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better ground rests the assertion, that the Indians are ignorant of the epoch from which they reckon time; that they have no certain chronology of events, and that we may suspect the truth of all their relations: for their "received chronology begins with an absurdity so monstrous, as "to overthrow their whole system. For having " established their period of 71 divine ages, as the reign of each Menu, yet thinking it incongruous "to place a holy person in times of impurity, they insist, that the Menu reigns only in every golden that 66 age, and disappears in the three human ages "follow it, continuing to dive and emerge like a water-fowl, till the close of his Menwantara. The "learned author of the Puranarthapracasa, which "I will now follow step by step, mentioned this ridiculous opinion with a serious face; but as he has "not inserted it in his works, we may take his "account of the seventh Menu, according to its "obvious and rational meaning, and suppose "Vaivaswata, the son of Surya, the son of Casyapa "or Uranus, the son of Marichi, or, light, the son "of Brahma, which is clearly an allegorical pedi

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gree, reigned in the last golden age, or, according "to the Hindus, 3892888 years ago: but they " contend, that he actually reigned on earth "1728000 years of mortals, or 4800 years of the "Gods; and this opinion is another monster, so

"repugnant to the course of nature and to human "reason, that it must be rejected as wholly fabu"lous, and taken in proof, that the Indians know "nothing of their Sun-born Menu but his name, " and the principal event of his life: I mean the uni"versal deluge, of which the three first Avatars are merely allegorical representations, with a mix"ture, especially in the second, of the astronomical mythology. From this Menu'the whole race of "mankind is supposed to have descended. For the

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seven Rishis, who were preserved with him in the "ark, are not mentioned as fathers of families; but "since his daughter Ila was married, as the Indians "tell us, to the first Buddha, or Mercury, the son of "Chandra, or the Moon, a male deity, whose father "was Atri, son of Brahma. Here again we meet "with an allegory purely astronomical or poetical. "His posterity are divided into two great branches,

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called the children of the Sun, from his own sup

posed father; and the children of the Moon, from "the parent of his daughter's husband. The lineal "male descendants, in both those families, are sup> posed to have reigned in the city of Ayodhya, or

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Audh, and Pratishthana, or Vitoria, respectively, "till the thousandth year of the present age, and "the names of all the princes in both lines, having "been diligently collected by Rhadacanta, from "several Puranas, I exhibit them in two columns,

"arranged by myself, with great attention." (Sir W. Jones, vol. IV, p. 22.

Before we proceed to the names of all the princes in both lines, let us examine the proem that precedes them. For should it appear on investigation, that those dynasties were antediluvian; that the princes, who form them, were destroyed by the deluge; and that their general father, their great sire, was created 4002 years before the Christian era: then it follows, that "the Menu, from whom the whole race of mankind is supposed to have descended, was" not "Noah." Had this author been true to his promise, and "followed the learned author of the Puranarthapracasa step by step," instead of giving that which he conceived to be his obvious and rational meaning, he had not asserted, that the princes, who sprang from the first Menu, whose Antara is placed at the first year of the creation, were postdiluvians. For, considering the divine age as it applies to the four human ones, or duration of the world, we have abundant proof, that the Menu, who is represented as the great sire, from whom descended the children of the Sun and Moon, could be no other than Adam. And so it appears from the account of Rhadacanta, as given by this author, who tells us, they insist that the Menu reigns only in every golden age, and disappears in the three human

ages that follow it, continuing to dive and emerge like a water-fowl, till the close of his Menwantara." The ridicule attached to this account rests wholly with the "r diving and emerging" monsters of European birth. We are told, that they insist. Who are intended by they? not the Hindus; for in no part of their records is it even intimated, that the Menu only reigns during the golden age, or 400 years: the Maha Menwantara, or 857 years being the Antara, or average life of a Menu*. Not in the writings of Rhadacanta; for our author adds, "but as he has not inserted it in his works, we may take his account of the seventh Menu, according to its obvious and rational meaning." Thus it follows that "they who insist" are European chronologists; who, not finding any thing in the works of Rhadacanta that warranted an assertion "that the Menu who ruled during the golden age was the prince saved in the ark," introduced the word seventh, as the rational meaning of an author who was treating of the first Menu, the first created, the general father of mankind, from whom the Solar and Lunar dynasties descended. Rhadacanta says the Menu, to denote his being the first, and greatest; he then pro

* The rule of a Menu is to the golden age as 3702240 to 1728000.

ceeds to give the actual year when this Menu was created, answering to the first year of the world; and further informs us, that Icshwacu, the first ruler of the Solar dynasty, was of the third generation, and did not commence his rule until after the first or golden age was past. For example: "the Menu began to reign 3892888 years ago." This account was given to Sir William Jones A. D. 1788. Here, one would have thought, scepticism itself should have been satisfied. Here, no key was required to the cypher; for A. D. 1788 answers to anno Cali 4890*; or, according to the calculations of this author, to the Cali year 4888; consequently, when he wrote the first, the second, the third, and 4888 years of the fourth past for 1728000+1296000+864000+4888= 3892888 which shews that the Menu who began his reign 3892888 years" before A. D. 1788, commenced his reign in the first year of the first age, which was the first year of the creation. Now, adding the nine hundred years, which the three first ages occupied, to the portion of the Cali, or fourth age, which was past; and supposing the Christian era to have commenced A. M. 4000, which we must do, to make the Cali year 4888 answer to A. D. 1788; then, adding the year of the world to

* Vide Appendix (A).

age, were

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