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new one, having little polytheism in it, but borrowing all its principal doctrines from the Hindoo writings; and he and his successors incorporated the whole in two volumes. The princi

pal tenets of this seceder are: There is one invisible God, who is to be worshipped or honoured in holy men; his name is to be repeated; the spiritual guide is to be reverenced; all evil avoided; if images be adopted, they should be those of eminent ascetics. Future happi

ness, consisting in union to the divine nature, is secured to those Shikhs who observe the rules laid down by their sacred books.

Choitǎnyŭ, the last of these seceders, departed still less from regular Hindooism: his prin. cipal opposition was aimed at the rising sect of the shaktus, or those who worship the female deities with bloody sacrifices: he testified his abhorrence of the destruction of animal life in sacrifices, and professed to be a rigid Voishnŭvů, adopting Krishnŭ, or Hŭree, as his favourite deity. He did not proscribe the other gods, but set up Vishnoo as uniting all in himself; nor did he explode any tenet of Hindooism beside that relating to bloody sacrifices: a devout attachment to Krishnů; a strict union among all his followers; reverence for religious mendicants; visiting holy places; repeating the name of Huree, and entertaining mendicant voishnůvus, compose the prime articles in the creed of this sect.

Such are the systems established by these Hindoo heresiarchs, each of which, though different in many essential points, is distinguished by one remarkable feature, reverence for mendicant saints, especially those who seem to have carried abstraction of mind, seclusion from the world, and religious austerities, to the greatest lengths. Among the atheistical sects, these mendicants are regarded as personifications of religion, and among the two last, as partial incarnations, or persons approaching the state of re-union to the Great Spirit.

Respecting the priority of the atheistical or the bramhinical systems, the author has not been able entirely to satisfy his own mind: some persons conjecture, that they see a coinci. dence betwixt the doctrines of the védŭs, and of the atheistical sects, respecting the origin of things, and the worship of the elements. It may be safely added, that to these systems succeeded the pouranic mythology, and after that the worship of the female deities with bloody sacrifices. The whole of these systems, however, when more generally known, will, no doubt, exceedingly endear the 'WORD of TRUTH' to every sincere christian, and more and more prove, how deep and important a stake he has in the "glorious gospel of the BLESSED GOD."

A VIEW

OF THE HISTORY, LITERATURE, AND RELIGION OF THE HINDOOS.

PART III. OF THEIR RELIGION.

CHAPTER I. SECTION I.

OF GOD.

IT is a painful reflection to every benevolent mind, that not a single Hindoo temple, dedicated to the ONE GOD, is to be found in all Hindoost'han; nor is any act of worship, in any form, addressed by this people to God. The doctrines respecting the

Divine Nature are considered as mere philosophical speculations, totally unconnected with religious services.

It is true, indeed, that the Hindoos believe in the unity of God. "One Brümhů, without a second,' is a phrase very commonly used by them when conversing on subjects which relate to the nature of God. They believe also that God is almighty, allwise, omnipresent, omniscient, &c. and they frequently speak of him as embracing in his government the happiness of the good, and the subjection or punishment of the bad; yet they have no idea of God's performing any act, either of creation or providence, except through the gods; and thus are prevented all the beneficial effects which might have arisen out of their notions of the divine perfections: for in the whole of the reigning superstition the gods alone are seen; and these gods bear no more res semblance to the one true God, than darkness to light, than vice to virtue.

Perceiving, therefore, that the speculations of the Hindoo philosophers on the divine nature, have no place whatever in the religion of the country, I have placed these dogmas in the preceding volume.

SECTION II.

Of the gods.

THE deities in the Hindoo pantheon amount to 330,000,000. Yet all these gods and god. desses may be resolved into the three principal ones, Vishnoo, Shivů, and Brümha; the elements; and the three females Doorga, Lukshmee and Suruswulee. The following pages will contain accounts of all those at present worshipped by the Hindoos, particularly in the provinces of India under the English government.

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Vishnoo.

THIS god is represented in the form of a black man, with four arms, in one of which he holds a club, in another a shell, in the third a chukrů,* and in the fourth a water-lily, He rides on Guroorŭ, an animal half-bird and half-man, and wears yellow garments.

The Hindoo shastris give accounts of ten appearances or incarnations of Vishnoo, in the character of the Preserver, nine of which are said to be past.

The first is called the Mutsyŭ incarnation. Brumhu,t the one God, when he resolves to re-create the universe after a periodical destruction, first gives birth to Brumha, Vishnoo, and Shivů, to preside over the work of creation, preservation, and destruction. After a periodical dissolution of the universe, the four védus remained in the waters. In order to enter upon the work of creation, it was necessary to obtain these books, for the instruction of Brumha. Vishnoo was therefore appointed to bring up the védŭs from the deep; who, taking the form of a fish (some say one kind and some another), descended into the waters, and brought up these sacred books,

An iron instrument of destruction like a wheel;

The reader will please to keep in mind that Brumhü means the one God, and that Erumha means the idol of

that name.

In the Kuchyŭpů incarnation Vishnoo assumed the form of a tortoise, and took the pewly created earth upon his back, to render it stable. The Hindoos believe that to this hour the earth is supported on the back of this tortoise,

The Vŭrahŭ incarnation happened at one of the periodical destructions of the world, when the earth sunk into the waters. Vishnoo, the preserver, appearing in the form of a boar, (vŭrahu) descended into the waters, and, with his tusks, drew up the earth. What contemptible ideas on such a subject! The earth with all its mountains, &c. &c. made fast on the back of a turtle, or drawn up from the deep by the tusks of a hog!

Among other descendants of Dŭk

The fourth incarnation is called Nuru-singhu. shu, (the first man that Brumha created,) was Kushyupů, a moonee, and his four wives,

Ditce, Ŭditce, Vinuta, and Kŭdroo. From Ditee, sprang the giants; from Uditee, the gods; from Vinŭta, Gŭroorŭ; and from Küdroo, the hydras. The giants possessed amazing strength, and amongst them two arose of terrific powers, named Hirunyakshй and Hirunyu-kushipoo, both of whom performed religious austerities many thousand years to obtain immortality. Brůmha at length gave them a blessing apparently equivalent to that which they desired. He promised, that no common being should destroy them; that they should not die either in the day or in the night, in earth or in heaven, by fire, by water, or by the sword. After this these giants conquered all the kingdoms of the earth, and even dethroned Indrů, the king of heaven. Indru, collecting all the gods, went to Brumha, and intreated him to provide some way of deliverance, as the universe which he had created was destroyed. Brimha asked the gods, how he could destroy those who had obtained his blessing? and advised them to go to Vishnoo. They obeyed, and informed this god of the miseries brought upon the universe by these giants whom Brumba had blessed. Narayůnu promised to destroy them, which he did in the following manner: Hirůnyŭ-kŭshipoo's son Průlhadů was constantly absent from home performing religious austerities, at which his father became angry, and, tying a stone to his body, threw him into the water; but Vishnoo descended, and li berated him. His father next threw him under the feet of an elephant, but the elephant took him up and put him on its back. He then built a house of sealing wax, put

From nără, a man; and singh, a lion.

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his son into it, and set it on fire; the wax melted, and fell upon Průlhadů, but he receiv ed no injury. The father next gave him poison, but without effect. At length, wearied of trying to kill him, he said, 'Where does your preserver Vishnoo dwell?* "He is every where,' says Průlhadů. Is he then in this pillar?' Yes,' said the son. "Then 'said Hirunyŭ-kŭshipoo, I will kill him,' and gave the pillar a blow with his stick-when Vishnoo, in the form of half-lion half-man, burst from the pillar; laid hold of Hirŭnyŭ-kŭshipoo by the thighs with his teeth, and tore him up the middle. This was in the evening, so that it was neither in the day nor in the night. It was done under the droppings of the thatch, about which the Hindoos have a proverb, that this place is out of the earth. He was not killed by a man, but by a being half-man half-lion. So that the promise of Brumha to him was not broken. Vishnoo next destroyed Hirunyakshŭ. After the death of his father, Prŭlhadŭ began to worship Vishnoo under the form which he had assumed, and with tears enquired into the future fate of his father. Vishnoo assured him, that as he had died by his hands, he would surely ascend to heaven. Vishnoo was so pleased with the praises which Prülhadă bestowed on him, that he began to dance, hanging the entrails of Hirunyu-kushipoo round his neck. By Vishnoo's dancing the earth began to move out of its place, so that Brumha and all the gods were frightened, but durst not go near him. However, at the entreaties of Průlhadů, Vishnoo gave over dancing; the earth became fixed, and Vishnoo gave Prülhadů this promise, that by his hands none of his race should die.

The fifth is the Vamănă incarnation. Průlhadŭ's grandson Bulee followed the steps of his great-grand-father, and committed every kind of violence. In contempt of the gods, he made offerings in his own name. He performed the ŭshwůmédhŭ sacrifice one hundred times, by which he was entitled to become the king of the gods; but as the time of the then reigning Indru was not expired, the latter applied for relief to Vishnoo, who promised to destroy this giant: to accomplish which he caused himself to be born of Ŭditee, the wife of Kushyupů, the moonee. Being exceedingly small in his person, he obtained the name of Vamunů, i. e. the dwarf. At a certain period king Bulee was making a great sacrifice, and Vamunu's parents being very poor, sent him to ask a gift of the king. It is customary, at a festival, to present gifts to bramhuns. Vamunŭ was so small, that in his journey to the place of sacrifice when he got to the side of a hole made by a cow's foot, and which was filled with water,

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