SACRED ISLES IN THE WEST. tSS 



After the gods had fixed on the most proper time for the churning of 

 the sea of milk, they soon perceived, that it would be impossible for them' 

 to accomplish this tremendous work, without the assistance of the giants. 

 They made peaice accordingly with them, under the most solemn promise 

 of sharing with them the fruit of their joint labours. The gods in gene- 

 ral are represented as a weak race, but full of cunning, and very crafty; 

 the giants, on the contrary, are very strong, and generally without much 

 guile. The gods of the Goths^ and of the Greeks and Romans, did not 

 bear a much better charadler; Even among Christians^ there are old 

 legends, in which the devil is most egregiously taken in by holy men. 



Having thus settled the conditions, they all went to work, and ga-^ 

 thered all the trees and plants, and flung them into the caldron-like sea. 

 They then brought the mountain of Mandara with infinite labour. It is> 

 said that this mountain is in the peninsula, near the sea shore, and to the 

 norXh o( Madras . They placed it in the middle of the caldron-like sea, 

 which they used for a churn, and mount Mandara as a churning staff. 

 The serpent Vdsuci served them instead of a rope, and they twisted him 

 round mount Miz^z^^r^, and the giants were allowed to lay hold of the 

 snake by the head : his fiery breath scorched the giants, and they be- 

 came black: the unfortunate reptile suffered much ; he complained, but 

 in vain. Mount Mandara began to sink; but Vishnu, assuming the 

 shape of a tortoise, placed himself under it. In the Scanda-purd?i'a; 

 chapter of the Sanata-cumdra'SaJihitd, in the 7.5th se6lion, we have 

 a most minute account of the churning of the White sea by Vishnu-, 

 the gods and the giants: the latter had Bali at their head. After 

 churning for five years, the froth began to appear: and after three year^ 

 more, Varun'I or Sura', with her intoxicating fiquors. The co^Y Cdi 



K k 



