SACRED ISLES IN THE WEST, J43 



were far from being ascertained among the western mythologists ; though 

 in general otherwise in India. 



Venus, or Lacshmi, was both male and female ; nay some even asser- 

 ted, that Venus was the moon, and a god, not a goddess according to 

 Macrobius/') The Parthians said that Venus was Lunus, The appella- 

 tion of Venus is neither Greek nor Lathis and was unknown at Rome du- 

 ring the time of the kings, Vishnu is also called Camala-prabhu or Ca- 



MUJ-US, 



In the Brahma-vaivartta, se6lion of the Pracriti-c'han^da, we read that 

 Bhagava'na said to Ra'ma', " O Lacshmi, be ye born in the PFhite Sea; 

 " there send a portion of yourself :" and to Brahma' he said, " O Pad- 

 " maja, born in the Padma flower, churn the ocean, and produce Lacsh- 

 *' Ml for the gods/' Having thus spoken, he disappeared. The godsf 

 having churned the ocean, among other jewels Lacshmi appeared, with 

 a chaplet of flowers in her hand, which she gave to him, who sleeps in 

 the JVhite Sea, She then became Vaishnavi-Sati, 



All the gods worshipped her, and through her mercy recovered their 

 own country, ""Swe'ta^dwipa, from the giants. Indra performed his ab- 

 lutions at a sacred pool, and put on two clean mantles ; he then placed 

 the water pot before him, and worshipped it, in order to bring down 

 Lacshmi into the Cshiroda. He invoked the six gods as usual, Gan'eVa, 

 DineVa the sun, Vahni fire, Vishnu, 'Siva and 'Siva, and worshipped 

 them. He then called down Lacshmi, saying, " O Maha-Lacshmi l^ 

 " Paramaiswarya-ruVini, with the countenance of Parme's'wara." 

 He then worshipped her, Brahma was officiating as high priest, and pre- 



(0 P, 283. 



