THE JAINS. ^95 



the race of Turushca ; and they were followed by a 

 Bodlnsatwa, who wrested the empire from tbem by 

 th-e aid of S'acyasinha, and introduced the rehgion of 

 Budd'h A into Cdshmir. He reigned a hundred years ; 

 and the next sovereign was Abhimanya, who de- 

 stroyed the Baudd'has, and re-cstabhshed the doc- 

 trines of the Nilapurana. This account is so far 

 from proving the priority of the Bauddlias, that it 

 directly avers the contrary. 



From the legendary tales concerning the last 

 Budd'ha, current in all the countries, in which his 

 sect now flourishes * ; and upon the authority of a 

 life of Budd'ha in the Sanscrit lano-uao-c, under the 

 title oi Lalita purana, which was procured by Major 

 Knox, during his public mission in Nepal, it can be 

 affirmed, that the story of Gautama Budd'ha has 

 been engrafted on the heroic history of the lunar 

 and solar races, received by the orthodox Hindus: 

 an evident sign, that his sect is subsequent to that, 

 in which this fabulous history is original. 



The same remark is applicable to the Jainas, with 

 whom the legendary story of their saints also seems 

 to be engrafted on the Pauranic tales of the orthodox 

 sect. Sufficient indication of this will appear, in the 

 passages which will be subsequently cited from the 

 writings of the Jainas. 



Considerable weight might be allowed to an argu- 

 ment deduced from the ago:ravatcd extravajjance of 

 tlie fictions admitted by the sects of Jina and Bud- 

 d'ha. The mythology of the orthodox Hindus, their 

 present chronology adapted to astronomical periods, 

 their legendary tales, their mystical allegories, are 

 abundantly extravagant. But the Jainas and 



* Relalioa d'un vovage. Tachaud. Lalouhere, Rojaunie de Sianu 



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