HINDOO MYTHOLOGY. 17 
1. Cosmogony. Lamaism had also its own peculiar cosmogony. It, 
teaches its followers that incessant rains formed the ocean, which became 
agitated by a violent storm ; and after this subsided a golden bottom was 
found to support the waters, from which four different species of atoms 
evolved, which when united constituted the world. After thus being called 
into existence, it was divided into four equal parts and eight islands. The 
central part of the world is occupied by the /zghzel or world-mountain, 
supporting the Swmmar Oola or world’s pillar. The country north of this 
mountain, Enada Mina, is inhabited by a race of beings without a soul, 
but enjoying a very long life. The solid part of the earth was then encircled 
by the briny ocean, and this again by an iron wall. This world being thus 
prepared to receive its inhabitants, the Zahen spirits sent by the Supreme 
Being descended from on high and clothed themselves with earthly bodies, 
which shone with a lustre which enabled them to dispense with any other 
light. Their food was the fruit of the heaven-born tree Zampu planted for 
them, and from whose sides gushed the four sacred streams, Gangi, Sinthu, 
Pankin, and Sita. They lived thus in happiness and innocence for 80,000 
years, until they yielded to the tempter and partook of the forbidden 
fruits of Shima, the earth, when they lost their inherent luminous radiance, 
and were hence buried in profound darkness. To disperse this darkness 
the great being caused the sun, moon, and stars (planets who derived © 
light from their inhabitants, Lahen, in their primitive state of innocence) to 
appear in the sky. The fallen Lahen wandered for a while upon the earth, 
now cursed on their account, and then died without heirs. Those who had 
repented were transferred to other worlds, while the others had to expiate 
their sins by being sent into the bodies of animals and reptiles. After the 
first race had wholly passed away, the supreme being sent other Lahen, to 
some of which he gave the bodies of men and to others those of beasts. 
But only two of these new inhabitants of the earth had the power of 
assuming different sexes, and that only on condition that while so doing 
they must divest themselves of the form of man, which was the image of 
the celestial beings. Cenrest and Cadroma assumed therefore the shape 
of apes, as that most resembling the original form of man, and in that 
shape became the progenitors of the human race. Man now began very 
soon to degenerate and display the lowest vices of a fallen being, which 
contributed greatly to reduce gradually the original period of his longevity 
(30,000 years) to that of a hundred years, and this will continue to decrease 
on account of his hardness of heart, until ten years will be the average 
lifetime and an ell the average size of man. 
2. Tue Conpirion OF THE Sout AFTER Dearu. Lamaism teaches that as 
soon as death has separated the soul from the body, the former has to appear 
before Lrlik-Hhan, the judge of the dead and the ruler of the lower world, 
by whom it is judged according to the deeds done in the body. The good 
are then sent to the paradise (Zanghrz) of the happy, where silver trees 
bearing golden and diamond fruits gratify the eye, and where unceasing 
pleasures await those who have lived a good life. There is also a second 
though inferior paradise, for those who have not attained to so great a per- 
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