﻿THE INDIAN ZODIAC. 295 



* c is the kernel of the sringataca nut, the three' foot- 

 * c steps of Vishnu, a tabor, a circular jewel, a two-faced 

 " image, another couch, and a smaller sort of tabor ; 

 " such are the figures of Asvuini and the rest in the 

 ** circle of lunar constellations." 



The Hindu draughtsman has very ill represented 

 mod of the figures ; and he has transposed the two 

 Asharas as well as the two Bhadrapads ; but his figure 

 of Abhijit, which looks like our ace of hearts, has a 

 resemblance to the kernel of the trafia ; a curious 

 water-plant described in a separate essay. In another 

 Sanscrit book the figures of the same constellations are 

 thus varied : 



A horse's head. A straight tail. A couch. 



2"oni, or bbaga. Two stars S. to N. A winnowing fan-. 



A flame. Two, N. to S. Another. 



A waggon. A hand. An arrow. 



A eat's paw. A pearl. A tabor. 



One bright star. Red saffron. A circle of stars. 



A bow. A fefroon. A staff for burdens. 



A child's pencil. A snake. The beam of a balance. 



9. A dog's tail. 18. A boar's head. 27. A Fish. 



From twelve of the afterisms juft enumerated are 

 derived the names of .the twelve Indian months, in the 

 usual form of patronymics ; for the Pauranics, who 

 reduce all nature to a syftem of emblematical my- 

 thology, suppose a celestial nymph to preside over 

 each of the constellations, and feign that the God 

 Soma, or Lunus, having wedded twelve of them, be- 

 came the father of twelve Genii, or months, who are 

 named after their several mothers .5 but the Jyautish'h 



U s 



