from the Ancient Books of the Hindus. 313 



in the Puram, was particularly fond of Jya'peti, to whom he gave all 

 the regions to the north of Himalaya, or the Snowy Mountains, which extend 

 from fea to fea, and of which Caucafus is a part : to Sharma he allotted the 

 countries to the fouth of thofe mountains -, but he curfed Charma ; becaufe, 

 when the old monarch was accidentally inebriated with a ftrong liquor 

 made of fermented rice, Charma laughed ; and it was in confequence of 

 his father's imprecation, that he became a Have to the flaves of his brothers. 



The Children of Sharma travelled a long time, until they arrived at 

 the bank of the Nila or Calii and a Brahmen informs me, (but the original 

 paflage from the Pur an is not yet in my poffeffion) that their journey began 

 after the building of the Padmd-mandira, which appears to be the Tower of 

 Babel, on the banks of the river Cumudvati, which can be no other than 

 the Euphrates. On their arrival in Egypt, they found the country peopled 

 by evil beings and by a few impure tribes of men, who had no fixed habi« 

 tation : their leader, therefore, in order to propitiate the tutelary divinity 

 of that region, fat on the bank of the Nile, performing aits of auftere de« 

 votion, and praifmg Padma'-^'i;/ or the Goddefs redding on the Lotos. 

 Padma' at laft appeared to him, and commanded him to erect a pyramid, 

 in bonour of her, on the very fpot, where he then flood: the aflbciates 

 began the work, and raifed a pyramid of earth two crds long, one broad, 

 and one high, in which the Goddefs of the Lotos refided; and from her it 

 was called Padmd-mandira and Padma-mafha. By mandira is meant a 

 temple ', ox palace* and by mat 'ha, or mcrha, a college, ox habitation of /Indent s$ 

 tor the goddefs herfelf inftructed Sharma and his family in the moft ufeful 

 arts, and taught them the Yacjlia-lipi, or writing of the Yacfhas, a race of 

 fupcrior beings, among whom Cuve'ra was the chief. It does not clearly 

 appear on what occafion the Sharmicas left their firft fettlement, which had 



