SRI 



alms to Brahmans, pilgrimages, aufterities, Sec. in obtain- 

 ing this grand objeft of comfort to departed fouls. " Ap- 

 peafing the manes," by the Sradha, is as common in the 

 mind of a Hindoo, as relieving the pains of purgatory by 

 maffes is in that of a Papift. Though the ceremonies difter, 

 the principle is ftrikingly fimilar. Being childlefs is felt as 

 an angry vifitation of the gods, inflifted partly for fins in a 

 former ftate of exiftence : they arc, therefore, propitiated 

 by alms, pilgrimages, &c. One mode of removing llerility 

 is by 'circumambulating an image, or tree, facred to fome 

 deity. (Of this fee under Pradakshna, the name of this 

 ceremony.) If every thing fail, there is, however, itill a 

 remedy by adoption, accompanied by certain ceremonies, 

 expenfive, according to the means of the party. Another 

 is by giving daughters in marriage with like ceremonies ; all 

 of which are minutely detailed in the ritual. For all thefe 

 proceedings divine authority can be quoted. Holy men, 

 or even divinities, in the times of their tcrrellrial fojourn- 

 ments, are related to have done the like. " He," fays 

 Menu, " who has no fon, may appoint a daughter to raife 

 up a fon for him, faying, ' The male child who fhall be 

 born from her in wedlock (hall be mine, for the purpofe of 

 performing my obfequies.' 



" In this manner Daklha himfelf, lord of created beings, 

 anciently appointed all his fifty daughters to raife up fons 

 to him, for the fake of multiplying his race." 



SRADHADEVA, in Hindoo Mythology, a name given 

 to the Pluto of their infernal regions. It means lord of the 

 Sradha, a feall often, by many daily, offered in comme- 

 moration of deceafed anceftors. (See Sradha.) The 

 more common name for the lord of the obfequies is Tama; 

 which fee. 



SRAMANA, a name of the Eaftern deity Boodh ; 

 which fee. 



Sakya, Sravaka, and Sugata, (which fee,) are others of 

 his names. So is Gotama, or Godama. The union of the 

 firft and laft of thefe names, a little altered in the pronuncia- 

 tion, produced that of Somonocodom, by which he is called 

 by fome writers. See Godama. 



SRAVAKA, the name of the laity of the Jainas, a fed 

 of fchifmatic Hindoos. Their priefts are called Yati. (See 

 Jaina and Yati.) A name alfo of the god Budha, or 

 Boodh ; which fee. For a notice of the religion and cuf- 

 toms of the feft of Sravaka, fee Moor on Hindoo Infanti- 

 cide, p. 174. Among the Mahrattas, the Sravakas are 

 called Shevari. 



SRBORNICK, in Geography, a town of Bofnia ; 40 

 miles N.N.E. of Bofnaferai. 



SREDNEI, an illand in the Frozen ocean, at the mouth 

 of the Indigirda, about 40 miles in circumference, of a tri- 

 angular form. N. lat. 72° 52'. E. long. 154'' 155". — 

 Alfo, a town of RufTia, in the government of TobolOc ; 

 20 miles N.N.W. of Taffievfkoi. 



SRI, in Hindoo Mythology, is a name given to feveral 

 goddeffcs ; ofteneit perhaps to Laklhmi, the goddefs of 

 prolperity and abundance. This name is in the firft cafe 

 Sris, which fir William Jones remarked as refembling, both 

 in name and charafter, the goddefs of abundance of the 

 Latins ; and he fays, that in very ancient temples near 

 Gaya there are images of Lakfhmi, with full breafls, and a 

 cord twitted under her arm, like a horn of plenty, which 

 looks very much like the old Grecian and Roman figures of 

 Ceres. (See Lakshmi.) The word Sri, however, al- 

 though given a« a name or epithet to the Ceres of India, and 

 to the other great goddelfes Parvati and Sarafwati, is not 

 confined to them : it means fortunate, happy, &c. as well 



SRI 



as bleffed or divine ; and is fometimes prefixed to the names 

 both of gods and men. 



SRI BHAGAVATA, the title of a work in the San- 

 fcrit language, of great celebrity among the Hindoos. It 

 is ufnal to afcribe this work to Vyafa, the reputed compiler 

 or author of the Vedas, Puraiias, Mahabarat, and other 

 works. But the real author of the Sri Bhagavata is Vopa- 

 deva, who, in attempting to revive the leading dotlrines of 

 Vyafa, opened a door to the reconciliation of the variout 

 lefts of Hindoos, numeroully divided and fubdivided as they 

 are, and, as far as hiftorical evidence can be traced, ever 

 have been. We muft refer the reader to our article Sects 

 of Hindoos, for farther information on thefe points. (See 

 alfo Vyasa.) Under our article Purana we have given a 

 fuccinft account of the mythological romances fo called, 

 that are fo highly venerated in India as infpired poems. Of 

 thefe the Sri Bhagavata is reckoned the eighteenth and laft ; 

 and whatever differences of opinion may cxii^., and very wide 

 differences do exift, as to the antiquity and form of the 

 other Puranas, it feems a pomt generally agreed on, that 

 the Bhagavata is much more modern than the reft, and can- 

 not, in Its prefent form, claim an age of more than fix 

 hundred years. 



The main fubjeft of the Bhagavat is the hfe and aftiont 

 of Krifhna ; including the extravagant and myftical details 

 of his incarnation, miracles, debaucheries, and variout 

 fooleries ; intermixed, however, with fublime effuCons of 

 pure theology and morals. (See Mystical Poetry.) Like 

 moft of the other refpefted writings of the Hindoos, it con- 

 tains much to applaud and admire ; but more, whether 

 viewed philofophically or morally, to reprehend. It is 

 comprifed in twelve books, and, like the other poems bear- 

 ing the common denomination of Purana, contains, befides 

 the general thread of feftarial theology interwoven through- 

 out, five fubjeiSs, viz. primary creation, or creation of 

 matter in the abftraft ; fecondary creation, or the produc- 

 tion of fubordinate beings, both fpiritual and material ; 

 chronological account of their grand periods of time called 

 Manwantara ; genealogical rife of families, particularly of , 

 thofe who have reigned in India ; and, laflly, a hiflory of 

 the lives of particular families. 



This work is in general eflimation, and is found in moft 

 of the vulgar dialefts of India, and in the Perlian language. 

 It has alfo appeared in a very imperfeft and abridged form, 

 in French, under the title of Bagavadam, tranflated from 

 the Tamul verfion. Its title is derivable from Bhagavan, 

 one of the names of Krifhna and Vifhnu ; and Bhagavan 

 from Bhaga, meaning, it is faid, the author of exiftence, 

 or lord of nature. (See SivA.) Sri is a pretixture of re- 

 fpeft, extenfively applied. (See Sri.) The modern feft, 

 who adhere to the liberal dodlrine expounded in this work, 

 are called Bhagavatas. But we muft again refer to our ar- 

 ticle Sects of Hindoos, for an explanation of the nature of 

 the Hindoo feftarial diftinftions. See alfo Krishna, for 

 an account of the hero of the Bhagavat. 



SRIDEVI, in Hindoo Mythology, is a name given by 

 feveral feiSs to the goddefs of their adoration ; fuch indi- 

 vidual goddefs being called the fakti, or energy of her lord. 

 In explanation of this, we refer to our article Sakti. Sri- 

 devi means the bleffed goddef-', and is given to all the three 

 great goddefles, Lakfhmi, Parvati, and Saraf«'ati. 



Sridevi is likewife the name of the wife of Dakfha, who 

 was Brahma in a human fhape. In this charafter fhe feems 

 to be both the daughter and mother of Parvati. See Pike- 

 swARi and Sradha. 



SRIMANA, a name of Kartikya, the Hindoo regent 

 of the firmament. See Kaktikva. 



9 S RIM ANT, 



