35° ON THE LITERATURE 



accefs to the fountains, we need not wafte our time in 

 tracing the rivulets. 



From the Vedas are immediately deduced the practical 

 arts of Chirurgery and Medicine, Miifick, and Dancing; 

 Archery, which comprifes the whole art of war; and 

 Architecture, under which the fyftem of Mechanical 

 Arts \s included. According to the Pandits, who in- 

 firu&ed Abulfazl, each of the four Scriptures gave rife 

 to one of the Upaveda's, or Sub-fcriptures, in the order 

 in which they have been mentioned ; but this exacl- 

 nefs of analogy feems to favour of refinement. 



Infinite advantage may be derived by Europeans from 

 the various Medical books in Sanjcrit, which contain 

 the names and descriptions of Indian plants and mine- 

 rals, with their ufes, difcovered by experience in cur- 

 ing di forders. There is a vaft* collection of them from 

 the Chcraca, which is confidered as a work of Siva, to 

 the Rdganirtipana and the Niddna, which are compara- 

 tively modern. A number of books, in profe and 

 verfe, have been written on Mnjick, with fpecimens of 

 Hindu airs in a very elegant notation; but the Silpa 

 idjha, or Body of Treatifes on Mechanical Arts^ is 

 believed to be lofU 



Next in order to thefe are the fix Veddnga's, three of 

 which belong to Grammar. One relates to religious 

 Ceremonies ; a fifth, to the whole compafs of Mathe- 

 maticks, in which the author of Lildwati was efteemed 

 the molt fkilful man of his time; and the fixth, to the 

 explanation of obfcure words or phrafes in the Vedas, 

 The grammatical work of Pdnini, a writer fuppofed to 

 have been infpired, is entitled Siddhdnta Caumudi, and 

 is fo abftrufe as to require the lucubrations of many 



years 



