THE HINDU RELIGION". 67 



when the Moon was full in Critica. His arrows 

 and missile weapons represent his rays; the Apollo 

 of the Greeks had also his bow and quiver of arrows. 

 The worship of Ca'ktice'ya takes place on the last 

 day of Cartica, as preparatory to miUtary expedi- 

 tions, which ought to commence, according to 

 Menu, in the month Agrahciyana, the Sun being 

 more propitious at that period for such undertakings. 



The setting Sun seems followed by the host of 

 Heaven; but how can this be expressed in a single 

 hieroglyphical figure? It was done by giving him 

 a peacock for his Vcthan^ or vehicle, in wliich the 

 tail of this beautiful bird, studded with ^yes, and 

 expanded behind the God, pourtrays the 1 rmiment 

 spangled with stars. The Egyptians sometimes re- 

 presented tiie Sun in the character of a warrior, and 

 he is said to have been addressed as such in the 

 mysteries. But Ca'rtice'ya is not now considered 

 by the Hindus as the Sun : to account for this, I 

 suppose, that whenever any new sect arose amongst 

 the Hindus in former ages, the leaders invented 

 new symbols, exclusively peculiar to themselves, 

 with a view to render their separation from the 

 parent stock more complete, and to mark their 

 worship with distinguishing characters. Tins prac- 

 tice would give rise to various and different lepre- 

 sentations of the same object; and, in couise of 

 time, as the heat of religious animosities cooled, 

 these various symbols would come to be considered 

 as separate Divinities, and be all blended in one 

 mass of superstition. Thus the Sun, under tiie 

 name of CA'ancE'vA, becomes the god of war; 

 and, under the name of Crishna, the shepherd 

 god of MaChurd and Vrinddvana. The Sun is now 

 separately worshipped under tiie names of Surya 

 and A'ditya. 



Fp 



