﻿54 ON SINGHALA, OR CEYLON, 



name) '' is confidered in the Hindoo mythology as 

 " the fecond Son of Seva, and faid to have fprung 

 " from an affemblage of rays, emitted from his divine 

 " eyes ; when, though immaterial and immortal, for 

 '^ the purpofe of bleffing the heavenly hofts, he ap- 

 *' peared under a vifible or corporeal figure, on the 

 " iummitof his Paradife, and Silver Mountain, called 

 " Kylaufum. Seva was brought by angels to create 

 " this Son out of his divine rays, in confequence of 

 " their coulins, three AJ/boras, or giants, named Soo- 

 " rapadma, Tarahna, and Simiia Vaktra, having 

 " imprifoned a vaft number of angels in their cities, 

 " fituated in the midft of oceans. Thofe AJfooras had, 

 " by mortification and facrince, fo pleafed Seva with 

 " their faith and confidence in him, that they obtained 

 " unufual bleffings, and were invefted with the power 

 " of governing the 1008 Bramhauudas^'^ or Macro- 

 " cofms^ each containing an affemblage of 14 regions, 

 " celeflial and terrellrial. They vjere likewifc blefled 

 " with a wifhing chariot, called Indra yannarn^ by the 

 " extraordinary virtues of which, they were enabled 

 " to furvcy the univerfe in one day. In order then 

 " to dcflroy the above tyrannic giants, fprung forth 

 " rays from the luminous eyes of Seva, which ravs 

 " affumed a form of fix heads and twelve hands. 

 " ScANDA, or Scandu Comaura, fignifies a child 

 " bprn of rays, emitted, or fprung forth, from the 

 " Supreme Being." 



"He bears numerous names ; fuch as Soobram- 

 *' hanya, Gooha Coomaura, &c. &:c. owing to 

 " feveral miraculous offices performed by him. He, 

 *' by order of Seva, made an expedition againfl the 

 " cities of the ahovementioned great giants; and hav- 

 " ing warred fuccefsfully againil them,' extirpated the 

 " whole race. In a word, the tldcfl of the giarjts, hav- 

 " ing loft his monllrous figure, divided himfelf into 



" two 



* Bramhaunda means literally, the great ep;g, hut is fynonymons ta 

 viacrocqfm^ or great world or globe. 



