The Ancient Geography of India. I. The Buddhist Period, including the Campaigns of Alexander, and the Travels of Hwen-Thsang c6.s3.t6.9

c6.s3.t6.9

Hwen Thsang notes that the river was also called Fo-shui,† which M. Stanislas Julien translates as *l'eau qui porte bonheur*, and identifies with Mahâbhadrâ, which is one of the many well-known names of the Ganges. He mentions also that bathing in its waters was sufficient to wash away sin, and that if corpses were thrown into the river the dead would escape the punishment of being born again in an inferior state, which was due to their crimes. I should prefer reading *Subhadrâ*, which has the same meaning as Ma-hâbhadrâ, as Ktesias mentions that the great Indian river was named ὕπαρχος, which he translates by φέρων πάντα τὰ ἀγαθά.* Pliny quoting Ktesias calls the river *Hypobarus*, which he renders by “omnia in se ferre bona.”† A nearly similar word, *Oibares*, is rendered by Nicolas of Damascus as ἀγαθάγγελος. I infer, therefore, that the original name obtained by Ktesias was most probably *Subhadrâ*.