60 ORIGIN AND DECLINE OF THE 



the western parts of India, he is constantly called Sa- 

 mudra-pa'la; because either he, or some of his dis- 

 ciples, came by sea ; and he is of course the sarac 

 with the MlecKhdvatdra, OY incarnation of the deity 

 among foreign tribes, mentioned in several astrono- 

 mical tracts; and he is mentioned, in that character, 

 in the section erroneously attributed to the Bhavi- 

 shya. There he is declared to be Ru'madeVa'dhi- 

 pati-'Sace'sVaua, the lord and master of the empire 

 of Rome ; and the author of the sacred period cur- 

 rent through that vast empire ; and which, accord- 

 ing to the appendix to the Agni-purdna, began to 

 prevail over that of Vicrama'ditya in the year 676 

 of our era. We have seen before, that he was born 

 for the purpose of removing misery from the world, 

 and to check the power of the demons ; and, at the 

 earnest intreaties of the subaltern deities on earth, 

 and all good men, who were groaning under their 

 tyranny, 'Siva comforted them, and assured them, 

 that after a certain time, he would be incarnated in 

 the character of Vi-Sama-'Sila, with the title of Tri- 

 Vicrama, or with the triple energy. 



The occasion of his being born, is declared also in 

 the Vrihdt-cafha. The gods, being vexed by the 

 wicked, went to Maha^-de va, and said, '* you and 

 Vishnu, have destroyed the Asuras or Demons, but 

 they are born again as JMlccIihas, who constantly 

 vex us and the Brdlunens. They will not allow 

 sacrifices to be performed, but destroy the imple- 

 ments and holy utensils : they even carry away the 

 daughters of the Altmis." Maha'-de'va promised 

 relief, and caused one of his forms, or emanations, 

 called Ma'lyava'na, to be incarnated, saying to 

 him, " go and destroy the wicked : all the world 



