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Now it remains to shew the process, by which these numbers are made to answer to the year of Christ 1788; or, which is the same, to the year of the world 5788. For the pundit, who gave this account, evidently reckoned on the commencement of the Christian era being A. M. 4000. But, according to their usual system, which places the birth of Christ at A. M. 4002, the Cali year 4890 answers to the Christian year 1788. The pundit, therefore, places us in the second Parouvan, or first Maha month of the first year of the night of Brahma.

=

The common Menwantara, which consists of seventy-one divine ages, is divided by common years. The Maha Menwantara, which contains eight hundred and fifty-seven divine ages, is to the common one, nearly as twelve to one. For 85771 12. And the common Menwantara of Brahma contains 360 days: which is just five days more than the Savan Menwantara of 71 ages, or 355 days. The Maha divine age, of course, bears an equal proportion to its Menwantara, namely, that of twelve to one. We must now reduce these to real time. The common Menwantara being five days of twenty-four hours* the great one is, of course, sixty days; making the

* Vide page 21, and following.

year of Brahma twenty-four months of thirty days each. To render this less complicated, the sixty days are termed Maha months*; and the thirty days Maha Parouvans. Which may be applied as follows the six Menwantaras that are passed are found by multiplying the Maha Menwantara by six. For 857 × 6 =

The twenty-seven divine ages by multiplying that number by four years. For 27 x 24=

.5142

648

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which answers to the Cali year 4890, and to the Christian era 1788+. But the pundit who gave the account, placing his auditor in the 4888th year, qualifies this by saying, we were in the first month, or second Parouvan of a divine age; which gave the true epoch, or Cali year 4890. And, were it not for these Parouvans and months, we should not be able to ascertain time within twentyfour years. The ancient year of the Hindus was always divided in this manner. This Menwantara is likewise noticed by Mr. Wilford, as follows: "We learn from Manetho, that the Egyptian chronology enumerates fourteen dynasties. In

*The Maha month corresponds with the Eworos or Chaldean month of Berosus.

+ Vide Appendix (A). VOL. I.

S

1 Vide Appendix (E).

the same manner, the Hindu chronology presents us with a series of fourteen dynasties, equally repugnant to nature and reason; six of those are elapsed; we are now in the seventh, which began with the flood; and seven more we are taught to expect. These fourteen dynasties are hardly ever noticed by the Hindus in their legendary tales, or historic poems. The rulers of these dynasties are called Menus, and from them their dynasty, Antara, or period, is called a Menwantara." This account in itself was neither repugnant to nature nor to reason; but it is rendered most strange and unnatural by the author asserting that the seventh Menwantara began with the flood; whereas, in his genealogical tables, he gives Noah great-greatgrandchildren in the antediluvian world*, in order that the fourteen Menwantaras, or Antaras of Menus might be completed before the flood; and that Enoch, the son of Jared, whom he supposes to be Enos the son of Seth, might be translated to heaven during the fourteenth Menwantara, or Antara of Ducsha†; which, according to him, ended in the year B. C. 3044, the period at which he here supposes the seventh Menwantara to commence. He thus seems to forget that the fourteen dynasties of Manetho were antecedent, both to

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the Auritæ and Mizraim, the latter forming the sixteenth dynasty; the first postdiluvian series being that of the Auritæ, the second that of Mestræans or Mizraim, and the third, that of the Egyptians: all of which will be proved in a future Letter, where it will appear, that the fourteen dynasties of Manetho commenced with Adam and ended with Noah. It may probably be objected, that, in so vast a lapse of years, the difference between the nominal year, in which the cypher is kept, and the Julian year, would occasion a lapse of time fatal to chronology. But although the cypher is kept in a year of 355 days, the life of Brahma, as it is recorded in the Institutes of Menu, is extended to the year of 365 days and six hours; and is believed to have been so reckoned from the 71st year before the Cali age, or A. M. 829, when the cycle was introduced and Astronomy organized. Since which they assign sometime more or less than our astronomers, to the several signs, so as to regulate the hours, minutes, and seconds, not only to the beginning of the year, but to the beginning of every month. They had consequently no occasion to add at the expiration of every third year a bissextile one; which would have been fatal to their cypher*. The life of Brahma when it

* Vide Appendix (B).

is intended to represent a year of 365 days and 6 hours, is found by dividing the prolonged number of 111974400000 by the Matires contained in a Savan year, or 306720000; which gives 365 days and a fraction of 21600000 Matires, or 6 hours. For, as the year is multiplied by 100, to produce this supposititious life, so must the remainder be divided by 100, to reduce it into the hours contained in a day of mortals. And this is so far material, as it tends to the explanation of another question. The Arabians and Egyptians usually describe a year of 365 days and 6 hours, by 365.25. Now 21600000 Matires are equal to 25 days. I am aware that Europeans explain this Eastern year, as 36.525 years. But, literally, it denotes 365 days and 6 hours, and figuratively 365 years and 25 days.

The

There are comparatively very few books of the Hindus considered as orthodox. And of those, five only are said to be antediluvian; although they admit of many written since the deluge; 'sacred Puranas, treating of antediluvian matters. Hindus admit of eighteen Vedas, or parts of true knowledge. But the three great Vedas and two Sasters are the only sacred books, supposed to have been written in the old world: and these have evidently been organized since the flood. Sir William Jones carries them back so far as the

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