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Daughter of King Aswa-pati, and lover of Sat- yavan, whom she insisted on marrying, although she was warned by a seer that he had only one year to live. When the fatal day arrived, Satyavan went out to cut wood, and she followed him. There he fell, dying, to the earth, and she, as she sup- ported him, saw a figure, who told her that he was Yama, king of the dead, and that he had come for her husband's spirit. Yama carried off the spirit towards the shades, but Savitri followed him. Her devotion pleased Yama, and he off'ered her any boon except the life of her husband. She extorted three such boons from Yama, but still she followed him, and he was finally constrained to restore her husband to life. SAYYA-SACHIK ' A^aio puUs a bow with either hand.' A title of Arjuna. SAYAYA. Sa5"a7iacharya, the celebrated commentator on the ^/g-veda. " He was brother of Madhavacharya, the prime minister of Yira Bukka Raya, Raja of Yijaya-nagara, in the fourteenth century, a munificent patron of Hindu literature. Both the brothers are celebrated as scholars, and many important works are attributed to them ; not only scholia on the Sanhitas and Brahma7?as of the Yedas, but original works on grammar and law ; the fact, no doubt, being that they availed themselves .of those means which their situation and influence secured them, and employed the most learned Brahmans they could attract to Yijaya-nagara upon the works which bear their name, and to which they also contributed their own labour and learning ; their works were, therefore, compiled under peculiar advantages, and are deservedly held in the highest estimation." — Wilson. aS'ESHA, ^ESHA-NAGA. King of the serpent race or Nagas, and of the infernal regions called Patala. A serpent with a thousand heads which is the couch and canopy of Yishwu whilst 292 SETU-BANDHA—SIDDHANTA-SIROMANL sleeping during the intervals of creation. Sometimes *Seslia is represented as supporting the world, and sometimes as upholding the seven Patalas or hells. Whenever he yawns he causes earth- quakes. At the end of each kalpa he vomits venomous fire which destroys all creation. AYhen the gods churned the ocean they made use of >S'esha as a great roj)e, which they twisted round the mountain Mandara, and so used it as a churn. He is repre- sented clothed in purple and wearing a white necklace, holding in one hand a plough and in the other a pestle. He is also called Ananta, ' the endless,' as the symbol of eternity. His wife was named Ananta-sirsha. He is sometimes distinct from Yasuki but generally identified with him. In the Pura?ias he is said to be the son of Kasyapa and Kadru, and according to some authorities he was incarnate in Bala-rama. His hood is called MaTii-dwipa, ' the island of jewels,' and his j)alace Ma?2i- bliitti, 'jewel-walled,' or Mam-maTic/apa, 'jewel palace.' SETU-BANDHA. ' Rama's bridge.' The Hne of rocks be- tween the continent and Ceylon called in maps "Adam's bridge." It is also know as Samudraru. There is a poem called Setu- bandha or Setu-kavya on the subject of the building of the bridge by Rama's allies. SHAD-DAR^S'ANA. See Darsana. SHAD-YIX^S'A. ' Twenty-sixth.' One of the Brrdimawas of the Sama-veda. It is called " the twenty-sixth " because it was added to the Prauc^ha Brahma?za, which has twenty-five sections. SHAT-PURA. ' The sixfold city,' or ' the six cities ' granted by Brahma to the Asuras, and of which Nikumbha was king. It was taken by Krislma and given to Brahma-datta, a Brahman. — Hari-vansa. * SIDDHAS. A class of semi-divine beings of great purity and holiness, who dwell in the regions of the sky between the. earth and the sun. They are said to be 88,000 in number. SIDDHANTA. Any scientific work on astronomy or mathe- matics. SIDDHANTA KAUMUDl. A modern and simplified form of Pacini's Grammar by Bha//oji Dikshita. It is in print. SIDUHAKTA-^IROMAiYI. A work on astronomy by Bhaskarachiirya. It has been printed, and has been translated for the Bibliotheca Indlca. SIKHANDIN—SISUMARA. 293 ^'IKHAiVDIX, ;S'IKHAJ\^i)INL Si\\2.ncVm\ is said to have been the daughter of Kaja Drupada, but according to another state- ment she was one of the two wives whom Bhishma obtained for his brother Vichitra-virya. " She (the widow) perished in the jun- gle, but before her death she had been assured by Parasu-rama that she should become a man in a future birth, and cause the death of Bhishma, who had been the author of her misfortunes." Accord- ingly she was born again as AS'ikha7Z6?in, son of Drupada. Bhishma fell in battle pierced all over by the arrows of Arjuna, but ac- cording to this story the fatal shaft came from the hands of /Sikhayzc^in. Bee Amba. aSIKSHA. Phonetics ; one of the Vedangas. The science which teaches the proper jDronunciation and manner of reciting the Vedas. There are many treatises on this subject. aSILPA-aSASTEA. The science of mechanics ; it includes architecture. Any book or treatise on this science. SINDHU. I. The river Indus ; also the country along that river and the people dwelling in it. Prom Sindhu came the Hind of the Arabs, the Hiiidoi or Indoi of the Greeks, and our India. 2. A river in Malwa. There are others of the name. See Sapta-sindhava. SI^^HALA, SINHALA-DWIPA. Ceylon. SINHASANA DWATKKsTaS'AT. The thirty-two stories told by the images which supported the throne of King Vikra- maditya. It is the Singhasan Battisi in Hindustani, and is current in most of the languages of India. SINHIKA. I. A daughter of Daksha and wife of Ivasyapa; also a daughter of Ivasyapa and wife of Viprachitti. 2. A Rak- shasi who tried to swallow Hanuman and make a meal of him. He allowed her to do so and then rent her body to pieces and departed. Her habit was to seize the shadow of the object she wished to devour and so drag the prey into her jaws. aS'IPRA. The river on which the city of XJjjayini stands. SIRA-DHWAJA. ' He of the plough-banner.' An epithet for Janaka. ^SI/S'UMARA. 'A porpoise.' The planetary sphere, which, as explained by the Yishwu PuraTza, has the shape of a porpoise, Yish7zu being seated in its heart, and Dhruva or the pole star in its tail. " As Dhruva revolves, it causes the sun, moon, and other planets to turn round also ; and the lunar asterisms follow 294 STSU-PALA—SJTA. in its circular path, for all tlie celestial luminaries are, in fact, bound to the polar star by aerial cords." 6'IaS'U-PALA. Son of Dama-ghosha, king of Chedi, by S'nita- deva, sister of Vasu-deva ; he was therefore cousin of Krishwa, but he was K?i'shwa's implacable foe, because lO'ishwa had car- ried off Rukmi7zi, his intended wife. He was slain by Kn'shTza at the great sacrifice of Yudlii-sh^hira in punishment of oppro- brious abuse. The Maha-bharata states that /S'i5u-pala was born with three eyes and four arms. His parents were inclined to cast him out, but were warned by a voice not to do so, as his time was not come. It also foretold that his superfluous mem- bers should disappear when a certain person took the child into his lap, and that he would eventually die by the hands of that same person. KrisliTza placed the child on his knees and the extra eye and arms disappeared ; K?'/sh72a also killed him. The YishTiu Purawa contributes an additional legend about him. " /S'i^u-pala was in a former existence the unrighteous but valiant monarch of the Daityas, Hirawya-kasipu, who was killed by the divine guardian of creation (in the man-lion Avatara). He was next the ten-headed (sovereign E-avaTza), whose unequalled prowess, strength, and power were overcome by the lord of the three worlds (Rama). Having been killed by the deity in the form of Raghava, he had long enjoyed the reward of his virtues in exemption from an embodied state, but had now received birth once more as /Sisu-pala, the son of Dama-ghosha, king of Chedi. In this character he renewed -with greater inveteracy than ever his hostile hatred towards Pu?ic?arlkaksha (Yish/iu), . . . and was in consequence slain by him. But from the cir- cumstance of his thoughts being constantly engrossed by the supreme being, ASisu-pala was united with him after death, . . . for the lord bestows a heavenly and exalted station even upon those whom he slays in his displeasure." He was caUed S\x- nltha, ' virtuous.' iST^'UPALA-BADHA. ' The death of Si5u-pala ; ' an epic poem by Magha, in twenty cantos. It has been often printed, and has been translated into French by Fauche. SIT A. 'A furrow.