CHAPTER IV.

WORSHIP OF ANCESTORS AND SAINTS.

The spirits of a deceased father, grand father, great grand father, and of a mother, grand mother, and great grand mother, i.e., all the male and female ascendants up to the third degree, receive systematic worship when the Shraddha or funeral ceremonies are performed either on the anniversary of the death of any of them or on the day when the Narayan bali is performed in such holy places as Gaya, Siddhapur or Prabhas Patan. The spirits of those who meet heroic deaths on fields of battle are called Suropuros, and pillars are erected in their memory on the spot where they breathed their last. They receive only occasional worship. [861]

The purvajas or spirits of deceased ancestors receive worship on the thirteenth or fourteenth day of the dark half of Shravan (the tenth month of the Gujarat Hindu year), on the fourteenth of the dark half of Ashvin, on the death anniversaries and on days on which the Shraddhas, tripindis or nil parnavavi ceremonies are performed. On these occasions, the pitriyas (deceased ancestors) are represented by twisted braids of the durva grass (cynodon dactylon). [862]

Purvajas or ancestral spirits descend to the level of ghosts when they are strongly attached to worldly objects. Such spirits often possess the bodies of their descendants, though the necessary Shraddhas are performed for their release. The 13th, 14th and 15th days of the bright half of the months of Kartik and Chaitra are the special days for propitiation of departed spirits by their relatives either at home or in holy places, while the whole of the dark half of the month of Bhadarva is devoted to this purpose. [863] During this fortnight, shraddha is performed in honour of the deceased on the day corresponding to the day of his death, when Brahmans are feasted. Thus, a person dying on the 5th day of Kartik has his shraddha performed on the 5th day of the sharadian. On this occasion, water is poured at the root of the Pipal, tarpan or offerings of water are made, and pinds or balls of rice are offered to the deceased.

Of all the days of the sharadian the 13th, 14th and 15th are considered to be of special importance.

The death anniversary of a pitriya is called samvatsari, valgo samachari or chhamachhari, when a shraddha is performed and Brahmans are feasted.

The pitriyas are also worshipped on auspicious occasions such as marriages, by the performance of a shraddha called nandi, when pinds (balls) of molasses are offered instead of rice. It is considered an act of merit to perform shraddha in honour of the pitriyas on the banks of a river or tank at midday on the 8th day of the dark half of a month.

From the 13th to the 15th day of the dark half of Shravan, after their morning ablutions, orthodox people pour water over the Pipal, the Babul, the Ber (Zizyphus jujube) and durva grass, and on those places where cows are known to congregate, in the belief that by so doing the thirst of the spirits of the deceased is quenched. It is also believed that if feasts are given to the relatives of the deceased and to Brahmans the pitriyas are satisfied.

According to some, the Sharadian lasts from the full-moon day of the month of Bhadarva to the new-moon day of the same month, that is for a period of sixteen days. The Shraddhas of those who die on the Punema or full-moon day of a month are performed on the full-moon day of Bhadarva, and the Shraddhas of those who die on the new-moon day amavasia of a month are performed on the amavasia of Bhadarva. The 13th day of the dark half of Bhadarva is called bala terash that is children's thirteenth. This day is specially devoted to the propitiation of the spirits of children. [864]

On the Shraddha days Brahmans and relatives of the deceased are feasted, and oblations called Vash, consisting of rice and sweets, are offered to crows.

On Asho Vad fourteenth, that is, the fourteenth of the dark half of Asho, it is customary to apply red lead to the pillars erected in honour of men that die heroic or noble deaths on fields of battle, to break cocoanuts before them, to light lamps fed with ghi and to offer cooked food to their spirits. [865]

The spirits of those who die with strong attachment to the objects of this world are said to enter the state known as asur gati or the path of demons. In this condition the spirit of the deceased possesses the person of one of his relatives and torments the family in which he lived. The members of the family, when worried by his persecutions, engage the services of a bhuva or exorcist, who sets up a wooden image of the tormenting spirit in a niche in a wall of the house. A lamp fed with ghi is lighted daily before this image, and in times of trouble, a cocoanut is offered to it in the belief that the spirit can protect the offerers from injuries.

The pitriyas or ancestral spirits are propitiated by pouring water over the Bordi (jujube), the Tulsi (sweet basil), the Vad (banyan), the Pipal or durva grass (cynodon dactylon) on the 13th, 14th and 15th days of the bright half of Chaitra and on the same days of the dark half of Kartik and Shravan. On Vaishakh Shud Trij, that is, on the third of the bright half of Vaishakh, which is called Akha Trij, women offer to Brahmans two earthen jars filled with water and covered with an earthen cup containing a betelnut, a pice and a pan or betel leaf, for the propitiation of the spirits of their deceased ancestors. [866]

For the propitiation of a male spirit a party of Brahmans is feasted, and for the propitiation of a female spirit three unwidowed married women. [867]

Rajputs, Bharvads, Ahirs and Kolis set up either a pile of stones or a single stone on the boundary of their village in honour of those among them who die on battle fields. These piles or stones are called Palios. On the Palios are placed engraved images to represent the deceased in whose memory the Palios are erected. Small pillars are also raised in the localities where such persons met their death. On the Kali Chaudas or black fourteenth, that is the fourteenth day of the dark half of Asho, the Palios are daubed with red lead and worshipped with offerings of cocoanuts. Women who have become sati receive worship and offerings on the Hindu new year's day. [868]

Spiritual guides such as Shankaracharya, Vallabacharya, the maharajas or spiritual heads of the sect called Swaminarayan, Lalo Bhagat and Talo Bhagat are worshipped by their devotees with offerings of food, garments and cash. In this Kali Yuga or iron age, men who are really great are rare, and even if there be some, they are invisible to the faulty vision of the present day degraded mortals. A few come into contact with such holy men by virtue of the good deeds performed by them in their past lives. These are said to attain paradise by this satsang [869] (contact with the righteous).

Holy men receive personal worship during their life-time. After they are dead, their relics, such as impressions of their footsteps, their photos or busts are worshipped with offerings of sandal paste, flowers, red powder, frankincense, lamps fed with ghi and arati (swingings of lamps). [870]

Every sect of Hindus has a Maharaja or spiritual head, and it is considered meritorious to entertain and worship him on certain special occasions. The Maharaja or Guru is received with great éclat. His followers form a procession and carry him in a palanquin or a carriage and pair accompanied with music. At the house of the person who invites him, the floor is covered with rich cloth, over which the Maharaja is led to a raised seat specially arranged for the purpose. He is then worshipped by the host with the same details as the image of a god. His feet are washed by panchamrita (five nectars), that is a mixture of ghi, milk, honey, sugar and water, which is sipped by the worshipper and distributed among the followers of the Maharaja. Very often the feet of the Maharaja are washed in water, which is considered as purifying as the panchamrita. Great festivity and rejoicings are observed on this day at the house of the Maharaja's host, where crowds of the Maharaja's followers assemble eager for a sight of him. After spending about half an hour in the house, the Maharaja departs, first receiving valuable presents from the host.

Spiritual guides who claim the power of working miracles are held in high esteem by the people. Some of these guides are said to have control over spiritual beings or to possess their favour. These spirits are supposed to endow them with the power of preparing mystic threads, which, when worn round the waist, neck or arm, cure various diseases.

In the Kadavasan woods, near the village of Daldi, there lives a bava called Bhimputi, who is believed to possess miraculous powers. He surprises visitors by his wonderful feats and commands vows from the afflicted by mitigating their sufferings. Every day, before breakfast, the bava visits seven villages to collect sugar and flour, which he throws in handfuls over every anthill which he meets on his way. This act of charity has established him as a saint, and most of his prophecies are believed to be fulfilled.

A Musalman named Muhammad Chhail is held in great respect by the people on account of his great magical powers. He is believed to be in the good graces of a Pir, who has endowed him with the power of commanding material objects to come to him from long distances, and of breaking them and making them whole again. [871]

Great men of antiquity often command worship as gods. A fast is observed by Hindus on the 9th day of the bright half of Chaitra, the birth day of Rama, whose birth anniversary is celebrated at noon on that day in his temple. On this occasion, all visitors to the temple offer a pice or two to his image and receive his Prasad, that is, consecrated food, which consists of a mixture of curdled milk and sugar. The birth of Krishna is celebrated at mid-night on the eighth day of the dark half of Shravan, when people keep awake for the whole of the night.

The Jains observe a fast for seven days from Shravan Vad Baras, that is the 12th day of the dark half of Shravan, to the 5th day of the bright half of Bhadarva, in honour of Mahavir Swami, one of their spiritual teachers, who is believed to have been born on the 2nd day of the bright half of Bhadarva. This period is known as the Pajusan, during which the Jains cause the slaughter-houses and fish markets to be closed and give alms to the poor. [872]

A century ago there lived at Nalkantha a sage named Bhansab. He met a holy death by deep meditations, and a few days after rose up from his grave in his original form. This led him to be classed in the category of great men and to command divine worship. [873]

Vithal, a sage of the Kathi tribe, is revered in Paliad. Savo, a devotee at Zanzarka, is worshipped by Dheds. Fehala, a Rajput and Tolat his wife, are enshrined at Anjar, a village in Cutch. Lalo, a Bania devotee of Sindhavar, received divine honours in his life-time and his image in Sayala is held in great reverence to this day. The samadh of Madhvagar, an atit of Vastadi, situated in Unchadi a village in the Dhandhuka taluka in Ahmedabad, is an object of worship. Harikrishna Maharaja, a Brahman saint of Chuda, received divine honours at Chuda and the Charotar. [874]

If the souls of the departed ones are condemned to become ghosts, shraddha ceremonies performed by their descendants are said to be efficacious in freeing them from their ghostly existence and relegating them to some other form of life.

The lives of bhuts and pishachas, male and female ghosts, are said to extend over a thousand years. [875] Shraddhas, such as the samachari i.e., the death anniversary and Narayanbali i.e., a shraddha performed in a holy place, emancipate the ghostly spirits from their wretched existence and make them eligible for birth in a better form. [876] Some believe that at the end of their ghostly existence (a thousand years) they take birth in the animal kingdom in the mortal world. [877]

The soul is not said to have finally perished unless it merges into the divine self and attains moksha or salvation. The passions and desires of a dying man do not permit his soul ascending beyond a certain stage, where he or she remains as a ghost until the soul is purged of all his or her desires and sins by the performance of funeral ceremonies. For relieving ancestral spirits from the low order of bhuts and pishachas, shraddhas are performed by their surviving relatives in such holy places as Prabhas, Gaya and Pindtarak. These ceremonies are known as Narayanbali, Nilotsarga and saptaha-parayan (recitation of a sacred book for seven consecutive days). [878]

Those persons who die with wicked thoughts still present and their desires not fulfilled, enter the order of evil spirits, from which they are liberated after their desires have been satisfied and their wicked thoughts eliminated. [879]

Bhuts and pishachas--ghosts, male and female--can be prevented from doing harm by recourse to certain processes. For instance, the wife of a Nagar of Gadhada became a witch after her death and began to torment the second wife of her husband by throwing her out of bed whenever she was asleep. To prevent this, the husband took a vow to perform a shraddha at Sidhpur in the name of the deceased wife, after the performance of which the ghostly presence stopped harassing the new wife of her husband. [880]

Bhuts and pishachas are believed by some people to be immortal, because they are supposed to belong to the order of demi-gods. In the Amarkosha--the well-known Sanskrit lexicon--they are classed with divinities, such as guhyaks, and sidhas. The bhut is defined as a deity that troubles infants and the pishacha as a deity that lives on flesh. Bhuts and pishachas are the ganas or attendants of Shiva, one of the gods of the Hindu Trinity. They are supposed to be upadevas or demi-gods.

Preta is the spirit of a person that dies a sudden or unnatural death with many of his desires unfulfilled. His soul attains emancipation by the performance of a saptah, that is a recitation of the Bhagvat on seven consecutive days. It is described in the Bhagvat that Dhundhumari, the brother of Gokarn, who had become a preta, was released from his preta existence by the performance of a saptah which his brother caused to be made. The Garudpuran mentions that King Babruvahan emancipated a preta by the performance of a shraddha. The mukti or salvation of a preta is in itself its death. This would prove pretas to be mortal. [881]

The span of life of the bhuts and pretas is very long, but those whose descendants offer them the usual oblations gain their emancipation sooner. There is a kund or spring called Zilanand in the vicinity of Jhinjhuvada, on the banks of which is a temple of Zilakeshwar Mahadev. The performance of the pitri shraddha by the side of this spring is believed to expedite the emancipation of the spirits of the deceased from ghostly life. Every year, on the Bhadarva amavasya, that is, the new moon day of the month Bhadarva, a great fair is held on this spot, when people from long distances visit the place to get their relatives exorcised by the bhuvas or exorcists.

It is believed, that though bhuts, pretas and pishachas are immortal, they are scared away by the sound of a European band and of other musical instruments. [882] It is said that all drums and other weird instruments whether European or Indian, have the power of scaring away evil spirits.

An evil spirit called Babaro had entered the person of the uncle of Maldev the king of Jhalavad much to the king's annoyance. Maldev offered a stubborn fight to Babaro, who, unable to cope with Maldev, promised to extend his kingdom over those villages in which he would hang up bunting in one night. It is said that the present extent of the Jahlwad territories was due to king Maldev's enterprise in hanging up bunting over these territories as asked by Babaro. [883]

Though at the time of a man's death the faculties may hardly be sound, yet the varsana--the impressions--left on his mind by his past actions are in themselves good or bad enough to impress him so as to make his departing spirit assume a new form of life in keeping with them. For instance, a man following a particular profession becomes subject to dreams bearing on that profession. When the impression created by his actions in daily life is so deep as to induce dreams, his mind, even after death, leaves to his departing soul an inclination to be engaged in the subject of his mind's last activities. This is vasana. [884]

It is a popular saying among Hindus that children inherit the nature of their parents. It is for this reason that high caste Hindus do not utter the names of their eldest sons. There is a further belief that the Pitriyas departed from the world with certain desires unfulfilled reappear as descendants of their children to have these desires satisfied. [885]

As the saying goes Pita putrena jayate, that is a father is born in the form of the son, so the Pitriyas are born as descendants of their children, or according to the Bija vrikshanyaya, as a tree springs from its seed, that is, its offerings, so parents take birth as children of their offspring. [886]

The Pitriyas, whose attachment to their children or family or wealth does not die with them, reappear in the same family as descendants. It is also believed that persons dying with debts unpaid with the consciousness that they must be paid, are reborn in this world for the discharge of their obligations. [887]

It is not always that the Purvajas reappear in the same family. It is said about the departed spirits, that after undergoing punishment for their sins and enjoying the fruits of their good actions, they come down on earth again as drops of rain, and forming part of the grain which grows on rain water make their way into the wombs of animals and are thus reborn. [888]

On account of the community of their feelings, habits and ideas in previous births, members of different families form different groups. The actions performed in this life keep them bound to one another either as recipients of the return of the obligations given in the past or as givers of fresh obligations. The members of a family stand thus to one another in the relation of debtors and creditors. It is for the discharge of these debts and recovery of dues that several individuals are united in a family. This naturally leads to the members of a family taking birth again in the same family for the proper discharge of debts.

A virtuous child is declared to have been born to return the debts contracted in its past lives, and a vicious one to recover the dues. [889]

When an atit or holy man or a recluse dies, his body is interred, and a platform rising waist high from the ground, or a small dome-shaped temple, is built over the spot. This is called a samadh. An image of the god Shiva is generally installed in the samadh; but sometimes padukas i.e. the impressions on stone of the footsteps of the deceased, are installed instead. Instances of the latter are the padukas of Dattatraya, Gorakha and Machchendra Nath.

Both the Samadh and the image of the god Shiva as well as the padukas installed therein, are worshipped by the people, who, in course of time, give currency to the belief that the Samadh possesses certain miraculous powers, such as curing long-standing diseases, blessing barren women with children, etc. Offerings are made to the Samadh by pious persons and festivals or fairs are held in its honour by the inhabitants of the village in which the Samadh is located. [890]

Kabars or tombs raised over the graves of Mahomedan saints or Pirs are held in equal reverence both by Mahomedans and Hindus. To these offerings are made, and fairs are held in their honour.

Some Samadhs and Kabars noted for miraculous powers are given below.

1. Gorakhnath:--The Samadh of Gorakhnath lies on Mount Girnar. It is said that when the word Salam is shouted by any one standing on the brink of the hollow wherein the Samadh is said to be, the word "Aleka, Aleka, Aleka" is heard in response. [891]

2. Kevaldas:--The Samadh of Kevaldas stands in Susavav. It is told that, on one occasion, when a festival was being celebrated in honour of the Bava Kevaldas, a nimb tree (Azadirachta Indica) overhanging the Samadh was transformed into a mitho Limbdo (Ailantas excelsa).

3. The Samadh at Kanga:--In the religious house at Kanga, a village in the Junagadh State, there lived a bava given to religious austerities. It is said that he took Samadh [892] during life. This Samadh is said to work miracles at times.

4. Similarly, a bava in the religious house at Navanagar called Sharada Matha has taken a Samadh during life, and his remains and the structure over them have become an object of worship.

5. The Samadh of Lala bhakta:--Lala bhakta was a native of Sayola. He was famous for his piety, and after his death his Samadh was deified. It is said in reference to this Samadh that a meal of dainty dishes prepared for five or six persons by its side, would satisfy the hunger of a company of fifty, if one happened to arrive there at the time of serving the meal [893].

6. Datar [894] Pir:--The tomb of this Pir is situated on Mount Girnar. Almost all people in Kathiawar and many from Gujarat offer vows to this Pir. [895]

This Pir is also known by the name of Kala Yavan. [896] It is believed that he has the power of releasing the chain bonds of a person falsely accused with an offence provided he approaches the Pir in chains. The sanctity of this Pir is so great that vows in his honour secure to persons desiring male heirs the birth of sons. [897]

7. Asami Pir:--The tomb of this Pir is in Lunar. He is believed to ensure the fulfilment of certain vows made by those who have faith in him. [898]

8. Devalsha Pir:--The tomb of this Pir is situated at Amaran about seven miles from Todia. Many Hindus perform the first hair-cutting ceremony of their children at the shrine of this Pir with an offering of a sweet preparation of ghi, sugar or molasses, and wheat flour. The Muhammadans distribute cooked rice among the Fakirs about this shrine.

A tradition runs that, once seven eunuchs defied the power of this Pir saying that they would put no faith in him unless they conceived sons. This they did, and when in terror regarding their approaching confinement, they were told that the children would have to be taken out by cutting their bodies open. The tombs of these seven eunuchs and their sons still stand near the tomb of Devalsha to bear testimony to his glory and miraculous power. [899]

9. The Kabar of Haji Karmani:--Is situated at Dwarkan and is much respected by both Hindus and Muhammadans. [900]

10. The tombs of Jesal and Toral:--These are said to be the tombs of a husband and wife of the names of Jesal and Toral. They are situated in Anjar, a village in Cutch. It is said that originally these tombs were at the distance of twenty-seven feet from one another, but now the distance between them is only 7 1/2 feet. A belief is current that the day of judgment will come when these two tombs meet. [901]

11. Haj Pir and Gebansha Pir:--The tombs of these Pirs are at Mendarda. Vows are offered to the Haj Pir (Pilgrims saint) with the object of securing a good rainfall after an unusual drought, also for the restoration of stolen property. Vows to the Gebansha Pir are believed to be efficacious in curing foot diseases of cattle and skin diseases of children. [902]

12. Panch or Five Pirs:--The tombs of these Pirs are situated in Dahura, each of them measuring about twenty-seven feet. A miracle is attributed to these tombs in the phenomenon that they can never be accurately measured, each attempt at measurement giving a different result. Women whose sons die in infancy make vows in honour of the Panch Pirs, and take them to their tombs on their attaining a certain age, where they observe fakiri [903] for ten days. [904]

13. Aulia Pir [905]:--The tomb of this Pir lies on Mount Girnar. It is believed to possess the miraculous power of stopping the career of galloping horses and bringing them to the ground, and of stupefying the senses of a person who enters the shrine. [906]

14. Miran Datar:--The celebrated tomb of this Pir is in the village of Unjha near Baroda, where a fair is held every Friday in Shravan. Persons possessed by evil spirits are said to be cured by visiting this tomb and offering an image of a horse stuffed with cotton, and a cocoanut. People from all parts of Gujarat and from distant places suffering from physical infirmities, observe vows in honour of this Pir. Some wear iron wristlets round their wrists in his honour. [907]

15. Pir Mahabali:--The tomb of this Pir is situated at Gotarka near Radhanpur. Every year a fair is held in honour of this tomb, when the chief Pujari of the shrine of Varalu goes there, holding in one hand a bayonet with its point touching his breast, and in the other, a cocoanut. It is said that when the Pujari reaches the third step leading to the entrance of the shrine, the locked doors of the shrine fly open, and the Pujari throws the cocoanut into the shrine. If the shrine gates do not open of themselves on his approach, the Pujari has to stab himself to death then and there. [908]

16. Kalu Pir:--It is said that this Pir leads a procession every night, when monstrous kettle-drums are beaten by his phantom followers. On every Friday this procession goes on its rounds, which cover a large area. [909]

Other tombs noted for miraculous powers are those of Gebalsha Pir in Charadwa, of Daria Pir in Morvi, of Hajarat Pir in Baghdad and of Khoja Pir in Ajmere. [910]

The followers of the tenets of Swami-narayan, Vallabhacharya, Kabir, Shankaracharya, Ramanuja, Madhwacharya, Nimbark and Talo Bhagat look upon these personages as gods, and worship their images. [911]

Some of the spiritual teachers mentioned above maintained large establishments and made their supremacy hereditary. Their representatives (that is either their heirs or disciples) are looked upon as the embodiments of the same virtues as were concentrated in the founders of the sects. The great teachers are worshipped either in the form of their footprints, their images or their representatives. [912]

The worship of the following Muhammadan Pirs has been adopted by Hindus:--

(1) Datar Pir in Junagadh.

(2) Datar in Rataiya near Khirasara.

(3) Gobalsha Pir:--This Pir is noted for curing boils.

(4) Tag Pir or the live saint near Bhayavadar:--This Pir is believed to have the power of curing enlargement of the spleen. Persons suffering from this disease go to his shrine and distribute dry dates among children. This is supposed to propitiate him and to effect the cure. [913]

(5) Miran Datar:--The miraculous and curative powers of this Pir are so potent that blind persons are known to have their eye-sight restored and childless persons to have their longings for children satisfied through his favour. Persons possessed by evil spirits are exorcised by merely wearing a ring in his name. [914]

The shrine of this Pir is situated in the village of Unava in the Gaikwar's territory in North Gujarat. His Highness the late Gaikwar Khanderao has fixed solid silver railings round the shrine of this Pir in gratitude for a cure effected by him.

(6) Ramde Pir:--This Pir has obtained the epithet of Hindva Pir as he is worshipped mostly by the Hindus. He has worshippers in many places, where shrines are erected in his honour and verses and hymns composed and sung in his praise. [915] He is evidently, as his name suggests, one of the first Khoja missionaries who practised teachings more Hindu than Musalman in order to secure a following among the Hindus.

(7) Haji Karmani near Dvarikhan.

(8) The Davalsha Pir near Amaran.

(9) The Lakad Pir and the Hussein Pir in the vicinity of Ganod.

(10) Mahabali Dada Pir:--This Pir is to be found close to the village of Varai. Milk offered to him in his shrine in indas (egg-shaped pots) is said to remain fresh for a year. Similarly, the doors of his shrine open of themselves after the lapse of a year.

(11) Mangalio Pir:--This Pir is worshipped at Dadvi.

(12) Moto Pir:--Is worshipped at Khandorana.

(13) Hindva Pir:--This is the Pir of the Khojas in Pirana near Ahmedabad. He is so called because he is worshipped by the Hindus also.

(14) Bhadiadaro Pir:--Is in the village of Bhadia near Dhorali.

(15) Ingarasha Pir and Balamsha Pir.

(16) Tamialsha and Kasamsha Pir:--The shrines of these Pirs are on the Girnar hill. [916]

(17) Ganj Pir:--The shrine of this Pir is near Todia. Vows to offer a quarter of a pound of molasses to this Pir are believed to be efficacious in curing persons of fever and children of their ailments. [917]

There is a Pir in the village of Vadhardun near Viramgam. Persons suspected of having committed thefts are conducted in chains before this Pir. It is said that, if the charge be false, the chains break asunder of themselves. [918]

Apart from the respect paid to the Pirs mentioned above, the Hindus hold in great reverence the tabuts of the Muhammadans. [919]

There are various rural methods in vogue for the cure of barrenness.

One of these is for the barren woman to swallow the navel-string of a new-born child. [920] Another is to partake of the preparation called katlan. [921]

There are two kinds of preparations which go by the name of katlan. One is prepared from seven pieces of dry ginger. [922] The other is a mixture of suva, [923] sunth (dry ginger), gundar (gum arabic), gol (molasses) etc. [924] In order to secure the desired effect, the katlan must be eaten seven times every Sunday or Tuesday seated on the cot of a woman in child-bed. [925]

The longing for a child is also believed to be satisfied by partaking of the food served to a woman, in confinement, sitting on her bed, either on a Sunday or Tuesday. [926]

There is also another preparation which is believed to cause conception. It consists of a mixture of pitpapdo (Glossocardi Boswellia), sugar-cane and butter. In order to be efficacious, it must be taken on seven consecutive days commencing from the fourth day of the monthly menstrual period. [927]

Conception is also believed to be favoured by administering the gum of the babul tree dissolved in milk for three days commencing from the third day of the monthly period.

Some believe that, in order to be effective, this mixture must be taken standing. [928] In some places, seeds of a vegetable plant called shivalangi are also administered.

To secure conception, a bit of coral is also eaten, with the face turned towards the sun.

Other preparations taken with the belief that they cause conception are:--

(1) Harde (Myrobalan) put in kansar (a preparation of wheat flour cooked in water and sweetened with molasses), (2) extract of the fruit called sarangdha, (3) paras pipalo (Thespesia populnea) mixed with clarified butter, (4) gum mixed with plantains, (5) juice of the cooked leaves of the Arani (Elaeodendren glaucum), [929] (6) powder of Nag kesar (Messua ferrea) put into milk, and (7) the roots of Bhong ringdi (a kind of poisonous plant) mixed with the milk of a cow. [930]

It is also believed that if a barren woman succeeds in carrying away grains of rice from the folds of the upper garment of a pregnant woman, and eats them cooked in milk, her desire for a child is satisfied. [931]

In celebrating the Simant or first pregnancy ceremony of a woman, the pregnant woman is taken for a bath to a dung-hill or to a distance of about thirty yards behind the house. After the bath is over, she returns home walking over sheets of cloth spread on her way. On this occasion her company is coveted by barren women for the purpose of tearing off unseen a piece of her upper garment, as this is believed to bring about conception. It is said that if a woman succeeds in doing this, she conceives, while the victim has a miscarriage. [932]

Some believe that a slight pressure by a childless woman on the upper garment of a pregnant woman is sufficient to bring about the result mentioned above. [933]

Others hold that a slight blow on the shoulder of a pregnant woman by a childless woman satisfies the desire of the latter for a child. [934]

Conception is also said to be effected by branding children while at play in the streets. [935]

It is believed that this brand, to have efficacy, must be inflicted on a Sunday or Tuesday. The operation is generally performed in the evening with a red-hot needle. It is said that the branded child dies while the branding barren woman conceives a child. [936]

Offering bread to black dogs is also supposed to be a cure for barrenness.

Conception is also favoured by passing under the bier or palanquin holding the corpse of an ascetic or holy man while it is being carried to the cemetery. [937] Some believe that such an ascetic or saint must be a follower of the Jain faith. [938] Others maintain that the desired end can be secured only by wearing round the elbows the grains of rice or coins offered to the bier of a saint on its way to the cemetery. [939]

Other methods practised for the cure of barrenness are as follows:

The barren woman cuts off a lock of the hair of a child-bearing woman and keeps it in her custody. [940]

Some women collect the dust trodden on by a child-bearing woman in an earthen pot and eat it every day till it is exhausted.

Some throw grains of adad (Phaseolus mungo) over the bed of a woman in confinement. [941]

Others daub their foreheads with the blood emitted by a woman in menses.

There are some who pour water in a circle at the village gate on a Sunday or Tuesday, and when in period, partake of the powder of mindhal mixed with lapsi (coarse wheat flour fried in ghi and sweetened with molasses or sugar) seated on the threshold of the house. [942]

Many wear round their necks leaves called bhojapatras on which the mystical figure given below is drawn by an exorcist.

+---+ 4 | 2 | 2 +---+-----+---+ 3| 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | | +-+-+ | +---+---+ 3 +-+----+ | +-+-+ | | | 5 | 4 | 12 | 12 +-----+---+----+ 24 | 24 | 4 +-----+

Pieces of paper on which the following jantra is written by an ascetic, woven in a string made of five kinds of silk, are also worn round the elbows:--

Swaha aum rhin kling swaha.

About a month and a quarter after the delivery of a woman, a ceremony called zarman zarvan is performed, when the woman goes to a neighbouring stream or well to fetch water for the first time after her delivery. Near the stream or well five small heaps of sand are made and daubed with red lead. Next, a lamp fed with ghi is lighted, and seven small betelnuts are offered to the stream or well. A cocoanut is then broken, and a part of it is thrown into the water as an offering. Next, the woman fills a jar with the water of the stream or well and returns home, taking with her six out of the seven betelnuts offered to the stream or well. On her way home she is approached by barren women who request to be favoured with one of the betelnuts, as it is believed that swallowing such a betelnut causes conception. [943]

Some believe that only the smallest of the seven betelnuts has the power of producing this result [944]. Others hold that this betelnut must be swallowed on the threshold of a house. [945]

Eating cocoa-kernel and molasses sitting on the threshold of the house on the fourth day of the monthly period is also believed to be a remedy for the cure of barrenness.

Placing a box containing a kori, (a small silver coin) on a spot where three roads cross one another is also said to favour conception. [946]

In some places, a black earthen pot containing charcoal and grains of adad (Phaseolus mungo) is placed on a spot where two roads cross one another, on a Sunday or Tuesday. On this day the barren woman has to take her meals without salt. [947]

Cutting off a lock of a child's hair and keeping it in custody is also believed to satisfy the longing of a barren woman for a child. This result can also be obtained by securing a piece of a garment of a suckling child.

Some worship daily a cocoanut and a betelnut consecrated with incantations. [948]

Some take a bath on the third day of their period, and stand on the threshold of the house with their hair sprinkled over with kankotri (red powder). Next, a ghi-fed lamp is offered to the deities, and the devotee prostrates herself before the lamp. [949]

It is also believed that barrenness can be cured by religious vows, by offering alms in propitiation of malignant planets such as Mars, and by reciting the jap or incantation called gopal santan to please the deity of that name. [950]

One of the religious vows of this nature is to observe fasts on twelve consecutive Sundays or Tuesdays. On these days the devotee fixes her gaze on the sun and offers him worship, after which she takes a meal prepared in milk without salt or sugar. [951]

Some hold a recitation of the chandi kavach a hundred times through Brahmans with sacrificial oblations of clarified butter, sesamum seed, kamod (a kind of rice), gugal (rhododendron), sandal wood and sugarcandy. [952] Others have the story of the Harivansha recited on seventeen consecutive days, during which period the devotee (i.e., the barren woman) observes brahmacharya, that is abstains from sexual enjoyment. This ceremony is believed to exorcise the fiend of barrenness.

Some keep a vow of standing on their legs for the whole day on the fourteenth of the month of Phalgun (the fifth month of the Gujarat Hindu year) and of breaking their fast after worshipping the sacred pyre. [953]

There is another vow called the Punema or full-moon day vow, the observance of which is believed to favour the birth of a son. [954]

Pouring water at the root of, or circumambulating, a pipal or babul tree after a bath without removing the wet clothes, is also believed to cause conception. [955]

Some observe the vow of entertaining thirteen Brahmans and thirteen virgins to a feast, and of setting up Randal Bantva. [956]

Women whose children die in infancy give them opprobrious names such as Khacharo (filth), Ghelo (stupid), Natho, Uko, Ukardo, Bodho, Pujo, Adavo, Mongho, Tulhi, Tutho, Kadavi, etc. in the belief that by so doing the life of the children is lengthened. [957] The idea is almost Asiatic in extent. Among Musalmans also such names are given; and even among the Persians and Arabs boys are given such names as Masriequ and Osaid--the Stolen and the Black. Sometimes parents arrange that their children be actually stolen; and some next of kin, generally the aunt, is made to commit the kindly felony. She afterwards returns the child for a certain amount in cash or clothes. The custom is as old as the scriptures, there being an allusion in the Koran to how the little Joseph was made to steal some garment of his aunt and was claimed as a forfeit by her. Speaking about Levi, the older brothers of Joseph say to the Egyptian soldiers, "If he hath stolen (the king's goblet) verily the brother of his too did (formerly) steal."

Some make a vow of not cutting the hair of their children till they are taken to Ambaji, where their hair is cut for the first time. [958]

Some treat their children as beggars until they attain the age of five years, that is, they are dressed till that age in clothes obtained by begging. Some bore the nose of the child.