Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies - DUBOIS, Abbé Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies, Dubois | Page 664

024
A VIRTUOUS WOMAN VINDICATED
searching
;
yet, in spite of
all,
she could not cure her hus-
band of his odious suspicions and unjust jealousy.
Overwhelmed at last with confusion and shame, she
burst into a flood of tears, and in the extremity of her
despair she addressed the following prayer to her mother
Earth thou to whom I owe my existence, justify
me this day in the sight of the universe and if it is true
that I have never ceased to be a virtuous woman, accord
me an indisputable proof of my chastity by opening thyself
under my feet and swallowing me up
No sooner had she uttered these words than the Earth,
in response to her prayer, opened and swallowed her up
:
'
!
;
'
!
alive within her
bosom.
Rama
did not tarry long before following his spouse.
Having divided his kingdom between his two sons, he
retired to the banks of the Ganges, where he lived for some
time in retirement and penance, and then closed his mortal
career.
Krishna.
The history of Krishna, or of Vishnu under this name, is
The eighteenth, the Bkagavata,
told in many Puranas.
I will give a very short
deals with him almost exclusively.
analysis of this.
In the Jambu-Dwipa is a country called Bharata-Varsha.
In this country is Brinda-Vana, or paradise of Krishna,
which is the supreme paradise, where untold delights are to
be enjoyed. It is larger than Swarga, and the beauty of it
is beyond all description.
It is inhabited by an infinite number of shepherds, the
On the
chief of whom is Nanda, Krishna's foster-father.
north of Brinda- Vana is the town of Mathura 1 , where
Ugrasena reigned. He was expelled from his kingdom by
his son Kamsa, who seized the throne and indulged for
a long while in innumerable acts of injustice and unheard-of
cruelty.
to bear this tyrant's violence any
form of a cow, went in search of the four-
faced Brahma, and having done him homage, spoke as
The Earth, unable
longer, took the
follows
:
1
The modern Muttra.
Ed.