434 Analysis of the Vishnu Purdna. [Oct. 



a degree of perplexity and inconsistency that are quite foreign to the 

 simplicity of the Vishnu Purdna, in which we may therefore conceive 

 the primitive notion is most faithfully represented. 



The churning of the ocean for the recovery of Sri and Amrita or 

 ambrosia, lost to the gods in consequence of the anger of Durvdsas with 

 Jndra,is narrated in the ninth chapter, but more concisely than usual. 

 The posterity of the Rishis by the daughters of Daksha follow, and 

 we have then a long episode relating to Dhruva, the second son of 

 Uttanapada, who, for his devotion to Vishnu, was elevated to the 

 dignity of the polar star. 



The descendants of Dhruva are traced in the 13th chapter to the 

 6th Menu Chakshusha, and from him by Uru, Anga, and Vena to 

 Prithu, from whom the earth was named Prithivi : the fourth descent 

 from Prithu, consisted of the ten Prachetasas, and their son was 

 Daksha the Prajdpati in a new birth : this is the father of the 60 

 daughters, of whom 27 were the constellations, the lunar mansions, or 

 wives of the moon, and thirteen the wives of Kasyapa, by whom the 

 gods and demons, men and animals, were produced. The remaining 

 chapters of this section contain the accounts in detail of the origin of 

 these races, from the daughters of Daksha married to Kasyapa. The 

 original refers these in the 21st chapter to the Swdrochisha Manwan- 

 tara, but this is irreconcilable with the descent of Daksha, as before 

 mentioned from Chakshusha Menu, and as again stated in the third 

 book. This section of the Purdna terminates with the division of the 

 universe under its respective regents, and praises of Vishnu as the 

 Supreme Being. 



The second book contains the usual account of the division of the 

 -earth into Dwipas, and the formation of the seven Pdtdlas, and Na- 

 raka, with the situation and course of the planets and the description 

 of their several cars : that of the sun is very fully and curiously detail- 

 ed: the last chapters give a legendary account of Bharata, the object 

 of which is to inculcate the supremacy of Vishnu, and the unreality 

 of worldly existence, agreeably to the doctrines of the Veddnta philo- 

 sophy. 



The third book of the Vishnu Purdna should have formed, agree- 

 ably to the systematic classification of the contents of a Purdna, its 

 fourth, treating of the reigns of the different Menus and their descen- 

 dants : the detail however is little more than a bare enumeration of 

 names, the appellation of the Menu, the Indra, or king of the gods, 

 the Ganas or classes of Devas, the seven Rishis, and the sons of the 

 Menu, and who are all distinct in each Manwantara. Those of the 



