“Come in; pray sit down, my friends,
The house and all its contents are yours.
You must, however, provide your own meats and drinks,
and perhaps we’ll share in making some ‘Kicheree,’
though you must contribute the Ghee.
See how narrow, too, my home is, so let us adjourn
outside to the enclosure of the Idol house, where
you can do all the cooking for me.”
_Note._—The Rosary[3] is, as has been said, (remarked under “Moslem
grave,”) called a “Thusbee” by the Mahomedans; it is also called
“Mâllânh” by the Hindus. The aimless counting and turning over of the
beads by some is thus denounced by the people of the district:
Footnote 3:
The name comes from the Latin word “Rosarium,” a garden or chaplet of
roses.
Dhil dhâ minkâh aik nâh sattaynn
Thay gyn sattaynn panj Veeânh.
You turn not one of the beads of your heart, though you
repeat Five score of them on your rosary.
_Note._—It may not be generally known that the “Thusbee” or Rosary
consists of 100 beads separated by a long bead called “Shumshah” (from
the Arabic, meaning “tassels” on a rosary) over which there are ten
beads called “Shummâr” (from the Persian, meaning “counting”). When one
round of prayers is completed a special short prayer is often added, or
the name of Allah is repeated on it one thousand times.
At the completion of the 100 beads, one bead is separated on the
Shummâr, and so on each time, in order to count the 1,000 epithets of
Allah if it should be so desired. To comprehend the mystic sound of the
beads are matters of “Marifat,” or knowledge of Allah!
The beads are made mostly from the “Kaoo” wood, or wild olive, which in
some places is called “Zythoon.” Walking sticks are often made of it.
There are, however, beads made from the sacred clay found near Mecca and
called “Khaka sharreef”; some are also made of glass or agates. Some
prefer to have coloured glass beads after every 33 of the wooden beads.
In early times frequently almonds and nuts were used for counting.
The Mâllânh of the Hindus consists of 108 beads, independent of one at
the top called “Sumer.” As in the Hindu Ghastra there are 108 special
letters, 54 of which are written upright and 54 downward, so this number
has been fixed for the Mâllânh. The top bead is to indicate the
completion of the 108. The special worshippers of “Krishna” (the eighth
incarnation of Vishnu) have rosaries made from the “Tulsi” wood (O’cymum
Sanctum or Holy Basil). Tulsi was a nymph beloved by Krishna, and by him
metamorphosed into this plant. The wood is held in high veneration by
all Hindus. Much of this wood comes from Mathra, India. The large bead
in a Hindu rosary called a “Sumeru” after a high mountain, on the summit
of which is supposed to reside the Hindu deities of Vishnu, Siva, and
several others of lesser note. This bead remains fixed in the hand, and
is not turned over in counting.
The Brahmins, when they repeat their prayers on a rosary, designate them
under the term “Gayathri,” the mother of the Vedas, and of which there
are five, according to the number of the principal deities. Gayathri is
a form of metre, and is repeated inaudibly in the daily morning worship
of the Brahmins.
“_Nikah._”—This is the name given to marriages amongst Moslems, as
“Nikah namah” is the marriage certificate.
The Nikah is the form of words used by the Kazi or Priest, and the Shadi
or rejoicings are additional at the will of the relatives. Nikah is the
binding ceremony, and Shadi is considered a more respectable form, and
is attended with rejoicings,
Nikah is an Arabic word, and Shadi a Persian, meaning pleasure and
delight.
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