NOTES TO THE CANNA INDICA. 



^oLTZnrZlS.7el'^J^^^^^^ r':^"'^'' '^f "^^^ ".<" -^ - -"-' "f ,he clearness of its water, which does not 

 performance of certain religious ceremonies. All parts "f he r " "',' 'T?f 'I ^"^ ''''''""='■ ""^'"S <=='«'™'' "-<=»=-7 >" ^e 

 so than others, to which places thousands rest a ert in sef ""^^ 7T '" '^' '"' '™'= P^"'™'" ''"'^ ^^ "-'»'"'•=<' "> b-= more 

 ^««,,«,V«., Vol. I. p. 239 *" ^'"'' '" '"■''" '° P''"^ 'hemselves. Fide Maurices Indian 



Thut vSS:-;:;!, o';2r' '''"""' "'= "^"'='' "-^^^^ -'- "-' ">^ ^°™" -ft™'-- ™- superior to the powers of the latter. 



"Now Fame, tremendous fiend! without delay. 

 Through Lybian cities took her rapid way; 

 Fame, the swift plague, that every moment grows. 

 And gains new strength and vigour as she goes. 

 First small with fear, she swells to wond'rous size. 

 And stalks on earth, and tow'rs above the skies; 

 Whom, in her wrath, to heav'n, the teeming earth 

 Produe'd the last of her gigantic birth; 

 A monster huge, and dreadful to the eye. 

 With rapid feet to run, or wings to fly. 

 Beneath her plumes the various fury bears 

 A thousand piercing eyes and list'ning ears; I 



And with a thousand mouths and babbling tongues appears. ) 

 Thund'ring by night through heav'n and earth she flies. 

 No golden slumbers seal her watchful eyes; 

 On tow'rs or battlements she sits by day. 

 And shakes whole realms with terror and dismay." 





" So counsell'd he, and both together went 

 Into the thickest wood; there soon they chose 

 The fig-tree; not that tree for fruit renown'd. 

 But such as at this day to Indians known. 

 In Malabar and Decan spreads her arms, 



, Branching so broad and long, that in the ground 

 The bended twigs take root, and daughters grow 

 About the mother tree, a pillar d shade, 

 High overarched, and echoing walks between; 

 There oft the Indian herdsman, shunning heat. 

 Shelters in cool, and tends his pasturing herds." 



Par. Lost, Book ix. 



J Be7i«re5' Zq/)[yfoit)er5.] Benares is one of the most ancient cities of Tndoc;fnn. n„^K -a 

 deitiesCthe fancies of themi„d,it once hoastedapagoda(orsacredtS^^^^^^^^ 



to the shore of the Ganges, into which stream, according to the account of Tavernier a recmlar flip-ht of Tt 7 ^ J , . " '''"'= 



from the gates of the pagoda. The body of this temple is^constructed in the form o avL ^rot !ltsve to the f """; ' '^^''"'S.''''-"^ ^°-" 

 cupola in the centre of the building, but somewhat pyramidal towards the summit and at ThT: , , "■ '"™*'' "'"^ ^ ™''>' '''S'' 



cross there is a tower, to which there is an ascent o^the outside, with ba co„r at' s'ted d stane "T. Z7 T'. "' ""' '°'" ""'' "^ *"= 

 river, and adjacent country. That execrable spirit of bigotry, ;hich actuated the mM of A ' "u "^ '"'«'"'"' "°"^ °^"^= "'y- "« 

 of the Hindoo fa.th to pollute this venerable fabric, and insull the relig on o B^L" ' ts moTtT !"""' '"^'/'""""''^ P"'^™'- 

 in the sanctuary the most wanton acts of atrocity, Ire levelled this venerable paldri th tl "?'™'f "■='"-/■ After having committed 



Mahommedan minarets, or mos,ues, the height o'f the former pagoda rhh'rForTter n hre,:lt°;:ut""''' °™ ''^ '"' ^'"= '"° '"''' 

 '■ at the distance of eight miles, strongly attracts the eye of the traveller who app achls Bel .J ^ '" conc.se account of this city, says, 

 which, from their elevated height, seem to look down with triumph and exultation on th full d pride and 7'' Z T "'' ''""'"' '"' 

 flourishing city and university." Fide Maurices Indian Antiquities, Vol. III. p. 32 ^ '^"^raded devotion of this once 



HINDOO THEOLOGY. 



§ To Brahma pours.} The subject is so extremely interesting, that of the great God himself M,„ , n. ^ ,. ■ 

 present, and omnipotent, that the reader will forgive our entering widelv here into the di,c, 7 7 ■' "' "^' o™"""™'. omni- 



in aU Nations the wise have worshipped o„e only supreme Go!, but the vulgar W« pfcr":; ;1^™.;!T '''"'""'■ '" "''" "> P^°™ ">"' 



The wisest among the Hindoos believe that there exists one sunrem^ n^^A u .u , "-^^''^"f^s. 



sented with four heads, as denoting omnipresence and orirdei: and ^e'is thTfafh^: of^BT'""' ''v ""' "^ ""'"''''■ "<= '' ^P- 

 god most probably alluding to the actions of creating, upholding, and annihilating, or changiL TWs Ifn'v'of the ""T^^ " '™^™" 

 almighty power, is represented in sculpture with three heads. The countenances of R» . „. ,, v ^ godhead, armed with 



of S.„. severe and vengeful. They occasionally, according to their ere dsepa'l.e into th ?""" "" ''''"' '"^ ™'""S^ '^"^ *^' 



following their tradition, nine several times, on earth, for tlt! sake of mauWnd ""' ' '""°°'' """ '^'^^^^^ ''='» ^PP»-<=d, 



In the Geeta, or holy book, there will be found this sublime address to Bhahme '< Thn n ■ u t> ■ 

 V..s»„, and ,SKEv., the prime Creator, the eternal God, the God of gods. Thou art incorrnp.ibl'e di^^et'frorall iTsZlnZZT:; 



H 



