SACRED ISLES IN THE WEST. • 21 



The White Island is c^Wed Chnndrc-dwipa, or the island of Lunus, or 

 the moon ; because he was born there ; and it is also the place of his resi- 

 dence: Chandra m- Suca as it is called, I believe, in the Bhagavata, signi- 

 fies also resplendent like the moon. 'Sas'i-^c'han^ddy the Canton or coun- 

 try of ^Sasif another name for Lunus, is mentioned in the Vrzliat-cafhd. 

 The FVhite Island is called also Ratna-maya and Ratna-dwi'pa, the island 

 of jewels; because, at the churning of the ocean, fourteen invaluable ratna 

 or jewels, were produced by the churning, and deposited there, till dis- 

 posed of, Gdmeda and Man'i, which signify jewels also, are denomina- 

 tions of the White-Island. All these names are often met with in composi- 

 tion, with "Saila, cliff, or cliffs ; for, in composition, a noun in the singular 

 has often the force of the plural number. Thus ^Sweta-Saila signifies 

 the White cliffs: Chandra ^Saila, Soma 'Saila, the chfls of the moon: 

 Ratna ^Saila, the cliffs abounding with jewels &c. 



MucTi-DWiPA is also another name for the White Island, used in the 

 Vrihat-cat'hd , and signifies the blessed island ; and answers to the Bea" 

 torum Instilce of the western mythologists. In the same manner, 5Vz- 

 dwi'pa, ^nd S'rz-S'aila, the fortunate island, mountain, or cliffs, answer 

 to the fortimate islands. In the fifth section of the De'vt-purdii'a, the 

 abode of Devi in the White-Sea is called Sri-puri^ or the blessed city 

 or abode : it is the same with the Whit^ Island. 



The White Island was not unknown to the western mythologists, but 

 this name had become obsolete for so long a period of time, that they 

 had entirely forgotten that it belonged to Britain. But, before we pro- 

 ceed further, it will be necessary to return to Tri-cut'a, or the three^ 

 peak-iand; and having already mentioned the different names of the 

 White Island, let us pass to those of the two others, ' Su-varna-dwipa, or 



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