Page:History of the Indian Archipelago Vol 2.djvu/263

 INDIAN ISLANDERS. 219 Durga of the Linga and Yoni united to Budd- hism ; and I think we may go the length of con- cluding, that it was a reformation of the bloody and indecent worship of Siwa, brought about by sages or philosophers, by persons, in short, of more kindly affections than the rest of their countrymen, and perhaps to keep pace with some start in civili- zation in the country where it had its origin. To the arguments drawn from the relics of antiquities, I shall adduce on this point such collateral evidence as has occurred to me. The fragments of ancient writings which still exist among the Javanese, af- ford unequivocal testimony of the supremacy of Siwa. The following invocation to a little ethical treatise, called, in imitation of similar works among the Hindus of Western India, Niti Sastra, is an example. " I salute thee, Hari ; (Siwa,) I invoke thee, for thou art the lord of' gods and men, I in- voke thee, Kesawa, (Wishnu,) for thou enlighten- est the understanding. I invoke thee, Suman, (Surya,) because thou enlightenest the world.*' From some of the usual epithets bestowed upon Siwa by the pagan Javanese, and still familiar to their posterity, the pre-eminence of this deity is clearly demonstrated. He is called Mahadewa, or the great god ; Jagatnata, the lord of the universe ; Ywang Wcinang, the most powerful, with other epithets as extravagant. He is the same personage who acts so distinguished a part in the machinery