SACRED ISLES IN THE WEST. 151 



God, he who wields the shell, and Chacra or coit, and the Gadd, a short 

 club, like a blue cloud, with a chaplet of flowers. This is the abode oC 

 'Sri', the prosperous goddess. On his right, Lacshmi, the most beautiful 

 and accompHshed goddess, is seated on a Padmdsana or Padma flower; 

 she who is LaVanya', or beautiful, the daughter of the ocean. On his 

 left he saw the all knowing Chacra; the Sanaca'dicas, and Munis were 

 praising him. Nara-vara, or the chief or king of men, was highly de- 

 lighted with this vision. He awoke and compleated the thousandth As'va- 

 medlia, and went to perform his ablutions in the southern sea, near a place 

 called Bilvcs'zvara. Then a Bra'hmen came and informed him, that a 

 tree, with a divine countenance, was advancing very fast toward the 

 shore, a great part of which appeared above the water, and was of a 

 red colour ; and that the Chacra, and shell, were coming along with 

 it. It was resplendent like the morning sun, and was then very near 

 the bathing house. The whole shore was filled with its fragrancej 

 and its name was Sdd'ha'ran'a, or common. It is Deva-bhdruhah^ or 

 sprung from the land of the gods. It was really God, coming in the 

 shape of a tree. The king was astonished : this tree, says Na'rada, is that 

 which you saw in a vision in the White Island: it is Vishnu ; a hair 

 from the body of him, v/ho resides there, fell to the ground, took root, 

 and became a tree. It is an Ans'dvatdra, and this tree is truly PurU" 

 shdvata'ra. Great is thy fortune, O king! The tree was brought ashore, 

 and VisvACARMA v/as applied to, who sent an able carpenter with his 

 tools : but he insisted to work in secret; for whatever man, who should 

 hear the noise he made, whilst at Woi:k.> would become deaf, go to hell, 

 and his children be wretched. 



