﻿OF THE PEOPLE OF CEYLON. 403 



tiod, the meaninpj of the words asanke and mahahalpe 

 must be exphiincd. There are two ways of explain- 

 ing ?7M/?^AY///>e : tlie first supposes a cubic stone of 

 nine cubits on each side ; a goddess of great beauty 

 dressed in robes of the finest muslin, passes once in 

 every thousand years near this stone, at each time 

 the zephyr gently blowing the muslin on it, till iri 

 this wav it is worn down to the size of a srain of 

 mustard : tbe space of time necessary for this is 

 calbd antakalpe ; eighty autakatpes make one maha- 

 kalpe. According to tbe second way of explaining 

 the term, it is said that the earth increases seven yo~ 

 duns \vi own antakalpe; but a thousand years only 

 increase it the thickness of one finger, in the opinion 

 of the Boudhists. It then remains to be seen, how 

 many fingers there are in one yodun. The calcula- 

 tion is as follows : 



]2 fingers- • • -make- • * • 1 viet. 



'■I viets • • • • • • — 1 riene or cubit. 



7 rienes • • • * 1 jat6. 



20 jates 1 isbe. 



80 isbes 1 gaou^. 



4 gaoues • • 1 yodun. — About 



14 English miles. One yodun is, consequently, 

 ^07 50.00 fingers — 7 yoduns 7 5^26400 Jingers, which, 

 multiplied by 1000, the number of years makes 

 75264OOOOO, the amount of an antakalpe, which, 

 multiplied by 80, produces 602112000000 years, or 

 one mahakalpe. The first computation, involving in 

 it a calculation beyond the power of the human ima- 

 gination to reach, leaves us nothing to say on the 

 subject, except to express our total disbelief of it. 

 The second is at least intelligible, and, it will be seen, 

 bears a smaller proportion to 2iYi asanke, than a second 

 does to a thousand centuries. The asanke is a num- 

 ber explained in three verses by an ancient author; 

 these three verses are composed of the following 



D D 2 words. 



