1868.] On the History of the Burma Race. 9t 



is interpreted " tlie child that remained" after the others had been 

 killed. This son afterwards ascended the throne, and the remaining 

 kings of Pu-gan were descended from him. 



The Maha-Radza-Weng next proceeds with the subject of the re- 

 form of religion. The chapter which treats of this important event, 

 opens by describing the necessity which existed for reform, justifies 

 the movement, and gives a clear narrative of the means by which it 

 was effected. The chapter opens in the following words : — 



" In the reign of king A-nau-ra-hta, Tsau the city was called 

 Pii-ga-ra-ma. All his predecessors had received the doctrines of the 

 thirty great A-ris, and their sixty thousand disciples, who lived at a 

 place called Tha-ma-hti, and were firm in the profession of a wrong 

 faith. These A-ri Rahans set aside the doctrines of Buddha, and 

 established their own. They made a scripture to suit their own 

 desire, and persuaded the people to follow it. The law they preached 

 was such as ' Whosoever shall commit murder, he is freed from his sin 

 by repeating a prayer or invocation ; whosoever shall kill his parents, 

 by repeating a prayer, he is freed from the punishment due to the five 

 greatest sins,' and so on, teaching people falsehood and wrong, as if 

 they were truth and right. Moreover, when the sons and daughters 

 of the king, or of nobles, ministers, rich persons, or others, were about 

 to be married, the bride was always sent to those teachers on the nigt 

 before ; this was called presentation of the virgin flower. In the 

 morning when she came out from them, she was married. If a bride 

 was married without the virgin flower having been presented to the 

 teachers, heavy punishment had to be borne, for breaking a long 

 established custom. When king A-nau-ra-hta saw and heard of these 

 shameful doings, being filled with excellent virtue, and knowing that 

 the precepts of these teachers were false ; being uneasy in mind, and 

 feeling great alarm, he began to long for the true law. At that time 

 the lord A-ra-han, called also Dham-ma-da-thi, arrived at Pu-gan 

 from the country of Tha-htun, called likewise Dham-ma-wa-ti. The 

 history of the lord A-ra-han is as follows:— The holy Ra-han-das, 

 seeing that religion had not yet enlightened the countries of Thu-na- 

 pa-ranta and Tarn -pa-di-pa, went to Tha-gya Meng, and prevailed on 

 him to persuade one who would be able to establish religion there to 

 do so. Tha-gya Meng, having entreated one of the Nats in the Ta- 



