es, . . . The sanctity of the Ganges will, they say, cease in
1895, whereas that of the Narbada will continue for ever' (Monier
Williams, _Religious Thought and Life in India,_ London, 1883, p.
348), See _post,_ Chapter 27.

14. Sleeman wrote 'Py-Khan', a corrupt spelling of pakhan, the
Sanskrit pashana or pasana, 'a stone'. The compound pashana-murti is
commonly used in the sense of 'stone image'. The sibilant _sh_ or _s_
usually is pronounced as _kh_ in Northern India (Grierson,
_J.R.A.S.,_ 1903, p. 363).

15. Sarasvati, consort of Brahma; Devi (Parvati, Durga, &c.), consort
of Siva; and Lakshmi, consort of Vishnu. All Hindoo deities have many
names.

16. The author's explanation is partly erroneous. The temple, which
is a very remarkable one, is dedicated to the sixty-four Joginis.
Only five temples in India are known to be dedicated to these demons.
For details see Cunningham, _A.S.R.,_ vol. ix, pp. 61-74, pl. xii-
xvi; vol. ii, p. 416; and vol. xxi, p. 57. The word _vahana_ means
'vehicle'. Each deity has his peculiar vehicle.

17. The heaven of Siva, as distinguished from Vaikuntha, the heaven
of Vishnu. It is supposed to be somewhere in the Himalaya mountains.
The wonderful excavated rock temple at Ellora is believed to be a
model of Kailas.

18. This 'notion' of the author's is not likely to find acceptance at
the present day.

CHAPTER 2

Hindoo System of Religion.

The Hindoo system is this. A great divine spirit or essence,
'Brahma', pervades the whole universe; and the soul of every human
being is a drop from this great ocean, to which, when it becomes
perfectly purified, it is reunited. The reunion is the eternal
beatitude to which all look forward with hope; and the soul of the
Brahman is nearest to it. If he has been a good man, his soul becomes
absorbed in the 'Brahma'; and, if a bad man, it goes to 'Narak',
hell; and after the expiration of its period there of _limited
imprisonment_, it returns to earth, and occupies the body of some
other animal. It again advances by degrees to the body of the
Brahman; and thence, when fitted for it, into the great 'Brahma'.[1]

From this great eternal essence emanate Brahma, the Creator, whose
consort is Sarasvati;[2] Vishnu, the Preserver, whose consort is
Lakshmi; and Siva, _alias_ Mahadeo, the Destroyer, whose consort is
Parvati. According to popular belief Jamraj (Yamaraja) is the
judicial deity who has been appointed by the greater powers to p