ON MOUNT CAUCASUS. 513 



expected from their books ; after many entreaties, I 

 prevailed on him to consult the learned of that sect : 

 this he promised to do on condition that I would not 

 make a practice of it. He found the Bmiddhists 

 equally averse to such communication. To be short, 

 he produced at last a sino;ular book called the Biid- 

 ha-dhdrmacharya Sindliuh ; in which we found the 

 legends relating to Prometheus and the eagle, 

 with many other interesting particulars. I beg leave 

 here to retract what I said in a former essay on Egypt 

 concerning the followers of Budd'ha*. There are 

 many learned men among them, and they have 

 many valuable books : it appears also that they have 

 Vedas and Piirdnas of their own. A comparison of 

 them with those of the Brahmenical tribes would 

 prove very interesting, and of the greatest import- 

 ance. It would prove at first a very arduous under- 

 taking, as it would be very difficult to gain the con- 

 fidence of both parties. 



Garud'a or the Eagle^ called also Garutmat 

 or the ivingedy lived in his own Van or forest, called 

 from him Garutmat-van and Garutman-van. Bd- 

 miyan and the Mosaical Ed^n were situated in the 

 forest of Garutman: and it is remarkable, that 

 the Farsisy according to Anquetil du Perron, 

 call the abode of the supreme being and of the 

 blessed, Gorotman, which they represent as a ter- 

 restrial paradise. It is near Coracsha-xmn or Goruc- 

 ban, as it is pronounced in the vulgar dialects ; but 

 by Musulmans it is called Goor-ban and Goor-band. 

 There he flew over mountains, through forests, 

 searching whom he might devour, tearing up their 

 bodies, and devouring their entrails. For Vishni* 

 had given him this boon, saying, you may devour 

 my enemies, and those of Siva ; those w^ho are 

 guilty of constant uncleanness : the Nasticas, or un- 

 believers J those who deal in iniquity, the ungrate- 



* Asiatic Researches, vol. iii, p. 4.12. 



fuJ, 



