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The cavern temples of the South of India, in the subjects of their sculptures and the decorations of SIVA
OF THE HINDUS.
sided on the Himalaya mountains and taught the Yoga. He had four chief disciples, one also termed SVETA, and the others SVETASIKHA, SVETÁSVA [V. L. ŚVETÁSYA], and SVETALOHITA. They had twenty-eight disciples - Sutára, Madana, Suhotra, Kankaia, and twenty-four others. [In the 50th Chapter of the Kürma Puráñia, as quoted in the Sabdakalpadruma s. v. Sretal', the names of the 28 disciples are given as follows: सुभावो दमनश्चाथ सुहोत्रः कङ्कणस्तथा । लोकातिरथ योगीन्द्रो जैगीषव्यस्तु सप्तमे ॥ अष्टमे दधिबाहुः स्यान्नवमे वृषभप्रभुः । भृगुस्तु दशमे प्रोक्तस्तस्मादुग्रः परः स्मृतः ॥ द्वादशे ऽत्रिः समाख्यातो बाली चाथ त्रयोदशे । चतुर्दशे गौतमस्तु वेदशीषी ततः परं ॥ गोकर्णश्चाभवत्तस्माद्गुहावासः शिखण्ड्यथ । जटामाल्यट्टहासश्च दारुको लाङ्गली क्रमात् ॥ श्वेतस्तथापरः शूली तिएडी मुण्डी च वै क्रमात् । सहिष्णुः सोमशमी च नकुलीशो ऽन्तिमे प्रभुः ॥ वैवस्वते॑ ऽन्तरे शम्भोरवतारास्त्रिशूलिनः । अष्टाविंशतिराख्याता ह्यन्ते कलियुगे प्रभोः ॥ ]
Of these, four, whose names are not mentioned, had ninety-seven disciples, masters of the Yoga and inferior portions of SIVA. Those Brahmans who recite the names of these teachers and offer to them libations acquire Brahmaridya, or knowledge of spirit. That this long string of one hundred and twenty-five names is wholly fictitious, seems improbable, although the list is possibly not very accurate. The four primitive teachers may be imaginary; but it is a curious circumstance that the word Seeta, white, should be the leading member of each appellation, and that in the person of SIVA and his first disciple it should stand alone as SvETA, the white. Śiva, however, is always painted white, and the names may be contrived accordingly; but we are still at a loss to understand why the god himself should have a European complexion. [See also Weber, Ind. Stud., 1, 420 ff. and Lassen, Ind. Alt., II, 1100.]
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