278 



Account of the Basava Puran. 



fOcT. 



And as a satisfactory proof of this story he refers us to the temple at 

 Calahasti, where the image of Cannappa stands facing the image of 

 Siva. There they Ji>st make offerings to the saint and then gzye the 

 leavings to Siva : they rinse the mouth of the saint, and then present this 

 as holy water to the god ! 



This concludes the eight leg<^nds of the " childish devotees and 

 they are not represented as followers of Basava, who was born ia a later 

 age. 



The Sri Calahasti legend (a separate poem in four books, translated 

 from Tamil) gives this story with tiie additions th; f the spider^ snake, 

 and elephant (-srz— and ra/a~and hasli) mentioned in this story were 

 adopted by Siva as his devout servants. 



The next legend is remarkably popular, and has furnished the theme 

 of several poems. It is the Legend of Sri Sailam, a pagoda on the river 

 Krishna in Curnool : described by Colonel Mackenzie in the 5th vol. of 

 the Asiatic Researches. 



A baron named Sacal Esa Madiraz ruled the town of Nambi : he 

 was a great musician, and devoted his talents to the praise of Siva. 

 Paying a visit to Mallarusu, a saint who lived at Sri Sailam, he admir- 

 ed that sacred hill : and particularly the quaking or dancing hillocks : 

 [here is given a long description of Sri Sailam]. It is here stated that 

 Mallarusu was in fact Mallic Arjuna : a personification of Iswara : and 

 to try the faith of his visitor, the god assumed a strange shape, wherein 

 neither his head nor his feet were visible. The pious Madiraz adored 

 him as incomprehensible. The god was well pleased and brought him 

 into his temple where he invested him with the image^ and told him 

 that as long as he dwelt on earth he must be subject to the (carma 

 canda) law of works. But Madiraz refused to return to earth, and 

 thereupon the god caused a tumma tree to spring from the . soil, and 

 under it ha directed him to dwell. While he lodged there the god 

 again approached him in the guise of a herdsman, and began to hew 

 down the bough that gave him shade, while he sat at his devotions. 

 Madiraz was angry and forbade him to commit such a sin. The swain 

 replied, thy being angry is a sin, for he who gives way to anger is a 

 sinner. If this annoys you, you may go and seat yourself elsewhere. 

 Have you never heard the adage of the flood, at which a bear came 

 swimming down the stream ? a man thought it was a sheep, and in at- 

 temptii)g to catch it, he was seized by the bear. Thus you sit here in 

 the hope of vanquishing (maya) the earthly passions, and are yourself 

 v/ithin their power, as the man was seized by the bear. 



