The religion of the Brahmans is Hinduism, of which they are the
priests and exponents. Formerly the Brahman considered himself as
a part of Brahma, and hence a god. This belief has decayed, but the
gods are still held to reside in the body; Siva in the crown of the
head, Vishnu in the chest, Brahma in the navel, Indra in the genitals
and Ganesh in the rectum. Most Brahmans belong to a sect worshipping
especially Siva or Vishnu, or Rama and Krishna, the incarnations of
the latter god, or Sakti, the female principle of energy of Siva. But
as a rule Brahmans, whether of the Sivite or Vishnuite sects, abstain
from flesh meat and are averse to the killing of any living thing. The
following account of the daily ritual prayers of a Benares Brahman
may be reproduced from M. André Chevrillon's _Romantic India_, [414]
as, though possibly not altogether accurate in points of detail,
it gives an excellent idea of their infinitely complicated nature: