37$ On Egypt and the Nili 



the Gods, and who will appear, in the following fection, to be thePAiT"HI- 

 nasi of the Hindus.* The idea of IVIaha'deIva with his bead in the higheft 

 heaven*, and his feet in the loweji parts of the earth, is conformable to the lan- 

 guage of the Oracle, in its aniwer.to Kicocrates, king of Cyprus' 



"Tea a 5s' [xoi cole's — — —r~.-. — .w — « y 



And the fame image is exprerTed, word for word,. at the beginning of the 

 fourth Veda, where the deity. is described as MahdpuruJJ^a s or the Great Male. 



In the ftory-of the war between Osiris and Typhon, mention is made by 

 Plutarch of a Itupendous Boar, in fearch of whom Typhon travelled, with 

 a view, perhaps, to itrengthen.his own parry-by making an alliance with. him: 

 thus it Is faid in. the FaiJImavagama* ..tJiat-.CRo'RA'su-RA was a demon, with 

 /he .face of 2i Boar, who, neverthelefs, was continually reading. the Feda, and 

 performing fuch aits ..of demotion, that Vishnu appeared to him, on. the 

 •■thanks of the Brahmapufca^^promiting to grant any boon, that he could afk. 

 Cro'ra'sura r&quefied, that.no creature, then exifting in the three worlds,, 

 might have power to deprive him of life; and Vishnu granted his requeft: 

 but the demon became So infolent, that the D'evatds, whom he oppreffed, were 

 obliged to conceal themfelves, and he alfumed the dominion of the world. 

 Vishnu was -then fitting on a bank of the Call, greatly difquieted by the 

 malignant ingratitude of the demon ; and, his wrath being kindled, a ihape, 

 which never before had exifted, fprang from his eyes : it was Ma ha de vAj 

 in his deftru dive character, who difpelled in a moment the anxiety of Vishnu, 

 whence he acquired the furname of Chinta'hara, With flaming eyes^ 

 contracted -brows, and his whole countenance diflorted with anger, he rufhed 

 toward Cro'ra sura, feized him with' fury, and carried him under Jiis arm 



