150 ESSAY ON THE 



to Indra-dyumna, " Brahme has sent me to tell you to perform a thoU" 

 " sand Maha-Cratus or sacrifices, in order to please Purusho'ttama, 

 " whom he will bring from the JVkite Island. Then you will see, with your 

 " own eyes, Da'rava-tanum-Vishnum, or Vishnu, in the shape of a tree o 

 ** this tree is really Hari-AvatdraJ' Jaimini adds, that Na'rada shewed 

 the king a proper place for the performance of religious rites, and the gods 

 to live in, in Swarn'a-Siicata. There is a Vat a, or fig-tree, one yojana broad, 

 and two in height, about ten miles. It is very old, and it bestows mdcsha 

 on men ; whatever man dies upon his roots, obtains eternal bliss : what- 

 •ever man sees this Nyagrdd'ha tree, his sins are removed: for it is Nara- 

 yanans countenance. West of it is Chaturmurtti-Vibhu, or Jagan« 

 na'tha, and to the north is the SHhdn of Nrisinha. There he will come 

 to shew mercy unto thee ; and thy country will become Bhdga-hhumi, like 

 ''Szveta-dwipa, This is not to be revealed to any body, except those, who 

 are likely to obtain woa/w. Yvom Sweta-dwipa.Yi'&iiij or Vishnu will 

 come himself: in other places, they have only portions of his essence. 

 Then Indra-dyumna praised Vishnu, and a voice from heaven was 

 heard saying, " be of good cheer." The king performed afterwards the 

 prescribed number of sacrifices in the country of Punishdttama, and he 

 had already performed a thousand but one, when he looked like a god, 

 and on the seventh at night he fell asleep, and during the fourth watch 

 he saw Vis?mii-Mrt-Hari, and Sweta-divipa like a sphatica, or white 

 and shining crystal, surrounded hy the CshiraSdgara. There are Mahd- 

 Calpa-dnmis, and it abounds with odoriferous flowers, and exquisite fruits. 

 There are the mtirttis or divine forms of Bhaga'vana, the shell, and 

 the Chacra in human shapes, in a large edifice, divine, of precious stones, 

 with a throne supported by lions, adorned with jewels, and resplendent, 

 like the cpld rippling of the White Sea, On this throne he saw Devam 



