S O M 



S O M 



tlrawn by a pied antelope, his head encircled by a filver 

 crefcent, and fometimes witli a rabbit on his banner. He is 

 commonly fcen four-handed, fometimes holding a lotos, a 

 club, a difcus, and (hell, the ufual attributes of VilTinu ; 

 though he feems in a greater degree connefted with Siva, 

 which fee. He is alfo frequently feen with Chandra's em- 

 blem, the antelope, in his hand, which emblem is called Safin. 

 (See Sasin.) A crelcent on his forehead, and on the fore- 

 heads of his confort and offspring, is alfo a Sivean family 

 diftinftion. The idea of a male and female moon has given 

 birth to many poetical fancies and allegories. Ifa and Ifi, 

 under their names of Chandra and Chandri, undergo fevcral 

 fexual and other metamorphofes. Chandra, or Deus Lunus, 

 is the moon when in oppofition to the fun ; and Chandri, or 

 Dea Luna, when in conjunftion. 



In the fol-lunar legends of the Hindoos, the fun is, as 

 we have (hewn, fometimes male, fometimes female ; and both 

 wife and hulb^nd of Lunus and Luna, under their feveral 

 names of Siirya, Savitri, Chandra and Chandri. 



Chandri, who concealing herfelf in Somagiri, or the moun- 

 tain of the moon, was there vifited by Surya, the fun ; from 

 which conjunftion arofe a numerous family called Pulinda. 

 See Ila and Rohini. 



The Hindoos have a fable that the moon is a vafe of nec- 

 tar, and draw many pleafmg figures from this poetical 

 fource : hence nectar-beaming is an epithet or name of Soma. 

 (See Sasik. ) Other names or titles of Soma are Himanfu, 

 ..Jndu, Saganka, Safanka, and Snlhumna. A fimilar idea 

 of deriving ambrofia, or infpiration from the moon, is trace- 

 able in the poetics of Greece. The Hindoos call this im- 

 mortal beverage Umrita; which fee. 



Images of Chandra are not often feen. He has been 

 noticed among the fculptures in the cavern temple on Ele- 

 phanta, and pictures ot him are not rare. He is reprefented 

 young and handfome ; and it is very common for poets, both 

 Hindoo and Mahometan, to compare their miltreifes to the 

 full moon ; this is perhaps common to almoil all nations. 



In Hindoo hiftories and theogonies, mention is made of 

 numerous races, offspring of the fun and moon, and (eve- 

 rally called Suryavanfa and Chandra-vanfa. (SeeSuRYA- 

 VANSA.) It is common in works of antiquity to fee it 

 noticed whether the heroes be of the fular or lunar race, but 

 fuch diltinftions are little regarded in modern times. Aulle- 

 rities are common to Hindoo devotees, in expiation of of- 

 fences, or as fecurity from evil. (SeeTAPAs. ) One fpccies 

 of it is named Chandrayana, or the lunar penance. It con- 

 fills in the finncr or devotee " eating for a whole month no 

 more than thrice eighty mouthfuls of wild grains, as he 

 happen to meet with them, keeping his organs in fubjcc- 

 tion." The reward, according to Menu, is attaining the 

 fame abode as the regent of the moon ; and it ablolves a 

 Brahman from the fin of flaughtering a thoufand fmall 

 animals which have bones, or of bonelefs animals as many 

 as will fill a cart : and it is alfo the expiation for killing a 

 Sudra, an individual of the fourth or fervile clafs. See 



SUDRA. 



SOMADEVA, a name of the Hindoo regent of the 

 moon, who is called alfo Chandra, Soma, and by feveral 

 other names. (See the preceding article.) It is likewife 

 the poetical appellation of a celebrated Indian writer, men- 

 tion of whom is briefly made under the article Triveni. 



SOMAINPOUR, in Geography, a town of Hindoo- 

 ftan, in the circar of Gohud ; 25 miles S.E. of Calpy. 



SOMAISSON, a town of Hindooftan, in Myfore ; 22 

 miles W. of Bangalore. 



SOMALATA, in Botany, ii the Sanfcrit name of the 

 afclepias acida, or cynanchum viminale, of our fyftems; a 

 12 



vegetable highly venerated by the Hindoos. The name 

 means morn-plant : it is facred to Soma, or the moon, 

 and is of lucfi profound and myllerious allufion, that none 

 but Brahma.K mav prefume to tatle its juice. It is gathered, 

 exprefled, and drank, with many fuperllitious ceremonies; 

 and allufions to it are frequent in the writings of the Hin- 

 doos, who are faid to confider it as typical of the umrila or 

 ambrofia, obtained in fo poetical a manner by the gods, and 

 quaffed by th'.i' as the beverage tf immortality. (See 

 Umrita) " O thou who quaff the invigorating juice of 

 the fomalata," is an invocation to Brahmans, met with in 

 Sanfcrit books ; a farther examination of which would per- 

 haps lead to a furniife, if not to a conclufion, that the myf- 

 teries connefted with this holy vegetable in India are nearly 

 fimilar to thofe related of our druids with their myllcrious 

 millletoe. It is noticed under the article Soma, that the 

 Hindoos believe the moon to have great influence on vege- 

 tation in general, efpecially on the fomalata, or moon-plant, 

 of which he is the particular lord ; as well as generally of 

 all vegetables. 



SOMALPET, in Geography, a town of Hindooftan, in 

 Berar ; 55 miles N.N.E. of Mahur. 



SOMANAPILLY, a town of Hindooftan, in Myfore ; 

 1 8 miles S. of Bangalore. 



SOMANOOR, atown of Hindooftan, in Coimbctore ; 

 15 miles N.E. of Coimbetcre. 

 SOMASQUO, Fathers of. See Fathers. 

 SOMBAR, ill Geography, a town of Per(ia, in the pro- 

 vince nf Irak; 114 miles S.W. of Hamadan. 



SOMBERNON, a town of France, in the department 

 of the Cote d'Or, and chief place of a canton, in the dif- 

 tri^ of Dijon ; 13 miles W. of Dijon. The place contains 

 7j5, and the canton 7770 inhabitants, on a territory of 235 

 kiliometres, in 28 communes. 



SOMBOR, a town of Auftrian Poland, in Galicia ; 6 

 miles W, of Halicz. 



SOMBRERA, a fmall iiland in the Weft Indies, about 

 13 miles N. of Anguilla, dependent on Barbuda. N. lat. 

 i8^).o'. W. long. 63^ 25'. 



SOMBRERE Channel, a channel between the Nico- 

 bar iflands. N. lat. q"^ 32' to 7^ 50'. E. long. 94°. 



SOMBRERETE, a town of Mexico, in the province 

 of Zacatecas ; 55 miles N. of Zacatecas. N. lat. 23° 40'. 

 W. long. 4° 2'. 



SOMBRERO, a river of Africa, which runs into the 

 Atlantic, N. lat. 4'^ 40'. E. long. 5° 52'. — Alfo, a rock in 

 the fea of Mindoro. N. lat. 10° 49'. E. long. 121° 27'. 



SOM-CH AN, a town of Chinele Tartary. N. lat. 41'^ 2'. 

 E. long. 120° 42'. 



SOMEBODY KNOWS WHAT, a name given to 

 the extremity of the arm of DuOiy bay, which captain 

 Cook calls " Nobody knows what." This name was given 

 by captain Vancouver, who examined and found two inlets, 

 or at leaft a large branch, divided by a ridge of land through 

 its whole length. 



SOMEER, a town of Hindooftan, in the circar of Go- 

 hud ; lomiles S.E. of Lahaar. 



SOMEGILL, a river of Wales, which runs into the 

 Lug below Prefteign, in Radniirflure. 



SOMENSHAR, a town of Little Bucharia ; 15 miles 

 N.W. of Hami. 



SOMERA, a town of Sweden, in Tavaftland ; 33 miles 

 S.W. of Tavalllms. 



SOMERFELT, a town of PrufTia, in Obcrland, W. 

 of Liebftadt. 



SOMERGEM, or Sommercf.m, a town of y'rancc, in 

 the department of the Scheldt, and chief place of a «amon, 



la 



