444 



On Egypt and the Nile 



the Apfarases, or nymphs, bathed and fported in its waters, impaffioned. 

 and intoxicated with the liquid perfume. The Hindu poets frequently al- 

 lude to the fragrant juice which oozes at certain feafons from fmall ducts- 

 in the temples of the male elephant, and is ufefulin relieving him from 

 the redundant moifture, with which he is then oppreffed ; and they evera 

 dcfcribe the bees as allured by the fcent, and miftaking it for that of the 

 fweetefl flowers; but,, though Arrian mentions this curious fact, no mo- 

 dern naturalift, I believe, has taken notice of it. Crishna was more de- 

 iirous than before of feeing fo wonderful a phenomenon, and formed a de- 

 fign of poffeffing the elephant himfelf; but Sanc'han.a'g a led againfl 

 him a vaft army of elephants, and attacked him with fuch fury, that the 

 incarnate God fpent ieven days in fubduing the affailants, and it\tn more 

 in attempting to feize their leader, whom at laft he was obliged to kill with- 

 a ftroke of his- Ckacra: the head of the huge beaft had no fooner fallen on. 

 the ground, where it by like a mountain, than a beautiful Yacjha, or Ge- 

 nius, fprang from the body, who proftrated himfelf before Crishna, in- 

 forming him, that he was Vijay averdhana, who had once offended 

 Maha'de'va and been condemned by him to pafs through a mortal form, 

 that he was fupremely bleffed in owing his deliverance to fo mighty a God,, 

 and would jnftantiy, with his permimon, return to his appeafed mafter. 

 The victor affented, and left the field of battle; wh^re, from the bones .ol 

 the flain elephants, rofe a lake, thence named AV hilar ago., from which 

 flowed die river AfThimati, whole hallowed waters, adds the author of the 

 Pur ana t remove fin and worldly affections : a/? hi, a bone, pronounced eft hi 

 in fome- provinces, is clearly the Greek osioy, and its derivative ajfhimat becomes 

 aftbimS.n in the firfl cafe mafculine; whence the river is by fome old geo- 

 graphers called Aiftamenos ; for the names of rivers, which are feminine for 

 the mod part in Sanfcrit, are generally mafculine in the weflern languages. 



