1840.] 



Account of the Basava Puran. 



279 



Madiraz, however, persisted in reviling him : while he replied by 

 preaching patience : at last the god blazed forth undisguised. There- 

 upon Madiraz entreats to know how eternal happiness was to be at- 

 tained : and is answered that he must again descend to earth ; that at 

 present there was on earth the great saint Basava ; and, said he, go and 

 listen to his preaching, and I will shortly sumoaon thee to this place. Go 

 now to the city of Calyanain, where thou shalt find Basava, 



On hearing these words the saint saluted the god, and the next mo- 

 ment found himself at Calyatiam : where Basava had by a dream been 

 warned of his approach and received him with honour. This closes the 

 third book. 



The fourth book contains the life of a celebrated saint named Madi- 

 rala Magaiia, who was a washerman by trade, and one of Basava's 

 earliest proselytes. He performs great miracles ; a touch of 

 his hand slays an elephant ; and a second touch revives 

 him. This man and other devotees lay themselves under a vow 

 to cherish or aid the Jangams in some specific mode, such as washing, 

 making clothes or shoes, &c. for them. A variety of such stories are 

 here inserted as being related by Malaya to Basava. One saint re- 

 ceives a sack of corn from a woman : at his touch they vanish, and at 

 the same moment all the wealth of the sender disappears ; this being 

 intended as a punishment for her feeling pride, at making so liberal a 

 donation. Another saint is gifted with Siva's eye (as destructive as that 

 of the caliph Vathek)^ and entering a Vishnu temple, he consumes the 

 luckless statue of the god ! Another devotee named Chiri Tondan Ambi 

 is extolled as having, with his wife, hospitably received Siva (disguised 

 as a Jan gam) and at his desire to be feasted on human fiesh^ he and his 

 wife roast their son for dinner. On sitting down to table the god desires 

 them to call their child to dinner. On being called the boy re-appears 

 alive* Hereupon fh« god shines forth and carries the whole party 

 home with Idm to Cadasa. 



It is believed that this Tondan Ambi was in this manner carried seven 

 times to (.'ailasa from Canchi : and is to repeat the journey once more 



at some future period. 

 The next legends are equally wild. Narasinga Nayanar was king of 



the Chola country : his wife one day went to worship at the pagoda, 

 and happened to smeil to one of the flowers, which were to be presented 

 to the god : whereupon the priest cut her nose off. Her husband ap- 



* Saint Servan performed a similar miracle on a pig : as is narrated la the life of 

 Saint Kentigeru, 



