ORIENTAL SERIES.

AHIAJA. 9
so deceived her. Another story is that India secured the help
of the moon, who assumed the form of a cock and crowed at
midnight. This roused Gautama to his morning's devotions, when
Indra went in and took his place. Gautama expelled Ahalya
from his hermitage, and deprived her of her prerogative of being
the most beautiful woman in the world, or, according to another
statement, he rendered her invisible. She was restored to her
natural state by Rama and reconciled to her husband. This
seduction is explained mythically by Kumarila Bha/fo as Indra
(the sun's) carrying away the shades of night-
the name Ahalya,
by a strained etymology, being made to signify 'night.'
AHL A serpent. A name of Vntra, the Veclic demon of
drought : but AJii and Vr/tra. are sometimes " distinct, and mean,
most probably, differently formed clouds." Wilson,
AHI-CHHATRA, AHI-KSHETRA, A city mentioned in
the Maha-bharata as lying north of the Ganges, and as being the
capital of Northern Panchala. It is apparently
the Adisadra of
Ptolemy, and its remains are visible near Ram-nagar,
AINDRI. 'Son of Indra.' An appellation of Arjuna.
AIRAVATA. 'A fine elephant.' An elephant produced at
the churning of the ocean, and appropriated by the god Indra,
The derivation of this name is
signifying
referred to the word Iravat,
*
produced from water.' He is guardian of one of the
points of the compass. See Loka-pala.
AITAREYA. The name of a Brahma?? a, an Arawyaka, and
The Brahman has been edited
an Upanishad of the .fi/ig-veda.
and translated by Dr. Haug ; the text of the Ara^yaka has been
published in the Blbliotheca Indica by Rajendra Lala, and there
is another edition. The Upanishad has been translated by Dr.
Roer in the same
"
series. The Aitareya Arawyaka consists of five
books, each of which is called Aranyaka. The second and third
books form a separate "Upanishad, and a still further subdivision
here takes place, inasmuch as the four last sections of the second
book, which are particularly consonant with the doctrines of the
Vedanta system, pass as the Aitareyopanishacl." Weber.
AJA. 'Unborn.' An epithet applied to many of the A prince
gods.
of the Solar race, sometimes said to be the son of
Raghu, at others the sou of Dilipa, son of Raghu. He was
the husband chosen at her swayam-vara by Indumati, daughter
of the. Raja of Yidarbba, and was the father of Dasaratha and