iOi . ESSAY ON THE 



who had eloped from her husband, a Mu?ii, qy silent contempiator. 

 They met boldly Rama-ckandra, shewing signs, peither of gharae nor 

 fear. Ra'ma, howevei% ordered the haly psmtunt to send away the 

 woman, and reproached him with his scandalous behaviour, He theri. 

 advanced toward the J^dcdloca mountains, and 'Sambhu or ^Siva, recol- 

 lecting the appointment, ascended his viindna, or vel)icle, and with won- 

 derful speedj soon overtook B-A'ma. They then descried the Locdloca 

 mountains, on the summit of which are the paths of the planets. Ra'ma- 

 CHANDRA asked the Muni who was with them, what was become of his 

 wife. The Muni said, she v/as gone to the Tamobhdga-giri, or th@ 

 mountain of darkness, for which, he said, he was very sorry, as he was noj 

 likely to see her again. 'Sambhu comforted him, and said v/e are going 

 there also. Thus assisted with the refulgence of Sambhu, they arrive4 

 into the land of darkness, where there are no living creatiires. There^ 

 one hundred millions of ydjanas from the limits of light, in that land of 

 darkness, is Mahd^Rajatafbhumi , or the great Silver or White country. 

 In the middle of it is JVdrdyana-pura, resplendent like one hundred 

 millions of suns. Ra'ma wa§ astonished at this wonderful sight, in the 

 land of the blessed, and the paradise of Vishnu. ■*' Whose refulgence 

 " is this ?" exclaimed he. " How can v/e approach it ? Is this the firep 

 «« which is to consume the w-orld, or the mdyd, or illusion of Bhagava'na? . 

 *^ Is my last hour arrived t" Sambhu said, " O Ra'ghava, or descen° 

 *« dant of Raghu, be not dismayed i it is the mdyd of Bhagava'na ; none 

 '* but those, who have obtained internal knowledge, can see, and enter 

 " this holy place. See on all sides Rzshis, and Munis performing piljd 

 *^ in honor of it. The four Vedas reside there, and the Romashd" 

 ** daya^Rishis, or descendants of the holy Ro'masha or Lo'mashAj with 

 J* their wives, are performing the pradacshina^ (or dex-trapio, m Latin) 



