from the Ancient Books of the Hindus. 375 



«*' reach and behold the fummit of my head or the fcles of my feet/' Brah- 

 ma" inftantly afcended, but, having fatigued himfelf to no purpofe in the re- 

 gions of immenfity, yet loth to abandon his claim, returned to Maha'de'va, 

 declaring that he had attained and feen the crown of his hea'd, and calling, as 

 his witnefs, the firfi born Cow : for this union of pride and falfehood the 

 angry God ordained, that no facred rites mould be performed to Brahma", 

 and that the month of the Cow fhotild be denied and a caufe of defilement, 

 as it is declared to be in the oldeft '/#*&«. laws. • When Vishnu returned, 

 he acknowledged, that he had not been able to fee the feet of Maha'de'va, 

 who then told him r that he was really the firft born among the Gods, and 

 fhould be raifed above all: it was after this, that Maha'de'va cut off the 

 the fifth head of Brahma', whofe pride, fays the writer of the Scania Pur an, 

 occafionecl his lofs of power and influence in the countries bordering on the 

 river Call. ■ Whether thefe wild ftories erf the wars of the three principal 

 Gods mean only the religious wars between the feveral fectaries, or whether 

 they have any more hidden meaning, it is evraenr from the Pur anas, which 

 reprefent Egypt as the theatre of action, that they are the original legends of 

 the wars between Osiris, Horus, and Typhon ; for Brahma* in his charac- 

 ter of all-deftroying Time, correfponds with Typhon ; and Maha'de'va, in 

 that of the productive principle, with Ho p. us or Hara,. who afTumes each 

 of his characters on various occafions, either to reftore the powers, or to fub- 

 due the opponents, of Vishnu, or active Nature, from whom his auxiliary 

 Springs. In Egypt, fays Plutarch, certain facrinces' were made even to 

 Typhon, but only on particular days, and for the purpofe of confoiing him 

 after his overthrow ; as in India no worfhip is paid to Brahma' except on 

 particular occa:.^nvs, when certain offerings are made to him, but placed at fome 

 •diftance from the perfon, who offers them: the Greeks have confounded 

 Typhon with Python, whofe hiftory lias no connection with the wars of 



