V A M 



ftriking with too much violence againft that of the lower : 

 and Mr. Winllow, who has confidered it very diligently in 

 the Mcn»oirs of the Royal Academy of Sciences, is much 

 of the fame opinion. 



But as it gradually dwindles in children, and at length 

 becomes quite lotl in adults, ftill diminiftiing as the foramen 

 ovale does, it fliOHld feem to have fome other office, and 

 that chiefly regarding the circulation of the blood in the 

 foetus. 



In effeft, by means of it, M. Winflow reconciles the 

 two oppofite fyftems of the circulation of the blood in the 

 foetus. See Circulation of the Blood, and Fcetus. 



Valve, in Gardening, the divided parts of a feed-veffcl, 

 or properly the external divifion of a dry feed-veifel, fuch 

 as a capfule or pod ; as in the pea, bean, vetch, and many 

 others, which, when ripe, fplits into two or more divilions, 

 in order to throw out the contents, each of which divifions 

 is denominated a valve. The valves of culinary vegetables 

 are of feveral different kinds, according to the number of 

 divifions, but principally of the univalve and bivalve kinds. 



VALVERDE, or Val Verde, in Geography. See 

 I9A. 



Valverde, a town of Spain, in New Caftile ; 20 miles 

 S. of Cuenfa. 



Valverde del Camino, a town of Spain, in the province 

 of Seville ; 17 miles N.E. of Moguer. 



Valverde de Frefm, a town of Spain, in the province 

 of Leon, on the borders of Portugal ; 24 miles N.N.W. 

 of Coria. 



VALUIKI, a town of Ruffia, in the government of 

 Voronez ; io3 miles S.S.W. of Voronez. N. lat. 50° 2'. 

 E. long. ^7'' 44'. 



VALUNTOWN, a town of the flate of Connedicut ; 

 10 miles N.N.E. of Norwich. 



VALVULA, Valve, in Anatomy, a name given to 

 various parts in the body. See Valve. 



Valvula Coll, or Ilei, the valve placed at the commu- 

 nication of the large and fmall inteftines. See Intestine. 



Valvul,?; Conniventes, folds of the mucous membrane 

 of the fmall inteftine. See Intestine. 



Valvula Eujlachii, Nolill.!, or Reticulata, a fmall fold at 

 the entrance of the inferior vena cava into the right auricle. 

 See Heart. 



Valvula Magna Cerebri, or Vieujfenii, a part of the 

 brain. See Brain. 



Valvula Mitralis, the valve of the left auriculo-van- 

 tricular orifice of the heart. See Heart. 



Valvula Semilunares, or Sigmaidea, valves placed at the 

 entrance of the aorta and pulmonary artery. See Heart. 



Valvula Tricufpidales, or Trighchina ; the valve of the 

 right auriculo-vcntricular opening of the heart. See 

 Heart. 



Valtul* Venarum, folds of the internal membrane of 

 the veins, preventing the reflux of the blood. See Heart. 



VAMA, in Ancient Geography, one of the navigable 

 rivers of India, which difcharged itfelf into the Ganges. 



Phny Alfo, a town of Spain, in Boetica, belonging to 



the Bcetici-Celtici. Ptolemy. 



V AM ANA, in Mythology, a name or title of the Hindoo 

 deity Vifhnu. It means a dwarf; and was applied in con- 

 fequence of an incarnation of Viftmu in this humble form. 

 See the next article. 



VAMANAVATARA, one of the ten grand incar- 

 nations of Vilhnu ; called, by way of pre-eminence, dafa- 

 vatara, or the ten defcents, to diftmguifh them from others of 

 the fame deity of lefs importance. As noticed under the 

 article Vishnu, this manifeftation was the fifth of the ten ; 



V A M 



but the firft that occurred after the golden or virtuous age 

 of the Hindoos. It was followed by a lefs virtuous age, 

 in the courfe of which Mahabeli, a monarch reafonably 

 virtuous, became fo elated, that he omitted the effential 

 ceremonies to the gods ; and Vifimu, deeming it expedient 

 to check the influence of fuch an example, refolved to punilh 

 the arrogant raja. He, therefore, coiidel'cended to become 

 the fon of Kafyapa and Aditi ; and, as the younger brother 

 of Indra, was incarnated in the perfon of a wretched 

 Brahman dwarf. (See Indra and Kasyapa.) Appear- 

 ing before the king, he allced a boon ; which being pro- 

 miied, he demanded as much as he could pace in three ftcps. 

 Nor would he defire farther, though urged by Beli to 

 demand fomething more worthy of the donor. 



Mahabeli, it would appear, had reforted to fome of 

 thefe proceffes ; and the boon aflted and yielded, was, as 

 ufual with mighty rajas, the fovereignty of the univerfe ; 

 which includes the three regions of the earth, heaven, and 

 hell. To avert the effefts of the abufe of this power, dan- 

 gerous even to the gods, and to refume their fovereignty, 

 Vifhnu reforted to the artifice we are defcribing. 



On obtaining the king's promife, the dwarf required a 

 ratification of it ; which was done, as is flill praftifed, by 

 pouring water on the hand of the fuppliant. This Beli 

 proceeded to do, thougii warned of the confequencet ; 

 fcorning not to ratify that for which his royal word flood 

 pledged. 



As the water fell into his hand, the dwarPs form ex- 

 panded till it filled the world ; and Viflinu now manifefting 

 himfelf, deprived Beli at two fteps of heaven and earth ; 

 but he being in fome points a virtuous monarch, left Patala, 

 or the lower regions, flill in his dominion. (See Patala.) 

 In this chara&er, Vifhnu is fometimes called Trivikrama, 

 or Trivikera, meaning the three -ftep-taker. Beli, as king 

 of the infernal regions, feems to correfpond with Tama ; 

 which fee. Sir William Jones deemed this king the fame 

 with the Belus of weftern hiftory. See Belus, and 

 Mahabeli. 



Writers of the feft of Vaifhnava maintain, that the ratify- 

 ing flream poured on the hand of Vilhnu, was the origin or 

 fource of the river Ganga, or Ganges ; which falling from 

 the hand of the miraculous dwarf, defcended thence upon 

 his, now Vilhnu's, foot ; wlience, expanding hke its fount, 

 it guftied a mighty river, and was received on the head of 

 Siva. In pictures and cafls of the latter deity, the goddefs 

 Ganga is frequently feen half concealed in the folds of his 

 hair, and Siva is hence named Gangadhara, or Ganges- 

 bearer : a name affumed alfo by a clafs of itinerants who 

 fell that holy water through the ftreets of all Indian cities : 

 it being among Hindoos equal, in fin-expelhng potenti.ility, 

 to the holy water of papacy. This mythological fource 

 of the blelfing and bleffed river is a favourite fubjeA with 

 Hindoo poets. 



In the Hindoo Pantheon, whence this article is partly 

 taken, are many legends connedted with it. 



In pictures of this avatara, the dwarf is ufually repre- 

 fented receiving the water from the hand of Beli, through a 

 fpouted velTel ; fometimes accompanied by the evil coun- 

 fellor Indra, or Sakra, who is reprefentcd either with only 

 one eye, or holding his liand before the other. As the 

 regent of the planet Jupiter, named Vrihafpati, is the coun- 

 fellor or preceptor to the gods and Smas ; fo Sakra is the 

 advifer of the demons or Afl'uras ; and is conflantly watch- 

 ful in counterafting the divine beings, and their endeavours 

 for the good of man ; and the pious endeavours likewife of 

 holy men. To prevent the confervating power in this 

 aratara from accomphfliing the projeded end, in the punifh- 

 4E 2 mcnt 



