from the Ancient -Books of-' the Hindus. 455 



Eust A thi us, in his comment' on the Psri'egejiss'&ftm'gmfozs the Dardaneis 

 from "the Dardanoi, makings the fi'rft 'an Indian^ arid^the<'<feoonda Trojan, 

 race (a)-;, bu>tit feems' pfoi>ableJ : tfet^kot'h- rices had a common 'origin : when 

 Home r- grves- 'the Trojans the v title of Mcropians, he alludes to their eaflern 

 •origin from the borders-' of n M£'ru';- the very nanle<)f ■kin^'-MER'bps being no 

 other than Me'rupa, or fovereigii' of that irWu-ntainons region* ; '- M? w >] 



X-Iv '"We cori-ve now to a perfon of a diifferent 'character ; not a prinCfe 

 •or a'hero, but a bard, w'h'o'fe life is thus-'defcribed in : the Vikiasdra. On 

 the banks of ihe'Cdli dwelt a Brahmen, whftfe'na'me was Le^'ha'yana's; 

 •a fnge ! rigoroufly devout, {killed in the learning of the Vedds, and. firmly 

 attached to the worfhip of Heri; but, havihg no male iflue, he was long 

 difconfolate, and made certain oblations to the God,* 1 which proved accep- 

 table ; {j that his wife SA'NCRfTi became pfe^fiant, after fhe had tafted 

 part of the chum, or cake of rice, which had rjeeTi 'offered : in due time 

 fhe 'was delivered of a beautiful-boyi whom the ■' Brdhmens, convened at 

 the j a tacar ma, or ceremony on hi§ birth, tm'ahimoufly agreed to name He- 

 ridatta, or given by the divinity. When- trie sanscd ra, er inftitutib'n of 

 a Brahmen*, was completed by his; inveititure with the facefdotal ftring, arid 

 the term of his ftudentihip in ihe^Veda was'paft, his parents urged him to 

 enter into \htfecond order, $r that of a married man ; but he ran into the 

 woods, and palled immediately into 1 tile 1 fourth order, disclaiming 'all world- 

 ly connexions and wholly devoting^ ■himfelf to Vishnu: he continually 

 praclifed the samddhiyoga, or union with the deity by contemplation ; fixing 



(tf) Ot AtcficiVErg^lvhxo'J t%v@*>, 01 [Uvrot Accfiuvoi, Tfw'('xov # 

 > Eajlatb, on Dionyf. v. II, 38 



