CHRISTIAN RELIGION IN INDIA. 5^' 



it Romaca-iiagarc in the town of Rome, for he dwelt 

 among the Ml^cJihas in consequence of that curse ;" 

 Romaca-fiiri is the town of Pome hi the west. " Then,** 

 says Armia, " how came you to assume the counte- 

 nance of a Mlechlia in the west, in a land of unrigh- 

 teousness." " Buahma' cursed me," answered the 

 sun, " and said be thou borri in the west, in Romaca- 

 pura, and of the MlecJihas, wlio are ignorant of the 

 Vedasj of the Yajna, or o^ the proper mode of perform^ 

 fw^ sacrifices, Carma, rehgious rites and discipline; 

 who have rejected sarvadharma, all religious duties, 

 are duskta, inclined to evil, ndstica, heretics; and 

 who (the Romans) are a Yavana tribe, guilt}- of 

 every sort of uncleanliness. Thus, in that shape, I 

 taught them astronomy." 



This Mle'ch'ha'vata'ra, or superior incarnation^ 

 of the deity among foreign tribes, Ruma-df/s'a-pati 

 the lord of the country or empire of Roum, or Rome^ 

 (because his doctrine, institutes, andlaivspre'vail through 

 it;) Romaca-nagare, said to reside in Rome its meti'opo- 

 lis, (because he is renered and worshipped there with 

 unusual magnificence ;) ^SacesVara the lord of a sa- 

 cred period, (or as I think it should be understood, after 

 whom it is denominated,) is obviously Jesus Christ; 

 at least it appears so to me. From bis being aSaces'- 

 wara, the Hindus suppose him also to be a great as- 

 tronomer. In the Siirya-Siddhmita, he is repeatedly 

 called 'Sid-SuRYA'NSA, or the blessed Su'rva'nsa ; 

 lie is also styled Romaca-Avata'Ra, or simply 

 RoMACA. In consequence of this, 'Sa'liva'hana 

 is considered all over India as a great astronomer, or 

 as a prince remarkably fond of astronomy.f 



* Inferior incarnations are Henominated Avanfara. 

 t See also Mr. Gentil's Voyage, p. 214 and C38. 



