15,

reads

H

In Sirhind.

••

Vana-parvan, 8323 and 8513.

•j-j-

IV., 152.

The Sursooty

The Amara-kosa,

with the Saitavahini.

a tributary of the Guggur.

is

I.,

2, 3,

32, also identifies the Bahuda

FROM THE MAHABHARATA.

143

Vipasa, and Vipapa, with coarse sands; the Vetraexist.

called

According

Manu,*

to

Brahmavarta,

one boundary of the

is

it

which the

in

institution of castes,

district

and

their

several duties, had for ever existed; implying, that, in other places,

they were of more recent origin. gods',

was

Saraswati.

Manu;

This holy land, 'made by the

of very limited extent.

Its

other boundary

That the Drishadwati was not

we

far off,

was the

learn from

as Kurukshetra, Matsya, Panchala, and Surasena, or the

upper part of the Doab, and country cluded in Brahmavarta: tiguous to

WW^
it:

to the east,

were not

they constituted Brahmarshidesa, •

in-

con-

Kulluka Bhatta explains Anan-

I

'something less or inferior'; f^rf^^^T: But it, more probably, means 'not divided from', 'immediately contiguous'. We tara,

I

must look

for the Drishadwati, therefore,

west of the Jumna.

In

the Tirtha Yatra of the Mahabharata f we find it forming one of the boundaries of Kurukshetra. It is there said: 'Those who dwell

on the south of the Saraswati, and north of the Drishadwati, or in Kurukshetra, dwell in heaven':

^

^^rf^

In the same place,

^^^ % ^¥f% t^^

stream of Kurukshetra, called the Kausiki, liar

Kurukshetra

sanctity.

Sthaiiwiswara

,

for the country of the

•

II.,

17, 18,

ff

is

where a spot

visited in pilgrimage.

II

the confluence of the Drishadwati with a

the

called

s^id to be of pecu-

is

about Thanesur or

country

Kurukhet

still

exists,

and

is

The Kurukshetra of Manu may be intended Kurus, in the more immediate vicinity of

and 19:

^^Orf^ f ^ WWT^^

3rq-^%

II

TR W^fl^^ % W^Nd^MTl"^: See Original Sanskrit Texts, Part t Vana-parvan, 5074.

II.,

pp. 416,

II

et seq.

144

TOPOGRAPHICAL LISTS: RIVERS. the deep Krishnaveni,

vati,

Vitasta/

the Iravati,^

Payoshni/ and Devika;* the Vedasmrita, Vedavati/ According to Wilford, the Drishadwati

Delhi.

case our

whicli

names of the

maps have taken the

rivers, as

Caggur now

the

is

and the Sursooty the southern; both rising

form one

uniting to (but,

more

west, and

correctly, Sarsuti or Saraswati), is lost in

the northern stream, in the

Himalaya, and in the

maps,

which then runs south-

There have, no doubt, been con-

the desert.

both

the Caggur; in

Guggur or Caggur,

river, called

siderable changes here,

is

liberty of transposing the

the nomenclature

in

and

in

The

Iravati

the

courses of the rivers. '

is

The Vipasa

is

the Beas, Hyphasis, or Bibasis.

the Ravi, or Hydraotes, or Adris. ^

The Jhelum, but

still

called,

in

Kashmir, the Vitasta: the

Bidaspes or Hydaspes.* ^ This river, according to the Vishnu Purana,f rises from the Riksha mountains: but the Vslyu and Kiirnia bring it from the Yindhya or Satpuda range. There are several indications of its

position in the Mahabharata, but

none very

appears to be near that of the Krishna.

precise.

It

ginning of the Daridaka forest, which should place sources of the Godavari:

to the

it

mountain and

make

it

Narmada Pain Ganga

the

likely that the

it,

is

comes

*

Both these are from the Paripatra range. From

a

modern geographical Satadrii,

treatise

X &.C.,

to the Vai-

in

Hindi

it

t

In some MSS., appears that the

Vipasa, and Vitasta are now called, in

that language, Chenab, Ravi, Satlaj, Byasa,

t

rather near

the river in question,

The Deva or Goggra.

*

it

These circumstances

river.

*

Chandrabhaga, Iravati,

source

passes through Vidarbha or

Berar; and, Yudhishthira, having bathed in diirya

Its

flows near the be-

and Jhelara.

Vide p. 130, supra.

See Professor Wilson's Essays, Analytical, Critical, and Philological, Vol. L, p. 49.

According

to

the Rcvwiuihdtmya,

rises in the

Vindhya mountains, and

Taptee.

is,

It

further,

there

stated

XL., the Payoshni, falls into

that

the Tapi

or Payoshiiika,

— the

Tapati, or

the tract of country included

between the source of the Payoshni and Varaha

is

called Somavarta.

—

FROM THE MAHABIIARATA. Tridiva,^

the latter

is

Ikshumalavi/

Karisliini,

read Vedasini and Vetasini.

145

Chitravaha,

the

In the Ramayaria occur

Veda and Vedavainasika, which may be the same, as they seem to be in the direction of the Sone. One of them may be the

From evident

the very

meanings of Tapi— a corrupt Sanskrit word, but of Payoshi'u, one might infer some connexion be-

etymology— and

tween these two rivers. As is stated at p. 130, supra, they both originate from the Riksha mountains; and the latter flows into the former. At Chandway a stream now called Poorna joins the Taptee. Whether the Poorna represents the Payoshni, or whether the Taptee above Chandway does so,

is uncertain: but it seems that we must choose between the two. The Painganga falls into the Wurda, fatally to Professor Wilson's opinion that we may find the Payoshni in it. Equally untenable, of

course, is the view that the Payoshni is the Wurda itself: see Journal of the Arcluwloyical Society of Delhi, Jan., 1853, pp. 44, 45. Professor Lassen Indische Alterthumskunde, Vol. I., pp. 572, 573, foot-note -is led to the

conclusion that the Payoshi'u' is the Taptee in its entirety, parby the assumption that the Tapi is not mentioned in the Mahdbhdrata; on which point see Professor Wilson's fourth foot-note at tially

He misinterprets, likewise, the passage from that poem, 148, infra. Vana-parvan, 2317—2319, where he supposes the Payoshni to be called "eiu in das Meer stromender Fluss". The passage in question— to which I shall have occasion to recur— I subjoin and translate:

p.

^^^T^ ^fi: trt

^f^xirt

^^^^^f^m:

^ t^^^ ^fw

II

^f^WT^^:

ii

"Yonder many^ successive roads lead to Dakshii'iapatha. There, beyond Avanti and the Rikshavat mountains, are the great Vindhya mountains, and the river (samudrayd) Payoshi'u, and hermitages of mighty Rishis, full of roots and fruits. Then comes the road to Vidarbha next, that ;

to Kosala;

and,

beyond

that,

in a southerly direction,

lies

the country

Dakshiiiiipatha."

Ritter,

viations

what between from Bopp where

his

deference

right,

to

Bopp's Naliis

as follows: "Vielfaltig diese Landstrassen laufeu siidlicher

n.

and

his

de-

strangely renders the preceding verses

Richtuug nacb, 10

—

TOrOGRAPHICAL LISTS: RIVERS.

146

deep Chitrasena, the Gomati, the Dhiitapapa, and the great river Gaiidaki;^ the Kaiisiki, Nischita/ Kritya,

Beos of Eastern Malwa: but '

From

Paripatra, Kiirma

it

the

in

rises

Riksha mountain.*

from Mahendra, Vayu. f One copy has Ikshumalinf; two others, Ikshula and

-

One MS.

of the

has Ikshuda.

Of

Vayu has an

Wilford's

list

:

Krinii.

Ikshula, from Mahendra: the Matsya

has Drakshala.

+

named in the Padraa Purana, but not in the Vayu, &c. The Goomty, in Oude, the Gunduk, and the Coosy§ are well known. The Dhutapapii is said ^

these rivers

to rise in the *

the

two

first

are

Himalaya,

In different

MSS. read Michita and

and Matsya, the Nischira or Nirvirii

is

Vayu

In the

Nisrita.

said to flow from the

Himalaya.

an Avanti

dem Berge

Rikschwan

an

vorbeibeugend,

Viiidhya die Bergeshohe, Payoschni

die ziim

Meere

nungen von Hochweisen, an Friichten uud an Wurzehi

—

der

ist

Waldwoh-

reich;

Weg

von Vidarbha; nacb Kosala (beide iiach Nonlen) bin; Weitcr siidwarts von dort aber ist das Siidland (Dekan)." ist

Dies

audi.

fliesst

—

fiihrt

Dies jener

KrdkiDule,

v., 49G. I

do not undertake to prove that, in early times,

yoshi'ii

may

the

name

of Pa-

not have been applied to the whole of the modern Taptee.

in the Pauranik period, as we see from the and as appears from the Murkantieya-purdtki, LVII., 24, the Bhdgavata-purma, V., 19, 18, &c.

But the case was otherwise Viah'ni-purdiia,

*

For the Vedavati, see the Mahdblidrata is mentioned in my sixth note

,

The Vedasini

Anusdsana-parvan 7651. supra: and the ,

at p, 131,

named, and said to be in the east, in the Bengal reKishkmdhd-kdMa, XL., 21, t The Tridiva and Alaya or, perhaps, Tridivalaya are mentioned in a list of rivers cited, apparently from some Purai'ia, in the Niti-mni/i'd-ha. Vedavainasika

is

cension of the Rdmdyaiia,

—

—

I

As. Res., Vol. VIII., p. 335.

§

Hodgson

has seven

And

see

Journal As. Soc. Beng., 1849,

affluents, — the

my p.

first

766

note at

p. 155,

infra.

—states that the Gunduk

Barigar, Narayaui, Swetigaiulaki, Marsyangdi, Daramdi, Gandi, and Trisul. The Coosy, also, is made up, he says, of seven streams, the Milamchi, Bhotia Cosi, Tamba Cosi, Likhu Cosi, Diid Cosi, Arun, and Tamor. Journal

—

As. Soc. Beng., 1843, Part

II.,

pp.

646—649;

1849,

p.

766.

FROM THE MAHABHARATA.

147

Nichita, Lohatarini/ Rahasya, Satakumblia, and also

the

the Charmanwatf,* Chandrabhaga,^ Hasti-

Sarayi'i,^

soma, Dis, Saravati/Payoshiii, ^

Also Lohataraiii and Lohacharirii.

^

The

Sarayii or Surjoo

Wilford says

commonly

is

Para,'^

identified with the

so by the Pauraiiiks: but

it is

and Bhimara-

we

Deva.

have, here, proof

f They are also distinguished by the people of Although identical through great part of their course,

to the contrary,

the country.

they rise as different streams, and again divide, and enter the

Ganges by ^

distinct branches.

The recurrence

of the

lar subsequent instances,

but

it

in this as in several simi-

possibly, an error of the copyist:

sometimes likely that one name

is, also,

MS. we have,

In one

ferent rivers.

same name,

is,

applied to dif-

is

in place of this word, Chai-

travati, and, in another, Vetravati. + *

is

Read,

also, Satavari.

According to Wilford, § the Saravati

the Banganga.

^ The Vayu has Para, which MSS. read Vaiii and Vena.

*

The Chumbul.

a river in Malwa, the Parvati.

is

||

Vide p. 131, supra.

+ See Asiatic Researches, Vol. XIV., p. 411, That the Devika is not one with the Sarayu is, again, pretty clear from the Mahdbhurata, Anu-

Msana-parvan,

-where, in a list of rivers,

7G45, and the latter in clearly distinguished

si.

the former

is

mentioned

The Devika and the Sarayu

7647.

from each other in the Amara-kokt,

a Devika river +

The

3,

35. 13,

2,

placed in the south.

is

Rdja-nigliant'u thus dilates, metrically, on the river Tapani:

The Tapani druma which

—

the

,

^l.

also

XLL,

I.,

In the Bengal recension of the Rdniayaim, Kishkindhd-kdnda

in

are

Vetravati,

dictionary,

is

here

reads or

made one with

the Vetravati.

— the

is

tdpin'i

Betwa

:

see

Vetravati p.

131,

In the t^abda-kalpa-

asserted to be the

supra, foot-note.

same

Further,

as

that

professing to follow the Rdja-nighant'u, identifies the Tapini

with the Tapi.

§ Asiatic Researches, Vol. XIV., pp. 40S), 456, 457. As. Res., Vol. XIV., p. 408. I question their identity. See, for the Para, Mahdblmrata Adi-parvan, 2926; Mdrkandeyd-purdna, LVII., 20. II

,

Further, there

is

a feeder of the

Godavery called Para. 10"

TOPOGRAPrilCAL LISTS: RIVERS.

148

thiV Kaverf,' Chulaka,^ Viria,^ Satabala, Nivara, Maliita,'

Suprayoga,*' PavitraJ Kui'idala, ramalini, Piirvabhirama, Vira,

Papahara, Mahendra, Patalavati/^

lasini/^

According

'

Sindhu/ Rajani/ PuBhima/° Oghavati, Pa-

Vayu,*

to the

and flows towards the south.

Sahya mountain,

in the

this rises

It

Beema

therefore, the

is,

Karisliii'ii,

of

Au-

rungabad.

The Kaverif

^

appellation

is

well known, and has always borne the same

being the Chaberis of Ptolemy.

;

^

Read Chuluka.

*

Read,

*

Read Ahita and Sahita. Rises in the Sahya mountain, and flows southwards: Vayu, &c. Read Vichitra.

^ ^

Tapi

also,

;

the Taptee river of the Deccan.

I

Several rivers are called by this name, as well as the Indus.

^

There

one of some note, the Kalee Sindh,

is

in

Malwa.

Also Vajini.

^

'"

This agrees best, in name, with the Beema.

It is also

men-

tioned, as a Tirtha, in the Mahabharata. §

" From Suktimat: Kurma and Vayu. There the eastern portion of the

which may be the Palasini, Also Pippalavati.

'^

a Balasan from

is

Himalaya, a feeder of the Mahanada, if

the mountain be in this direction.

The Vayu has a Pippala, from

the

Riksha

mountain.

*

And

according to the Vishnu.

t The Kaveri of the text so-called river which,

Vide

p.

may be— and,

130, supra. I

is

— the

Chap. XL.,

falls

strongly suspect,

according to the Revd-mdhdhuya

,

into the Nerbiulda.

The Ilaima-koki, IV., 150, gives Ardhajahnavi as a name of the Kaand the TrikdyicLa-ksha, I., 2, 32, gives Ardhagnnga. These terms

veri;

signify Half-Ganges.

Compare + I,

2,

§

See 31,

name

a

my

of the Godavari in

foot-note

Tapi

is

a

at pp.

synonym

Vana-parvan, 5026.

It

my

third note at p. 132, supra.

144, 145, supra.

In

the Trikdncta-iesha,

of "Yamuna.

there seems to be in or near ihe Punjab.

— FROM THE MAHABHARATA.

149

Asikni,* the great river Kusachira/ the Makari/ Pra-

Mena/ Hema, and

Dhritavati/ Puravati/ AnuKapi/ Sadanira/f Adhrishya, the great river Kusadhara/ Sadakanta/'' Siva, Viravati, Vastu, Suvastu,^^ Gaiiri, : KampantV^ Hiraiiwati,§ Vara, Viranvara,

shna,*^ Saibyji,

^

Also Kusavira.

^

Also Mahika and Maruiidachi.

^

Also Sena.

*

Read

^

Also Dhusulya.

Kritavati and Ghfitavati.

^

Also Atikrishria.

'

In place of both, Suvarthachi.

'

From

^

Also Kusanara.

Paripatra:

Vayu and Matsya.

Also Sasikanta. " Also Vastra and Suvastra.

^°

One

'^

*

See

of the Tirthas in the Mahabharata.

my

fourth note at p. 131

,

||

supra.

t The Amara-kosa, I., 2, 3, 32, and the Haima-koia, IV,, 151, make Sadanira and Karatoya to be names of one and the same stream. But there

appear to have been more than one Sadanira.

seems

to be located,

Thus, a second by the Mahabharata, Sabhd-parvan 793, et seg., between the Gaudaki and the Sarayu. See Original Sanskrit Texts, Part XL, p, 423 and M. V, de Saint-Martin's Memoire Analytique sitr la ,

;

Carte, &c., p. 95. +

For identifications of the Suvastu and Gauri, see Indische Alterthums-

kunde, Vol.

II.,

p. 132.

On

the former, also see M, V, de Saint-Martin's

Memoire Analytique, Sec, pp. fi3, 64, Professor Wilson Ariana Anticjuu, pp. 183, 190, 194 considered the Soastus and Garroeas of Arrian as denoting but one river.

—

§ This stream is named again in the Mahabharata, to -wit, in the Anumsana-parvan, 7651. The Little Gunduk is called Hirana, a corruption of its ancient name, See Gen, A. Cunningham, Journal As. Soc. Bern/., 1863, Hiranyavati. Supplementary Number, p. Ixxvii. Vana-parvan, 8094. On the Kampana and the Hiranwati, see IndiIj

sche Alterthumskunde, Vol.

II.,

p. 132,

TOPOGRAPHICAL LISTS: RIVERS.

150

" kara, Panchami, Rathachitra, Jyotiratha, Viswamitra

1*

Kapinjalii, Upendra,Bahula, Kiichira,^MadhLivahini,^ Vi-

nadiV Pinjala, Vena,f Tungavena,^ Vidisa,'^ Krishnavena,+

According to the Mahabharata ,

'

this

Vaidurya

rises in the

mountain, part of the southern Vindhya or Satpuda range. '

Also Kuvira.

^

Three MSS. agree

*

Also Vainadi.

*

Also Kuvena.

in reading this

It is,

Ambuvahini. §

possibly, meant for the Tuugabhadra

or Toombudra.

A

*

which 31.11

I

river in

There

at Bhilsa,

*

The

Malwa, so

from the

called

have elsewhere conjectured a 'Bess' river in the

is

and

is,

tirtha of

city of the

same name,

Megha Duta, maps, which joins the Betwa to

be Bhilsa.

[|

probably, the river of the text.

Viswamitra

is

mentioned in the Mahabharata., Vana-

parvan, 7009.

t According

to the

Padma-purdna

,

there

is

a river Vein, and

it falls

See Professor Wilson's Essays, Analytical, &c,, Vol.

into the Krishr.a.

I,,

p. 68.

For the Krishnaveiia or Krishi'iaveiu, see pp. 130 and 132, supra. Krishi'iaveni is ranked among the rivers of the south in the RdmdOn the Vena, Tungaveua, Krishnayana, Kishkindhd-kdnda, XLI. 9. +

The

,

vena, and Upavena, consult Indische Alter thumskunde. Vol. third foot-note. § This river is

I.,

p. 576,

For the Krishna, see

p.

commemorated

Mahabharata, Aniddsana-parvan,

in the

152, infra, fourth foot-note.

7646. i|

I

have discovered

in Central India,

that,

in the

the Prakrit termination ilia, to Bhailla

hhdilla

+

at

isa,

middle ages, the sun was worshipped,

under the designation ofBhailla,

—from

denoting possession.

hhd, 'light',

and

There was a temple

which name I take to be a corruption of See Journal As. Soc. Beng., 1862, p. 112.

or near Bhilsa, or hlidilleia.

Reasoning from

such data as

are

now known

to

me,

it

would be

equally riskful to assert and to deny the identity of the sites of Vidisa

and Bhilsa. IT See Professor Wilson's Essays, Analytical, &c.. Vol. foot-note on verse 161 of the translation of the Meghaduta.

II.,

p.

337,

— FROM THE MAHABHARATA.

151

Tamra, Kapila,* Salu, Suvaina/ Vedaswa, Harisrava, Mahopama," Sighra, Pichcliliila/ the deep Bharadwaji, the Kausiki, the Soha/ Bahuda, and Chandrama, Durga, Antrasila,^ Brahmabodhya, Brihadwati, Yavaksha/ Rohi, Jambunadi, Simasa/ Tamasa/^ Dasi, The Vama or Suvama, with the Ramganga.

>

tifies *

Also Mahapaga,

^

Also Kuchchhila.

*

The Sone

'the beautiful river',

Wilford f iden-

'the great river'.

Mainakat or Amarkantak, and

river, rising in

flowing east to the Ganges.

This and the preceding both

^

The

latter is

rise

also read Antahsihi,

from the Vindhya mountain.

'the river flowing within or

amidst rocks'. ^

Also Paroksha.

^

We

have a Suraria in the Vayu; and Surasa, in the

Kurma

and Matsya; flowing from the Rikslia mountain. 8 The Tamasa or Tonse, from Riksha. * It

said, in

is

that of the Revd-mdhdtimja from the water used by King Vasudana iu perIn the fourth chapter of the same work, the Kapila

the thirty-fifth chapter

,

the Kapila originated

forming a is

sacrifice.

described as flowing from the north, and as joining the

Narmada

at

Siddhimanwantara. I

should mention that the Revd-mdhdtmya to which

I

refer

in

these

purports to be a part of the Skanda-purdna and differs, most essentially, almost from the beginning, from the much more vohiminous notes

,

i?ewa-?Jta/j«to?/a— professedly

Siva-samhitd,

There

is

an

appendage

from the Rudra-saihhitd, Raudri samhitd, or kno^Q in Europe. to the Vdyu-purdna

—

an excellent copy of the larger work in the

See, for an account of

it,

I.

0.

Library.

Dr. Aufrecht's Catalog. Cod. Manuscript.,


pp. 64, et seq.

The Padma-purdna places Bhrigukshetra at the confluence of the KaNarmada. See Professor Wilson's Essays, Analytical, &c.,

pila with the

Vol.

I.,

p. 38.

^Asiatic Researches, Vol. XIV., X is

See

p. 141,

p. 410.

second foot-note, supra.

Mount Mekala— not Mainaka of the Rd-

given as the source of the Sone in the Bengal recension

mdyana, Kishkindhd-kdnda

,

XL.,

20.

— TOrOGRAPHICAL LISTS: RIVERS.

152

Vasa, Varana, Asi/ Nala, Dhfitimati, Purnasa/* Tamasi,^ Vrishabha,f Brahinamedhya, Briliaclwati. These

and many other large streams, as the Krishna/ whose waters are always salubrious, and the slow-flowing This and the preceding scarcely merit a place amongst the

'

two small streams which

rivers; being

and west of Benares, which

is,

fall into

Ganges

the

^

Pariiasa§ or Variiasa, from the Paripatra mountain.

'

Also Manavi.

*

The Krishna

though

east

thence, denominated Varanasi.+

of the Deccan is probably, here intended almore ordinary designation seems to be that already

its

;

,

specified, Krishriaveria or Krishnaverii.

same; the one being the 'dark

The meaning

||

much

is

the

simply the 'dark',

river', the other,

the Niger.

* In the Calcutta

others

named

of 'great river',

of the Mahdbhdrata, this stream, and two Panchami and the Tungaveua, have the epithet

edition

before, the

which

omitted by the Translator.

is

t The text, from "Brahmabodhya" to " Vrishabha", both names included, has, to me, the air of an interpolation. Some MSS. omit it;

and

"Varaua". XV. The prototypes

in the Calcutta edition there is Varuiia for

Sic in

+

See the Vdmana-purdiia

ori(j.

of 'Benares'

,

Chap.

given in Professor Wilson's Sanskrit Dictionary are Vara-

nasi, Varaiiasi, and Varailasi.

most usual, and

is

as

The second

of these

old as the Malidhlidshya,

II.,

three forms 1, 16,

first can possibly come from Varana -f Asi. M. de Saint-Martin, is a real brook, and not a fiction,

but only the

my own The

senses.

have often crossed the bridge over

I

essayist just

I'Jnde, p. 286,

named,

— referring

riviere, la derniere

de la

Etude sur

la

d'Arrieu

,

may

trust

it.

Geog. Grecque

et

Latine de

"Cette

se reconnait sans difficulte dans

Vardnasi, petite riviere qui se jette dans

la

the

The Asi, pace if I

to the 'Eniyytnis or 'EQiyeaijg, writes: liste

is

for instauce;

la

gauche du Gange a Be-

nom (en Sanscrit Varanasi)." one may inquire, besides Hiouen Thsang

nares, qui en a pris son

On what

authority,

does this geographer place a river Varanasi

See

Memoire Anahjtique,

his

§ See,

7647. II

for a river thus

Variiasa

=

&c., pp. 95,

near the city

wrested,

of Benares?

110, 111.

denominated, Mahdbhdrata, Anuidsana-parvan,

Banuas, the name of two Indian

Vide p. 150, sujpra, text and notes.

rivers.

FROM THE MAIIABHARATA. MandavaliimV the Brahman 1/

153

Durga/ Chi-

Maliagaiiri,

tropahi/* Chitraratha, Manjiila,'^f Mandakini/t Vaita-

Kosa/

rani/ the great river

A A

'

*

river

from Suktimat: Vayu.

river in Cuttack, according to Wilforcl.§

Tirthas of the Mahabharata,

river of this

name

II.,

di-

has a

p. 585)

in Dinajpoor.

Both from the Vindhya: Vayu and Kiirma.

^

one of the

It is

and, apparently, in a different

||

Buchanan (Eastern Hindustan, Vol.

rection.

Ma-

the Muktimati/

There

a

is

Goaris, in Ptolemy, in Central India. *

From Riksha: Vayu.

^

Also Munja and Makaravahini.

^

From Riksha Vayu. According The Byeturnee

''

Mahabharata,1I

it

rises

mountain Chitrakuta.** in the

Mahabharata,f f

+t

^

Also read Nipa and Koka.

^

From

Riksha, but read also Suktimati, §§ which

The Pratdpa-mdrtanda speaks

of Utkala,

named,

in Cuttack. It is

as a river of Kalinga.

*

to the

:

in the

this river see Colonel

the read-

of the river Chitrotpala, in the country

the limits of the present Orissa.

within

that is to say,

is

Wilford, Asiatic Researches, Vol. XIV.,

On

p. 404.

t Here, in the original, the Vahiui word to be epithetical.

is

On

preceding pages, treated as appel-

interposed.

Possibly the Trans-

lator took the

the other hand, he has,

lations

of rivers

several

in the

words which

qualificatory; namely, vipdpd, satahald, X

Part

II.,

p.

•jl

**

A

to

regard as only

See Original Sanskrit Texts,

429, foot-note 88.

tirtha called

XIV.,

Brahmani

is

p.

404.

It

is

well known.

mentioned in the Vana-parvan, 803G.

Vana-parvan, 8200, 8201. It

is

a

northern river in

Kishkindhd-kdnda \X

disposed

and pdpahard.

There were more Mandakinis than one.

§ Asiatic Researches, Vol. II

am

I

,

XLIV.,

The Bengal recension

the

94.

of the

Bengal recension of the Rdmdyana, ff Vana-parvan, 10098.

Rdmdyana, Kishkindhd-kdnda, XLIV.,

65, locates a Vaitaraiu river in the north,

§§ See

my

fourth note at p. 132, supra.

TOPOGRAPHICAL LISTS: RIVERS.

154

ninga/ Puslipaveni, Utpalavati, Lohitya,^* Karatoya/f Vrishakahwa/ Kiunari,Rishikulya,^ Marisha, Saraswati,

Mandakini, Punya/ Sarvasanga. All these, the universal mothers, productive of abundance, besides hundreds t of inferior note, are the rivers of Bharata,^ Wilford§ considers

ing of the Matsya.

it

to

be the Swarnarekha

of Cuttack. ^

Perhaps the preferable reading

Also Anaga and Suranga.

should be Sumanga; a river flowing from Maintika, according to the Mahabhcirata. "^

'

Part of the Brahmaputra.

A

considerable river in the east, flowing between Dinajpoor

and Rungpoor. *

Also Vrishasahwa.

II

This and the preceding flow from Suktimat, according to the Vayu, Matsya, and Kurma. The last occurs also Rishika.l *

^

Also Suparha. The Puiiya

of Behar; but there '

It is possible

considered to be the

is

Poorna

also a

is

river in the

Poonpoon

same province.

that further research will identify

more than

those attempted to be verified in the foregoing notes, as well as

meet with others readily recognizable.

In the authorities con-

In the Mahdhh., Aniisds.-parvan, 7647, a river Lohita is spoken of; and Bengal recension of the Rdmdyaiia, Kish.-kdnda, XL., 26, places the And see As. Res., Vol. XIV., p. 425. "great river" Lauhitya in the east. supra. t See As. Res., Vol. XIV., p. 422; also my second note at p. 149, speaks of these rivers as existing "by hundreds and X The original •

the

by thousands"

:

"Sfrjlft

§ Asiatic Researches il

,

vJ

^ ^f^11

This and "Vrishakahwa",

named

Vi'ishaka"

and

•

:

Vol. XIV., p. 403. if

mean "the river The printed Ma-

real readings, I take to

''the river

named Vfishasa."

hdhhdrata has Vrishakabwaya.

%

See pp. 130—132,

be uncertain whether

it

su])ra.

As

to

the Vishnu-pur dm,

though

it

may

derives a Rishikulya river— rather than the Arya-

Mahendra mountains, there is scarcely room to doubt Suktimat mountains a stream so named. Rishikulya, further, stands among the synonyms of Ganga in the

kulya— from that

it

refers

the

to the

JJaima-kosa, IV., 148.

Also see p. 167, infra, note

1, etc.

FROM THE MAHABHARATA.

155

according to remembrance. suited several occur not

comprehended

as the Kulu'i

in the text,

and Ikshu,* from the Himalaya; Vritraghni, Chandanaf (Ciiundun of Bhagalpoor), Mahi (the

Mahy

of

Western Malwa),

Avanti

(rivers

Orissa,

Druma, Dasarria (Dhosaun§

kiita,

Oojein),

(or Syena),

Sroiii

Matkuria,

near

from

Paripjitra

Siprti,

I

Mahanada

;

and in

Bundelkhand), Chitra-

in

Pisachika, Banjula,

Baluvahini, and

from Riksha; Nirvindhya, Madra, Nishadha, Sini-

all

bahu, Kumudwati, and Toya, from Vindhya; Banjula, from Sahya;

Kritamala, Tamraparrii, Pushpajati, and Utpalavati, from Malaya;

Langulini and Vaiiisadhara, from Mahendra; and Mandaga and

Kripa (or Riipa) Sarasw^ati

,1[

In the Ramayaria

the Ruchira,'i

specified,

we

works,

we have many fi'om

have,

Parapa, Eastern

Vegavati or Vyki of Madura, and Varada or

of Berar; and ferent

from Suktimat.

,

some already

besides

Wurda

others in the Mahabharata and dif-

which the Sanskrit appellations of most of

the Indian rivers might be, with

some

little

time and trouble,

collected. *

For the Ikshumati, the ''O'^iunnq of Arrian, see As. Res., Vol. XIV., also Indische AUerthumshmde, Vol. I., p. 602, first foot-note;

pp. 420, 421

;

and, for the Ikshnmalavi, &c., p. 145, supra, with the Translator's note

Further,

thereon.

the Niti-mayukha

names

the Ikshuka.

t In the Bengal recension of the Rdmayana, Kishkindhd-knii&a XL., 20, the Chandani, in the east, is spoken of; and a Mount Chandana, in the south, at XL., 3. +

See

p.

134, supra, foot-note.

riant of the Vaidik Sipha.

du Veda, §

Now

It

should seem that Sipra

is

no va-

See M. Vivien de Saint-Martin's Geographic

p. 53, first foot-note. called,

by the natives, Dasan.

It rises in

Bhopal, and empties

into the Betwa.

A

Dasarua river is said, in the Puranas, according to Professor Wilson, mountain called Chitrakiita. See his Essays, Analytical, &c..

to rise in a

Vol. j

II.,

p. 336,

first

foot-note.

Signer Gorresio takes

this

word as an epithet of the XL., 20.

recension of the Rdmayana, Kislikindhd-kdnda

%

Kut'ila:

Bengal

,

Kishkindhd-kdnda, XL., 24, Bengal recension.

In the corresponding

passage of the genuine Rdmayana, XL., 21, the Saraswati appears unqualified

;

and

also in the

Bengal recension, as a southern

river, at

XLI., 57.

People and countries.

Next hear from me, descendant of Bharata, the names of the inhabitants of the different countries. They are the Kurus, Panchalas/ Salwas,* Madreyas, and dwellers in thickets (Jangalas),f Siirasenas,^ Kalingas/ Bodhas/ Malas,^ Matsyas/ Sukii-

'

The people

The two words

of the upper part of the Doab.

might also be understood as denoting the Panchalas of the Kuru country; there being two divisions of the tribe.

note at ^

t

See the sixth

p. 160, infra.

The

Siirasenas

were the inhabitations of Mathura,

— the

Su-

raseni of Arrian. ^ The people of the upper part of the Coromandel known, in the traditions of the Eastern Archipelago,

Ptolemy has a

One

It is also

*

as Kling. §

called Caliga; and Pliny,

in that part,

Ca-

proximi mari.

lingaj ''

city

coast, well

of the tribes of Central India, according to the Vayu.

read Bahyas.

|

—

Vide pp. 133 135, supra; and compare the 3Idrkaiicle^/n-purd/ia, In the Bengal recension of the Rdmdyaiia, Kishkindhd-kditUa, 6.

LVIII.,

XLIII., 23, they are classed kosa, IV., 23,

we have

among

the western nations.

In the

Haima-

the Salwas or Karaknksbiyas.

t The original is Tn"?"^5IT^^^T ^ Madreyajangalas, the meaning of which is, not "Madreyas and dwellers in thickets", but 'dwellers in Similarly we have the Kurnjangalas. That there the Madra thickets'. ?

was, however, a tribe called Jangalas,

is

clear

from the Mahdbhdrata,

Also see pp. 161, 163, and 176, infra. See, for the Kurus and Panchalas, pp 132 134, and foot-note, supra.

Udyoga-parvan, 2127. +

—

—

For Kalinga and the Kalingas, compare pp, 132 134, supra, and Also see Col, Wilford, Journ. As. Soc. Beng., 1851, p. 233. 166, infra.

§ p.

li

Proximate, apparently, to the Bahya

in the Niti-mayukha.

river, of

which mention

is

made

FROM THE MAHABHARATA.

157

tyas/ Saubalyas/ Kuntalas,^* Kasikosalas/° Chedis/^f The Malas and Malavartis

*

Matsya

,

Gavavartis.

Wilford §

t

As

Miduapoor. it

in the Vayu and The Markaiideya reads considers Mala to be the Malbhoom of in the Megha Duta,!| I have supposed

amongst the central noticed

are

placed

,

nations.

to be situated in Chhattisgarh.

The people

®

of Dinajpoor,

and Cooch Behar.

Rungpoor,

Quarterly Oriental Magazine, (December, 1824), Vol.

II., p.

190,

foot-note.

first

Read Kusandas,

^

Kusalyas,

Kusadhyas,

Kisadhyas,

and

placed in Central India. ^

Also Sausalyas and Sausulyas.

^

Kuntala

is,

in

one place, one of the central countries;

The name is applied, which Kurugode is situated,

another, one of the southei'n. tions, to the province in

Adoni

district (Asiatic

Researches, Vol. IX,

sistently with this position,

it

is

in

in inscrip-

part of the

p. 429 If);

and, con-

placed amongst the dependent

or allied states of Vidarbha, in the

Dasa Kumava.

Quarterly

Oriental Magazine, September, 1827.** '"

A

central nation:

Vayu.

The combination

the east.

The Ramayaiiaff

places them in

indicates the country between Benares

and Oude. ' '

*

Chedi

is

usually considered as Chandail, §§ on the west of

In the Haima-kosa, IV., 27, tbey have the

synonym Upahalakas.

t Professor Wilson put "Chedyas". +

I find,

vavartilas

43

in

MSS.,

among

— Mauadas

that the

MdrkanHeya names The printed

the eastern nations.

the Maladas and Gaedition reads

— LVII.,

and Manavartikas.

§ Asiatic Researches, Vol. VIII., p. 33G. I!

See Professor Wilson's

E'ssaj/s,

Analytical, &c., Vol.11., p. 329, note

on verse 99 of the translation of the MeghadiHa.

% Or

Colebrooke's Miscellaneous Essays, Vol.

authority for the statement **

is

II.,

p.

272, foot-note.

The

Major Mackenzie.

See Professor Wilson's Essays, Analytical, &c., Vol.

II.,

p.

280.

ft KisJtkiiulhd-kancta, XL., 22. For the country of the Kosalas, see the Translator's second note at p. 172, infra. §§ The history of this view I have given at length, and, moreover, have proved conclusively that Chedi was collocal, at least in part, with the present District of Jubulpoor.

See Journal of

the

American Oriental

— TOPOGRAPHICAL

158

Matsyas

—

Kamslias

* ,

the Jungle Mehals,

PEOPLE AND COUNTRIES.

LISTS:

Bhojas

^ ,

towards Nagpoor.

^

Sindliupulin-

,

It

known,

is

in times

subsequent to the Purarias, as Rariastarabha. *

Some copies read Vatsa name amongst the central '

a

and the other Puranas have such

;

of

the people, perhaps,

countries;

Vatsa, f Raja of Kausambi, near the junction of the Jumna and the Ganges, t There are, however, two Matsyas, § one of which, according to the Yantra Samraj,

identifiable with

is

Jeypoor.

Nakula, he subdues the Matsyas

the Dig-vijaya of

[j

In

further to

west, or in Gujerat.

on

Situated

^

Matsya,

They

which confirms

the

Vayu and named with the people of Malava, H They are said to be the posterity

back of the Vindhya range

are generally this locality.

:

Manu Vaivaswata. **

of Karusha, one of the sons of the

These are also placed along the Vindhya chain

^

Society, Vol. VI., pp. 517, 520

— 522,

1861, pp.317, et seg.; 1862, pp. Ill,

,

but

at

,

and Journal As. Soc. Beng.,

533; et seq.

called

seems scarcely established that any division of India was ever Rauastambha. See Journal Amer. Orient. Soc, Vol. VI., pp. 520,

521.

For Ranastambabhramara, see Transactions of

*

Vol.

It

I.,

p. 143,

f Udayaua

— here

referred

to

— is,

and Kausambi, that of

of his realm,

—

Vmavadattd,, Preface, pp. 2 Beng., 1862, p. 11, third foot-note.

of the

X

Gen, Ciuiningham finds

6,

on the

it

Journal As. Soc. Beng., 1848, §

site of the

,

They

referred to

,

^

M. V. de Saint-Martin

**

See Book

IV.,

Chap.

I.,

;

are placed

edition

present Karra.

See

,

is

taken

and, at 1082, the Matsyas

among

the nations of the

XLl., 11; while the Bengal

XLIV., 12, locates them in the north. the Mahdhhdrnta Sahhd-parvan, 1192,

is

,

where, however, no people called Matsyas suggests that the Kariishas

my

1105 and 1108, notice

south in the Ramdyaria, Kishkindhd-kdnda recension, Kishkindkd-kdMa

Vatsa was the

See

foot-notes; and Journal As. Soc.

and of the Aparamatsyas

figure as an eastern people.

The passage

his capital.

p. 28.

In the Mahdbhdrata, Sahhd-parvan

of the king of Matsya

il

Royal As. Soc,

indeed, called Vatsaraja, but in

not in that of Raja Vatsa.

the sense of Raja of Vatsa,

name

the

Colebrooke's foot-note.

Etude sur

may

la

is

intended.

Geog. Grecgue, &c., p. 199

be identifiable with the Chrysei of Pliny.

and the note there on the various

assigned to the Kariishas; also

p.

170, infra,

my

fourth note.

localities

—

FROM THE MAHABHARATA.

H

clakas/* Uttamas,^ Dasarnas, appear

times,

diflferent

They were a kindred

the Bhojpuris,

a tribe

be descended.

They

Bhoja

tribe.

A

At a

j

Bhoja Raja

still

living in

is

Raja

Western Behar, profess

not improbably,

are,

law of Krishna, and, before Pulinda

amongst the

indication of this people;1[ and from liim

of the

relics

synonym

a

as

kata, ** a city near the Narniada, founded

^

is

later period, Bhoja, the

also used sometimes

is

I

with the Andhakas and Vrishiiis,

and a branch of the Yadavas.§

Dhar, preserves an

Mekalas,* Utka-

have occupied different positions.

to tribe

wai-riors of the Mahabharata.

of

159

to

older

of Bhoja-

by Rukmin, brother-in-

that, prince of

Kundiiia or Condavir.

applied to any wild or barbarous tribe.

Those

here named are some of the people of the deserts along the Indus;

and

lindai along the

*

es-

So Ptolemy places the Pu-

banks of the Narmada,

to the frontiers of Larice,

Lata or Lar of the Hindus,

— Khandesh

As

•rf e^

the original has f^t^mf*?!

other positions,

forests across Central India, the

haunts of the Bheels and Gonds.ff

the

many

but Pulindas are met with in

pecially in the mountains

1

1

,

it

and part of Gujerat.

may

be that

we should read

That pulinda means "barbarian" is unproved. f The Rdmdyai'ia, Kis/ikindhd-kd/ula, XLI., 9, makes mention of cities of Dasania in the south; and the Mahabharata, Sahhd-parvan, 1183, 'Sindhus and Pulindakas'.

places Dasarnas in the west.

and I

my

first

They

note at

Also see

176, snpra,

p.

§ In the

among the nations of the south in Rdmdyana, Kishkindhd-kdi'ida XLI., 15.

Rigveda

text

and notes,

178.

are ranked

cension of the

the Bengal re-

,

—see Professor Wilson's Translation, Vol.

III.,

p.

85

once made of people called Bhojas, whom Sayana explains Sahha-parvan, 596, ct allter. be Kshatriya descendants of Sudas. ^ It is now ascertained from inscriptions and other sources that

mention to

p.

is

|

,

,

Hindu celebrities, some of whom dwelt remote Of Kanauj alone there were from Central India, denominated Bhoja. two Rajas so named; and it was, probably, from one of them that there have been several

Bhojpoor, near Farrukhabad, derived

its

designation.

Jaina traditions have

even preserved the memory of a Bhoja, king of Ujjayini. See Journal As. Soc. Beng., 1862, pp. 5, 6; and the Vdsavadattd, Preface, pp. 7, 8. **

Vide infra, Book V., Chap.

bharata, Sabhd-parvan

,

XXVI., ad Jinem.

Also see the Maha-

1115, 1166.

ft In the Bengal recension of the Rdmdyana, Kialikindhd-kdnda, XLI., and XLIV., 12, the Pulindas appear both in the south and in the

17,

160

TOPOGRAPHICAL LISTS: PEOPLE AND COUNTRIES.

las/

Panchalas,"

Kausijas/ Naikaprishthas/ Dhuwe have

In the other three Purarias*

^

Uttamarrias, on the

Vindhya range.

The people

^

subsequently multiplied to

of the 'ten forts',

'thirty-six'; such being the import of Chhattisgarh

be on the

to

A

*

cality is

Vindhya

of Dasariia tribe,

:

Megha

Diita.

a Rishi

said to be

,

Narmada; thence The mountain where it rises The Ramayanaf places the Mekalas +

tribes.

name

^

Utkala

^

These may be the southern Panchalas.

is still

the native

of Orissa.

came Drupada, king of Panchala, as

As

* •j-

When Drona

over-

related in the Mahabluirata,

Adi Parvan,ir he retained half the country, The

The loMekala

for

the father of the river

also called Mekaladri. §

amongst the southern

Also see

which seems

according to the other Puranas.

Mekala and Mekalakanya.

north.

,

f

confirmed by mythological personations;

is

called is

site

that north of the

real

Rdmdyaiia, K.-k., XLIII., speaks of the northern Pulindas,

my

third note at p. 170, infra.

in the

Mdrkandeya, LVII.,

53.

See Professor Wilson's Essays, Analytical, &c., Vol.

foot-note; also p. 329,

first

II.,

336,

p.

first

foot-note.

The only Chhattisgarh known is that in the old territory of Nagpoor, and of which the capital was Ruttunpoor. It is divided by a long interval, not to speak of the Vindhyas and theNerbudda, from what may more reasonably be conjectured to have been the site of Dasari'ia, namely, the neighbourhood of the Dasarua river. cinity to this

east of the District of Chundeyree.

For the and

I.,

my

2,

§

3,

This

I

oral traditions to a region

of the

vi-

lying to the

learnt on the spot.

Dasari'ia river, see the Translator's note at pp. 154, 155, supra,

fourth annotation thereon.

Abhidkdna-ratna-mdld,

+

The

day assign the name of Dasariia

III.,

52; Mekalakanyaka, in the Ainara-koia,

32; etc.

See the Ifaima-koda, IV., 149.

For Mount Mekala, see

my

third

note at p. 151, supra.

The Narmada is said to spring from the Kik.shavat mountains in the Rdmdyana, Yuddha-kdMa, XXVII., 9; or Bengal recension. III., 10, Compare the reference to the Vdyu-purd/ia at p. 131, foot-note, supra. As in the Bengal recension, so in the genuine work, Kishkindhdkunda, XLL, 9. ^ J^lukas 5511—5513. II

FROM THE MAHABHARATA. randharas,-' Sodhas/'^

Madrabhujingas," Kasis,'' Apa-

Ganges, and restored

to its

of that river,

as

as far

161

former chief the other half, south

Chumbul. The capital of the became Makandi on the Ganges; and the country included also Kampilya, the Kampil of the Mohammedans, but placed, to

the

latter

by them,

in the Doab.* The capital of the northern portion was Ahikshatra, a name traceable in the Adisathrus of Ptolemy, f

though the position as

it is

one

differs.

But Ahikshatra, or Ahichchhatra,

also written, seems to have been applied to

t

more than

city. §

^

*

Perhaps the people of Tirhoot, along the Coosy. 'Having more than one back'; probable some nickname or

term of derision.

Thus we have,

in the Ramayaria||

and other

And there it was, as Professor Wilson himself admits. See his notes on Book IV., Chap. XIX. of the present work. Kampilya has long been, to the Jaiuas, a holy city. See Sir H. M, Elliot's Supplemental Glossary, Vol. I., p. 203. •

t M. V. de Saint-Martin— £'^«fZe sur la Geog. Grecgue, &c., pp. 32-1, Ahikshatra in Ptolemy's '.r/J/aJtion:; and he locates the Adisathri to the south of the Vindhya mountains. And see As. Res., Vol. XIV., p. 394,

357— sees

I A kingdom so called is spoken of in the Mahdbhdrata, Adi-parvan, 5515; and the city of Ahichchhatra is named in the stanza next following. § In his note to Selections from the Mahdbhdrata, p. 34, Professor Wilson writes as follows: "Ahichchhatra, in the country of

Ahichchhatra,

a city of

is

some importance

in

Hindu

tradition;

here stated

— north

For Ahikshatra,

of the etc.,

Brahmans who have come from

as the

introduced their religion into the Deccan are said thence. We have no indication more precise of its

to

position than as

is

Ganges."

also see the Translator's Essays, Analytical, &c.,

Vol.

I., pp. 48, 291, and the notes thereon. That there were two regions— not two cities— called Ahichchhatra, one of which was not far from the Vindhyas, I have suggested in the Journal

xis. II

Soc. Beng., 1861, pp. 197, 198. The passage of the Rdmdyana here referred

to

runs thus, in the

genuine work, Kishkindhd-kdiUla, XL., 26, 27:

^n^ ^^^^^

l\%^ g^m^^T: f^TTffwKw^^T^ I^trt: fiT^^^^: II.

I

ii

11

TOPOGRAPHICAL LISTS: PEOPLE AND COUNTRIES.

162

Avan-

rakasls, Jatharas, Knkuras, Dasari'ias, Kuntis, works, enumerated amongst

who wrap

or Oshtha-karnakas,f

eight-eared,'

Kania-pravaranas, 'those

'

Ashta-kariiakas, 'the

'having lips

extending to

Kakaniukhas, 'crow-faced;' Ekapadukas, 'one-footed/

their ears;'

or rather

tribes, the

themselves up in their ears;'*

one-slippered

:

exaggerations of national ugliness, or

'

allusions to peculiar customs,

although they

may have

which were not

and modern times with some of

literally intended,

the Mandevilles of ancient t

furnished

their monsters.

The

spirit

of

shown by these tribes being associated with Kiratas, 'barbarians,' and Yavauas, either Greeks or Moham-

the nomenclature

is

medans.

A

®

A

preferable reading seems to be Yugandhara.

city in

Here we have, named with the Kiratas, the Karuapravaranas, Osht'hakarnakas, Lohamukhas, and Ekapadakas.

According

to

the Karuapravaranas had ear-flaps as

the commentator,

wide as a sheet; the Osht'hakaruakas were furnished with ears that reached to their lips

the

;

Lohamukhas presented

faces of a harsh iron-like black co-

and the Ekapadakas were one-footed, and yet fleet—_/'ai'fl««. Professor Wilson's Yavanas an inferior reading thus disappear; and his Kakamukhas become Lohamukhas. The Bengal recension of the Pu'imdlour;

—

here has Kalamukhas, 'black-faced'.

yai'ia *

—

See the Asiatic

Reseai'clies

,

and Sir

Vol. XVII., p. 456, foot-note;

H. M. Elliot's Ilistorinns of MuJiammedan India, ^'ol. I., p 34, first foot-note. f In the Mahublidrata Subhd-parvan, 1175, we read of the race of ,

Usht'rakarnikas

,

or

the 'Camel-eared',

Reyister for 1822, Chapter V., p. 50 this

Captain Fell

—reads

— Calcutta

" Osht'hakaruakas "

;

Annual

and upon

word Professor Wilson there remarks: "The Osht'hakaruakas, or lips and ears join, remind us of some of the marvels of

people whose Ctesias

;

if

allusion

is

not intended to the thick-lipped race of the Eastern

Archipelago." +

For a rationalization of sundry of the Indian monstrosities and for by the Greeks, see Professor Wilson's Notes on

monsters vouched the

Indica of Ctesias, pp. 19

writes:

"Even Uerodotus

is

gasthenes and Deimachns

such marvels as

— 38.

seem especially

men wrapped up

noses, one-eyed, long-legged, satyrs

with

square

heads,

In that

tract,

at p. 29,

the author

not free from incredible fictions; but Me-

have

been authorities for

mouths and

and having the fingers bent backwards, swallowing oxen, horns and all, Amidst these extravagances, however.

serpents

pigmies, and gold-making ants.

to

in their ears, destitute of

—

—

FROM THE MAHABIIARATA.

163

Aparakuntis/* Goghnatas,^^ Mandakas,

tis/^

the Punjab, so called,

is

Shan-

mentioned in the Maliabharata, Karria

Par van.* '"

Read Bodhas, f Godhas, and Saudhas.

There

a Rajput

is

tribe called Sodha. ''

This

may

consist of

two names, + and

or the latter term occurs Kalingas.

is

so read in

MSS.;

Both terms are repeated.

Besides the Madra of the north, a similar word, Madru,

is

applied

Madura in the south. Asiatic Researches, Vol. IX., p. 428. § The Rc'imayaiia has Madras in the east, as well as in the north. ' The people of the Benares district and that opposite. ^ to

[[

and of the incredible parts it may be them have, at least, a local propriety, and are the inventions of Hindu superstition having been mistaken

some vestiges

there are

many

suspected that

of Indian origin;

by the credulous ignorance of the Grecian ambassadors."

for truths •

Sloka 2062

Vol.

:

p. 73.

III.,

for a people of the

t See,

The Madras

X

of fact;

of

my

Also see

are

mentioned

second note

same appellation, p. 166, supra. at p. 133, supra, and in the notes to

at p. 156, supra,

Madra, says Uamilton,

Account of

tlie

and

my

Kingdom of Nepal,

"the ancient denomination, in Hindu writings,

we

call

that page.

sixth at p. 180, infra.

for the

p. 8

— was

country which

But he does not give his authority for this assertion. into the Arabs in Sind, pp. 148, 149 see the Madras of the Puranas in the Meds of the Muhammadan

Bhotan."

Sir H. M. Elliot clines to

— Appendix

—

historians.

M. V. de Saint-Martin, assuming the Bhujingas people,

would recognize them

in

to

have been a real

the Bolingae of Ptolemy and Pliny.

Etude sur la Geog. Grecque, &c., pp. 208, 2u9. § Or Colebrooke's Miscellaneous Essays, Vol.

11., p.

273, second foot-

Colebrooke there prints, but does not endorse, an opinion of Major

note.

Mackenzie, who takes Madru to be one with "Madura and Trichinopoly."

Madura I

is

find

generally considered to be a corruption of Mathura.

mention of the Madrakas in the Kishkindhd-kdnda, XLIII,,

I

11,

as a northern race.

^

At one time,

as

p. 5, third foot-note

the

city

I

have pointed out,

— Kasi

of Benares,

Journal As. Soc. Beng., 1862,

was, presumably,

while the circumjacent

the

more popular name of was known as

territory

Varaiiasi.

Conversely,

we

city of Varaiiasi

,

read, in Lakshmivallabha's Kalpa-druma-kalikd, of the in the territory of Kasi.

11*

AND COUNTRIES.

LISTS: TEOPLE

164

TOPOGEAPHICAL

das,''

Vidarbhas/' Riipavahikas/^ Aswakas/'* PamGoparashtras,^" Karitis/^ the people of

surashtras,

'^ The inhabitants of Oojein. " These should be opposite to

is

the Kuntis;f but where either

situated does not appear.

The best reading isGomanta, part of the Konkan about Goa. The more usual reading is Khaiidas: one MS. has Parrias.

'* '^

"

A

riods.

country of considerable extent and power at various pe-

The name remains

ancient capital: but the

Beder, Avhich

in

kingdom seems

to

the great part of Berar and Khandesh.

may have been

the

have corresponded with

mentioned

It is

in the

,

Ramayaria t and the Purarias, § amongst the countries of the south. ^^ Also Rupavasikas. There is a Rupa river from the Suktimat mountain, the vicinity of which may be alluded to. We have Riipasas or Rupapas amongst the southern tribes of the Purarias. ^^

Read,

also,

Asmaias and Asmakas.

The

rated amongst the people of the south in the

latter are

enume-

Ramayana,

P

and

Vayu, Matsya, and Markaiideyal Purarias. There is a prince of the same name, of the solar dynasty. ^° Gova or Kuva is an ancient name of the Southern Konkan, and may be intended, in this place, by the Gopa country. Or it

in the

may imply

*

'

the district of cow-herds,

'

that

is,

of nomadic tribes.

Also read Kulatis and Pariitakas.

^'

It

has been proposed to identify this people

'with

the Assaceni

of

See and the ancient representatives of the modern Afghans. Lassen's Indische Alterthumskunde Vol. L, sixth note; Vol. II., p. 129, et al.; M. V. de Saint Martin's Etude sur la Geog. Grecque, &c., pp. 39—47. Arrian

,

t Colouel W^ilford, but without naming his authority for the statement, Journal As. Sot: Beng., the country of Kunti one with Kachchha.

makes

1851, p. 234. +

Kishkindhd-kdnda, XLI.,

10.

As in the Mdrkandeya, LVIL, 47. But only in the Bengal recension: Kishkiudlid-kdnda, XLI., 17. Also see a note on Book IV., Chap. XXIV. of the present work. The Harsha-charita speaks of a Bharata, king of Asmaka. See my §

II

Vdsavadatld, Preface,

t

LVIL,

48.

p. 53.

'

'

165

FROM THE MAHAI5IIARATA.

Adhivajya/ Kuladya,^'' Mallamshtra/ and Kerala;' ^ Apav alias/ Chakras/ Vakratapas and Sakas/ Videhas/ Magadhas/^ Swakshas/^ Mala-

the Varapasis,

Read,

'

also,

Adhirajya and Adhirashtra, which mean the same,

the over or superior kingdom.

'

Also Kusadhya, Kusanda, and Mukuntha. Also Vallirashtra. There are Mallas in the

"

'

foot of the

Himalaya,!

in

rather look for them in the north-west, of Arrian.§

We

country, which

Two

*

most

^ "<

»

site

should

of the Malli

be here intended.

copies read Kevala;!! one, Kambala.

correct,

Vanarasyas,

'

the

The

text

is,

prob-

has,

what

is

likely

p. 177.

One copy

Also Varayasis and Varavasis.

=•

to be

on the

along the

we

have, in the Purarias, Maharashtra, the Mahratta

may

wrong, as we have Kerala below,

ably,

east,

Bhima's Dig-vijaya;! but

monkey-faced people.

Read Upavaha and Pravaha. The MSS. agree in reading this Vakra. The Sakas occur again, more than once, which may But these people,

possibly, unnecessary repetition.

the Sakai

be,

and

Sac« of classical writers, the Indo-Scythians of Ptolemy, exof tended, about the commencement of our era, along the west India,

from the Hindu

Koh

to the

mouths of the Indus.

The inhabitants of Tirhoot. If "^ The people of South Behar. " Also read Mahyas and Suhmas: the latter is, probably, corThe Suhmas and Prasuhmas were found in the east by rect. of Bhima:** and Suhma is elsewhere said to be situated east 3

•

t §

On

Printed

And

^f^^ ^ij^^l ^^,

see p. 166, infra, note 6.^

/•

I

Adhivajyakuladya, if anything. Mahdhhnrata, Sahhd-parvan, 1077.

e.,

&c., See M. V. de Saint-Martin's Etude sur la Geog. Grecgue,

the Malli of Pliny, see the

^^,

same work,

p. 103.

pp. 295, 296. It qualifies Mallarasht'ra.

is the best reading. Jaina, we read In the Kalpa-druma-kaUkd of Lakshmivallabha, the In its western section were the towns of a country called Mahavideha. section belonged the town of Pratisht'hana and Muka; and to its eastern " Mahdbh., Sabhd-p., 1090, of Vitasokha, in the district of Salilavati.

This, as

II

t

—

TOPOGRAPHICAL LISTS: PEOPLE AND COUNTRIES.

166

yas/ andVijayas;" the Angas/ Vangas/ Kalingas/ and Yakrillomans, Mallas,*^ Sudellas,^ Prahladas, Maliikas^ Bengal, towards the sea;* the king and the people being Mlechchhas, that

is,

not Hindus.

It

would correspond,

therefore, with

Tipperah and Arracan. ^

Also readMalajas, but

less correctly, perhaps.

TheMalayasf

are the people of the Southern Ghats. ^

We

'

Anga

was

have Pravijayas is

Puranas. t

about Bhagulpoor, of which

Champa

the capital. §

*

Eastern Bengal.

*

We

have had these before;! but they are repeated, perhaps

conformity to

in

in the east, according to the

the country

the usual classification

with the two preceding ; being derived

from a

common

which connects them

,

in the genealogical lists,

ancestor,

In Bhima's Dig-vijaya

^

,

we have two

people of

this

name,

both in the east; one along the foot of the Himalaya, and the other,

more

to the south.

H

^

Uniformly read, in the MSS., Sudeshna.

^

Three copies read Mahishas.

We

have Mahishakas amongst

the southern people, in the Puranas ; ** and a Mahishiki f f in the Ramayaiia, also in the south. The latter may be connected with

Mahishmati, ++ which Sahadeva

*

See

my

visits, in his

southern invasion, §§

third note at p. 177, infra.

t They appear as an eastern people in the Bengal recension of the

Rdmdyana, Kish.-Mi'tHa, XL 25. + As in the Mdrkanclcya, LVIL, Jo. Kishklndhd-kdiiHa, XLIIL, 8 § The Bengal recension of the Rdmdyana places Angas in the west; and in the east, also, as does the real ^mdyana, At p. 156, supra. ^ Mahdhhdrata, Sabhd-parvan, 1077 ami 108G. And see the Translator's ,

—

||

third note in the last page. •* As in the MdrkaMeya, LVIL, 46. And we find them in the Rdmdyana, Kishkind/id-kdMa, XLL, 10, among the sonthern nations.

ft There is a Mahishika river in the Bengal recension of the Rdmdyana, Kishkindhd-kdMa, XL., 21. ++

See Lassen's Indische Alterthumskunde, Vol. L,

p.

567, second foot-note.

§§ See the Mahdbhdrata, Sabhd-parvan, 1130, where

we

find

Mahishmati.

—

—

—

FROM THE MAHABIIAKATA. and Sasikas/

Vat'adhanas/ Abhiras* and

Balilikas,"-'

and which has been elsewhere conjectured

Annual Register,

cutta

the road

There

••)

south (Mah:ibharata,

to the

commonly

1822.

167

is,

be in Mysore. (Cal-

to

also,

a Mahishmati on

Udyoga Parvan)

,

which

is

Maheswar, f on the Narmada. Also Rishikas;t people placed, by the Ramayaria, both in the north and in the south. § Arjuna visits the former, and exidentified with Chuli

^

from them eight horses: Dig-vijaya.

acts

Also read Bahikas,1[ which

*

||

we may

Bahlikas are subsequently named.**

some

the Mahabharata, Kariia Parvan, ff with *

Chapter

lation

1105

V

,

p. 48.

as the

are described in

detail,

and compre-

Professor Wilson, annotating Captain Fell's trans-

from the Mahabharata, Sabhd-parvan„

of Sahadeva's Digvijayn,

— 1182,

here prefer,

The former

remarks: "Mahishmati should be, here, Mysore; the

there

form of the same word, implying the country Mahesha, either a demon so called, or the buffalo." Memoir of f The Mhysir of Sir John Malcolm; according to "whom Central India, Vol. II., p. 503 "formerly Cholee was the head of the

latter being only another

of

—

district."

Asiatic Researches, Vol. IX., p. 105

Colonel Wilford

maheswara.

I

ascertained, on the spot, that

the place

—writes

is

now

Chauli-

invariably

Maheswar simply. Near the Rishika? See p. 154, supra, Translator's fifth foot-note. § In the Bengal recension of the Rdmdyana, the Northern Rishikas and the Southern are named in the Kishkindhd-kditda XLIV., 13, and XLL, 16, respectively. The real Rdnidyaim has no mention of the former, or of any people corresponding to them, and, as to the latter, called +

,

Kishkindhd-kdiida,

reads

XLL,

10

— Rishfikas

in their stead.

In the Mdrk.-pur., LVIIL, 27, the Rishikas are assigned to the south, II

%

Mahdbhdrata, Sabhd-parvan, 1033

des Morgenlandes

Vol.

De

See Lassen's

I.,

822,

p.

Analytigue, &c.,

,

— 1036.

p. 21; Zeitschri/t fur die Kunde pp.194 and 212; Indische Alterthumskunde, foot-note, et al.; M. V, de Saint-Martin's Memoire

Pentapotamia Indica,

Vol. III.,

first

p. 79,

foot-note; and Muir's Original Sanskrit Texts, Part

II.,

pp. 364 and 481, et seq.

Takwa is a synonym of Bahika in the Haima-kosa, IV., 25. But see M. V. de Saint-Martin's Memoire Analytigue, &c., p. 79, foot-note. ** Vide p. 175, infra, text and notes. ft See the passage translated by Professor Wilson in the Asiatic Researches,

Vol.

Indica, pp.

12>,

XV.,

pp. 108,

et seq.

109.

Also see Lassen's

De

Pentapotamia

TOPOGRAPHICAL LISTS: PEOPLE AND COUNTRIES.

168

Kalajoshakas,"* hend the

Aparantas/'

Parantas,

Pahnavas/

of the Punjab, from the Sutlej to the

different nations

Indus.

These are included amongst the northern nations: Viiyu, &c.

^

But, in Nakula's Dig-vijaya, they are in the west, f * The Abhiras, + according to the Puraiias, are also in the

Ramayanal and Mahabharata, Sabha Parvan, H The fact seems to be, that the people along

north :§ in the

they are in the west. the Indus,

from Surat

the Himalaya, are often regarded as

to

either western or northern nations, according to the topographical

position of the writer.

In either case, the same tribes are in-

tended.

The MSS. read Kalatoyakas; a people

*

placed, by the Pu-

rarias, in the north.

The Vayu reads Aparitas, a northern

*

There are

nation.

Aparytje in Herodotus, classed with a people bordering on India, the Gandarii.

The term

in the text signifies also 'borderers,'

and

probably, correct, as opposed to the following word, Parantas;

is,

the latter signifying those beyond, and the former, those not be-

yond

the borders.**

the Matsya, Paradas. ''

The

latter has, for

Parantas, Paritas; and

ff

Also Pahlavas, a northern or north-western nation, often

mentioned in Hindu writings, in Manu,+t the Ramayana,|l|l the *

For some rather hazardous speculations

about this word, see M. V.

de Saint-Martin's Etude sur la Geog. Grecgue, &c. -}•

See the Mahabharata, Sahhd-parvan, 1190.

+

Vide p. 133, supra, and

my

first

,

p. 103,

note there; also

p. 184,

infra, text

and notes. §

The MdrkaMeya-purdna

,

LVII., 47, and LVIII., 22, locates Abhiras

in Southern India. II

Tf **

Only in the Bengal recension: KishJdndhd-kdncla, XLIII..

5.

^loka 1192.

On

p. 170,

the

meaning of this term, sec Goldstiicker's Sanskrit Dictionary, it is is shown that by Parantas "the inhabitants of the

-where

western borders" are probably here intended.

It See my third note at p. 183, infra. H X., 44. Bengal recension only, Kishkindhd-kd/ula,'KLUl., 21. The Pahlavas III! are there

named

as dwelling in the western region.

—

FROM THE MAHABHARATA. Charmatnan(lalas/ Upavrittas,

and Merubhutas,'

Atavisikharas

Anupavrittas,

169

Kekayas,* Kuttap arantas,'' Maheyas/ Kakshas,^ dwellers on the Purarias,* &c. They were not a Hindu people, and may have Swaraslitras/

been some of the tribes between India and Persia, f Also Charmakhaiidikas but the sense is the same; those '

:

living in the district, Maiidala, or Khaiida, of

a northern people

:

Charma. They are Vayu, &c. Pliny mentions a king of a people

"Charmarum rex. " t Read Marubhaumas; more habitants of Marubhumi,§ 'the

so called, ^

Also Surashtras, which

^

satisfactorily, as

it

means the

in-

desert;' the sands of Sindh.

is,

no doubt, more correct; the

in-

habitants of Surat.

The Kekayas or Kaikeyas appear amongst the chief nations war of the Mahabharata; their king being a kinsman of Krishna. The Ramayaiia, II., 53, specifies their position beyond, *

in the

or west

We

^

of,

the Vipasa.||

have, in the Puraiias, Kuttaprachararias and Kuttaprava-

amongst the mountain

rarias

named amongst west

is,

As

the southern nations

by

river. **

the

They

Vayu, &c.

;

are

but the

evidently, intended.

Read,

^

•

tribes. IT

These may be people upon the Mahi

^

also,

The

Kachchhas.ff

Mdrkandeya, LVIII.,

in the

Purarias have Kachchhiyas.

30, 50.

t Lassen thinks they are the Iln/.ivtg of Herodotus. See Indische AlVol.1., pp.432, 433. Etude stir la Geog. Grecque, &c., p. 205 + M. V. de Saint-Martin

terthumskunde

,

—

most improbably

allies the

Charmae with the Chamars

of the present day.

But see Sir H. M. Elliot's Supplemental Glossary, Vol. I., pp 177, 178. between the Gandharas and the Kai§ The Marubhiimis are named

—

keyas

— as

a western people,

in

the Bengal recension of the Rdnidyana,

Kishkindhd-kdiida, XLIII., 24. II

See Lassen's

De Pentapotamia

Indica, p. 12; also M. V. de Saint-

Memoire Analytique, &c. p. 82; and his Etude sur la Geog. Grecque, &c., pp. 110 and 400. or, it may be, two tribes, the Kuntas and T[ The Kuntapravarauas the Pravaranas are enumerated among mountain tribes in the MdrMartin's

,

—

—

kandeya-purdi'ia, LVII., 57. **

See note

Kuthapravarayas

7 at p. 154, supra,

ff See

my

is

a variant of

second note at

some MSS.

p. 164,

supra.

TOPOGRAPHICAL LISTS: PEOPLE AND COUNTRIES.

170

and the Andlias^ and

sea-shore, Avithin

and without the

inaiiy (tribes) residing

the Malajas/'" Magadhas,

hills;

Maiiavarjakas;^ those north of the Mahi (Mahyuttaras),

Pravrisheyas

the

The form

is

Bhargavas,

,

Puhdras,

^

Bhar-

^

applicable to people dwelling in districts

equally

contiguous to water and in niarsliy spots, and denotes the province

called Cutch.

still

The

Also read Adhya, Antya, and Andhra. f name of Telingana; the Andhri of Pliny, + '

Three MSS. have Malada, § a people of the

^

Dig-vijaya.

the

latter is

east, in

Bhima's

I|

^

Also Manavalakas,

*

A

people of the east.

If

The western provinces of Bengal ** or, as sometimes used, in a more comprehensive sense, it includes the following districts: Rajshahi, Dinajpoor, and Rungpoor Nadiya, Beerbhoom, Burdwan, part of Midnapoor, and the Jungle Mahals; Ramgarh, ^

;

;

*

The Calcutta

text has '^f%f*J^^'*1
may

\ '.

the

,

J-

See the Rdmdyana, Kishkindhd-Jcdncla, XLI.,

+

In the Aitareya-brdhmaria, YII., 18,

it

is

meaning

12.

said that

the elder sons

cursed to become progenitors of most abject races,

of Viswaniitra were

such as Andhras, Puiidras, Sabaras, Pulindas, and Miitibas. Roth's §

Zur

Litteratur

The Maladas

Saint-Martin

,

of which

und Oescfikhte

are taken to

in his

Etude

siir

be

des

Weda,

the Molindae

la Gcog.

See Dr. R.

p. 133.

of Pliny

Grecyue, &c.,

p.

,

by M. V. de

298, 299.

The Maladas and the Kariishas are named together in the Rdindijai'm, XXIV., 18. In the corresponding passage of the Bengal recension of that poem, viz., Adi-kdnda, XXVII., 16, the reading is MaBdla-kdi'ida,

note; II

And

and Kanishas.

lajas

p.

158; and

p. 166,

see pp. 133, 134, siij^ra

note

Mahdbhdrata, Sahhd-parvnn, 1082.

are phiced

in

the

also p. 157,

my

third

In the Drona-parvan, 183, they

The Mdrkai'Uleya-purdna LVIL, has Manadas— locates them in the east

north.

the Calcutta edition

;

1.

,

43,

— where

of India.

^ Some inconclusive dissertation on the abode of the Bhargavas will he found in M. V. de Saint-Martin's Geogrnphie da Veda, pp. 153 155, ** In the Rdmdyana, Kishkindhd-kdnda, XLI., 12, Puiulra is a southern

—

country.

Also see

my

third note in this page.

—

FROM THE MAHABHARATA.

171

on the Ya-

gas,* Kiratas, Sudeshtas; and the people

muna* (Yamunas),

Nishadas/ Nishadhas/

Sakas,

Anartas;^ and those in the south-M'^est (Nairritas) Pachete

Palaniow

,

Pui'uira, translated

and part of Cluuiar.

,

from what

said to be part of the

is

section of the Bhavishyat Puraiia.

December, There

^

,

the

See an account of

Brahmaiida

Quarterly Oriental Magazine,

1824. is

considerable- variety in this term: Liirga, Marja,

Samuttara, and Samantara.

Probably, neither

correct.

is

Bhar-

gas are amongst the people subdued in the east by Bhima. f " These are foresters and barbarians in general.

Notwithstanding the celebrity of

^

dom

of Nala,

We may was

it

conclude

it

was not

to

Damayanti,

yoshi'ii river;

country, as the king-

it

is

*

*

in

situated.

From

;

J

as that

the directions given

by

near the Vindhya mountain and Pa-

and roads lead from

it

across the Riksha mountain

to Avanti and the south, as well as to Vidarbha

Nalopakhyana, Sec.

was

it

from Vidarbha (Berar)

far

the country of Damayanti.

Nala

this

does not appear exactly Avhere

and

to Kosala. §

9.

These are ahvays placed

in the west.

They

||

are fabled to

The people on or about Mount Yamuna? This mountain is named the Rdmdyana, Kishkindhd-kdnda, XL., 21. It is in the east.

f Mahdbhdrata, Sabhd-parvan, 1085. Colonel Tod, Annals of Rajasthan, Vol. +

Nurwur,

I.,

p. 89,

— following

oral

Buudelkhand, where stands a celebrated stronghold. Col. R. R. W. Ellis has brought to light, from that vicinity, an inscription, dated Samvat 1177, or A. D. 1120, in which the That of Nurwur is, probably, thereby fortress of Nalapura is mentioned. intended: but what Nala was he of Nalapura? See Journal of the Artradition, locates Nala at

in

chceological Society of Delhi, Jan., 1853, pp. 42

—4G.

For the tradition connecting Nurwur with a Raja Nala, also see Mr. M. Martin's Eastern India, Vol. II., p. 458. § See, for the original stracted,

my

— with a — 146,

note at pp. 144

literal

translation

supra.

— of

The only

what

is

here ab-

inference to

lie

drawn from the passage in question, as to Nala's locality, is, that it was to the north of Avanti. If by Avanti we are to understand Oojein, he could not have been very near to Yidarbha; and he may have been

way from it. As by \.hQ Rdmdyana, Bengal

a long II

recension, Kishkijidhd-kdnda,

XLIIL,

13.

TOPOGRAPHICAL LISTS: PEOPLE AND COUNTRIP:S.

172

Durgalas, Pratimasyas/ Kuntalas, Kusalas/ Ti'ragra-

be the descendants of Anarta

the son

,

the capital Kusasthali, afterwards

of Saryati

Dwaraka, on

,

who founded

the sea-shore in

Gujerat. *

AlsoPratimatsyas; those opposite or adjacent

'

The

Also Kusajas and Kosalas.

^

name does not occnr

as the

Kosalat

sikosala above, f

in

is

a

latter

to the

Matsyas.

probably, correct;

any other form than that of Ka-

name

variously applied.

and most celebrated application

liest

is,

is

to

Its ear-

the country on the

banks of the Sarayu, the kingdom of Rama, of which Ayodhya§

was

Ramayana,

the capital.

have one Kosala H

I.,

S. 5.

In the Mahabharata

||

and another

in the east,

we

in the south, besides

the Prak-kosalas** and Uttara-kosalasff in the east and north.

The

Purarias place the Kosalas amongst the people 'on the back

of Vindhya;' and

sition

;

would appear, from the Vayu, kingdom to a more

it

Rama,

the son of

that

transferred his

Kusa,

central po-

he ruled over Kosala at his capital of Kusasthali or Ku-

savati,+t

upon the Vindhyan precipices: f%'F^xj'^ff;^'wg

built

The same

is

alluded to in the Patala

Khanda

of the

|

Padma Pu-

raha, and in the Raghu Variisa, §§ for the purpose of explaining

*

Book

In a foot-note to

asserts

that Anarta

t Vide +

p.

157, supra.

Professor Wilson here had "Kosala".

annotated

he used Kosala and Kosala

country and that of

capital

its

II

tt ^l

And throughout

— that

II.,

1,

is

to say,

the note here

the

name

of a

— indiscriminately.

Kosala and Uttarakosala.

§ Itself called

and the Trikdnda-ksha,

^ "

IV., Chap, II. of this work, Professor "Wilson

was "part of Cutch or Gujerat".

See the Haima-kosa, IV., 41;

12.

Bdla-kdi'ida, V., 5.

Saf>hd-parvan, 795. I/iid., I/'id.,

1117. 1077.

Kusasthali

is

a

synonym

note in the last page.

of Dwaraka: see Professor Wilson's fourth The authority for recognizing a second Kusasthali,

identifiable with Kusavati,

§§ XVI.,

'2b.

is

not

known

to

me.

FUOM THE MAHABHAKATA.

173

has, Snrasenas, Ijikas/ Kanyakaguiias, Tilabharas, Sa-

mfras, Madliumattas,* Sukandakas, Kasiniras,^ Sindliu-

the return of

Kusa

to

Ayodhya.

Certainly in later times, the

country of Kosala lay south of Oude

;

for, in the Ratnavali, the

general of Vatsaf surrounds the king of Kosala in the Vindhya

mountains (Hindu Theatre, Vol.

same work,

the

salas,

or seven

II., p.

305):

and, as noticed in

we have, in the Puranas Sapta KoKosalas.+ An inscription found at Ratnapur in (p. 267,)

,

of which I have an unpublished translation,

Chhattisgarh,

states

that Sri-deva, the governor of Malahari Mahdala, having obtained

the favour of Pfithwideva, king of Kosala,

temples, and dig tanks, &c.

;

was enabled

to build

indicating the extension of the

of Kosala across the Ganges in that direction.

The

power

inscription

dated Samvat 915, or A. D. 858. The Kosala of the Puranas and of the dramatic and poetic writers was, however, more to

is

the west, along a part of the

Kontakossula Hindus.

in the south;

Vindhya range.

§

Ptolemy has a

probably one of the Kosalas of the

II

Also Itikas; perhaps the Ishikas or Aishikas of the Vayu, &c.; a people of the south. '

*

*

The people

of Kashmir.

IT

In the Haima-kom,

Kasmiras

,

who

are

IV., 24, the Madhuinatas are the same as the mentioned just below, in the text here benoted.

t See my second note at p 158, supra. I For the words "in the seven Kosalas" see Book IV., Chap. XXIV. of the present work. On reaching that chapter, I shall remark on the Sanskrit expressions from which Professor "Wilson inferred that the Kosalas were seven in number. §

As appears, from

the passage

of the

Mahdhhdrata

quoted in

—

my

note at pp 144 146, supra, a part, at least, of one of the Kos'alas or Kosalas lay to the south of Vidarbha. Professor Lassen's map

—

—

accompanying li

^

his Indische Alter thumskunde,

See Indische Alterthumskunde

,

Vol.

I.,

is,

accordingly, to be modified.

p.

129, third foot-note.

There are Kasmiras in the west, according to the Bengal recension XLIII., 22; and according to the

of the Rdmdya/ia, Kishkindhd-kdnda

Mdrkandeya-purdna

,

LVIL,

52.

,

f

TOPOGRAPHICAL LISTS: PEOPLE AND COUNTRIES.

174

sauviras,

Gandharas, ^ Darsakas, ^ Abhisaras, * Utiilas

^

One of the chief tribes engaged in the war of the MahabhaThe Ramayaria* places them in the west; the Purarias, the north. The term Sindhu shows their position to have been '

rata. in

upon the Indus, apparently These

^

are,

in the Punjab.

people of the north-west, found both on

also, a

known,

the west of the Indus and in the Punjab, and well

authors, as the Gandarii and Gandaridaj.

classical

searches Society,

,

t

Vol.

From

^

XV.,

to

Re-

Royal Asiatic

also Journal of the

103;

p.

Account of the Foe-ktie-ki.

Asiatic

§

the context, this should, probably, be Darvakas; the

people of a district usually specified in connexion with the succeeding.

These are the inhabitants of the country bordering on Kash-

•

known,

mir, to the south and west;

dom

of Abisares.

as Darvabhisara. ^

It

II

IT

to the

Greeks, as the king-

occurs in composition with Darva,

often

Asiatic Researches, Vol. XV., p. 115.**

The Ramayana has Ko-

Also read Ulutas and Kulutas.ff

lukastt or Kaulutas amongst the western tribes.

Bengal recension, Kishkindlid-kdiicla, XLIII., IL

*

f As

in the

MdrkaMeya, LVIL, 36:

also see

L VIII.,

30.

There were

And

see pp. 133,

Sauviras in the cast: Mahdhhdrata, Droria-parvan, 184.

Sauvira

134, supra.

Vol. v., p. 117.

+

§ See, further,

&c.,

Appendix

India, Vol. Ij

I.,

:

Ilaima-kom, IV., 26.

The paper was

written

by Professor Wilson.

M. V. de Saint-Martin's Etude sur la Geog. Grecque,

I.;

p.

= Kumalaka

and Sir

II.

M.

Elliot's

Historians of

Muhammedan

30, fourth foot-note.

See Professor Wilson's Ariana Antigua,

p. 190.

See Lassen's Indische AUerthumskunde, Vol. II., Appendix, pp. XXXIX. and XL.; Mahdhhdrata, Drona-parvan 3380; Karna-parvan, 3652. ** See the Translator's third note in the next page. 1[

,

ft The Kulutas— not Kuhit'as Jlindii Theatre, Vol.11., p.

lytique. Sac,

pp. II

pp. 81

— 84;

— are a real people.

See Professor Wilson's

165; M. V. de Saint-Martin's Memoire

and

his

Etude sur

la

Geog.

300—303. Bengal recension, Kishkindhd-kdnda

,

XLllI.,

8.

Grecgue,

Ana&c.,

FROM THE MAHABHARATA.

175

Saivalas/ and Balilikas:^ the people of Darvi,^* the

Vanavas, Darvas,f Vatajamarathoragas,+ Bahubadhas,*

Kauravyas, Sudamans/ SumalHkas, Badhnas, Karisha-

'

Also with the short vowel, Saivalas.

*

The Vahlikas

or Bahlikas§ are always associated with the

people of the north,]] west, H and ultra-Indian provinces, and are usually considered to represent the Bactrians, or people of Balkh. It is specified,

for its horses

;

the Mahabharata,

in

Bokhara and Maimena, jaya, **

it is

still

preserves

:

as

famous

it,

at least

and, in Arjuna's Dig-vi-

said to be difficult of approach.

These are

^

Abhisaras.ff

Udyoga Parvan,

a reputation the country bordering upon

,

probably

They

,

intended for

the neighbours

of the

are found in the north by Arjuna, Dig-vijaya,++

and are there termed also Kshatriyas. '

Also read Bahuvadya and Bahurada.

^

The name

*

This

is

Darvichas.

But

to translate

^^,

where was "Darvi"?

over,

I

Ramayaiia, as that of a mountain

occurs, in the

Punjab, or in the Bahika country.

in the

Have we,

in

I

is

the

would read, not

^^'^j

relation

§§

which, however, cannot be a phiral.

S'^

xf,

but

More-

H"^t^-,

a Sauskritization of (ji^j^.O, dervish?

suspect corruption in the lection.

f What

II., 53.

Some MSS. have 3'T'^^-.

between the Darvas and

the Darvas?

But

should not we here read Vanavadarvas? +

I

assume that Professor Wilson's " Vatajamarathorajas" was only Further, may not Vatajamas and Rathoragas be pre-

an inadvertence. ferable? § II

For the Bdkikas

see p. 167, Translator's second foot-note, supra. Bengal recension of the Rdmdyana, Kishkindhd-kdnda, XLIV. 13. ,

,

1 Rdmdyana,

Kishkindhd-kdncla, XLII., 6; XLIII., 6, in the Bengal

recension. **

Mahdbhdrata, Sahhd-parvan, 1030.

ft See the Translator's fourth note in the last page; also, Lassen's Jiulische Alterthumskunde, Vol. 11. p. 138, foot-note. ,

The Darvas

are supposed to be the /lunfiatoi of Ctesias. Mahdbhdrata, Sahhd-parvan, 1026. §§ See Lassen's De Pentapotamia Indica, p. 12, second foot-note. ++

176

TOPOGRAPHICAL LISTS: PEOPLE AND COUNTPaES.

Vatayanas/ Dasarnas/ RoKakshas/ Gopalakakshas/ Jangalas/ Kuruvarnakas/ Kiratas,f Barbaras/ Siddhas, kas, Kulinclopatyakas,* mans,'^ Kusabindus,

The MSS. agree

'

in reading

this

Vanayava or Vanayus, a

people in the north-west, also famous for horses.

A

2

better reading

is

Dasaparswajt as we have had Dasanias

before. ^

Also Ropans: quere, Romans?

*

Also Gachchhas and Kachchhas

although

the last

is

the best reading,

Also Gopjilakachchhas. They are amongst the eastern

^

tribes,

Bhima's Dig-vijaga. §

in

^

Or Langalas.

^

Kurujangalas,

!|

IF

part of the Doab. ^

The analogy

eigners,

*

to 'barbarians' ,

Professor Wilson

t See

these

of the forests in the upper

read Paravallabhas. is

not in sound only; but, in

are classed with

borderers

and

for-

and nations not Hindu. **

surmise.

Bengal,

or the people

It is also

the authorities

all

I

:

has occurred before.

it

had "Kulindapatyakas",

—a

mere

See Lassen's Indische AUcrthumskunde, Vol.

my

sixth

1849,

note at p. 130, supra.

pp. 766, 773.

clerical

I.,

p.

error,

547.

Also see Journal As. Soc.

The passages here

referred

to

occur in

On the Physical Geography of the Ilimdlaya. In the reprint of it, in No. XXVII. of Selections from the Records of the Government of Bengal, he gives, at p. 64, Khombo as a synonym of

Hoclgson's admirable essay

Kiranti.

Or Dasarhas? See my first note at p. 178, infra. Mahdhhdrata, Sabhd-parvan, 1077. See M. V de Saint-Martin's Memoire Analytique, &c., p. 162. t To translate ^T^f^Tt ^^^Xl|^:, 'people of the Kuru thickets'. "Jangalas" was, therefore, left in the text inadvertently. Kurujangala and its inhabitants are frequently mentioned in the Mahdhhdrata, as in +

§ II

et al. Also see p. 156, supra, my second note. Rdmdyaiia, Bengal recension, Kishkindhd-kdnda, XLIV.,

the Adi-parv., 3739, 4337,

Thus, 14,

we read

in the

of the Chinas, Aparachinas, Tukharas, Barbaras, and

bojas, in the north.

Kam-

—

FROM THE MAHABHARATA.

177

Vaidehas/ Tamraiiptakas/ Audras/ Paundras/ dwellers in sandy tracts (Saisikatas*), and in mountains (Parvatiyasf). Moreover, chief of the sons ofBharata, there are the nations of the south, the Dravidas,^ KeAlso Dahas,

'

In

which we should have a resemblance

to the

Scythian Dahie. ' Or Tamaliptas. or Damaliptas; the people at mouth of the Ganges, in Midnapoor and Tamlook.

was

the western

Tamralipti

a celebrated sea-port, in the fourth century, (Ace. of the

kue-ki,t) and retained

its

Foe-

Dasa

character in the nintli and twelfth.

Kumara Charitra§ and Brihat Katha;|{ also J. R, As. Soc.lF ^ The people of Odra or Orissa. ** The inhabitants of Pundra see note 5 at p. 170, supra, f f "*

:

The people

^

wards; those by

of the

whom

Coromandel coast, from Madras south-

the

Tamil language

is

spoken.

The Calcutta edition has Saisikatas. Neither reading is t See Buruoufs Coinmentaire sur le Yagna, pp. c. cii.; *

—

++

Sanskrit. also M. V.

de Saint-Martin's Etude sur la Geog. Grecque, &c., p. 65, third foot-note. +

§

Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. V., p 135. See Professor Wilson's Essays, Analytical, &c., Vol.

The Damalipta II

^

&c

,

Vol.

See, also, II.,

p.

1.,

M.

is

pp. 216, et S.

Julien's

II.,

p.

242.

said to be a city of Suhraa.

means Kathd-sarit-sdgara.

Professor Wilson

lytical,

Vol.

there spoken of

See his Essays, Ana-

secj.

Memoires sur

les

Contrees

Occidentales,

83; and M. V. de Saint-Martin's Etude sur la Geog. Grecque,

&c., pp. 303, 304. ** The Audras are the inhabitants of Udra, or, possibly, of Odra. The Odras are named, as a southern people, in the Bengal recension of the

Rdmdyana, Kishkindhd-kdncla, XLL,

18, and as a northern people also, But the word Odra— like Dravida, ihid., XLI., 18— does not seem to be of much antiquity; whereas the Uclras are repeatedly spoken of Sabhd-parvan, 1174 in associain the Mahdbhdrata, and once, at least According to the Haima-kom, IV., 27, the Udras tion with the Keralas.

XLIV.,

13.

—

and the Keralas were the same. We find, according to some MSS., the Audras mentioned, between the Paundrakas and the Dravidas, in the Laws of the Mdnavas, X., 44. But see

my

second note

at p. 184,

infra.

ft The Pauuclras are, probably, the same as thePaundrikas, clearly distinguished from the Pundras, who are named with them, in the Mahdbhdrata, Sabhd-parvan II.

,

1872.

++

See

my

seventh note at

12

p. 180,

infra.

TOPOGRAPHICAL LISTS: PEOPLE AND COUNTRIES.

178

ralas/ Prachyas/ Miishikas,^ and Vanavasakas;^ the Kanmtakas/ Mahishakas/ Vikalyas^ and Mi'ishakas/ Jillikas/ Kuntalas/" Sauhridas, Nalakananas/^

Kau-

kuttakas/^ Cholas/^ Kaunkanas/* Malavanakas/' Sa-

mangas, Karakas, Kukkuras,* The people

^

of Malabar proper,

Prachyas properly means the people of the

Also Prasyas.

^

east

the Prasii of the Greeks,

;

Miishika

'

is

Angaras/^f Dhwa-

t

the

east of the Ganges.

southernmost part of the Malabar coast;

Cochin and Travancore. * Also Vanavasins and Vanavasikas; the inhabitants of Banawasi, the Banavasi of Ptolemy, a town the remains of which are

still

extant in the district of Sunda.

The people of

5

the centre of the Peninsula, the proper Kar-

liata or Carnatic.

The people

^

of Mysore: see note 8 at

p.

166, su2}ra.

Also Vikalpas.

''

^

Also Pushkalas.

^

Also Karnikas.

'° ^'

'^ '•''

Read Kuntikas. Variously read Nalakalaka, Nabhakanana, and Tilakanija.

Kaukundaka and Kaukuntaka, The inhabitants of the lower part

so called, after '*

them

of the Coromandel coast;

— Cholamandala.

People of the Concan.

According

to

some statements, there

are seven districts so named. § '» "^

Malavanara and Salavanaka. These two words are sometimes compounded as Kukku-

rangara. *

It is also

read Kanurajada.

are again mentioned in the Mahdbhdrata, Sabhd-parvan, 1872. Trikdnda-ies/ia, II., 1, 10, makes them the same as the Dasarhas.

They

The The Bengal recension of the Rdmdyana, Kishkindhd-kditda XLI., 14, names the Kiikuras, immediately after the Dasan'ias, as a southern people. Should we there read Kukkuras and Dasarhas? Vide pp. 159, 176, mpra. almost int The Calcutta edition of the Mahdbhdrata here adds, by an ,

dubitable blunder, the Marishas. §

t

Vide

See the Rdja-tarangirU, IV., 159

p. 165, text

and foot-notes, supra. had previously

Professor Wilson

f

FROM THE MAHABHARATA.

179

jinyatsavasanketas/ Trigartas,^ Salwasenis, Sakas

3* 5

Kokarakas/ Proshthas, Samavegavasas.'' There are also the Viiidhyachukikas / Puhndasf and KalkaThis

'

a questionable name, thougli the

is

MSS.

We

agree.

have, in Arjuna's Dig-vijaya,+ Utsavamanketa; and, in Nakula's, to the west, Utsavasanketa. §

They

These are amongst the warriors of the Mahabharata.

^

are included, in all the

lists,

amongst the northern

Also Vyukas and Vrikas.

^

and

as not far from Kashmir. are considered to be the people of Lahore. **

are mentioned, in the Raja-tarangini,

They

tribes,!

The

IF

amongst

latter are specified

Vayu, &c. f Kokavakas and Kokanakhas.

the central nations *

:

*

Saras and Vegasaras; also Parasancharakas.

^

Vindhyapalakas and Vindhyamulikas.+t The

written:

"The

seven Konkanas are, indeed,

known

those at

latter,

in the

Deccan

still,

and comprehend the whole of the Parasu Rama Kshetra, or the greater part of the Malabar coast. They are named Kerala (Malabar), Tuliniga or Tuluva, Govarasht'ra (or Goa), Konkaiia proper, Karataha, Yaralatta, and Barbara." Asiatic Researches, Vol. XV., p. 47, foot-note. •

In the Calcutta editioH of the Mahabharata the reading

t Vide p. 159, supra, note 1, and my annotation Sahha-parvan 1025. But the + Mahdhhdratn in the original, as vasanketa. It was a broken cutta edition of the Mahabharata, that seems to ,

,

^

"Utsavamanketa ", § Mahabharata, Sabhd-parvan, 1191. kunde, Vol. II

As

II.,

in the

pp. 134,

And

see

on

is

Bakas.

it.

word there

is

Utsa-

printed in the Cal-

have

given rise to

Indische Alterthums-

135.

Sabhd-parvan, 1026.

the Trigartas are reckoned

among

In the Mdrkandeya-purdiia,

LVIL,

57,

mountain-tribes.

Cashmere andOujerat. and Trigarta as synonyms. " "Trigarta, the country of the three strongholds, has been recently determined to be the modern hill-state of Kotoch, which is still called,

^ From v.,

144,

The Haima-koia,

it

only appears that

IV., 23,

it

lay between

gives Jalandhara

by the people, Traigart kd niulk." Professor Wilson, in Prof. Johnson's Selections from the Mahdhhdrata, p. 64, eighth foot-note.

W II

Mdrkarideya-purdna, LVIL, 33. See Colonel Wilford, Asiatic Researches, Vol. XIV., p. 397. 12*

TOPOGRAPHICAL LISTS: PEOPLE AND COL'NTRIES.

180 las/

Malavas/* Mallavas/ Aparavallabhas, Kulindas/

Kalavas,'' Ktifithakas/

Karatas/ Mushakas,

Taiiabalas,**

Saniyas/ Ghatasrinjayas/" Almdas,"f Pasivatas/^ Tathe foot of Vindhya, arc named, in the Pauranik

amongst

lists, I

the southern tribes.

Balwala and Valkaja. ^

Also Malaka and Majava.

^

Also Valhibhas, which, from the succeeding word,

A

conjectured to be correct.

city

figure in the traditions of Rajputana.

||

^

Kalada and Dohada.

^

Kundala, Karantha, and Mandaka.

the Rjimayaria, **

Kurata, Kunaka.

^

Stanabala.

^

Satirtha, Satiya, Nariya.

The

The

latter

If

occurs, in

amongst the eastern nations.

'

'"

a great

See Tod's Rajasthan.§

of the tribes in the west, or north-west, subdued by

One

*

Arjuna.

may be

named Vallabhi makes

Siinjayas are a people from the north-west, amongst

the warriors of the Mahabharata.

The reading may be

incorrect.

occurs also Putisrinjaya.

It

" Also Aninda. '^

*

Also Sivata, Sirala, Syuvaka. There were Malavas in the north: MaThe Rdmdyana, Kishkindhd-kdnda, XL.,

Vide pp. 133, 134, supra.

hdbhdrata, Drona-parvan, 183. 22, places

them

in the east.

The Bengal recension does not know

of them.

—

t Formerly printed "Alindayas", by oversight, I suppose. LVIL, 47, I find Vindhyamauleyas. + In the Mdrkandeya-purdna ,

§ Also see Indische 11

AUerthumskunde, Vol.

Selections

from

the

Mahabharata,

pp. 601, et seq.

III.,

Professor Wilson

Mahdbh., Sahhd-pnrvan, 997. p.

65

— says

pears from the context, are mountaineers.

—

in

Prof.

Johnson's

that the Kuliudas, "as ap-

They were, probably, neigh-

bours of the Traigartas." Also see Indische Alterthumskunde, Vol. I., p. 547. ^ Of which Mai'u'luka is a variant recognized by the commentator. ** In

XL., the

one MS. of the Bengal recension of this poem, Kishkindhd-kd/ida, which registers, as eastern peoples, See and Maiidakas. Draviclas, Malivas (sic), Madras, Pattanas after stanza 24, is a half-stanza

,

Signor Gorresio's edition of the Rdmdyana, Vol. VIII.,

p. 333,

note 40.

]81

FROM THE MAHABHARATA.

nayas/ Siinayas/ Dasividarbhas,'^ Kantikas/ Tangahas/ Paratanganas, northern and other fierce barba-

Kambo-

Yavanas/ Chinas,^

(Mlechehhas),

rians '

Tanapa, Stanapa, Sutapa.

'

Pallipanjaka and Vidarbha.

^

Dadhividarbha; but three copies have Rishika.

several of the

names here

The reading

*

given.

of three copies

is

^

There

Kakas. it

MSS.,

in

are not found elsewhere.

They

called on the banks of the Indus, as

Great va-

prevails in the

and, no doubt, great inaccuracy,

riety,

a tribe so

is

leaves the mountains.

These and the following are mountaineers

in the north-west.

The former are placed, by the Puraiias,* in the north; and the Vayu includes them also amongst the mountain tribes. The Ramayaiiaf has Tankaiias in the north. « The term Yavanas, although, in

Mohammedans,

the valuable notes on the translation

the p.

later times,

applied to the

designated, formerly, the Greeks, as observed in I

of the Birth of

Uma, from

Kumara Saiiibhava. (Journal As. Soc. of Bengal, July, 1833, 336.) The Greeks were known, throughout Western Asia, by

the term iV

Hindus

;

,

Yavan; or

or, as it

inscription deciphered gal,

Feb.,

Great,

its

Yavana,

^^^,

of the

Prakrit form, in the very curious

by Mr. Prinsep, (Journal As. Soc. of BenYona: the term Yonaraja being there

1838, p. 159,)

associated with the the

Ion, ^laovsg; the

occurs in

the ally

name Antiochus, of the Indian

in all likelihood

Antiochus

prince Sophagasenas

,

about

That the Macedonian or Bactrian Greeks were most usually intended is not only probable, from their position and relations with India, but from their being usually named in concurrence with the north-western tribes, Karabojas, Daradas, PaB. C. 210.

radas, Bahlikas, Sakas, &c., in the Ramayaria, Mahabharata, rarias, ^

Manu, and

in various

poems and

Pu-

plays.

Chinas, or Chinese, or, rather, the peo ple of Chinese Tar-

"~*^7by

the

MdrkaMeya, LVII., 41, in MSS.: only The same Puraiia, LVII., 56, has,

reads Tunganas.

among

the Calcutta edition in

MSS., Taugauas

the mountain-tribes; for which the Calcutta edition exhibits Gurganas,

f Bengal * By the

recension, Kishkindhd-kdnda, late

Rev. Dr.

W.

H.

Mill.

XLIV.,

20.

:

TOPOGRAPHICAL LISTS: PEOPLE AND COUNTRIES.

182

and uncivilized races, Sakridgrahas,^ and Parasikas;^ also Rama-

jas:^ ferocious

Kiilatthas/

Hi'inas,*

named

Ramayariaf and Manu,+ as well as in was derived from the Tsin dynasty, which commenced B. C. 260, this forms a limit of antiquity for the works in question. The same word, however, or Tsin, was the ancient appellation of the northern province of are

tary,

the Puraiias. §

Shen-sy; and

an

in

the

designation China

If the

may have

it

earlier period.

reached the Hindus, from thence, at

||

These WilfordlF regards as the people of Arachosia.

'

always mentioned together with the north-western

are

They

Yavanas, Sakas, and the like.** horses; ft and, in the Ramayaria, with golden lotoses

What

is

meant

We

some ornament or embel-

have part of the name, or Kamhi,

in the Cambistholi of Arrian.

The

represent the Sanskrit

'place,'

Sthala,

denotes the dwellers in the boja

may be

are also famous for their

they are said to be covered

+t

doubtful; probably,

is

lishment of their dress.

They tribes,

Kamba

last

^

Also Sakfidwaha or Sakridguha.

^

Also Kulachchas and Kuntalas.

syllables,

Kambis

or

explained those born in

two

Kamba

no doubt,

and the word

'district;'

So KamKambas. §§

country.

or

The Puraiias

!l|j

have Ku-

pathas amongst the mountain tribes.

*

The

Also Parataka.

*

See my second note at

+ II

p.

X., 44.

first is

on Book

IV.,

common form

in the

Chap

,

Vol.1.,

p.

857

;

and the Translator's

of this work.

III.

Asiatic Researches, Vol. VI., p. 516.

*1I

**

They

12840; and

are thus associated in the in the

Droi'ia-parvan,

Mahdbhdrata, Vana-parvan, 12839,

182.

tt See the Mahdhhdrata, Drona-parvan, 182. ++ Bengal recension, Kish/cindlid-kd/ida, XLIV.

named with

not

the

,

There they are

14.

Yavanas and Sakas; but they are

so

named in XLIIL,

corresponding passage of ihe true Rdnidyai'ia, Kish.-kd/ida, §§ II

Pu-

lM,supra. fSeemyseventhnoteatp. 176, supra. § As in the Mnrkandeya, LVII., 39.

See Indische Alterthumskunde

last note

not a

II

?

For the Kambojas, see Original Sanskrit Texts, Part

As the Mark'., LVII.,

56, in

II.,

some MSS. The Calcutta

pp. 368

ed, reads

the 12-

—370"

Kurus-

183

FROM THE MAHABHARATA.

nas/ Chinas, Dasamalikas,' those living near the also Suand Vaisyas and Siidras;

Kshattriyas,

'^

rarias,* although

Piiradas,

t

may imply

no doubt,

in poetical writings ;t denoting,

The

also read

latter,

the same, as beyond (para)

tlie

Indus.

have Rjimathas in Nakula's Dig-vijaya,§ and

We

'

it is

or people of Pars or Fars.

the Persians,

in the

Vayu and Matsya. Dasamanas and Desamanikas,

2

the

in

north:

Vayu and

Matsya.

The passage occurs

'

as well as in the

and the proper reading

tinct,

latter,

*

it

Vide

t As

occurs

p. 133,

in the

Vayu and Markandeya|| Puranas,

in the

Mahabharata; but the purport is

doubtful.

not very dis-

is

In three

MSS.

of the

:

176, supra, for

Ragkuvamsa,

Ramas, Romas, Romans, &c.

IV., 60.

There, as at

p. 133,

supra,

we

find

have corrected Professor original. Wilson's "Parasika'' in the text, as violating the metre of the people who Uve is used, in the Puranic lists, to represent X "Paradas b^ond the Indus; just as ju ne^m is used, in the Periplus of the EryParasika, the ordinary form of the

word.

I

Sir H. M. Elliot, threan sea, to signify the ports beyond the straits." Historians of Muhammedan India, Vol. I., p. 36, third foot-note. Paradas figure, as a northern people, in the Bengal recension of

The

Mmdyana, Kishkindhd-kdMa XLIV.,

the

,

note

13.

And

see p. 168, supra,

6,

At one time Professor Lassen considered it as "vixdubium" that the SubParadas were the Parthians. See De Pentapotamia Indica, p. 61. of Ptolemy. sequently he was minded to identify them with the llaQvnuu second foot-note. But at See Indische Alterthumskunde, Vol. I. p 525 ,

,

p. 856,

fifth

foot-note,

he finally came

to

think that they were the in-

habitants of lIaQu6rivri. § II

5f

is

Mahabharata, Sahhd-parvan, 1194. -LVII., 38.

With

the

exception

preferable— separate, as

of

its

if it

printing

r^f^^—

to

which

-r ^f^^T

were here a nominative masculine plural,

the Calcutta edition has, and quite intelligibly.

The people here spoken of are 'those who wear the garb of the Siidras.' spring of Kshattriya mothers, and tribes of Vaisyas and

oit-

TOPOGRAPHICAL LISTS: PEOPLE AND COUNTRIES.

184

dras/ Abhiras,^* Daradas,'^ Kasmiras, The

latter

pada

^ff^T'^lfT^

I

same

the

is

^f^ ^Tt^f^^il T"^

is

None

with

a fourth copy,

in all: the former, in

I" two copies of the Vayu,

I

it is

of these are intelligible; and the

furnishes the reading followed,

^t^^lff^f^^ITT^

Pat-

I

"^f^^-

Markandeya Modern geo-

graphers have supposed the Cathsei, Catbari, and Chatrisei of the

lower parts of the Punjab,

ancients, in the

to

Kshattriyas; but no such people occur directly

Considering that the text tribes,

mean a people of named in our lists.

speaking of barbarous and foreign

is

perhaps no particular nation

here meant; and

is

it

may

be intended as an epithet of those which follow^ or of Vaisya (agricultural)

and Sudra (servile or low)

manner

or after the

to,

of,

tribes, living either

Kshattriyas.

near

In that case, a better

reading would be:

According

to

Manu, various northern

the

tribes,

Kambojas,

Sakas, Paradas, Pahlavas, Kirjitas, Daradas, and Khasas,

and

even the Chinas and Yavanas,f are degraded Kshattriyas, in con-

sequence of neglecting religious

rites

:

X., 43, 44.

the Paurahik legend, they were overcome in

degraded from their original caste. '

Here we have a people

and placed

in the

See Book IV.

called Siidras

west or north-west,

According

t

to

war by Sagara, and

by

all

§

the authorities,

towards the Indus.

They

have been, ingeniously and with probability, conjectured, by Mr. Lassen, IF to be the Oxydracse ; for Sudraka

is

equally correct with

*

See the Translator's fourth note at p. 16S, supra. Paunch-akas, Auc'lras, and Dravitlas are named with them. none of them are called "northern tribes."

\ The

The reading Auclras

is

But

Some MSS. have Andras, which

doubtful.

is,

perhaps, an error for Andhras. +

On

the subject of southern tribes considered

ginal Sanskrit Texts, Part § Chapter III.,

I.,

p.

177

;

Part

II.,

as degraded,

see Ori-

pp. 268, 439, 440,

ad finem.

See the MaMbhdrata, Drona-parvan, 183, % See his De Pentapotamia Indica, pp. 26, 27; Zeitschrift fiir die Kunde des Morgenlandes Vol. III., pp, 199, et seq.; Indische AlterthumsII

,

FROM THE MAHABHARATA. tis/ Khasiras,^

Sudra; and,

185

Pahna-

(or borderers),

x4ntacharas

in place oi^O^^vdoc'atai

.

various

MSS.

of Strabo, as

quoted by Siebenkees, read 2:id()dHaL and -ndQaxai. The latter Pliny also has Sudraci for is precisely the Sanskrit appellation.

who formed

people

the

the limit

of Alexander's eastern con-

quests, or those hitherto inaccurately called Oxydracae. as if conter-

These are always conjoined with the Sudras,

-

minous.*

Their situation

Ptolemy,

by the position

is,

no doubt, correctly indicated, by

above Pattalene

of Abiria,

on the

Indus, f

The Durdst

^

are

where they were

still

at the date of

our

and in the days of Strabo and Ptolemy; not exactly, indeed, at the sources of the Indus, but along its course, above text,

kunde, Vol. .see

I.,

p.

800; Vol.

Professor Wilson's

II.,

Essays,

pp. 155, 158,

Analytical,

168—172, 669, 872. (fee,

Vol.

I.,

p.

291,

Also first

foot-note.

M. V. de Saint-Martin would identify the Sudras with the Sodri and See his Etude sur la Geog. Grecque, &c., pp. 152, 162. * Some idea of the real state of the case may be formed from my

the Sohdas.

To what is there remarked it may be foot-note at p. 133, supra. added that, while we find the Abhiras mentioned, in the Mahdhhdrata, as in the Sabhd-parvan, 1192, along with the Siidras, we see them named between the Paradas and the Kitavas, Sabhd-parvan, 1832; in company with the Suras, Vana-parvan, 12840; and between the Draviclas and the

first

Puiidras, Amaniedhika-parvnn, 832.

The term yai'ia,

"SSTT^f^Tl^nTT

^

of the

Bengal recension of the Rdiitd-

Kishklndhd-kdnda, XLIIL, 19,— where the southern tribes are enu-

merated

—

That

to say, the translator,

is

is

rendered,

by

Signer Gorresio, "le sedi after

dei

Siirabhiri".

the precedent of M. Langlois, has

here fused together the Siiras and the Abhiras. In the book and chapter just referred to, stanza

5,

the Bhadras and

the Abhiras occur side by side. -{-

See Indische Alterfhumskunde, Vol.

I.,

pp. 798, 799;

also M. V. de

Saint-Martin's Etude sur la Geog. Grecque, &c., p. 161. the Bengal recension of the Rdmdyatia, I We read of the Daradas in Kishkindhd-kdMa, XLIV., 15. The corresponding passage in the real Rdmdyana, viz., Kishkindhd-kdMa, XLIIL, 12, has, instead, Varaxlas.

;

TOrOGKAPHICAL LISTS: PEOPLE AND COUMTRIES.

186

vas/ and dwellers

mountain caves (Girigahwa-

in

the Himjilaya, just before

might well be taken for

descends to India; a position which

it

its

head.

Palli,

would imply

it

term might be altered to

'village or pastoral tribes'.

The

Khasakas.f

and

Also Khasikas

*

* If the

Also read Pasus, 'brutes'.

*

these

of

first

is,

probably, most correct; being equivalent to Khasas, barbarians

named, along with the Sakas and Daradas, by Manu,

whom may

of

north-east of Bengal, the Khasiyas.

may be

they

mayaria.§

f

TheVayu

These

are,

;

it

traces

on the

has been thought that

Two

of Kashgar.

copies

and the same occurs in the Ra-

;

has Tusharas; but the Markarideya,

I j

Tukha-

probably, the Tochari, Tachari, or Thogari

a tribe of the Sakas,

Greeks, and from bears.

Or

referred to the situation

have, in place of this, Tukharas

ras.

&c.

t

be sought amongst the barbarous tribes

whom

by

Bactria

was taken from

Tocharestan derives the name

whom

it

the still

**

See Colonel Wilford, in the Asiatic Researches, Vol. VI., p. 467; ibid., Vol. XV., pp. 103, 104; De Pentapotamia Indica, Vol. I., pp. 418, 419; Professor pp. 18, 19; Indische Altertlmmskunde Wilson's Notes on the Indica of Cfesias, pp. 34, 35; Translation of the •

Professor Wilson,

,

Dabistdn, Vol.

p. 244; M. Troyer's edition of the Rdja-tarangitii, Vol. II., M. V. de Saint-Martin's Etude sur la Geog. Grecqm, Sec,

I.,

pp. 330, 331; p. 197.

t See M. V. de Saint-Martin's Etude sur la Geog. Grecque, &c., and second foot-note, and p. 198. note at p. 183, supra. X See the Translator's third

p. 196,

text

§

In

the

same recension

Tusharas, br Tukharas, with Vol.

See

Bengal recension only.

the Kiratakas. I.,

p.

or,

of the

my

seventh note at

p. 176,

Rdmdyana, Adi-kdnda,

See Signor Gorresio's edition

in the corresponding passage,

The

real

3,

the

company of the Rdmayana, Rdmayana exhibits,

perhaps, Bukharas, are spoken

224, and Vol. VI., pp. 443, 444.

supra.

LVI.,

namely, Bdla-kdnda, LV.,

of,

3,

in

not Tusharas,

but Haritas. I,

%

LVII., 39.

Plainly there

is

here an error in the Calcutta edition.

Mahdhhdrata, Sahhd-parvan, 1850;

named between

the Sakas

and

the Kankas.

"

See Indische Alterthumskunde, Vol.1., pp. 852, 853; also M. V. de

Saint-Martin's

Memoire Analytigue,

&c., p. 35,

:

187

FROM THE MAHABHARATA.

Atreyas, Bharadwajas,^ Stanayoshikas,'' Pro-

ras'),

shakas/*^ Kalingas/^

and

Tomaras,* These ^^ and

tribes of Kiratas,

Haiiisamargas,f and Karablianjikas.^^: The form

Also Pahlavas and Pallavas.

*

more

in

the text

the

is

usual. §

The mountains from KaThe Ramayana has Gahwaras. Bamiau furnish infinitely numerous instances of cavern

^

||

bul

to

habitations.

These two, according

*

to the

Vayu, are amongst the northern

nations: but they might be thought to be religious fraternities,

from the sages Atri and Bharadwaja.

The

^

latter

member

kas, and yodhikas,

of the

compound occurs poshikas,

payi-

'drinkers,' or 'fighters.'

The

'cherishers,'

term denotes the female breast.

first

Also Droriakas, 'people of valleys.' f Kalingas would be here out of place. These and the preceding are included, by the Vayu, amongst

'"

" Also Kajingas. ''

the mountain tribes of the north.

Many names,**

'^

•

indeed, might be added to the catalogue.

See the Mdrkandeya-purd/ia

Tamasas.

,

LVII., 41.

The Calcutta

edition has

Also see M. V. de Saint-Martin's Etude sur la Geog. Grecque,

&c., p. 344.

in t Placed, by the Mdrkandeya-purdna, LVII., 41, with the Tomaras,

the north; and again, at LVII., 66, in the mountains, t

The Calcutta

§

See

p. 168,

edition has Karabhanjakas.

supra, text and notes; also a note on Book IV., Chap.

of the present work.

I

suspect

"T^W

that

than graphical corruptions of XJ^'^,

111.

and Tf^'Sf are nothing more

the reading, here, of the Calcutta

edition. |i

If

the

passage referred to

is

Kkhkmdhd-kdnda

,

Bengal recension,— with which compare XIX., 4, in the no people called Gahwaras is mentioned there. % See M. V. de Saiut-Martin's Memoire Analytique, **

For the annexed observations

I

am

indebted

to

XVIII., real

4,

in

the

Rdmdyana,

—

&c,, p. 137.

my

learned friend

Professor Goldstiicker

"In siitras IV., 1, 168—173, Panini teaches how, from nominal bases implying at the same time a man of the Kshattriya caste and the name

— TOPOGRAPHrCAL LISTS: PEOPLE AND COUNTRIES.

188

(many) other nations, dwelling

the east and in

in

the north, can be only thus briefly noticed.

from the

lists

referred to, in the Vi'iyu, Matsya, and Markaiideya

of a country, patronymic bases

adds, bases

meaning

a

— and,

as

Katyayana,

king of such countries

by means of the so-called

cTTT^

IV.,

1,

— are derived.

affi.xes,— (IV., 1,

168, vdrtt. 2,

This

^

174)

is

done

(technically,

(techn., ^^T), which require "^"^i '^IJT), "'Ef (techn., 3^^, T5[), and vriddhi in the iirst syllable of the base. Thus, from Panchala— the name

^

of a Kshattriya, being also that of a country of an individual belonging

&c. (IV., (IV.,

I,

or

— would

of a king

of,

come, in the sense

that country, Panchala,

same sense, from Gandhari, Gandhara, &c. Magadha, Magadha, &c. (IV., 1, 170); from Kosala,

168); and, in the

169); from

1,

to,

Kausalya, &c. (IV., 1, 171); from Kuru, Kauravya, &c. (IV., 1, 172); from Pratyagratha, Pratyagrathi, &c. (IV., 1, 173). In sutra II,, 4, 62, however, Pai'iini says that, if such names are used in the plural, except

—

in'

the plural

of the feminine,

the affixes

taught in IV.,

together with the effect they would have on the base

168—173

1,

— are dropped.

—

Thus,

though an individual, or king, of the country Auga is, in the sing, (nom.), Angah, the Kshattriyas— or the people of this country are, in the plur,

—

Angah; and,

(nom.),

similarly, the people of Kalinga are called KalingaK,

though one individual belonging to the restriction

to it would be KalingaH. (According named, women of those countries, however, would be

AngyaK, Kalingyah. Several vdrttikas are appended to this rule by Katyayana; but some of them have no bearing on the formation of bases implying names of individuals, or kings, of countries whereas others called

,

appear teach

that,

for

Vanga country

— not

Thus,

superfluous.

instance, is

dear

fir^^^T;—

,

or,

called

Vanga

"^f^^:- not

^T^

required to

on the other hand, the people

"^(JIT^: —

whom

1J-CIT3R;

—

an additional rule to one individual

that, for instance,

— '^f?I'^T«fft

of Anga'^ ;

for,

in the

of the

are called tl?"^^Tf=^T ^

>J

one

I

man

WTI,

former case, the base

implies the singular, and, in the latter, the base Anga, the plural,

number.)— In

may

scarcely

many people

— fTT-q^

who has passed beyond is

it

be

si'itra

IV., 2, 67, Paiiini teaches that

derived from

pressed by the

nominal bases

latter exists,

or

in the

names

of places

(%If)

sense that the object ex-

may be found, in such a may be derived audumhara,

place;

e.

g.,

from udumharn, fig-tree ', in the sense country in which there are such trees; in IV., 2, 68, that other such names may be formed in the sense that the place was founded by the person implied by the original base; e. g., KauMmhi, the city so that,

of a

'

189

FROM THE MAHABIIAEATA.

Ka-

Purtinas, as well as several capable of verification, from the

mayana and

from Kiisamba, the name of

called,

may

such names

its

founder; iu IV.,

live',

from

iisht'ra;

and, in IV.,

e.

2,

69, that other

2,

expressed by the original base;

e.

where

'a place

ausht'ra,

g.,

names may be from that which

that such

70,

that the place

likewise formed in the sense is

not

is

he derived from bases in the sense that the object ex-

pressed by the latter lives in the place;

camels

This

of the Mahabharata.

other passages

is

not far

haimavata, 'the country not far

g.,

Again, in IV., 2, 81, Panini teaches that, if, however, such a name, formed to yield any of the four meanings just mentioned, is that of a country (^TTT^), there is a loss {W\) of the affix which

from Himavat'.

—

would be required to effect the formation of any of these bases, together with the effect which that affix would have on the base; and, in I., 2, 51, he says that, if such a loss (^^) of the affix has occurred, the gender and number of the word whose base has undergone such a

loss

would

be the same as those of the word containing the original base. Hence, the according to these last rules IV., 1, 82, and I., 2, 51 combined

—

—

country inhabited by Panchalas

called

is

TT^f^

;

;

and

,

,

similarly, the

^T;^:, '*T^n^, "^W"'' '^¥T^ The Kdiikd, which supplies these in-

country of the Kurus, Matsyas, &c.,

^T^rari, ^T^T^?

— does

^«1M«i

I

the

space in

affix

— and

not apply to expressions like

the consequent use of the

"^JT^'^Tt

since these are not names of countries:

;

fmWtfTT "In

"^c.

adds that the loss of the

stances,

plural

"^^I^»5

(IV., 2, 67)

^^

•T

I

foregoing references,

is

^R^RTW ^'^frf

^T^ ^^nt ^ir^JT^

deia

general, as, for instance,

whereas yanapafZa

^"T^^^ %f^lft

^^

is

to

H^fTT

I

I

be understood as denoting

a village,

town,

district,

country;

the strict term for country."

many Matheir mode

The inference to be drawn from these remarks is, that, Hindu compositions ordinarily reputed to be of great age, as habharata, Rdindyai'ia, Mdnava-dharma-sdstra, &c., deviate, in

as

the

of naming the inhabitants of countries, from the criterion accepted even by Katyayaua, a grammarian so much later than Panini, they must appertain, at least in the form iu which we know them, to a stage of the Sanskrit language with which, being subsequent to his time, he was unac-

quainted.

As

to the

age of Katyayana,

it

is

the opinion of Professor Goldstiicker,

as expressed in an essay read before the Royal Asiatic Society in 1864,

but not yet published, that, as contemporary with Patanjali, he flourished about B. G. 140 120. See, on the time of Patanjali, Pdnini: His Place

—

in

Sansbit Literature,

p. 234.

TOPOGRAPHICAL LISTS: PEOl'LE AND COUNTRIES.

190

the place, however, to exhaust the subject; and

secuted too far, perhaps, already.

many

India

of them

has been pro-

it

evident that a very con-

names recorded can be

siderable proportion of the that

It is

may be

verified,

That more

by the historians of Alexander's expedition.

left

cannot be identified

is

and

traced in the geographical notices of

owing, in a great measure,

to

incomplete

and a more extensive examination of the authorities

research;

would, no doubt, discover passages where circumstances as well

names are given by which the places would be recognized. however, that much embarrassment also arises from

as

It is evident,

the inaccuracy of manuscripts, cilably.

I

the text; one in

my own

East India Company;* erroneous,

which vary widely and irrecon-

have given instances from four different

in

many

all

very excellent copies, but, manifestly,

respects,

in

their nomenclature

and, particularly, of those which are least is to

copies of

possession, three in the library of the

be had from any commentary

;

known.

as the subject

of places,

No is

assistance

one of

little

interest in native estimation. •

Professor Wilson should seem, however, to have followed the readings A noticeably of the Mahdbhdrata very closely.

in the Calcutta edition

different result of text has

lation of the Paris

humous

contribution

Gesellschaft fiir

been elicited in that constructed, from a colSee his postB. Rosen.

and London MSS., by Mr. to

the

Erdkundezu

Monatsberichte iiber die Verhandlungen der Berlin,

New

Series, Vol. V., (1848), pp.

38—42.

annotations on the episode here concluded, far from professing to be exhaustive, are but a meagre indication that the subject of ancient Indian geography is one which admits of much more thorough treatment .

My

than bility

it

has yet received.

of such

treatment,

But, as indispensably preliminary to the feasi-

we must possess

—

critical

editions,

specifying

—

and discussing various readings, of not to name other works the chief Purauas and of the entire Mahdbhdrata and Rdmdyana. To what extent the true

Rdmdyana,

as contrasted

with the modern depravation of that

poem, jJublished and translated by Signor Gorresio, deserves reliance, for geogniphical purposes, must be sufficiently palpable from my numerous comparative references. As to the Brihat-sai'nhitd of Varahamihira, if I have declined to make use of it in my notes, the reason is, that I wanted access to Dr. Kern's edition, and was unwilling to reproduce the unauthoritative extracts to be found in the pages of Colonel Wilford and elsewhere.

:

CHAPTER

IV.

Account of kings, divisions, mountains, of the other Dwipas,

of the confines of the earth

:

rivers,

and inhabitants

Plakslia, SiUmala, Kusa, Krauncha,

Pushkara: of the oceans separating them: of the

Saka, and tides

viz.,

:

the Loktiloka mountain.

Extent of the whole.

—

In the same manner as Jambu-dwipa Parasara. round about by the ocean of salt water, so that ocean is surrounded by the insular continent of Plaksha; the extent of which is twice that of Jamb uis

girt

dwfpa.* Medhatithi,

who was made

sovereign of Plaksha,

had seven sons: Santabhaya, Sisira, Sukhodaya, Ananda,f Siva, Kshemaka, and Dhruva. And the Dwipa was divided amongst them and each division was named after the prince to whom it was subject.: The several kingdoms were bounded by as many ranges of mountains, named, severally, Gomeda, Chandra, Narada, Dundubhi, Somaka,§ Sumanas, and Vai;

bhraja.ll

The

In these mountains the sinless inhabitants

original

is

as follows

'The diameter of Jambiidwipa measures a hundred thousand yojanas: Plakshadwipa is pronounced, Brahman, to be twice as many in dia-

this

meter.

'

Compare the end of the t One MS. has Ananta +

We

I

supra.

here have an abridgment of the original,

names of the § Saumaka Ij

last chapter, at p. 138,

divisions. is

the lection of one of

find Vibhraja

— an

which specifies the

Sukhodaya's was called Sukhada. objectionable

my MSS. reading— in

a single

MS.

VISHNU PURANA.

192

ever dwell, along with celestial spirits* and gods.

In

them are many holy places; and the people there live for a long period, exempt from care and pain, and enjoying uninterrupted

felicity.

There

are, also, in the

seven divisions of Plaksha, seven rivers, flowing to the

whose names alone are sufficient to take away sin. They are the Anutapta, Sikhi,f Vipasa,t Tridiva, Kramu, Amrita, and Sukrita. These are the chief sea,

and mountains of Plaksha-dwipa, which I have enumerated to you; but there are thousands of others,

rivers

of inferior magnitude.

The people who drink

of the

waters of those rivers are always contented and happy:

and there

is

neither decrease nor increase amongst

them;^ neither are the revolutions of the four ages known in these Varshas. The character of the time there, uniformly, that of the Treta (or silver) age.

is,

In the (five) Dwipas, worthy Brahman, from Plaksha to

'

So

the

commentator

these words most the Jainas;||

to

to decline latter,

to

explains

^^^ifwl" ;i"raT^^T

Utsarpiiii:

I

the

terms Avasarpini

and

^^^^T

But

^St^fifw^

commonly designate felicity

to

§

divisions of time peculiar

men

during the former of which,

from extreme

I

extreme

are supposed

distress,

and, in the

The author

ascend from misery to happiness.

of the

text had, possibly, the Jaina use of these terms in view, and, so,

wrote

after their

*

Gandharva.

+

The reading

if

system was promulgated.

of four

MSS.

is

f In one MS. Vipapa.

is

Sikha.

from the smaller commentary, which, however, in the copy after Professor Wilson, gives, not Avasarpini, hut ApasarStill I cannot but look upon pii'u, as do several of my MSS. of the text. Apasarpiiu as very likely to be wrong. § This is

I

have used,

II

See Colabrooke's Miscellaneous Essays, Vol.

Wilson's Essays and Lectures, &c., Vol.

I.,

II.,

p. 309.

p.

216; or Professor

BOOK Saka, the lengtli of

rehgious merit

II.,

life

CHAP.

thousand years; and

five

is""'

193

IV.

divided amongst the several castes

is

The

and orders of the people.

castes are called Ar-

Kuru,f Vivimsa,+ and Bhavin; corresponding, severally, with Brahman, Kshattriya, Vaisya, and Sudra.§

yaka,

In this

Dwipa

a large fig-tree (ficus religiosa), of

is

similar size as the Jambu-tree of Jambii-dwipa;

Dwipa

this

Hari,

tree.

is

called Plaksha,

who

after the

name

and the creator of

is all,

all,

and

of the is

wor-

shipped, in this continent, in the form of

Soma

(the

moon).

by a

disc,

Plaksha-dwipa'

is

sin-rounded, as

by the sea of molasses, of the same extent as the land. i

Such, Maitreya,

is

a brief description

of Plaksha-

dwipa. If

The hero Vapushmat was king

of the next, or Sal-

mala-dwipa, whose seven sons also gave designations to seven Varshas

Sweta,

my

MSS.,

*

In

t

Two MSS.

X

The reading

a letter, fessor

Their names were

or divisions.

Rohita, Vaidyuta,

Jimiita,

Harita,*""^

^f^ Wt^'T^fTfT^:

'people

,

live

in

Manasa,

health'.

haye Kiinna. of eight

MSS.

probably, for Vivims'a

;

Others Iwo,

Wilson had "Vivasa", which

have Vivisa, by omission of and one, Vivasa. Pro-

Vivaiiisa;

take to have been a printer's inad-

I

vertence for the mutilation last mentioned. § II

See Original Sanskrit Texts, Part

% is

I.,

p.

1

90.

Ikshurasoda. In the Bhdgavata-purdna, V., XX., 2

Idhmajihwa, son of Priyavrata;

his

—

4,

sons,

the king of Plakshadwipa after

whom

their several

realms were named, are Siva, Yavayasa, Snbhadra, Santa, Kshema, Amrita,

Abhaya; the mountains

are Manikiit'a,

Suparna, Hiranyasht'hiva, Meghamala;

Vajrakiita,

the

rivers

Angirasi, Savitri, Suprabhata, Ritaiiibhara, classes

of inhabitants

Satyangas. **

U.

The

are

called

Indrasena, Jyotishmat, are

Aruua, Nrimaua,

and the four Hamsas, Patangas, Urdhwayanas and

divinity of Plakshadwipa

Satyaiiibhara;

,

is

the Sun.

Professor Wilson had "Harita", for which

I

find no authority.

13

'"

VISHNU PURANA.

194

and Suprabha. The Ikshu* sea is encompassed by the continent of Sahiiala, which is twice its extent. There are seven (principal) mountain-ranges, abounding in precious gems, and dividing the Varshas from each other; and there are, also, seven chief rivers. The mountains are called Kumuda, Unnata, Balahaka, Drona, fertile in medicinal herbs, Kanka, Mahisha,f and Kakudmat.! The rivers are Yoni, Toya,§ Vitrishha, Chandra, Sukla,1^ Vimochani, and Nivritti; all whose waters cleanse aw^ay sins.** The Brahmans, Kshattriyas, Vaisyas, and Sudras of this Dwipa, called, severally, Kapilas, Arunas, Pitas, and Rohitas,ff (or '|

tawny, purple, yellow, and red), worship the imperishable soul of

all

things, Vishnu, in the

form of Vayu

(wind), with pious rites, and enjoy frequent association

with the gods.t+ growls in this

A

large Sahiiali

Dwipa, and gives

it its

(silk-cotton) tree

name. The Dwipa

f In two MSS., Muhisha.

*

Ikshurasodaka.

*

"Kakkudwat" stands

in the original edition.

All

my MSS.

have as

above.

Two MSS. have

§

rivers,

one

for

Yonitoya.

each mountain.

Only it seems that there must be seven The Translator's "Yauni" I find no

for. One MS. has Sroiii. One MS, has Bhadra. ^ Sukra in three MSS.; Mukta, in

authority II

is,

as

many, and Sukta,

in two.

Sukla

however, the most ordinary lection. •*

Here tollow,

in

the original, two stanzas which,

peating what has gone heinre,

The

first

from what •j-j-

I

it

apparently,

was not thought necessary

of these stanzas differs very materially, as read in is

as re-

to translate:

some MSS.,

here given.

do not find

rest, Vrikshas.

Most of my MSS. have Krishuas; the See Original Sanskrit Texts, Part I., p. 191.

this reading. **

BOOK

II.,

CHAP.

195

IV.

surrounded by the Sura sea (sea of wine), of the same extent as itself.* The Sura sea is entirely encircled by Kusa-dwipa, which is every way twice the size of the precedingThe king, Jyotishmat, had seven sons, continent. Udbhida, Venumat, Swairatha,f Lambana, t Dhriti, Prabhakara, and Kapila, after whom the seven portions is

of the island w^ere called Udbhida, &c.

or Varshas

w^ith Daityas and Danaheaven § and gods. The

There reside mankind, along vas, as well as with spirits of

four castes, assiduously devoted to their respective duties,

termed Damins,

are

Sushmins, Snehas, and

I!

Mandehas; who, in order to be relieved of the obligations imposed upon them in the discharge of their several functions, worship Janardana, in the form of

Brahma, and thus get rid of the unpleasant duties which lead to temporal rewards, t The seven principal In the Bhdgavata-purdna, V., XX., 9—11, the king of Salmaladwipa His sons, and so their kingdoms, Yajnabahu, son of Priyavrata. are called Surochana, Sanmanasya, Eamaiiaka, Devavarsha, Paribhadra. Apyayana, Abhijnata: the mountains are Swarasa, Satasfinga, Vamadeva, Kunda, Kumuda, Pushpavarsha, Sahasrasruti; and the rivers, Anumati, •

is

The inhabitants are Saraswati, Kuhii, Rajani, Nanda, Raka. termed Srutadharas, Viryadharas, Vasundharas, and Ishandharas. They are worshippers of the personified Soma-plant. Sinivali,

t Vairatha *

the reading of three of

is

Thus read

all

my MSS.

my MSS.

Professor Wilson

take to have originated from the omission, of the

anuswdra

in ^5r^»T, a slovenly

in

put "Lavana", which I

his copies of the original,

Lavana is for wjl^iT. Lavana would not altogether

substitute

a most unlikely word for a proper name.

have surprised one. §

Abridged from the original, which speaks of 'Gandharvas, Yakshas,

Kinipurushas, &c.' |j

The Translator had "Damis", i.e., Damins, a reading which occurs one of my MSS., that accompanied by the smaller commentary.

in but «|[

See Original Sanskrit Texts, Part

I.,

p.

192.

13*

VISHNU PIIRANA.

196 mountains

Dwipa

in this

named Vidruma, Hema-

are

Dyutimat, Pushpavat, Kusesaya, Hari,f, and

saila,*

And

Mandara.

the seven rivers are Dhutapapa,: Siva,

Vidyudambhas, Mahavanya, Sarva-

Pavitra, Sammati,§

Besides these, there are numerous rivers

papahara.i

and mountains of less importance. Kusa-dwipa is so named from a dump of Kusa grass (Poa) growing *

f Dara, in one of my MSS. § I find, in one MS., Sangati.

In one MS., Haimasaila.

One MS. has Dhrutapapa.

+

my MSS.

All

II

— which has

but one

Professor Wilson put "

which

for

of the

f^^'5'^T

—

^^ere veail as follows:

Vidyudamhha", which is not impossible, but Vidyudambhas. The meaning

it

is

safe to substitute, as above,

word

is

'possessing water like lightning', for swiftness, brilliancy,

or heat.

In one of the MSS. Translator, the words

long vowel,

— for

have consulted, and which was used by the are so written, save as to the second

I

^^ ^•^TT

there

plainly

is

-T*»

—

that

not singular they

is

it

should have been mistaken for "Mahavanya".

The thet It

"Sarvapapahara" is an epiin the plural. Puranas

original expression which answers to

— one

commonest occurrence

of the

imports 'purging away

sin',

all

—

in the

and refers

the rivers just

to

before

enumerated.

These

said

are

rivers

How,

be seven.

to

then,

is

this

number

to be

brought out?

Vidyut, 'lightning', may, just possibly, be the designation

of a stream;

but

then

scarcely to be thought

that

As

compound, Vidyudambhas. copies

or Ambha, is, on so many grounds, we may much more securely accept the

Ainbhas, of,

I

have pointed out above, one of

of the text allows us to read,

optionally,

my

Vidyudushna, 'hot as

lightning', or Vidyut and Ushna.

Whether two

it

be,

one,

rivers,

the Mahi: a

or not, at least,

name

for

that is

we

are to look,

mentioned

which see

if

it

be the

^

in

though none

may have

are,

xj

in it

If there

many is

is,

its

follows,

for

undoubtedly, be a second,

signification,

old MSS.,

the

is

same

obvious to suggest that

been Vanya, a word which yields a sense,

intelligibly apt in this place.

been corrupted from

what next

respect of

as in inscriptions, scarcely distinguishable,

the ancient reading

in

and that

p. 155, supra.

Anya, the name, As and ^ strangely colourless. and

there;

\^J; and we

Better

still,

^"p^n" m^iy have

should then have the Alpa.

BOOK there.

It is

CHAP.

197

rv.

suiTounded by the Ghrita sea (the sea of

butter), of tlie

The

n.,

same

size as the continent.

sea of Ghrita

is

*

encompassed by Krauncha-

The Dwipa was Dyutimat, whose sons, and the seven Varshas named after them, were Kusala, Mallaga,f Ushna,+ Pivara, Andhakaraka, § Muni, andDundwipa, which

is

twice as large as Kusa-dwipa.

king of this

The seven boundary mountains, pleasing to celestial spirits,]! are Krauncha, Vamana, An-

dubhi.

gods and

dhakaraka, Devavrit,t Pundarikavat, Dundubhi, and Mahasaila;

each of which

is,

in succession,

lofty as the series that precedes

as each

The

it.

Dwipa

is

it,

in the

twice as

same manner

twice as extensive as the one before

inhabitants reside there without apprehension,

associating with the bands of divinities.

The Brahmans

are called Pushkaras; the Kshattriyas, Pushkalas; the

Vaisyas are termed Dhany as; and theSudras,Tishyas.'^

They drink of

countless streams, of which the prin-

According to the Bhdgavata-purdna V., XX., 14—16, Kusadwpa The seven at first dominated by Hirai'iyaretas, son of Priyavrata. present rulers and their realms are called Vasu, Vasudana, Dridharuchi, Nabhignpta, Stutyavrata, Viviktanaman, Devanaman; the mountains are •

,

was

Chakra, Chatuhsriuga, Kapila, Chitraktit'a, Devanika, Urdhwaroman, Dravina; the rivers, Kasakulya, Madhukulya, Mitravinda, Srutavinda, Deva-

Ghfitachyuta,

garbha, Kovidas,

Mantramahi;

Abhiyuktas, and Kulakas.

and

the

The

inhabitants

are Kusalas,

object of worship

is

Jatave-

das, Fire.

A

t

my MSS. have Manuga; my MSS. seem to give Uchchhra.

large majority of

Two

+

of

and one has Mandaga.

Qandharva. Another here interposes Chaitra, in which as only seven mountains are taken account of "Mahasaila", /. e., case 'the great mountain', must be understood to qualify Dundubhi. § In

one MS., Gandhakaraka.

% One MS.

—

reads Divavrit.

Ij

—

According to three of my MSS., the word appears See Original Sanskrit Texts, Part I., p. 192.

**

to be

Tishmas.

VISHNU PURANA.

198

denominated Ganri, Kumudwati, Sandhya,

cipal

are

Ratri,

Manojava, Kshanti,* and Pundarika. The divine

Vishnu, the protector of mankind, f by the people, with holy rites,

there,

is

worshipped,

in the

form of

surrounded by the sea of curds, § of a similar extent; and that, again, is encompassed

Rudra.t Krauncha

by

is

Saka-dMdpa.ll

The sons

whom

of Bhavya, the king of Saka-dwipa, after Varshas were denominated, were Jalada,^

its

Kumara, Sukumara, Mahivaka,** Kusumoda,ff MauThe seven mountains separdaki,t+ and Mahadruma. ating the countries were Udayagiri, Jaladhara,§§ Rai-

More than two-thirds of

*

t This expressioa see Vol. *

We

is to

are told,

and

on the meaning of which

annotation thereon.

in the Bhdgavata-purd/ia,

territories

their

have Khyati.

my

and

p. 41, first foot-note

I.,

king of Kraiinchadwipa was pfisht'ha,

my MSS.

translate jandrdana,

Ghi'itaprisht'ha,

bear the

V.,

XX,, 20

— 22,

son of Priyavrata.

appellations of

that the

His sons

Ama, Madhuruha, MeghaThe seven moun-

Siulhaman, Bhrajisht'ha, Lohitarna, Vanaspati.

Vardhamana, Bhojana, Upabarhana, Nanda, Nandana, Sarand the rivers, Ahhaya, Amritaugha, Aryaka, Tirthavati, Kraunchadwipa has, for inhabitants, PuRiipavati, Pavitravati, Sukla. rushas, Kishabhas, Draviiias, and Devakas; and the object of their ado-

tains are Sukla,

vatobhadra;

ration II

is

"Water.

§

Add: 'having twice the diameter

«|[

Dadhiman&a, 'whey'. Kraunchadwipa':

of

MS. Wilson had, instead of Manivaka the same as Maniva, i. e., which I find in only one MS., and that carelessly was among the MSS. which he used, and is the same that,

Jalaja is the lection of one

—

** Professor

Maiiivat — "Manichaka", written. I

It

surmise,

noticed in

furnished

my

fifth

grounds note

at

p.

for

his

194,

"Damins" and

supra, and in

"Mahavanya",

my

p. 196, supra.

One MS. has Kusala. two MSS. I find Maudakin and, §§ Lajjadhara is in one of my MSS.

•ji"

II In

;

in one, Modaki.

sixth

note at

BOOK

CHAP.

II.,

199

IV.

Syama,t Ambikeya,: Ramya, and Kesarm.§ There grows a large Saka (Teak) tree, frequented by the Siddhas and Gandharvas, the wind from which, as produced by its fluttering leaves, dilfuses delight. The

vataka,*

sacred lands of this continent are peopled by the four castes. Its seven holy fivers, that wash away all sin, are the Sukumarf, Kumari, Nalini, Dhenuka,!| Ikshu,t

Vehuka,** and Gabhasti.tf There are also hundreds and thousands of minor streams and mountains:: in And the inhabitants of Jalada and the this Dwipa. other divisions drink of those waters with pleasure, after they have returned to earth from Indra's heaven.

no dereliction of virtue; there is no contention; there is no deviation from rectitude. The caste of Mriga§§ is that of the Brahman; In those seven districts there

*

A

MS. gives Vaivataka.

single

+ Almost

is

all

else Astagiri,

a

with Udayagiri,

my MSS

here add either Mount Asia.— asto giriJi— or the same sense, and to be compared

compound having occurring a

little

before.

One copy

exhibits Ambhogiri.

by

"Ramya"

Apparently, one MS. has Ambikera. a variant of frequent occurrence; and one of

my MSS.

On any

of these readings, the epithet represented in the text

belong to Kesarin.

will \

§ Kesarin is

has Kesari.

This

II

is

the

reading of three of

my MSS.;

them have Renuka, and two have Venuka. ^ One MS. appears to read Iksha.

"

all

Three of the

rest,

my MSS. a large

but a large majority of

See the note

after the next.

give this lection, while one gives Madhuka, and

proportion

of the whole,

give Dhenuka.

See

my

note before the last. Bharati; and one seems to have Garbhasti. speaks of the minor streams as existing in myriads, and of the mountains as existing in hundreds and thousands:

tt In one MS. ::

The

1 find

original

^ ^wn:

^ft^TT^^ ^f^

TTrnfr ^ or the name of the Brahman in §§ The translation is here abridged Only three of my MSS. have Mriga; Sakadwipa would appear twice. ;

I

200

VISHNU PURANA.

the Magadha, of the Kshattriya;

the Manasa, of the

Vaisya; and the Maiidaga, of the Sudra: and by these

Vishnu

is

devoutly worshipped, as the sun, with ap-

Saka-dwipa is encircled by the by an armlet; and the sea is of the same the continent which it embraces. f

propriate ceremonies.

'"^

sea of milk, as

breadth as ^

^

The Kurma

the only

is

Purana

(Sweta-dwipa), the abode of Vishnu, of the world.

An

included in the geography

incidental description of

Wilford, from the Uttara

Researches, Vol.

which the white island

in

is

XL,

Khanda

of the

pp. 99, 100 1); and

it is

quoted, by Colonel

Padma Purana it is

in this,

(Asiatic

and

in the

and these have it in both places: two have Marga and Maga, in the first place and in the second, respectively: the remainder, a preponderant number, have, in both places, Maga. *

See Original Sanskrit

Part

'Texts,

I.,

p. 193.

—

t The Bhdgavata-purana, V., XX., 25 28, states that the sovereign of Sakadwipa was Medhatithi, son of Priyavrata. His sons, and so their

kingdoms, are denominated Pnrojava, Manojava, Pavamana, Dhiimranika, Chitrarepha, Bahurupa, and Viswadhara. The mountains are I.sana, Urusringa, Balabhadra, Satakesara, Sahasrasrotas, Devapala,

Mahanasa; and

the rivers are-Anagha, Ayurda, Ubhayasprisht'i, Aparajita, Sahasrastuti, Nijadhriti.

The world

Satyavratas, Danavratas, and Anuvratas; and their +

"In the northern parts

of the

Toydmbudhi, or sea of fresh water,

Sweta-dwi'pa, the Sanakadikas went to see Bhagavat

names

Panchapadi,

by Ritavratas, divinity is the Wind.

in question is peopled

or Yishi'iu.

in

Their

Vodhu, PanBrahma; and these, with many others, reside there, near Hari. The White Island is like the subltramsu, or mild beams of a thousand moons; like shining jewels. Many mahdyogins, or great are Sanaka, Sananda, Sanatana, Sanatkumara, Jata,

chasikha,

all

children

of

penitents, reside there, without fear or molestation.

garden of Parijata and Chandana Yairamati, beautiful and

trees.

There

There the

is

city

is

a beautiful

Vairavati

or

The consorts of the gods reside there, in houses shining like the morning sun. Its greatest ornament is a divine ma/iclapa, or house, made of precious stones and amber (karpura), and adorned with flowers. The Apsarasas reside there; and there is

full of jewels.

a throne, supported by lions and resplendent

the sun, &c.

It consists of

like the petals of a flower.

or the devourer of souls,

is

like

eight portions, like so In the centre, seated, with

fire,

brilliant like

many moons,

placed

within the calix, Janardana,

his

insignia in

human

shapes.

BOOK

11.,

CHAP.

201

IV.

encompassed which is twice Savana, who was made its the size of Saka-dwipa. sons, Mahavira""' andDhataki,f two but had sovereign, after whom the two Varshas of Pushkara were so

The Kshira ocean

by

(the seventh

named.

(or sea of milk)

Dwipa,

is

or) Pushkara,

These are divided by one mighty range of

mountains, called Manasottara, which runs in a circular direction (forming an outer and an inner circle). This

mountain

many as

if

is

fifty

thousand Yojanas

in its breadth; dividing the

in height,

Dwipa

in

and as

the middle,

with a bracelet, into two divisions, which are also

of a circular form, like the mountain that separates

them.

Of

these two, the Mahavira-varsha

is

exterior

and Dhataki lies within the circle; and both are frequented by heavenly There are no other mountains in spirits: and gods. Pushkara, neither are there any rivers.^ Men in this to the circumference of Manasottara,

Brahma Vaivarta,

that

allusions

to

it

are most frequent and

copious. '

A

slight alteration has

been here made

in the

order of the

description.

His clothes are

and Devi, with religious

rites

like

the

foam

of the

a divine countenance,

are

the

is

White Sea, when it is churned; on his left. Devout prayers and

only means to obtain admission

vants of Vishnu, and a seat at Vishnu-pada,

(at the feet of

among

the ser-

Vishnu), called

Parama-pada, (or at the place of the most excellent feet)." Here again the translation is an abridgment; the original naming A large prothe sons of Savana, and then the names of their varshas. all but three— call the first son^ahavita, and so portion of my MSS. his dominion; in the three just referred to, both are termed Mahavira; also *

—

is Mahavira, and the latter, Mahavita. t But for the abridging mentioned in the last note, it would have been seen, at once, that Dhataki ruled over Dhataki, as appears a little further

and, according to two, the former

on. :

Professor Wilson put "Dhataki", i. e., Dhatakin, According to the Sanskrit, 'Daityas and the like.'

for the ruler.

VISHNU PURANA.

202

Dwipa

from

live a thonsancr"^ years, free

jealousy, envy, fear,

moral defect; neither

There

is

no hatred, covetousness, nor any

neither virtue nor vice, killer nor slain;

is

and

vsickness

sorrow, and unruffled by anger or affection.

there

there truth or falsehood.

is

spontaneously produced there; and

all

feed upon viands of every f flavour.!

is

Food

the inhabitants

Men

there are,

indeed, of the same nature with gods, and of the same

form and

There

habits.

is

no distinction of caste or

order; there are no fixed institutes; nor are rites per-

formed

The

for the sake of advantage.

the Purahas, § ethics and polity, vice, are

unknown.

Pushkara

divisions, a terrestrial paradise,

piness to

all its

inhabitants,

A

ness and decay. ^

who

jl

is,

three Vedas,

and the laws of serin fact, in both its

where time yields hapare exempt from sick-

Nyagrodha-tree

(ficus

Indica)

grows on this Dwipa, which is the especial abode of Brahma; and he resides in it, adored by the gods and demons.** Pushara is surrounded by the sea of fresh water, which is of equal extent with the continent it invests, ^ff '

The

description of the

Dwipas

in the

and Vayu Purarias agrees with that of our *

My MSS.

t Literally,

all

Agni, Brahma, Kurma, text.

The Markarideya,

consent in reading 'ten thousand':

'six',

the flavours being,

according to the Hindus,

so

many, and no more. +

In the origintl this sentence follows

at the

end of the Translator's

next paragraph. § II

The Sanskrit word here "Ethics and polity"

is

is

vdrttd,

to translate danda-niti.

^

See Original Sanskrit Texts, Part

**

Asura.

ft On the authority

of the

I.,

pp. 193, 194.

Bhdgavata-purdna,

V.,

XX., 30

— 32,

Push-

BOOK In this

manner

II.,

CHAP.

203

IV.

the seven island-continents are en-

compassed, successively, by the seven oceans; and each ocean and continent is, respectively, of twucethe ex-

which precedes

tent of that

water^ remains,

it.

at all times, the

In

all

same

the oceans the in quantity,

and

The Bhagavata and Padma all the names The account of the Mahabha-

Linga, and Matsya contain no details.

follow the same order as the Vishnu, &c., but alter

and many of the measurements. rataf

is

very irregular and confused.

The

variations throw no

upon the geographical system of the Puranas. Some traces of this appear discoverable in the west; and the seven Dwipas, with their surrounding seas, may have some con-

additional light

nexion with the notion of the seven climates, as Colonel Wilford That learned but fanciful v^^riter bestowed great

has supposed.

pains upon the verification of these fictions, different

Dwipas

and imagined the

to represent actual divisions of the globe

:

Jambu

Kusa, the Kush of Scripture, or the countries between Mesopotamia and India; Plaksha being Asia Minor; Salmala. Eastern Europe; Krauncha, Germany; Saka, the British

being India

Isles;

;

and Pushkara, Iceland.

moon, was,

island of the

Great Britain.

also,

The white

or silver island,

or

according to him, the island of

Whatever may be thought of

his conclusions,

essays on these subjects, particularly in the eighth, eleventh volumes of the Asiatic Researches, contain

tenth,

much

his

and

curious

and interesting matter.

karadwipa originally had Vitihotra, son of Priyavrata, to govern it. His sons are Ramanaka and Dhataki; but the names of their kingdoms are not specified. The height of Mount Manasottara is only ten thousand

and its breadth is the same. In Pushkaradwipa, devotion is paid Brahma. * This word is to render payas, which I should rather take to mean,

yojanas to

in this

;

place,

'fluid';

the

seas

containing,

jnice, ardent spirits, liquid butter,

f Bhishma-parvan, 401

—494.

severally,

salt

water, cane-

whey, milk, and fresh water.

204

VISHNU PURANA.

never increases or diminishes; but, like the water

in a

caldron, which, in consequence of its combination with heat, expands, so the w^aters of the' ocean swell with

the increase of the moon.

neither

more nor

The

less, dilate,

waters, although really

or contract, as the

increases, or wanes, in the light

The five

and dark

rise and fall of the waters of the hundred and ten inches.^*

moon

fortnights.

different seas is

Beyond the sea of fresh water is a region of twice extent, where the land is of gold, and where no living beings reside. Thence extends the Lokaloka its

mountain, which

and as many

is

ten thousand Yojanas in breadth,

in height;

and beyond

ness invests the mountain is,

Although the Hindus seem

cause of the tides,

never

exceeded

(Asiatic

twenty

Researches,

to

they were not

The extreme

the effect.

it

perpetual dark-

around; which darkness

encompassed by the

again,

'

all

shell of the egg. 'f

have had a notion

rise of the tide in the feet;

and

Vol. XVIII.,

of the

very accui-ate observers

its

average

Kyd on

Hoogly is

of

river has

about

the Tides

fifteen.

in

the

river Hoogly.) ^

Tlie

Andakatjiha ("^XJ^oR^l^)-

The Kataha

is,

properly,

a shallow hemispherical vessel, a saucer, but, compounded form, implies the shell of the

*

mundane

The term here represented by "inches"

is

egg.

anguli, 'finger-breadths".

t See Original Sanskrit Texts, Parti., p. 195. The original is as follows: 37. + v., XX., 34

—

frirTT^fi:

I

in this

The Bhagavata t

BOOK Such, Maitreya, nents,

205

IV.

the earth, which, with

is

mountains, oceans, and exterior

thus describes these portions

water

fresh

CHAP.

II.,

is

"Beyond

of the world:

boundary between the world and void space. the fresh-water sea

is

of a mirror,

presented to

is

is

is

The mountain-range by which

termed Lokaloka, because the world

which

iswara,

is

interval be-

Beyond

but from which no sensible object

ever reflected; and, consequently,

living creatures.

that

The

the land of living beings.

the region of gold, which shines like the

bright surface

by

the sea of

the mountain-belt called Lokaloka, the circular

tween Meru and Manasottara

it

conti-

its

shell, is fifty

is

encircled

separated, by

not world; for which purpose

it

and

on the limit of the three worlds;

avoided

it is it is

was

from

it,

placed,

by

height and

its

breadth are such that the rays of the heavenly luminaries, from the sun to the polar star, Avhich spread over the regions within the mountain, cannot penetrate

Buruouf translates

"Au qui

dela de la

s'etend

this

met

beyond

it."

According to Colonel

passage in these words:

d'eau douce est la

en cercle entre

les regions

montagne nommee Lokaloka,

eclairees

par

le soleil

et celles

qui ne le sont pas.

"La miroir, et

le

est

une autre

et dont

toute d'or,

terre

Manasottara.

Tout

objet

qui ressemble a la surface d'un

de I'espace compris

I'etendue egale celle

entre le

Meru

quelcouque qu'on y depose ne se revoit

plus; aussi n'a-t-elle jamais eu aucun habitant. " L'expression composee de Lokaloka vient eclairees par le soleil, et celles qui

ne

le

de ce

que

les

regions

sont pas, sont distinguees par

cette ehaine qui les separe.

"Elle a ete posee par qu'elle

entoure, pour

cede le

soleil et

en dedans

que

le

les

Seigneur sur

la

limite

des

trois

rayons de la troupe des astres

niondes

que pre-

que termine Dhruva, en eclairant les trois mondes places de cette enceinte, ne pussent jamais se porter au dela, tant

est grande sa hauteur et sa largeur."

VISHNU PUR AN A.

206

crores (five hundred millions) of Yojanas in extent.^* the mother and nurse of

It is

dation of

creatures, the foun-

all

worlds, and the chief of the elements, f

all

is a chasm in the belt, and a sea beyond where Vishnu abides: but he has not given his authorities for

Wilford, however, there it,

(As. Res., Vol.

this.

Koh

of

Kaf,

XL,

evidently, connected with the

Lokaloka of

ing to the Siva Tantra, the El

loka mountains

'

is

The Mohammedan legends

14. t)

p.

stony girdle that surrounds the world,

the

'

Dorado

the Hindus.

at the foot of the

the play-ground of the gods:

This comprises the planetary spheres

and oceans

the seven zones

meter as the continent

— each

the diameter of

ocean being of the same dia-

encloses, and each successive continent

it

being twice the diameter of that which precedes

but two crores and fifty-four lakhs. the diameter of Pushkara, or the

Lokaloka

is

two crores and

and ten thousand

ing to the Siva Tantra, the golden land

making,

with

which

the seven

the Bhagavata, to arise

•

;

is

fifty-six lakhs;

So

that the

(5.10. 10.000).

to

twice

and

whole

Accord-

one fourth of the whole the incompatibility of text,

and on that of

from reference being made

and they quote the same stanza

to

different

to this effect:

Vtstdra, 'dinmeter'.

^T^TT^^fTT ^"W^t 'This

is

qualities, +

— amounts

ten crores of Yojanas;

by the commentators on our

is said,

Kalpas

continents,

is

Other calculations occur,

measurement.

it

The golden land

but ten thousand Yojanas.

crores, ten lakhs,

is five

Loka-

^TT?T'^ ^j]^^-

for

;

are,

'

Accord-

the mother

— the

^%^

and nurse,

^^fTTf^f^

— augmented with

comprehender, Maitreya, of

"The chasm

all

II

all

creatures and their

the worlds.'

mountains surrounding the world, with the abode beyond them, among waters, is, also, a singular fea-

in the

of the great spirit

ture in this delineation

of the

countries toward

the north-west quarter

of the old continent, and which will be fully illustrated hereafter."

:

BOOK

'^Whenever any contradictions they are ascribed,

CHAP.

II.,

in dift'erent

by the pious,

to

207

IV.

Puranas are observed, Kalpas and

differences of

the like." *

*

The Snrya-siddhdnta

,

with some

pretensions

wisely refuses to travel out of this world.

tracted from the American translation of that work, XII., 30

"A

circle within the

within that order, one

is

Brahma-egg

the revolution

is

sobriety,

scientific

to

The following passage

—

is

ex-

4-4:

styled the orbit of the ether (vyoman)

(bha); and likewise,

asterisms

of the

in

below the other,

"Revolve Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, Venus, Mercury, and the Moon; below, in succession, the Perfected (siddha) the Possessors of Knowledge (vidyddhara), and the clouds. ,

in the middle

"Quite

the ether, bearing the

the earth-globe (bhugola)

of the egg,

supreme might of Brahma, which

stands in

of the nature

is

of self-supporting force.

"Seven cavities within it, the abodes of serpents (ndga) and demons endowed with the savour of heavenly plants, delightful, are the

(asura),

interterranean (pdtdla) earths.

"A

collection of manifold jewels, a

mountain of

gold,

Meru, passing

is

through the middle of the earth-globe, and protruding on either

"At

side.

upper end are stationed, along with Indra, the gods, and the at its lower end, in like manner, the demons Great Sages (maharshi) (asura) have their place each the enemy of the other. its

;

—

"Surrounding girdle

it

on every side

about the earth,

dividing

is

fixed,

the two

next,

this great ocean,

like a

hemispheres of the gods and

of the demons.

"And

on

sides

all

midst of Meru,

of the

in

equal

divisions

of the

ocean, upon islands (dwipa), in the different directions, are the eastern

and other

cities, fashioned by the gods. quadrant of the earth's circumference eastward, in the clime (varsha) Bhadraswa, is the city famed as Yamakot'i, having walls and

"At

a

gateways of gold.

"To

the southward, in the clime

Bharata,

is,

in

like

manner,

great city Lanka: to the west, in the clime called Ketumala, to

is

the

declared

be the city named Romaka.

"Northward,

in the clime

Kuru,

(siddha):

it

of the Perfected

in

is

declared to be the city called that

dwell the

magnanimous

Perfected,

free

from trouble.

"These

are situated also at a distance from one another of a quadrant

of the earth's circumference: to the north of them, at the is

Meru, the abode of the gods (sura).

same

distance,

VISHNU rURANA.

208 "Above them goes

when

the sun

situated at the equinoxes: they have

neither equinoctial shadow nor elevation of the pole (aks/ion/iati).

"In both directions from Meru are two pole-stars (dhruvatdrd), the midst of the sky

in

tude (niraksha)

,

"TTence there

:

to those

who

fixed

are situated in places of no lati-

both these have their place in the horizon. is,

in

those

cities,

no elevation of the pole, the two

pole-stars being situated in their horizon; but their degrees of co-latitude

(lamhaka) are ninety: at Meru the degrees of latitude (aksJia)

same number." Professor Whitney appends

are

of

the

to

this

an interesting comment,

course of which he observes: "In these verses

we have

so

much

in

the

of geo-

graphy as the author of the chapter has seen fit to connect with his For a Hindu account of the earth, it is wonderfully moderate and free from falsehood. The absurd fictions which

astronomical explanations.

the Purauas put forth as geography are here, for the most part, ignored;

only two or three of the features of their description being retained, and

And again: "The pdtdlas, or iiiterterranean ** are, also, an important feature of the Puranic geo-

those in an altered form."^ cavities,

graphy.

spoken If

of,

our author has not had the good sense to reject them, along

with the insular continents, he at least passes them by with the briefest possible notice.

In the Puranas

they are declared

to

be,

each of them,

10,000 yojanas in depth; and their divisions, inhabitants, and productions are described with the

on the earth's surface."

same

ridiculous

detail

as those of the continents

^

CHAPTER Of

the seven regions of Patala,

V.

below the

earth.

Account of the serpent Sesha. astronomy and astrology. of Patala.

Paras AR A.

— The

extent

of

(the

Narada's praises First teacher of

surface of) the

earth has been thus described to you, Maitreya.

depth below the surface

is

Its

said to be seventy thousand

Yojanas; each of the seven regions of Patala extend-

downwards ten thousand.

ing

These seven, worthy

Muni, are called Atala,* Vitala, Nitala, Gabhastimat, Mahatala, Sutala, and Patala/ Their soil is, severally, white, black, purple,! yellow, gold.

They

sandy, + stony, and of

are embellished with magnificent palaces,

numerous Danavas, Daityas, Yakshas, The Muni Narada, after his re-

in whicli dwell

and great snake-gods.

from those regions

tui'n

In the Bhagavata§ and

'

Atala, Vitala, Sutala,

and Patala.

Allusion

^

is

skies,

Padma Puranas,

|!

^

declared.

they are

named

Rasatala, and Patala.

Sutala, Vitala, Gabhastala, Mahatala,

There are other

varieties.

here made, perhaps, to the description given in

the Mahabharata, tali's visit to

the

Talatala, Mahatala,

The Vayu has Rasatala, Sritala,

to

Udyoga Parvan,

Patala.

p. 218,

of Narada's

and Ma-

Several of the particulars there given are

not noticed in the Puranas.

*

Two

of

my

MSS. read Vyatala.

t Aruria. I Sarkara. § v., XXIV., II

Add

7.

the Skanda-purdna.

See Dr. Aufrecht's Catalogus Cod. Sanscrit,

&c., p. 74. II.

14

210

VISHNU

I'l'IiANA.

much more de"What," exclaimed the sage, "can be compared to Patala, where the Nagas are decorated with brilliant, and beautiful, and pleasureamongst the lightful

celestials, that

Patala was

than Indra's heaven.

shedding jewels?*

Who

will

not delight

in

Patala,

where the lovely daughters of the Daityas and Danavas wander about, fascinating even the most austere; where the rays of the sun diffuse light, and not heat, by day; and where the moon shines, by night, for illumination, not for cold; where the sons of Danu, happy in the enjoyment of delicious viands and strong wines, know not how time passes? There are beautiful groves, and streams, and lakes where the lotos blows; and the skies are resonant with the Kokila's song. Splendid ornaments, fragrant perfumes, rich unguents, the blended nmsic of the lute, and pipe, and tabor;f these and

many

other enjoyments are the

tion of the Danavas, Daityas,

common

por-

and snake-gods, who

in-

habit the regions of Patala."^

'

There

is

no very copious description of Patala

in

any of

The most circumstantial are those of the Vayu and Bhagavata. t The latter has been repeated, with some additions, in the first chapters of the Patala Kharida of the Padma Puraria. The Mahabharata and these two Purarias assign diti'e-

the Purarias.

rent divisions to the Danavas, Daityas, and

suki and the other

Naga

TT^^TW^^f

TTfTM

t Vim, venu, aud mridanya. :

v.,

XXIV.

Nagas; placing Va-

chiefs in the lowest.

%^ cTc^^

But the Vayu has

II

BOOK

CHAP.

TI.,

211

V.

Below the seven Patalas

is the form of Vishnu, profrom the quahty of darkness, which is called Sesha,^ the excellencies of which neither Daityas nor Danavas can (fully) enumerate. This being is called Ananta by the spirits of heaven, * and is worshipped by sages and by gods. He has a thousand heads, which

ceedino;

are embellished with the pure and visible mystic sign;^

and Nagas in each; as, in the Namuchi and serpent Kaliya; in the seHayagriva and Takshaka; in the third, of Prahlada and

the cities of the principal Daityas first,

those of the Daitya

cond, of

Hemaka;

in the fourth, of

Kalanemi and Vainateya;

of Hiraiiyaksha and Kirmira;

Vasuki; besides others. tala,

and,

in the sixth, of

Bali the Daitya

according to this authority.

suki in Rasatala, and calls his

is

in the fifth,

Pulomat and

the sovereign of Pa-

The Mahabharataf places Vacapital Bhogavati. The regions

of Patala, and their inhabitants, are oftener the subjects of profane, than of sacred, fiction, in consequence of the frequent inter-

course between mortal heroes and the Naga-kanyas or serpent-

nymphs.

A

considerable section of the Bi'ihat Katha, the Surya-

prabha Lambaka, + consists of adventures and events

in this sub-

terraneous world. '

is

Sesha

is

commonly described

as being in this situation.

He

the great serpent on which Vishnu sleeps during the intervals

of creation, ported.

The

karshaiia,

and upon whose numerous heads the world Puraiias,

who

is

sup-

an impersonation or incarnation of Sesha, blend

the attributes of the serpent and the ^

is

making him one with Balarama or San-

With the Swastika, a

demigod

in their description.

particular diagram used in mystical

ceremonies.

*

This expression

is

to

render siddha,

t Udyoga-parvan, 3797. + The eighth book of what

is

more correctly

called

the Kathd-sarit-

sdgara.

14*

VISHNU PURANA.

212

and the thousand jewels

in his crests* give light to all

the regions. For the benefit of the world, he deprives the Asiiras of their strength. He rolls his eyes fiercely, if intoxicated. He wears a single ear-ring, a diadem, and wreath (upon each brow), and shines like the white mountains topped with flame. He is clothed in purple f raiment, : and ornamented with a white necklace, and looks like another Kailasa, with the heavenly Ganga flowing down its precipices. In one hand he holds a

as

plough, and, in the other, a pestle; and he is attended (the goddess of wine), who is his own em-

by Varuhi

bodied radiance. From his mouths, at the end of the Kalpa, proceeds the venomed fire that, impersonated asRudra, who is one withBalarama,§ devours the three worlds.

Sesha bears the entire world, like a diadem, upon and he is the foundation on which the seven Patalas rest.! His power, his glory, his nature, his form cannot be described, cannot be comprehended by the gods themselves. Who shall recount his might

his head;

who wears

this

whole earth,

tinged of a purple^ dye of his ci'ests?

When

like a

garland of flowers,

by the radiance of the jewels

Ananta, his eyes rolling with inall her woods, and

toxication, yawns, then earth, with

•

t I

Phana, 'hood'; and so

in the next paragraph.

Ma. Here supply the epithet madotsikta, 'elevated with wine.' by the Translator, for Sankarshana.

§ Substituted,

base of Patala, '6esha, adored by all the gods, stationed under the supports the whole circle of the earth, become his diadem.'

BOOK

ir.,

CHAP.

213

V.

mountains, and seas, and rivers, trembles. Gandharvas, Apsarasas, Siddhas, Kimnaras, Uragas, and Oharanas are unequal to hymn his praises; and, therefore, he is called the infinite

(Ananta), the imperishable.

The

ground by the wives of the snakegods is scattered abroad by his breath, and sheds perfume around the skies. sandal-paste that

is

The ancient sage Garga,^ having

propitiated Sesha,

acquired from him a knowledge of the principles of astronomical science, of the planets, and of the good

and

evil

The

denoted by the aspects of the heavens.*

earth, sustained

upon the head of this sovereign

sei'pent, supports, in its turn, the

garland of the spheres,

along with (their inhabitants,) men, demons, and gods.

One

^

of the oldest writers on astronomy amongst the Hin-

dus.

According

cient

Astronomy of

*

In

to

Mr. Bentley, his Sariihita dates 548 B. C. (Anthe Hindus, p. 59.)

my MSS.:

'Having propitiated whom, the ancient sage Garga came to know, with all the consequences read in omens.' Knowledge of the heavenly luminaries is here meant to connote both astronomy and astrology; and the omenology referred to takes cognizance of tokens afforded by the planets, by birds, beasts, palpitation of various accuracy, the heavenly luminaries, and

parts of the body, &c.

:

CHAPTER VL Of

the different hells, or divisions of Naraka, below Patala: the

crimes punished in them, respectively: efficacy of expiation meditation on Vishnu the most effective expiation.

Parasara.

—

I will

now, great Muni, give you an ac-

count of the hells which are situated beneath the earth

and beneath the waters/ and into which sinners are finally sent.

The names

of the different Narakas are as follows:

Raurava, Sukara,* Rodha,f Tala, Visasana,+ Mahajwala,

Taptakumbha, Lavana,§ Vimohanaji Rudhirandha,1I Vaitarani, Kfimisa,** Krimibhojana, Asipatravana, Kri-

The Bhagavataff places the Narakas above the waters. The commentator on our text endeavours to reconcile the difference, '

by explaining the

text to imply a dark cavity in

which the waters

are received, not the original abysses where they were collected at

first,

*

and above which Tartarus

Siikara

an equally

is

common

lies

:

W^TU^^M^JHI^**!^-

reading; and

one of

my MSS.

has

Saukara.

t +

§ II

In two MSS. I find Bodha. One MS. has Visamana. The more ordinary lection is Savana; and

I

find Sabala also.

Vilohita closely competes, for frequency, with this reading.

% A

single

**

imports 'lord of worms'.

It

and seems

MS, has Rudhirambhas.

to

namely, — after

be preferable,

as

Krimisa occurs in several of yielding a more

the analogy of the

my MSS.

appropriate meaning,

explanations given of Girisa

sessing worms', or 'lying on worms'.

tt v., XXVI., 5. ++ This is from the smaller commentary.

— 'pos-

BOOK shria,

II.,

CHAP.

Lalabhaksha, Daruna,* Piiyavaha,t Papa, VahSandamsa, Kalasutra,§ Tamas, t

nijwala, Adhatisiras

,

Aviclii, Swabliojaiia, Apratishtha,

These and many other

'

215

VI.

Some

b. IV., V.

of these

names are the same

88— 90.JI Kulhika

and another Avichi.^

fearful hells are the awful pro-

by Manu, Markandeya Pu-

that are given

Bhatt'a refers to the

raria for a description of the twenty-one divisions of hell

account there given

is

:

but the

The

not more ample than that of our text.

Bhagavata enumerates twenty - eight; t but many of the names In the last instance, the term Avichi is diifer from the above. either inaccurately repeated,

^fTT-) is intended In Manu, Mahavichi

This

is,

to

or the adjective Apara ('^^Tf^'^-

distinguish

it

from the previous Avichi.

occurs.

perhaps, an epithet of Lalabhaksha.

See the original:

which I find no authority. t The original edition has "Puyavaha", for * Corrected from "Adhosiras", which is impossible. § All my MSS. but three have Krishuasutra. The hells there mentioned are Tamisra, Andhatamisra, Maharaurava, Tapana, Raurava, Naraka, Kalasiitra, Mahanaraka, Sanjivana, Mahavichi, Lohasanku, Saiiipratapana, Samhata, Sakakola, Kiulmala, Piitimrittika, II

Rijisha,

Panthana,

Salmali,

Instead of these, the

Asipatravana,

Lohadaraka.

Ydjnavalkya-dharma-sdsira,

III.,

222—224, gives

Raurava, Kudthe following: Tamisra, Lohasanku, Mahaniraya, Salmali, Saiiipratamala, Putimfittika, Kalasiitraka, Sanghata, Lohitoda, Savisha,

Andhatamisra, pana, Mahanaraka, Kakola, Sanjivana, Mahapatha, Avichi, Kiimbhipaka, Asipatravana, and Tapana. Andhatamisra, Rauf At V XXVI., 7. Their names are Tamisra, Asipatravana, Siikaramukha, rava, Maharaurava, Kumbbipaka, Kalasiitra, ,

Vajrakaiit'akasalmali, Audhakiipa, Kiimibhojana, Sandaiiisa, Taptasiirmi, Sarameyadana. Vaitaraiu, Piiyoda, Pranarodha, Visasana, Lalabhaksha, Sulaprota, DanAvichi, AyaKpana, Ksharakardama, Rakshogaiiabhojana, dasiika, Avat'anirodhana, Paryavartana, Siichimukha.

The Kdrttika-mdhdtmya following

hells:

salmali, Raktapiiya,

Manuscript., &c.,

of the

Taptabaluka,

Kumbbipaka.

p. 16.

Padma-purdna makes mention

Andhatamisra, See Dr.

Krakacha, Aufrecht's

of the

Argala,

Catalogus

KufaCod.

216

VISHNU PUHANA.

kingdom

vinces of the

of

Yama,

ments of torture and with

who

those

all

terrible

fire; into

are addicted,

when

with instra-

which are hurled

aUve, to sinful prac-

tices.^

The man who bears

who

or

through

false witness,

any falsehood,

utters

He who

is

condemned

partiality,

to the

Rau-

rava (dreadful)

hell.

a towm,*"

a cow, or strangles a man, goes to the

Rodhaf

kills

causes abortion, plunders

The murderer Brahman, stealer of gold, t or drinker of wine, goes to the Sukara (swine) hell; as does any one who associates with them. The murderer of a man of the second or third castes, and one who is guilty of adultery hell (or that of obstruction).

of a

with the wife of his spiritual teacher,

theTala§ (padlock)

hell;

ThePadmaPurana

'

which appears

number of punishment. office

to

(Kriya

The

Yoga

Sara) and the SivaDharma,

interesting circumstances previous to the infliction of It

appears, also, from them, that

Yama

fulfils

as well as sovereign of the

the

damned;

appearing before him, and being confronted with Chi-

tragupta, the recorder, by ed.

sentenced to

be a section of the Skanda Parana, contain a

of judge of the dead,

all that die

is

and one who holds incestuous

whom

their actions

have been register-

Swarga or Elysium, different regions of Naraka

virtuous are thence conveyed to

whilst the wicked are driven to the or Tartarus.

Some MSS. have putrahantn, implying one t Three of

my

MSS., instead of naming

that kills his son.

this hell,

qualify

it

as ghora,

'dreadful.' +

the

Suvarna: not vaguely amount of eighty ra/ctifi

gold, according to the larger thereof, likewise

known

commentary, but

Moreover, denounced, the thief must steal the suvarna from a Compare Kulhika on the Laws of the Mdnavas, XL, 49; also as suvarna.

to incur the penalty

Brahman.

the Mitdkshard on the §

While one of

Ydjnavalkya-dharina-idstra,

my MSS.

III.,

209.

reads Kala, several of them have no

name

—

BOOK intercourse with a

Taptakumbha

to

CHAP.

ir.,

217

VT.

or murders an ambassador,*

sister,

(or the hell of heated caldrons).

seller of his wife,f a gaoler,: a horse-dealer,

who

The

and one

deserts his adherents, falls into the Taptaloha (red-

hot iron)

hell.

He who commits

ter-in-law, or a daughter,

is

hell (or that of great flame) ful to his spiritual guide,

who

reviles the Vedas,

with

ciates

vana

women

in a

A

(salt) hell.

bed observances, §

:

and the in the Kfimibhaksha

disrespect-

is

prohibited degree, into the La-

and a contemner of prescri-

falls into

He who gods, or who

Mahajwala

and he who

who is abusive (to his betters), or who sells them,^ who asso-

thief,

wildering).

incest with a daugh-

cast into the

Vimoha

(the place of be-

hates his father, the Brahmans, spoils precious gems, is

punished

(where worms are his food);

hell

and he who practises magic rites for the harm of others, Krimisa (that of insects). The vile

II

in the hell called

*

'Who

teaches the Vedas for hire.'

who

and renders the few Pandits

This notion

still

prevails,

are acquainted with the

Vedas

very unwilling to teach them for a gratuity.

but insert

here,

a particle

in

stead; from which reading

its

that the sinners just before spoken

of are

it

follows

disposed of along with those

next specified.

So the commentaries explain the word used in the original, raja-hhat'a. is here the meaning of sddhwi, say the commentators. One of my MSS. has mddhwi, 'ardent spirits'; a reading noticed in

*

t Such

the larger commentary. +

Baddha-pdla, in

§

Maryddd —

This expression define

this sense,

sishtdckdra, is

to

sacrifice

',

gives,

as

according to the commentators.

the usage of the reputable

'.

render durisht'akrit, which the

commentaries

commentary, which reads duan alternative definition, 'one who does ineffectual

by ahhichdrakartri.

risht'ikfit,

'

viphalo ydgah.

The

larger

'

VISHNU PURANA.

218 wretch

who

eats his

meal before offering food to the

gods, to the manes, or to guests, falls into the hell calis given for food). The maker of arrows is sentenced to the Vedhaka (piercing) hell and the maker of lances,* swords, and other wea-

led Lalabhaksha (where saliva

;

pons, to the dreadful hell called Visasana (murderous).

He who

takes unlawful gifts goes to the

(or head-inverted) hell; as does one

who

Adhomukha offers sacri-

and an observer of the stars f fices (for the prediction of events). He who eats by himself sweetmeats mixed with his rice,^+ and a Brahman to improper

objects,

who vends lac, flesh, liquors, sesamum, or salt, or one who commits violence, fall into the hell (where matter flows, or) Puyavaha;§ as do they who rear cats, cocks, goats, dogs, hogs, or birds. Public performers,^ fisher-

men, the follower of one born

in adultery,

i

a poisoner,

'Thereby,' observes the commentator, 'defrauding or disap-

'

pointing children.'

("^^XJ^f^). The commentator

Rangopajivin

^

wrestlers and boxers; but

•

Karnin:

a

Ranga

of arrow

sort

explains

it

applies to any stage or arena.

difficult

of extraction,

agreeably

to

the

commentary. t Nakshatra-suchaka ; explained, in the larger commentary, nakshatraganam'tjiva, 'one who earns a livelihood by astrology'. with rice" is to render misMdnna, which Dr. X "Sweetmeats mixed Aufrecht— in his edition of Halayudha's Abhidhdna-ratna-mdld, p. 310— explains to mean "savoury food, a dainty dish". It is not necessary to take anna as signifying, restrictively, 'rice'. § In some MSS., including that which contains the smaller commentary, this hell is here called Ki'imipuyavaha, 'flowing with worms and pus"; in one other, Vegipiiyavaha, 'carrying on pus impetuous as a larger

torrent. I]

Kunddiin.

word.

The

first

Several is

'

commentaries

one who eats

give

two

explanations

the quantity of a kunda

'

;

of

this

this being

BOOK an informer, one

who

one who attends

Parvans (or

full

CHAP.

II.,

by

lives

219

vr.

his wife's prostitution,^

to secular affairs

and new moon,

on the days of the

&c.),-

a treacherous friend, a soothsayer,* one

an incendiary,

who performs

and those who sell the sacrifices), go to the Rudhiran-

religious ceremonies for rustics,

acid Asclepias (used in

dha

Vaitarani hell.

He who

on others' lands, punished

is

is

to the

causes impotence, t trespasses

impure, or

cuts

destroys

condemned

who

down

fraud, §

Krishna.

is

He

||

trees goes to the Asipatra-

whose

hell (the leaves of

by

lives

in the hell called (black, or)

who wantonly vana

He who

(whose wells are of blood).

hell

a bee-hive, f or pillages a hamlet,

trees are swords)

;

and

a tender on sheep, and hunter of deer, to the hell term-

'

The term

in the text is

er of buffaloes.

Mahishaka, which might mean a feed-

But the commentator quotes a

-

This

the interpretation of Parvakarin.

is

Parvagamin,

defined

who

also read

is

to

four prasthas.

The second

'one who eats the food of a person born of an adulteress':

is

S'dkuni.

It

cohabits with his wife on prohibited days.'**

measure of capacity equal

as a

explanation

*

'he

from the

text,

H

Smriti, authorizing the sense above followed.

The commentators give the second place

as the signification

of this word.

Their

first

to

'ornithomancer'

explanation

is

'one that

gets his living by birds',— jiakshi-jivin.

t Madhuhan :

§ i|

- ?T'%^^T?T^T
TfT:TTRTf^mT.%

i»

all

>

according to the larger commentary.

my MSS.

Kahakdjivin.

The smaller commentary says

that

this

hell

is

the

same

as

the

Kalasutra.

^

In both

faloes" **

is

the commentaries,

propounded

The author

and primarily, 'one who

lives

by buf-

as the interpretation here of mahishaka.

of the larger

commentary

writes

:

M<^
VISHNU PLRANA.

220

who

ed Vabnijwala (or fiery flame); as do those

unbaked one who breaks the

fire to

vow,

The

vessels (potters).

rules of his order, falls

aiid

Sandamsa

into the

ous student

who

(or

apply

violator of a

of pincers); and the religi-

liell

and

sleeps in the day,

consciously) defiled; and they

(though un-

is

who (though mature)

are instructed in sacred literature by their children, re-

Swabhojana (where and hundreds and thousands of others, are the places in which sinners pay the penalty of their crimes. As numerous as are ceive punishment in the hell called

These

they feed upon dogs).

hells,

men commit, so many are the hells which they are punished:" and all who deviate from the duties imposed upon them by their caste and conthe offences that in

whether

dition,

'

An

word, or deed, are senten-

in thought,

ced to punishment

in

the regions of the damned.^ f

account of Naraka

found in only a few of the Puni-

is

these crimes,

'Just as there are

so there are

thousands more, which

redeemed by men in other hells.' t The patristic mythology is not without its acquaintance with interesting particulars touching the infernal domains; as witness the sub-

are

joined

extract irom the

fourteenth of the Miscellaneous Homilies

Cyril of Alexandria: 'I^o^ovuai loy Oavcaov, fiovfjcii

on

jTjv

yftvyciv,

ov fitxt/n

'^hofiovjuat

on

f}^n/u)}g.

aii?.ivTi]i6g 'l^oflovfj.ai

i6

tan.

nixooi

oit

f.ioi

on

ov

of S.

4>o-

lOf rdnrctQoy,

'ho^ovjucci

axorog,

iaii.

fitTf/ti

luv axwXrjxu lov iop6kov, on nitXtviriTog Ian.

ifcoios.

'Po^ov/LtKi

'Po^ovfica rovg dyytkovg rohg in) 7^f xniaiwg, on avtktrjfxov^g (fai, h'l'oMV jrji Tjuf'octg IxfCptjg to (fofiinhv y.a\ udixttaiov JixaOTrjOior, 10

pfiua 70


Qiy.ii)6fg,

lov 6ixanii]t'

lafior lov TJVQog, top tiqq lov Sgordrrj y.nid/.lc'cl^oPTa

TJJ

idg (inoiofiovg n/uwQt'ag.

tpXcy),

i6i'

dStxaaior.

lov no-

't'oftovjuat

^q/uajog ixiii'ov avQOjUiyor,

jdg rixovr]fxivKg

'f'o^ovfiiu

irjy

qoia<} aCag.

xokccaiv

rrjy

xcci

otfo-

't'o^ovf.int

ovx

'4)(0vaav

BOOK

The gods

CHAP.

ir.,

221

VI.

heaven are beheld by the inhabitants their heads inverted; whilst they cast their eyes downwards, behold

in

of hell, as they

move with

the gods, as the snfFerings of those in hell.^

The various

stages of

existence, Maitreya, are inanimate things,* fish,f birds,

animals, men, holy men, gods, and liberated spirits; each, in succession, a thousand degrees superior to that

which precedes

and through these stages the beings

it:

that are either in heaven or in hell are destined to proceed, until final emancipation be obtained.^

That sinner

lias, and in less detail than in the text. The Bhagavata+ and Vayu have similar descriptions of them. The Markarideya enters into detail in some of the instances only. A short account is found in

the Siva, Oaruda, and

Khanda

of the

ever, are those

Dharma

Brahma Vaivarta Puranas, and in the Kasi The fullest descriptions, how-

Skanda Parana. mentioned

of the Skanda,

in

a previous note, as being in the Siva

and Kriya Yoga Sara of the Padma;

works of a somewhat equivocal character, and belonging rather Tantrik than Pauranik literature.

to

'

The commentator observes

that the sight of heavenly bliss

given to the damned, in order to exacerbate their torments;

is

whilst the inflictions of hell are exhibited to the gods, to teach

them disregard of even heavenly enjoyments, as they are but of temporary duration. 2

That

is,

when punishment,

portioned to the

t^uiJtijov.

sin,

'Po^or/ucu

or reward, in hell, or heaven, pro-

or virtue, of the individual, has been received,

jc(

dto/ju la I'tlvin,

lov ^gvynor iiov oiSoviuiv,

lov xXttv&/u6y lov dnicoK/nvy'hjior. 'Po^ov^ai lovg aqvxiovg ll^yyovg. Migne's Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Tom. LXXVII., p. 1071. *

Supply 'worms' or t Abja, which implies :

v.,

XXVI.

'insects', krimi. all

tenants of the water.

VISHNU PURANA.

222

who

goes to Naraka

neglects the due expiation of his

guilt.

For, Maitreya, suitable acts of expiation have been enjoined, by the great sages, for every kind of crime/

Arduous penances for great sins, trilling ones for minor offences, have been propounded by Swayaiiibhuva and others. But reliance* upon Krishna is far better than any such expiatory acts as religious austerity or the like. Let any one who repents of the sin of which he may have been culpable have recourse to this best of .all expiations, remembrance ofHari.^ By addressing he must be born again, as a stone, or plant, and gradually migrate through the several inferior conditions, until he

a man. '

His future

Manu

is

state is then in his

is

once more born

own power.

here especially intended, as the commentator ob-

serves. ^

This remembrance (^^^Tjr) of Vishnu

teration of

any or

Hindus procure a it

Rama,

to cry

all

of his names.

starling, or parrot,

Hence

that, in the act of teaching

or Krishna, or Radha, they

peat these appellations

;

the frequent rei-

is

the lower orders of

may

accidentally, irreverently, or reluctantly performed,

Thus, according

to the

man

if

meritorious.

^

xif^^ifi^

^m:

ii

ever and everywhere repeat the names of the dis-

cus-armed (Vishnu); for

*

is

Vishnu Dharma Tantra:f

^frnfr^^"'^^ rr^

'Let a

themselves re-

the simple recitation of which, even

its

repetition,

even by one

who

is

im-

Anusmarana.

They are ret These verses are quoted in both the commentaries. ferred to the Vishnu-dharma; but that work is not particularized as being a Tantra.

;

BOOK

II.,

223

CHAl'. VI.

Nurayaha at dawn, at night, at sunset, and midday, a man shall be quickly cleansed from all guilt. The whole heap of worldly sorrows is dispersed by meditating on Hari; and his worshipper, looking upon heavenly fruition as an impediment (to felicity), obtains final emancipation. He whose mind is devoted

his thoughts to

Hari in silent prayer, burnt offering, or adoration, impatient even of the glory of the king of the gods.* Of what avail is ascent to the summit of heaven, if it

to is

necessary to return from thence to earth?

is

ferent

is

the meditation on Vasudeva,

which

of eternal freedom! Hence, Muni, the

How difthe seed

is

man who

thinks

of Vishnu day and night, goes not to Naraka, after

death; for

Heaven is

is

Swarga) is

is

that w^hich delights the

that which gives

called hell; virtue

same thing pure,

his sins are atoned for.

Naraka)

hell (or

vice

all

(or

a

is

is

pain.

called heaven.^

mind

Hence,

The

self-

applicable to the production of pleasure,

means of

purification.

sins,

even

as fire burns one by

whom

Hari removes

when invoked by evil-minded persons; it is

it

all

unwillingly approached.'

The

'

show

object of the text, according to the commentator,

that the

common

is to

notions of heaven and hell are erroneous;

that they are only temporal pleasure

and temporal pain; and

vir-

tue and vice, being the origin of transient and, therefore, unreal There is nothing real but effects, are, themselves, unrealities. faith in

'To for

Vishnu.

hiui

whose heart, while he

is

result as the lordship of the gods, to

engaged in silent prayer— which counts is fixed on Vasudeva, such a

burnt sacritice— and in adoration, &c., the attainment of his end.''

and the

like, is

a hindrance, Maitreya,

VISHNU PURANA.

224

or pain, of malice, or of anger.

Whence, then, can

it

be considered as essentially the same with either? That which at one time is a source of enjoyment becomes, at another, the cause of suffering; and the same thing may, at different seasons, excite wrath or conciliate

favour.

It follows, then, tliat

either pleasurable or painful;

and the

like,

nothing

in itself,

is,

and pleasure and

pain,

are merely definitions of various states

of mind. That which alone is truth" is wisdom. But wisdom may be the cause of confinement to existence: for all this universe is wisdom; there is nothing different from it; and, consequently, Maitreya, you are to conclude that both knowledge and ignorance are com-

prised in wisdom,^

have thus described to you the orb of the earth; its surface, or) Patalas; and the Narakas (or hells); and have briefly enumerated its oceans, I

the (regions below

What

mountains, continents, regions, and rivers.

do you wish '

else

to hear?

Text and comment

are,

here,

somewhat obscure: but

the

purport of the former seems to be the explanation of the existence of Jnana, wisdom, both as a genus and a

former case, true or false

it is

all that is;

wisdom: the

self or individuality,

existence;

and, in the latter,

latter

species'. it

may

In the

be either

being influenced by notions of

and, therefore, the cause of confinement to

the former dissipating the

therefore, the cause of liberation

belief of self,

and being,

from bodily being: "^Sff^'^rm^-

^T^^ It * j-

Trt

WW'

'supreme Brahma'.

This seems to be compiled from both the commentaries at

my command.

CHAPTER

VII.

Extent and situation of the seven spheres,

viz., earth,

sky, plan-

Mahar-loka, Jana-loka, Tapo-loka, and Satya-loka.

ets,

the egg of

Brahma, and

its

elementary envelopes.

Of

Of

the in-

fluence of the energy of Vishnu.

Maitreya.

—The sphere of the whole earth has been

described to me, by you, excellent Brahman; and

now

I

am

desirous to hear an account of the other spheres

— the Bhuvar-loka and the rest,— and the dimensions of the celestial

(above the world),

and the

situation

luminaries.

—

Parasara. The sphere of the earth (or Bhiircomprehending its oceans, mountains, and rivers, extends as far as it is illuminated by the rays of the sun and moon; and to the same extent, both in diameter and circumference, the sphere of the sky (Bhuvar-loka) spreads above it (as far upwards as to the

loka),

The

planetary sphere, or Swar-loka).^

solar orb

is sit-

uated a hundred thousand leagues from the earth; and that of the

moon, an equal distance from the sun. At

the same interval above the the lunar constellations.

all

moon The

occurs the orbit of planet

Budha (Mer-

two hundred thousand leagues above the lunar mansions; Sukra* (Venus) is at the same distance from cury)

'

is

Bhur-loka, the terrestrial sphere,

gions; from thence to the sun

is

is

earth and the lower re-

the Bhuvar-loka or atmospheric

sphere; and from the sun to Dhruva

is

the

Swar-loka or heaven:

as subsequently explained in the text, and in other Purarias.

* II.

Usauas, in the original. 15

VISHNU PURANA.

226

Mercury; Angaraka (Mars) is as far above Venus; and the priest of the gods (Brihaspati, or Jupiter), as far from Mars; whilst Saturn (Sani*) is two hundred and fifty

thousand leagues beyond Jupiter, f

of the seven Rishis (Ursa Major)

is

The sphere

a hundred thousand

leagues above Saturn; and, at a similar height above the seven Rishis,

is

Dhruva

(the pole-star), the pivot

or axis of the whole planetary

circle.

Such, Maitreya,

the elevation of the three spheres (Bhur, Bhuvar,

is

Swar) which form the region of the consequences of works, t

The region

of w^orks

is

here (or in the land

of Bharata).*

Above Dhruva, lies

at the distance

often million leagues,

the sphere of saints (or Mahar-loka), the inhabitants

it throughout a Kalpa (or day of Brahma). At twice that distance is situated Jano-loka, where Sanandana and other pure-minded sons of Brahma

of which dwell in

'

A

similar account of the situations and distances of

ets occurs in the

Padma, Kiirma, and Vayu

Purarias.

tlie

plan-

The Bha-

gavata§ has one or two varieties; but they are of no great importance.

•

my MSS.

All

have Sauri.

read all the MSS. to which I have and we are thus told that Saturn is only two hundred thousand yojanas beyond Jupiter. Professor Wilson must have read So, to every purpose of this note,

access;

See, further, X •

Here,

sacrifice

§ v.,

and

',

XXII.

my in

second note at the

sentence

p.

230, infra.

following,

this

word

represents

ijyd,

—

BOOK reside. lies

CHAP.

II.,

227

VI[.

At four times the distance between the two

last

the Tapo-loka* (the sphere of penance), inhabited

by the deities called Vairajas, who are unconsumable by fire. At six times the distance (or twelve Crores,— a hundred and twenty millions of leagues f) is situated Satya-loka, (the sphere of truth), the inhabitants of

which never again know death \t

'

An

account of these Lokas

Purarias, and

The Vayu§

not

is

is

Mahar, which

much more

most circumstantial.

*

in a

few of the

According

to that authority,

so called from a mystical term, Maha,

is

abode of the Ganadevas — the

'And beyond Janaloka,

known

met with only

is

detailed, in them, than in our text.

Yamas and

others,

-who

at fourfold the aforesaid altitude,

is

the

are the

the

is

world

as Tapas':

The height

of

Tapoloka above Dhruva

is

eighty million yojanas.

t The commentaries have it that the distance is forty-eight kolHs or 480.000.000 of yojanas; i. e., six times as far as Tapoloka lies from Ja-

Subjoined are the words of the smaller commentary:

naloka.

+

The

original here adds that Satyaloka has another designation, that of

Brahmaloka: §

Chapter

The

WW^t^ ff XC:

probability

is,

which, for instance, the

first

that,

^NHT:. "

by a common Pauranik and Epic

converts

of the preceding

^

lines,

X^

ii^to

represents

where J{^'. would be the nominative of

The

^^f^^-

other statements

^ff^T,

&c. &c.,

Tf^ ^fTT)

?T^^,

»•

6)

in

the

annotated occur not far below the foregoing extracts.

15*

in

T^I Xf^j

'a

'a festival',

from the Vayu-purdna given

licence,

— ?I^f7f,

solemnity'.

note here

:

VISHNU PURANA.

228

Wherever earthy substance traversed by the

exists,

feet, that constitutes

which may be

the sphere of the

regents or rulers of the Kalpa, the Kalpadhikarins. signated also in the Kurraa.*

Mahas,

The Kasi Kharidaf

mentator explains

this to

fire,

to

Kalpa.

But the com-

denote Bhrigu and the other patriarchs,

Mahar-loka

when

is

its

tenants,

who

consumed

repair to the

Jana-loka, according to the Vayu,

of the Rishis

residence

Brahma, and

the three lower spheres are

deserted by

next sphere, or Jana-loka. the

name

endure for a day of Brahma, t The different accounts

lives

agree in stating, that,

by

are so de-

the sphere being invested with radiance (TffTRT'^)-

'light';

Its inhabitants are also called lords of the

whose

They

refers the

is

and demigods during the night of

termed Jana, because the patriarchs are the proThe Kasi Khanda§ agrees with the Vishnu

is

genitors of mankind.

peopling

in

it

with Sanandana and the other ascetic sons of

Brahma, and with Yogins

like themselves.

These are placed, by

the Vayu, in the Tapo-loka; and they, and the other sages, and the demigods, after repeated appearances in the world, at last, Vairajas in the

Brahma

or Satya-loka.

After

become,

many

divine

ages of residence there with Brahma, they are, along with him, absorbed, at the end of his existence, into the indiscrete

"

Part

I.,

Chapter XLIV.,

:

1

cfi^Tf^chir
f^^5W^T:

I

+ XXII., 3: *

The MS.

that

I

have used of the Kidikharida speaks,

not of "lords of the Kalpa", but of those

§

XXII.,

who

8, 9:

f^^^^*<^T

— XXII.,

live for a kalpa-.

^^ tn^m www: im:

i

6-

.

'

BOOK

earth, the dimensions of

to you.

The region

The commentator on 'relating to,

rTTfTfTT

%TT^Tt

the Kasi

Khanda Brahma

The Vairajas

If

the Tapo-loka,

in

from the earth

to the

explains Vairaja to

mean

or Viraj':* f^TP'JinWlft-

are, thereat as in the

and are explained

mendicants, anchorets, and penitents,

cetics,

229

VII.

which I have already recounted

that extends

or derived from,

Puraha, placed

CHAP.

II.,

Vishnu

to

be as-

who have completed

a course of rigorous austerities:

may

It

be doubted, however,

if

the Paurariiks have very precise

notions regarding these spheres and their inhabitants. of a

rarias

worlds to the

*

The Pu-

decidedly sectarial character add other and higher

Kurma§

Thus, the

series.

Brahma-loka

identifies

by Hiranyagarbha'.

Literally, 'produced

Kdsikhanda, the Kdsikhandat Ramanatha, iu his commentary on the dipikd, explains the Vairajas to be those who are freed from rajoguna: This explanation has no scientific value. "^^^fT

^

<.

N

T

I

See, also, Vol. *

^^WT

«

p. 104,

I.,

•

note

2.

last of these stanzas is that

The

Kdiikhanda, XXII., 10—21.

which

In the MS. which I have consulted, Professor "Wilson quotes just below. <4 U! <*>*^I instead of o W« ^^^ reading is, far preferably,

f^a

the

meaning

'fW^^

'

of which,

according to

a marginal gloss,

is

cTHpT: § Part

I.,

XLIV., 8—14:

^^ ^^Ot^ ^I^ ^T^T*^ H l^m^^Ri: rr^ •fKI*4UJ*^lf^

^ fR ;5

fix:

^^ ww^: ^T

^TT^T^

^TRTH^: T^:

fr^^f^^if^cT: g-iii^r-Hcjf^:

^rrf^
^f^

'^

^^T ^w

%

II

I

ittwt ^rt^*^:

Trftf^H^^I% ^'TTP*^:

ii

ii

ii

II

^fT^^t^'T*i*ii«rt *4«nrMr*r:

i

1

m

rnTtf^T^f^-

230

VISHNU PURANA.

which the Siddhas and other celestial beings the atmospheric sphere,* which also I have described. The interval between the sun and Dhruva, extending fourteen hundred thousandf leagues, is called, sun, in

move,

is

with Vishriu-loka, and has a Rudra-loka above ces Vishriu-loka above Brahraa-loka, and

we

In the Kasi Khai'ida

and Kailasa, as the

Brahma Vaivarta of

lofty

The Siva

worlds of Vishnu and Siva

above

cows and Krishna.

These

;

whilst the

a Go-loka, a world or heaven

all,

are, all, evidently, additions to the

original system of seven worlds, in

which

we

have, probably,

the seven climates of the ancients,

relation to

plathat.

have, instead of those two, Vaikuntha

has,

some

it.

Rudra-loka above

the seven

stages or degrees of the earth of the Arabs, and the seven hea-

vens of the Mohammedans,

^;^rNT

not to the seven Amshaspands

^"RTT^^FWT ¥p!T^Tf^:

*i^l^c(i4T:i:

*

if

ww^ gwT ^^^^:

"Celestial beings"

is

to render

^t

I

of

II

^:

ii

muni; and Blmvoloka

is

represented

by "atmospheric sphere". I Niyuta.

This distance

brought out as follows:

is

Distances in yojanas.

Intervals.

From From From From From From From From From

,

Sun to Moon, Moon to Asterisms, Asterisms

Mercury

Venus

to

to

100.000.

....

Mercury,

Venus,

.

.

.

....

Jupiter to Saturn, to

200.000.

....

Ursa Major,.

Ursa Major to Pole-star,

note at

so p.

the correction 226, supra.

is

200.000.

.

.

100.000.

.

.

100.000.

rSoo.OOO,

Total^

And

200.000. 200.000.

200 000.

to Mars,

Mars to Jupiter, Saturn

100.000.

confirmed which

I

have made in

my

second

See, further, the Bhdyavata-purd/'ia, V., XXII., 16,

where Saturn is said to be two hundred thousand yojanas beyond Jupiter. * For these cele.stial councillors, of whom there are discordantly said to be six

and thirty-three, see Dr. Spiegel's Avesta, die Heiligen Schriften Ill,, pp. 20 and 4.

der Farsen, Vol.

BOOK

CHAP.

II.,

231

VII.

by those who are acquainted with the system of the universe, the heavenly sphere.* These three spheres are termed transitory. The three highest,— Janas, Tapas, and Satya, — are styled durable.^ Mahar-loka, as situated between the two, has, also, a mixed character; for, although it is deserted at the end of the Kalpa, it is not destroyed.! These seven spheres, together with the Patalas, forming the extent of the whole world,! I

have, thus, Maitreya, explained to you.

The world is encompassed on every side, and above, and below, by the shell of the egg§ (of Brahma), m the same manner as the seed of the wood-apple" is the Parsis.

Seven - suggested,

perhaps, by the seven number with various naHindus, it was applied to a va-

originally,

planets, - seems to have been a favourite tions of antiquity.

Amongst

the

riety of sacred or mythological objects,

a verse in the

Hanuman Nataka.

which are enumerated

Rama

in

described, there, as

is

piercing seven palm-trees with an arrow, on which other groups

of seven take fright; as the seven steeds of the sun, the seven spheres. Munis, seas, continents, and mothers of the gods:

Kritaka and Akritaka,

'

literally,

'made and unmade'; the

former being renewed every Kalpa, the the end of Brahma's

*

Swarloka.

irrT^^rrrqW^ ^f ^t^ xfn ^
t

*

]|

latter perishing only at

H

the Kapittha (Feronia Elephantum).

Of

2

life.

I

have not been able

^ From

the larger

to verify this half-stanza.

commentary

fg^^ ^fTrNi df^MOflH the same

effect.

i

§ A/idakat'dha.

Brahmdi'tda. ?

:

I

:

%^^t^

8)(iq\ nf^eft'SM «liTH

^RT"

^^® smaller commentary remarks

to

232

VISHNU PURANA.

invested (by

rind). *

its

the shell flows

v^^ater,

Around

(the outer surface of)

for a space equal to ten times

(the diameter of the world).

encompassed, exteriorly, by

The

waters, again, are

by air; and air, by ether t; ether, by the origin of the elements: (Ahanikara); and that, by Intellect. Each of these extends ten times the breadth of that which it encloses; and the last is encircled by (the chief Principle,) Pradhana,^ which is infinite, and its extent cannot be enumerated. It is, therefore, called the boundless and illimitable cause of all existing things, supreme (nature, or) Prakriti; the cause of all mundane eggs, of which there are thousands and tens of thousands, and millions and fire;

fire,

thousands of millions, such as has been described.^ § See before the order (Vol.

I.,

The followers ansiQia

in

which the elements are evolved

pp. 29, &c.)

of

Anaximander and Democritus taught "an

yoo/iicov, 'an infinity of

cessive, in that space to occupy,

which

this

worlds;' and that not only suc-

world of ours

in respect of the infinity of past

is

conceived

now

and future time, but

also a contemporary infinity of coexistent worlds, at all times,

throughout endless and unbounded space."

Book

See Original Sanskrit Texts, Part I., p. 195. Professor Wilson had "Mind" in the

t Nabhas.

changed, unhesitatingly, as above. dinarily rendered "ether", its

Intellect.

System,

I., III., 33.

cosmogony,

is

I

text,

In taking nabhas to

which

mean

I

have

dkdsa, or-

have assumed that the Vishnu-purdna, as to See Vol. I., p. 84.

at unity with itself.

+ Bhritddi, here rendered rightly. See Vol. I., pp. 33, 34, and 169, where the term is interpreted "rudimental", "elementary'', and "the iirst element". Ahaihkdra as stagnant—
BOOK

n.,

CHAP.

233

vir.

Within Pradhana resides Soul, diffusive, conscious, and self-irradiating; as lire (is inherent) in flint \ or

sesamum

seed.

oil in its

Nature (Pradhana) and soul

(Puiiis) are, both, of the character of dependants,

and by the energy of Vishnu, which is one with the soul of the world, and which is the cause of the separation of those two (soul and nature, at the

are encompassed

period of dissolution), of their aggregation (in the continuance of things), and of their combination at the season of creation.** In the same manner as the wind

'

Literally,

'in

wood'; the

of

attrition

two pieces of which

does not create, but developes, their latent heat and flame. ^

Thus, in Scipio's Dream, the divinity

limit of the universe:

"Novem

nexa sunt omnia, quorum unus complectitur omnis,

'Supreme

summus

prakriti, Sage,

tibi

is

made

the external

orbibus vel potius globis con-

est coelestis extimus, qui reliquos

ipse deus arcens et continens ceteros:"

became cause

of

— of

all,

thousands of mundane

eggs: and of such there are thousands and tens of thousands, and so, there, hundreds of

'Prarf^ana and

hundred

spirit,

billions.'

most wise one, are enveloped— ?.

the energy of Vishnu, which

the soul of

is

perty of resorting to one another.

becoming separated, and of

And

all

this energy is the

their resorting to

e,

governed— h-^

beings: they have the pro-

cause of their

one another; and

it

is

the

commotion at the time of creation.' On these stanzas the smaller commentary remarks as follows: ff^^-

cause, great Sage, of their

Tf^ M<*<^
%f7T

^p^T^ f^-«^:

^^^-

VISHNU PURANA.

234

ruffles the surface of the

water

in a

(which, of themselves, are inert),

hundred bubbles,

*

so the energy of

Vishnu influences the world, consisting of (inert) naAgain, as a tree, consisting of root, ture and soul. stem, and branches, springs from a primitive seed, and produces other seeds, whence grow other trees, analogous to the first in species, product, and origin, so from the first unexpanded germ (of nature or Pradhana) spring Mahat (Intellect) and the other rudi-

ments of things. From them proceed the grosser elements, and, from them, men and gods, who are succeeded by sons and the sons of sons, f In the growth which Macrobins explains as First Cause of all things, all,

and from

his

to

be understood of the Supreme

only in respect of his supremacy over

comprehending, as well as creating,

all things,

and being regarded as the soul of the world: "Quod

virtutes

omnes, quae illam primre omnipotentiam summitatis sequuntur, aut ipse faciat, aut ipse contineat.

Ipsum denique Jovem veteres vomundi anima." In Somn.

caverunt, et apud theologos Jupiter est Scip.,

•

c.

XVII.

Professor Wilson should seem to have followed this lection:

'As the wind carries powerless a hundred particles that are in the water.' On this line, and its various readings, the smaller commentary remarks:

wr^fT ^nn TT (ft f^^f^ xnTTnTT ^ ^% f%ft i

fw

^fxir^-

.

BOOK

II.,

CHAP.

235

VII.

of a tree from the seed, no detriment occurs to the

parent plant; neither

is

there any waste of beings by

the generation of others.

manner

In like

as space,*

and time, and the rest aref the cause of the tree (through the materiality of the seed), so the divine Hari

is

the

cause of all things by successive developments (through the materiality of nature).^

As

all

the parts of the fu-

ture plant, existing in the seed of rice,— or the root, the

culm, the

leaf,

the shoot, the stem, the bud, the

fruit,

the milk, the grain, the chaff, the ear,— spontaneously evolve, M^hen they are in approximation w^ith the subsidiary means of growth (or earth and water), so gods, men, and other beings, involved in many actions (or necessarily existing in those states which are the consequences of good or evil acts+), become manifested only in their full growth, through the influence of the

energy of Vishnu. The two passages

'

parentheses are the additions of the

in

commentator, intended to explain cause of the world.

He

is

how

not so of his

the deity

own

is

the material

essence, not so im-

mediately, but through the interposition of Pradhana:

^I^fq

^:

-ffirfTT^^

T ^^^%f?T HT^:

the source of Prakriti,

is

^dMId

!•!-

'As, however, he

l§

he must be considered the material as

well as immaterial cause of being.' 'Thus, from the unmanifested of the

elements;

first

spring mahat and the like, inclusive

then from these originate the demons, &c.; and, from

them, sons; and of these sons there are other sons.' *

This

of Vol.

to

is

render dkdsa,

on which term see

t

Add

I

This ellipsis was supplied by the Translator.

§

This

consequence of proximity',

'in

is

causativity

own

my

first

note at p. 34

I.

^f^'y

|

»(

|

<|^

from the smaller commentary, and means: 'Hari's material is

essence.

through the instrumentality of prakriti,

Such

is

the import.'

and

is

not in his

VISHNU PURANA.

236 This Vishnu

whence

whom

all

is

the supreme spirit (Brahma), from

world proceeds, who

this

That

solved.

of Vishnu, which invisible,

is

the essence of

is

with which

all

that

is is

primary nature;

He

things endure. votion; he

he

is

is

all finally is

will

be

re-

all

that

identical,

visible or

is

and whence

He

derived, f

is

melts: through

the

is

him

all

the performer of the rites of de-

the rite;t he

the implements

it

in a perceptible form,

he,

world; and in him

the world, by

the supreme state

animate and inanimate existence

all

is

Brahma)

spirit (or

is

whom

the world subsists,* and in

by

is

the fruit which

w^hich

it is

it

bestows;

performed. There

nothing besides the illimitable Hari.

is

*

'And

in

whom

t

fT|^ fTT^T

world

this

subsists':

VRT

^"^ ^"ZT^.

^((^rM<*l

Xf^

|

His is that supreme the Vedas establish. supreme abode of the existent and of the nonexistent. He it is by whose non-difference from Brahma this entire universe, moveable and immoveable, has its being.' Such is the explanation of the smaller commentary. 'He

is

that

Brahma which

effulgence; for he

4

is

Rather, 'and he

the

is

the sacrifice that

is

offered'

:

^^

'^[WfT

Wf^

•

•

CHAPTER

VIII.

Description of the sun: his chariot;

The

cities

course

nature of his rays

:

its

two axles:

his

of the regents of the cardinal points.

of day and night.

:

his path along the ecliptic.

Divisions of time

Yuga

months, years, the cyclical

and southern declinations.

:

horses.

The

equinoxes and

sun's

Length solstices,

or age of five years. Northern

Saints on the

Lokaloka mountain. Origin of Ganga,

Celestial paths of the Pitfis, gods, Vishnu.

and separation, on the top of Meru, into four great

rivers.

—

Parasara. Having thus described to you the system of the world in general, I will now explain to you the dimensions and situations of the sun and other luminaries.

The

chariot of the sun

length; and the pole* axle

is

is

fifteen millions

leagues long;^ on which

The

'

sun's car

according to the thirty-six

is

in

and seven hundred thousand is

fixed a

wheelf — with three

Yojanas broad, and as many deep,

The Bhagavata§ makes

it

hundred thousand long, and one fourth that broad. The

There

The

nine thousand leagues

Vayut and Matsya.

Linga agrees with the *

10.000

is

of twice that longitude;^ the

is

text.

no great difference

in this

number,

length of this axle, which extends from

in other accounts.

Meru

to

Manasa,

is

nearly equal to the semi-diameter of the earth, which, according to the

*

Matsya Puraiia,

is

18.950.000 Yojanas.

Ishddanda.

+ See Professor Wilson's Translation of the Aig-veda, Vol. note a.

§ v.,

XXI.,

15.

I.,

p. 78,

VISHNU PUR AN A.

238

— consisting

naves,* five spokes, and six peripheries

of the ever-daring year: the whole constituting the

wheel of time.^ The chariot has another axle,

circle or

hundred leagues long.^ same length, respectively, as the two axles (the longer and the

which

is

forty-five thousand, five

The two halves of the yoke

The short

shorter).

'

The

axle,

are of the

with the (short) yoke,

is

- morning,

three naves are the three divisions of the day,

noon, and night; the five spokes are the five cyclic years; and

The Bhagavataf

the six peripheries are the six seasons.

explains

three naves to be three periods of the year, of four months

the

each, and gives twelve spokes as

The Vayu, I Matsya, and Bhavishya detail.

types of the twelve months.

According to them, the parts of the wheel are the same

as above described: the

body of the car

is

lower half are the two solstices; Dharnia

Kama,

yoke and axle

the pins of the

shas form

its

a

floor;

pole; minutes are ^

much more

Purai'ias enter into

its

This shorter axle

moment

is

;

the year;

night

its

upper and Artha and

fender

is its

the axle-tree;

attendants; and hours, is,

its

is its flag;

;

Nime-

an instant, the

harness.

according to the Bhagavata, § one fourth

of the longer.

*

Rather, a triple nave, or three naves in one.

t Not the Bhagavata, but Sridhara's commentary thereon, V.,

^t

^f^^t^: f^^

T^^r^^:

^^tttt:

trw^w^

%f^: ^ffi^: ^rrr:

^^^T

^stiTi'Rr^

^^ ^i^

^ct:

i

ii

^i^T: ^ctt:

t^ ^T^ ^t^t: ^m: ?jf^^^ ^^n^ ^m ^^: ^T^f^pr:

f^*im^H«*MT^^

gTT^^ft % § v.,

XXI.,

14.

fT^

^^^-RHf ^"T ^ffr "

II

II

ii

i

XXL,

13.

BOOK

II.,

CHAP.

239

VITI.

supported by the pole-star: the end of the (longer)

which the wheel of the car is attached, moves on the Manasa mountain.'* The sevenf horses of the axle, to

sun's car are the metres of the Vedas: Gayatri, Brihati,

Ushnih, Jagati, I Trishtubh, Anushtubh, and Pankti.

The

city of

Indra§

is

situated on the eastern side

of the Manasottara mountain; that of

Yama, on the

southern face; that of Varuna, on the west; and that

We

'

arm

are to understand, here, both in the axle and yoke, two

one horizontal, the other, perpendicular.

levers,

of the axle has a wheel at one end;

connected with the perpendicular arm.

To

yoke are harnessed the horses; and

the

mity

secured to the perpendicular.

is

The

horizontal

the other extremity

its

the horizontal

is

arm of

inner or right extre-

The upper ends

of both

perpendiculars are supposed to be attached to Dhruva, the polestar,

by two

aerial cords,

which are lengthened

in the sun's south-

ern course, and shortened in his northern; and, retained by which

Dhruva, as

to

to a pivot, the

wheel of the car traverses the sum-

mit of the Manasottara mountain, on Pushkara-dwi'pa, which runs, like

a ring, round the several continents and oceans.

trivance

is

commonly compared

to

an

oil-mill,

suggested by that machine, as constructed in India. nasottara mountain whilst

Dhruva

is

is

con-

As

the

Ma-

but 50.000 leagues high, and Meru, 84.000,

1.500.000,

both levers are inclined at obtuse

angles to the nave of the wheel and each other. the sun,

The

and was, probably,

two equal and semi-circular axles connect a

In images of central wheel

with the sides of the car.

'And as t I

to the second axle, its wheel rests on Mount Manasa.' The original characterizes these horses as 'tawny', hari. Here-as before: Vol. I., p. 85-1 have corrected the "Jayati" of the

former edition. §

Vdsavi puri, 'the city of Vasava,

i.

e.,

Indra.'

240

VISHNU PURANA.

of Soma, on the north: named, severally, sara,*

In the Linga,f the city of Indra

'

in

VaswaukaSamyamani, Mukhya, and Vibhavari.^

and the Vayu, + that of Varuria

it

Corrected from "Vaswokasara".

*

name

city of Sakra, a

This

called Amaravati;

is

and,

termed Sukha. §

is

in the original,

called,

is

the

of Indra.

t Prior Section, LIV., 1—3:

'TT^^ ^f^^TT3TfW^ TnwtTTfr 'ttI^ nT^t ^ft: gft t^Tn ^t^w ^n^^"^^ ^^^^ ^ ^T^% ^t# ¥tiT^ f^g^T fTTf f^^rrr: f^rn: ^ff^TTT^fft ^^qwft f ^rr %^ fw^T ^»rm:

^^%TrfT!r

II

i

II

i

ii

Here the four

cities

referred

^1^

f^T

the

Vdyu-purnna:

H^ ^T'T^^ ^f^

^ft: TfT^i f^fir cjmI^^ttt

t^^tTt

g'srr

t^^^ ^m:

tTrfr^fn

^

^^?i%

TR gft T^T ^i^U!*^i^

f^^-y-HT^ ^TI"^ ^T^TO#^

hW^tI^J^T^ f^flT the

In

appellations of Amaravati,

bear* the

to

Samyamani, Sukha and Vibha. * The following extract is from

II

'trt^rr: n

^[^

^^i^^T§t ^^^TT^WT^ ^

some MSS. consulted by Mukhya Vaswaukasara.

me is,

I

^'T^TfT? f%^-RTV

Vibhavari

sequel to these verses, give,

there,

I

ii

is

II

II

also

Amaravati

called

Vibha; and

as convertible with

MSS., with

further, interchanged, in several

Sukha, the city of Varuiia. In the Matsya-purdna there

from that just also,

we

'bright',

§

find

— and

cited,

is

a passage differing by scarcely a word

beginning at

Vibhavari likewise both

The Bhdgavata-purdna,

and

its

agrees with our text.

In

this

terms,

Purana,

importing

Vaswaukasara and Amaravati. V.,

XXI.,

dhani, and that of Varuna, Nimlochani. it

second stanza.

Vibha, — synonymous

7,

As

calls the city of Indra,

Deva-

Yama's and Soma's

cities,

to

BOOK

The

n.,

CHAP.

241

VIII.

glorious sun, Maitreya, darts, like an arrow, on by the constellations of

his southern course, attended

He

the Zodiac.

causes the difference between* day and

and is the divine vehicle and path of the sages who have overcome the inflictions of the world. Whilst

night,

who

the sun,

the discriminator of

is

all

hours, shines,

midday, in the opposite Dwipas, Maitreya, it will be midnight. Rising and setting are at all seasons, and are always (relatively) opposed in

one continent,

in

in

the different cardinal and intermediate points of the horizon. When the sun becomes visible to any people,

them he

to

is

said to rise;

when he

disappears from

There is, in truth, neither rising nor setting of the sun; for he is always: and these terms merely imply his presence and his

their view, that

is

called his setting.

disappearance, f

Read, ratber, 'distribution of, vynvasthdna.

*

t

f^^¥"^ Tt%^^

^4^Eirra

^i^f^ fi

:

I

f^T^^^Tf 71^ t^ t^f^Tf ^ ^^ JW^ HT^T^ dm*j<^: ^: fTfft^-R

^ ^f^ rT^^^^^

T:%:

^3^^rRm^T# ff ^^l-iK^f^ T^:

II

ii

stationed, for all time, in the middle of the day, and over midnight in all the dwipas, Maitreya. But, the rising and the

'The sun against

II

i

is

setting of the sun being perpetually opposite to each other,— and, in the same way, all the cardinal points, and so the cross-points,— Maitreya,

people speak of the rising of the sun where they see

sun disappears, there, always for

in one

what are

II.

to

them,

is

his

setting.

it;

and, where the

Of the sun,

which

is

same place, there is neither setting nor rising; called rising and setting are only the seeing and the not

and

the

16

VISHNU PURANA.

242

"When the sun (at midday) passes over either of the at of the gods (on the Manasottara mountain

—

cities

the cardinal points), his Hght extends to three cities

and two intermediate points:* when situated in an intermediate point, he ilhiminates two of the cities and three intermediate points f (in either case, one hemisphere). From the period of his rise, the sun moves with increasing rays until noon, when he proceeds towards his setting with rays diminishing (that is, his heat increases or diminishes in proportion as he advances

to,

or recedes from, the meridian of any place).

and west quarters are so called from the sun's rising and setting there.^ As far as the sun shines in front, so far he shines behind and on either hand, illuminating all places except the summit of Meru, the

The

east

mountain of the immortals: the court of Brahma, which repelled and driven back

which there

prevails.

The terms

Piirva and

*

for, is

when

his rays reach

there situated, they are

by the overpowering radiance

Consequently, there

Apara mean, properly,

is

'before'

always

and

'be-

hind:' but 'before' natm'ally denotes the east, either because

men,

according to a text of the Vedas, spontaneously face, as

if to

welcome, the rising sun, or because they are enjoined by the laws so to do. When they face the rising sun, the west is, of course,

The same circumstance determines

behind them.

of the term Dakshina, to the south.

seeing the

The

properly 'right,'

Uttara, 'other' or

'last,'

or 'dexter,'

necessarily implies the north.

siui.'

heliocentiicism taught in

the former translation,

is

this

remarkable.

passage, It is

further on. *

the application

dating,

Vikarna.

+ Kona.

I)ut

not brought out in

contradicted, however, a

little

BOOK

ir.,

CHAP.

243

viir.

the alternation of day and night, according as the divisions of the continent

lie in

the northern (or south-

ern) quarter, or inasmuch as they are situated north (or south) of

This

'

is

MeruJ1*

rather obscure; but

commentary and

in the

it

is

in the parallel

made out

clearly

enough

passages in the Vayu, Mat-

Kiirma, and Bhagavata. f The sun travels round world, keeping Meru always on his right. To the spectator

sya, Linga,

the

who

fronts him, therefore,

the north; and,

as he rises,

Meru must be always on

as the sun's rays do not penetrate

beyond the

centre of the mountain, the regions beyond, or to the north of

it,

must be

in

in darkness,

light: north

whilst those on the south of

and south being

must be

it

relative, not absolute, terms,

depend-

ing upon the position of the spectator with regard to the sun and

So the commentator: %l^ Tf^f^Tlf^^nf w|j

Meru.

to

tT"^^! f^f^

¥^ TTt^^W^T ^ ^^

WTt^^TTT^ t

*

f^^T TTf^:

f^^m;

^^ ff

I

:

^ It

^-^

was,

I

Meru there is, therefore, always night during day in Meru is north of all the dwipas and varshas.' t It may be enough to refer to the Bhdgavata-purdi'm, V., XXII., 2, where it is said, according to Burnoufs translation: "Le sage dit: Tout coiume les fourmis et autres insectes, places sur une roue de potier qui tourne, tournent avec elle et suivent en meme temps des directions qui '

To

the north of

other regions; for

leur sont propves, puisqu'on les trouve sur divers points;

ainsi le soleil

du Temps qui a pour attributs les sigues et les Nakchatras, tournent avec elle autour de Dhruva et de Meru, en les laissant a leur droite, et marchent d'un mouvement qui leur est propre, puisqu'on les voit dans un Nakchatra ou dans un signe et les autres planetes, places sur la roue

diiferent." *

This

second

is

from the smaller commentary, which adds, by way of a

explanation:

^TTTfTTf^^WT^T

^^

^i^^^f'f^

16*

^Tl^fTT-

244

VISHNU

The radiance

PUT? ANA.

when

of the solar orb,

the sim has

set,

and hence fire is visible at a greater distance by night (than by day). During the' accumulated

is

in fire

;

a fonrth of the rays of fire blend with those of

latter,

the sun; and, from their union, the sun shines with greater intensity

by day.

Elemental

derived from the sun or from

light,

and heat

blending with each

fire,

other, mutually prevail in various proportions, both

day and night.*

When

the sun

by

present either in

is

the southern or the northern hemisphere, day or night retires into the waters, according as they are

by darkness or

light,

f

It is

from

invaded

this cause that the

probably, tbrougb some misapprehension of this doctrine,

Major Wilford asserted: "By Meru they"

stand, in general, the north pole; but the context of the is

against this supposition."

There

first

in

Meru's being absolutely

and relatively north

whom

of the several portions, to all of

where the sun

Puranas

Asiatic Researches, Vol. VIII., p. 28G.

no inconsistency, however,

is

in the centre of the world,

that

— thePauraiiiks— "under-

to the inhabitants

the east

is

that quarter

appears, and the other quarters are thereby

regulated.

*

All

my MSS.

'The two

and

heat,

read thus:

lustres,

owing

consisting of light of the sun and that of fire, mutual penetration, become intensified daring the

day and during the night,

'When

the sun

—

— that

to

is

respectively.'

present in the southern hemisphere, or in the nor-

thern, day and night enter the water, possessed, respectively, of the nature of light and of that of darkness.'

So the commentators, and rightly, grammar. See Panini, II., II., 34.

in obedience

to a

law of Sanskrit

BOOK

II.,

CHAr.

245

VIII.

waters look dark by day, because night

and they look white by

is

within them;

night, because, at the setting

of the sun, the light of day takes refuge in their

bosom/* the sun has travelled in the centre of Push-

When

kara a thirtieth part of (the circumference of) the globe, his course is equal, in time, to one Muhurta;^ and, whirling round, like the circumference of the wheel of a potter, he distributes day and night upon

the -earth.

In the

commencement

of his northern

course, the sun passes to Capricornus, thence to

'

Similar notions are contained in the

*

The sun

Vayu.f

travels at the rate of one-thirtieth of the earth's

circumference in a Muhiirta

RT^W ^grTT

Aqua-

— or

"^ rT"^^tW '^

%^

^^

'^"^

31.50.000

^^IMiTt

frf^^

^

Yojanas; making the

^^nft

^1W

II

II

fT^Trn^T H^ng-P^ f^^T TTf^irtinT^ f^^mTfrsi^ in?', -^rrfTT ^:

^^

'd<^i^l
^

^^^ ^ftTN

i

f^iT(5R^ii

II

VISHNU PURANA.

246 rius,

thence to Pisces; going successively from one

sign of the Zodiac to anotlier.

After he has passed through these, the sun attains his equinoctial move-

(the vernal equinox), when he makes the day and night of equal duration. Thenceforward the length of the night decreases, and the day becomes longer,

ment

until the

when he

sun reaches the end of Gemini,

pur-

sues a different direction, and, entering Cancer, begins his declension to the south.

As

the circumference of

a potter's wheel revolves most rapidly, so the sun travels rapidly on his southern journey: he

total, 9 crores

and 45 lakhs, or

9.45.00.000

;

flies

along

and traverses a

his path with the velocity of wind,

according to the Vayu,*

Linga,f and Matsyat Purarias.

w^f^

NirtTr^ g ^f^5?rf g^'fHci qn$f

II

iTfWf^Txm^Nir^ ^T ^fw:

II

t Prior Section, LIV., 10—13:

^

gt^TTW ^ ^f^ ^Tfr^: N^t^^ ^ ^^^i g^^^ 1^^^ TT^

tf^TJTW tT^'^rrf^

»^f
The passage

II

I

^f^T^f^^f^ g

II

Tf^m ^T^n:^ ^rn^TT:

iu the

Matsya-purdna scarcely

^

differs

i

from that

in the

Li7iga-purn/in, with the exception of its beginning, which runs thus:

ij^

Some MSS,

^ gTT^

g

*rTf?T

have, however, instead of

^t^tt:

^

TTXi^fr^

ii

g, g^T!T^'T'

BOOK

II.,

247

CHAP. Vin.

great distance in a short time. *

In twelve Muhurtas

he passes through thirteen lunar

asterisnis

and a half

during the day; and, during the night, he passes through the same distance, only in eighteen Muhurtas. f As the centre of the potter's wheel revolves

more slowly

(than the circumference), so the sun, in his northern path, again revolves with less rapidity,

and moves over

a less space of the earth in a longer time; until, at the

end of his northern route, the day

again eighteen

is

Muhiirtas, and the night, twelve; the sun passing through

by day and by night, in those the lump of clay on the wheel moves most slowly, so

half the lunar mansions, periods, respectively.

+

centre of the potter's

the polar-star, which

As

in the centre of the zodiacal

is

wheel, revolves very tardily, and ever remains in the centre, as the clay continues in the centre of the

wheel

of the potter.

g

rT^TfRlTHt ^jt^

^T^-ll^-i ^^fTT

'From having the impetus and power of swiftness through time,

i. e.,

space.

He

-wind,

II

he moves with exceeding

traverses, therefore,

an immense

interval in a short time,' I

follow the smaller

commentary

in explaining

k-dla.,

^^^TT^^^TfW ^W^T^T^^T^ From sun

is

this

it

appears

— which

spoken of when on

is

^^TTTT^Tinrf^^TR:

•^f^^frT fTWTfq

it

is

— that

the

II

^^t ^^f^^^:

*j^^*5fT^f^TfW TTTT text,

II

unnoticed in the translation

his 'southern path'.

^^T^g^ct

The

*time', by 'space'.

I

^^f*r^T^

II

observable, gives, with unimportant omissions, the sub-

stance of these verses, rather than a close rendering of them.

248

VISHNU PURANA.

The

relative length of the flay or night

upon the greater or

less velocity

depends

with which the sun

revolves through the degrees between the two points In the

of the horizon.* diurnal path

is

solstitial

period, in which his

quickest, his nocturnal

slowest; and,

is

which he moves quick by night, he travels slowly by day.f The extent of his journey is, in either in that in

case, the same; for, in the course of the day and night, he passes through all the signs of the Zodiac, or six by night, and the same number by day. The length

and shortness of the day are measured by the extent of the signs; and the duration of day and night, by the period which the sun takes to pass through them/ '

This passage, which

somewhat

is

at variance

with the ge-

neral doctrine that the length of the day depends upon the velo-

and which has not been noticed

city of the sun's course,

other Paurariik text,

in

any

defended, by the commentator, upon the

is

authority of the JyotiHsastra or astronomical writings.

Accord-

ing to them, he asserts, the signs of the Zodiac are of different extent: Aquarius, Pisces, and Aries are the

Capricornus, and Gemini are something longer; longer

still

;

shortest;

Leo and

and the remaining four, the longest of

Taurus, Scorpio,

Accord-

all.

ing to the six which the sun traverses, the day or night will be the longer or shorter.

f^^T

^W

'^

'Of the sun, whirling

The

text

ift^T ^ t ^: f^^ 'T^ between the two points of the II

its

circles

by day and by night, the progress t

is,

is

T5^Tf^ ^t^W^ ^fhn ^# rT^Tlf?T: fT^T ^^T ^iffTf^f^ ^ft^ f^^T ^^ I

^^

*

I

have added

horizon

slow and rapid.'

this

line.

II

Apparently, Professor Wilson thought

^ould be somewhat superfluous

to translate

it.

it

BOOK

CHAP.

ir.,

In his northern declination, the sun

by

and slowest by day;

night,

249

virr.

in his

moves quickest southern declin-

ation, the reverse is the case.

The night

and the day

called Usha,

is

is

denomin-

ated Vyushti, and the interval between them

On

Sandhya.*

is

called

the occurrence of the awful Sandhya,

the terrific fiends f termed Mandehas attempt to devour the sun: for Brahmat denounced this curse upon

them, that, without the power to perish, they should die every day (and revive by night); and, therefore, a fierce contest occurs (daily) between them and the

The apparent

contradiction may, however, be reconciled by understanding the sun's slow motion, and the length of a sign, to be equivalent terms.

*

That

Usha

is,

is

a part of the night; Vyiisht'i, of the day.

So read all my MSS. The smaller commentary remarks: '^^T ^"RT But the compound in the latter TTf^^T "^^^ "^^fstrf^ "^: I

I

half of the stanza

I

seems

to

llence, probably, either the

show that we

or else the text that accompanies is,

are

to

read Usha, not Ushas.

commentary— unless only

loose

— is

corrupted,

Ushovyusht'yoK, which yields Ushas, however, a lection found in parallel passages of other Puraiias, The Translator's "Vyusht'a", which I have altered, is here impossible,

unless we assume that

word embedded

The ensuing

in the

gloss

it.

we have, compound

on Ushas

lation of the Rig-veda, Vol.

"The dawn; daughter

I.,

in

— in

is

some MSS., that and Vyushti— the the same stanza.

taken from Professor Wilson's Trans-

p. 78,

second foot-note:

heaven, or its deity, DyudeRosen translates the name Aurora; but it seems preferkeep the original denomination; as, except in regard to time, nothing in common between the two. In the VisMu-purdna, Ushd, a word of similar derivation as Ushas, is called night; of the personified

vatdyd duhitd. able there

to is

indeed,

and the dawn indicate that

is

Vyushtd

[sic:

Usha or Ushas

t Rdkshasa.

is

for

Vyushta].

Several passages seem to

the time immediately preceding daybreak." *

In the original, Prajapati.

VISHNU PUR ANA.

250

At this season, pious Bralunans scatter water, by the mystical Omkara, and consecrated by the Gayatri;^* and by this water, as by a thunderbolt, sun/

purified

The same

'

story occurs in the Vayu, f with the addition

Mandehas are three crores

the

in

number.

cient legend, imperfectly preserved in

The

-

p.

sacred syllable

The

note).

1,

be nttered

Om

some of

to ears profane, is a short

Ashtaka of the

W t^^

fTt^f^g^T'^ 'We meditate on

the Puranas. I.,

prayer to the sun, identified

hymn

Tn^Ǥ^rf^

of the fourth se-

Sariihita of the

rel="nofollow">ft^ff

fWt

^ ^'

Rig-veda:

H^r{M\
that excellent light of the divine sun

Such

illuminate our minds.'*

^^

tliat

be an an-

to

Gayatri, or holiest verse of the Vedas, not to

ction of the third

*

seems

has been already described (Vol.

the supreme, and occurs in the tenth

as

It

is

the fear entertained of profa-

^i^t^^g^"^f% f^%

^^ ^Tf

f^

II

-g^^-ra^^^^Tl

'^

II

Professor Wilsou, in his Translation of the Rig-veda, Vol.

gives another rendering of this verse:

who

light of the divine Savitri,

:

"We

III., p.

110,

meditate on that desirable

influences our pious rites."

he adds the following comment: "This is the celebrated verse of the Vedas which forms part of the daily devotions of^the Brahmans,

To

this

and was

first

made known

to

English readers by Sir

lation of a paraphrastic interpretation.

supremacy creates

all,

of that divine sun,

from

whom

the godhead

proceed, to

all

He

renders

it:

W.

Jones's trans-

'Let us adore the

who illuminates all, who reall must return, whom we

whom

invoke to direct our understandings aright in our progress toward his The text has merely Tat p. 367).

holy seat' (Works, 8vo., Vol. XIII., savitur varenyaih hhargo

devasya dhimahi,

dhiyo

yo

naK prachodaydt.

:

BOOK

n.,

CHAP.

25^1

VIII.

the foul fiends are consumed.

Wlien the first oblation solemn invocations, hi the morning the thousand- rayed deity shines forth with mi-

offered, with

is

rite,^

ning this text, that copyists of the Vedas not unfrequently refrain

from transcribing

it,

both in the Sariihita and Bhashya.

Or, in the text, with the prayer that commences with the

'

words Suryo

jyotih'

member may

The

last

our

intellects.'

Sdman, vitri,

:

The

the soul,

is in

the sun (or light)

be also rendered, 'who verse occurs in

the

may

Yajus,

and

35,

in

to understand,

as one with the soul of the world,

ador-

is

animate or enlighten III.,

Both commentators are agreed

12.

II., 8,

'That which

Brahma

-.

the

by sa-

but various

meanings are also given. Thus, Sayai'ia has, we meditate on the hght which is one with Brahma, his own light, which, from its consuming influence on ignorance and its consequences, is termed hhargas; and is that which is desirable, from its being to be known or worshipped by (vare.'iya)

all

the

;

property of the supreme

being

(parameswara)

,

the

creator of the world, and the animator, impeller, or urger (savitri), through

the internally

abiding spirit (antarydmin) of all creatures. Again, yaK, although masculine, may, by Vaidik licence, be the relative to the neuter noun bhargas; that light which animates all (dhiyaK) acts (karindm), or illumes all understandings (budilMK). Again, devasya savituK may

mean,

of the

bright or radiant sun,

as

the progenitor

of

all,

sarvasya

and hhargas may be understood as the sphere or orb of the consumer of sins, pdpdndih tdpakaih tejo-mandalani. Again,

prasavituK; light,

may be interpreted food; and the prayer may only implore the provide sustenance: tasya prasdddd annddi-lakshaiuim phalam dh'itasyddhdra-bhutd bhavema, we anticipate from his favour the re-

bhargas

sun

to

mahi,

ward that ported

by

is

characterized

him,

I)y

Mahidhara

food and the like, that in

his

comment on

the

is,

may we

same

be sup-

text in

the

Vajus, notices similar varieties of interpretation."

In the Introduction to the volume just quoted from. Professor V^ilson says, of the Gayatri, at p. X. " The commentators admit some variety of interpretation

ably meant,

in its original use,

a benignant influence upon still

;

but

it

prob-

a simple invocation of the sun to shed

the customary

offices of worship; and it is employed by the nnphilosophical Hindus with merely that signifi-

Later notions, and, especially, those of the Vedanta, have operated to the text an import it did not at first possess, and have converted it into a mystical propitiation of the spiritual origin and essence cation. to

attach

of existence, or

Brahma."

f ;

VISHNU PURANA.

252

OmkAra

clouded splendour.*

is

Vishnu the mighty,

the substance of the three Vedas, and, by

eniniciation, those

its

the lord of speech

I

Rakshasas are destroyed.

The sun is a principal part of Vishnu and light is his immutable essence, the active manifestation of which ;

Om. § Light effused Omkara becomes radiant, and Rakshasas called Mandehas. The

excited by the mystic syllable

is

by

(the utterance of)

burns up entirely the

performance of the Sandhya (the morning) The whole prayer H

able,' &c.

is

sacrifice

||

given in Colebrooke's Account

of the Religious Ceremonies of the Hindus: Asiatic Researches,

Vol. v.,

'The

p. 351.**

burnt-oifering

first

is

that which,

The sun

offered in the agnihotra.

is

accompanied by mantras,

is

effulgence, thousand-rayed: the sun

shines, producer of radiance.'

t Bhagavat. This expression X tary

to

is

tridhdman,

render

'the

triple-gloried';

being the Vedas, according to the smaller

in question

glories

the

commen-

f^T^T ftfW W^:^T'T^^TtW ^T^Tf^ ^tf% ^^^fW

:

^T '^^ ^I

I

And

so,

in effect, proposes the larger

commentary,

after

suggesting that Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva are intended.

The

'

sun,

which

portion of Vishnu;

pressing II

is

and

unchanging light, is supremely a supreme stimulator is the utterance Om, ex-

the internal its

/<»«.'

Updsana,

'service', 'devotion'.

in the sun, and thus must be worshipped by them who dread successive births and deaths, and who eagerly desire beatitude. The being who may be seen in the solar orb must be con-

^

Colebrooke thus renders

it:

called light or effulgent power,

templated, births

"That which

is

by the understanding,

to obtain

and deaths, and various pains."

" Or

Miscellaneous Essays, Vol.

is

adorable, and

I.,

p. 129.

exemption from successive

BOOK

must never,

II.,

253

CHAP. vni.

therefore, be delayed; for

he who neglects

murder of the sun. Protected thus by the Brahmans and the (pigmy sages called) Valiis

it

guilty of the

khilyas, the sun goes

on his course, to give

light to

the world. Fifteen twinklings of the eye (Nimeshas)

make

a

Kashtha; thirty Kashthas, a Kald; thirty Kalas, a Muhurta (forty-eight minutes); and thirty Muhurtas, a

day and night. The portions of the day are longer or shorter, as has been explained; but the Sandhya is always the same in increase or decrease, being only one

From

Muhurta.^

the period that a line

across the sun (or that half his orb

is

may be drawn visible) to the

expiration of three Muhurtas (two hours and twenty-

four minutes), that interval

forming a

fifth

is

called

Pratah* (morning),

portion of the day.

or three Muhurtas from morning,

(forenoon)

The next is

portion,

termed Sangava

the three next Muhurtas constitute mid-

;

day; the afternoon comprises the next three Muhurtas; the three Muhurtas following are considered as the But

'

this

comprehends the two Sandhyas, 'morning and eve-

Two

ning twilight.'

Nadis, or half a Muhiirta, before sunrise,

morning Sandhya; and the same interval after sunthe evening. Sandhya, meaning 'junction,' is so termed, as

constitute the set, it

is

the

*

the juncture or interval between darkness and light; as in

Vayu and Matsya:

Prdtastana

t This

is

is

a variant of several of

my MSS.

the reading of the Matsya-yurdna.

The Vdyu-piirdna

has:

VISHNU rURANA.

254

evening: and the fifteen Mulii'irtas of the day are thus But the day classed in five portions of three each. consists of fifteen

at the equinoxes; in-

Muhurtas only

creasing or diminishing, in number, in the northern and southern declinations of the sun, when the day en-

croaches on the night, or the night upon the day. The equinoxes occur in the seasons of spring and autumn,

when

When

the sun enters the signs of Aries and Libra. the sun enters Capricorn (the winter solstice),

his northern progress

when he

commences; and

enters Cancer (the

summer

his southern,

solstice).*

Fifteen days of thirty Muhurtas each are called a Paksha (a lunar fortnight) two of these make a month; and two months, a solar season; three seasons, a northern or southern declination (Ay ana); and those two ;

made up

Years,

compose a year.

of four kinds of

months,^ are distinguished into five kinds; and an aggregate of all the varieties of time is termed a Yuga (or cycle).

The years

are, severally, called

Samvatsara,

The four months are named in the Vayu,t and are: 1. the Saura or solar-sidereal, consisting of the sun's passage through a sign of the Zodiac; 2. the Saumya or Chandra or lunar month, '

comprehending usually full

lunations or Tithis,

thirty

from new moon

moon

to full

moon

;

to 3.

new moon, the

Savana or solar month, containand, 4. the Nakshatra or

ing thirty days of sunrise and sunset lunar-asterismal month, which

and reckoned, most

though, sometimes, from

is

;

the moon's revolution through

the twenty-eight lunar mansions.

Couipare with t

this

paragraph, Vol.

^T^:??^^

I.,

pp. 47, etc.

H t^%^r ^nwi

w{'^M cnrr

i

:

BOOK

II.,

CHAP.

255

viir.

Parivatsara, Idwatsara, Anuvatsara, and Vatsara. This

the time called a Yuga.^

is

The

'

years forming this

five

Yuga

or cycle differ only in de-

nomination, being composed of the months above described, with

may

such Malamasas or intercalary months as

be necessary to

The

complete the period, according to Viiddha Garga.

cycle

comprehends, therefore, sixty solar-sidereal months of 1800 days; sixty-one solar months, or 1830 days

sixty-two lunar months, or

;

18G0 lunations; and sixty-seven lunar-asterismal months, or 1809

Colonel Warren, in his Kala Sankalita, considers

such days.

"In the cycle of sixty," he

these years to be, severally, cycles.

observes, "are contained five cycles of twelve years, each supposed

equal to one year of the planet [Jupiter]. cycle because I found

it

mentioned

I

only mention this

some books

in

know

but I

;

of no nation or tribe that reckons time after that account.

names of sara,

2.

the five cycles, or Yugas, are as follows:

Parivatsara,

The name

3.

of each year

Idwatsara, is

4.

Anuvatsara,

5.

The

Sam vat-

1.

Udravatsara.

determined from the Nakshatra

in

which

Biihaspati sets and rises heliacally; and they follow in the order

Kala Sankalita,

of the lunar months."

reasonably doubted, however,

if

this

only connexion between the cycle of haspati

may

It

may

be

five

years and that of Bii-

be the multiplication of the former by the latter

(5x12), so as the

pp. 212, 213.

view be correct; and the

to

form the cycle of sixty years; a cycle based,

commentator remarks, upon the conjunction (Yuga) of the

sun and

moon

in

every sixtieth year.

Indian cycle, however,

"The astronomers of of five years,

is

original and properly

remarks

C] ***

framed a cycle

and religious purposes."

Ancient and

this

for civil

The

that of five years, as Bentley

period [1181 B.

Modern Hindu Astronomy.*

It is, in fact, as

Mr. Colebrooke

states,

the cycle of the Vedas, described in the Jyotisha or astronomical sections,

*

and

specified, in the institutes of Parasara,

A Historical

View of

the

Hindu Astronomy,

&c.,

London

as the basis

edition, p. 11.

:

VISHNU rURANA.

256

The mountain -range Bharata-varsha)

(ill

from

its

that Hes most to the north* called Sringavat (the horned),

is

having three principal elevations

(lioriis

or

peaks), one to the north, one to the south, and one in the centre. The last is called the equinoctial; for the

sun arrives there in the middle of the two seasons of spring and autumn, entering the equinoctial points in the

first

degree of Aries and of Libra, and making day

and night of equal duration, or fifteen Muhiirtas each. When the sun, most excellent sage, is in the first degree of the lunar mansion Krittika, and the moon is in the fourth of Visakha; or

when the sun is in the third demoon is in the head of Krit-

gree of Visakha, and the tika, (these positions

being contemporary with the equi-

noxes), that equinoctial season

of calculation for larger cycles.

is

holy^ (and

is

styled

Asiatic Researches, Vol. VIII.,

pp. 470, 471. t

Reference

'

is

here made, apparently, though indistinctly, to

those positions of the planets which indicate, according to Bentley, the formation of the lunar mansions, by Hindu astronomers,

about 1424 B. C. Historical View of the Hindu Astronomy, pp. 3, 4.

*

The Vayu and Lingat Puranas

Literally,

'to

the north

specify the positions of the

of Sweta'

For Sweta and Sringavat— or Sfingin— mV/e pp. 114, 115, supra. t Or Miscellaneous Essays, Vol. Prior Section, LXI., 40—48: :

f^fiCTTT5^4^^

I.,

pp.

lOG— 108.

^^ ^^ ^^^

^'.

II

BOOK

257

CHAP. vm.

II.,

At

the Maliavishuva or the great equinox).*

this time,

other planets at the same time, or the end, according to the former,f

H^Tf^^ %% ^^^cT:

ffTTT^WTXrf

^f^Tf^^T^:

^^'T^

^grqw: ^^T^snf

^

^"R

T^
^"tfT:

^%^t:

-^^

^f^^-

^^^: ^^Tt 'TfRif

"n^T^^T^T::

^f^wt Tif^^T^^r^: %% ^Tf^TcIt

ii

:

I

II

I

:

ii

various reading of "JT'^T!f^r^

fourth stanza,

is

or riksha,

rare, at least in non-scientific

As

I

'trf^^T^ tri[Tf^^f^> iTf

fT^jT-jfr

is

II

^R^:

^T%^Tf *rTW^^

A

I

5^ ^^inf^W^tTT:

TT^"^! XTRTT'^'^^H'^^

will be seen, Professor

•

in the first half of the

,

word kshetra,

l^he

for

nakshatra

Sanskrit writings.

Wilson took the positions, about

to

be enu-

merated, from the Linga-purdna, which is, here, fuller than the Vdyu. 20: In the same chapter with this quotation we read, si. 16

—

^t^^^^^ %^

^fT^tiTTf^r^: ^cTt:

t^^^

infT

^^n'tf^g^^ ^'fi ^Tt ^f

^tt:

t^^^T^tl[^: q^: ^^f ^prt

:

I

-^^-^ 5 ^f^:

^% g

of these lines

This parenthesis

is

i

^^Tifr ^fffflft^:

T^^^i^'nf'T^ ^t^t^m:

I

ii

H^^Tt f^^T?^ ^r^5^ t^^rr: ^afff^f^wt

The substance

ii

^^ ^^ ^^T^T^f ^tW"'^:^:

^3^ '^^^[^%^

*

II

^^ f^%5ft HT^ ^^^^srr^^:

^%^t:

i

^m^

II

fTT:

i

shall recur to presently.

I

taken from the commentaries.

I

the Translator's "Mahavishubha".

f^^Tt^Tf n.

^f^wt

iTTTWr

Tr«i»fr

^w^

II

17

have corrected

VISHNU PUR AN A.

258

and

offerings are to be presented to the gods

At that time the sun was

of the Chakshusha Manwantara.

iftfiT:fx^:

^^rqw: irf^fT^f f^^T^T:

TrTT^fTUrT

^^^"^^

IT^Tf^ %^

^g?^Tw:

¥gf??rT:

^^Tf ^

^m^Tf^f ^5T^ ^^f^W So read, concurrently, is

teach,

II

:

I

t1t{ ^f?T:

MSS.

the five

n

II

Vdyu-purdna within No mention

of the

except as to the latter half of the third stanza.

made

here

wrongly,

all

is

of the positions of

placed

in Revati.

Budha andKetii; and Rahn,

Furthermore,

corrupted from some other name.

%%

clearly,

that

of

Not one of

may

it

my MSS.

may

I

sage are this

add,

Wilson

that

I

do not find

it

gives

referred to

the

"end"

of

the

"end" originate from a hasty glance

down

to this reading,

have expected

in

the preceding pas-

Chakshusha Patriarchate.

at the

is

"IT^T^f%^

Vdyu-purdna, as Pro-

stated in the

alleges, that the positions laid

rightly or

that Tishya

be

and yet, on collation, they appear to point some copies of the Linga-purdna. One would Magha or Pitrya, and in the plural. fessor

in

II

^^^:

•T^Tf^wftfrni^ IT^T^frfr ?if

my

to the

words

Did

^1^"^

-S'tTT? be suggested

That the pa.ssage just cited has suffered excision may by the ensuing stanzas, which precede it, in the Vdyu-purdna,

by a

short interval:

^f^^^nfT %^ ^fT %mf^^: 'mm: f^^^T'Tf^cT: 5^: ^1 ^^^rT ^^T f^f^?TT5^^^^ ^^> ^f ^tt: ^^ ^^^ f^%^ ^T^^ ^jffT^T^^: ^^%^: ^Tt t^ ^^T'^T^' ^fl'T:!?^:

i

II

^^

I

:

II

^ ^^f^%^ ^f^^^

^Wc\:

I

II

^f^f^^T<^aj% -g^Tm ^ff fTTf>^^: 'T^^w^'nffT^ ^t^"RIm: ^fTW ttt:

I

Comparing these two

extracts,

we

learn that

the

i

sun, &c. have the

.

BOOK manes, and

CHAP.

II.,

gifts are to

259

VIII.

be made to the Brahmans, by

serious persons; for such donations are productive of liappiness.

LiberaUty at the equinoxes

always ad-

is

vantageous to the donor; and day and night, seconds, minutes, and hours,* intercalary months, f the day of

Visakha; the moon, in

in

Krittika

;

Venus, in Pushya;t Jupiter,

Purvaphalguni; Mars, in Asliadlia;§

inDhanishtha; Ketu,

same

IF

in

them

origin assigned

Sani,!|

in Revati;

Budha,

Aslesha; and Raliu, in Bhararii. ** There

in the current Patriarchate,

the Vaivaswata,

which came immediately before it, the Chakshusha.- The Sun sprang from Aditi; the Moon, from Dharma; Sukra, from Bhfigu; Bfias in that

from Angiras; Budha, from an unnamed Rishi; Lohitanga or Lohitadhipa (Angaraka), from the "will of some Prajapati; haspati or Brihattejas,

and Swarbhanu (Rahu), from

Budha

is

unnoticed in the

Supplementarily

my

extract; and Saura (Sani), in the second.

to these particuhirs, the

third note in p. 256,

mother

Siiiihika.

first

of Lohitarchis

Soma

specifies

(Angaraka)

,

Linga-purdna, as adduced in

Budha, makes Vikesi names the Sun and Sanjna as the as sire of

parents of Sauri (Sani), and calls Sikhin (Ketu) son of Mrityu. *

These three terms are to represent cfi^^^T^TJTf : In two MSS. I fmd arclhamdsa, 'half month', 'fortnight'. Tishya, save in one MS. of I find what looks like its older name,

t Adhimdsa. I

the Linga-purdna. §

Read Piirvashadha.

There are two Ashadhas, as there are two Bha-

drapadas, and two Phalgunis. ii

For the original Saura or Sauri of the Vdyu-purdna and the Linga,

respectively.

%

Substituted, by the Translator, for the less usual Sikhin,

the

word

in the Linga-purdna.

Whitney, premising the Chakshusha Manwantara, obis something unaccountably strange in the Puranic definition of the positions of Mercury and Venus at this important epoch. How Mercury can be, even by a Hindu cosmogonist, placed in Sravisht'ha when Venus is put in Pushya, at least 146^ 40' distant from him; or **

Professor

serves: "There

either can receive such location when the sun is made to stand in Visakha, at least 93° 20' from Venus, and at least 80° from Mercury, The furthest distance from the sun actually it is hard enough to see.

how

attained

by Venus

is

about 48°; by Mercury, 29°;

so

that

17*

they can

— ;

VISHNU PURANA.

260 full

moon (Paurnamasi), when the moon

vasya),

when

some of these and

are differences between

day when

rises invisible, the

seen (Sinivali), the day

it is first

(Ama-

the day of conjunction

disap-

it first

by

the positions cited

He

Bentley; but most of them are the same.

considers them to

have been observations of the occultations of the

moon by

the

According

planets, in the respective lunar mansions, 1424-5 B. C.

Vayu, these positions or origins of the planets are from

to the

the Vedas:

The Linga,

perhaps, reads

less accurately,

to the w^orks of law.

it

never actually be more than 77

°

of the two planets, as determined different

from these.

looks as

It

the Great Equinox

at

'^[fTI'

^cT^; referring

f apart

:

nor are the greatest elongations

by the modern Hindu astronomy, very the defined positions of the planets

if

were mere guess-work, and the work,

too,

a

of

very unlearned and blundering guesser, rather than found by retrospec-

The putting of the moon's modes, also, in Bharai'ii and Aslesha— or, at the utmost, only 106° 40' apart — is a yet grosser error of the same character." Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. VIll., tive calculation.

p. 90, foot-note. *

For the reading,

in

my

absurd, as here presented,

Vdyii-purdna.

The

MSS., of

— see

position of Mars,

credited to the Sruti;

as,

this line,

— hypermetrical,

and also

the extract, p. 258, supra, note, from the

and that only, seems

in the Linga-purdna,

— p.

to

be there

257, supra, note,

to the Smriti.

t Mr. Bentley writes: "For determining the time of the formation of we have other observations to mention that will

the Lunar Mansions,

be found

to

be

more

still

.accurate,

as they

can be depended on

very year; and these are of the planets. [Then follows a legend.]

the

to

The

ob-

servations here alluded to are supposed to have been occultations of the

planets by the Moon, in the respective Lunar Mansions from which they are

named: they

torical

View of

Professor

refer us to the year

the

Hindu Astronomy,

Max Midler

1424

—5

B.

C," &c. &c.

A

His-

&c., pp. 3, 4.

asserts that "the coincidence

between the legend

quoted by Bentley and the astronomical facts determined by Mr. Hind a real one.

Bentley,

it

is

Wilson, in a note to his translation of the Vishnu-purana, speaks tinctly

of

the

is

true, does not give his authority; but Professor

legend as occurring in the

and he mentions that these Puraiias appeal

Vdyu- and to

the

dis-

Linga-purdnas

authority

of reve-

BOOK

11.,

CHAP. vm.

261

when the moon is quite round when one digit is deficient (Anuseasons when gifts are meritorious.

pears (Kulin),* the day (Raka), and the day niati), are, all,

The sun

his northern declination in the

is in

months

Tapas, Tapasya, Madhu, Madhava, Sukra, and Suchi;

and

in his southern,

in those of

Nabhas, Nabhasya,

Isha, XJrja, Sahas, Sahasya.^

On the Lokaloka mountain, which I have formerly described to you, reside the four holy protectors of Sudhaman and Sankhapad,t

the world, or

(the

two

These are the names of the months which occur in the Veto a system now obsolete, as was noticed by Sir William Jones. Asiatic Researches, Vol. III., p. 258. According ^

and belong

das,

to the classification of the text, they correspond, severally, with the lunar months Magha, Phalguna, Chaitra, Vaisakha, Jyaishtha,

to June and with Sravaiia, BhadraAswina, Karttika, Agrahayaria, and Pausha, from July to December. From this order of the two series of the months, as

Ashadha, or from December

;

pada,

occurring in the Vedas, Mr. Colebrooke infers, upon astronomical computations, their date to be about fourteen centuries prior to Asiatic Researches, Vol. VII., p. 283. §

the Christian era.+

in support of the birth of the planets in the

and tradition Ashadha, &c."

lation tras

Mr. Hind's calculations, here referred to

Whitney, with a discerning eye,

,

will be seen, far

if

construed, as by Professor

from supportingMr.Bentley's

explanation of the planetary names, to explode

it

past

all rehabilitating.

See Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. YIII., pp. 84 • See Goldstiicker's Sanskrit Dictionary, under ^Hiql^Tt This name I

On

the

is

age

see Archdeacon

Naksha-

Rig-veda, Vol. IV., Preface, p. Ixxxvii,

the

Pratt,

my

in several of

read,

of

Vedas,

Journal of

MSS., Sankhapa.

derivable

as the

— 93.

from astronomical data,

Asiatic Society of Bengal,

1862,

xiv-xxix; and, particularly, for a masterly treatment of the subject, a paper by Professor Whitney, some extracts from which will be found at the end

pp. 49, 50; Professor

Max

Miiller, hig-veda. Vol. IV., Preface, pp.

of the present chapter, §

Or Miscellaneous Essays, Vol. 107—110,

idem, pp.

I,

pp.

200—202; with which compare

:

VISHNU PIP ANA.

262 sons of Kardama)

,

and Hiranyaroman, and Ketumat/

Unaffected by the contrasts of existence, void of ^

self-

The Vayu* has

scent to the

•

first,

the same names, but ascribes a different demaking Sudhamanf the son of Viraja: Sankha-

t^rTRR

^-chMl^T:

Sankhapa and Hiranyaloman

^^T^^^ fr^T\:

which

are, thus, the readings

yet the passages from the Vdyu-purdiia quoted in notes infra,

I

+

1

and §

find;

and

to p. 263,

have Sankhapad and Hiranyaroman.

^"RT

^^ %TT^:

^^fiXIT^:

Sudhaman

is

TTT^rf

f^

^^WTf^fT:

I

f^lil^ 'Wtj'^:

here called son

TTfTTiT^T^ II Viraja and Gauri, and Lokapala

of

of

the eastern quarter.

Elsewhere, self-consistently, the Vdyu-purdna expresses regarding the paternity of

itself as follows,

Sudhaman and Ketumat:

Ti^-R^T^^: ^^^ l^fn f^^rw: ^-prr f^T^TR TW^M ¥t5«TT^^
^

At

p. 86,

supra,

I

II

have changed Professor Wilson's "Viraja" to Vai-

But the father of the Lokapala Sudhanwan is there spoken of; and none of my MSS. gives any reading but Sudhanwan, Here, then, unless it is to be supposed that Vairaja and Sudhanwan are, both of raja.

we have an irreconcileable discrepancy. In son of Vairaja- and is Sudhanwan, Vairaja is Sudhaman, according to the Vdyu-purdna—; and, in another place, the corresponding Lokapala is Sudhaman, of whose origin the Vishnu-pur dna gives no information. The passage of p. 86, just referred to, is thus worded

them, textual depravations,

one place, the Lokapala of the east

^^

f^: On

this

TTwr^ tTi^^ T^v^ ^^rr^ tt^tr ^«j>jtm-^*i<

t^lij vr[^

the larger

:

commentary observes:

f^fr[

^: TTWR ^fHTnT^ ^^"R

f'rf^

mdt

I

I

TTI

Vairaja

is

I

ii

W^^]^- ^'^" TT^"R ^N^R:I fT'T^-

^'^T^'^

here said to be a sou of Brahma,

i. e.,

a Manu.

BOOK ishness,

CHAP.

11.,

263

VIII.

and unencumbered by dependants,*

active,

they take charge of the spheres, themselves abiding

on the four cardinal points of the Lokaloka mountain. On the north of Agastya, and south of the line of the Goat,f exterior to the Vaiswanara path, lies the padt

is

Kardama:

the son of

janya§ and Rajas,

the other

two are the sons of Par-

consistently with the origin ascribed to these

||

Lokapalas

in the patriarchal genealogies of that

Vol.

153,

I.,

p.

notes

and

1

Furthermore, there can be

Some

Sudhanwau.

of

instead of "^IfT^f,

little

p. 155,

doubt as

my MSS.

^ETrf '^,

and

2,

notes

Purana. H 1

reading

of the

stanza,

the

line

first

the reading of the smaller commentary.

For the grandsons of the patriarch Vairaja, among

Nishparigraha

is

(See

3.)

to the correctness of the

have, in

tadyumna and Sudyumna, see Vol. I., p. 177. "Sankhapada", the word in the original edition, The Sanskrit is at p. 86, supra, into Sankhapad. *

and

whom

were Sa-

should have changed,

I

XJ"^ ^nS'M<^*1^

•

the original expression.

t Ajavithi.

Sankhapad sister

here said to be son

is

Kamya.

of

Kardama and

Sruti.

He had

a

His mother was daughter of Atri.

Hiranyaroman

is

here

spoken

of as

having Parjanya and Marichi

for

his parents.

ff

fft^ f^t^

Here Ketumat

is

TT^T't ^g^Tni

described

as

iT^trfTT??; || son of Rajas and Markandeyi, and as

Prajapati of the occidental region.

^

The Matsya-purnna

'^WTT^

declares:

T{Cr
^ct^^^^

^T^n^^ tTT^- ^^^^ "R^Tirrfr: f^T^ft^ TT^jji: ^H^rr^^cT^ ^: So read pala

is

all

my

here said

ii

i

ii

MSS.: and, if they are not corrupt, the second Lokato be Kardama.

:

264

VISHNU PURANA.

road of the Pitfis/ There dwell the great Kishis, the Allusion

'

is

made

here

some

to

divisions of the celestial sphere

which are not described in any other part of the est,

but

account

still,

some

in

^Wt W^^f^f

t^H<

^^ft^TTTT Tt^

rTT^fT:

I

^^^^ ^ ^%

^TfTT^^^^TT^^:

'^rf^Tf^n^WT

II

ii

^r^-n irfff^ ^TT^T 'H'TThgTTTT ^fTT Ttf%^!?n^ ^Tfwft TWTtWrtTI

^T

fff^^

^^sjpfr

^frT^

^WT ^Tfft

'ftft^ T^fft ^fTT

"jfr^XT^

f^irr^T

tne result

— with

of the

—

least in placing Nagavithi in the south

exclusion of Ajavithi. interpolation,

Ajavithi, in

It

inasmuch the

^^

II

ii

ii

MSS.; and they must all which two of them omit, -at

of live 6,

as well

as in

the north, to the

can scarcely be doubted that lines 4

as,

south,

II

t ^Tfr f^:

fjiin

collation

or without lines 4

I

II

II

t^t^ ^ ^Ttf^frft^^

wr^i^if ^^w^ is

^^

T-prr

TpTT^ ^^r^rf^r^ ^FTST^ TTT^

Such

full-

given in the Matsya Puraiia;* but a more satisfactory

is

be corrupt,

The

text.

and partly inaccurate,

respects, a confused

at variance with

what

—6

follows, they

are an

make up

from the two Ashadhas, with Mdla, and give

and Swati as the asterisms of Nagavithi. whose presence here, as an integral asterism, is noticeable, "in the modern Indian astronomy does not occupy an equal portion of the

Abhijit, Piirvaja (Aswini?), Abhijit,

ecliptic with

divisions."

On is

the other nakshatras,

the assumption

an error for

may

but

is

carved out of the contiguous

Colebrooke's Miscellaneous Essays, Vol. that Nagavithi,

II.,

p. 341.

where inserted the second time, Ajavithi, the further contents of the passage just quoted

be thus represented

BOOK

II.,

offerers of oblations with description occurs in the

Gajavithi

fire,

comment on (

Nagavithi

CHAP.

Tamya

\

Krittika

f

Rohiiii

'

reverencing the Vedas, the Bhagavata, * there cited

As'wini

<

<

265

VIII.

Mfigasiras

Ardra

IPunarvasii

'

Pushy a Aslesha

iMagha Piirvaphalguni

Uttaraphalguni (

Piirvaprosht'hapada

Uttaraproshthapada

Govithi I '

Jaradgavi

Ajavithi

Revati

{

Sravana

<

Dhanishtha

^

Varuiia

i

Hasta

<

Chitra

'

Swati

iVisakha Maitra

Aindra [

Vaiswanari

I '

Miila

Piirvashadha

Uttarashadha

&c. and Ajavithi, &c., are stated to be and southern, respectively; constituting groups known as Airavata, Jaradgava, and Vais-vvanara, The Prosht'hapadas are the Bhadrapadas; Varuna is Satabhishaj; Maitra,

Nagavithi, &c., Arshabhi,

,

northern, intermediate,

Anuradha; and Aindra, Jyeshtha. The word Punarvasii, implied in the ninth line of the Sanskrit extract, deserves passing notice. The special plural inflection there given to the compound of which it forms the last member shows that the word must have been regarded,

may

by the writer of the Puraiia, as

feminine.

One

suggest, therefore, that he mistook the Vaidik Punarvasii, a masculine

dual, lor a feminine singular.

See, further, the second note at the end of the present chapter. *

Where

Sridhara expounds V., XXI., 7:

and the same passage, with

:

VISHNU PUR ANA.

266

whose injunctions creation commenced, and who were discharging the duties of ministrant priests.* after

from the Vayu, but not found in the copies consulted on the preAccording to those details, the path (Marga) of

sent occasion. variations,

is

adduced in

both

commentaries on

the

Vishnu-pu-

the

rana:

(^T:?T-pf

Tt^^^T*^

TT^^^T'f XTT^*^

I

Tt^^"^^

Tt^^T^m:

I

I

^T^^ 3ft^^ WTT^^ %^ tg^% ^^^^ ^'ITt^ ^^RTt %f^ ^^-

rT^T^W cf^^

I

frff'rr^T ^^ftrTT ^r^^^f^^lt^^

ii

W^f^^T fl^ ^Tfft 'frft^fcT g ^t^flT %¥T f^^TWr^TTtlT Tt^'^ STTTW^ TfTT TlfTT^ Tt^^i^T^ T[^^ ^T^

W^

II

^r^^T^trTTTTT^T ^^r^^'ajf^r^t^fTT

Tl?!T^

^^^fwt ^f^Wr

Sridhara exphuns that

Yamya

same commentator's synonyms.

and that Margi

is

the

is

^T^

W^

I

II

Bharani, that Aditya

as Mfigavithi.

II

I

is

Punarvasu,

The Translator preferred the

* 'lauding the section of the Veda which sets forth I should read: the origin of creatures; undertaking as sacrificial priests, in the intervals

between the xjugas, when the ordinary performance of sacrifice is interrupted.' The entire stanza is subjoined, and the explanation given in the smaller

commentary

ijrnT^^fi

WW

if^ntfr

^f^^cn:

ii

:

BOOK

CHAr. vm.

II.,

267

For, as the worlds are destroyed and renewed, they institute

new

and reestabhsh the

rules of conduct,

the sun and other planets

amongst the lunar asterisms

is

into three portions or Avasthanas, northern, southern, called, severally,

tral,

Nagavithi,

:

divided

and cen-

Airavata, Jaradgava* (Ajagava,f Matsya

Puraria), and Vaisvvanara.

three parts or Vithis

in-

Each of

again,

these,

is

divided into

those of the northern portion are termed

Gajavithi, and Airavati; those of the centre are

shabhi, Govithi, and Jaradgavi

;

Ar-

and those of the south are named

Ajavithi, Mrigavithi, and Vaiswanari.

Each

of these Vithis com-

prises three asterisms

iAswini Bharaiii

Kfittika

Rohini Gajavithi

Mrigasiras

Ardra

iPunarvasu Pushya Aslesha

Magha Arshabhi

I

Purvaphalguni Uttaraphalguni

Hasta Govithi

^

Chitra

Swati

iVisakha Anuradha Jyeshtha

*

Jaradgava

is

the central

portion,

and Vaiswanara

is

the

southern.

See the Sanskrit,

t

I

find

Jaradgava in

my

five

manuscripts of the Matsya-purdna,

VISHNU PUR ANA.

268 teiTiipted

ritual of the

Vedas.

Mutually descending

from each other, progenitor springing from descendant, and descendant from progenitor, in the alternating succession of births, they repeatedly appear in different houses and races,— along with their posterity, devout practices and instituted observances,— residing to the south of the solar orb, as long as the moon and stars

endure/*

Ajavithi

"!

Mula Purvashadhaf Uttarashadha Sravaria

Mfigavithi

<

Dhanishtha Satabhishaj

+

{Piirva Bhadrapada Uttara Bhadrapada Revati See, also, Asiatic Researches, Vol. IX., Table of Nakshatras, p.

Agastya

346. §

is

Canopus

;

and the

line of the goat, or Ajavithi,

comprises asterisnas which contain stars in Scorpio and Sagittarius. '

"^fj

*

A

marginal note in one MS. explains the phrase of the text,

^^TTTT^' This passage

import,

it

may

t^ signify as far as to the

is

not closely rendered

suffice to give

;

moon and

and yet, as

only the original of

it

is

stars;

of no special

it:

aIT-€TTTT^^ ^^ ^ trf^iTT^ ^f g ^ trf^^%^ ^^T ^T^^ f^^f^I

I

II

xr^TTT^^T^T^ fcT^f^ f^fT^cn:

^f^^r^^W

'TT't

f^fTT

I

WT^'STnT^^

II

Piirvashadha. t The original has Ashatlha simply, but meaning Professor Wilson had "Satabhisha". original. I So the §

Or Colebrooke's Miscellaneous Essays, Vol.

II.,

xj«ji^-

opposite p. 322,

;:

BOOK

The path

II.,

269

CHAP. vni.

of the gods hes to the north of the solar

NagavithV and south of the seven There dwell the Siddhas, of subdued senses, continent and pure, undesn^ous of progeny, and, therefore, victorious over death: eighty-eight thousand of sphere, north of the

Rishis.

these chaste beings tenant the regions of the sky, north of the sun,* until the destruction of the universe: they

enjoy immortality, for that they are holy; exempt from covetousness and concupiscence, love and hatred;

ta-

king no part in the procreation of living beings; and detecting the unreality of the properties of elementary matter, f By immortality is meant existence to the end of the Kalpa:+ life as long as the three regions (earth, sky,

and heaven)

ated death. "

last

called

is

exemption from

The consequences

fTT^^Wl"?TTH cT^^TR; § I

But the Pitriyana, or path of the

amongst the asterisms; and, according

lies

of the heavens,

it is

is,

to the Pauraiiik

not clear what could be meant by

according to the

Pitris,

system

its being-

The path south of the Vedas, that of smoke or darkness.

bounded by the moon and orb

reiter-

of acts of iniquity or

solar

stars.

|

'

The

stars of the Nagavithi are those of Aries

and by the seven Rishis ^

we

and Taurus

are here to understand Ursa Majoi*.

This, according to the Vedas,

stood of the immortality of the gods

is :

all

that

is

to

be under-

they perish at the period

of universal dissolution.

Aryaman is here its name in the original. f The Sanskrit implies that they discern faults *

§

The

larger

commentary has

consisting of the limit of the II

So

^^TTTTT^T'PJft

stars.'

allege the commentators.

of speech

and the

'RT'f-

lilce

'the path

VISHNU PURANA.

270

such as Brahnianicide or an Aswamedha, endure

piety,

end of a Kalpa, ^ within the interval between Dhruva and the

(for a similar period,

when

all

earth

is

destroyed.

or) until the

*

The space between

the seven Rishis and Dhruva,^

the third region of the sky,

is

the splendid celestial

path of Vishnu (Vishhupada), f and the abode of those sanctified ascetics who are cleansed from every soil,

and

whom

in

virtue and vice are annihilated.

This

is

that excellent place of Vishnu to which those repair in

whom

all

sources of pain are extinct, in consequence

of the cessation of (the consequences of) piety or in-

There

and where they never sorrow more.

iquity,

abide Dharma, Dhruva, and other spectators of the world radiant with the superhuman faculties + of ,

Vishnu, acquired through religious meditation ;§ and '

uals, ^

That

is,

whose

From

generally as affecting created beings, not individ-

acts influence their several successive births.

Ui'sa

Major

to the polar star.

^T^^^"nft g

tji^^W rT^ft^

^^TTTT^tTT rlT^^ The second

may

^^TT

^^^t

of these stanzas is abridged

be rendered:

'There

is

a

II

II

the translation.

in

The

necessary consequence arising

to

first

one

good by such acts as the slaying of a Brahman or the regenerate, performing of a hippocaust. The result of such acts is said, to extend to the limit of the dissolution of created beings.' which is t A station of Vishnu is here spoken of, namely Dhruva,

who does

evil or

said to be higher than the Rishis,

T^fff^ti^T^ +

Sdrsht'i.

§

Yoga.

and further

f^" W?ft^

^f^

to the north:

^T^T^

II

BOOK

II.,

271

CITAl'. VIII.

there are fastened and inwoven, too,

Vishnu

seat of

that

all"''

is,

and

animate or inanimate, f The contemplated by the wisdom of the

shall ever be,

that

all

is

Yogins, identified with supreme

eye of heaven. splendid

light, as

the radiant

In this portion of the heavens the

+

Dhruva

stationed,

is

and serves for the pivot

On Dhruva

(of the atmosphere).

rest the seven great

them depend the clouds. The rains are suspended in the clouds; and from the rains come

planets; and on

the water which

is

the nutriment and delight of

all,

who

are

the gods and the rest; and they, (the gods,)

the receivers of oblations, being nourished by burnt-

support of cre-

offerings, cause the rain to fall for the

ated beings.

This sacred station of Vishnu, therefore,

the support of the three worlds, as

is

it

is

the source

of rain.

From

that (third region of the atmosphere, or seat

away all embrowned with the unguents heaven (who have sported in her

of Vishnu,) proceeds the stream that washes the river Ganga,

sin,

nymphs

of the

'

of

There must here be some typographical oversight in the former which has "inwoven to all." This I have altered on conjecture.

edition,

'This universe, present,

with

its

wherever it is warped and woven, - whether past, or moveable and immoveable objects, or future, -is, all,

Maitreya, the supreme station of Vishnu.'

For similar phraseology

'In

the

heavens,

to that

distended

here employed, see

like

an eye,

is

p. GO,

that

supreme

Vishnu, beheld by the discriminative knowledge of the souls are replete with

it.'

xupra, foot-note.

station

of

Yog?ns, whose

VISHNU PURANA.

272

waters).* Having her source in the nail of the great toe of Vishnu's left foot,

day and

sustains her,

Dhruva^ receives

night, devoutly

her,

and

on his head; and

thence the seven Rishis practise the exercises of austerity f in

her waters, wreathing their braided locks

The orb of the moon, encompassed by her accumulated current, derives augmented lustre from her contact. Falling from on high, as she issues from the moon, she alights on the summit of Meru, and thence flows to the four quarters of the earth, for The Sita,t Alakananda, Chakshu, and its purification. Bhadra are four branches of but one river, divided according to the regions towards which it proceeds. The§ branch that is known as the Alakananda was borne affectionately by Mahadeva,|| upon his head, for more than a hundred years, and was the river which raised to heaven the sinful sons of Sagara, by washing their ashes, ^t The offences of any man who bathes with her waves.

'

The popular

notion

that Siva or

is,

Mahadeva

receives the

Ganges on his head but this, as subsequently explained, is referred, by the Vaishriavas at least, to the descent of the Alakananda, or Ganges of India, not to the celestial Ganges. ;

^

The legend here ** a subsequent book.

Or, in other words, 'flows into the sea'.

alluded to

is

more

fully detailed in

I have supplied the marks of parenthesis in this sentence, show that the sense of the original has been supplemented, f Prdndydma. See p. 89, supra. *

to

X

All

my MSS.

read Sita.

See

my

§ Insert 'southern', dakshina. II

Here

% The

••

called,

Sanskrit

in the original, Sarva. is

rather fuller:

See Book IV., Chapter IV.

second note at

p. 120,

in order

supra.

BOOK

273

immediately expiated, and unprece-

in this river are

dented* virtue

vm.

CHAP.

II.,

is

engendered.

sons to their ancestors, in

Its waters,

faith, for

Men

to the latter rarely attainable gratification.

twice-born orders

who

offer sacrifice

the lord of sacrifice, Purushottama,

of the

inf this river to obtain whatever

they desire, either here or in heaven.

from

by

offered

three years, yield

Saints

who

are

by bathing in its waters, and whose minds are intent on Kesava, acquire, thereby,

pui'ified

all

soil

final liberation.

This sacred stream, heard

seen, touched, +

bathed

sanctifies all beings;

in,

of,

desired,

or hymned, day by day,

and those who, even

at a distance

of a hundred leagues, § exclaim "Ganga, Ganga", atone

committed during three previous lives. whence this river proceeds, for the purifi-

for the sins

The

place

cation of the three worlds, celestial regions, the seat of

The

'

fies it

*

is

the third division of the

Vishnu.^

situation of the source of the

i

Ganges of heaven

identi-

with the milky way.

Apurva, 'requitatively

technicality, see

my

For a

efficacious'.

translation of Pandit

full

explanation of this

Nehemiah Nilakaut'ha

Sastrin's

—

Rational Refutation of the Hindu Philosophical Systems, pp. 149 151. t I should say 'ou'. The river-side, it seems likely, is intended, +

§

Supply 'drunk', pita. The original has 'hundreds Literally, 'Bhagavat's third

of leagues': "5^gT»TT*rf

supreme

Note referred

The subjoined paper,

by Professor Whitney, entitled:

"The conclusion n.

to

and

I

to at p, 261, supra.

extracts are taken from a

the Place of the Colures,

SldNlM

The stanza runs thus:

station'.

On

most interesting and valuable the

Jyotisha

Observation of

Date Derivable from it. which we seem necessarily led by the arguments the

'

18

VISHNU PVR AN A.

274 and considerations here First,

it

is

impossible

may

presented

for us

summed up

be

determine, more

to

few degrees, what point upon the

follows:

as

—

nearly than within a

meant by any designation is given us by Hindu authorities of older date than the establishment of the modern astronomical system; second, we have no reason for ascribing to the ancient Hindus any pretence to such exact knowledge, or any attempt at such of

eclijitic

is

place with reference to the asterisms which

its

precision

of statement,

difference

of a quarter

two different authorities; precision

should give

as

significance

real

to

an implied

by

of an asterism in the location of the colures

even

third,

if

we chose

intended

attribute

to

statement of the Jyotisha, the difficulty of the obser-

to the

and the weakness of the Hindus as practical astronomers, would forbid us to suppose that they can have made other than a rude approximation to the true place of the solstices: and hence, finally, it is vation,

utterly in vain for us to attempt to assign a definite date to the obser-

vation here in question; a period of a thousand years

than too great to allow for error.

the

He who

declares

in

eighth and the eighteenth

rather too

little

the

before Christ,

the

as

probable epoch of

and must be prepared to opinion by more pertinent arguments than have yet been does

the Jyotisha observation,

support his

is

enumerated sources of doubt and favour of any one of the centuries between all

so at his peril,

brought forward in defence of such a claim.

"The possibility may require to be assignable period

where than

that the observation which

we have been discussing

yet more totally divorced

from connexion with any

in

Hindu

literary history,

in India itself, is

not require to be urged.

having been made

as

worth a passing reference, although

Some

recent authors have

else-

it

does

shown an unnecessary

degree of sensitiveness to any suggestion of the importation of astronomical

knowledge into India

in early times.

Such importation, of course,

to be credited as a fact, without satisfactory evidence; but

it is,

be rejected as a possibility, upon insufficient a priori grounds.

erroneous assumption (Preface,

p. xxxviii.),

that

enjoined in the Brahmanas could be conceived' the heavens into twenty-seven sections',

Am.

I

not

is

also, not to

To

'none of the

Miiller's

sacrifices

without 'the division of

have referred elsewhere (Journ.

Or. Soc, Vol. VIII., p. 74); claiming that, on the contrary, the con-

cern of the nakshatras with these sacrifices of nomenclature merely.

an injunction to perform

It is

true,

a certain

is,

for the

for instance, sacrifice

without a 'system of asterisms: but the reason

been enjoined was not that the moon was

most

part, a

'on the

first

why such

of

Chaitra',

a sacrifice

to be full fifteen

the neighl)ourhood of Spica Virginis, rather than of

matter

that one cannot obey

had

days later

some other

in

star; the

ceremony was established for a certain new moon of spring, to which name: it may, for aught we know, have been reThe ligiously ol)served long i)pf()re the month got its present title. the star only gives a

BOOK

II.,

CHAP.

275

viir.

asterism Chitra does not furnish the occasion of the sacrifice, immediately or mediately;

simply denominates the natural period at the beginning

it

of which the sacrifice not, indeed,

It is

And

performed.

to he

is

so in other like cases.

nakshairas have acquired a cer-

to be denied that the

and importance of their own, as regards the seasons of

tain influence

must be had

sacrifice: their propitious or unpropitious character

some of

in regulatino-

fluence

but

details;

its

of the signs of the zodiac,

this,

all

only the natural secondary out-

is

growth of an institution originally intended to settle the

asterismal

vexed and

system,

question

difficult

for other purposes.

of

ultimate

the

common by

possessed in

in view,

the astrological in-

like

To claim

origin

the Hindus,

the

of the

Chinese,

and the Arabs, by the simple consideration of its importance to the Hindu ceremonial, is wholly futile. Biot, by similar reasoning, arrives at the confident conclusion that the system must be indigenous to China: he finds

too thoroughly interwoven

it

with the sacred and political in-

stitutions of that country to be able to conceive of its ever

introduced from the

And

abroad.

same grounds, advance the same claim

each case,

prepossession which gives

controlling importance factory

:

to

the question

must be

settlement,

having beeu Arab antiquity, upon

special students of

in behalf of Arabia.

this

of origin,

if it

It is, in

considerations

of

class

ever finds

its

a

satis-

by arguments of another and more

settled

legitimate character."

"Let me not be misunderstood incapacity for astronomy, their calendar.

means and

They

did

as attributing

or special all

their habits of

awkwardness

to

Hindus special

management

of

that could be expected of them, with their

mind, towards reconciling and adjusting the

trying differences of solar and lunar time; and with

was needful

the

in the

for their purposes.

I

am

all

the success which

only protesting against the mis-

who would ascribe to them wants and desires, and them with mechanical devices, in no way answering to their condition. To look for an exact observation of the place of the colures in a treatise which adopts a year of 366 days, and assumes and teaches the equable increase and decrease of the length of the day from solstice conceptions of those credit

to solstice,

an

is,

observation

Bailly Vol.

I.,

obviously, in vain: is

but

and Bentley." pp.

to

repeat,

Utpala,

a precise date from such

another form, the worst errors of

Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society,

326—328, and

New

Series,

331.

Note referred Bhat't'a

to calculate

in

to at

commenting on

p.

265, supra.

Varahamihira's

1—3, adduces, with other passages, those which

Brihat-saiUhitd,

IX.,

are transcribed below.

18*

VISHNU PURANA.

276 Devala

That

cited as writing:

is

to

is

say,

declared

are

the vlthis

to

have been

by the

called,

ancients, sons of Bhrigu.

In the ensuing stanzas, which are attributed to Kasyapa,

same

filiation

^^^^ f^x^HT^TWT^T Here the Go,

^ ^f^T

^T

II

Mrigavithika

of Miila, &c.

;

Ajavithi,

,

and

the sequence of the asterisms,

is

,

so

far as

But

Dahana.

and Ajavithi, of Sravana,

In

die.

indicated,

Mi'igavithi

other words,

that observed in

is

Vdyu-purdua.

the extract, given at p. 266, supra, professedly from the

Aditya

the

denominated Nagavithi, Gaja, Airavata, Vrishabha,

vithis are

Jaradgavi,

consists

we have

of the vithis:

Punarvasu; Vishnubha, Sravana; and Aja, Purvabhadrapada.

Aditi-whence the patronymic Aditya-is the presiding deity of Puuar vasu; Vishnu, of Sravana; and Aja,- here substituted for his asterismof Purvabhadrapada,

The subjoined question

is

credited to Garga:

^Wt

WfflWl ^T
^wt

Tt^

^^WTfr^rm %!n

^5lft^ g^^fTRT^^TfirfTT ^^'^tR

^T'T^^

^

^TT^Ttt^T

1^^^

^cTT

ff-^-rtil

II

II

I

^TT^rft ^ff^T ^rr^mF'^TnTT: fmrn:

^f TT According to

^^ ^^ ^xif irpfmf^cn

this,

I

ii

we have:

iBharani Krittika

Swati

Gaja or

\

Rohini and

Gajavithi

I

two other asterisms

II

ii

BOOK

II.,

CHAP.

277

VIII.

Airavata or

Three asterisms

Airavati

Rishabha or

Three asterisms

Arshabhi

Aja

Ahirbudhna Govithi

Paushiia

Aswin

{Sravana and two other asterisms Maitra and

Mriga or

f

Mrigavithi

\ two other asterisms

!Hasta Chitra

Visakhika ,

,

I

The two

I

Ashaahas.

^^^"°^

Garga's order of the vithis agrees with Kasyapa's; but the constituent parts of the vithis, as here detailed, differ greatly from anything before

mention other peculiarities, one vithi contains, and another, only two. Ahirbudhna is Uttarabhadrapada; Paushna, Revati; and Aswin, Aswini. As Bhaft'a Utpala seems to intimate, it is, so far as we know, Garga's

brought forward.

Not

to

in this distribution, four asterisms,

view of the

vithis

and their component members which Varahamihira ad-

duces and disapproves.

As

to

Nagavithi,

it

is

the doctrine of the Samdsa-samhitd also, that

it

comprehends Bharani, Krittika, and Swati:

^W TT'n "^rm ^TfTWWt

"^

^rf%jT

%^

i

And Parasara writes, to the same effect: ^|*nM
I

:

CHAPTER

IX.

Planetary system, under the type of a Sisumara or porpoise. earth nourished

Of

by the

The

rain whilst the sun shines.

Rain the support of vegetation, and,

rain from clouds.

thence, of animal

Of

sun.

Narayaria the support of

life.

all beings.

— The form of the mighty Hari which

is

present in heaven, consisting of the constellations,

is

Parasara.

that of a porpoise, with

Dhruva

As Dhruva

causes the moon, sun, and

revolves,

it

stars* to turn round, also;

low

in its circular path

bound

are, in fact,

The

and the lunar asterisms

for

all

to the polar star

seated in

Dhruva,

its

who

by

aerial cords.

A

is

up-

heart; f whilst the son of Uttanapada,

consequence of his adoration of the lord of

in

tail

of the stellar porpoise.

The upholder of the porpoise-shaped sphere

'

fol-

himself, in planetary radiance,

the world, shines in the

reign of

tail.

the celestial luminaries

porpoise-like figure of the celestial sphere

held by Narayana, is

:

situated in the

all,

more

Janardana.

This sphere

is

is

^

the sove-

the supporter

particular description of this porpoise occurs far-

ther on.

*

More

closely, 'the

t The reading of mentators,

is

all

moon, sun, and other

my

planets'

MSS., and that followed by both the com-

as follows:

'The contigaration of the luminaries in the heavens is defined as porNarayana, the highest of lights, is its support; he himself

poise-shaped.

being stationed in

its heart.'

BOOK

II.,

CHAP.

279

IX.

upstayed.

Upon

of Dhniva: and by Dliruva the sun

is

the sini depends this world, with

gods, demons, and

men.

In what

manner

(the

its

workl depends upon the

and you shall hear. During eight months of the year, the sun attracts the waters, which are the essence of (all) fluids, and then pours them upon earth, (during the other four months), as rain:^ from rain grows corn; and by corn sun), be attentive,

The sun with

the whole world subsists.

his scorching

rays absorbs the moisture of the earth, and with them

The moon communicates, through dews to the clouds, which, being composed of smoke, fire, and wind (or vapour), can retain the waters with which they are charged: they are, nourishes the moon. tubes of

air, its

therefore, called Abhras, because their contents are not

dispersed.-

When, however, they

Consequently,

'

the

Linga Puraiia* observes, there

waste of water in the universe, as

The theory

-

of the clouds

Linga, and Matsya Purahas-f but comprises

additional

those authorities,

from

fire

are broken to pieces

is

it

is

more

It is

the

fully detailed in the

same

circumstances.

are of three classes:

is

no

in constant circulation:

Clouds, 1.

Vayu,

in its general tenour,

according

to

Agneya, originating

or heat, or, in other words, evaporation

:

they are charged

with wind and rain, and are of various orders, amongst which are those called Jimuta, from their supporting life;

Brahmaja, born from the breath of Brahma:

2.

these are the

clouds whence thunder and lightning proceed: and

*

3.

Pakshaja,

Prior Section, Chapter LIV., 33.

t The account of the clouds in the Vdyvrpurdiia Translator gives the substance below.

is

that of which the

VISHNU PURANA.

280

by the wind, then watery

stores descend, bland,

freed from every imparity

by the sweetening process

and

of time.* The sun, Maitreya, exhales watery fluids from four sources, — seas, rivers, the earth, and living creatures, f The water that the sun has drawn up from the Ganga of the skies he quickly pours down with his rays, and without a cloud; and men who are touched by this pure rain are cleansed from the soil of sin, and never see hell: this is termed celestial ablution. That rain which falls whilst the sun is shining, and without

a cloud in the sky,

is

the water of the heavenly Ganges,

from a mansion of Kfittika and the other asterisms counted by odd numbers, (as the third, fifth, &c.,) the water, although that of the Ganga of the sky, is scattered by shed by the solar rays.

If,

however, rain

bright and cloudless sky whilst the sun

is

falls

in the

the elephants of the quarters, (not by the rays of the sun):

is

it

only

when such

rain

and the sun

falls,

is

or clouds which were, originally, the wings of the mountains, and

which were cut vartakas,

t

off

by Indra: these are also termed Pushkara-

from their including water

the largest and most formidable

of

in their vortices:

all,

formed of the primitive clouds

:

^g^^TT HT^T^^ ^^m +

at

Yugas and Kalpas, pour down the waters of the The shell of the egg of Brahma, or of the universe, is

the end of the

deluge.

they are

and are those which,

Also read Pushkalavartakas.

^

II

BOOK

CHAP.

even asterisms, that

in the

beams. '

n.,

it

281

IX.

is

distributed

by

his

^*

According to the Vayu,f

by the

the water scattered

ele-

Then follows, in all my MSS., including those where the text is accompanied by the two commentaries, a stanza which Professor Wilson has

left

untranslated:

'Ablution of either kind in the water of the

ethereal

passingly holy, removing the sin and the fears of men,

Ganges is surand heavenly,

great Sage,'

^H+ich ^^T^ft

^f^T^ ^^ ^fTR:

^^^ flTTf^f ^ 1?T^

^TT^^ ^^f^ ^^^^f^^"^

^swr rT^T

II

TtfW*(^T:

I

II

f^^fw ^i^^p-^^^-Rtnr'fr^T'i

ft^^^

f^isri:


^%^ f^fW^^

^f^:

f'T^ Tt^

^%f^^f^fi ^^ ^^TT:^g^g^»i

1[fT>^f7T

rIfT:

^:

^ri:

I

ffH%^ fTcT: tn^ TT^I<M<Mf^^^^:

ff^T^^jrffT^f^

^

ii

|

1^ g fH^i ^^T <^*jMr«(a^^ ^Iwr^fcr: fwi^t ff^: ir^rr^ ^gwRf^rfr ^T^fs ^IT^ 5^: ^Tfw.^zm l!^f^ ^^^ ^^^nj^^ ¥^%f^fn ^TT^T^ f^^n2?^ I

ii

I

^w

:

ii

I

II

II

ii

;;

VISHNU PUl^ANA.

282

The water which

the clouds shed upon earth

truth, the ambrosia of hving beings

;

for

it

is,

in

gives fer-

which are the support of their exisgrow and are matured, and become the means of maintaining life. With them,

tihty to the plants

By

tence.*

this all vegetables

again, those

form ment

men who

take the law for their light per-

daily sacrifices, and,

And

to the orods.

four castes, with the

through them, give nourish-

thus sacrifices, the Vedas, the

Brahmans

residences of the gods,

all

at their head, all the

the tribes of animals, the

by the rains by which evolved by the sun is rain But the food is produced. and Dhruva is supDhruva; sustained by is sun the ported by the celestial porpoise-shaped sphere, which whole world,

all

are supported

phants of the quarters or the latter

which falls

lies

is

radiates from the

All

'As opes

my MSS.

to

all

in

summer, dew, and,

in winter,

snow

between the Himavat and Hemakuta mountains, and

down upon

the former.

In like manner,

•

is,

brought, by the winds, from a city called Puridra,

also,

as heat radiates

from the sun, so cold

moon:

read as follows:

develthe water discharged by the clouds, regenerate one, it annuals, for the behoof of living creatures: it is, indeed, nectar

to existence.'

Note the affectation of archaism t

From

extracted.

the

Vdyu-purdiia ;

in

"'^hnil'm as accusative

but some

pages

plural,

before the passage last

f

BOOK

II.,

CHAP.

283

IX.

one with Narayana."' Narayana, the primeval

is

tent,

and eternally enduring, seated supporter of

stellar sphere, is the

'

all

beings.

The reading TfTTT^ Uj (Jj <^ is here followed. and one more in harmony with the context, I

ing,

I

exis-

in the heart of the

But n common is

read-

'5^TTT'^ WT'^"^

5

'upheld by Narayana'.

'Seated in the heart of that planetary porpoise is its supporter, Naraamong all beings, sempiternal/

yana, primeval being

CHAPTER Names

Names

of the twelve Adityas.

X. of the Rishis, Gandharvas,

Apsarasas, Yakshas, Uragas, and Rakshasas, chariot of the sun in each

month of the

year.

who

attend the

Their respective

functions.

Parasara.

— BetM^een

the extreme northern and

southern points, the sun has to traverse, in a year, one

hundred and eighty degrees, ascending and descendHis car is presided over by divine Adityas,* ing.' Rishis, heavenly singers and nymphs, Yakshas, f serand Rakshasas: (one of each being placed in it every month). The Aditya Dhatri, the sage Pu-

pents, in

lastya, the

'

It

Gandharva Tumburu,§ the nymph Kratu-

might be doubted whether the

hemisphere, or in both; but the sense

Vayu, &c.

text]!

meant 180

is sufficiently

and the number of Mandalas travelled

;

in each

clear in the

in the

year

is

the Mandalas, 'circles' or 'degrees', being, in fact, the sun's diurnal revolutions, and their numbers corresponding with the 3(50:

days of the solar year; as in the Bhavishya Puraria:

'

of the sun travel twice 180 degrees in a year, inter-

The horses

nal and external (to the equator), in the order of the days.'

*

Strictly,

'

divine beings, namely, Adityas.'

t In the original, Gandharvas, Apsarases, and Gramanis. attendants are said, in the Bhdgavata-purdna, V., XXL, \ The Sun's 18, to be Rishis, Gandharvas, Apsarases, Nagas, Gramanis, Yatudhanas,

and Devas. §

One

of

my MSS.

gives

Tambaru.

BOOK sthala,* the

Yaksha

285

CHAP. X.

II.,

and

Rathakrit, the serpent Vasuki,

the Rakshasa Heti,f always reside in the sun's car, in

* Four MSS, have Kritasthala; three, Kfitasthali. f The mythological figments named in this sentence are not characterized in the original, Rathakrit excepted, who is there called a Gramani, i.

Yaksha.

e.,

In the Sanskrit of our text, no uniform order the

appellations

months cal

;

Sun's

attendants

exigencies.

Professor Wilson's

the subordination

the Professor,

as

I

show

commentaries more closely.

tabulated as follows: In the

each

in registering

of

the

twelve

arrangement of the Adityas,

indicated above, in

other

probably, have taken a different view of the

observed

is

during

these appellations being disposed, in the main, to satisfy metri-

according to

and

of the

months

notes to

some

&c.,

admits of amendment; this

of thnu,

The personages

in

chapter,

would

had he scrutinized question

may

be

VISHNU

286

of Madhu or Chaitra, as

month

the

RANA.

]'l

its

seven guardians.

In (Vaisakha or) Madhava the seven are Aryaman,* Piilaha, Narada, Punjikasthah',f Rathaujas, KachchhaIn Snchi§ (or Jyaishtha) they are

and Praheti. Haha,

nira,t

Menaka,1f Rathaswana, Takshaka,

Mitra, Atri,

and Paurusheya.** In (the month) Sukraf f or Ashadha they are Varuha, Vasishtha, Hiihu,t+ Sahajanya,§§ Ra-

As

to

many

of these

names,

it

no easy undertaking to determine

is

which of the Purauas gives them correctly.

See

my

note at pp. 290—293,

infra.

name, not Aiiisu

Aiiisa is the older

of Dhatri;

For the Adityas, see Asiatic Society,

New

Daksha anciently held the place

p. 27,

mjyra, and Dr. Muir, Journal of the Royal I., pp. 51 140; for the Rishis, Vol.1.

—

Series, Vol.

pp. 100

of this work,

;

«&c.

(Sue.

— 103;

for the

Gandharvas, pp.75

80—84, supra;

the Apsarases, pp. 75 and

for the

— 77,

supra;

for

Gramauis or Yakshas,

the Sarpas or Serpents, and the Rakshasas, pp. 74, 76, supra. * Corrected from "Aryamat", and again in the note at the end of this chapter.

I

§ II

^

See

p. 27,

my MSS.

t All

supra, where the Translator had "Aryaman".

but one have Punjikasthala.

In emendation of "Kachanira". See the note on Sukra, a little below.

One

of

my MSS.

exhibits the elongated form

Professor AVilson put the short form,

Hahaka.

"Mena",

for

which

I

find no

authority in this place. ** Called, in

the original, a Rakshas.

supplied by the Translator; his Ashadha is in ff Jyaisht'ha, just above, is the original. Sukra, according to the Medini-koia, designates the one and the other of these months; but I nowhere find that Suchi stands except for

Ashadha.

Instead

^%,

'^gf^^%

of the lection 'in the

looks,

^%,

month',-

of

therefore,

yielding

Ashadha,

'in

like

an

error for

^^^^.

Sukra\ some MSS. have, simply,

to-wit.

'^^,

'in

Suchi',

would

suit the metre equally well.

The commentators remark on the names here discussed, but neither mention other readings, nor support, by adducing external authorities, the tenability of the text which they accept. Huhii, lliihu, and ITuhu. XX Also read follow an earlier §§ Did Kalidiisa invent his own mythology, or did he than that of the Puranas, in making Chitralekha wait on the Sun through

BOOK

In the

Naga,* and Budha.f

thachitra,

they

(or Sravana) Pi-anilocha,

287

CHAP. X.

IT.,

month Nabhas

Angiras,

are Indra,

Srotas,§ and Elapatra (the

:

serpent and Rakshasa). the~hot season, that

Vikramorvasi, Act

is

of both

month Bhadra pada tliey

In the

'|

Viswavasu,

name

See the

during Jyaisht'ha and Ashadha?

to say,

III.

* The order of these names, in the original, is: Vanii'ia, Vasishtlia, One of my MSS. has the Naga, Sahajanya, Huhii, Budha, Rathachitra. reading Naga; but all the rest exhibit Rambha. The Apsaras so called

and the smaller commentary is disappointed, below, for Phalguna posed to take the view that, under the name Sahajanya, she here serves during the first of two months. Rathachitra is, then, to be taken as the name of the Yaksha, and also as that of the serpent. The reading Naga, ;

is

in preclusion of the necessity of such speculation,

we have There

a

TtWmt ^^:

in

^

^

^T§:

t^mif^^r^V^^n

I

i

Here

diiVerent serpent introduced, Vatsa.

still

is,

however, mentioji^ed:

commentary we read:

In the larger

^(^T€i^^

is,

my

much doubt

opinion, not

that

Rambha

is,

here,

a

—a

very unusual name, if compared with the faOr, miliar Rambha,— the reading of the Vaiju-purdim and Linga-purdna. which that of "^(^TOfll^, had the reading "^^in^l^^; if we

corruption of Rambha,

—

coupled with the fact of

common

the

occurrence

^^^•TT,

of ?^?JTT

evinces to be altogether supposable,— we should still be entitled to Rambha, by the rule referred to, touching Vatsa, in the last paragraph. See Panini, VI., III., 26.

That neither

of these very obvious

suggestions pre-

sented itself to our commentators is little to their credit. my MSS., is the only reading t Vadha, though occurring in but one of that X

I

find in other Puranas.

Five of

my MSS.

seen elsewhere,

as

in

have, distinctly, Pramlova; but this, which I have MSS. of the Vnyu-purd/ia, seems to be only an

error of the scribes. §

The more ordinary, and

which also

is

found in MSS.,

preferable, reading is,

TI^^T ^ ^H#^ Elapatra,

therefore,

there

is

more

is

Srotas.

likely, the right

5?c4^T^ ^^fnT no warrant

for

t

But PrataK,

name.

II

duplicating.

He

is

the

VISHNU PURANA.

288

are Vivaswat, Bhrigu, Ugrasena,

Anumlocha,* Apu-

rana,f Saiikhapala, and Vyaghra. In the montli of Aswina+ they are Pushan, Gautama, Siiruchi, Ghri-

Sushena, Dhananjaya, and Vata.

tachi,

In the

month

of Karttika they are Parjanya, Bharadwaja, (another)

Viswavasu, Viswachi, Senajit, Airavata, and Chapa. §

Amsu, EaMahapadma,

In (Agrahayana or) Margasirsha they are sy ap a,

j

Chitrasena, Urvasi, Tarkshya,1f

and Vidyut. In the month of Pausha, Bhaga, Kratu, Urnayu, Purvachitti,"^ Arishtanemi, Karkotaka, and

who abide in the orb of the sun, who scatter Ught throughout the month of Magha the seven who are

Sphurja are the seven the glorious spirits universe. serpent; and

In the

Sarpa- omitted

the smaller commentary:

«TTi:

the larger commentary: ^Q;m

Umlocha

*

t This

is,

the lection

is

I

*

*

Thus

the Rakshasa.

^^'^

TT^W^

I

And

TJ^^'' of two MSS. I

perhaps, a corruption of Aruna, or of Varuna.

The more usual designation

+

— is

in the translation

TJ^XJ^

mouth Aswayuja, named

of the

in the

original.

The smaller commentary

§

and

But

as the Rakshasa.

^r# ^r^Tj^^ larger

I

is

for taking Senajit twice; as the

also

it

notices

identical words,

my MSS.

have, wrongly,

is

^if^,

with

Yaksha,

Chapa: ^•Tf^-

t'lf^wT^ Tt^ ^Tt ^ifr yr^^:

commentary has these

ence of reading "^T^X TJ^^'^, 'Ap All

the reading

i

The

the important differ-

the Rakshasa'.

'and

also', the

reading preferred

by the commentators. Had the authors of the commentaries but looked into the Puranas which I quote in a subsequent note to this chapter, they would have seen that

To say what that both

maybe of

I

is-

doubtless, to give place to it

is

^T'R'. not forbidden to suppose •

'*'"' '^TTt TTW^^ instead of ^ift TT^^'' meddlesome transcription. 'Apas'-an outgrowth The Rakshasa of the month preceding word for 'Water'.

^T^t TT^^-

the offspring of

ap -is a rare

Karttika, li

^jf^

can for the commentators,

it

In five

MSS.

I

find

Kasyapa.

however, for believing that this

^ One

'Wind'. There seems to be no good reason,

will be observed, is Vata,

MS. gives Tarksha.

is

anything better than a **

clerical error.

Called an Apsaras, in the original.

:

BOOK

sun are Twashtri, Janiadagni, Dhritarashtra,

the

in

289

CHAP. X.

n.,

Tilottama, Ritajit,* Kambala, and Brahinapeta.

who abide

in the

Those

sun in the month Phalguna are Vishnu,

Viswamitra, Siuyavai'chas,f Rambha, Satyajit, Aswatara,

and Yajnapeta.t

In this manner, Maitreya, a troop of seven celestial

by the energy of Vishnu, occupies, during the several months, the orb of the sun. The

beings, supported

sage celebrates his praise, and the Gandharva sings,

and the nymph dances before him, the Rakshasa§

at-

tends upon his steps, the serpent harnesses his steeds, ||

and theYaksha trims the reins :1 the (numerous pigmy sages, the) Valikhilyas, ** ever, surround his chariot. The whole troop of seven, attached to the sun's car, are the agents in the distribution of cold, heat, and rain, at their respective seasons.

A

'

* j-

+

^

similar enumeration of the attendants

Kratujit

is

the

name

upon the sun's car

one MS.

in

Instead of the " Siiryaverchchas " of the original edition.

The

original mentions

him

as a Rakshas.

Besides the variants already specified,

seem

quite

unworthy

I

have found, with several that each occurring in only a

the following,

of notice,

single MS.: Kashfanira, for Kachchhanira; Maitra, for Mitra;

Daksha, for

Haha; Rathasyana and Daksha, for Rathaswana; Paurusha, for PaiiBudha; Apurayat, for Apiirai'ia; Syenajit, for Se-

rusheya; Dhana, for

najit; Karkat'aka, for Karkot'aka; Saptajit, for Satyajit.

§ In the Sanskrit, II

The

original,

% ^f%:

f^^%,J^|V5^^f

commentary: ** II.

nimchardK,

'

"^^f% ^7^11

^^^f

I

|

For these beings, see Vol.

>

:

night- roamers.' is

>

I

explained, in both the commentaries

Thus

interpreted,

'^[ttJT'^^lf'RT: I.,

p. 98,

my

first

in

the

smaller

I

foot-note,

19

and

p.

155.

:

VISHNU PURANA.

290

For Yakshas

occurs in the Vayu,* &c.

employed

*

is

The enumeration contained

ing to

my

the generic term there

Gramaiiis; but the individuals are the same.

in the

Vdyu-purdna

as follows, accord-

is

collation of five manuscripts

-^if^

^T^wt

ffiwt f'T^n?

^^w^ f

I

^^^^f^^ig fT^^Ft '?:?jni^ ^ ^'Rrr ^f^^T ^ T^^^T ^ iTfT ^^: T^^^^ ^ITM^ T^f^^g rTT^^Pt II

i

II

ir^ ^^fffr

% ^' in^^: ^f^^^^:

T'g^^ f^^^T^ ^tl^TT H^^ ^ n^m^^^ ^tI: ^^^T^rg ^Tf^^

f^^T^^^l^ ^ Tj^%frT ^

TTTfT%^T^^l!r^

f%15TTfTT^^%f7T

^^^"R^mT

W

I

i

^

^ % ^^

^T^%rT^ fITf *f^ ^^-T^T^'^frT^ IWt ^^rfTT ^T^t

I

II

5^: T^^l ^^f^ ^5^ffT: xi^^^rgT'^T ^^T '^ *IT^T^« ^^TfT^: f^^T^^ ^?tT^^%^ frf^r^ '^''

^Tf rft

I

II

I

f^rff ^ ^rTT^ ^

^5^

ii

II

II

% ^H^^W

^^^% g t ^' TTT^^ 1[^^^:

The

II

II

I

BOOK Kurma and Bhavishja months

:

—

11.,

refer

CHAP. X.

the

291

twelve

^^> ^^^

^T%rfr ^1?IT?^

t^^^^

rTTf ^T

Adityas

^g^ f

T^^ff VfTTT^^ f^^^^-rat^

wr^^T^^T T^t

During

Sukra and Suchi Nabhas and Nabhasya Isha and Urja

J \ I [

I \ f

\

rest

I

II

II

^^wg ^^rr:

Here we have the Adityas and the for bimestrial periods, as below:

Madhu and Madhava

^

different

II

^^T^Tf^Tfffr

^f ^^ ^f # ^ ^^^% f^^^T

to

II

toTd off iu pairs,

to

do duty

Adityas.

Rishis.

Gandharvas.

Apsarases.

Dhatri

Pulastya

Tumburu

Kratusthala

Aryaiuan

Pulaha

Narad a

Punjikasthala

Mitra

Atri

Haha

Menaka

Varui'ia

Vasishfha

Huhii

Indra

Angiras

Bhrigu

Viswavasu Ugrasena

Sahajanya Pramlocha

Vivaswat

Anumlocha

Parjanya

Bharadwaja

Vis'wavasu

Viswachi

Piishan

Gautama Kasyapa

Surabhi

Ghritachi

Chitrasena

Urvas'i

Saha and J Aiiisa Sahasya \ Bhaga Tw The two Twashtri I frosty months!1 Vis Vishnu f

Kratu

Uriiayu

Viprachitti

Jamadagni

Dhi'itarasht'ra

Tilottama

Vis'wamitra

Suryavarchas

Rambha

Gram an is.

Sarpas.

Rathakrichchhra

Vasuki

Heti

Urja

Sankiriiara

Praheti

Sukra and

Rathaswana

Takshaka

Paurusheya

Suchi

Rathachitra

Rambha

Vadha

During

Madhu and Madhava

Yatudhanas.

19*

292

VISHNU PUR ANA.

;

BOOK Devas.

Munis.

Gandharvas.

Apsarases.

Mitra

Atri

Haba

Menaka

Varuna

Vasisht'ha

niihii

Indra

Angiras

Sahajanya Pramlocha

During Sukra and

f

Suchi

\

Nabhas and

Nabhasya

f

Vivaswat

Bhrigu

Viswavasu Ugrasena

Parjanya

Bharadwaja

Suruchi

Ghfitachi

ParavasH

Viswachi

\

Isha and

f

Saha and Sahasya Tapas and Tapasya

Anumlocha

Ailisu

Chitrasena

Urvasi

(

Gautama Kasyapa

\

Bhaga

Kratu

Urnayu

Piirvachitti

Twashtri

Tilottama

Vishnu

Jamadagni Viswamitra

Dhritarasht'ra

f

\

Siiryavarchas

Rambha

\ Piishan

Urja

293

CHAP. X.

II.,

Rakshasas.

Gramauis.

Nagas.

Madhu and Madhava

\

Rathaki'it

Rathaujas

Sukra and

f

Subahu

Vasuki Kankanika Takshaka

Heti

1

Suchi

1

Rathachitra

Rambha

Vadha

Varuna

Elapatra

Sarpa

)

\

Rathasvvana

Sankhapala

Vyaghra

During

Nabhas and Nabhasya Isha and Urja

Paurusheya

Dhananjaya

Ap

Airavata

Mahapadma

Vata Vidyut

J

1

Saha and Sahasya Tapas aud Tapasya

Praheti

Sushena,

Karkot'aka

Divakara

Rathajit

Kambala

Brahmopeta

Satyajit

Aswatara

Yajnopeta

Arisht'anemi

r

Here, as before, Senajit and Tarkshya figure as sendnis. Variants are: Tumbaru, for Tumburu Mitrasena, for Chitrasena; ;

thabhfit, for Rathaki'it; Iravat,

for Airavata,

Ra-

Rathamitra, for Rathachitra; Naga, for Rambha; In one of the two enumerations above spoken of

occurs Rathaswana; in the other, PrataH.

The Ktirma- purdna-Psit

I.,

Chapter XLll.,

2-16 -coincides with

be specified. the Linga-purdna, except as regards the particulars about to

Viswamitra: it gives Sukra and Kausika, the synonyms of Indra and for Subahu has Aiiisa, for Aiiisu; Varchavasu, for Paravasu; Subahuka, Sarpapungava, for Rambha; aud it transposes Subahuka aud Rathachitra, and Rathas\Yana, Senajit and Sushena, Dhananjaya and Airavata. It

Varuna

Its variants,

Tumburu; I'uru

in

my

MSS., are: Jayatsena, for Ugrasena; Tusht'avu, for Pramlocha; Anushua, for Anumlocha; Kanka-

Prakoshi'ia, for

and Kauganila,

for

Kankanika; Adya

for

Ap; Bala,

for Vata.

largely supplemented -were worth approxigoing into, if only to show, that, in order to arrive at even an mation to the correct reading of a proper name met with in a Purana^ one cannot consult too many works of the same class, or too many

These

details

-and

copies of each work.

they might be

CHAPTER XL The sun car:

distinct

identical

from, and supreme over, the attendants on his with the three Vedas and with Vishnu:

his

functions.

Maitreya.

—You have related

to me, holy preceptor,

who

the seven classes of beings

are ever present in

the solar orb, and are the causes of heat and cold.*

You

have, also, described to

me

their individual func-

by the energy of Vishnu. But you have me the duty of the sun himself; for, if, as you

tions, sustained

not told

say, the seven beings (in his sphere) are the causes

of heat, cold, and rain, how can it be also true, (as you have before mentioned,) that rain proceeds from the sun? Or how can it be asserted that the sun rises, reaches the meridian, or sets, if these situations be the act of the collective seven ?

Parasara. ject of

—

I will explain to

you, Maitreya, the sub-

your inquiry. The sun, though

identified with

from them, as and mighty energy of Vishnu, which is called the three Vedas, or Rich, Yajus, and Saman, is that which enlightens the world, and de-

the seven beings f in his orb, their chief.

stroys

its

The

It is that, also, \yhich,

fl^fTTTT^: beings'.

+ Ga/ia, 'classes of

and

distinct

entire

iniquity.*

^T^%

is

^TW And

(T'iT^T

^rTH

II

so read, instead of "beings", above,

also below.

w^

during the

^r\^mt[ ^Ricrg ff^rf^

^t

ii

LOOK continuance of things,

engaged

in tlie

CHAP.

ir.,

295

XI.

present as Vishnu, actively

is

preservation of the universe, and abid-

ing, as the three

The

Vedas, within the sun.

solar lu-

minary that appears in every month is nothing else than that very supreme energy of Vishnu which is

composed of the three Vedas, influencing the motions (of the planet)

for the Richas (the

:

hymns

of the Rig-

veda) shine in the morning;* the prayers of the Yajus, at

noon; and the Brihadrathantaraf and other portions

of the Saman, in the afternoon.

This triple imper-

sonation of Vishnu, distinguished by the three Vedas,

is

^

the positions of the sun.

But

of the

titles

the energy of Vishnu, which influences

this triple

energy of Vishnu

is

not limited to the

sun alone; for Brahnici, Purusha (Vishnu), and Rudra

'

This mysticism originates,

in part, apparently,

from a mis-

apprehension of metaphorical texts of the Vedas,

— such

as ^fTn"

"^^^ fW^T

Vedas)

shines'',

cTRfTTj

'that triple

knowledge

(the

—

and, in and ^J^^^rrf'rf 'the hymns of the Rich shine ^^X from the symbolization of the light of religious truth by the 5

of the sun, as in the Gayatri.

P. 250, note

To

2.

part, light

these are to

be added the sectarial notions of the Vaishriavas.

'Just riority,

in the class of seven, the great sun, by virtue of its supeunmatched, so stands supreme the whole or aggregated power

as, is

of Vishnu,

denominated Rich, Yajus, and Saman.

It

is

this

same

triad

of Vedas that burns and destroys the sin of the world.'

The smaller con^mentary signify, apparently, 'warms', *

and

(mf?!, to be

which

I

render 'burns',

to

without regimen,

Purvdhna, 'forenoon'.

t That +

takes

is,

Rathantara qualified as brihat,

These passages are quoted

occurring in them, seems to

preceding page.

in the

mean

'to

'great'.

See Vol,

commentaries.

warm'.

See

my

I.,

The verb

p. 84,

tap,

as

third note in the

f

296

VISHNU FUEAXA.

made up

of the same triform essence. In creBrahma, consisting of the Rig-veda; in preservation, it is Vishnu, composed of the Yajur-veda;

are, also,

ation,- it is

and, in destruction, Rudra, formed of the Sama-veda,

the utterance of which

consequently, inauspicious.^*

is,

made up of the three Vedas, and derived from the property of goodness, Thus, the energy of Vishnu,

presides in the sun, along w^ith the seven beings be-

longing to

and, through the presence of this power,

it;

the planet shines with intense radiance, dispersing, with his beams, the darkness that spreads over the

whole

world: and hence the Munis praise him, the quiristers

and nymphs of heaven sing and dance before him, and fierce spirits + and holy sages § attend upon his path. Vishnu, in the form of his active energy, never either rises or sets, and is, at once, the sevenfold sun and distinct from it. In the same manner as a man, apil

proaching a mirror, placed upon a stand, beholds, in his

it,

'

The

own

image, so the energy (or reflection) of

formulfe of the Sama-veda are not to be used, along

with those of the Rich and Yajus, at

*

For a closer rendering of the

Original Sanskrit Texts, Part

last

sacrifices in general.

paragraph and

this,

see Dr. Miiir's

p. 16.

III.,

t Sdttwika. X

'The Serpents bear

up his See §

Then follows the

Niidchara, 'night-rovers'.

/»'w,

i.

e.,

serve

line,

his chariot;

left

the Yakshas

reins.' p. 289,

supra, and

Vdlikhilya. II

Vide

^t^

p.

my

notes

i|

and ^.

289, supra, text and note

^TW^m ^

untranslated:

**.

^Tf^^fW^^

I

gather

BOOK

Vishnu

is

II..

CHAP.

297

•

XI.

never diwsjoined (from the sun's

the stand of the mirror), but remains,

is

month,

in the sun, (as in the mirror),

car,

which

month by

which

is

there

stationed.

Brahman, the cause of day The sovereign sun, and night, perpetually revolves, affording delight to the gods, to the progenitors, and to mankind. Cherished

by the

The Vayu, Linga,f and Matsya •

"According

the Nirukia,

to

its

light

is

I.,

6,

fed

Puraiias specify several of

one ray of the sun (that

it is

lights

the doctrine of the Vedas." veda, Vol.

IT.,

is

up the moon; and it is with respect to The Puraiias have adopted derived from the sun.

named Sushumiia) which that that

moon

ray of the sun,^ the

Sushunii'ia"""'

Professor Wilson's Translation of the Rig-

p. 217, first foot-note.

t Prior Section, LX., 19—25:

^TT^^: g^T^: ^TT^'^: ir^t^rT: ^g«rn ^TftTT^ ^f^wt TTfir^'^^ i

Tfr^^-

^Twr^

fW^^tr^

Tj^

^^^"^f^:

M«*l(ti%

^: xr^T^^^'^frf^: "^Tt

^^iwrt^ T^^^f rfTT^T:

ii

II

^:

li

II

Here the seven chief rays are: Sushumna, Harikesa, Viswakarman, Viswatryarchas, Sannaddha, Sarvavasu, and Swaraj. Variants are: Harakesa, for Harikesa; Saiiiyama, for Sannaddha; Arvavasu, for Sarvavasu.

The Commentator explains ^f^TJrf TTflT' *" ^^- ^' ^•S?.MKIn my copies of the Vdyu and Matsya I have found Sushumiia alone mentioned.

298

VISHNU PUR ANA.

•

(to the full, in the fortnight of its

fortnight of

growth): and, in the

wane, the ambrosia of

its

its

substance

is

perpetually drunk by the immortals, (until the last day of the half month), when the two remaining digits are

drunk by the progenitors: hence these two orders of beings are nourished by the sun. The moisture of the earth, which the sun attracts by his rays, he again parts with, for the fertilization of the grain and the nutriment of

is

rest.

The

conse-

the source of subsistence to every

class of living things,

and the

creatures; and,

terrestrial)

(all

quently, the sun

— to

gods, progenitors, mankind,

sun, Maitreya, satisfies the

wants

of the gods for a fortnight (at a time); those of the progenitors, once a month; and those of

men and

other

animals, daily.

the rays of the sun

from amongst the many thousands which they Of these, seven are principal, termed

say proceed from him.

Sushumiia, Harikesa, Viswakarman

,

Viswakarya, Sampadwasu,

Arvavasu, and Swaraj, supplying heat, severally, to the moon, the stars, and to Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.

CHAPTER

XII.

Description of the moon: his chariot, horses, and course: fed by the sun drained periodically, of ambrosia by the progenitors :

,

The

and gods.

by

orbits

their

members

chariots aerial

and horses of the planets: kept in Typical

chains attached to Dhruva.

of the planetary porpoise.

Parasara. wheels, and

— The

is

Vasudeva alone

chariot of the

moon

real.

has three

drawn by ten horses,* of the whiteness

of the Jasmine, five on the right half (of the yoke), five on the left. It moves along the asterisms, divided into ranges, as before described; and, in like

manner

as the sun, is upheld by Dhruva; the cords that fasten it it being tightened or relaxed in the same way, as proceeds on its course, f The horses of the moon,

sprung from the bosom of the waters,^ drag the car So

*

•

is

the car, according to the

Vayu:

-^irf

'WT^f^TWt T^^

Their names are given in the Vdyu-purdna:

"^r^f^'^'TTT^W They

"^^ ¥^-

I

Yayu, Chitramanas, Vfisha, Rajin, Bala, Varna, Hamsa, Vyoinin, Mriga.

are, thus, called

Turajiya,

'The chariot of the Moon the jasmine in

With

^ TT^

that

colour,

rapid car,

is

three-wheeled; and ten horses, resembling

to it on the right and on the left. upstayed by the pole-star, he, the Moon, travels

are yoked

The successive shortening through the asterisms, located in the vithis. and lengthening of the cords bound to his chariot are as in the case of the sun.'

Compare the beginning

of Chapt,er IX., at p. 278, supra.

:

:

300

VISHNU PT'RANA.

whole Kalpa, as do the coursers of the sun. The moon,—when reduced, by the draughts of the gods, to a single Kala,— with a single ray; and, in the same proportion as the ruler of the

for a

radiant sun supplies the

night was exhausted by the celestials, it is replenished by the sun, the plunderer of the waters: for the gods,

Maitreya, drink the nectar and ambrosia* accumulated

moon, during half the month; and, from

in the

being their food, they are immortal.

this

Thirty-six thou-

sand, three hundred, and thirty-three divinities drink

the lunar ambrosia, f

moon

When two

enters the orbit of the sun,

The orb

digits remain, t

and abides

of the moon, according to the Linga, §

is

the

in the

only congealed

water

^Rfft^lfH* fT^ ^X!^^ ^f^^: ^fW: as that of the sun

^^ [*ic[,

'•

e

is

I

concentrated heat:

according to the smaller commentary,

,

^^^I'^^, 'amrita — a prophylactic against And this view does not clash with the fact

death

^^T^^^^Tft

— in the form of

surfAa.'

that the food of the gods

is

implied, in the second half of the stanza, to be simply sudhd

Where named conjointly, sudhd and amrita, being alike potable, can never be so sharply distinguished as the nectar and ambrosia of Olympian gastronomy, whose ordinarily recognized consistency, however, Sappho and Alcman reverse. Amrita is "not a solid substance, like uu^ooain, though both words are kindred in origin." Goldstiicker's Sanskrit Dictionary

In the chapter under annotation, amrita p. 380. and sikUui are used as though they were, respectively, generic and specific. t Literally, 'the moon", kshanaddkara. From this point, down to X Read 'orb of the sun', surya-mandnla. ,

and including "Brahmanicide", we have a parenthesis. § Prior Section,

LX.,

7.

:

BOOK ray called vasya.

^'

ir.,

Ama; whence

CHAP.

the period

moon

In that orbit, the

301

XII.

termed Ania-

is

immersed, for a day and nlglit, in the water ;f thence it enters the branches and shoots of the trees, and thence goes to the sun. Consequently, any one who cuts off a branch, or casts (the

down

day of

cide. sists

its

When

a

leaf,

the

moon

is

is

in the trees,

guilty of

Brahmani-

moon

the remaining portion of the

conof but a fifteenth part, the progenitors approach

in the afternoon,

it

when

rising invisible),

is

sacred Kala which

is

tained in the two

and drink the last portion, that composed of ambrosia, : and conform of the moon.^

digits of the

There is some indistinctness in this account, from a confusion between the division of the moon's surface into sixteen Kalas or phases, and its apportionment, as a receptacle of nectar, into '

fifteen

Kalas or

digits,

corresponding to the

fifteen lunations,

on

the fourteen of which, during the wane, the gods drink the Amrita,

and on the portion.

fifteenth of

which the

The correspondence

Pitfis

exhaust the remaining

of the two distinctions appears to

be intended by the

text, which terms the remaining digit or Kala, composed of Amrita, the form or superficies of the two Kalas

* For other etymologies of amdvdsyd, from the ^atapalha-brdkmana, Matsya-purdna, &c., see Goldstiicker's Sanskrit Dictionary pp. 364, 365, ,

sub voce

^^T^^TT-

t 'First, the moon remains in the water during that day and night, namely, the day and night ivhich constitute amdvdsyd:'

+

Sadhdmritamaya.

See

my

tirst

note in the preceding page.

§ This is the reading adopted in the larger commentary, though not adopting spasht'a.

smaller commentary; and the it,

pronounces

it

to

be 'clear',

o

02

VISHNU PUHANA.

Having drunk the nectar* effused by the lunar rays on the day of conjunction, the progenitors are satisfied, and remain tranquil for the ensuing month. These (progenitors or Pitris) are of three classes, termed

This, the commentator observes,

^ ^^

the fifteenth, not the sixteenth

is

f^f% ^ g

fit fxifTT: XTW^lft mentator on our text observes,

also,

Lava meaning The Matsya and Vayu express

times read t^^^T^{TTj+

period

'.

as to avoid all perplexity,

:

t The comthat the passage is someft^ITi"

'a

I

moment,' 'a short

the parallel passage so

by specifying the two Kahis as

re-

and leaving the number of nectareous Kalas un-

ferring to time,

defined:

'They, the

one of

in

Pitris,

drink the remaining Kalas in two Kalas of

Colonel Warren explains Kala,

time.'

its

or,

Hindus count sixteen;' Kala Sankalita, vata||

terms the

moon

Ml ">€ 3| "h^

noticing the exhaustion conjunction,

*

as he writes

acceptations, 'the Phases of the

states the

^

So

p. 359.

'^''l'^.

of the fifteenth

I

it,

Cala,

Moon, of which

And

the

Vayu,

portion on the

recurrence of increase or

the

the Bhiiga-

wane

after

day of to

take

Sudlidmrita, as before.

t This is from the smaller commentary. made, in the smaller commentary, of the reading + Mention is also fg^eftf?!

^Tf,

which occurs in two of

my

manuscripts,

and which

is

followed in the larger commentary.

This

§

is

the reading of the Matsya-purd/m; but

The Linga-purdna, Prior Section, LVI.,

Precisely

The

tlie

same words

v., II

XXII., 10.

find, in the

\'dyn:

15, has:

are found in the Kiirma-purd/ia, XLIII., 37.

three Puiauas here adduced

kala.

I

speak of only a single nectareous

BOOK

CHAP.

11.,

303

XII.

Saumyas, Barliishads,* and Agnishwattas.^f In this manner, the moon, with its cooling rays, nourishes the gods in the Ught fortnight; the Pitris, in the dark fort-

atoms ment,

sheds upon them; and, through their develop-

it

it

in

men, animals, and insects; them by its radiance. §

sustains

same time place

the cool nectary: aqueous

vegetables, with

night;

at the

gratifying

phase, at the beginning of each

the sixteenth

fort-

night:

^^^^ % ir^T^^ ^^5^t irf^pr: The Vayul and Matsya*" add a

•

identifying

them with the

^"^ft

i

!l

fourth class, the Kavyas;

cyclic years;

the

Saumyas and Agni-

shwattas, with the seasons; and the Barhishads, with the months.

*

".

Corrected from " Varhishadas

t See Vol. According

I.,

note

p. 156,

2.

to KuUiika on the Laws of the Mdnavas, III., 195, the Agnishwattas were sons ofMarichi; and they are so derived in the ^i'an-

vaih^a, 963, 954. I

Amritamaya.

^^^^^T^fW^: ift^T^THT^H:

II

The same words

found

are

in

the

ii

Liny a-purana

,

Prior Section,

LVI., 18.

^^n%^ g %

ift^T

:

f^flT:

^

11^

f^

The

^^rf^^Trm^f ^ t^^^T ff t — which is ungrammatical beyond

last line

even -is, perhaps, corrupt. tified **

May

%

:

II

II

ordinary Paurauik licence

not the Agnishwattas

have been iden-

with the fortnights?

The passage

Vdyu-furdna.

there

is

nearly the same as that just cited from

the

304

VISHNU PURANA.

The

Chandra (Budha or Mercomposed of the elementary substances air and fire,* and is drawn by eight bayf horses, of the speed of the wind. The vast car of Sukra (Venus) is drawn by earth-born horses,^ is equipped with a protecting fender and a floor, armed with arrows,* and decorated by a banner. The splendid car of Bhauma (Mars) is of gold, of an octagonal shape, drawn by eight horses, of a ruby red, sprung from fire. Bfihaspati (Jupiter), in a golden car drawn by eight palecoloured horses, travels from sign to sign in the period of a year; and the tardy-paced Sani§ (Saturn) moves slowdy along, in a car drawn by piebald] steeds. Eight black t horses draw the dusky chariot of Rahu,** and, cury)

chariot of the son of

is

once harnessed, are attached to

it

for ever.

Parvans (the nodes, or lunar and solar

'

The Vayu makes

ferent colour,

*

AccorclinjT

instead

of

On

eclipses),

the horses ten in number,

the

Rahu

each of a

dif-

ff

some

to

my

of

MSS., 'water and

fire',

^T^f^^eJJ,

cjlicjf^^^.

t Piianga. X

§ II

Rather, 'with a quiver', sopdsajiga.

Sanaischara, in the original.

Cabala.

The horses

in

question are additionally described as 'ether-

born', dkdia-saihhhava.

^ **

Bhringdbha,

^

in colour like the

Substituted for Swarbhanu, the

it^^ ffTfTf^

^^•r{\

black bee,'

name

in the Sanskrit.

^t^T^

=^

I

:

BOOK directs his course

CHAP.

305

XII.

from the sun to the moon, and back

moon

again from the

II.,

to the sun.^

The

eight horses*

of the chariot of Ketu are of the dusky redf colour of

smoke

or of the

lac,

of burning straw.

have thus described to you, Maitreya, the chariots of the nine planets, all which are fastened to Dhruva I

by aerial cords. The orbst of all the planets, asterisms, and stars are attached to Dhruva, and travel, accordingly, in their

by

proper

theu' respective

stars, so

many

being kept in their places

orbits,

bands of

air. §

As many

as are the

are the chains of air that secure

them

Dhruva; and, as they turn round, they cause the pole-star also to revolve. In the same manner as the to

oil-man himself, going round, causes the spindle to re-

by cords which are circling round a (whirling) centre. The air which is called Pravaha is so termed because

volve, so the planets travel round, suspended

of

air,

11

The Matsya, Linga, and Vayu add

•

Rashadow of the

the circumstance of

hu's taking up, on these occasions, the circular

earth

'swift as wind', vdta-ramhas.

*

Supply the epithet

t

"Dusky red"

\

So the commentaries explain the word dhishnya

in this place.

themselves going round, cause the wheel of the go round, so the heavenly bodies go round, everywhere urged

'As oil-expressers oil-mill to

to render aruiia.

is

,

on by the wind.'

^ Such

is

Linga-purdtia

the reading

of the Matsya-purd/ia,

Prior Section, LVII,,

12— is

with which

nearly identical.

that of the

VISHNU PUHANA.

306

bears along the planets, which turn round, like a

it

disc of

fire,

The

driven by the aerial wheel.

celestial porpoise,

has been mentioned

more

parts in

the view of

:

which Dhruva

in

but you shall hear as

detail;

it

^

it

fixed,

is

constituent

its

For

of great efficacy.*

is

whatever

at night expiates

sin

has been

committed during the day; and those who behold live as

many

years as there are stars in

it

in the sky,

it,

or even more. Uttanapada is to be considered as its upper jaw; Sacrifice, as its lower. Dharma is situated on its brow;f Narayana, in its heart. The Aswins are its two fore feet; and Varuiia and Aryaman,+ its two

hinder legs. §

Saiiivatsara

organ of excretion.

its

Dhruva,

in succession, are

stars in this constellation

The

'

different

bands of

Kurma and Linga enumerate form *

this function,

The

sexual organ

placed in

never

which four

its tail;

Dhruva

are,

according

of the Pravaha wind.

But the

seven principal winds which per-

of which the Pravaha

is

one.

four last are, therefore, stars in the circle of perpetual

apparition.

One

have a verbal

of these

is

in

Kasyapa we

The Sisumara,

or porpoise,

the pole-star;

affinity to Cassiopeia.

and

rather a singular symbol for the celestial sphere; but

is

more preposterous than many of

•

In

my MSS.

there

is

t Murdhan, 'head'. * Corrected from "Aryamat".

II

Apdna.

it is

not

the constellations of classical

nothing answering to the words " as

great efficacy",

§ Sakthi.

Mitra,

;

set.^

air attached to

the commentator, varieties

to

its

is

Agni, Mahendra, Kasyapa, and

||

it

is

of

BOOK

CHAP.

307

XII.

have now des-cribed to you the disposition of the

I

fiction.

The component

in the

Bhagavata,* whence

v., XXIII.

*

II.,

In

parts of

are

it

much more

fully detailed

has been translated by Sir William

it

preference

Sir William

to

Jones's translation,

I

transcribe that of Burnouf:

"^uka la

dit:

Treize cent mille Yodjanas au dela est

demeure supreme de

fils

d'Uttanapada, honore par Agni, Indra, tous pour

associes

le lieu

qu'on nomine

Vichiiu, ou le grand serviteur de Bhagavat, Dhruva,

une dnree

pareille

le

et

Pradjapati Kayyapa et Dharma,

marchant autour de

lui

avec

respect en le laissant a leur droite, reside encore aujourd'hui, pour tout le

temps du Kalpa, terme de son existence; sa grandeur a ete decrite

dans ce poeme.

"Place par troupes des

Temps sible,

le

Seigneur comnie

astres,

divin dont

il

poteau

I'aire

poteau

autour duquel les

solide,

ne se ferme jamais et dont

I'oeil

resplendit eternellement;

de

le

planetes et Nakchatras, tournent

auquel

ils

comme

la

entrainees par le

course est insen-

marchant autour du astres parcourent, chacun

les boeufs

sont attaches, les

suivant leur position, les degres du cercle [celeste], pendant I'espace de

temps que forment

les

trois divisions

"C'est ainsi que

les

troupes

du jour.

des astres,

planetes et autres,

attachees

par un lien interieur et exterieur au cercle du Temps, tournent jusqu'a

du Kalpa, poussees par le vent, autour de Dhruva auquel elles De meme que les nuages et les oiseaux se meuvent dans le ciel, ceux-la par Taction du vent, ceux-ci sous la direction de leurs ojuvres, ainsi les astres, soutenus par I'union de la Nature et de la tin

sont suspendues.

I'Esprit, et suivant la voie tracee par leurs ceuvres,

ne tombent pas sur

la terre.

"Quelques-uns decrivent cette armee des astres sous la figure de Qi9umara (la Tortue), symbole sous lequel on se represente par la meditation du Yoga le bienheureux Vasudeva. " A I'extremite de la queue de cet animal, dont la tete se dirige vers le le

sud et dont le corps est courbe en forme d'anneau, est place Dhruva; long de sa queue sont le Pradjapati, Agni, Indra, Dharma, et a la

racine,

cote

Dhatri et Yidhatfi;

droit de son corps,

sur

ses

reins

ainsi courbe vers

sont les sept Richis. le sud,

on place

les

Sur

le

Nakcha-

tras qui se trouvent sur la route septentrionale [du soleil], et sur le cote

gauche, ceux de la route meridionale; de sorte que Tortue, dont

le

les

deux cotes dela

corps a la forme d'un anneau, sont composes d'un nombre

20*

f

308

VISHNC I'URANA.

and of the stars;* of the insular zones, with their

eartli

oceans and mountains, their Varshas (or regions), Jones.

Asiatic Researches, Vol.

The Bhaga-

pp. 402, 403.

II.,

however, mystifies the description, and says

vata,

more than

nothing

the Dhararia or symbol by which Vishnu, identified

with the starry firmament,

The account

meditation.

is

to

be impressed upon the mind, in

of the planetary system

is,

as

usual,

Vayu, with which the Linga und Matsya nearly

the

fullest in

it is

egal de parties; sur son dos est Adjavithi, et de son ventre sort le

Gange

celeste.

"Les Nakchatras Punarvasu droite,

a gauche;

I'autre

Van a

derriere,

Tun dans

et

Ardra

droite, I'autre

Puchya sont sur

et A(;lecha

ses

flancs,

I'un

a

sont sur les deux pieds de

a gauche; Abhidjit et Uttarachadha sont

narine droite, i'autre dans la gauche; (^ravana et Purvacha-

la

dha sont

I'un

Mula,

I'un

dans

I'oeil

droit,

dans

I'autre

Dhanichtha

gauche;

I'oeil

dans roreille droite, I'autre dans

Les huit Nakchatras du sud, en commencant par Magha, doivent etre places sur et

gauche;

les cotes de

de

et

meme

gauche.

la

Mriga^ircha et les sept autres constel-

du nord doivent etre placees dans le sens contraire, sur de droite; enfin Qatabhicha et Djyechfha sont sur I'epaule droite lations

celles et sur

I'epaule gauche.

"Agastya est dans la machoire superieure, Yama dans celle de desAngaraka dans la bouche, la planete a la marche lente dans I'anus, Bi'ihaspati sur le dessus du col, le soleil dans la poitrine, Narayana dans le coeur, la lune dans le Manas, Upanas dans le nombril, les deux A^vins dans les mamelles, Budha dans le souffle inspire et expire, Rahu (I'eclipse) sous,

dans

la

gorge,

les

totalite des etoiles

Ketus dans

(les

meteores) dans tous

les

membres,

et la

les polls.

"Que I'homme chaque lencieux, cette forme les Divinites,

monde

I'honore

jour, au Sandhya, contemplant, attentif et sidu bienheureux Vichnu, qui se compose de toutes

avec cette priere

:

des astres, qui est la marche du

Dieux, qui est Mahapurucha.' pellera trois

fois les trois

Celui

parties

qui

'

Adressons notre adoration au

Temps, qui

est le souverain des

honorera ainsi, ou qui se rap-

du Temps, qui embrasse

les constellations, les etoiles, qui est le plus eleve des

les planetes,

Dieux

et qui en-

leve les peches de ceux qui recitent ce Mantra, verra bien vite disparaitre les fautes qu'il aurait *

Jyotis,

'

pu commettre pendant ce temps,"

heavenly luminaries.'

I The original adds 'rivers', nadi.

BOOK

II.,

CHAP.

and their inhabitants. Their nature plained; but

may be

it

309

XII.

has, also,

been ex-

briefly recapitulated.

From the waters, which are the body of Vishnu, was produced the lotos-shaped earth, with its seas and The stars* are Vishnu; the w^orlds are mountains. Vishnu; forests, mountains, regions, f rivers, oceans, are Vishnu: he

that

is all

all

forms, but

is

is,

not a substance. +

therefore, mountains, oceans,

earth and the

rest,

When knowledge

is

not.

He, the

and

You must

is

conceive,

the diversities of

all

are the illusions of the apprehension. pure, real, universal, independent

is

exempt from

of works, and

that

all

knowledge, through which he

lord, is identical with

defect, then the varieties

of substance, w^hich are the fruit of the tree of desire,

cease to exist in matter. §

The Bhavishya

agree.

many

passages

is

common

For what

them and

to

our

less

substance?

They

nearly, also, the same. to

text.

Padma. Kurma, Brahma, Garuda, and Vamana, which enter into

is

all

contain

In the Agni,

descriptions occur

detail than the Vishnu,

and often use

its

Jyotis, as just above.

t Dis. +

Vastubhiita.

»TTf^ 'When, on universe

the

presents

and when,

^ ^^ ^^5t^:

perishing of itself

to

us

consequently, our

other defect, then, indeed,

of the tree of phantasy

as absolute,

knowledge

is

the distinctions

-are

II

emancipation-impeding works, the

and

in

its

whole

proper character,

freed from every illusional

and

between objects -the fruitage

seen in objects

no

longer.'

VISHNU PLRANA.

310

Where

is the thing that is devoid of beginning, middle, and end, of one uniform nature? How can reahty be predicated of that which is subject to change, and re-

assumes no more

its

ricated into a jar;

original character?

the jar

Earth

fab-

become

the halves are broken to pieces; the pieces dust;

is

divided into two halves;

is

the dust becomes atoms.

Say,

is this

reality,

though it be so understood by man, whose selfknowledge is impeded by his own acts ? Hence, Brahman, except discriminative knowledge, there is nothing, anywhere, or at any time, that is real. Such

knowledge

but one, although

is

it

appear manifold, as

by the various consequences of our own Knowledge, perfect, pure, free from pain, and acts. detaching the affections from all that causes affliction; knowledge, single and eternal — is the supreme Vasudiversified

deva, besides

whom

there

nothing.

is

The

truth has

been, thus, communicated to you by me; that knowledge

which is truth; from which all that differs is false. That information, however, which is of a temporal and worldly nature has, also, been imparted to you. The sacrifice,

the victim, the

fire,

the priests, the acid juice,

the gods, the desire for heaven, the path pursued by acts of devotion

and the rest, and the w^orlds that are have been displayed to you. In

then- consequences,

words, or passages found in other Purarias. of a similar system occur in the Vedas; is to

be found

in those

works

is

Many

intimations

but whether the whole

yet to be ascertained.

It

must

not be considered as a correct representation of the philosophical

astronomy of the Hindus, being mixed up with, and deformed by, mythological and symbolical

fiction.

BOOK

ir.,

CHAP.

311

XII.

that universe which I have described, he for ever mi-

grates who is subject to the influence of works; but he who knows Vasudeva to be eternal, immutable, and of one unchanging, universal form, may continue to per-

form them;^

'

as,

thereby, he enters into the deity.*

Only, however,

as far as they

are intended

to propitiate

Vishnu^ and not for any other purpose.

* Literally,

Vasudeva.

In the original of the last paragraph expressions of which Translator.

a different

view

of

this chapter,

may

there are

be taken from that

many of the

CHAPTER Legend of Bharata. an ascetic to

:

XIII.

Bharata abdicates his throne and becomes

cherishes a fawn

,

and becomes so much attached

as to neglect his devotions: he dies: his successive births:

it,

works

and

in the fields,

is

pressed, as a palankin-bearer, for

the Raja of Sauvira: rebuked for his

awkwardness:

his reply:

dialogue between him and the king.

Maitreya.

—Reverend

sir/

all

that I asked of

you

has been thoroughly explained; namely, the situation of the earth, oceans, mountains, rivers, and planetary

bodies;

Vishnu

the system of the three worlds, of which is

the stay.

The

great end of

life

has,

also,

been expounded by you, and the preeminence of holy

knowledge.*

It

now remains

mise you made, (some time

the story of king Bharata, and

you

that

since),

^

how

fulfil

the pro-

of relating to it

me

happened, that

a monarch like him, residing constantly at (the sacred place) Salagrama,

mind ever applied ^

and engaged in devotion, with his to Vasudeva, should have failed,

One copy addresses Parasara, Bhagavan

sarvabhutesa, 'Sacred

sovereign, lord of all creatures;' rather an unusual

The

sage, even though an inspired one.

title

for a

other two copies begin,

Sarhyag akhyatam, 'All has been thoroughly explained.' ^

See page

'And

106, supra.

the supreme object of

human

thought has been explained by thee,

just as divim knowledge, preeminently.'

The commentators twist 'divine knowledge, preeminently' into 'preeminent divine knowledge'. But this seems contrary to any natural interpretation of the text.

BOOK

II.,

CHAP.

313

XIII.

through the sanctity of the shrine, and the efficacy of his abstractions, to obtain final emancipation;

how

it

and what was that he was born again as a Brahman was done by the magnanimous Bharata in that capacity: all this it is fit that you inform me. The illustrious monarch of the earth Parasara. ;'^'

—

resided, Maitreya, for a considerable period, at Sala-

grama, his thoughts being wholly dedicated to god, and his conduct distinguished by kindness and every virtue, until

he had

effected, in the highest degree, the

mind.f

entire control over his

The Raja was ever Ma-

repeating the names Yajnesa, Achyuta, Govinda,

dhava, Ananta, Kesava, Ki-ishha, Vishnu, Hrishikesa:

nothing else did he

utter,

even

in his

dreams; nor upon

anything but those names, and their import, did he ever meditate. He accepted fuel, flowers, and holy grass, for the

worship of the

other religious

rites,

deity,

but performed no

being engrossed by disinterested,

abstract devotion.

On

one occasion, he went to theMahanadi,^ for the

The Mahanadi+

'

name

is

is,

properly, a river in Orissa:

applicable to any great stream; and

Salagrama Tirtha makes

it

probable that

its is

it

is

named amongst

t

It

may

§

the Tirthas in the Mahabharata: see p. 102, n.

^f^flir^Mll'Mg ^J%g ^jfWf cPC t;i^j eRTHT TT^W^Tf^ W^^ •

For the Mahanaihi, see Vide

p. 146,

Ammonite

supra.

my

is

be here noticed, that Salagrama

^^T^ *

the

intended for the

Ganciaki or Gaiidaka, § in which the Salagrama or

most abundantly found.

but

connexion with

seventh note at

I

II

p. 154, supra.

3.

VISHNU PURANA.

314

He

purpose of ablution.

bathed there, and performed

the ceremonies usual after bathing. Whilst thus occupied, there came to the same place a doe big with

young,

who had come

out of the forest to drink of the

Whilst quenching her

stream.

thirst,

there

was heard,

on a sudden, the loud and fearful roaring of a lion; on which the doe, being excessively alarmed, jumped out of the water upon the bank. great leap, her fawn

In consequence of this

was suddenly brought

forth,

and

and the king, seeing it carried away by the current, caught hold of the young animal, and saved it from being drowned. The injury received by the deer, by her violent exertion, proved fatal; and

fell

into the river;

she lay down, and died; which being observed by the royal ascetic, he took the fawn (in his arms), and returned, with

it,

to his hermitage.

There he fed

it

and

every day; and it throve and grew up under his care. It frolicked about the cell, and grazed upon the grass in its vicinity and, whenever it strayed to a

tended

it

;

and was alarmed at a wild beast, it ran back thither for safety. Every morning it sallied forth from home, and every evening returned to the thatched distance,

shelter of the leafy

bower of Bharata.

Whilst the deer was, thus, the inmate of his hermitage, the mind of the king was ever anxious about the animal,

now wandering away, and now

returning to

and he was unable to think of anything else.* He had relinquished his kingdom, his children, all his friends, and now indulged m selfish affection for a

his side;

BOOK fawn.

When

i[.,

CHAP.

xrir.

315

absent for a longer time than oi'dinary,

had been carried off by wolves, by a lion. "The earth," he would exclaim, "is embrowned by the impressions of its hoofs. What has become of the young deer, that was born for my delight? How happy I should be, and I felt his if he had returned from the thicket, budding antlers rubbing against my arm. These tufts of sacred grass, of which the heads have been nibbled he would fancy that

devoured by a

by

his

new

teeth,

Sama-veda."^*

it

tiger, or slain

look like pious lads chanting the

Thus the Muni meditated, whenever

the deer was long absent from him; and contemplated

him with a countenance animated with pleasure, as he stood by his side. His abstraction f was interrupted; the spirit of the king being engrossed by the fawn, even

though he had abandoned family, wealth, and dominion. The firmness of the prince's mind became unsteady, and wandered with the wanderings of the young deer. In the course of time, the king became subject to its influence. He died, watched by the deer, with tears in its eyes, like a son mourning for his father; and he himself, as he expired, cast his eyes upon the animal, and thought of nothing else, being wholly oc-

cupied with one idea.

'

The

mentator.

applicability of this simile It refers, possibly, to the

the religious students.

t Samddhi.

is

not explained by the com-

cropped or shaven heads of

816

VISHNU PUP ANA.

In consequence of this predominant feeling at such a season, he was born again, in the

Jambumarga

forest,

^

as a deer, with the faculty of recollecting his former

which recollection inspiring a distaste for the left his mother, and again repaired to (the

life;

world, he

holy place) Salagrama,

Subsisting, there,

upon

di-y

grass and leaves, he atoned for the acts which had led to his being born in such a condition; and, his death,

he was next born as a Brahman,

memory

upon

still

re-

born

in a pious

and eminent family of

He was ascetics, who

were

rigid observers of devotional rites.

Possessed of

taining the

of his prior existence.

true wisdom, and acquainted with the essence of all

all

sacred writings, he beheld soul as contradistinguished

from* matter self,

(Prakriti).

Imbued with knowledge

he beheld the gods and

ality,

the same.

all

other beings

did not happen to

It

him

to

of

as, in re-

undergo

investiture with the Brahmanical thread, nor to read

the Vedas with a spiritual preceptor, nor to perform

ceremonies, nor to study the scriptures, f Whenever spoken to, he replied incoherently, and in ungrammatical and unpolished speech, t

'

According to the Bhagavata, Jambumarga

mountain or Kalanjar

*

'

by

His person was un-

in

is

the Kalanjara

Bundelkhand.

Para, 'supreme over.'

Though he had received hia spiritual teacher',

investiture, he did not read the iruti

&c.

enounced

§

BOOK

II

,

and he was clad

clean;

317

CHAP. xur. dirty

in

gai'inents.

Saliva

dribbled from his mouth; and he was treated with con-

tempt by all the people. Regard for the consideration of the world is fatal to the success of devotion. The ascetic who is despised of men attains the end of his abstractions.

Let, therefore, a holy

man pursue

the

path of the righteous, without murmuring, and, though men contemn him, avoid association with mankind.* This, the counsel of Hiranyagarbha, ^ did the

Brahman

mind, and, hence, assumed the appearance of a crazy idiot, in the eyes of the world. His food was

call to

raw pulse, potherbs, wild fruit, and grains of corn. Whatever came in his way he ate, as part of a necessary but temporary infliction. -f Upon his father's death, he was set to work, in the fields, by his brothers

and

nephews, and fed, by them, with vile food; was firm and stout of make, and a simpleton

his

and, as he

Hiranyagarbha or Brahma

'

Yoga 2

doctrine,

is,

is

named, here, instead of the

sometimes, ascribed to him as

As a Kalasamyama (eRT^^'T), a

its

existence

:

author.

state of suffering or

lasting only for a season ;t or, in other words,

tification

is

which

mor-

bodily

the body being contemplated as a sore, for which food

the unguent; drink, the lotion; and dress, the bandage.

t

^^^[mtf^

^im^^H^ f^¥ rT^ very much he eats, to wile away the time.'

'Whatever he o\>ta\ns-and *

II

it is

my last note. Both the com^T^Jf^^WTR; a"f' the smaller commenalternative explanation, efjl'^lf^q*) T^TT 'without

For the meaning of ^T^"'£T^> see

mentaries define the term by tary proposes, as an

.

observance of proper times.' §

The

latter part of this note is firom the

commeataries.

— 3

1

VISHNU PURANA.

8

in (outward) act,

he was the slave of every one that

chose to employ him, receiving sustenance alone for his hire.^

The head-servant f of the king of Sauvira, looking upon him as an indolent, untaught Brahman, thought him a fit person to work without pay (and took him master's service, to assist in carrying the

into his

palankin).

The king, having ascended his litter, on one occawas proceeding to the hermitage of Kapila, on

sion,

the banks of the Ikshumati river, to

^

to consult the sage,

whom the virtues leading to liberation were known,—

what was most desirable in a w^orld abounding w^th care and sorrow. Amongst those who, by order of his head-servant, had been compelled gratuitously to carry the litter, was the Brahman, who had been equally pressed into this duty, and who, endowed with the only universal knowledge, and remembering his former existence, bore the burthen as the means of expiating the faults for which he was desirous to atone. his eyes

upon the pole, he went

the other bearers

moved wdth

alacrity;

feeling the litter carried unevenly,

bearers! Still it

A

this?

is

and the king, "Ho,

called out:

Keep equal pace together."

proceeded unsteadily; and the Raja again ex-

claimed:

'

What

Fixing

tardily along, whilst

"What

is

this?

How

river in the north of India.

f

Kshattri.

I

See

my

first

note in

p. 156,

+

supra.

irregularly are

you

BOOK going!"

When

this

II.,

CHAI\

319

xiir.

had repeatedly occurred, the pa-

lankin-bearers at last replied to the king:

man, who lags

in his

"How

pace."

is

"It

is

this

this?" said the

prince to the Brahman.

"Are yon weary? You have little way. Are you unable to bear fatigue? And yet you look robust." The Brahman answered and said: "It is not /who am robust; nor is it by me that your palankin is carried. / carried your burthen but a

am

not w^earied, prince; nor

The king

replied:

am

/incapable of fatigue."

"I clearly see that you are stout,

and that the palankin is borne by you; and the carriage of a burthen is wearisome to all persons." "First tell me," said the Brahman, "what it is of me that you have clearly seen;^ and then you may distinguish my properties as strong or w^eak.

The

assertion that

you

behold the palankin borne by me, or placed on me, is untrue. Listen, prince, to what I have to remark. The place of both the feet

ported by the

is

the ground; the legs are sup-

feet; the thighs rest

upon the

the belly reposes on the thighs; the chest

is

legs;

and

supported

by the belly; and the arms and shoulders are propped up by the chest: the palankin is borne upon the shoulders; and how can it be considered as my burthen? This body which is seated in the palankin is defined as Thou. Thence, what is, elsewhere, called This is, here, distinguished as I and Thou. I, and thou, and others. are constructed of the elements; and the elements, following the stream of qualities, assume a bodily shape; but qualities, such as goodness and the rest. '

That

or soul?"

is:

"What have you

discerned of me,

my

body,

life.

320

VISHNU PURANA.

upon

are dependent

and

acts;

accumulated

acts,

ignorance, influence the condition of

beings.

all

^

in

The

pure, imperishable soul, tranquil, void of qualities, pre-

eminent over nature or diminution, in

(Prakriti),

all

bodies.

is

one, without increase

But,

if it

be equally ex-

empt from increase or diminution, then with what propriety can you say to me, 'I see that thou art robust?' on the shoulders, and they on the feet, and the feet on the earth,

If the palankin rests

body, the body on the then

the nature of

sence or to be

cause,

its

undergone by me.

of the palankin

'

one

The is

is

condition

That which

The body

is

the substance

is

the substance of you, and me, and

— that

is,

the personal individuality

the consequence of his acts

animates him, which ^

much by you as by me.^* men is different, either in its esthen may it be said that fatigue is

the burthen borne as

is

When

is

common

;

— of

any

but the same living principle

to all living things.

not the individual; therefore,

it is

dividual, but the body, or, eventually, the earth,

not the in-

which bears the

burthen.

f^f^^ IJ^ -^^

7T^ ^TT:

^^^^^

fT^T^^^f^^: fljf^cptTefr ^ ^^^tr: t^r^^fWr^f^ ^ft^H^^fr ^

II

I

ii

'

Since this

litter,

which

rests

on the shoulders, nevertheless

legfs,

the burthen

same for me and

is

the

rests

on the

the hips, the thighs, and the belly, also, therefore

earth, the feet, the

burthen that comes from

the

litter

for thee. is

the

In the

same

to

same manner,

the

other beings, also,

and me; and not only this burthen, but likewise that which comes from mountains, trees, and houses, or even that which comes from besides thee

the earth.'

The Translator omitted

to English the second of these

two stanzas.

BOOK all

II.,

CHAr.

321

XIII.

others; being an aggregate of elements aggregated

by individaality."* Having thus spoken, the Brahman was silent, and went on bearing the palankin. But the king leaped out of it, and hastened to prostrate himself at his feet, saying: "Have compassion on me, Brahman, and cast aside the palankin and tell me who thoii art, thus disguised under the appearance of afool."f The Brahman answered and said: "Hear me. Raja. Who I am it is not possible to say arrival at any place is for the sake of fruition; and enjoyment of pleasure, or endurance ;

:

of pain,

the cause of the production of the body.

is

assumes a corporeal form,

living being

sults of virtue or vice.

creatures

The

virtue or vice.

is

the cause (of

my

A

to reap the re-

universal cause of all living •

Why,

therefore, inquire

being the person

The

appear)."

I

king said: "Undoubtedly, virtue and vice are the causes existent effects; and migration into several bodies

of

all

is

for the purpose

of receiving their consequences:

but, with respect to

what you have

not possible for you to matter which *

^5r^

^:

am

my MSS.

thou

—

^tt%^

art,

it is

are, that is a

desirous to hear explained.

^^T^T^: imrt:

How

i

II

here give this stanza, omitted in the translation:

(\^^ ^WcTT 'Who

asserted, that

me who you

^^t^^^n^ ^^^^^f%fi:

^^cTt t All

I

tell

what

f^W^ Ji^^ is

thy

purpose,

^^T

II

and what

is

the

cause of

tliy

Sage, be told, by thee, to me, desirous to hear it.'' The two commentaries agree in explaining nimitta and kdrana by yra-

coming,

let all this,

yojana and II.

hetu.

21

VISHNU PURANA.

322

can it be impossible, Brahman, for any one to declare himself to be that which he is? There can be no detriment to one's-self from applying to it the word /."

The Brahman

said: "It is true that there

done to that which it,

of the

word

is

but the term

/;

The tongue

not self or soul.

aided by the

is

be the

error, of conceiving that to is

by the

one's-self,

is

no wrong

application, to

characteristic of

self (or soul)

articulates the

which

word

/,

the teeth, and the palate; and these

lips,

are the origin of the expression, as they are the causes

of the production of speech.

speech

is

If,

word

able to utter the

by these instruments, it

/,

is,

nevertheless,

improper to assert that speech itself is /. ^ The body of a man, characterized by hands, feet, and the like, is made up of various partSi To which of these can I properly apply the denomination /? is

monarch, then other: bodies,

it is,

Thou

I?

it

may be

when one

but,

Who

then, idle to say

art a king;

most excellent is

the

dispersed in

all

said that this

only soul

another being

If

from me,

specifically,

different,

is

is I,

are you?

this is a palankin;

bearers; these, the running footmen; this

Yet

it is

untrue that

all

is

perched upon a

a piece of wood, kin.

'

The That

not soul.

these are the is

thy retinue.

made Is

it

speech,

is

The

of timber de-

denominated

People do not say that the

tree,

nor that he

is

seated upon

when you have mounted your

vehicle

is,

sittest is

What, then?

either timber or a tree?

king

Who am

these are said to be thine.

palankin on which thou rived from a tree.

that

palan-

an assemblage of pieces of timber,

or any or

all

of the faculties or senses,

is

BOOK artificially

in

II.,

323

CHAP. XIIL

joined together. Judge, prince, for yourself,

what the palankin

differs,

really,

from the wood.

Again, contemplate the sticks of the umbrella in their

Where, then, is the umbrella? Apply and to me. A man, a woman,

separate state.

this reasoning to thee

^

a cow, a goat, a horse, an elephant, a bird, a tree, are

names assigned sequences of

Man^

nor a brute, nor a

is

tree:

mere varieties of The thing which, in the

called a king, the servant of a king, or

is

other appellation,

is

not a reality;

our imaginations: for what is

neither a god, nor a man,

these are

shape, the effects of acts.

world,

which are the con-

to various bodies,

acts.

is

it is

by any

the creature of

world that

there, in the

subject to vicissitude, that does not, in the course

of time, go

monarch

by

different

names?

Thou

art called the

of the world, the son of thy father, the

enemy

of thy foes, the husband of thy wife, the father of thy shall I denominate thee? How art Art thou the head, or the belly? Or are they thine? Art thou the feet? Or do they belong

What

children.

thou situated?

^

The aggregate limbs and

senses no

more

constitute the in-

dividual than the accidental combination of certain pieces of

makes

the fabric anything else than

machine

is,

matter.

more

still,

Again,

wood

timber, so the body the senses and limbs,

constitute the

man

is,

:

in like still,

manner

wood as the

mere elementary

considered separately, no

than each individual stick constitutes the

Whether separate or conjoined, therefore, the parts of the body are mere matter; and, as matter does not make up man,

umbrella.

they do not constitute an individual. "^

The

term, in this and the preceding clause,

is

Pun'is

used generically, there, specifically. 21*

;

here

VISHNU PURANA.

324 to thee?

Thou

from

thy members!

all

art,

king, distmct, in thy nature,

Now, then, rightly underwho I am, and how it is

standing the question, think

possible for me, after the truth identity of

of

my own

all),

to recognize

individuality

any

is

ascertained (of the

distinction, or to

by the expression

/."

speak

CHAPTER Dialogue continued. the end of life,

XIV.

Bharata expounds the nature of existence,

and the

identification of individual with uni-

versal spirit.

Parasara. profound

— Having

heard these remarks,

truth, the king

full

of

was highly pleased with the

Brahman, and respectfully thus addressed him: "What you have said is, no doubt, the truth; but, in listening to it, my mind is much disturbed. You have shown that to be discriminative wisdom which exists in all creatures, and which is the great principle that is distinct from plastic nature;* but the assertions— 'I do not bear the palankin', 'The palankin does not rest upon me', 'The body, by which the vehicle is conveyed, is different from me', 'The conditions of elementary beings are influenced by acts, through the influence of the qualities, and the qualities are the principles of action';— what sort of positions are these? Upon these doctrines entering into my ears, my mind, which is anxious to investigate the truth,

was

It

my

is

lost in perplexity.

purpose, illustrious sage, to have gone to

life, was the most desirable object; but, now that I have heard from you such words, my mind turns to you, to become acquainted with the great end of life. The Rishi Kapila is a portion of the mighty and universal Vishnu, who has come dowm upon earth to dissipate delusion; and, surely, it is he who, in kindness to me, has thus mani-

KapilaRishi, to inquire of him what, in this

•

(I

Plastic nature" here renders prakriii.

VISHNU PURANA.

326

fested himself to me, in

that

all

you have

thus suppliant, then, explain what things); for thou art an ocean

To me,

said.

the best (of

all

overflowing with the

The Brahman

waters of (divine) wisdom." the king: "You, again, ask

is

me what

is

replied to

the best of

all

what is the great end of life:^ but there are many things which are considered best, as well as those which are the great ends (or truths) of life. * To him who, by the worship of the gods, seeks for wealth,

things, not

prosperity, children, or dominion, each of these spectively, best.

Best

is

the

rite,

is,

re-

or sacrifice, that

is

rewarded with heavenly pleasures. Best is that which yields the best recompense, although it be not solicited. Self-contemplation, ever practised by devout ascetics, is,

to them, the best.

But best of all is the identification spirit. Hundreds and thou-

of soul with the supreme

sands of conditions

may be

called the best; but these

life. Hear what Wealth cannot be the true end of life; for may be relinquished through virtue, and its charac-

are not the great and true ends of

those are. it

teristic

'

property

You

(tf^jfr^)-

and

is

ask what

The

first

is

expenditure for the gratification of

is

Sreyas (%'?I^), not what is Paramartha literally, 'best', 'most excellent',

means,

here used to denote temporary and special objects,

sources of happiness, as wealth, posterity, power, &c. is

the one great object or end of

knowledge of the

life,

true

;

wisdom or

real and universal nature of soul.

or

the latter truth,

BOOK desire.*

If a

CHAP. XIV.

ir.,

son were

truth,

final

327

that

is,

to one, the great

of another.

for the son

end of life, becomes the father

Final or supreme truth, therefore, would

not exist in this world jects

would be

that

equally applicable to a different source;

;

these cases, those ob-

as, in all

which are so denominated are the

and, consequently, are not finite.

effects of causes,

If the acquisition of

sovereignty were designated by the character of being the great end of be,

all,

then

finite

and sometimes cease

ends would sometimes

to be.

the objects to be effected by

If

you suppose

sacrificial rites,

Sama

according to the rules of the Rik, Yajur, and

Vedas, be the great end of to say.

Any

effect

which

is

that

performed

attend to what

have produced through the cau-

life,

I

sality of earth partakes of the character of its origin,

and

consists, itself, of clay

so,

:

any act performed by

perishable agents, such as fuel, clarified butter, and

Kusa grass, must, The great end of

itself,

life

be of but temporary

(or truth)

wise, to be eternal: but

it

is

would be

transient,

accomplished through transitory things. gine that this great truth

is

efficacy.

by the were you ima-

considered,

If

if it

the performance of

gious acts, from which no recompense

is

sought,

reliit is

not so: for such acts are the means of obtaining liber-

The Sanskrit scholar is

not very

strict.

will perceive that the translation

Many

passages

been passed by, unannotated, in the

of these stanzas

somewhat similarly rendered have last fifty

pages of this volume.

VISHNU PURANA.

328

(the end,) not the means.

ation;

and truth

tation

on

preme

truth: but the object of this

self,

is

again,

Medi-

said to be for the sake of su-

is

is,

to establish dis-

and body); and the great truth of all is without distinctions. Union of self with supreme spirit is said to be the great end of all: but this is false; for one substance cannot become, substantially, another.^ Objects, then, which are considered most desirable are infinite. What the great end of all is, you shall, monarch, briefly learn from me. It is soulone (in all bodies), pervading, uniform, perfect, preeminent over nature (Prakriti), exempt from birth, growth, and decay, omnipresent, undecaying, made up of true knowledge,* independent, f and unconnected with unrealities, with name, species, t and the rest,§ in time present, past, or to come. The knowledge that this spirit, which is essentially one, is in one's own and

tinctions (between soul

'

But

this

is

to

be understood as applying to the doctrines

which distinguish between the

supreme

spirit

(Paramatman)

here argued, that the soul of tially,

same,

it is

,

is

man and supreme nonsense

great end of

life

soul

to

or truth

talk is

if

;

§

for, if

note, at the

and the

The

not to effect the union of two things,

know

that all is unity.

p.

320, supra.

Jati, 'genus.'

my

It is

they are distinct, essen-

rarajndnamaya.

See

and the

Yoga.

they are already one

+ Nirguna; rendered "void of qualities", at X

(Jivatnian)

of accomplishing their union.

or two parts of one thing, but to

*

spirit

absurd to talk of effecting a union between

they cannot combine; it

vital

the doctrine of the

end of the volume, on

p. 59,

1.

8.

BOOK in all

other bodies,

of one things.

who

II.,

329

CHAP. XIV.

the great end, or true wisdom,

is

know^s the unity and the true principles of

As one

diffusive air, passing

forations of a flute, scale (Shadja*

is

through the per-

distinguished as the notes of the

and the rest), so the nature of the great though its forms be manifold, arising

spirit is single,

from the consequences of

acts.

When

the difference

of the investing form, as that of god or the rest,

destroyed, then there

•

is

Corrected from "Sherga".

no distinction."

is

f

CHAPTER XV. The

Bharata relates the story of Ribliu and Nidagha. pupil of the former, becomes a prince, and

preceptor,

who

is

latter, the

visited

by

his

explains to him the principles of unity, and

departs.

Parasara

continued.

—

Havinci; terminated these re-

marks, the Brahman repeated to

tlie silent

and medi-

tating prince a tale ilhistrative of the doctrines of unity.

"Listen, prince", he proceeded, "to

what was formerly

uttered by Ribliu,* imparting holy knowledge to the

Brahman Nidagha. Ribhu was a son of the supreme Brahma, who, from his innate disposition, was of a holy character, and acquainted with true wisdom. Nidagha, the son of Pulastya, was his disciple; and to him Ribhu commimicated, willingly, perfect knowledge,

not doubting of his being fully confirmed in the doc-

he had been thus instructed. X "The residence of Pulastya was at Viranagara, a large handsome city on the banks of the Devika § river. trines of unity, w^hen

In a beautiful grove, adjoining to the stream, the pupil of Ribhu, Nidagha, conversant with devotional practices,

abode.

elapsed,

When

Ribhu went

a thousand divine

years had

to the city (of Pulastya), to visit

Standing at the doorway, at the end of

his disciple.

a sacrifice to the Viswadevas,! he was seen by his •

§ II

Some

of

my MSS.

have Bhrigu.

f Paramesht'hm.

Vide p. 144, supra, text and note 4; also p. 147, notes 2 and

Vaiswadeva

is

the original of

"a

sacrifice", Sac.

-J-.

— BOOK scholar,

who

II.,

;

331

CHAP. XV.

hastened to present hhn the usual

oifer-

and conducted him into the house hands and feet were washed, aud he

(or Arghya),

inp;

and,

when

his

was seated, Nidagha invited him, respectfully, to eat (when the following dialogue ensued) "Ribhu. 'Tell me, illustrious Brahman, what food :

there

is

in

your house; for

I

am

not fond of indifferent

viands.'

'There are cakes of meal,

''Nidagha.

rice,

barley,

and pulse, in the house. Partake, venerable sir, of whichever best pleases you.' "Ribhu. 'None of these do I like. Give me rice boiled with sugar,* wdieaten cakes, and milk with curds

and molasses.' "Nidagha. ever

is

most

'Ho! dame, be quick, and prepare whatdelicate

and sweet

in the house, to feed

our guest.'

"Having thus spoken, the wife of Nidagha,

in obe-

dience to her husband's commands, prepared sweet

and savoury food,f and set it before the Brahman; and Nidagha, having stood before him, until he had eaten of the meal wdiich he had desired, thus reverentially addressed him: "Nidagha. 'Have you eaten sufficiently, and with And has your mind repleasure, great Brahman? ceived contentment from your food? Where is your (present) residence ? Whither do you purpose going? And whence, holy sir, have you now come?' "Ribhu. 'A hungry man. Brahman, must needs be

—

*

To render

misht'atn

annam.

Vide

p.

t Also to represent misht'am annam.

218, supra, note I,

332

VISHNU PURANA.

satisfied, when he has finished his meal. Why should you inquire if my hunger has been appeased? When the earthy element is parched by fire, then hunger is

engendered; and thirst

is

produced,

when

the moisture

(of the body) has been absorbed (by internal or di-

Hunger and

gestive heat).

thirst are the functions*

must always be afforded

of the body; and satisfaction

me by

that

hunger

is

of

mind

by which they

no longer

are removed:

sensible, pleasure

are faculties of the intellect?

dition of the mind, then; for

manf

for,

when

and contentment

is

Ask

their con-

not affected by

them. For your three other questions, 'Where

I dwell,'

and 'Whence I come,' hear this reply: Man (the soul of man) goes everywhere, and penetrates everywhere, like the ether; and is it rational to inquire 'Whither

where it

am

I go,'

is,

or

whence or whither thou goest ?

going nor coming; nor

is

my

I neither

dwelling in any one

place; nor art thou thou; nor are others others; nor

am I I. If you wonder what reply I should make to your inquiry, Mdiy I made any distinction between sweetened and unsweetened food, you shall hear my explanation.

What is there

that

sweet, to one eating a meal?

is,

really, sweet, or

That which

is

not

sweet

is

no longer so, when it occasions the sense of repletion; and that which is not sweet becomes sweet, when a man (being very hungry) fancies that it is so. What food is there that, first, middle, and last, is equally grateful?

As

•

Dharina.

t Puihs.

is strengthened by body (supported) by

a house built of clay

fresh plaster, so

is

this earthly

BOOK

11.,

333

CHAP. XV.

earthly particles: and barley, wheat, pulse, butter, milk, curds, treacle, fruits, of)

and the

like are

oil,

(composed

atoms of earth. This, therefore, is to be understood that the mind which properly judges of what

by you; or

is,

is

identity,

not, sweet

and that

is

impressed with the notion of

this effect of identity tends to liber-

ation.'

"Having heard these words, conveying the substance of ultimate truth, Nidagha

and and

said: tell

fell at

'Show favour unto me,

me who

it

is

that,

for

the feet of his visitor, (illustrious)

my

Brahman;

good, has come

and by whose words the infatuation of my mind To this, Ribhu answered: 'I am Ribliu, your preceptor, come hither to communicate to you true wisdom; and, having declared to you what that

hither,

is dissipated.'

is,

I shall depart.

Know

this

whole universe to be the

one undivided nature of the supreme spirit, entitled Vasudeva.' Thus having spoken, and receiving the prostrate homage of Nidagha, rendered with fervent faith,

Ribhu went

his

way."

CHAPTER

XVI.

Ribhu returns to bis disciple, and perfects him in divine knowledge. The same recommended to the Raja, by Bharata, who, thereupon, obtains final liberation. Consequences of hearing this legend.

"Afteii the expiration of (another) thousand years,

Ribhu (again) repaired to the city where Nidagha dwelt, to instruct him further in true wisdom. When he arrived near the town, he beheld a prince entering into it, with a splendid retinue; and his pupil Nidagha, standing afar

off,

avoiding the

crowd;

his

throat

and bearing from the thicket Ribhu approached hhn, and, sa-

shrivelled with starvation,

and holy grass. him reverentially (as if he was a stranger), demanded why he was standing in such a retired spot. Nidagha replied: 'There is a great crowd of people attending the entrance of the king into the town; and

fuel

luting

I

am

staying here to avoid

Ribhu, — 'for

'Tell

it.'

me, excellent

that thou art Brahman,' said which is any other and king, the here, wise,— which is, man.' 'The king,' answered Nidagha, 'is he who is I

believe

seated on the fierce and stately elephant, vast as a mountain-peak; the others are his attendants.' 'You have shown me,' observed Ribhu, 'at one moment the

elephant and the king, without noticing any peculiar

by which they may be distinguished. Tell sir, is there any difference between them? For I am desirous to know which is, here, the elephant, which is the king.' 'The elephant,' answered

characteristic

me, venerable

Nidagha,

'is

underneath; the king

is

above him.

Who

BOOK

335

CHAP. xvr.

ir.,

not aware, Brahman, of the relation between that which bears and that which is borne?' To this Ribhu rejoined: 'Still, explain to me, according to what 1 know of it, this matter. What is it that is meant by the word underneath^ and what is it that is termed abovef As soon as he had uttered this, Nidagha jumped upon Ribhu, and said: 'Here is my answer to the is

question you have asked I am above, like the Raja; you are underneath, like the elephant. This example, Brahman, is intended for your information.' 'Very :

said Ribhu;

well,'

Raja,

and

I

am

'you,

it

seems, are, as

like the elephant.

me which of us two is "When Nidagha heard these

you

tell

at the feet of the stranger,

fell

thou art

my

so fully

is

of unity as that of

ceptor,

were, the

you^ which

is /.'

words, he immediately

and said: 'Of a surety,

The mind of imbued with the doctrines

my

instruction.

For

know

that

am your

pre-

teacher; and, hence,

To this, Ribhu by name Ribhu, who, he.'

attention he has received, has

him

it

come now, do

saintly* preceptor, Ribhu.

no other person thou art

But,

this

replied:

'I

I

pleased with the dutiful

come

to Nidagha, to give

purpose have

1

briefly in-

timated to you divine truth, the essence of which

is

Having thus spoken to Nidagha, the Brahman Ribhu went away, leaving his disciple profoundly impressed, by his instructions, with belief in unity. f He beheld all beings (thenceforth) as

the non-duality of

•

Bhagavat.

all.'

.

VISHNU PUR ANA.

336

the same with himself, and, perfect in holy knowledge,

obtained

final liberation.

"In like manner do thou,

duty

is,

self as

one with

the same sky

is,

so Soul, wdiich

which here all:

is

there

this

is

who knowest what consider your-

foe,

that exists in the world.*

all

Even

as

apparently, diversified as white or blue,

but one, appears, to erro-

in truth,

is,

neous vision, distinct

whom

king,

regarding equally friend or

things,

all

is

none other.

universe

is

That One, Achyuta (Vishnu), than He is I; he is thou; he is

in different persons.

Abandon

his form.

distinction."

Parasara resumed.

— The

king,

the error of

being thus

in-

and abandoned the notion of distinct existence; whilst the_ Brahman, who, through the recollection of his former lives, f had acquired perfect knowledge, obtained, now, exemption structed,

opened

from future

his eyes to truth,

Whoever

birth. +

narrates or listens § to

the lessons inculcated in the dialogue between Bharata

and the king has

his

mind enlightened, mistakes not

the nature of individuality, and, in the course of his migrations, becomes fitted for ultimate emancipation.^! '

This legend

Paurariik stem.

is

a good specimen of a sectarial graft upon a

It is, in

Puraiia; as, although rated, there, in a

it

a great measure, peculiar to the Vishnu occurs also in the Bhagavata,

much more

it is

nar-

concise manner, and in a strain that

looks like an abridgment of our text.

f

Jdti.

*

The

original

is

^^•JTq^lJjTTTI

§ Insert 'devoutly', hhaktiyukta. My MSS. have bhaktiyogya, 'qualified for quietism.' II

337

CORRIGENDA,

&c.

4 ah infra.^ The six iirmis arc, in Sanskrit, hfnidli, Irish/'id, soka, moha, jard, mrityu, as enuniorated in the commentaries. P. 9, notes, 1. 2. "The penance of the I'rachetasas and its consequences" See the Bhdgavata-purd/'ia, IV., XXIV., 13—15, and p. 4,

notes,

1.

,

p.

XXX., XXXI. 13, notes. 111.

For "Cf^'^'o read '^^TC.

P. 20, notes, I 13 ah infra. The Harivainm, si. 1861, is here referred to. P. 21, notes, I. 5 ah infra. On "Tarksha" see p. '28, note 2. p. 22, I. 6. See p. 269, text and note 1; also my supplementary note on p. 276. Has the affiliation of Nagavithi on Yami or Yami, as a daughter, any connexion, due to corrupted tradition, with the old notion that one of the stars of Nasjavithi, namely, Bharai'ii, has Yama for its presiding deity, being hence called Yamya? At an earlier period than that of the Puranas, the vithis, as we have seen, were accounted sons of Bhfigu. P. 23, 1. 3 ah infra. In later times the Ki'ittikas were six in number. See Colebrooke's Miscellaneous Essays, Vol. II., p. 331. At an earlier period, however, there were seven. They are called Amba, Dula, Nitatni, Abhrayanti, Meghayanti, Varshayanti, and Chupui'u'ka. See Mr. Cowell's edition of the Saiii/iitd of the Black Yajur-veda and Madhava Acharya's Commentary, Vol. II., p. 425. The commentator there enumerates them, anticipating on the passage of the text where they are named, IV., IV., 5, 1. Ahirbudhnya is the uncorrupted word. P. 24, notes, line 3 ah infra.

—

See Professor Wilson's Translation of the Rig-veda, Vol. 11., pp. 191 and 287. For rlT^^ read WT^'^P. 28, note *. The passage of the Rdmdya/ia about Krisaswa, &c. is in P. 29, note 2. the Bdla-kdnda, XXI., 14, 15, which, however, names Jaya and Suprabha. Only in the Bengal recension, Adi-kdnda, XXIV., 14, 15, do we read of Jaya and Vijaya. Delete a "the." P. 47, 1. 13. In the Veddnta-parihhdsltd the P. 59, 1. 8. "Without name or shape." following stanza is quoted anonymously:

^rf% ^TtTT fint

^ ^^

%(5tiit}^^w:

I

the conjoint real and unreal there are five particulars predicahlei delightsome, species, and name. The first three are appears, the essence of Brahma; the remaining two, the essence of illusion.' Compare the passage in p. 328, annotated in note §. For tho read the. P. 67, last line of text. The Kalakeyas are mentioned in the Mahdhhdrata, AdiP. 71, note tf. parvan, 162. On "Yatudhanas" see my annotations in P. 74, notes, I. 3 ah infra. p. 292. Read Suvritta. P. 81, I. 13 ah infra. P. 85, 1. 10. "Soma," &c. There is, here, a reference to the twofold character of Soma, as moon, and as moon-plant. See Dr. Muir, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, New Series, Vol. I., pp. 135—140.

'Of is,

II.

;'.s

22

CORRIGENDA,

00 8

For Saiikhapada read P. 86, 1. 5. particularly its end.

&c.

Sankhapad

;

and see note f in

p. 262,

The second note is wrongly numbered. P. 86. I subjoin, for illustration. P, 87, 1. 20. "Ilis third portion is time." translatinn— without his appended notes— of two interesting Muir's Dr. hymns from the Alliarva-veda; XIX., 53, and X,, 54: "1, Time carries [us] forward, a steed, with seven rays, a thousand On him intelligent sages mount: eyes, undecaying, full of fecundity. his wheels are all the worlds. "2. Thus Time moves on seven wheels; he has seven naves; immortality is his axle. He is at present all these worlds. Time hastens onward, the first god. "3. A full jar is contained in Time.

We

behold him existing in

They call him Time, in the highest heaven "4. It is he who drew forth the worlds, and encircled them. Being There is no other power superior the father, he became their son.

many

He

forms.

is

all

these worlds in the future.

to him.

Set in motion by "5. Time generated the sky and these earths Time, the past and the future subsi st sun burns; through "6. Time created the earth; by Time the Time all beings [exist] through Time the eye sees. "7. Mind, breath, name, are embraced in Time. All these creatures ;

when Time Time rigorous abstraction {tapas), in Time the highest in Time divine knowledge (brahma), is comprehended. Time is lord of all things, he who was the father of Prajapati. arrives.

rejoice,

"8.

In

(jyesht'hain)

,

That [universe] has been set in motion by him, produced by him, and is supported on him. Time, becoming divine energy {brahma), "9.

supports Paramesht'hin. "10. Time produced creatures; Prajapati.

The

self-born

Time,

in the beginning, [formed]

Kasyapa sprang from Time; and from Time

[sprang] rigorous abstraction (tapas).''' "1. From Time the waters were produced, together with divine knowledge {brahma), tapas, and the regions. Through Time the sun rises, and again sets. "2. Through Time the wind blows [lit., purifies]; through Time the earth is vast. The great sky is embraced in Time. "3. Through Time the hymn (mantra) formerly produced both the

From Time sprang the Rik verses. The Yajus was produced from Time. "4. Through Time they created the sacrifice, an imperishable porOn Time the Gandharvas and Apsarases, on Time tion for the gods. past and the future.

the worlds, are supported.

Through Time this Angiras and Atharvan rule over the 6. Having, through divine knowledge (hrahma), conquered both world, and the highest world, and the holy worlds, and the holy this ordinances (vidhriti/i), yea, all worlds. Time moves onward, as the supreme god." Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, New Series, Vol. L, pp. 380, 381. See, further, on the identity of Vishnu with Time, Professor Wilson's "5,

sky.

Translation of the Rig-veda, Vol. note c. P. 91, notes,

1.

1.

Read f^^T^TT-

II.,

Introduction, p.

viii.,

and

p. 97,

COllRICiENDA,

339

ifec.

To write, as in the Vedas, Vasisht'ha is, alone, etyP. D3, last line. mologically correct; the wonl heiiig the superlative oi vasii. But the form Vasisht'ha, so common in Bengal and Central India manuscripts of post-vaidik compositions, is sanctioned by a paranomasia in the Raghuvanda,

II.,

70.

"Time," &c. See my snpplementary note on p. 87, I. 20. P. 95, 1. 5. For daitya read dayita. P. 100, note *. P. 102, 11. 3 and 13. Read Hirauwat. P. 112, note, 1. 1. -Rmtf Apsarases. L. 10. iJear/ Jwalana awZ Amhupa, For the Uttarakurns, dwellers beyond the Himalaya, see P. 115, I. 3. the Aitareya-lirdhmana, as quoted in Colebrooke's MiscelkuKous Essays, Vol. I., p. 38. Also see Original Sanskrit Texts, Parts I and II., passim. P. 117,

1.

2.

P. 119, notes, P. 120,

note

For Asitoda read Asitoda. Read ^fZ^TT**1. 12. For the Vankshu, see the Mahdbhdrata, Anusdsana-

f.

parvan, 7648. P. 121, notes, P, 123, notes,

1. 1.

Read Gandaki. 9 ah infra. For Hariisa and Gandhamadana read Ilamsa 1.

and

Gandhamadana. P. 125,

I.

5.

For Hayasiras read

Haya.siras

ah infra. "Adisathrus," &c. "In India intra Gangem, 1. 11 Ptolemy mentions many mountains the names of which can with difliculty be supplied with their modern representatives: as the Orudii M., in the S extremity of the land between the Tyndis and the Chathe Adisathrus M.; the berus; the Uxentus M., to the N. of them

P. 128, notes,

;

Bittigo M. ([>robably the range now known as the Ghats), and the M. Yindius (umjuestionably the present Vindhya), which extends N. E. and S. W., along the N. bank of the Nerhudda; M. Sardonix (probably the present Sautpura); and M. Apocopa (perhaps the present Ara-

velUy Dr William Smith's Dictionary Vol.

II.,

of Greek

and Roman Geography,

p. 4G.

P. 129, notes,

1.

10.

For Avatrana read Avartana.

of some For a translation, by Professor Wilson 1. 3. curious passages from the Mahdbhdrata, Karna-parvan, XLIV., XLV.,

P. 130, notes,

,

characterizing various nations, as the Jartikas, Bahikas, Arat't'as, Madras, Kha.sas, Madrakas, and Yavanas, which last are said— .s7. 2107— to be "wise and preeminently brave", see the Asiatic Researches, Y'ol. XV., pp. 108, 109. The Yavanas are among the nations produced, from various parts The of her body, by the cow of plenty, Kamadhenu, for Vi.«wamitra.

other nations were the Pahlavas, Sakas. Kambojas, Haritas, and KiRdnidyana, Bdla-kdiiHa, LIV., LV. ratakas. For Charmanwati and Sipra read Charmanwati P. 131, notes, 1. 13.

and

Sipra.

The Vedasmriti is named in the Mahdhhdrata, Aniisdsana-parvan, 7651, after the Hiranwati, Yitasta, and Plakshavati, and before the Vedavati, Malava, and A.'^wavati The Pauraiiik passage quoted in the Niti-mayukha and Furta-kainaIdkara, to which I have so often referred, is reproduced in part in the Rdjydhhisheka-paddhati, likewise, which credits it to the Vasishtha-

P. 131, note ^.

sainhitd.

P. 132, notes,

1.

11.

For Rishika read

Rishika.

22*

CORKIGENDA,

340

&c'.

P. 134, note f. Lake Manasasarovara lies Also, the Asiatic Researchex, Vol. XII. tures, of the Hunus.

Undes or Hiindes. See read, in the Parsee scrip-

in

we

On Sakala see M. V. de Saint-M;irtin's Me11. 4 and 7. At p. 79, i/nd., foot-note, Sakala 80. moire Analytique, &c pp. 74 capital of the Bahikas. been the have to said is 1189 of the Snbhd-parvan that the It is in '
P. 135, notes,

—

,

P. 140,

1.

"Gandhamadana."

1.

Some MSS.

have,

— and

very

much

— Riksha vat. Gandhamadana — see p. 115, — is one of four mythical mountains, each of which is ten thousand yojanas (leagues) preferably, high. P. 141, notes,

Mount Suktimat

2.

1.

named

is

in

il.

1079 of the Sabhd-

parvan.

For P. 141, notes, 1. G. the Sone, see note +

Rdmdyana Sone

Mount Mekala- not Mainaka — as in

p.

151:

the source of The real note 4. know— from what mountain the

and see

does not state— so far as

I

p.

160,

originates.

This mountain is mentioned "Rishabha. " P. 141, notes, 1. 9. Bengal recension of the Rdindyat'ia, Kishkindhd-kdi'icla, XLl

in the ,

4.

In

Rdmdyana, the reading is Vrishabha. For a stream called Vrishabha, see p. 152. Read Balakrama. P. 142, notes, 1. 1. 0" the Bahuda see Colonel Wilford, Asiatic ^Researches, P. 142, note ftThe Bengal Rdmdyaiia, Kishkind/id-kdiida, Vol. XIV., p. 418, 419. XLI., 13, in a passage to which there is nothing correspondent in the true Rdmdyana, makes mention of the Bahuda, and also of the Vethe genuine

travati, deriving the latter from the Vindhya mountains. "Vetravati." See the last note. P. 143, line 1.

P. 143, notes,

1.

P. 143, notes,

1.

P. 144, notes,

10. 18.

11.

1.

For

W^^"

''^'('^^

^WT^*-

For ^X^-^V l'^l[l*' '""^ ^FTT^t^IT f^^*The referring- of the Vedasmiita to the Paripatra

range seems to be based on the probable assumption of the identity of this river with the Vedasmi'iti; for which see p. 130. Since writing this note, I find, that, according to General P. 147, note Cunningham, the Parvati, which flows not far from Narwar, is, at this day, called Para, also. See Journal As. Soc. Bengal, 1865, Part I., p. 116. The Pat'ala/ati is spoken of in the Mdlati-inddhava, p. 155. P. 148, 1. 5. .

P. 149,

1.

The Suvastu

5.

river

is

named

in

the

Rig-veda,

VIII.,

XIX., 37. P.

when a semivowel 151, line follows. Hence I changed his "Selu" to Salu. But it seems pretty clear, from good MSS., and on other grounds, that we have, here, no name of a river, but the particle khalu. 1.

Professor Wilson often writes

e for a,

For the river Tamasi, connected with the Sarayii, see P. 151, note 8. the Asiatic Researches, Vol. XIV., pp. 411, 412. My sus})icion of interpolation is strengthened by the P. 152, note f. fact that some MSS. have Brahmamedhya-not Brahmabodhya— just after Antrasiia. P. 153, note f. Erase vipdpd, which, very probably, is the name of a river.

See

P. 154, note

7.

p.

192, note I. of a large

The names

number

of rivers will be

found iu

CORRIGENDA,

P.

341

&c.

the Ihrivamsa, si. 9505—9518. And see M. Langlois's Translation, Vol. I., pp. 507—509. 158, note *. General Cunningham, and with apparent good reason, has lately shifted the site of Kansambi from the side of the Ganges to that of the Jumna. See Journal As. Soc. Beiuial, 186,'), Part I., pp. 223—234. In General

Cunningham's Report to which 1 here refer, Ilarshasynchronized with a certain king of Gnjerat, it is suggested that he is identifiable with the llarsha of the Batimvali, &c &c., precisely as if these things had not long been in print, in the Preface to the Vdsavadattd, and also— most of them— in the Journal to which General Cunningham contributes his Report Inasmuch as he is capable of taking akshayavat'a to signify " shadowless Banian tree", it is somewhat remarkable that, at variance with M. Julien, he should write Rajyavardhana. For supra read infra. 159, note f. See, on the Pulindas, the Etude sur la Geog. Grecque 159, note ff. et Latine de Vliide of M. V. de Saint-Martin, p. 247. For "Ramnagar, or Ahichhatra", — with some mention 161, note §. of Kampilya, — see General Cunningham's Report, Journal As. Soc. Bengal, 1865, Part 1., pp. 177—187. 165, note 3. Referring to this note, -in the Preface to Mr. Molesworth's Marat'hi Dictionary, p. xxiii.,-Dr. John Wilson, with his far too usual inaccuracy, says that "Muharatta [read Marahat't'a] is the Pali form of Ma/idrdsh&a, which, with the variant reading Mallardsht'ra, appears in several of the Puninas, as the Vishnu." Where does the Vishiiu-purdna mention Maharashtra? And what Purai'ia has the variant which he speaks of? Kerala is mentioned in p. 177. The country of Kerala 165, note 4 is said to be called Murala, also. See Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. VI., p. 527, note 13. 165, note 9. On Videha, Mithila, and Tirhoot, see M. V. de Saintvardhana

P. P. P.

P.

P.

P.

Martin's

is

Memoire Analytique,

&c.,

pp

116,

117.

P. 172, note 2. Since Professor Wilson found Ku.'^ajas and Kosalas, it is obvious to suggest that the true readings may, po.'^sibly, be Ku.«ajas and Ka.«ajas, unless the Ku.«ajas were so called from a person

named Kusa. 1. 1. Siirasenas in the north are spoken of in the Mahdh/idraia, Drona-parvan, si. 183. Also see p. 156, note 2. Madhumata looks as if it might be connected 1 2 and note *. with Madhumati. One river of this name is an affluent of the Sindhu See the Mdlati-inddhava, p. 145. in Central India. For "Kauravyas" good MSS. exhibit '^^T^ '' vocative P. 175, 1. 3.

P.

173,

P. 173,

>

case, denoting, here, Dhritarasht'ra.

P.

In the Revd-nidhdtmya we read of the rivers Barbara 176, note 8. and Barbari. They should seem to be derived from the name of a country, as Murala from Murala, &c. &c.

P. 177,

1.

2

and note

*.

The

^^^T

I

of

some MSS.

is,

at all events,

But who were the Saivas and Aindras? Sanskrit. Read Kokabakas. P. 179, note 4. *. P. 180, note M. V. de Saint Martin— i/e'/«o/re Analytique, &c., pp. 84, 85— thinks that the northern Malavas were intended by the classical Malli. Also see p. 165, supra, notes 3 and §.

342 P. 183, P.

COHRIGENDA, 1.

Read

2.

&c.

Siidras.

"Soma"

perhaps designates, in this place, not the moon, bnt the personified moon-plant. See note * in p. 195. 193,

1.

10.

P. 198, note

Read sp^^^XT^.

{j.

Instead

P. 206, note f.

P. 213, notes, P. 216, P. 222,

1.

1.

note

^=^1%:

may

be better,

For ominology read

all

my MSS.

I

find

translate,

be no impurity,

to

put

teratology.

Professor

but the right reading seems to be

we should

here,

both from \J and from ^JJ.

Kalasutra.

In

2.

it

being derivable

3 ab infra.

Read

2.

"mother"'

of

^T"^

"supportress";

Wilson's

•TT^T^-

»ni;n^ ^Tf«T;

ii»d

instead of "for its repetition", &c.: There can is praised for he is a means of purity.' '

when he

;

According to the Aitareya-/>rd/ima/ia, — as quoted by Dr. P. 225, 1, 15. Muir, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, New Series, Vol. I p. 310,— "the heavenly world is distant from hence a thousand days' journey on horseback." ,

P. 229, notes, Society,

1.

New

2.

For

Viraj, see Dr. Muir,

Series, Vol.

1.

3,

P. 233, notes,

1.

5 ab infra.

P. 236, notes,

11.

According to

p.

Journal of

354, note

Read Kasi Khanda. Read '^i^T^

P. 230, notes,

2,

I.,

5.

this,

is

Royal Asiatic

|

The larger commentary takes the sense

the

2.

XJ-^jf

=

'^TT^'l,-

"the cause-resort of the existent", &c.

Vibhdvari is the feminine of vibhdvan, as P. 240, notes, 1. 5 ab infra. pivari is the feminine of pivan, &c. &c. P. 241, note -j-. Dr. Muir translates, as follows, a curious relevant passage of the Aitareya-brdJiniana: "The Sun neither ever sets or rises. When people think he sets by day, he (only) turns himself round, after reaching the end of that (portion of time), and makes night below and day above. Then, when people think he rises out of night, he (only) turns himself round, after reaching the end of that (portion

makes day below and night above. In truth, he never The man who knows this, that the sun never sets, enjoys union and sameness of nature with him, and abides in the same sphere." Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, New Series, Vol. L, p. 310. of time), and sets.

P. 245, notes,

I.

8.

Read

^

''^^t^m^'*-

P. 249, note *. Compare Usha and Ushas with Apsara and Apsaras. P. 251, notes, 1. 12 ab infra. A comma has dropj)ed out after "Mahidhara."

P. 252, notes, P. 261,

1.

2.

1.

15.

Read ^^T-

For Anumati, see Goldstiicker's Dictionary, sub

voce.

P. 261, note *. Also see Professor Wilson's Translation of the Rig-veda, Vol. II., p. 289, where Gangii occurs instead of Kuhii. P. 266, notes, 1. 1. The verses there referred to have since come to light in the Vdyu-purd/ia, but in a part of the work where I little expected to find them. My MSS. agree, in their text of the passage,

very closely with the commentaries from which I have taken note * at p 265. P. 266, notes, 1, 2 ab infra. Such sandhi as is seen in ip^nft

it

in

^**

CORRIGENDA, is

but

unjustitiable, indeed;

the Purai'ias.

P. 268, notes,

1.

may

is

very

common

Another such specimen occurs

U. As

P. 271, note f.

it

taries touches ;;:.

on

MSS.

in the best

in p. 207,

Read W^'SHg; fTTT^ffC means not only 'what was'

notes,

of

1.

15.

is',

we

•

wf

translate: 'whetlier existent, with', &.c.

P. 271, note

343

&c.

l)ut

'what

Neither of the

commen-

this passage.

The words

f^^^

^^?;Trfft

;iiy

ii>

the Rig-veda,

I.,

XXII., 20: and it was thence that they were derived to the Vishniipurdna. Professor Wilson— in his Translation, Vol. I., p. 64— renders them "as the eye ranges over the sky." Dr. "Himx—Oritjinal Sanskrit The eye 'Texts, Part IV., p. 55— has "like an eye fixed in the sky." of, alike in the Rig-vedn and in the Vishiiu-purdna, is the sun. The tirst line of the passage here quoted from Devala, and the of that from Garga, are adduced, and as theirs, by Aparaditya, commenting on the Ydjnavalkya-smnti, III., 187. Place a semicolon after "Ki'ittika." P. 277, last line.

spoken

P. 276.

first

P. 281, notes,

1.

17.

Read ^R^T^f^T^TRTni'ft^TT^

•

Read "Medini-kosa". P. 286, notes, 1. 12 ab infra. For '' Limja-purdna" read "most of P. 287, notes, 1. 17 ab infra. MSS. of the Linga-purd/ia". P. 288, 11. 8, 10. For Tarkshya- or Tarksha - and Arisht'anemi, see p. 28,

my

note 2; also, Professor Wilson's Translation of the Rig-veda, p 229, note a. P. 288, note §, near the end. p. 23, 1. 5.

There

is,

also, a

Vol.

proper name Apa.

I.,

]'ide

Read Urja. P, 291, notes, 1. 3, ab infra. Strike out all the note but the reference at P. 295, 1. 9 and note •}-. its end. The text should be corrected to "Bi'ihat and Rathantara". For two passages of the Rig-veda,-\[., XLVl., 1, 2, and Vil., XXXII., 22, 23, - so denominated, as imported into the Sdma-veda, see the Aitareya-brdhmana, passim.

and

I.,

CLXIV.,

See, further, the Rig-veda,

I.,

LII., 9,

25.

For in read though in. P. 295, notes, 1. 8. Similarly, the car of the Nasatyas or Aswins has three P. 299, 1. 6. I, XXXIV., 9, &c. &c. Rig-veda, wheels. See the On the immortality of the gods, and the cause thereof, see P. 300, 1. 9. Dr. Muir, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, New Series, Vol. I., pp. 62, 63, and 135 P. 303,

XV.,

note

f.

— 140.

The Agnishwattas

are

mentioned

in the Rig-veda, X.,

11.

P. 313, note f.

For my

-R^«f^ the P. 313, note Xp. 142, note 3.

Berlin, printed by

read the Translator's. seventh.

Uuger Brothers

Also see, for the Mahanada

(C.

Uager), Printers

to the

King.

river,

DATE DUE

GAYLORD

#3523PI

Printed

in

USA

BL1135.P8A3 1864V.2 The Vishnu Puran a system of Hindu :

Princeton Theological Seminary-Speer Library

1

1012 00163 2357