of the HINDUS. 293 



Having poured water into- a fea-fhell, let the votary fill it with white 

 flowers and unground rice: then, turning to the fouth, let him offer it with 

 this incantation : ' Hail, Cumbhayo'ni, born in the fight of Mitra and 

 • Varuna, bright as the blorTom of the grafs cdfa; thou, who fprangeft 

 ' from Agni and Ma'ruta.' Cdfa is the Spontaneous Saccharum. 



Ndrajinba. 



This is property a feftival of the folar year, in honour of the fage 

 Agastya, fuppofed, after his death, to prefide over the ftar Canopus. 



b. Sorre begin on this day, and continue till the ninth of the new moon, 

 the great feftival, called Durgotfava, in honour of Durga', the goddefs of 

 natsre ; who is now awakened with fports and mufick, as Hie was waked 

 in the beginning by Brahma' during the night of the Gods. 



dilicd purana. 



Note on p. 265. 

 Uit 'hanaicadasi. g. 



In one almanack I fee on this day Tulasi-vivaha, or the Marriage of 

 Tulasi\ but have no other authority forment'oning fuch a feftival. TulasT 

 was a Nymph beloved by Cri'shna, but transformed by him into the Par- 

 nafa, or black Ocymum, which commonly bears her name. 



Genep al Note. 

 If the feftivals of the old Greeks, Romans, Perjians, Egyptians, and Goths, 

 could be arranged with exacinefs in the fame form with thefe Indian tab] s, 

 there would be found, I am perfuaded, a ftriking refemblance among them; 

 and an attentive comparifo 1 of them all might throw great light on the. 

 religion, and, perhaps, on the hiilory, of the primitive world. 



