THE ORIGIN OF MECCA, &c. ^gg 



pleasure and delight. He then began to reign over 

 Gods and men, with the strictest adherence to justice 

 and equity : his subjects were happy, and the women 

 beheld with extacy his noble and manly appearance. 

 With the view of doing good to mankind, he put 

 himself at the head of a powerful army, and conquer- 

 ed many distant countries, destroying the wicked, and 

 all oppressors. He had the happiness of his subjects 

 and of mankind in general so much at heart, that he 

 entirely neglected every other pursuit. His indiffer- 

 ence for the female sex alarmed his subjects : he en- 

 deavoured to please them ; but his embraces were 

 fruitless. This is termed Asc'halana in Sanscrit; and 

 the place where this happened was in consequence de- 

 nominated Asc'halansVhan. The Apsaras, or celes- 

 tial nymphs, tried in vain the effect of their charms. 

 At last Sami-Ra'ma' came to AschalansVhan> and 

 retiring into a solitary place in its vicinity, chanted 

 her own metamorphoses and those of Li'le'swara, 

 who happening to pass by, was so delighted with the 

 sweetness of her voice, that he went to her and en- 

 quired who she was. She related to him how they 

 went together into Utcoladesa in the characters of the 

 Capo'teswara and Capote'si: adding, you ap- 

 peared then as Mocshe'swa'ra, and I became 

 Anay'asa ; you are now Lilesi-ara, and I am S ami- 

 Rama > but I shall be soon Ulisvoau. Li'le'swara, 

 being under the influence of Ma'ya, or worldly il- 

 lusion, did not recollect any of these transactions; 

 but suspecting that the person he was speaking to 

 might be a manifestation of Pa'rvati, he thought 

 it adviseable to marry her; ^nd having obtained her 



consent, 



