A Keyto the Chronology of the Hindus Vol I

7/27/2019 A Keyto the Chronology of the Hindus Vol I

1/418

A KEYTO THE

CHRONOLOGY OF THE HINDUS;IN

A SERIES OP LETTERS,IN WHICH

AN ATTEMPT IS MADE TO FACILITATE THE PROGRESSOF CHRISTIANITY IN HINDOSTAN,

BY PROVING

THAT THE PROTRACTED NUMBERS Q

WHEN REDUCED. v '*AGREE Vn/fH THE DATES GIVEN IN THE

t of tfje

I IV TWO VOLUMES.

VOL. 1.

CAMBRIDGE:Priuti'tl by .J. .Smithy 'rintt-r to the University;'

l-'OR F. C. * J. RIVINGTON, LONDON;

\\l> SOLDUY DEUSUTON SONS,"'lCHOiSON SON,ANM I. NP.WBV/K; .1. PAKKBII, OXFORD ; ANI> .f. UPHAM, BATH.


2/418

PREFACE.

THE ollowing etters,written during heSummerof 1815., for-the information of a young friend,who had recently received an appointment in theEast India Company'sservice, were intended topreventhis imbibing prejudices,as unjust as heyare illiberalj^jytoinst a race of people, eminentfor their piety and morality:-prejudices whichseem to have arisen from a total ignorance ofOriental Chronology, and a confined knowledgeof the religion of the Vedas. Bat it having beensuggestedo the Author, that the giving publicityto a systemof Chronology, varying n all its partsfrom that hitherto admitted by Europeans,mightassist the ministers of our Church, in the piousand arduous taskof removing prejudices, whicharc supposed o have retarded the progressofChristianity in Hindustan, theseLetters are sub-

a 2


3/418

iv PREFACE.mitted o the publicwith the hope, hat the motive,which induces heir publication,will be receivedas an apology or the inaccuracieshey may con-tain. With a view o render he subjectess ntri-cate to those who are unaccustomed to Hindu his-tory,an explanatorylossarys affixed^ hichwillin some egreeectify those ypical errors, whichoccur n consequencef the unavoidable bsenceof the Author, when the Letters were in the press.

The impediments hich havehitherto etardedthe progress f Christianityamong he Brahrnans,appear o have arisen rather from the intolerancewith which t has beenenforced^nd the pre-judicesof thosewho haveendeavouredo enforceit, than from any religiousprejudices n the partof the Hindus. Those who will take the trouble.to examinehehistoryof their eligion,will easilytrace the pureworshipof an almighty.,ust, andmerciful God, in all their sacred Puranas. Theprejudices, f the Brahmans re political ratherthan religious,and attachwholly to Casts. For,althoughenaciousf their owndoctrine,heynever ndeavouro convert therso their aith concludinghat as; n theiroriginal urity,all


4/418

PREFACE. V

religions were from God, they must necessarilyeequally acceptable to him ; and that, provided thefaith in that God is pure and holy, the form, inwhich he is adored, must be immaterial. Conse-quently, they neither despise nor condemn those%vho differ in religious opinions., but supposethem to be, equally with themselves, under theprotection of that benevolent God, who is neverunmindful of those, who offer up their prayerswith purity of heart; firmly believing., hat ff thepower that stooped to soften human woes, nonee'er implored n vain." The priestsof a religionso tolerant, cannot justly be deemedprejudiced;nor can prejudices (if such they are deemed),sofavourable to religion, be considered as obstacles* ito reformation : it must then be supposed, that, itis not the prejudices of the Brahmans, but theprejudices of Europeans, that have impeded theprogressof Christianity n Asia; and, f the modehitherto,adopted e examinedwith candour, t willappear, hat, until within a very few years, theorthodox ministers of our Church have made noefforts on the subject; and that the Missionaries,unacquainted oth with the chronology and reli-gion of the Hindus, have endeavouredo over-


5/418

VI PREFACE,

throw he religionof the iving1 ocl instead i"withdrawingheveilbywhicht isobscured. nthe one hand, the Roman Missionaries, whiletheyprostratedhemselvesefore he mages fotheir saints, showered orth anathemas gainstthe Hindus, as Idolaters; and, on the other, apeoplewho had been aught, from the earliestages of the world, to considermorality as themeansby which the favour of the Almighty wasinfallibly to be obtained,were told, that to be-lieve in the incarnation of Christ was alone neces-sary to salvation; but happily a period has arrived,when he eyesof the Brahmanswill be openedothe Christian religion, ia its purest form; theywill hear he religion of Christ expoundedwith-out eithersuperstition r bigotry, and be enabledto becomeroselyteshereto,withoutapostatizing-from that of the Gocl they adore.

Some ears go,ona youngBrahman aving:been converted to Christianity, by a DanishMissionary,his father exclaimed, Alas! he wasignorant f his own eligion" and husmildlyadmonished him : (( My son, thou art yet tooyoung o beacquaintedith the mysteriesf our


6/418

PREFACE.

sacredreligion; we do not worship many godsrin the extravagantmanneryou are led to suppose.In a multitude of images we adore one divineEssence nly. Thou shouldesthave applied forinformation to the learned sacerdotal Brahmansof our nation,,who would have enlightened hymind; and.,by removing hy doubts,,would haveprevented hy dereliction of the holy religion ofthy forefathers."

"*

Bernier, who was a very judicious observer fHindu manners,, nd who enquiredof the Pundits.of Benares^why they admitted mages n theirtemples, received their answer as follows :


7/418

via ' PREFACE.insteadof directing heir adorationo the Su-premeBeing, he uniformly eceived or answer," that God, being spiritual, and without shape,was ncomprehensible,nd as no precise deacould be formedof him, adorationbefore dolswaspermitted y their religion,and wouldbereceived y theEternalas adorationo himself."The secretaryf Akbar,whohadeverymeans ffiraininir information from the Brahmans, affirms^Othat they, one and all, believe n the unity ofthe Godhead; nd hat, although hey held magesin high venerationyet that they were by no meansidolaters,as the gnorantsupposed,mages eingonly representationsf celestial eings, o whomthey turn, whilst at prayer, to prevent theirthoughts romwandering; adding hat God maybe adored in the heart, in the sun, in fire, inwater or earth, or in the form of an idol. But,after all, the Hindu Scriptures re the bestautho-rity; and it is recorded n the ManavaSastra,that cc he divine Spirit alone is the whole assem-blageof Gods,hatmenarepermittedo worshipthat Spirit n anyof hisworks, rovidedheycon-sider he suprememnipotentntelligence s he.sovereignordof them ll: thatSpirit,being-y


8/418

PREFACE. IX

no means the object of any sense.,can only beconceivedby a mind wholly abstracted rom mat-ter; therefore, for the. purpose of assisting hismeditation, man may imagine it more subtilethan the finest conceivable essence, and morebright than the purest gold. He is, therefore,by some,adoredas ranscendently resent n ele-mentary fire; by others, as Menu, Lord of Crea-tures ; by some, as more distinctly present in,Indra, Regent of the clouds and the atmosphere;by others, as pure air; and by some,as he mosthigh eternal Spirit.33

No orthodox Brahman can be an idolater:there may be sectaries, who secede from theestablishedaith, as there are amongChristians.But, to give effect to the Gospel in Asia, the mini-sters of Christ, in lieu of combating an opinionoriginating n mistaken ealand prejudices, hould,by comparing he religion of the Vedas n its pris-tine purity, with the sublimestdoctrine of truereligion, incline the nativesof Hindustan o rejectthe impurities that have clouded he religion oftheir ancestors; and then, by shewing hem thrthe religion of Christ is founded on that prop


9/418

X' P R E F AC E.

gatedy heEternal piritheyadore, rawhemby imperceptibleegrees,o becomenamouredof a faith, which cannotexist without morality,and which contains the sublime doctrine of theirsacredecords,divested f those errorsby whichit is at present louded.With a viewof further-ing this desirablebject,a Key o their Chrono-logy s nowoffered;which,being xtractedromtheir most ancient and most sacred institutes, noorthodoxBrahmancan object to; and chrono-logy is so far necessaryo religion, that withoutdates it is difficult, if not impossible, to stampauthenticity on history, whether sacred or pro-fane. For when, apparently, he same event isplacedby differentnations at epochs he mostremote rom eachother, or when different per-sons f the same ation,appearo place he birthof the sameperson n different periods of theworld, it is a natural inference that one or all ofthenarrationsreunfounded.f, therefore,yan analysis f Hinduchronology,he protractednumbers,hich ave ogenerallyeen ronouncedastronomicaleriods,reprovedo correspondwith the datesgiven in the Hebrew ext of ourBible,onegreatobjects obtained.For thecon-


10/418

PREFACE. XI

tradictions that appear n the chronologyof theancients, avingeverbeen esortedo asan argu-ment against religion, by the scepticsof everynation, this shelter for infidelity is removed, if itcan be proved, to mathematical demonstration,that the Hindus, Egyptians, Chaldeans, and Chi-nese,equallywith the Hebrews,place he creationof the world at a period not exceeding5820yearsfrom the present time; and that each nationallows 1656 years from that memorable event tothe awful visitation of the Almighty, when, withthe exception of one family, all mankind weredestroyedby a general deluge. And if such ananalysisproduceproof that the reigns of the godsrecorded in the Old Chronicle, together with thefourteen first dynasties of Egyptian kings, asgiven by Manethon the fourteenMenusof theHindus, the Chaldean dynasties of Berosus, andthe eight first reigns of the Chinese,all agree npointof datewith the Hebrew ext of our Bible,,it establishes the superiority of that text overthoseof the Septuagintand Samaritan: a subjectof some mportance, sincenothing hasbeen*moreprejudicialo the furtherance f Christianitywithlearned men in Asia, than the different opinions


11/418

xii PREFACE.maintainedy Europeanselative o the chrono-logy of their Scriptures,nd the aviditywithwhich authors urn from the one text to the otheras hey espectivelyssist favouriteypothesis.Another circumstance ery likely to promoteChristianityn Asiawill arise romcomparinghefour great Indian prophets,igurativelyermedthe ^Mouths of God/3 with the first four Hebrewprophets;andproving, romananalysis f theirchronology, hat Swayambhuva,he first of men,termed Buddha, the son of the Self-existing', wiiscreated n the sameyear with Adam; and thntBuddha he sonof Maya, Buddha the son of Jina,and Buddha he sonof Devace,were espectivelyborn in the same ears with the Hebrew prophets,Enoch, Noah, and Moses; for it is consonant toreasonhat a race of men eminently ious, andtenacious f the divine origin of their religion,should be gratified in finding that Europeans,equallywith themselves,,elieve the will of Godto havebeenpromulgatedy thosepersons, homthey igurativelyerm he Mouths of God/' Hi-therto their great luminaryBuddha, he son ofMaya, whom one sectworshipas an incarnation

" of the Deity, fromhishaving eenexemptront


12/418

PREFACE. xilldeath, hath been epresented y Europeans s animpostor., and much pains have been taken toestablish is identity with Foe, a Chinese atheist,,who, in his dying moments denied he existenceof pure spirit. The time is arrived when thenatives of India shall learn from the orthodoxministersof our Church (by identifying their pro-phet with Enoch, the son of Jared), that everyChristian considers him as a type of that blessedSpirit, to whose eligion they are desirous f con-verting them. It must be obvious to every un-prejudiced mind, that the propagation of theGospel n foreign parts will be furthered n pro-portion to the tolerancewith which it is recom-mended, and that we should always endeavour oconvince others, that while we contend for thepurity of our own religion, consideringt a pecu-liar revelation from God, we by no meansdeny thedivine origin of theirs. In lieu then of condemn-ing the religion, and ridiculing the prophets ofthe Hindus, if we would convert them to Christ-ianity, we shouldcompare heir religion and theirprophets with our own. How gratifying to aBrahman must it be to read in our Scriptures,that Buddha, the son of Devace, under the


13/418

Xiv PREFACE.Hebrewappellationof Moses, recordedhaitheir divine Buddha, under the name of Enoch,


14/418

P R E F A C EC XV

and to be filled with faith, as their prophetswereof old; therefore said he^, c By faith Enochwastranslated that he should not see death ; for beforehis translation he had this testimony., that hepleasedGod/' And the exampleof this greatApostlemay ustify the adoptionof a similar con-duct in the Protestant ministers of the presentday, who will gain more proselytesby enforcingthe doctrine of faith, according to the definitionhere given by St. Paul., than by any other means;for every Brahman believes " that without faith itis impossible to pleaseGod; for he that cometh toGod must believe that he is; and that he is a"Rewarderof them that diligently seekhim.5' St.Jude did not despise the doctrine of the Hinduprophet, when he spake of the revelations ofEnoch, as a book of undoubted authority in histime, describing ts author as the seventh romAdam. " Enoch also, the seventh from Adam,prophesiedof those things, saying, Behold, heLord cometh with ten thousand of his angels, toexecute udgment on all." What is so likely toimpress he Brahrnanswith favourablesentimentsof our religion, as a knowledge hat their prophet,the seventh rom Swayambhuvathe first-created),


15/418

XVI PREFACE.

wasquotedas ari example f piety and aith, bythe Apostles f the Church,of which they are in-vited to becomemembers? The experiment isat least well worth the trial; for if it doth notremove.,t cannot reate,, rejudices nfavourableto Christianity, n the mindsof the Hindus.

The Chronologytself,and he Analysishere-of, being1 xtracted rom the most ancient andsacred Institutes of the Brahmans, must be cor-rect, although he application f it, in some n-stances,may be erroneous.That the Buddhasof the Hindus were the prophets of the Hebrewsis provedby the time of their birth, the events ftheir ives,and he periods f their deaths. Thatthe Menus ecorded y the Hinduswere he ante-diluvian patriarchs, recorded by Moses, is esta-blished by the commencement f the Antara ofthe first Menu, correspondingn date with thecreation of Adam; and that of the last, who wassavedn a miraculousrk,correspondingith hatof Noah,s also orroboratedy consideringhattheAntaraf theMenus,ollectively,verage57yearsanda raction; nd hat the aggregateftherespectiveivesof hepatriarchsn theraceof


16/418

PREFACE. XVliSeth,according-o the Hebrewtext, s 85/5 years;which number, divided by ten, will give, on anaverage, 857 years and a fraction, for the life ofeachof them. That the dynastiesof the Sun andMoon were antediluvian is clear; because it isascertained hat they were establishedn the be-ginning of the fifth century of the world: andthat they descendedrom Seth andCain is implied,becauset is recorded, hat they sprung rom twodistinguished onsof the first-created. The divi-sion of thesedynastiesmay nevertheless e sub-ject to some naccuracy, since t is the principalsonly that are accuratelydescribed. The minorbranches,who, like the Nomi in Egypt, assistedin the government,are placed rom memory,afterthe authorhad been deprivedof the originals romwhich they were extracted. This, however^ isnot essentialo the general object of the work,sincesuch naccuraciesmay easilybe rectified bythosewho havean opportunity of referring to thePuranas rom which theywere taken.

If theseobservations,he result of a long andintimate knowledgeof the character, eligion, andmanners of the Hindus,, should become nstrumen-

VOL. I. * *


17/418

PREFACE.

tal n convertinghem o Christianity,hegreatobjectf their ublicationill be ulfilledandfnot, the informationontainedn the followingLettersmayat least affordamusementnd in-structiono theyoungstudentn his researchesafter iterary nowledge.n theworks f Origeaandothers,whoprofesso believe n the creationand destructionof worlds innumerable, alledgingthat such revolutions ever had existed, and everwould exist, he will recognize he Menwantarasystem f the Hindus, or annual enewalof time,when nature becomes egenerate at the vernalequinox when He, whose roperty t is to existunperceivedy sense, avingong reposedduringthe winter),awakes,nd,awaking, eproduceshegreat principleof animation/' He will, by fullycomprehendinghe earlydynastiesf the Hindus,Egyptians,' ndChaldeans,ecognizen each heantediluvian patriarchs,as recorded n the Hebrewtext of his Bible; and by a coincidencef datesandevents,he will obtaincollateralproofs f theauthorityf thatholy ecord,ponwhich eustlygrounds his faith in Christ; and from the sublimedoctrines f true religionwhich he finds n theirsacredecords.,ewill learnwith theHindu, o


18/418

PREFACE.

tolerate all religious opinionswhich are foundedon the worshipof the living God, He will ccbeenabled to establish as indubitable, that the threefirst ages of the Hindus are not mythological:"that they are neither cc oundedon the enigmasoftheir Astronomers, nor on the heroic fictions oftheir Poets; but that they contain a period ofnine hundred^years only;" "that the fourth histo-rical age can be carried urther back than abouttwo thousandyears beforeChrist," and that thecommencement (of it is correctly placed at y. B. c.3182 since by addingnine hundredyears o thecurrent year of the fourth of Cali age,,we get thetrue epochof the creation, according o all orien-tal chronology. And when he reflects that a pe-riod of time not exceeding hat of one annualrevolutionof the Sun,,hath been comparedo thedoctrine of Archytas, the numerator of the sands,and deemedsufficient to baffle the ingenuity ofArchimedes, who invented a notation that wascapable of expressing hem., their chronologybeing deemedcc n absurdity so monstrous as tooverthrow their whole system, so technical anarrangementexcluding the idea of serious his-tory;" and when he calls to mind that ff nothing


19/418

XX PREFACE.

has so embarrassed he learned world, as the dy-nasties f the kingsof Egypt/* and recollectshata learned Commentator of his own time doubtsff whethert be n the powerof man o thoroughlyregulate the Egyptian chronology/' and thenfindshimselfenabled^ y a simple ule in commonarithmetic,, to solve all such difficulties, he will beconvincedof the folly and impiety of those who,sufferingprejudice to get the betterof their ui>derstanding,efuse heir assent,whether n chro-nologyor religion, to that which they do not fullycomprehend. e will thereby earn to have "faithin things not seen/' and o believen those reattruths,,which mayat present ppearmysteriousohim, in the holyreligion of Christ.


20/418

LETTER I.

Mv DEAR SIR,IN compliance ith your request, havearranged he observations, hich a long residence

in India enabledme to make,, n the TheologyandChronologyof the Hindus: subjects ittle under-stood, but which every young man.,who entersinto the East India Company'sservice,,shouldendeavour o becomemasterof; more especiallysince the conversion of the Hindus to Christ-ianity has become consideration ith the EnglishGovernment, and which may, I am confident., beeffected with ease, if proper methods are adopted.On this subject I speak rom personal nowledge.,having devotedmuch ime to so desirable n ob-ject : andhad t not interfered ith the mercenaryviews of an individual, the protestant religion hadlong sincebe6n introducednot only in the districtof Dindigul, but in all the Polloms subordinatethereto. I shall be most happy, if my researchesprove eitherbeneficial r amusingo you. Theymay possiblypreventyou from imbibing thoseVOL. I, A


21/418

2prejudiceswhich uropeansn generaloo eadilyadopt,ndwhich avef late earseenreatlystrengthened,y theworks f Mr.Bryant ndSir William Jones. Prom the latter you willgainmuch sefulnformation,rovidedouguardagainst is Systemf Chronology,hich s er-roneous hroughout.ThatChristianity asonce espectedn Asiascei'tain for notwithstandingt hasbeenscarcelytolerated uring he Mahomedanynasties,,t iswell known hat here s scarcely village on theCoromandel coast, that does not contain Christians.In the little district of Dindigul, I ascertained hatthere were more than ten thousand, who believedin the Incarnationof Christ. These, you wellknow, haveof late been representeds the verylowest order of the people; as destitute of truth,honesty nd good faith; as merelyChristians yname,otallygnorant f the enets f thereligionwhich hey profess. This is in general rue:neverthelesshere areverymany iousandgoodpeopleo be foundamonghem;althoughheirknowledge f Christianitys miserablyircum-scribed.No doubt he first objectof the Pro-testant issionariesillbe o enlightenhose hoalreadyelieven the ncarnationf Christ, ndtherebyenderhristianityespectablen theeyesof theHindus.t is absurdo supposehat n


22/418

enlightenedBrahman, whose eligion is foundedon the purest system of ethics., can think well ofthat religion which receives nto the bosomof itschurch he most abandoned nd profligateof theIndians; who., o avoid he disgrace r punishmentwhich awaits heir derelictionof morality, becomeChristians; yet such is the fact. For it toogenerally happens that to believe in Christ is allthat is required of an Indian : of course the apo-state Hindus are the very scum of the earth.Those who have hitherto attempted the conver-sion of the superior Hindus have been very in-adequateo the task. I nevermet with a singleinstance, where the missionary was well versedeither in their Theology or Chronology. Theytoo frequently, from a want of knowledge on thesesubjects,, epreciateChristian virtues when pre-sented n an Indian garb, and ridicule a chrono-logy which they do not understand. I embracewith pleasure the task of convincing you, that theHindu dates correspond with the Hebrew text erfour Scripture, and hat they date the Lotos crea-tion five thousandeight hundred and seventeenyears rom the present ime which is only sixyears rom the rue period., ccordingo the bestcalculationswe have,and only two years,accord-ing to the vulgareraof Christ A. 3YL 004. ABrahman who knows that the birth of their four


23/418

greatBuddhasprophets)orrespondn pointofdatewith those f Adam,Enoch,Noah,and Moses,of the HebrewScripture,smileswith contempt tthoseEuropeanshoattempto regulate hrono-logy,by rejectinghat of their establishedhurchfor theSeptuagintr Samaritanext: Thosewhoattempt to convert the Brahmans o Christianitymustrecollect, hat there s scarcely ny Christianvirtue, which was not enjoined by their greatBuddha nearly five thousandyears ago; andhandeddown to the present day. If, then, wewish to convince them, that an incarnation of theDeity took place 1814years ago; or in the Callyear 3102, we must divest coirselves f that intole-rant spirit, with which sarcasms ave been thrownagainst their religion, their morality, and theirchronology. One author tells us, cc that if a" Sooda hould et by heart,nayeven f he should" read or listen to the sacredbooks, the law con-{( demnshim to a most cruel death." Whereas,ffom a convictionhat heVedas re ooabstrusefor thegenerality f thepeople, bodyof lawsnamedSmyrtawere composed,onsisting f 18books ivided nder he heads f the duty ofreligion,of justice,and of the punishment,rexpiationf crimes*.Thesewerecompiledor

* This codes formedrom he ordinancesf Menu he sonof


24/418

the information of mankind n general; but forthe further information of the lower casts in reli-gious knowledge, he Pasupataand Pancharatra,with innumerable ther works, were composed.The study of the Veda s enjoined to the threefirst casts and the study of the latter works o thefourth, to whom, from their subordinate stations,and want of erudition, the Yedas were unintelli-gible. Thus an institution, wisely and humanelyordained o make eligious knowledgegeneral, isrepresented as a crime of the first magnitude.Mr. Halhed might have recollected that theChristians of the Latin Church are forbidden toread the Scriptures, and that the service is per-formed n a languagewhich the lower classes retotally ignorant of: he must have known, thatthe lower classes of the Hindus are totally un-acquaintedwith the Sanscrit anguage.,n whichthe Vec(as are written ; and he ought to haveknown, that the Sanscrit, in which they are written.,particularlyhe first Veda, s so obselete, s o beof Brahma, translatedby Sir W. Jones rom the glossof CullucaBhatta. In the Manava Sastir, we read that " the Scripture"is an eye giving constant light: nor could the Veda Sostra" have beenmade by human faculties, nor can t be measuredbya human reason unassistedby reverted glossesand comments:" he who completely knows the sense of the Veda Sostrawhile" he remains in any of the four orders approaches he divine" nature while he remains on this world/7


25/418

illegible o manyof the earnedBrahmans, ndthat., n consequencehereof,t is the VedaofVedas,so called rom being compiled rom thethree divineVedas,hat s generally ead.The Hindu sects are so numerous, and thefour original casts so divided, and subdivided,since hey were irst instituted, hat an attempt oexplain hem wouldbe as visionary s useless;theyare all branchesromonegreat root, origi-nally instituted for the purposeof establishingmorality, subordination and good government,among he people n general. For the religionof the Hindus, although now clouded by fable,wras ot so originally and the Puranas,or Sacredlegends, owevermonstroushey may appearothe eye of prejudice, re either religioussymbols.,or allegorical descriptionsof past events.

The Hindus believe n one great primevalCause,he Deity; whom,under whatevernameadored, they suppose to have existed from alleternity,and who, (to prevent he profanationannexedo hepronouncingf hisname)s usuallydescribeds he Self-existing.hisgreat irstCause,s worshippeds universal,upreme,ndinfinite; is consideredsa divineessence,ncom-

*The Brahman,he Cshatriya,he Vaityaand heSudra.


26/418

prehensible nd immutable.,which fills all space,,and s the primarycause f all things. To attempt,even n thought, to personify his divine essence,is in their scripture egardedasprofane. Neitherare the mystic characters.,which are used to denotethe Deity, permitted o be pronounced loud,or thelips o move, lthough hewordshould e pronouncedmentally a thousandimesa day. The followingmay be considered as the articles of the Hindufaith: That the Eternal is ONE, the creator ofall things both in heavenand on earth, and in thewaters beneath; that he resemblesa perfect sphere,without beginning and without end; that thEternal rulesand governsall creation by a gene-ral providence, resulting from first determinedand fixed . principles. ff Thou shalt not make-enquiry into the essenceof the eternal ONE>" neithej y what laws he governs an enquiry" into either is as vain as criminal. It is enough,fc that day by day, and night by night, thou per-ff ceivest n his works, his wisdom,his power, and" his mercy. Benefit thereby/' Brahma s consi-dered as he spirit.,whoemanatedrom this eternalessence, or the creation of the world. But, sinceidolatry has been introducedamong the Hindus,the three attributes of the one living God havebeen worshippedseparatelyunder the titles ofSiva, Vishnu and Brahma. To the latter no


27/418

8**.templesre dedicated,ut the worship f the

Lingam is exclusivelyo him. At present,the Hindus,, o whatever minor cast they maybelong, re dividednto two sects,he followersof Siva,and the followersof Vishnu. The firstdate heiroriginascoeval ith the creation thesecond, rom the first incarnation of Vishnu, er-roneously tatedby Europeanst the deluge:for the learned indusnvariably elievehat allthe Avatars were antediluvian the belief of thegeneralityof the nativess, that the Eternalemit-ted threesparks, hich heypersonify y the thtee%ods,Siva, Vishnu, $nd Brahma. The churchBrahmins considerSiva as the symbol of thesupremeGod; Vishnu as the primordial spirit,that first moved on the waters, the God whoexisted before all worlds, who redeemed mankindfrom sin, and who will re-appear n a carnal format the dayof judgement; Brahmaas the creativeattribute (Vi*aj) by whomwere producedSwa-ya^Ipsva and Satarupa,he generalparentsofmanifrid.

The Deity s stillworshippedn Trinity, undertb nameof Trimouti or Tritoum: that is, theHindusacknowledgehreeattributesof one G6d;thereby enoting isomnipotence,isprovidence,and his ustice; offeringup their prayersandthanksgivingo the preservingnd destroying


28/418

attributes of the Eternal. But the classical Brah-mans, particularly those of the Vidanta school,consider the holy Triad in a recondite sense, asthree Gods in one God; not as Brahma,, Siva andVishna,but as one pervadingSpirit; The eternalSpirit in heaven,he eternalSpirit on earth. Topersonify either, even in idea, is considered pro-fane. The third person n their holy Triad is thesamedivine Spirit, in an incarnate orm: this isone of the most ancient tenets of their religion,taught by their incarnate God, during the firstmillenaryof the world, and corresponds ith thattaughtby Enoch, he greatHebrewprophet,at thesame eriod. There are several agodas, r tem-ples, sacred o this worship, in one of which thsypbol of the Deity is a man with three heads:undft the great pagodaof Travancore, he symbolis a serpentwith a thousandheads: the greatftest of Anandavourda, eld annually on the eveof the full moon n October,when he year origi-nally commenced, s in honour of the Trimouti,and s attended y thousands f the natives f everycast,wh# assemblerom every part of the country.

There are numerous emples dedicated o Siva,and to Vishnu; at each of which Brahman niiijl-sters, nitiated n the peculiarmysteries f eithersect, officiate. But to Brahma,as not being ta&-mortal, templesreerected; lthoughheHiBdWI


29/418

10of eithersectpayhimdaily adoration, s the crea-ture attribute, in their privateprayers.Siva s worshippeds supremendeternalus-tice, whoat the end of the world, will distributerewards ndpunishments: ishna s the mediatorandpreserver,ho efthis paradisen heaven,ndbecamencarnate,o deprecatehe wrath of theEternal. In this incarnation, he is believed to haveanimatedhe body of Parata Rama, he greatBuddha, the son of Maya, or divine delusion.

They reckon en principal Avataras; of whichthat which has been mentioned, s the only incar-nationof the Deity that is past: the remainingeight beingconsidereds partakingof a portiononly of the Deity. The tenth is expectedat thecfose f the Caliage,asan ncarnation f the samedivineredeeming pirit,who will return in greatglory o udgemankind, reviouslyo he finaldistri-butionofrewardsndpunishmentsy theSupreme.

The chronology f the Hindushas beenva-riously epresented;ome ejectingheir numbersaltogethers visionary;and othersconsideringthem merely as astronomical observations. Ifeitherof these ypothesess admitted, nd eachofthemhasbeengivenasan axiom,no datacaneverbe obtainedromwhicho placeheAvataras; llof which xcepthe enth,whichs still o come,areantecedento hedeluge,Buddha f theninth


30/418

11Avatarabeing the prince savedn the ark. Euro-peans, on the contrary., from the Matsya or fishAvatar being the first,,suppose ll the succeedingto be postdiluvian,mistaking-he first Avatar whenthe delugewas oretoldby Buddha, he sonof Mayatheir incarnateGod for the ninth, when the pro-phecy was fulfilled in the person of Vaivaswat;and sobigottedaresomeo this postdiluvian ystem,that they do not hesitate o pronounce he Brah-mansstrangelynconsistent or not giving up thewhole chronologyof their country, and changingthe epoch,when he Cali or presentagecommen-ced, in conformity to the erroneous calculationsofRomish missionaries and Chinese Bouzes*.

To understand he Hindu chronology, t is ab-solutely necessaryo be perfectly acquaintedwiththe different divisions of time, as recorded in theinstitutes of Menu. It will then clearly appear,that those numbers which have of late years beeninjudiciously pronouncedastronomical ycles,orperiods, re nothing more han he differentpowersof numbersmultipliednto eachother. The Brah-mansprofess, nd he unenlightened indusbelievethat the world was created o last 4320000 years,as follows.

* Maurice, vol. IL 562. 9th edit.


31/418

1st ageor* Critajugen 17280002d age Tritajugen 12960003d age Dwaparajugen...640004th age Calijugen . 432000

Makinganaggregate f 4320000 ears.Thesenumbersndicate othing more han hesubdivisions f time, or matires.,equal to the two

hundred and fortieth part of an Indian minute,comparedo the twinkling of an eye.,which thefollowing ablewill more ully explain.

TABLE I.Matire

2 Matires = 1 Chiperori.10 Chiperons = 1 Chinon.12 Chinons = 1 Venidique,or one Indian minute.60 Venidiques= 1 Naigue.?T Naigues = 1 Saman.

8 Samans = 1 Day.15 Days = 1 Parouvan.2 Parouvans = 1 Month.

12 Months = 1 Year.100 Years = the life of man.Theseyearsbeing formedof 12 monthscon-

sistingof 30 dayseach^ re multipliedby 36o so* This age,when epresenteds the ageof Virtue, s termedCrita; when as the first age,Satya.t Ten Matiresare equal o oneEnglish econd, n Englishminute containing600 matires.


32/418

13as to comprehend 36000 days. This was hegreatSajoo?,,r 100yearsof the Chaldeans.36000x 6 = 216000, s a multiplicationwhich hey

profess to be in honour of the six subdivi-sions of a day^ rom Matires to Samans andthis number216000maybe considereds hebasis of their calculations.216000 they multiply by 2., to commemorateheperiod when the virtues and vices of mankindwere equal: the return of the race of Atri orCain.216000x 2 = 432000 he Calijug, or age ofSin., he fourth age.

21600O hey multiply by 4, to commemorateheVedas.216000x 4 = 864000 he Dwaparajug, r thirdage.216000 hey multiply by 63 to commemorateheVedas and Sasters.216000x 6 = 1296000 he Tritajug or secondage.

216000 they multiply by 8 to commemorate hecorners of the world*.* " In bis hands are all the corners of the earth/' Ps. xcv.4.-According to the Hindu mythology,he eight Patriarchs fthe antediluvian orld became enign pirits andguardians fmankind, neof them presiding ver eachof the eight cornersof


33/418

u216000 x 8 1728000 he Critijug, or firstage.The four ages ddedogetherorma period ftimecalled adrijug r Sadrijugan,mountingo

4320000 ears, r a divineage.TwoSadrijugansakeoneday and nightofBrahma,who s supposedo havecreatedhe worldby the express rder of the Eternal, during thefii^t Sadrijugan r day, and o haveretired o restduring the second, r night; during which periodthe world will graduallydecay; when Brahma.,awaking,enews reation, ndsoonuntil the endoftime.

8640000 ears re equal o 2 Sadrijugans; ndform one day of Brahma of 24 hours; 30 suchdays,or 60 Sadrijugans akeone of his months12 such monthsone of his years; and 100 suchyears, is ife; as ollows

864000 = I day and night.259200000 = l month.3110400000 = 1 year.311040000000 = the life of Brahma.

of the world. These re termedElephantso distinguishhemfrom the race of Atris; the same with the Daemonsof Plato wholivedn the ime f Cronus,ho eigneduringheGoldenge;and whomHesiod escribess Daemonsr benignpirits, whoafterdeathesidedithinheverge f theearth sguardiansfmankind.


34/418

15in 8640000 x 30 x 12 x 100 = 311040000000 =1000 years.From these numbers a cypher is formed,, nwhich all antediluvian records are kept: and, asin comparing the several Asiatic dates with thoseof the Hebrews,we shall frequently have o referto this table, I have formed therefrom two others,the second, y multiplying he subdivisionsnto eachother agreeably o the Hindu mode,and the thirdby multiplying agreeably o the mode in useamongst Europeans.


35/418

TABLE I

Halites 1 x 2 or one Chipe2 X 1O == 20, or one Chino2OX 12 ~ 24O, or one Veni

24OX 6O= 14400, or one Naig144OOX 7 = 10800O, or one Sama108000X 4 = 432000, or oneSam432OOO 2 = 864000, or one day of864000X 15 =12960000, or a Parou12960000X 2 = 2592000, or a Month25920000 12 = 311040000, or a Year o

311040000X360 = 111974400000.The latter number is seldom, f ever, i


36/418

TABLE HI.

& >i>!" en5' V* 0 f1*$ g sr P3* 3Ol -*"" S3 'i ' CO tf1 2 = 1 5tl2O = 10 = 1240 120 12 114400 7200 720 60=108000 54000 540O 45O432000 = 21600 = 21600 as= 1800 =

864000 = 43200 = 43200 = 3600 =12960000 648OOO 648OOO 54000=25920000= 1296000= 1296000= 108000= 1"*311040000= 15552000 15552000 ]L296000=; 21* A prophetic Menwan


37/418

18The Hindushave everalmodes f expressing

time: A Menwantarais71 divine ages,or 43200Ox 17= 306720000. t is givenas ollowsff Eighteen imeshas, r twinklingsof an eye,are one Casht'ha; thirty Casht'hasone Gala;

thirtyGalas ne Mahurta; and ust somanyMa-hurtas let mankind consider as the duration of theirday and night."" The Sun causes,he distribution of day andnight, both divine and human; night being in-tended or the repose f variousbeings, nd dayfor their exertion/'

" A monthof mortalss a day and night of thePitris, or Patriarchs,nhabiting he Moon; -andthe division f a monthbeing nto equalhalves,hehalf beginningwith the ull moon s their day oraction,and hat beginningwith the newmoon stheir night for slumber/*

*f A year of mortals s a day and night of theGods, r regents f he universe,ituatedound henorth pole and again their division s this; theirday s the northern,and heir night the southerncourse of the Sun/'

tcLearnnow hedivision f a dayandnightofBrahma, ndof the severalages hat shallbe men-tioned n order succinctly/'ccSages avegiven the nameof Crita to anage, containingour thousandearsof the Gods;


38/418

19the wilight precedingt consistsf as manyhun-dred, and the twilight following it of the samenumber/1

fc n the other hree ages,with their wilightprecedingand following, are thousands nd hun-dredsdiminished y one/*" The divineyears n the four humanagesustenumerated, eing added ogether, heir sum, ortwelve housand,s called he ageof the Gods/*"And by reckoning a thousandsuch divine

ages,a day of Brahmamaybe known his nighthasalsoan equalduration/' Again," The before-mentioned age of the Gods, or

twrelvehousand f their years,being multipliedbyseventy-one,onstitutes hat s herenamed Men-wantara, or the time, Antara, of a Menu/'ecThere are numberless Menwantaras; crea-

tions also and destructions of worlds innumerable:the Being supremely xaltedperforms ll this withas much easeas if in sport; again and again, forthe sakeof conferringhappiness*/5It is necessaryo explain his modeof reckon-ing, previouslyo the application f it. In the pre-ceding able t appearshat the Calijug, the fourthage, or 432000 years answers o one half day,or 12 hours; consequentlyhe aggregate f the

* Vide Institutes of Menu, ch. 1.* B 2


39/418

20ages f 432000 ears, 2000earsf he Gods,sequalo endays f 12hours, r to fivewhole ays.Thusonedivine ge, r 12000earss symbolicalffive days f 24 hours; and hese aysmultiplied y71give355,or oneSavanear. So hata Men-wantara, r /I divineages,he apparently rolong-ed period of 306720000 years, denotesone yearonly; beingnothingmore han the number fMatirescontainedn a Savan ear.-The Hindushave varietyof years, ll of whichagreewith hoseof the ancient Jews*. The Hindu Savan yearcorrespondsn pointof durationwith the Lunaryearof the Jews. It consistsof 355 days,which s thenumber of times the Sun rises above the horizonduring its progresshrough he ecliptic. On thisyear their cypher s formed. There are, how-ever, everal thers onsisting f 357 and36odays,In one of the Vedas, time is divided as follows:

18 Nimeshas == 1 Casht'ha..30 Casht'has = 1 Gala.30 Calas t = 1 Mahurta.30 Mahurtas= l dayof 24 hours,whichmultipliedntoeach ther, ive486000.But

as that numberof Nimeshas is equal o 864000* VideAppendixC),tA Casht'ha=32atiresr8 Indianeconds=&'*.uropean.

A Gala


40/418

21Matires,, it makes no alteration in the calculation ofthe Menwantara; which is,, and ever was, sym-bolicalof one year,,or of the renewalof Creationat the return of the vernal equinox.The life of Brahma omes ext o be explained.But we must not confound Brahma with Brahm,,orthe Eternal; for,, according o the mythologyofthe Hindus, he great poweremitted a sparkof hisdivine essence,, r Brahma, for the expresspurposeof creation,,saying : fc Go, bid all worlds exist;"and the duration of his life is limited to that of theCreation,which he formed,, s will be more fullyexplained y the following able,

TABLE IV.Twilight A Twilight Divine Mortal

A.M. P.M. ages.ges. years.Crita 400 x 40OO x 400= 48OO = 1728000Treta 300 x 300O x 3OO= 3600 = 1296000Dwapara200x 2000 x 200= 2400= 864000Cali 100 x 1000 x 100= 1200= 432000

1000 1000O 1000 12000 4320000-f-360 = 12000.

The foregoing ablesprove hat the aggregateA Gala = 960 Matiresor 4 Indianminutes 1' 36".A Mahurta =28800 v or 2 Naigues =.48'.30 Mahurtas = 864000 or 8 Samans = 24 h.


41/418

22of 4320000 earsof mortals, r a divine age,,s infact so manyMatires,or five daysof twenty-fourhours. For as 432000Matiresdenote ne dayof12 hours,somust4320000denote en daysof 12hours, or five of 24 hours*. And as a thousandSadrijugans re a day of Brahma , so does hatday contain ive thousand aysof 24 hours. St.Peter says, Beloved,be not ignorantof this onething, thatoneday s with the Lord asa thousandyears,and a thousand earsas oneday/5 2 Pet.iii. 8. This is the Mahaor greatdayof Brahma,liis usualdaybeinga period, r a thousandears,andour extgoeson o say,his" night s of the sameduration/' So hat the 10000 years n the secondcolumn of the fourth Table, are the two thousandSadrijugans, r day and night of Brahma: Thefirst column,or morning wilight, representshefour ages, swill bepresently xplained; he even-ing twilight denotes period of time very similarto ibat which is connected with the ancient beliefof a millennium. This period the Hindusdivide,supposinghatduring he irst fivehundred ears,Narayana, r Vishna, he spirit that moved n thewatersat the creation,and became ncarnatesoonafter he allofman, illreturn nd ojourn nearth,with the Ree-Sheessaints,)ndBuddhaspro-

* Table II. f Table .


42/418

23phets,)or thepurposef udgingalldepartedouls,preparatory o the final decreeof the Almighty,which will occupy the remaining five hundredyears. The Hindus express t as a period of timeequal in duration to the .last age of the world,which the aboveable states t one housand ears.Here you will observehe greatsimilitudebetweenthe opinion of the Hindus and that of the primitiveChristians, as well as the ancient Jews, who pro-fessed hat the world was created o last 6000 years;that theseperiodsof 1000 yearswere representedby the six days of the week; with God, one daybeing as a thousand ears; and that the seventhday was a thousand years of peace; which someauthors consider as elucidatory of 500 years beforethe lawwasgiven,and of 50O earsbefore he em-ple was completed:The fourth able s very com-prehensive. The first columnexplains he dura-tionof theage^ s hey eturnn everyhousandyears; the second, he great day of Brahma,or2000 Sadrijugans the third, the Millennium; andthe fourth and fifth, the aggregate of the whole,or the period during which Satan will have in-fluence ver he world. For of the 432000O ays, r12OOOears,Brahmasleeps nehalf: consequentlythe periodwhich the Jewsassigned or the dura-tion of^theworld, or six thousand ears, coincideswith that of the Hindus.


43/418

345fTheenigmahen s solved. hehumanges,

are epresentedn Matires/andhe ivine ne ndays: For *>1728000T-4800 = 3601296000 4-3600 = 360864000 -r 2400 ~ 3604320C|>r 1200 360. *Yet although ach ge n onesense,,enotesa time or360days,,heaggregate f the ourhumanages rMatires320000,,re,n thegeneralypher,consideredut as five daysof twenty-fourhours*

For Matires. Hours. Days,1728000 = 48 = 21296000 = 36 = H864000 = 24 = 1432OOO = 12 = Oi

Total 4320000 120 5And5 days re o 4320000Matires s 360 daysare o I55520060O,,hichs half heyearofBrahma.AndMenaxplainsyear f mortalsobea day

andnight of the Gods,or regents f the universetheir daybeing he northern,and their night thesouthern ourse f the Sun. But the divine agehasa more econdite eaning.,nd.,when t is usedas an historicdate,t alwaysdenotesne year.For a divine age s considered s he duration oftime (erroneouslyendered he durationof the


44/418

world) at the expiration of which nature becomesregenerate t the vernal equinox: on which ac-count,, it is said " there are numberless Menwan-taras,,and creations also/' In this sense he pro-phet Daniel denotes 6odaysby " a time;" and asseventy-one ivine ages form a Menmntara, sodoesa Menwantara enote,whenapplied o dates,seventy-one years.

The presentyear being the Cali year 4917,answers o the year of the world 5817. For as thethree irst agescomprised 88800O uppositious earsequal o nine hundred; so does900 4-4917= 5817,or the three first agesand the portion of the fourththat is past: which admitting the Hindus to becorrect in placing the Christian era at A. M. 40O2,answers o the year of Christ 1815, and placesus inthe endof the sixth or lastCalpaof Brahma.

The name of Sir William Jones is sufficient tocarry conviction,, without enquiry. To his re-searches the world are indebted for vast funds ofHindu knowledge, and his memory must ever bereveredby the oversof Asiatic iterature. Yet noone was more easily deceived respecting chrono-logy, or less tolerantwhen treating thereof. Inthe 345th page of the third volumeof his works,we read ef hat the aggregate f the four first ag-esconstituteshe extravagant um of four millionsthreehundredand twenty housand ears; which


45/418

26aggregateultipliedy seventy-ones the periodin whicheveryMenu s believedo preside ver heworld. Sucha periodone mightconceive ouldhavesatisfiedrchytas,he measurerf the seaandearth, and he numbererof the sands; or Archi-medes,,ho nvented notationhatwascapable fexpressinghe number f them;but the comprehen-sivemindof an ndianchronologerasno imits., ndthe reigns of fourteenMenus, are only a singleday of Brahma; ifty of whichdayshavealreadyelapsed, ccordingo the Hindus, rom the time ofthe creation. All this puerility may be an astrono-mical iddle., lluding o theapparentevolutions fthe fixed stars, of which the Brahmans make amystery,but so echnical n arrangementxcludesall ideaof serious istory."The foregoingablesdemonstratehat we arenow towards he endof the sixth day of Brahma,,for as one housandears re asone day, so must5817 be nearly he dose of the sixth. An Hinduwould say, that, as we have entered into the4917th earof the Cali age, ive Calpas, levenMenwantaras,hirty-five ivineages,hreehumanages, and four thousandand nine hundred andfourteen earsof the fourthage of the twelfthMenwantararepassed.


46/418

27Year*.The five Calpas r daysbeing ,.,**..,. 5OOO

The eleven Menwantaras., or 11 x 71 = * * 781The thirty-five divineagessomanyyears 35Total completedears.... 5816

Sir William Jones s mistaken n stating hereigns of fourteen Menusas one dayof Brahma:thirty years are added to the sum of the fourteenMenwantarashat constitute he reign of the Me-nus; those Menwantaras eing of Savanyears.Sir William probably calculated n that of theSurva Sidhenta, which was altered by Meya to308448000,or a year of 357 days; 357 X 14 = 4998,which correspondswith the Maha. A Menwan-tara, or 587 x 14, = 11998 ; whereas he Savanyearin which the Hindu cypher s kept, gives 4970,to which 3O is added to avoid the fraction of 2,which would have uined their whole cyplier. Thiswill appear from the foBowiug examples: As athousand years denote a day of Brahma, and asfive of thosedaysare past, nsweringo 5000yearsor the greatday, we are to find what proportionof the sixth we are now in : reduce 14 Menwan-taras,and 30 years, o the lowest term 14x355-h 30 = 5000; this number is multiplied by theMatires contained in one day of 24 hours; thus5OOO 864000 = 4320000000: this in fact beingbut one year, we mustmultiplyby the excess ver


47/418

28the last thousandth ear, or eight hundredandseventeenears,, nddivideby a thousand. Thus4320000000x 817-f-1000 = 3529440000; whichagaindividedby 306720000.,he numberof sup-positions ears ontainedn a Menwantara, iveseleven Menwantaras, and a fraction of 155520000,which educed y a divisorof 4320OOO,he numberof suppositiousears n a divineage,gives36divine ages; for example:As one thousand earsare equal o a dayofBrahma,what portion of the currentday expiredA.D. 1815,, or A.M. 5817?as 100O : 4320000000 :: 817 : 11 Menwantaras,and36 divineages.

4320000000817 (30^720000 (4320000 .1000)3529440000000 (3529440000 (llm 155520000 (36*

Answer 11 Menwantara,and 36 divine ages.An Hindu, or thepurpose f making he calcu-lation more intricate, would multiply by the pre-ceding ear8l6, andadd or the currentone hreehuman ages, and that portion of the fourth or Callage, which was past: I have given you thesecal-culationso explain he Hindu system.-But youare too good a mathematician ot to know that theanswermay be obtained y dividing the givennumber of years,or excessover the thousands, y

36seventy-one; thus 817 -r-7* = U -.


48/418

39European uthors n this subject, eemo think

every feather plucked rom an Hindu.,a plume ntheir own cap; and actuallyquarrel for pre-emi^nence in intolerance. In the 1st volume of Mau-rice'sHistoryof Hindostah, . 141.he ellsus.,rthateveryMenu comprisesot seventy-oneut onlyseventy ulebs divineages)each ontainingourJugs (humanages)or forty-three acksand wentythousand years *. In such an extensive schemeof chronology, however, a few thousands or evenmillions of yearsare not much o be regarded/' Ifthe reader hould ry out, c< herearewe now hen?In what particular portion of the boundless ay ofBrahmadoes he presentraceof humanbeings o-journ uponearth?"he shall eceive n answero hisanxious nquiry in the unabridgedwords of theAyeenAkbery: C f this, which is the fifty-firstyear of the age of Brahma, here have beensixMenus : and of the seventh Menu, there haveelapsedwenty-sevenulebs, nd hree ugsof theseventy-eighthKuleb, and four thousandsevenhundredears f the ourthJug. But as hiscal-culation was made two centuries ago, when Akbersat on the throne of India, these two centuriesmustbe addedo give the exactperiodof the Cali-jug : Risumeneatismid?"

*. 4320000. . ,


49/418

soThe ridiculeassuredly oesnot attach o the

Hindus,however t may reflect on the commen-tator, who might have answeredhe anxiousen-quiries of his readersby informing them, that,accordingo Hindu reckoning,heywere then nthe year of the world 5797, and that the secretaryof Akberwrote n theyear5600 the Akbery reatsof the Maha Menwantara, which consists of 857insteadof 71 years and the divine age of 24instead f oneyear. Accordingo Hindu reckon-ing,whenhe .Akbery aswritten,sixMenwantaras,19divineages, ndonemonth,were past. But asthe secretary hanged he commonMenwantarafrom 71 to 70, so would there be a difference ofabouteightMahas, ivineages,n 56oo ears. Thenumbersas given by the Brahmans, re alwayscorrect, and easily reduced to real time. Forexample:

Years.Six Menwantaras f 857 years,or 857 x 6 = 5142Nineteen ivineages f 24years, r 19x24= 456Two Parouvans, or half months = 2

Years 5600As theMahadivine ge containswenty-four

years, o does heParouvanepresentne year,or the twenty-fourth art of thatage. An Hindu,therefore,ays, ineteenges ndonemonth ecomea common Parouvan; or the half month is to a


50/418

SIcommonear,as heMahaParouvan,r oneyear,is to a Mahadivineage., r twenty our-yearsWecannotsupposehat the earned uthorof the AyeenAkbery waseither deceived,,r meant to deceive.We may, however,conjecturehat although hegave his date,, ccording o the MahaMenwantarahe calculated n the same roportion hatgovernedhis currentone, or seventyo seventy-one;whichwould bring hiscalculationo meet hoseof the Hin-dus,who calculateon the Savanyear of three hundredand fifty-five days, instead of the prophetic one ofthree hundredand sixty and355 x 71-r 70= 360.The authorof the Akbery,havingadoptedhe pro-phetic Menwantara *, of course stated hat a Men-wantara containedseventydivine ages; but henever said it efdid not contain seventy-one'*and a very superficialknowledgeof figures mustevince, that the most trifling error would haveoverset he whole system. So for from f*tlt0iisandsand millions" in the extensive scheme of the Hinducypher, he error of an unit cannotbe discovered.For, however, he calculations re varied, htey llbear to the samepoint, and end at the sameperiod.Thus, the authorof the Akbery rejects he PuranicMenwantara f 306720000or the prophetic neof311040OOO-J-;educing he numberof divineages

* Vide Table III. p. .9. f !&


51/418

33from71 o 70, hat heperiods ight ccord.nlikemanner,irWilliam onesejectedheMen-wantaraf 306720000,or hatof theauthor f heSurga identaf308448000,oavoidfractionfthirty;adoptingheyear f 357daysn lieuofthat of 355. Still the calculations re just, thedivine gebeing ymbolicalf five days,and theMenwantaraof a current year.

The Chaldean hronologymay be explainedin the same manner: Their calculations are allmade n he yearof 36odays; becausehey eckonby Sapoi,Neipotnd 2Woi,whichequally riginatein the subdivisions f time, multiplied into eachother, allotting fio secondso a minute, 60 minutesto an hour, and 60 hours to a day. The Chinesefollow he same umbers,nd he Savan ayof thfeHindus consists of 60 Dandas or Savan hours. TheChaldeansecond s just half an Hindu Casht'ha;their minute half a Cala; and their hour half a Ma-hurta*. Thesenumbers ultipliednto eachotherproduce 60O, nd216000 The Chaldeansave,likewise, period f time,bywhichheysometimesreckon,onsistingf tendays; ndn history,heNeijtw s often stated t six hundred, nsteadofsixty,makinghe2a/w36OOO,n lieu of 3600. Butthis is merely a distinction without a difference.

* Vide p. 20.


52/418

33Por^their next calculation is then by six, insteadofsixty. Berosussupposeshe Nerpos o be sixhundred. Thus when he representsa prince asreigning ten Sapot,or 36000years, t denotes nhundred, n lieu of ten years: he2a/w being threethousand ix hundred, he Ner/wsix hundred,andthe SOKTOSixty.Another circumstance, which throws muchlight on chronology,s the cycle of sixty years;which the Hindus trace very accurately or 4988years rom the present ime. The Chinese,as wellas the Hindus, regulate time by this division;and as their cycles commencewith the same year,it is to be presumed, hat it was the modewhicheach nation carried with them, when the worldwasdividedby Noah, between is sons. The Callage havingcommencedn the 12thyear of a pfe-ceding cycle, evinces hat the cycle was n isebefore A.M. $00. The Chinese name the eycfeKya-tse the MalabarsChi-tran. Each of thesenations carries time back to 4002 years before heChristian era; each of them has it's cycle ofcycles,a grandperiodof 36ooyears, or 60 x 60 =3600: at the expirationof which, a new grandperiodcommences;o hatwe haveno certaindataby which to place the cycles, urther back thanA. M. 829.

For example,he Springequinoxof the Chris-VOL. I. C


53/418

tian em ISO?answeredo the first of ChitteraPrabava, f the24thChi-tran Chitterabeing theMalabar name for the first Hindu month when theSun entersAries, and the year commences; ndPrabava eing-he nameof the first yearof everyChi-tran or cycle of 60 years*. The Brahmanseitherare,or professo be, ignorant, elativeo theperiod, when the Chi-tran was first introduced.But this ignorances probablyassumed, ith aview to cany the period back beyond t's real date.it is certain, hat the Cali age commencedhenelevenyearsof the secondcycle of a grand periodhad elapsed; rom which they nfer that this periodendedon the 3528th year of the Cali age: whichis certainly orrect, swill be proved y calculatingback., rom the present ime, A. D. 1815, or year ofthe Cali age 4917, which answers o the Malabaryear Yeevan,which commencedn April last;being he ninthyearof the 24thChi-tran,, r cycleof 60, whichcommenced.M.3529, or yearsB.c.473. Now f a grand eriod ommenced1yearsbeforeheCaliage, t commenced173 ears e-fore the Christian ra, answeringo the yearoftheworld829; to whichadding3600 ears,hesucceeding r presentperiod commenced . M.4429,or in theCaliyear3529; and 3600-71=

* Vide AppendixA),


54/418

353529., he first year of a grand period, whichan-swers o the Spring equinoxof the 427th yearofthe Christian era: from which to A. D. 1807, whenthe 24th, or present cycle commenced., s 1380years; which period, divided by 60, gives 23 ;evincing that the calculations re just. For theCali year 3529+1380 = 4909; and the year ofChrist 427+1380 = 1807*; proving,beyondcon-troversy, that the Cali age commencedB. c. 3102,or A. M. 900.

There is another division of time on the coastof Coromandel, by which the Malabars representthe age of the world, viz.

Raradauyaken...... 640000Teradauyaken..... 320000Davaubrayaken 80000Kaleyouken........ 40000The aggregate ives 108OOOO,ne-fourth art

of a divine age. But as these numbers are notfound in any classicalauthor, and form no part ofthe Hindu cypher, they are irrelevant o the pre-sent enquiry.The dynasties f the Chaldeans nd Egyptiansare, in respect o time, subject to the sameobjec-tions with those of the Hindus; and may be equallyreduced to a conformity with the Hebrew text ofthe Bible. We must, however., recollect, that the

* Vide Letter II. and Appendix (A). -C 2


55/418

38the world by the Hindus and Chinese,and thecommencementf their cycles gree,eachplacingthe deluge n the 47th yearof a cycle, Coupletplacest in the40thyear; a differencehichwillbe accountedor in treatingof the Chinese nte-diluvian dynasties.They, like the Hindus,pro-fessgnorance s o the periodwhen the cyclewasfirst introduced; and this has occasioned differ-enceof opinion elative o the epoch f thegeneraldeluge.For.,although achnationplaceshe reignof their first postdiluvianuler at the distance f3267000 ears,whichanswerso theCali year7^7(for 3888000 s to 900 as 3267000 s to 756), andplaceshe deluge neyearprior hereto,answeringto A. M. 1656, yet somepretend, that if the delugehappenedn the 47thyearof the 14thcycleof thelast grand period, which commenced 1 years be-fore the Cali age, or B. c. 31O2, then the Chineseepoch of the world must have been so far back as2060yearsbefore he Julian period; and conse-quently that 4427 y^rs had expired before he de-luge. In order o obviatehis objection, reatpainshavebeen aken o changehe epocha f the Caliage. We are told,, hat the mistaken octrine,ofan oscillationn the cardinalpoints., ompelledheHindus o place t 1920 ears oo early; and hat,becauseccordingo theircalculationsn theyearof Christ499, he vernalequinoxwas oundby


56/418

39observationn the origin of their ecliptic,,heywereof opinion that it must have had the samepositionin the first year of the Calijug, and were there-fore induced,by their erroneousheory., o fix thebeginningof their fourth period3600 yearsbeforethe time of Yara'ha. Now no one part of thistheory is true. First, although the antediluvianswere sufficiently versed in Astronomy., to have asystematicnowledge f that science., et we can*not suppose that the doctrine of oscillation wasknown in the year B. c. 3173: and our reasonforbids us to admit that the epochaof the Cali age,wThich s established in the Vedas, and in the institutesof Menu (both of which are admitted to be ante-cedent to the Pentateuch of Moses).,could havebeen regulated by the appearance f the heavens,five hundred years after the birth of Christ. Se-condly, as a grand period of 3ioo years did notcommencewithUhe Cali age, that epochacould nothave been regulated hereby: it being an esta-blished act, that the first grand period, or cycleof cycles,commenced1 yearsbefore the Calijugor Cali age, that one only of these grand periodshave elapsed,and that we are now n the 24th cycleof the second eriod of 3600 years*, althoughweentered into the fourth grand age, 4917 years ago.The Calijug or Cali agewas fixed at B. c. 3102,

. * Vide Append!:-:A).


57/418

40not becausethe Hindusestablishedhe beginningof theprecessionccordingo their deas f it, inthe yearof Christ499;" tut because,ccordingotheir deas, he epocha f the worldwas900yearsprior thereto. Consequentlyhe grandperiod., rcycleof cycles,,hat commenced.c. 3179, an(^which continued 600 years,could not havehadany influence n fixing the period of the fourthage; althought establisheshe assertion,hat heChineseand Hindu epocha f the Creationwas he711th year of the Julian period, or the year B. c.4002. Nevertheless,o very great reliancecanbe placed on the early records of the Chinese:since they admit, that the secondEmperorof theirfourth dynasty ordered all the records, civil andreligious, o be destroyed, bout200years eforeChrist; and,althougha few copieswere recoverednthe succeedingeign, they are said o havebeen somutilated by damp and worms, that many chasmswere supplied by the old literati. Their datesare,bSwever,olerably orrect;and n most n-stanceshey agreewith theHebrew ext of our Bible.The birth andreign of the first postdiluvianulerYau, correspondswith that tff Noah. And theChou of Fo-hi corresponds ith the creationofAdam. They, like the Hebrews, admit but ofsix sovereignsn succession,etweenAdamandNoah. And,althoughheydo not furnish he num-


58/418

learn hat the aggregate umberwas726. Matti-nus,Couplet,andothers,who professo believehatFo-hi wasNoah, record that he reigned n China115 years, and that his reign commenced 952yearsbeforeChrist. These assertionsre scarcelyworth refuting: since they place he commence-ment of the reign of Fo-hi at 600 years efore heflood; when Enos, the great sire of Noah, n theseventh egree,wasyet alive,and ruling over hatcountry, which he had inherited from Seth. Butthey go further; they place the death of Fo-hi 485years beforeNoah entered he ark; makinghimthe ruler over China700 years before, accordingto their own account,China was peopled. TheChinese ccounts, n the contrary,sayc Fo-hi theson of Heaven, the first created, reigned 115years:" but the commencementf his reign isfixedat A.M.817, sappearsn thehistory f theirkings. They further record hat the Chouof thefirst Emperor, that is, of the first Emperor,, orruler of the new world, commenced A. M. 1054,which the missionariesvery correctly place at theyear B. c. 2952. But the Chou of the Chinese,like the Antara of the Hindus, denotes his time orbirth. The Hebrew text of the Scripture placesthe birth of Noah at A.M. 1056. The Chinesepro-ceed o say, hat hisprince,named au, commencedhis reign one year after he deluge; which eventhe missionaries>hoplacet in the 41styearof a


59/418

42 .cycle5 upposeo havebeenn the yearB, c. 2356.,or A.M.1650. I cannot,herefore, greewith thoseauthorswho suppose o-hi o beNoah,andrejecttheHebrewor he Septuagintext, n a hope o ob-viate heabsurdity f having rofessed,hata prince,whowasplaced even eigns and en generationsantecedento the one,whose eign, they admit, com-mencedA. M. l650, was Noah. A very ittle atten-tion to dates will enable us to reconcile all orientalchronology ith real time, in oppositiono thoseauthors, who haveno hesitation n ascribing all tooriental vanity and fiction, or by introducing asystemsubversive f reason,, ould reduce he ageof the antediluvian patriarchs below the level ofthe presentaceof men. We are old by Maurice,vol. IL, p. 51. " thatwith any exactnesse arrangea systemof chronologyboundlessn its retrospect,and perfectly devious from the known and esta-blishedprinciplesof chronology, n other king-doms of the habitable earth, would be a task im-practicable o any historian,howeverndefatiga-ble." And the sameauthor,determinedo givehimselfhe utmost ossibleatituden chronology,adoptshatof heSeptuagint,hich esaysgivesnearly 1500yearsmore o the ageof the worldthan heHebrewext,and heVulgate;and up-poses,with the learned Doctor Jackson, that theoldest and most renownedBelus, the founder oftheChaldeanynasty,eganis eignatBabylon


60/418

43yearsbeforeChrist/7 This author, ndeed,

admits that the system he has adopted s attendedwith difficulties, hat he shall not attempt o recon-cile; but he considers t so far "justifiable, as itafforded hat prolonged pace or the grand eventsrecorded in the Asiatic histories to have takenplace, on the theatre of the world;" for he adds,ec y these meanswe obtairi an addition of nearlya thousandyears between the delugeand the birthof Abraham."

While the relaters of Hindu history wroterather to amuse, than to instruct, it was of littlemoment how they related events, or what latitudethey took in point of time. But now that we areinstigatedby an ardentdesire to promulgate hetenets of Christianity among, perhaps, 6000000Oof our brethren, let us be cautious not to excitetheir contempt, where it is our interest to raisetheir admiration. What must an enlightenedHindu think of that religion, whose priests admitof an excess of nearly 1000 years, in a periodwhich their most sacred books state at only 352years The HebrewPentateuchnformsu, thatAbraham was born 352 years after the deluge:

Ham is supposedo have first arrived in Babylon u. c.6, and to have returned after he confusion f tongues,andfounded he first regulardynastyB. c.* 1238. Vide Table xxv.


61/418

44theSeptuagintdds 86 earshereto; eitherheHebrew, orHinduchronology, ill bebenefitedby suchan unwarrantedatitude; but were totherwise, it would be difficult to understand,where the difference is stated at above 400000Oof years, what advantageour author proposes ohimselfby the assumptionf 1000. Of this I amsure.,hat the mostscrupulous ttention to truthis necessary, on all religious subjects, with theHindus; who are wonderfully well informed bothin chronologyand theology; I mean the learnedchurchBmhmans; and I can affirm, from personalknowledge, that they are anxious to be informedon all matters elative to the cosmogony nd theo-logy of Europeans. I have frequently read withthem the Old and New Testament. The truth ofthe former they readily admitted, and consideredChrist as a prophet; yet, adhering to the belief,that no incarnation of the Deity would appear nthe Cali age, until that period when the DivineSpirit shouldappear t Calsi, o judge the world they readily admitted that we had, in common,traditions of- the same events; and that we wor-shipped the sameGod, under a different name.The prophecies f Isaiah hey read with greatinterest, but wereconvincedhat they alluded othe corningof the Calsi, or last Avatar. Never-theless, ut for local circumstances, anyof the


62/418

45Brahmansamconvinced adbecomeroselytes.How detrimentalo Christianity.,ow repugnantto reason is that system, which ascribes to ori-entalvanity,,all that is not perfectlyclear o thelimited comprehensions f a few individuals. Thosenumbers,which give such offence o moderns,werereceivedby the ancientsas orthodox: and,when they are properly understood, nothing canbe more simple. In these numbers Berosusrecorded the dates of the antediluvian dynasties;and we shall find them to correspondalso with thedates of the Mosaic account. The same author(Maurice) that so confidently rejects the boastedmillions of the Hindus, proceeds to enforce hishypothesisby informing his readers, hat " Arrianaffirms, that there was a regular succession fIndian kings from the reign of Bacchuso Sandro-callus that they amounted n number to 53 sove-reigns, and their reigns continued during a periodof 6042 years." He adds, hat " the Indians com-pute15 ages o haveelapsed etweenBacchus ndHercules*. In the same manner we read in Pom-poniusMela, that the ancientEgyptiansboasted

* Rama Chada, the Bacchusof the Hindu Mythology, wasborn in the fifth century. PharaohAsses, ermedHerculesEgyptias,or he Phenecians'ercules,n the 21stcentury con-sequently5 centurieslapsedetweenhem. Vide p. 325;


63/418

to have had trecentoset triginta regesante Arna-sin, or 330 kings,who swayedhe sceptre eforeAmasiswas onqueredyCambyses; hose eignstook up a period of tredecim millibus annorum,or 13000years. Both thesedynastiesand the ex-tensive eriods f theirreign,may afely ereferredto the same rigin-oriental vanityand fiction."

If we understand hese assertionsiterally, wemust, indeed,consider hem as fictitious. But wehave he authorityof BishopCumberland,tronglycorroboratedy Scripture,or saying hat he mostancientEgyptian ynasties erenot in succession,but the severaleignsof pettykings, or fathers ftribes, contemporarywith each other; the descend-ants of Ham. Consequently, f thesedescendants,and their issue, amounted to 330 rulers, and wehave good proof that they greatly exceeded hatnumber, hen maywe admit hat the aggregatefthe reigns of 36o kings, most of them contempo-raries with each other, might amount to 13000years; which s not allowing40 years o a reign a.very inconsiderable eriod when the life of manwas protractedso far beyond t's present duration.We know that the pastorswere ermed ings.Josephuscalls them royal ones, and informs us,that heywereso ermedromHyesi,whichhas hatmeaning;andheadds.,n those ays considerablenumber of children, servants,and cattle, causeda


64/418

man to be termed a prince. So was Abrahamcalled by Ephron, the Hittite. Such must wesuppose he 70 kingswhich Adonibezek, ing ofBezek, conquered, nd cut off their thumbs,andgreat toes the 60 kings'sons,put to deathbyJehu; the 31 kingson the otherside Jordan,de-stroyed by Joshua; and the 30 sonsof Jair, whowere made princes over 30 cities. Innumerableother nstancesmight be produced, oth from thebooksof Joshua and Judges; and we shall find avery muchgreaternumberof kingsrecordedn therace of Ham, during the time of Joshua, (who wasborn 10O ears before he reign of Cambyses), hanis presumed y the Egyptians,evenaccordingothese authors. We do know that the period allottedby the Hebrews, rom the creationo the generaldeluge., ras 656 ears; andwe might know, f wewould receive their records, as they offer them,that the Hindus,Chaldeans, hinese,and Egyp-tians, place that great epoch at l68O propheticyears, which answerso 1656Julian ones, fromthe creation; and that, during that period, eachof. these nations ecord ten generations f patri-archs^of whom six only, exclusive of Adam, be-camekings, or governors f the world, before hedeluge. Although each nation details nnumerablekings,, or dynastiesof rulers over provinces, vhosecollective eignswould orm a periodof, perhaps^


65/418

48

100000 ears,yet neithernationpretends, n thisaccount, o procrastinatehe epochof the deluge.Mr. Maurice informs us thatcc t was during thisperiod, that the starshad our timeschangedheircourse, and the sun had set twice in the east: ofwhich assertion he astronomys as bad as thechronologys false; since,had heseevents eallytakenplace, hey could not havehappened ithinthe limits of so contracteda period." From theabove he draws he following inferences that thedynastiesof Egyptian sovereignswere on a parwith those of the Indians;


66/418

49years here are 139 Egyptian yearsof 360 clays,KGn 140 yearswould the beginning of any par-ticular month have so changed ts place, as to runtwice through the signs of the ecliptic.,and returnto the point where t at first was: consequently,adding 140years o A. M. 1807, whenEgypt wasfirst peopled.,we shall find, that even supposingthe period when Thoth changed he Egyptian year,to have been elevenyears sooner han it is repre-sented, yet, that the Sun might with truth be said,to have twice changed ts rising-and setting, with-out the ff astronomybeing bad, or the chronologyfalse." Neverthelessa tradition so generallyknown is given as ce oneof the mostdaring* auntsof this vain-glorious eople:" it is added,cfstillhowever these mighty vaunts of their antiquityhoweverwildly extravaganthey may appear,arecomparatively moderate when we advert to an-other remarkablepassage n Cicero; from whoserelation we may conclude, that these assumptionsof the astronomical periods of Asia, were not un^-known in the capital of the*RomanEmpire: forhe acquaintsus that the Babylonians nd thosethat contemplatedhe heavensrom Caucasus,ywhom he must mean the elder Persians and Indians,had a series of observationsextending back for473000years/' It is difficult o determine n theepoch from whence these 473000 years are


67/418

50reckoned.-The


68/418

51lion, given by Cicero, amounts o nothing morethan that astronomical observations were carriedback by the Chaldeansso far as A. M.481.

We learn from the most ancient authors, thatabout his periodSeth hadorganized nd broughtastronomy o a somewhat egular form. Thosethat have the least faith in the Mosaic account,must admit that Adam had someknowledgeofastronomy ; otherwise there had been no note oftime ; yet t is not probablehat it wasbrought operfection.,or even to a regular systemat so earlya period. On the contrary., we must suppose hatthe first reckoningwasby a periodof time,,markedby the rising and setting of the Sun, afterwardscalledDays; and it is so markedby the Hindusto this day. Four Samans f three hours beingconsidered as a day, and the like number as anight. Prom whichwe may nfer, that the seventhday being commandedy God, o be kept holy,the division of time was extended to weeks, and soon. It is not however my intention to trace therise and progressof Astronomy,but to point outthat all Eastern,particularly Jewish, writers ex-patiate on the proficiency hat this sciencehadattained to about the fourth century of the world:AlthoughEnoch s admittedy them all to havesubsequentlyrought t to thehighestperfectionwhich it reached in the antediluvian world, Jose-


69/418

phusaffirms, hat " Seth andhis familywere thefirst thatmadeegularobservationsn he heavens,and on the courses and influences of the stars." Sothat we may reasonablyuppose stronomy,,n orabout A.M. 481, to have becomeorganized, f notto an accurate,at least o a regular system and tohave been transmitted from that period. Otherstrace this science o A. M. 284 ; and Pliny, follow-ing Epigenes,atest fromA.M.54, or,ashe stylesit, from all eternity. Had not the scienceattainedto a great degreeof perfection t the period al-luded o, A. M. 481, Elmachinus ould scarcelyhave stated, that about two centuries after, " Enochmeasuredhecircular heavenly rb,andviewedall theconstellations,and the twelve signs, n which theplanetsmoved:" Nothingcanbe more epugnantto reason, han to suppose hat Noah did not takewith him into the ark the recordsof every sciencethenknown. And wherewere heysubsequentlyolikely to be found as in Babylon, where he Chal-deansprofess hat they were buried during theflood. Thus the quotation rom Cicero,,which hasbeen the subject of so much ridicule, is reducedto a simple ssertion,hat the contemplatorsf theheavenly odiesromCaucasus.,ere n possessionof astronomical ecords rom A.M. 481, until A. M,17/6; when,roman mprovednowledgen thatscience,,he Chaldeanst Babylon ntroduced


70/418

53more perfect system,,which was handed down solate as A. M. 2022; when the philosopher Callis-thenes sent from Babylon into Greece., o informhis masterAristotle, that they had found regularastronomical bservations or 1908 years back.One other reasonmight be adduced o prove hatA.M. 481, or thereabouts,s the point of time alludedto. The Chaldeans, ccording o Berosus,datetheir earliest dynasties t 120*2apot r 1200yearsbefore the deluge. Now 12O apoi are equal to1182,Julian years; deducting hat number romthe year of the deluge 1656, the remainder,or 474,is probably the true epoch. For the Chaldeansevidently meant to infer that the astronomical ob-servationswere coevalwith their dynasties. Mr.Maurice .admits heir early improvement n mathe-maticalandastronomical nowledgeo be wonder-ful ; and their instruments,although stupendous, ndof high antiquity, to be madewith such exactness sto evince n the frabrication an ntimate acquaintancewith the elementsof geometry, spherical trigono-metry,andothersciencesot hen supposedo havebeen cultivated; and their instruments, tables, andcalculations emain a superband lasting monumentof their earlymaturity n astronomicalesearches.Now, if this knowledge, ad not beenacquirednthe old world, how was it possible t should haveattainedo sohigha state f perfectionn the irst


71/418

54agesof the new wofld? "The system f theHindus," he tells us " was established in aeras ofsuch unfathomablentiquity, hat in their igno-rance of the real author of the Vedas they havebeen attributed to Brahma, a visionarybeing, orto Menu, who f he was not Noah, was a beingequallyvisionary." There Maurice s particularlyunfortunate; for the Vedas are neither ascribed tothe one nor the other, but to Brahm or the Eternal.And there s nothingmoreabsurd,n believinghatthe GreatFirst Cause,by whatevernameadored.,promulgatedhe precepts f religion and virtueto the first createdunder the name of Swayamb-hava, han in admitting that God walked withAdam in Paradise. This may be considered sa visionarydistinction, The institutescompiledfrom the Vedas are attributed to the first Menu,and are supposedo havebeen pronounced yhim 600 years before the birth of Noah, orthe beginningf thesecond ge. For werewe,in deferenceo Mr. Bryant, to adopta system srepugnant to reason, as it is subversive of truth,and admit, " the first year being absoluteo de-note A.M. 657/J or the first yearafter the flood,still hatwould vail ittle in support f the hypo-thesis, that jf Menu was not Noah, he was avisionarybeing. Because he Antara of this Menuis accuratelyraced to the year B.C. 4002; or


72/418

55according o Sir William Jones to 5788 yearsbefore he yearof Christ 1788 and consequentlycould denote no other than Adam. The Sanscrithistory of this Menu is wonderfully consonantwiththat given by the most ancient Hebrew authors,who treat of the first ages of the world. f< n thepresent day of Brahma the first Menu was sur-named Swayambhavaor the son of the Self-existing*; and it is he, by whom the institutes ofreligiousandcivil dutiesare supposedo havebeendelivered. In his time the Deity descended t asacrifice. By his wife Satarupa he had two dis-tinguishedsonsand three daughters. This pairwere created for the multiplication of the humanspecies,after the new creation of the world, whichthe Brahmans call Vadma Calpiya or the Lotoscreation/' This account is given by Sir WilliamJones n his tracton Hindu Chronology,and s sofar critically correct.

The present ayof Brahmadenoteshat Calpa,or day, in which the transactionsdetailed in thePurana occurred. This Calpaconsequently asthe first. " In his time, the deity descended t asacrifice/' the sacrificeof Abel: " By his wife hehad two distinguished ons;" Cain and Seth,Abel being dead, fcand three daughters." Abal

* St. Luke calls Adam the son of God, Vide Chap. II. ' " '


73/418

56Pfaamgiusays,hatEvebroughtorth wins, souand daughter,nd hecalledhesonGain, n(*the daughterAzrum,calledby anotherauthorClinia;whoaddshatEvebroughtorth wo rthertwins,and that she wishedCain to marryOwainthe sisterof Abel, and Abel o marry Azrum thesister of Cain; and that on this account, the wrathof Cain waskindledagainstAbel, Azrum beingmore beautiful than Owain: that Adam orderedhis sons o go up to theholy mount, ndoffersacrificeso the Almighty,afterwhich eachsfaapldV * ' **'espouse is betrothedwife. At this time, saysEutychius, atan ut into hemindof Cain o killhis brother Abel, and marry his sister Azrum,That when the sacrifices were offered God de-scendedn a flameof fire and acceptedhat ofAbel, leaving the sacrificeof Cain untouched.Seth not having been born until after the murderof Abel,herewere ccordingo rtje^euthorswosm*& ad hreedaugwbrsof dam.sons re pkcedequallyby the HebrewsandHindusat the headof two distinguishedines.By the ormer,he aceof Setharedesignatedhesonsof God,aftd he aceof Cain the sonsof man;by theHindus,heyareseverallyalled hechild-ren of heSunandMoon,or thegreater nd esserlight. Theseauthors ell us that the first murderwasn consequencef thesuperior eauty f Az-


74/418

57rum, the sister of Cain. The Scripture says, hatthe sonsof God saw the daughters f men, thatthey were fair: the Hindus., that the children ofthe Sun, married with those of the Moon, in con-sequence of their beauty. It matters very littlewhether these accounts are true or fabulous,, thatthey are derived from the samesource is all thatI attempt to demonstrate. To proceed with thequotation:

" Of the five Menus that succeededhim/' saysSir William Jones, " I have little more than theirnames; but the Hindu writings are very diffuseon the life and posterity of the seventh Menusurnamed Vaivaswat, or child of the Sun. He issupposedo havehad en sons,of whom he eldestwas Teshwacu and to have been accompanied yseven Rishi's or holy persons, whose nameswereCasyapa, tri, VasishtTia, iswamitra,Gautaifia,,Jamadagni, nd Bharatwaya. An accountwhichexplains he openingof the fourth Chapter f theGita. This immutable system of creation (saysCrishna) I revealed to Vaivaswator the Sun;Vaivaswat declared it to his son Menu; Menuexplained it to Icshwacu. In the reign of thisSun-born monarch, the Hindus believe the wholeworld to have been drowned, and the whole humanrace destroyed y a flood., xcept he piousprincehimself, the seven Rishi's and their several wives;


75/418

58for they suppose is children o havebeen bornafter he flood. This generalPralaya, r destruc-tion, is the subject f the first Purana/'

Here, it is evident, the first Menu is blendedwith the seventh. Vaivaswat was the epithetannexed o every Menu in the raceof the Sun,,or Seth. The sevenRishi's preservedn the ark,were sevendivine precepts,, ot men; and theopeningof the fourth Chapter f the Gita alludesexclusively o the first Menu or Adam, and maybe understoods follows. The Deity, throughhisprophetEnoch, evealed his immutableystem fdevotion or revealedreligion to Adam; who dsrclaredt to Seth,by whom he wholewasexplainedto his sonEnos, whohaving iveduntil Noah was84 yearsof age,was enabled o instruct he post-diluvian world; or in other words, the postdiluvianWorld knew the sublime doctrine of the Vedas,becausehey weredelivered y Adam, hroughhisson Seth, to Enos, who made them known to Noah3who took thesedivine preceptswith him into theark. The seven amesassigned s he names fthe sevenRishi's, hat entered he ark, are againblended with the sevensons supposedo haveissuedrom the first Menu, " The storyof thePralayas concisely,utclearly ndelegantlyoldin theeighth ook f heBhagawata/'romwhenceSir W. Jones urnishes n abridgementBut


76/418

59beinghimselfdeceivedn respecto he meaningof the Pralaya, he has in the unabridged,, swellas the abridged ranslation, n several nstancesgiven his ownr rather than the sentiments f theHindus. The following is the unabridged rans-lation of the Pralaya, he subjectof the irst Purana,entitled hat of the Matsyaor first Avatara. fcDe-siring the preservationof herds and of Brahmans^of genii, apd virtuous men, of the Vedas,,of law,,and of precious hings, he Lord of the Universeassumesmany bodily shapes; but though he per-vades like the air, a variety of beings, yet he ishimself unvaried, since he has no quality subjectto change. At the close f the last Calpa (dayofBrahma) there was a general deluge occasioned ythe sleep of Brahma; whence his creatures indifferent worlds, w;ere drowned in a vast ocean;Bj^hma,)b6|ng inclined toafter a lapse of ages*, the strongdemonHayag-riva (Satan) came near him, and stole the Yedaswhich had flowed from his lips. When Heri, thepreserverof the universe,, iscoveredhis deedofthe prince of Danava% e took tfye shape of aminute ish calledSap'harif. An holy,kingunained

*ln the Sanscrit " at the close of the 112th Menwantara."t ProperlySap'heri, r Lordof the Waters, he Spirit hatfirst moved on the waters^ :

A Keyto the Chronology of the Hindus Vol I

Documents

Transcript of A Keyto the Chronology of the Hindus Vol I