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" The date of Asoka is not exactly that of Antiochus the Great, but it is not very far different ; and the corrections required to make it correspond are no more than the inexact manner in which both Brahmanical and Buddliist chronology is preserved may well be expected to render necessary." See Wilson's note in the VisliTiu Pura?ia, his article in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Socidij, vol. xii., Max IVriiller's Ancient Sanskrit Literature, and an article by Sir E. Perry in vol. iii. of the Journal of the Bombay Asiatic Society. A/S'RAMA. There are four stages in the life of a Brahman which are called by this name. See Brahman. ASTlKA. An ancient sage, son of Jarat-karu by a sister of the great serpent Vasuki. He saved the life of the serpent Takshaka when Janamejaya made his great sacrifice of serpents, and induced that king to forego his persecution of the serpent race. ASURA. ' Spiritual, divine.' In the oldest parts of the Eig- veda this term is used for the supreme spirit, and is the same as the Ahura of the Zoroastrians. In the sense of ' god ' it w^as applied to several of the chief deities, as to Indra, Agni, and Varuwa. It afterwards acquired an entirely opposite meaning, and came to signify, as now, a demon or enemy of the gods. The word is found with this signification in the later parts of the i^ig-veda, particularly in the last book, and also in the Atharva- veda. The Brahma?? as attach the same meaning to it, and record many contests between the Asuras and the gods. Accord- ing to the Taittirlya Brahma?ia, the breath (asu) of Prajapati became alive, and "with that breath he created the Asuras." In another part of the same work it is said that Prajapati " be- came pregnant. He created Asuras from his abdomen." The /S'atapatha Brahma^za accords with the former statement, and states that " he created Asuras from his lower breath." The Taittiriya Ara?iyaka represents that Prajapati created "gods, men, fathers, Gandharvas, and Apsarases " from water, and that the Asuras, Rakshasas, and Pisachas sprang from the drops which were spilt. Manu's statement is that they were created by the Prajapatis. According to the Vish?iu Pura?2a, they were produced from the groin of Brahma (Prajapati). The account of the Vayu Pura?2a is : " Asuras were first produced as sons from his (Prajapati's) groin. Asu is declared by Brahmans to 28 ASURJ—ASWA-MEDHA. mean breath. From it these beings were produced ; hence they are Asiiras." The word has long been used as a general name for the enemies of the gods, including the Daityas and Danavas and otlier descendants of Kasyapa, but not including the Rakshasas descended from Pulastya. In this sense a different derivation has been found for it : the source is no longer as,u, ' breath/ but the initial a is taken as the negative prefix, and a-sura signifies ' not a god ; ' hence, according to some, arose the word sura, commonly used for 'a god.' See Sura. ASURI. One of the earliest professors of the Sankhya philosoj^hy. AjS'WALAYAXA. a celebrated writer of antiquity. He was pupil of /Saunaka, and was author of /S'rauta-siitras, Grihya- sutras, and other works upon ritual, as well as founder of a iSakha of the i^/g-veda. The Sutras have been published by Dr. Stenzler, and also in the Bihliotheca Indica. AjSWA-]\IEDHA ' The sacrifice of a horse.' This is a sacri- fice which, in Vedic times, was performed by kings desirous of offspring. The horse was killed with certain ceremonies, and the wives of the king had to pass the night by its carcase. Upon the cliief wife fell the duty of going through a revolting formality which can only be hinted at. Subsequently, as in the time of the Maha-bharata, the sacrifice obtained a high import- ance and significance. It was performed only by kings, and implied that he who instituted it was a conqueror and king of kings. It was believed that the performance of one hundred such sacrifices would enable a mortal king to overtlu'ow the throne of Indra, and to become the ruler of the universe and sovereign of the gods. A horse of a particular colour was con- secrated by the performance of certain ceremonies, and was then turned loose to wander at wiU for a year. The king, or his representative, followed the horse with an army, and Avlien the animal entered a foreign country, the ruler of that country was bound either to fight or to submit. If the liberator of the horse succeeded in obtaining or enforcing the submission of all the countries over which it passed, he returned in triumph with the vanquished Riljas in his train ; but if he failed, he was dis- graced and his pretensions ridiculed. After the successful return a great festival was held, at which the horse was sacri- ficed, either really or figuratively. A S WA-MUKHA—A S WINS. 29 ASAYA-MUKHA. 'Horse faced.' /S'^^e Kinnara. A>SWA-PATI. ' Lord of horses. ' An appellation of many kings. ASAVATTHAMAK Son of Dro?ia and Kripa, and one of the generals of the Kauravas. Also called by his patronymic Drau?iayana. After the last great battle, in which Dur-yodhana was mortally wounded, Aswatthaman with two other warriors, Kripa and Krita-varman, were the sole survivors of the Kaurava host that were left effective. Aswatthaman was made the com- mander. He was fierce in his hostility to the Pa'/ic?avas, and craved for revenge upon Dh?-ish^a-dyumna, who had slain his father, Dro?za. These three surviving Kauravas entered the Pa?zc?ava camp at night. They found Dh?'ish/a-dyumna asleep, and Aswa^/haman stamped him to death as he lay. He then killed /S'ikhandin, the other son of Drupada, and he also killed the five young sons of the Pa7ic?avas and carried their heads to the dying Dur-yodhana. He killed Parikshit, while yet unborn in the womb of his mother, with his celestial weapon Brahmastra, by which he incurred the curse of Krisli?za, who restored Parikshit to life. On the next morning he and his comrades fled, but Draupadi clamoured for revenge upon the murderer of her children. Yudhi-sh;!hira represented that Aswatthaman was a Braliman, and pleaded for his life. She then consented to forego her demand for liis blood if the precious and protective jewel which he wore on his head were brought to her. Bhima, Arjuna, and K?'ish?2a then went in pursuit of him. Arjuna and K?'ish72.a overtook him, and compelled him to give up the jewel They carried it to Draupadi, and she gave it to Yudlii-sh^hira, who afterwards wore it on his head. A^WINS, AaSWINAU (dual), A^S'WINl KUMAEAS. ' Horsemen.' Dioskouroi. Two Vedic deities, twin sons of the sun or the sky. They are ever young and handsome, bright, and of golden brilliancy, agile, swift as falcons, and possessed of many forms ; and they ride in a golden car drawn by horses or birds, as harbingers of Ushas, the dawn. " They are the earhest bringers of light in the morning sky, who in their chariot hasten onwards before the dawn and prepare the way for her." — Roth. As personifications of the morning twihght, they are said to be children of the sun by a nymph who concealed herself in the form of a mare ; hence she was called Aswini and her sons Aswins. But inasmuch as they precede the rise of the sun, 30 ASlVIiVS. they are called his parents in his form Puslian. Mythically they are the parents of the Pa?Z6?u princes Nakula and Sahadeva. Their attributes are numerous, hut relate mostly to youth and beauty, light and speed, duality, the curative power, and active benevolence. The number of hymns addressed to them testify to the enthusiastic worship they received. They were the physicians of Swarga, and in this character are called Dasras and iS^asatyas, Gadagadau and Swar-vaidyau ; or one was Dasra and the other Nasatya. Other of their apjDellations are Abdhi- jau, ' ocean bom ; ' Pushkara-srajau, ' wreathed with lotuses ;' Earfaveyau, sons of the submarine fire, Baf/ava. Many instances are recorded of their benevolence and their power of healing. They restored the sage Chyavana to youth, and prolonged his life when he had become old and decrepit, and through his instrumentality they were admitted to partake of the libations of soma, Hke the other gods, although Indra strongly opposed them. (aS'^c Chyavana.) The Aswins, says Muir, " have been a puzzle to the oldest commentators," who have differed widely in their explanations. According to different interpretations quoted in the ISTirukta, they were " heaven and earth," " day and night," " two kings, performers of holy acts.