CHAPTER III. THE HINDU ACCOUNT OF THE DELUGE. In the reign of a prince named Satyavrata, the earth was covered with the waters, and every living creature destroyed, excepting the pious prince himself, seven Rishis, or saints, who accompanied him with their vives, and a male and female of each species of living creatures; which, by the comhand of the preserving deity, were saved a ship that had been prepared for the urpose. After seven days spent on the niversal ocean, finding ground, the vessel as fastened to it. When the deluge had bsided, Vishnu appearing, instructed atyavrata in divine knowledge, naming m the Seventh Menu, and Vaivaswata, child of the sun." Such is in sub 46 66 stance the history given by the Hindus of the deluge, after divesting that history of its numerous allegories and fables. Let us compare," says Sir William Jones, "the two Indian accounts of the Creation and the Deluge, with those delivered by Moses. It is not made a question in this tract, whether the first chapters of Genesis are to be understood in a literal, or merely in an allegorical sense; the only points before us are, whether the creation described by the first Menu, which the Brahmins called that of the Lotos, be not the same with that recorded in our Scripture; and whether the story of the seventh Menu be not one and the same with that of Noah. I propose the questions, but affirm nothing." *See Asiat. Res. vol. i. p. 232; vol. ii. p. 118; and vol. iii. p. 484. * Greeks and conspicace End their ber bie Ganesa te the Janus Bebe was the is the same ally resemble us ceremo deities, and let, are com an address CHAPTER IV. ON THE MYTHOLOGY, &c. OF THE HINDUS, AND ITS AFFINITY WITH THAT OF THE my THE affinity discoverable between the thology of the Hindūs, and that of the ancient Greeks and Romans, appears to us so very conspicuous, as almost to exclude doubt of their having one common origin. In the Ganesa of the Hindus, we discover the Janus of the Romans. In Eu -ope he was the god of wisdom; in India he is the same; and in other respects equally resembles him. All sacrifices and eligious ceremonies, all addresses to supeior deities, and all worldly affairs of moment, are commenced by pious Hindus, with an address to Ganesa. In many parts 1 AM of India, every new built house has the name of Ganesa inscribed upon it. Few books are begun without the words "Salutation to Ganesa."* H. In Saturn, Sir William Jones recognizes Menu or Satyavrata, whose patronymic name was Vaivaswata, or child of the sun; and whom the Hindus believe to have reigned over the world in the earliest age of their chronology. As the god of time, or rather as time personified, Saturn was represented holding a scythe in one hand, and in the other a serpent with its tail in its mouth, the symbol of perpetual cycles and revolutions of ages: sometimes he is to be seen in the act of devouring years in the form of children, and sometimes encircled by the seasons, appearing like boys and girls. A relation between Yama, brother of Menu, and the Grecian Minos, the supposed son of Jove, may be inferred from his being distinguished, among other attri * Jones. senteric or is driver. ts, or is se ter, the f tes of the tr butes, as judge of departed souls. In this character Yama is likewise named Darham Rajah. He has a sceptre in his hand, and rides on a buffalo. He has two genii under him, named Chiter and Gopt. The former has the charge of reporting the good, the other the bad actions of mankind; and that these may be exactly known, two inferior genii attend on every one of the human species, that of Chiter on the right, and that of Gopt on the left. The Hindus believe, that, when a soul leaves its body, it immediately repairs to Yamapur, or the city of Yama, where it is judged according to what may have been the conduct of the deceased in this life; on receiving sentence it either ascends to heaven, or is driven to Narac, the region of serpents; or is sent back to earth to animate other bodies of men or animals, until ts vicious inclination be corrected. Jupiter, the father of gods and men, and vorshipped under a variety of names, seems co comprehend under these the different atributes of the triple divinity of the Hindūs, |