SACRED ISLES IN THE WEST. 93 



«' of Ra'd'ha', he who dwells in the White Island with the famous snake 

 " Sesha, a portion of his essence. The gods sent there portions of their 

 " own essences, to be consohdated into the person of Crishna, who 

 " was going to be incarnated at Gocula" 



Ra'ma and NrT-Sinha, or the man-lion, came, as we have seen, from 

 the White Island; and even Hiranyacasipu was killed, either there or 

 near it. It is the general opinion that this happened at Multan ; yet the 

 Pandits whom I consulted could not find any authority for it in the Purd- 

 n'as. To reconcile this, they say he was killed at both places ; really in 

 the White Island, and typically only at Multan. In the Ganesa-purdna^ 

 Vya'sa is introduced asking Brahma', how Rama was born, and whose 

 son he was, Ca, or Brahma' answered, " In the White Island, well known 

 " to all the world, lived Jamadagni, a great Muni, who can at his will 

 " destroy the world, who bestows rewards, and infli6ts punishments, 

 " knows the past, the future, and of whom the gods stand in awe. His 

 " wife was Ren'uca' : in her manners, and gait, she is like Rati, the mo- 

 " ther of Ca'made'va, The whole world gazed at her with astonishment: 

 " her eyes are more beautiful than those of the antelope of the forests : 

 " her face is like the moon: she is a goddess, incapable of decay; she is 

 " Mulapracriti, or immediately born of the Supreme Being : she is Is'zuari, 

 " the sovereign queen; from her was born Ra'ma, who is Vishmi-To'gis'- 

 " wara, ever victorious. Ra'ma, going one day to Caildsa, to pay his 

 " respe6ls to Maha-de'va and Pa'rvati, was prevented from entering 

 " by Gan'es'a, whom he knew not. Enraged at his insolence he wren- 

 " ched Gan'es'a's scimeter from his hand, and cut off his head : from 

 " that circumstance, or his cutting off, he was surnamed Paras'u-Ra'ma." 

 The story is related differently in the Ganesa-purdna : Ra'ma broke 



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