SACRED ISLES IN THE WEST. Ul' 



whilst the gods and giants were busied in churning the JP'hite Sea, m 

 order to preserve them ; and this Rzshi will be further noticed, when I 

 come to the legends relating to Twashta, 



Mo'hini, or the illusive or deceiving powers of Vishnu, is not single. 

 She has many subordinate forms, who are fully possessed of the requi- 

 site qualifications^ and necessary blandishments, to deceive those, who 

 put themselves in their power. Intoxicating draughts, or Surdj are 

 generally used by them ; hence they might with propriety be called 

 Surdyan'is, Surdnis, or Sirenes. These, says Ovid, were contemporary 

 with Proserpine and her companions, in her excursions into the mea- 

 dows. Her namCj in Sanscrit, is Sarppan'i-devi. Pra-Sarppani is gram- 

 matical, but never used. 'Siva, hearing of the irresistible powers of Mo'- 

 hini, resolved to try them himself. For this purpose, he went with 

 Parvat! to the Cshiroda or White Sea, to the White Island. Vishnu and 

 Lacshmi came to m.eet them ; but when Vishnu understood the purpose 

 of his errand, he did what he could to dissuade him from it, but in vain. 

 The company, which consisted of the two goddesses, with Vishnu and 

 'Siva, being seated, Mo'hini suddenly appeared, and played her part so 

 ■well, that 'Siva, unable to contain himself any longer, ran after her in a 

 state of distra6lion : but she eluded his pursuit, and his seme7i fell to the 

 ground. Vishnu, out of respe6l, took it up in his hand, and blew it into 

 the ear of a young woman called Anjani, who was making tapasya ; and 

 it found its way into her womb. She conceived, and as soon as the child 

 was born, he proved remarkably playful ; and mistaking the sun for some 

 friiit, or play thing, leaped up, and extending his arm, seized the yoke 

 of the sun's chariot, which he broke, and with it fell to tlie ground. In 

 diis fall, his face and chin were so much disfigured and bruised, that he 



M m 



