84 OF THE ORIGIN OF 



title is Brahma'ni'. Ma'heVwari' came riding 

 on a bull, and bearing trident, with a vast serpent for 

 a ring, and a crescent tor a gem. Cauma'ri' bearing 

 a lance in her hand, and riding on a peacock, being 

 jimbicd in the form of Ca'rtice'ya, came to make 

 wai on the children of Diti. The S'acti named 

 Vaishn'avi' also arrived, sitting on an eagle, and 

 bearing a conch, a discus, a club, a bow, and a 

 sword, in her several hands. The energy of Hart, 

 who assumed the unrivalled form of the holy boar, 

 likewise came there, assuming the body of Va'ra'hi'. 

 Na'rasinhi' too arrived there embodied in a form 

 precisely similar to that of NrTsinha, with an erect 

 mane, reaching to the host of stars. Aindri' came, 

 bearing the thunderboh in her hand, and riding on 

 the king of elephants, and in every respect like 1n- 

 DKA, with a hundred eyes. Lastly, came the dread- 

 ful energy named Chan dig a', who sprung from the 

 body of DeVi', horrible, howling like a hundred 

 shakals : she, surnamed, Apara'jita', the imcon- 

 quered goddess, thus addressed Is'a'na, whose 

 head is encircled with his dusky braided locks.* 



The story, which is too long for insertion in this 

 place, closes with these words : * Thus did the 

 wrathful host of Mains slay the demons.* 



In the Utlara Calpa of the same Puraria, the 



Mains are thus described^ * Cha'mun'd'a' standing 

 on a corpse, Va'ka'hi sitting on a bufialo, Aindri' 

 mounted on an elephant, Vaishn'avi' borne by an 

 eagle, Ma'he's'wari' riding on a bull, Cauma'ri' 

 conveyed by a peacock, Bra'hmi carried by a swan, 

 and Apara'jita' revered by the universe, are all 

 Mains endowed with every faculty.* 



It may be proper to notice, that Cha'mun'da 

 Charchica', and Chan'dica', are all forms 

 of IVrvati'. According to one legend. Cha'- 



