from the Ancient Books ep the Hindus. 385 



Darknefs v then covered; the world each night : the fruits of the earth were 

 deftroyed, and the univerfe was in fuch difmay,. that the Devas, with Brahma 

 at itheir head, implored the affiftance of Maha'de'va, who no fooner placed 

 Cbandri on his forehead, than me became a male again j and hence he ac- 

 quired the title of ChandrcMc' hara*. Thi3 fable has been explained to me by 

 an ingenious Pandit : to the inhabitants of the countries' near the fource of 

 the Calti the moon, being in the manfion of ' Rokirii \ or the Pleiads., feemed 

 to vanifh. behind the fouthern mountains: now, when the moon is in its op- 

 pofi-tion.tp the Sun, it is the God Chandra, but,, when in conjunction with 

 it, the goddefs Chandr'i, who was in that ftate feigned- to have conceived the 

 Pulin.das mentioned in the former fection. The moon is believed by the Hindu 

 naturalifts to have a powerful influence on vegetation,, efpecialiy on certain 

 plants, and above all on the S6?na!ata, or Moon-plant % but its power, they fay,.- 

 is greatest at the pumima, . or full, after which it gradually decays till, on the 

 dark tit'M, or amdvafya? it wholly vanishes. This mode of interpretation 

 may ferve as a clew for. the intricate labyrinth of the- Pur anas-, which contain 

 all tfye hiftory, phyfiology r , and fcience of the Indians and Egyptians difguiied 

 under fimilar fables. We have already made remarks on the region and moun- 

 tains of die Moon, which the. Pur anas place in the exterior Cujha-dwip, or the 

 fouthern parts of Africa; and we need only add, that the Pulindas confider the 

 female Moon as a form of the celeftial Tsr, or Is is,, which may feem to be 

 incompatible with the mythological fyflem of India y but the Hindus have in 

 truth an Isis with three forms > called Swar-de'vi' in heaven, Bhu*-i>e'vi' 

 on earth, and Pa'ta'la-de'vi^ in the infernal regions. The confort of the 

 terreftrial goddefs is named Bhu'-de'va, who refides on Sume'ru, -and is a 

 vicegerent on earth of the three principal deities : he fecms to be the B&& of 

 the Greek Mythologies, and the Budyas of Arrxanj though the Grecian 

 writers have generally confounded him with Buddha. 



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