Bujree, he who wields the thunder-bolt *.-Vritrŭha, he who destroyed the giant Vritrů.-Vrisha, the holy.Soorů-putee, the king of the gods.-Bŭlaratee, the destroyer of Bŭlů, a giant.-Hŭrihŭyů, he who is drawn by yellow horses.-Nŭmoochisoodůnů, the destroyer of Numoochee, a giant.-Sunkrůndŭnů, he who causes the wives of his enemies to weep.-Toorashat, he who is able to bear all things.-Méghŭ-vahůnů, he who rides on the clouds.— Suhŭsrakshů, he who has a thousand eyes1.

SECT. V.-Sooryum.

THIS god is said to be the son of Kushyůpů, the progenitor of gods and men. He is represented as a dark-red man, with three eyes, and four arms; in two hands he holds the water-lily; with another he is bestowing a blessing, and with the other forbidding fear. He sits on a red water-lily, and rays of glory issue from his body.

The bramhuns consider Sōōryŭ as one of the greatest of the gods, because in glory he resembles the one Brůmhů, who is called téjomŭyů, or the glorious. In the védŭs also this god is much noticed: the celebrated incantation called the gayŭtrēē, and many of the forms of meditation, prayer, and praise, used in the daily ceremonies of the bramhŭns, are addressed to him. He is at present worshipped daily. by the bramhŭns, when flowers, water, &c. are offered, accompanied with incantations.

* In this Indru resembles Jupiter Fulminator.

1 Mr. Wilkins considers Indră, with his thousand eyes, as a deification of the heavens.

In The Sun.

On a Sunday, at the rising of the sun, in any month, but especially in the month Maghů, a number of persons, chiefly women, perform the worship of Sōōryů: I shall give an account of this worship in the words of a respected friend. The sun is annually worshipped on the first Sunday in the month Maghů. The name of this worship is called Dhurmu-bhaoo, or Sōōryŭ-bhaoo. The ceremonies vary in different places, but in this district the women appear to be the principal actors; though none are excluded, and even Musulmans are so far Hindooized as to join in the idolatry. I saw it once thus conducted:-at the dawn of the morning a great number of offerings were carried into the open field, and placed in a row. The offerings consisted of fruits, sweetmeats, pigeons, and kids. A small pot was placed by each person's offering, containing about a pint and a half of water. A device made of a water-plant, a species of Millingtonia, intended to represent the sun, was placed on the edge of the pot, and a small twig of the mango-tree, with a few leaves on it, put into it, as people in England keep flowers. The pot with all its appendages represented the sun perhaps as the vivifier of nature. By each offering also was placed (what shall I call it?) an incense-altar, or censer called dhoonachee. It resembled a chafing-dish, made of copper, and stood upon a pedestal about a foot long. It contained coals of fire, and a kind of incense from time to time was thrown into it, principally the pitch of the salu-tree, called dhoona. Near each offering was placed a lamp, which was kept burning all day. The women also took their stations near the offerings. At sun-rise they walked four times round the whole row of offerings, with the right hand towards them, and the smoking dhoonachees placed on their heads; after which they resumed their stations again, where they continued in an erect posture, fasting the whole day, occasionally throwing a

little incense into the dhoonachee. Towards evening the bramhun who attended the ceremony threw the pigeons up into the air; which, being young, could not fly far, and were scrambled for and carried away by the crowd. The officiating bramhŭn perforated the ears of the kids with a needle; after which they were seized by the first person who touched them. About sun-set the offerers again took up the smoking dhoonachees, and made three circuits round the rows of offerings. After this the offerings and lighted lamps were taken away by their respective owners, who threw the lamps into a pool of water.'

Women frequently make a vow to Sōōryů to worship him, on condition that he give-to one, a son; to another, riches; to another, health, &c. Some perform these ceremonies after bearing a son. This worship is sometimes attended to by one woman alone; at other times by five, six, or more in company.

Sōōryŭ and the other planets are frequently worshipped in order to procure health. This the Hindoos call a sacri fice to the nine planets, when flowers, rice, water, a burntsacrifice, &c. are offered to each of these planets separately. It is said, that two or three hundred years ago Muyōōrůbhuttů, a learned Hindoo, in order to obtain a cure for the leprosy, began to write a poem of one hundred Sungskrită verses in praise of Sōōryů; and that by the time he had finished the last verse he was restored to health. These verses have been published under the title of Sōōryŭshůtŭků, the author at the close giving this account of his cure. Sometimes a sick person procures a bramhun to rehearse for him a number of verses in praise of Sōōryů, offering at the same time to this god rice, water, and juva'

Hibiscus rosa Sinensis,

flowers. If the person be very ill, and a man of property, he employs two or three bramhuns, who repeat as many as a thousand verses. This ceremony must be performed standing in the sun: when a thousand verses are rehearsed, the recitation occupies more than a day. The origin of this method of obtaining relief from sickness is ascribed to Shambů, the son of Krishnu, one of the most beautiful youths in the three worlds, who was directed in a dream to repeat, twice a day, the twenty-one names of Sōōryŭ then revealed to him.

The persons who receive the name of Sõõryŭ, and adopt this god as their guardian deity, are called Sourus: they never eat till they have worshipped the sun, and when the sun is entirely covered with clouds they fast. On a Sunday many Sourus, as well as Hindoos belonging to other sects, perform, in a more particular manner, the worship of this idol; and on this day some of them fast.

The Ramayŭnŭ contains the following story respecting Sōōryů, Hunoomanů, &c. In the war betwixt Ramŭ and Ravůnŭ, an arrow discharged by Půvůnů pierced the body of Lukshmůnů: Ramŭ and all his friends were exceedingly alarmed for the life of Lukshmŭnů; the physicians.tried all their efforts in vain. At last one physician declared that if four kinds of leaves could be brought from the mountain Gundhŭ-madhŭnů, and applied to the wound, Lŭkshmŭnů might probably be restored to health. The god who had given this arrow to Ravůnŭ had declared, that whoever was wounded with it in the night should not recover, if a cure were not obtained before day-light. It was night when the wound was inflicted, but Hunoomanŭ engaged to bring the leaves before morning. To secure the fulfilment of his promise, he leaped into the air, and alighted on

the mountain; but searched in vain for the medicinal leaves. While in his search, Ravůnů, who had heard what was going forward, sent Sōōryŭ to arise on the mountain at midnight. Hunoomană, in a rage, leaped up, and seizing Sōōryu's chariot wheels, placed the blazing god under his arm and the mountain on his head, and carried them to the camp of Ramu; where the friends of Lukshmŭnů searched out the plants, applied the leaves, and restored him to health after which Hunoomanŭ permitted Sōōryŭ to depart.

Sōōryŭ has two wives, Suvůrna and Chaya. The former is the daughter of Vishwůkŭrma. After their marriage, Sŭvůrna, unable to bear the power of his rays, made an image of herself; and, imparting life to it, called it Chaya, and left it with Sōōryů. She then returned to her father's house; but Vishwůkŭrma reproved his daughter for leaving her husband, and refused her an asylum; but promised that if she would return, he would diminish the glory of Sooryu's rays. Suvůrna resolved not to return, and, assuming the form of a mare, fled into the forest of Dundŭků. Chaya and Yumu, whom Sŭvůrna had left with Sōōryŭ, could not agree; and Yumŭ one day beating Chaya, she cursed him, so that he ever since has had a swelled leg. Yumů, weeping, went to his father Sōōryů, shewed him his leg, and related what had happened; upon which Sooryu began to suspect that this woman could not be Şŭvůrna, for no mother ever cursed her own son; and if she did, the curse could not take effect. He immediately proceeded to the house of his father-in-law, who received him with great respect, but unperceived gave him a seat consisting of different sharp weapons, by which he became

This word means a shadow,