1875.] Earn Narayan — Translation of tlie Ayodltyd-Mdhdtmya. 131 



eldest son of Brahma, named Sayambhuva Manu, the protector of his 

 subjects, once went to his father's dwelling, and stepped up to him 

 with joined hands. Brahma, being pleased, benignly asked him : — " O son, 

 tell me quickly why you have come here." Manu replied, "You have 

 ordered me to create the world, please give me an agreeable place to live 

 in." 



Brahma took his son with him and went to Vaikuntha, the chief mansion 

 of Vishnu's paradise, which is a square, having four gates, one on each side, 

 and beautiful fortifications, and all the gods bow to it. Here fairies sing 

 harmoniously ; the Sama Veda, the best of the Vedas, is sung by the Gan- 

 dharvas ; and all the inhabitants are four-armed, wearing the finest and most 

 valuable ornaments. The door-keeper of the eastern gate is Chanda-Para- 

 chanda ; of the western, Jaya-Bijaya : of the southern, Bhadra-Subhadra ; and 

 of the northern, Dhata-Vidhata. In the middle of this place was a temple 

 of jewels, having a throne of the same material, on which was seated Bhaga- 

 van Vasudeva Vishnu. 



Brahma, having joined his hands, said with a sweet voice, " god of 

 gods, thou hast mercy upon thy devotees, and Manu is one of them j give 

 him, therefore, some land to live on." Vishnu, with much pleasure, bestowed 

 on him, in the centre of the earth, this wonderful and splendid Ayodhya. 

 Brahma then came to our mortal world with Manu, and Vishnu sent Va- 

 s'ishtha and Vis'vakarma with an order that the latter was to build a city as 

 the former might desire. The site was accordingly selected, but the ground 

 being found unfit for such a purpose, the Sudarsanachakra was formed, and 

 upon it the foundation was laid. Various kinds of shrines, palaces, roads, 

 markets, gardens decorated with jewels, trees bearing beautiful fruits and 

 flowers, birds of melodious voices, innumerable elephants, horses, chariots, 

 bullocks, cows, all sorts of virtuous men and women provided with every 

 thine-, were created. The Sarayii flows near it, and the ghats are made of 

 precious stones. Here the lotus and fragrant flowers are blossoming ; differ- 

 ent kinds of birds are singing in harmony ; gods, goddesses, and celestial 

 beings, are bathing ; and the most powerful, good, handsome, and well-versed- 

 in-knowledge, Surya-bansi rajas were born. To the west is the confluence 

 of the sacred Gharghara and Sarayii, the latter flowing from the west north- 

 wards and then to the east. The Ganges and the Sarayii are both called 

 ' Brahma-Svarupa' waters, where devotees and sages live, and all the capital 

 sins are washed away by bathing. Ayodhya is, therefore, suited to the medi- 

 tation of Vishnu, S'iva, and Brahma ; they all three keep it in their minds. 

 It is the first abode of Vishau : whoever remains there finds felicity. No one 

 can fully describe its greatness. From the Lakshmana-kunda, which has a 

 thousand streams, one yoyana (four miles) to the east and as far to the west, 



