FOOTNOTES
[1] "The Lights of Canopus," a Persian paraphrase; as the "Khirad Afroz," "the lamp of the Understanding," is in Hindustani.
[2] The Vedas are the holy books of India. They are four in number: The Rig-Veda, Yajur-Veda, Sama-Veda, and Atharva-Veda.
[3] Used in many religious observances by the Hindoos.
[4] Heaven, earth, and the lower regions.
[5] The Hindoo accounts for the origin of evil by this theory of a series of existences continued until the balance is just, and the soul has purified itself. Every fault must have its expiation and every higher faculty its development; pain and misery being signs of the ordeals in the trial, which is to end in the happy re-absorption of the emancipated spirit.
[6] The mouse, as vehicle of Gunesh, is an important animal in Hindoo legend.
[7] The champak is a bushy tree, bearing a profusion of star-like blossoms with golden centres, and of the most pleasing perfume.
[8] A religious observance. The devotee commences the penance at the full moon with an allowance of fifteen mouthfuls for his food, diminishing this by one mouthful each day, till on the fifteenth it is reduced to one. As the new moon increases, his allowance ascends to its original proportion.
[9] The wife of Vishnoo, Goddess of beauty and abundance.
[10] The black or Indian cuckoo.
[11] A grove where the Vedas are read and expounded.
[12] The white umbrella borne above the heads of Indian rajahs.
[13] The deity of prudence.
[14] Regal authority derives its rights from three sources: Power, Prescription or continuance, and Wisdom.
[15] The lotus resembles the water-lily, but is more varied in form and color.
[16] The peacock is wild in most Indian jungles. The swan is a species of flamingo of a white color. The voice and gait of a beautiful woman are likened by the Hindoo poets to those of the swan.
[17] By such a death as that alluded to, she earns the title of Sati, the "excellent."
[18] The common Indian crane; a graceful white bird, seen everywhere in the interior of Hindoostan.
[19] A man of military caste.
[20] Large branching horns which reach backward and rub upon his shoulders.
[21] A young Brahman, being invested with the sacred thread, and having concluded his studies, becomes of the second order: a householder.
[22] Jhillikas are the large wood-crickets
[23] A caravan.
[24] This is a secretion which flows by a small orifice from the elephant's temples at certain seasons. It is sweet-smelling, and constantly alluded to in Hindoo poetry.
[25] "Gentleness is chief of virtues."
[26] These "curls" are the "Arvathas," or marks of good blood and high-breeding.
[27] "O Beautiful One!"
[28] This raining down of heavenly flowers on auspicious occasions is a frequent incident in ancient Indian poetry.
[29] A short; broad-bladed sword.
[30] Nandana is the Paradise of Indra.
[31] Ancient name of India: "The Land of the Rose-apple Tree."
[32] Ceylon.
[33] The speed of the chariot resembled that of the wind and the sun. Indra was the god of the firmament or atmosphere. The sun, in Hindoo mythology, is represented as seated in a chariot drawn by seven green horses, having before him a lovely youth without legs, who acts as charioteer, and who is Aruna, or the Dawn personified.
[34] The Matron or Superior of the female part of the society of hermits. Their authority resembled that of an abbess in a convent of nuns.
[35] A grass held sacred by the Hindoos and freely used at their religious ceremonies. Its leaves are very long and taper to a needle-like point.
[36] The religious rites of holy men were often disturbed by certain evil spirits called Rákshasas, who were the determined enemies of piety and devotion.
[37] Vishnu, the Preserver, was one of the three principal gods.
[38] Káma, the Hindoo Cupid, or god of love. He has five arrows, each tipped with the blossom of a flower, which pierce the heart through the five senses.
[39] A marriage without the usual ceremonies is called Gándharva. It was supposed to be the form of marriage prevalent among the nymphs of Indra's heaven.
[40] The sandal-tree is a large kind of myrtle, with pointed leaves. The wood affords many highly esteemed perfumes and is celebrated for its delicious scent. It is chiefly found on the slopes of the Malay mountains or Western Ghants, on the Malabar coast.
[41] The Köil is the Indian cuckoo. It is sometimes called Parabhrita (nourished by another) because the female is known to leave her eggs in the nest of the crow to be hatched. The bird is a great favorite with the Indian poets, as the nightingale with Europeans.
[42] Palace of King Dushyanta, so-called because it was as lofty as the clouds.
[43] A sacred range of mountains lying along the Himálaya chain immediately adjacent to Kailása, the paradise of Kuvera, the god of wealth.
[44] According to the mythical geography of the Hindoos the earth consisted of seven islands surrounded by seven seas.