854 
The Idolatry of 
Part II. 
irhich I could not do without trefpajjlng the 
Rules of £/jf Order of the Brahmans where- 
fore I dcfirc no more than three Foot of 
Ground. Mavaly replied^ that will not be 
enough to h'uiid yon aHoufe upon. I want 
no tioufc^ laid the Brahman., having nei- 
ther Wife nor Children^ I deftre only three 
Foot of Ground^ which you can't refufe with- 
out Icing perjured. Mavaly telling the 
Brahman that he never broke his Pro- 
niife, and ordering Venm to bring him 
fome Water, (he defired him not to pour 
I he Water upon the Brahman^ whom flie 
looked upon as an impoftor. Aiavaly re- 
I)Iicd, Oj what co-:fcqucnce can three Foot 
of Ground be ? Take hted, anfwered Ke- 
nm^ for this vs Vifl"num himfelf, rvho vs 
come in difguife to dccei've you. Mavaly rc- 
lurn'd, ] have not finned againfl Viftnum, 
and therefore have no reafon to fear him. 
Notwirhllanding which renus continued 
to perfuadc hira by many Arguments, 
not to truft him : But Mavaly perfifting 
in his Rsfolution, told her, Let come on it 
what will., if it fhould cofl me my Life, I 
will not break my Oath. Then taking the 
VelTel with the Water, he bid the Brah- 
man to hold up his Hands, which yenus 
perceiving, (he held Mavalf^ Arms, de- 
jiring him not to pour out the Water ; 
but Mavaly pufhing back her Hand, bid 
the Brahman a fecond time to hold up his 
Hands. Veniif then changing her Shape, 
Itopp'd the Pipe of the VefTel, which 
A/avaly endeavouring to loofen with a 
Twig, he hurt re«wi's one Eye, whence 
line got the Name of Chueren. Then 
Water coming out of the Spout of the 
VelTel, the Brahman did drink. This 
done, Mavaly order'd him to meafure 
the three Foot of ground where he plea- 
fed, njlnum having by this time reaf- 
lumed his own Shape, he covered the 
whole Earth with one of hisFeet,and with 
the other the Paradife called Sofgalogam. 
Whilft rijlnumwas extending his Foot, 
Brammci poured Water upon it, which 
produced the Pviver Ganges., fo highly 
celebrated among the Indians and other 
Pagans. Fiflnum having thus meafured 
two Foot, Mavaly told him, he might 
alio take the third, which he did by mea- 
luring the inferiour Region, called Pada- 
the'ii'orU. Im, and ihus became Mafter of the whole 
World. 
The Gcnrivcs add, that this Brahman 
(whom they call Fanam^ i. e. a black 
Drvarf and Rogcrius calls him Barmafariy 
i. e. a young Erahman, by the Name of 
IVamara fct his Left Foot upon Mava- 
ly\ Breal!; or Head, and thus kick'd him 
ihto the Ground into the infernal Re- 
Viflnum 
; C.I 
gion, whereof he made him King. 
But Mavalfs Wife upbraiding Viflnum 
with Ingratitude, he carried her to her 
Husband, and as a Reward of his Piety 
bellowed upon hira the Government of 
the place of Darknefs, riftnum himfelf 
remaining with him nine days to guard 
the Entrance thereof. Rogerius calls this 
Mavaly a Devil, named 5e///, and fays, 
that whilfl the Waters of the Ganges 
were flowing from above over Ixorah 
Head, and rifen out of the Hip of a 
Saint, 60000 Men were brought to Life. 
This Fable had queftionlefs its Origin 
from the want of Knowledg of the true 
fourceof the River Ganges., for which 
reafon they generally ftile it the Heavenly 
River. 
Mavaly being not fatisfy'd with his 
prefent Station, made his Complaint to 
riftnum, who told him, that in regard 
he had been a charitable Perfon, a Man 
of Truth and without Sin, he would 
conftitute him King of the Paradife. 
making a' deep Reverence (called 
by them Sambaja) returned for anfwer. 
It is not my ambition tb reign, being on- 
ly afFefted with the Hardfliips of my for- 
mer Subjeds, who have no body now to 
provide them with Neceflaries, aslufed 
to do. Fiflnum replied. The poor lhall 
ferve the rich, and be maintained by 
them ^ fo that he that will v/ork, fhall 
want for nothing. 1 will alfo conftitute 
you the Doorkeeper of the Paradife, fb 
that no body (hall enter there witnout thy 
Knowledg. But replied Mavaly., how 
fhall I then be able to judg at fuch a dif- 
tance, how you deal with Mankind up- 
on Earth .■^ I will, anfwered r'//?w«w,af- 
fign you a certain Place in Heaven, from 
whence you may overlook the Earth •, and 
fo made him Doorkeeper of the Para- 
dife. 
Accordingly Viflnum diftinguilhed ? € 
Mankind into three forts, Rich, Poor 
and Middle-fized, which were to have a 
Reciprocal Dependance on one another. 
That fuch as had lived pioufly and done 
Ads of Charity llioul(l> be received after 
their Death, and live in Plenty and 
Splendor ; but fuch as did otherwife, 
(hould after their Deceafe betransform'd 
again into Slaves and Drudges, to do 
Penance for their former Sins, till by 
their good Works they (hould merit Pa- 
radife, which they were not to enter 
however without Mavaly\ Confent. He 
alfo conftituted a Feaft; (called Ona by 
the Malabars) to be celebrated yearly in 
Auguflt when they fpend feveral days 
together in feafting and other forts of 
Di- 
