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The loss of one tusk is ac- counted for by a legend which represents Parasu-rama as coming to Ivailasa on a visit to iS'iva. The god was asleep and Gawesa opposed the entrance of the visitor to the inner apartments. A wrangle ensued, which ended in a fight. " Ga?2-esa had at first the advantage, seizing Parasu-rama with his trunk and giving him a twirl that left him sick and senseless. On recovering, Parasu-rama threw his axe at Ga?iesa, who, recognising it as his father's weapon (/S'iva having given it to Parasu-rama), received it with all humility on one of his tusks, which it immediately severed; hence Ga?iesa has but one tusk, and is known by the name of Eka-danta or Eka-dansh/ra (the single-tuskecl). These legends are narrated at length in the Brahma Yaivartta Puraria. Gawesa is also called Gajanana, Gaja-vadana, and Kari-mukha, * elephant-faced;' Heramba;' 'boastful;' Lamba-karTia, 'long- I oS GA NESA - GJTA— GA AG A. eared;' Lambodara, ' pendant - bellied ; ' Dwi-delia, 'double- bodied;'" Yiglmesa, Vighna-hari, 'remover of obstacles.' A pecu- liar appellation is Dwai-matura, ' having two mothers,' in allusion, it is said, to his birth from the scurf of Parvati's body. GAiV^E.S'A-GITA. The Bhagavad-glta, but with the name of GaTzesa substituted for that of K?ishwa It is used by the Ganapatyas or worshippers of Ganesa. GANESA PURAiVA. An Upa Pura?ia having especial refer- ence to the glory and greatness of Gawesa. GAISTGA. The sacred river Ganges. It is said to be mentioned only twice in the ^zg-veda. The Pura7ias represent the Yiyad- ganga, or heavenly Ganges, to flow from the toe of Yishwu, and to have been brought down from heaven, by the prayers of the saint Bhagiratha, to purify the ashes of the sixty thousand sons of King Sagara, who had been burnt by the angry glance of the sage Kapila. From this earthly parent the river is called Bhagirathi. Ganga w^as angry at being brought down from heaven, and *Siva, to save the earth from the shock of her fall, caught the river on his brow, and checked its course with his matted locks. From this action he is called Gancja-dhara, 'upholder of the Ganges.' The river descended from A^iva's brow in several streams, four according to some, and ten accord- ing to others, but the number generally accepted is seven, being the Sapta-sindhava, the seven sindhus or rivers. The Ganges proper is one of the number. The descent of the Ganges dis- turbed the sage Jahnu as he was performing a sacrifice, and in Ills anger he drank up the waters, but he relented and allowed the river to flow from his ear, hence the Ganges has the name of JahnaA'T. Personified as a goddess, Gangil is the eldest daughter of Himavat and IMena, and her sister was Uma. She became the wife of King /S^antanu and bore a son, Bhishma; who is also known by the metronymic Gangeya. Being also, in a peculiar way, the mother of Kartikeya (q.v.), she is called Kumara-sii. Gold, according to the Maha-bharata, was borne by the goddess Ganga to Agni, by whom she had been impregnated. Other names and titles of the Ganges are Bliadra-soma, GandinI, Kirati, Deva-bhuti, ' produced in heaven ;' Hara-sekhara, ' crest of /Siva;' Khapaga, 'flowing from heaven;' Mandiikinl, 'gently flowing ; ' Tri-patha-ga or Tri-srotaA, ' triple flowing,' running in heaven, earth, and liclL GANGA-DHARA — GARUDA. 109 GANGA-DHARA. A name of /Siva. See Gaiiga. GA:N'GA-DWARA. The gate of the Ganges. The opening in the Himalaya mountains through which the river descends into the plains, now known as Hardwar. GANGA-SAGARA. The mouth of the Ganges, a holy bathing-place sacred to Yishmi. GANGEYA. i. A name of Bhishma, from his reputed mother, the river goddess Ganga. 2. Also of Karttikeya. GARGA. An ancient sage, and one of the oldest writers on astronomy. He was a son of Vitatha. The Vish?iu Pura?ia says, " From Garga sprang iSina (or >S'ini) ; from them were de- scended the Gargyas and /S'ainyas, Brahmans of Kshatriya race," The statement of the Bhagavata is, " From Garga sprang /S'ina ; from them Gargya, who from a Kshatriya became a Brahman." There were many Gargas ; one was a priest of Krish?2a and the Yadavas. GARGAS, GARGYAS. Descendants of Garga, who, " although Kshatriyas by birth, became Brahmans and great ^ishis. " GARGYA, GARGYA BALAKI. Son of Balaki. He was a Brahman, renowned as a teacher and as a grammarian, who dealt especially with etymology, and was well read in the Veda, but still submitted to receive instruction from the Kshatriya Ajata-satru. GARUi)A. A mythical bird or vulture, half-man, half-bird, on which Yish?m rides. He is the king of birds, and descended from Kasyapa and Yinata, one of the daughters of Daksha. He is the great enemy of serpents, having inherited his hatred from his mother, who had quarrelled with her co-wife and superior, Kadru, the mother of serpents. His lustre was so brilliant that soon after his birth the gods mistook him for Agni and worshipped him. He is represented as having the head, wings, talons, and beak of an eagle, and the body and limbs of a man. His face is white, his wings red, and his body golden. He had a son named Sampati, and his wife was Unnati or Yinayaka. According to the Maha-bharata, his parents gave him liberty to devour bad men, but he was not to touch Brah- mans. Once, however, he swallowed a Brahman and his wife, but the Brrdiman so burnt his throat that he was glad to dis- gorge them both. GraufZa is said to have stolen the Amrita from the gods in no CAR UDA — GA UPAYA NA S. order to purchase with it the freedom of his mother from Kadni. Indra discovered the theft and fought a fierce battle wdth Garuc?a. The Amr/ta was recovered, but Indra was worsted in the fidit, and his thunderbolt was smashed. Garur/a has many names and epithets. From his parents he is called Ka-syapi and Yainateya. He is the SuparTia and the Garutman, or chief of birds. He is also called Dakshaya, AS'al- malin, Tarkshya, and Yinayaka, and among his epithets are the following : — Sitanana, ' white faced ; ' Eakta-paksha, ' red winged ; ' /Sweta-rohita, ' the white and red ; ' Suvar;za-kaya, * golden bodied ; ' Gaganeswara, ' lord of the sky ; ' Khageswara, * king of birds ; ' ISTagantaka, and Pannaga-na^ana, ' destroyer of serpents ; ' Sarparati, ' enemy of serpents ; ' Taraswin, ' the swift ; ' Easayana, ' who moves like quicksilver ; ' Ivama-charin, ' who goes where he will ; ' Kamayus, ' who lives at pleasure ; ' Chirad, ' eating long ; ' Yish?iu-ratha, ' vehicle of Yish7?.u ; ' Am?'2tahara?2a and Sudha-hara, ' stealer of the Am?'ita ; ' Suren- dra-jit, ' vanquisher of Indra ; ' Yajra-jit, ' subduer of the thun- derbolt,' &c. GAEUZ^A PUEAA^A. The description given of this Pura?2a is, " That which YisliTiu recited in the Garu^/a Kalpa, relating chiefly to the birth of GarufZa from Yinata, is called the Garuf/a Pura?w, and in it there are read 19,000 stanzas." The works bearing this name which were examined by Wilson did not cor- respond in any respect with this description, and he considered it doubtful if a genuine GarufZa Purawa is in existence. GATHA. A song, a verse. A religious verse, but one not taken from the Yedas. Yerses interspersed in the Sansk?7't ] Buddhist work called Lalita-vistara, which are composed in a dialect between the Sanskrit and the Prak?-/t, and have given their name to this the Gatha dialect. The Zend hymns of the Zoroastrians are also called Gathas. GATU. A singer, a Gandharva. GAUD A, GAUitA. The ancient name of Central Eengal ; also the name of the capital of the country, tlie ruins of which city are still visible. The great northern nation of Brahmans. ^ce Brahman. GAUPAYANAS. Sons or descendants of Gopa. Four ii/shis, who were the authors of four remark-able hymns in the .^/g-veda. One of them, named Su-bandliu, was killed and GA URI— GA \ 'A TRL 1 1 1 miraculously "brought to life again. The hymns have been translated by Max Mliller in the Journal R. A. S., vol. ii. 1866. GAXJRI. The ' yellow ' or ' brilliant,' a name of the consort of /Siva. (See Devi.) Varu7za's wife also is called Gauri. GAUTAIMA. * I. A name of the sage iS'aradwat, as son of Gotama. He was husband of Ahalya, who was seduced by Indra. This seduction has been explained mythologically as signifying the carrying away of night by the morning sun, Indra being the sun, and Ahalya being explained as meaning night. 2. Author of a Dharma-sastra, which has been edited by Stenzler. 3. A name common to many mem GAUTAMEaS'A.