846 
The Idolatry of 
Part II 
The fecond 
Transfor- 
jnation of 
Viftnum. 
i-XA-^. year of the laft Term •, I told them that 
Baiaaus. ^^^^ did notftandfor 100 years lefs or 
more, whereat they fmiled. 
But it is time we fliould now proceed 
to the fecond Transformation. The 
33 Gods and the Aiires held an Aflembly 
in the Milk-Sea, to confulc how to get 
into their pofTefiion the Amhroftay call'd 
by fome Amurtam and Amortam, by 0- 
thers Amratam. Some fay that Ixora and 
Fi(lmm having call'd together all the 
good and evil Spirits, enter'd upon a De- 
bate, how to find out fomething endu'd 
with fuch a Virtue as to make Men live 
without Victuals or Drink, and without 
danger of Death, or being tir'd. Where- 
upon it being agreed, that they fliould 
turn the Mount Mahamevu ( call'd Me- 
rouwa by Kogcrim) like the Turners 
do, and inftcad of a Rope make ufe of 
the Serpent Harugu, call'd Sefcha by the 
BrahmanSj being of fo vaft a bulk, as to 
endofe the feven Worlds and Seas ; ac- 
cordingly they began their Turners- work, 
but finding the Mount immovable, they 
addrefs'd themfelves to a noted Ape 
call'd Baly ( of whom more anon in the 
Hiftory of Siri Rama) by whofe AlTi- 
ftance the Mount began to ftir ; and meet- 
ing at the fame time with a beautiful 
Woman named Dara^ they beftow'd her 
upon Baly as a Reward for his Services. 
But continuing their Work, the Mount 
by turning round tumbl'd into the Sea ; 
fo that being deftitute of all means to re- 
cover it thence, they were forced to have 
recourfe to Vifinum, who taking the 
lhape of a Tortoife, dived to the bottom, 
and brought the Mount up on his Back. 
Here it was that Fifinurn met with the 
beautiful Macha Lecxemi, whom he mar- 
ried afterwards. But the Mount being 
exceeding high, Vifimm took the lhape 
of a Bird, and flew round about it, till 
it was brought lower. This Story feems 
to have fome relation to the Fable of 
Mount Atla's^ and what is faid Heb. i. 
that Cod bears up the World. 
The Gods and the Adires then conti- 
nuing their Work, did light upon fome 
Poifon, which being too ftrpng for them 
they fent to Ixora, but were ftill in pur- 
fuit after the Amhrofta, which they in- 
tended to prefent to their Great King 
Deva Indra (who was then very fick) 
firnamed Quiera Navam, becaufe his 
whole Body was cover'd with Manly 
Tards, in revenge of the Adultery he 
committed with the Wife of the Great 
Kixf Quendama : For Deva Indra being ex- 
tremely in love with the faid Lady, tranf- 
form'd himfelf into a Cock, and coming 
to her Houfe in the night-time, began 
to crow moll briskly. Rixi thinking it 
had been near break of Day, got out of 
his Bed, and whilfl: he was going to an 
adjacent Pond to perform his ufual Devo- 
tions, Deva Indra took the opportunity 
to enjoy his Wife. Rixi returning from 
his Devotion, and perceiving the Cheat, 
tranfmuted his Wife into a Stone, and 
laid the other Punifliment upon her 
Lover, 
By this time the Adires having feiz'd 
upon the Amhrofta without giving a lhare 
to the Gods, thefe made their Applica- 
tions to Fi^num, who thereupon taking 
the fliape of a moft beautiful Nymph, 
fat down at Table with the Adires, w\Ka 
their Attendants were juft ready to di- 
ftribute the Amhrofta among them. Be- 
ing all extremely enamour'd with her 
Beauty, every one courted her for his 
Spoufe. To decide the matter flie told 
them, that they fliould put the Ambrcfia 
into her Hand, and with their Eyes fliut 
and Hands ty'd behind them, but their 
Mouths open,receive every one their fliare 
of the Ambrofta ; and that he upon whom 
fhe fliould pitch for her Husband, fliould 
be the laft. This being done according- 
ly, flie feiz'd upon the Ambrofta, and car- 
ried it to the Gods. Byt whilfl they were 
all opening their Mouths to receive the 
{aid Ambrojia, Ravaben (who hadaflum'd 
the ftiape of one of the Gods) fliew'd 
his Boars Tusks, which yifinum feeing 
gave him fuch a powerful Blow, that 
his Head flew from his Shoulders •, whence 
the Adires, whatever fliape they aifume, 
always retain their Tusks. However 
Ftfinum throwing the Body and Head 
into the Air, the fame were transform'd 
into two Planets, call'd Rahu and Quen- 
daum. Rogerim calls them, Kagoit and 
Ketou, which in the Malabar fignifies as 
much zsCaput and Cauda, or the Dragon's! 
Head and lail. But here the Brahmans 
commit an Error in Aftronomy, for they 
have no Planets, but a fixed Sidiis con- 
fifl:ing of 31 Stars on the North- fide 
without the Zodiac ; where the Moon 
palling from South to North, and again 
from the North to South, goes through 
this Ecliptick:Line, being the fame the 
Sun pafTes through every year, and the 
Moon every Month in the year^ for 
when flie takes her Courfe from South to 
North, the place where flie pafTes through 
the Ecliptick Line is call'd the Dragori'i 
Head, as the place of the faid Line 
through which flie pafTes in her return 
from North to South is call'd the Dra- 
gon's Tail ; hence it is, that ( according 
♦ to 
