The Vedic fathers of geology

Tan Vepic DiscoveRiIEs IN GEOLOGY. 9

thousand years before the Christian era, and yet his Code of Laws, even at the present day, governs mankind, counting over twenty-three crores, and coming under the appellation of Hindu, from the Himélayas to the Cape Comorin, and the frontiers of Cabul to the Brahmaputré. Mr. John D. Mayne in his preface to the “ Hindw Law and Usage,” has described the Code of Manu as follows :—

“Hindu Law has the oldest pedigree of any known system of jurisprudence, and even now it shows no signs of decrepitude. At this day, it governs races of men, extending from Cashmere to Cape Comorin, who agree in nothing else except their submission to it.” ( Hindu Law and Usage. 1st Edition. p. IX )

Now, reviewing the text of Manu from the Geological stand-point, it will be seen that it affords us but meagre data, inregard to the (eo-. logical conceptions of our ancestors.

The Puranas also, it seems, had buta dim vision and not very clear idea of the carly geological formations, as apparently they were not jn touch with the geological investigations of the Vedic tims. For, the Bhigavata Purana has stated to say, that the Earth in the form of an ego, was, at first, all enveloped in water, which, in course of ages, having produced vitality, was the source of innumerable life-types.

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