SACRED ISLES IN THE WEST, 55 



nifies, that the country or island of Raj at a or silver, is the same with the 

 great Astagiri, or mountain behind which the sun disappears. 



In ^Sacam is Jaladliaj'a, a large mountainous country, called also Chan-« 

 dra. This is Ireland; and instead of Chandra we should read Surya, as we 

 shall see hereafter. There is also the mountain of Ambiceyd, and that of 

 Ramya, called Vibhrdja and Ccsava^ from which proceeds Va'yu; or in 

 other words it is the place of his abode. This is placed in the north-west, 

 at the furthest extremities of the world, in all the Purdnas', for Va'yu is 

 the guardian of the north-west quarter, Jalad'hdra is also placed there, 

 and declared to be near the mountains of Ldcalocai which surround the 

 world. In the Vardha-purana we read; " in 'Sa'ca is the Jalad'hcura, 

 " mountain : near it is ^Swetaca, or the white mountain, or island, called 

 <* di\so' ^ati-S'rviga, or with an hundred peaks (but in other Purdnas this 

 *' is said to be only a part of it)." Rajata-giri (in some copies Jantugiri) 

 or the silver mountain or island, is the same with ""Swetay according to 

 the other Purdnas : this is called also ^Saca-giri, or the mountainous 

 country of the '5tfCrt^. " Then Ambiceyd, called Vibhrdja^ Cdsari and 

 " Varshi'ni, from which Va'yu proceeds. In the middle of ^Sdca is the 

 " great'^<2c^ tree." It is also declared, in the Cumdrzcd-c'hadda, thsLt the 

 island of ^Sdcam belongs to Va'yu, and that he resides there. 



Tins is also confirmed in the Crishna-Ja?ima-c'hadda, a se6lion of 

 the Brahma-Vaivartta. Pa'rvati having fled on account of some petty 

 quarrel with her consort Maha'-deva, the world was in great distress, 

 and the poor husband also. He searched for her in vain for a long time, 

 when he went to Vishnu, and unbosoming himself, begged he v/ould 

 assist in the search. Thus Hari or Vishnu and Tri-netra or 'Siva 

 with three eyes, travelled all over the world; but they found her not. 



