SACREI> ISLES -IN THE WEST. 15 



to oblique dire6tioiT. This belt gives the range, compass and extent oi 

 the Sanscrit language, and of the religious system of the Hindus, under 

 various modifications. 



The first passage to be examined is from the Vardhapiirdn'a. " South 

 « (It should be jiorth) of Js^ila, and north (south) of S'we'ta, or the white 

 " mountain, is Vdyavya??i-Ramyacam, or the country of Rainy aca in the 

 *^ north-west/' ( Vdyavymn is derived from VdyUy of ^^olus the guar» 

 dian of the north-west ; and of course is used here to designate that quar= 

 ter.) " To the south (north) of the range of the S'weta, or white moun-= 

 " tains, and north (south) of the range called 'Srvigavdn, is the country 

 " of Hiranmaya. There is Tri-s'ringa (or Tri-tuta) in the ocean in the 

 " west. There is the Cshira tree, and island 4000 ydjanas in circumference. 

 " There is the Chandra-varttd a great river: its banks are covered with 

 " trees, and it receives many othef streams. This is Curuvarsha or 

 " country of Curu, (or this is part of, or belongs to, Curu.) To the 

 ** north is Surya-dwipay ojf the island of the sun, iJi which gods abide? 

 " it is in the middle of a sea full of waves, like so many garlands. It 

 " is 1000 ydjanas m circumference: in the middle is a mountain 100 

 " ydjanas high, and as many broad. From it flows the river Surya-varttd, 

 " There is thQ st'hduy or place of the sun: there they worship the sun. 

 " To the west of it (north,) at the distance of ^000 ydjanas, is Rudracdra 

 ** {re^d Bhadra-cdra-dwipa: ) there is Bkadrdsana-Vdyu-Figrahavdn, or 

 " the seat of Va'yu with the epithet of Vigrahavdn, or in a human shape." 

 This last part shews positively that Tri-ciitddriy, of which 'Swe'ta is part, 

 lies in the quarter of Vdyu, or the north-west quarter of the old continent. 



In the Vdyu-pitrdna, the author, having described the country of Ce'tU" 

 Mala, which includciS Europe, the northern parts of Africa, the lesser 



