Produced by Barbara Tozier, Bill Tozier and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Phallic Miscellanies.
[Illustration: _Female at the ceremony of Linga Puja._
_E. W. Alais Sc._]
PHALLIC MISCELLANIES;
Facts and Phases of Ancient and Modern
SEX WORSHIP,
As Illustrated Chiefly in the
Religions of India,
AN APPENDIX OF
ADDITIONAL AND EXPLANATORY MATTER
TO THE VOLUMES
Phallism and Nature Worship.
_BY THE AUTHOR OF "PHALLICISM."_
PRIVATELY PRINTED.
MDCCCXCI.
_PREFACE._
All that it is necessary to say by way of preface to this book is,
that, having in various former volumes, entitled severally Phallism,
Nature Worship, Phallic Objects, &c., entered at some length into a
consideration of the peculiarities indicated by these denominations,
we now propose laying before our readers an additional mass of
important matter which illustrates and throws further light upon the
subject. This has been sought out with great labour and research
amongst the most trustworthy sources of information, and will form a
valuable appendix to the several volumes in question.
_CONTENTS._
CHAPTER I.
India, the home of Phallic-worship--Linga described--The bull
Nandi--Linga puja--Large and small lingams--Antiquity of
Linga-puja--Growth of the Hindu Pantheon--Siva the
destroyer--Sacred bulls--Shrine of Ek Linga--Legend relating
to rivers--The Churning of the sea--Variety of forms of
Siva--Deities of India--Origin of the Universe--Hindu
Triad--Aum and O'M--Jupiter Genitor--Attributes of
Siva--Worship of Osiris--Identity of Egyptian, Grecian and
Indian deities--Hindu temples--Ceremonies.
CHAPTER II.
Hindu evidence respecting the origin of Phallic
worship--Legend of the wounded Hara--The four sects of
worshippers instituted by Brahma--Resumption of the Lingam by
Siva--Siva and Parvati propitiated--Visit of Bhrigu to
Siva--The Lainga Puran on the Origin of Lingam
worship--Abolition of worship of Brahma--Moral character of
Hindu worship---Profligate sects--Egyptian
phallus--Bacchus--Testimony of Tertullian and Clement of
Alexandria--Dionysus--Directions for worship--Unsatisfactory
legends--Legend of Bhima--The fourth avatar of Vishnu--Visit
of Captain Mackenzie to the Pagoda at Perwuttum.
CHAPTER III.
Representations of Siva--Siva's quarrel with his
father-in-law--Quarrel between Brahma and Vishnu--Misconduct
of Siva--Bengal temples of Siva--Ancient linga idols--Siege of
Somnath--Ferishtah's history--The twelve great
lingams--Account of the Viri-Sawas--The Jangamas--Legend of
Ravuna.
CHAPTER IV.
Lingam Worship in the Sheeve Pouran.
CHAPTER V.
The four kinds of stone lingas--Siva under a form called
Muhakalu--Temporary images of Siva--Siva's wives--Siva's and
Parvati's quarrels--Siva and Doorga--Siva's names--The heavens
of Siva--Latsami--Power of the priests--Tamil poetry--Indecent
worship--Dancing girls at religious ceremonies--Christian and
Pagan idolatry--Religious prostitution--Worship of the
female--Development of indecent practices--Sakti-puja.
CHAPTER VI.
Further account of Right-hand and Left-hand worship--The
practices of the Vamis or Vamacharis--The rite of Mantra
Sadhana--Ceremony of Sri-Chakra--Claims of the priests to
supernatural power--Legends.
CHAPTER VII.
Considerations respecting the origin of Phallic
worship--Comparisons between Indian and Egyptian practices and
doctrines.
CHAPTER VIII.
Vocabulary of words of Indian and Sanscrit origin.
PHALLIC MISCELLANIES.
CHAPTER I.
India, the home of Phallic Worship--Linga described--The Bull
Nandi--Linga puja--Large and small Lingas--Antiquity of
Linga-puja--Growth of the Hindu Pantheon--Siva, the
Destroyer--Sacred Bulls--Shrine of Ek-Linga--Legend relating
to rivers--The Churning of the sea--Variety of Forms of
Siva--Deities of India--Origin of the Universe--Hindu
Triad--Aum and O'M.--Jupiter Genitor--Attributes of
Siva--Worship of Osiris--Identity of Egyptian, Grecian, and
Indian deities--Hindoo Temples--Ceremonies.
India, beyond all other countries on the face of the earth, is
pre-eminently the home of the worship of the Phallus--the Linga puja;
it has been so for ages and remains so still. This adoration is said
to be one of the chief, if not the leading dogma of the Hindu
religion, and there is scarcely a temple throughout the land which has
not its Lingam, in many instances this symbol being the only form
under which the deity of the sanctuary is worshipped.
Generally speaking, the Linga may be described as a smooth, round,
black stone, apparently rising out of another stone, formed like an
elongated saucer, though in reality sculptured from one block of
basalt. The outline of this saucer-like stone, similar in form to what
is called a jew's harp, is called Argha or Yoni: the upright stone,
the type of the virile organ, is the Linga. The whole thing bears the
name of Lingioni. This representation of the union of the sexes,
typifies the divine sacti, or active energy in union, the procreative
generative power seen throughout nature; the earth being the primitive
pudendum or yoni, which is fecundated by the solar heat, the sun--the
primeval Lingam, to whose vivifying rays, men and animals, plants and
the fruits of the earth owe their being and continued existence. Thus,
according to the Hindus, the Linga is God and God is the Linga; the
fecundator, the generator, the creator in fact.
Lingas are of all sizes and of various forms. Sometimes they are
extremely minute, being then enclosed in small silver reliquaries, and
worn as amulets or charms upon the breast or arm. At other times they
are several inches in height, as in the domestic examples, and often
have the bull Nandi carved either at the end of the yoni or at the
side of the emblem. The Hindus say that the bull will intercept the
evil which is continually emitted from the female sacti. Upon the
erection of a new village, in setting up the Linga, they are careful
to turn the spout of the yoni towards the jungle, and not upon the
houses or roads, lest ill fortune should rest upon them. These Lingams
are of a much larger size than those just mentioned, being generally
two or three feet in height. Early in the morning around these emblems
may be seen the girls of the neighbourhood who are anxious for
husbands, sprinkling them with water from the Ganges; decking them
with garlands of bilwa flowers; performing the mudra, or gesticulation
with the fingers, and while rubbing themselves against the emblem,
reciting the prescribed incantations, and entreating the deity to make
them the fruitful mother of children.
This is what is called the Linga puja. During its performance the five
lamps are lighted and the bell frequently rung to frighten away the
evil demons.
Still larger Lingas than any yet mentioned are found in the temples,
some of them immense--as high as forty feet and measuring twenty-five
feet in circumference. These large emblems are, as a rule, Lingas
only, not in conjunction with the Yoni. Colonel Sykes in his "Account
of the Ellora Excavations," (near Poonah, in the Bombay Presidency),
speaking of the Bisma Kurm, says, "The first thing that meets the eye
on entering the temple is the enormous hemispherical figure of the
Ling (Lingam) at the end of the cave; it is always found on this scale
in the arched Boodh excavations, and even at Tuneer, in a flat roofed
cave, this emblem is forty-two feet in circumference, though its
height is inconsiderable."
How long this worship of the Lingam has prevailed in India it is
impossible to say; it is positively known to have existed for at least
1500 years, and it is estimated that about two thirds of all the Hindu
people, perhaps eighty millions of souls, practise it. The idols are
often described as conspicuous everywhere, in all parts of British
India from the Himalaya to Ceylon. We are told that throughout the
whole tract of the Ganges, as far as Benares, in Bengal, the temples
are commonly erected in a range of six, eight, or twelve on each side
of a ghat leading to the river, and that at Kalna is a circular group
of 108 temples, erected by a raja of Bardwan. Each of the temples in
Bengal consists of a single chamber, of a square form, surmounted by a
pyramidal centre. The area of each is very small, the linga of black
or white marble occupying the centre. What race brought the Lingam
worship into India is not known, but it seems to have come from the
basin of the Lower Indus through Rajputana, about the beginning of the
Christian era. At Ujjain it was particularly celebrated about the
period of the Mohammedan invasion, but probably long before, and one
particular Linga was named Vinda-swerna; from Vindu, _drop_, Swerna,
_gold_. At present there is a four-faced lingam, sometimes three-faced
or tri-murti; and tri-lingam is said to be the source of the name
Telinga and Telingana, the country extending north of Madras to
Ganjam, and west to Bellary and Beder. The four-faced lingam is called
the Choumurti Mahadeva, such as may be seen in the caves of Ellora,
and of common occurrence in other districts; and a famous shrine of
ek-linga, or the one lingam is situated in a defile about six miles
north of Udaipur, and has hills towering around it on all sides.
This ek-lingam, or one phallus, is a cylindrical or conical stone; but
there are others termed Seheslinga and Kot-Iswara, with a thousand or
a million of phallic representations, all minutely carved on the
monolithic emblem, having then much resemblance to the symbol of
Bacchus whose orgies both in Egypt and Greece are the counterpart of
those of the Hindu Baghes, so called from being clad in a tiger's or
leopard's skin, as Bacchus had that of the panther for his covering.
There is a very ancient temple to Kot-Iswara at the embouchure of the
eastern arm of the Indus; and there are many to Seheslinga in the
peninsula of Saurashtra. At the ancient Dholpur, now called Barolli,
the shrine is dedicated to Gut-Iswara Mahadeva, with a lingam
revolving in the yoni, the wonder of those who venture amongst its
almost impervious and unfrequented woods to worship. It is said that
very few Saiva followers of the south of India ever realize the lingam
and the yoni as representations of the organs of the body, and when
made to apprehend the fact they feel overpowered with shame that they
should be worshipping such symbols.[1]
[1] See the Indian Cyclopaedia.
The age assigned by the above writer to this particular kind of
worship falls very far short of what has been stated by others, and
appears most probable. It has been asserted that its history goes
back two thousand years before the Christian era--that it was then, as
it is now, in full force--that it witnessed the rise, decline, and
fall of the idolatry of Egypt, and of the great Western Mythology of
Greece and Rome. "And when we reflect," says a modern writer, "on its
antiquity, and on the fact that hitherto it has scarcely yielded in
the slightest degree to the adverse influence of the Mohammedan race
on the one hand, or to European dictation on the other; and that it
exercises by its system of caste, a powerful control over the manners,
customs, costumes, and social status of the entire Hindu community, it
becomes a subject fraught with interest to every cultivated mind, and
offers an affecting but curious example of the power of a hoary and
terrible superstition in degrading and enslaving so large a portion of
the human race."[2]
[2] Sellon.
It can scarcely be questioned, theorise as writers may, that the
origin of this worship is lost in antiquity; we seem able to trace it
back to times when it was comparatively pure and simple--when it was
the worship of one god only, the Bruehm Atma, the "Breathing Soul," a
spiritual Supreme Being. As time passed, however, the primitive
simplicity disappeared, and rites and ceremonies became complicated
and numerous. The spiritual worship of the Deity gave place to the
worship of a representative image of him--a block of stone called
Phallus or Linga, representing the procreative power discerned in
Nature. Even this was comparatively simple at first, but it soon
spread itself out in a variety of directions, until an extensive
Pantheon was formed and an elaborate ritual and worship organised. It
is computed that this Pantheon contains little short of a million gods
and demi-gods.
It is more particularly with the god Siva we shall have to do in
stating facts which illustrate the subject of Phallic worship, for the
Lingam or Phallus was the emblem under which he was specially
worshipped. It certainly does seem remarkable, as Mr. Sellon remarked,
that of the host of divinities above mentioned, Siva should be the god
whom the Hindus have delighted to honour. "As the Destroyer, and one
who revels in cruelty and bloodshed, this terrible deity, who has not
inaptly been compared to the Moloch of Scripture, of all their
divinities, suggests most our idea of the devil. It may therefore, be
concluded that the most exalted notion of worship among the Hindus is
a service of Fear. The Brahmins say the other gods are good and
benevolent, and will not hurt their creatures, but that Siva is
powerful and cruel, and that it is necessary to appease him."
The attribute of destruction is found visibly depicted in the drawings
and temples throughout Bengal. To destroy, according to the Vedantis
of India, the Susis of Persia, and many philosophers of the European
schools, is only to generate and reproduce in another form: hence the
god of destruction is held in India to preside over generation; as a
symbol of which he rides on a white bull.
The sacred bull, Nanda, has his altar attached to all the shrines of
Iswara, as was that of Menes, or Apis to those of the Egyptian Osiris.
He has occasionally his separate shrines, and there is one in the
valley of Oodipoor, which has the reputation of being oracular as
regards the seasons. The Bull was the steed of Iswara, and carried him
to battle; he is often represented upon it with his consort Isa, at
full speed. The Bull was offered to Mithras by the Persian, and
opposed as it now appears to Hindu faith, formerly bled on the altars
of the Sun-god, on which not only the Buld-dan (offering of the bull)
was made, but human sacrifices. We do not learn that the Egyptian
priesthood presented the kindred of Apis to Osiris, but as they were
not prohibited from eating beef, they may have done so. The shrine of
Ek-Linga is situated in a defile about six miles north of Oodipoor,
the hills towering around on all sides are of the primitive formation,
and their scarped summits are clustered with honeycombs. There are
abundant small springs of water, which keep verdant numerous shrubs,
the flowers of which are acceptable to the deity, especially the Kiner
or Oleander, which grows in great luxuriance on the Aravulli. Groves
of bamboo and mango were formerly common, according to tradition; but
although it is deemed sacrilege to thin the groves of Bal, the bamboo
has been nearly destroyed: there are, however, still many trees sacred
to the deity scattered around. It would be difficult to convey a just
idea of a temple so complicated in its details. It is of the form
commonly styled pagoda, and, like all the ancient temples of Siva, its
sikra, or pinnacle, is pyramidal. The various orders of Hindu sacred
architecture are distinguished by the form of the sikra, which is the
portion springing from and surmounting the perpendicular walls of the
body of the temple. The sikra of those of Siva is invariably
pyramidal, and its sides vary with the base, whether square or oblong.
The apex is crowned with an ornamental figure, as a sphynx, an urn, a
ball, or a lion, which is called the kulkis. When the sikra is but the
frustrum of a pyramid, it is often surmounted by a row of lions, as at
Biolli. The fane of Ek-Linga is of white marble and of ample
dimensions. Under an open vaulted temple, supported by columns, and
fronting the four-faced divinity, is the brazen bull Nanda, of the
natural size: it is cast, and of excellent proportions. The figure is
perfect, except where the shot or hammer of an infidel invader has
penetrated its flank in search of treasure. Within the quadrangle are
miniature shrines, containing some of the minor divinities.[3]
[3] Tod's Rajasth, vol. I., p. 515.
Just here we may introduce a legend relating to Siva, which, if not of
very great importance, is of some interest on account of its reported
connection with one of our English rivers. The gods, after the
creation, soon perceived that there were still many things wanting for
the good of mankind, and more particularly on account of themselves.
In their numerous wars with the giants, many of the gods being killed,
they were informed by Vishnu that it was possible to procure a
beverage, which would render them immortal. The task, however, was
immense; for it consisted of throwing all the plants and trees of the
universe, according to some, but, according to others, only those that
grew on the sides of the White mountain or island, into the White sea;
which was to be churned for a long time, in order to obtain the butter
of immortality, or Amrit, the ambrosia of the western mythologists:
and the old moon, which was already of Amrit, would serve as a leaven
to predispose the whole mixture. The old moon was inert, and of little
use; they wanted also intoxicating liquors to exhilarate themselves,
and celestial nymphs for their own amusement. This churning took place
in the Dwapar, or third age of the Manwantura of Chacshusa, which
immediately preceded that of Noah. It lasted exactly twenty-nine years
and five months, or 10,748 days, 12 hours, and 18 minutes. This is
obviously the revolution of Saturn, which was in use amongst the
inhabitants of the Isles in the Northern Ocean, who celebrated with
great pomp, the entrance of that planet into Taurus, according to
Plutarch.
It is declared in the Puranas, and acknowledged by everybody that this
momentous transaction took place in the White Sea, called the
Calas-odadhi or the caldron-like sea; from its being an inland one,
and surrounded on all sides, or nearly so, by the land; from which
circumstance it was compared to a pot or caldron. This sea was
contiguous to the White Island on one side, for on account of its
contiguity, the Amrit is said, in the Matsya-purana and others, to
have been produced on, or near the White or silver mountain, called
there also the mountain of Soma or Lunus. On the other side it
bordered on Suvarn-a-dwipa, or Ireland: for we are told in the
Vrihat-Catha, that there was a sea town in that country, called
Calas-a-puri, from its being situated on the Calas-odad'hi, or sea
like a Calasa or caldron. This caldron-like, or landlocked sea, is
evidently the Irish sea. Into this Calasa, according to the
Varaha-purana, the gods flung all the plants, and agreed to churn it.
This they did, says our author, in Varunaleyam or Varunasyabyam, the
abode, abyam, or st'han of Varuna, the god of the sea. His abode, to
this day, is well known, and is in the very centre of that sea. The
Manx and Irish mythologists, according to Col. Valancey, call Varuna,
_Mananan-Mac-Lir_, Mananan, the son of the sea: and his abode,
according to them, is in the Isle of Man, or Mannin, as it is called
by the Irish bards. According to Gen. Valancey, it was called also
Manand, which answers to the Monoeda of Ptolemy.
After the gods had fixed on the most proper time for the churning of
the sea of milk, they soon perceived that it would be impossible for
them to accomplish this tremendous work, without the assistance of
giants. They made peace accordingly with them, under the most solemn
promise of sharing with them the fruit of their joint labours. The
gods in general are represented as a weak race, but full of cunning
and very crafty; the giants, on the contrary, are very strong, and
generally without much guile. The gods of the Goths, and of the Greeks
and Romans, did not bear a much better character. Even among
Christians there are old legends, in which the devil is most
egregiously taken in by holy men.
Having thus settled the conditions, they all went to work, and
gathered all the trees and plants, and flung them into the
caldron-like sea. They then brought the mountain of Mandara with
infinite labour. It is said that this mountain is in the peninsula,
near the sea shore, and to the north of Madras. They placed it in the
middle of the caldron-like sea, which they used for a churn, and mount
Mandara as a churning staff. The serpent Vasuci served them instead of
a rope, and they twisted him round mount Mandara, and the giants were
allowed to lay hold of the snake by the head: his fiery breath
scorched the giants, and they became black: the unfortunate reptile
suffered much; he complained, but in vain. Mount Mandara began to
sink; but Vishnu, assuming the shape of a tortoise, placed himself
under it. In the Scanda-purana chapter of the Sanata-cumara-Sanhita,
in the 75th section, we have a minute account of the churning of the
White sea by Vishnu, the gods and the giants: the latter had Bali at
their head. After churning for five years the froth began to appear:
and after three years more, Varuni or Sura, with her intoxicating
liquors. The cow Camadhenu or Surabhi appeared after another year's
labour. According to the Brahman-da-purana, she was worshipped by the
gods, and both gods and giants were highly pleased when they saw her.
One year after, the elephant Airavata made his appearance; and the
next year a horse with seven heads. Three months after, the Apsaras
with Rambha-Devi at their head. Chandra or Lunus, came one year after;
then after three years more, was produced Cala-cuta, a most subtile
poison, flowing in large quantities; and then Vishnu became black. It
was of a fiery colour, and began to set fire to the three worlds.
Mankind, being alarmed, began to call out, Ah! Ah! The earth, in great
distress, with Vishnu, waited on Siva, craving his assistance. Siva
swallowed up the poison which stuck in his throat, and caused a most
intolerable heat, which parched his throat and body. His throat turned
blue; from which circumstance he is worshipped under the name of
Nilacanteswara, or the lord with the blue throat.
Siva, after swallowing the poison, as related, went to Himalaya, where
he buried himself in the snow. There are many places of worship
dedicated to Siva, under that title; but the original one is in the
White Island. It is very doubtful if our ancestors knew anything of
this churning, and of the deadly poison produced by it, and of a deity
swallowing it up. "In that case," says Major Wilford, "there was no
such a place in the White Island. Yet I cannot resist the temptation;
and I am inclined to believe it not altogether improbable, but that
many of these idle legends originated in the west. If so, there might
have been such a place; and it could not have been far from
Camalo-dunum. The poison, which Siva drank up, is called in Sanscrit,
Cala-cuta, or the black lump or mole, because it remained like a lump
in Siva's throat, which looked like a cuta, a peak, also a lump or
mole. Cala-cuta in Welh is y-duman, or the black lump or mole, and
this was, according to Ptolemy, the name of a river in England, now
called the Blackwater, in Essex. It might have been supposed once,
that the black stinking mud of marshes and fens, and more particularly
that of the mosses, so baneful to living creatures, was produced in
consequence of this churning; probably the emblem used to signify some
dreadful convulsion of nature in those parts. That such a thing
happened in the western ocean, is attested by tradition: and such was
its violence, and the dreadful consequences which attended it, that
they could not but suppose that it had destroyed entirely the
_Atlantis_ and left nothing in its place but mud. A deity is then
introduced, putting a stop to the progress of this black and poisonous
substance, ready, according to the Puranas, to overwhelm, not only the
White Island, but the whole world also. The serpent Midgard, being at
the bottom of the sea, like Ananta, and vomiting torrents of deadly
poison, and surrounding the world like Seshanaga, is the subject of
several fundamental legends in the mythology of the Goths: but
absolutely unknown to the Greeks and Romans. This Cala-cuta, or black
lump of poison, stuck in Siva's throat, like the apple that Adam ate,
and occasioned that protuberance, since called Adam's apple or
bit."[4]
[4] See Asiatic Researches, Vol. II.
* * * * *
We have already stated that Siva is usually deemed the third person of
the Hindu triad, that he represents the destructive energy, and that
he appears in such a variety of forms, and on so many occasions, that
scarcely a step can be taken in any department whatever of eastern
science, art, or subject of literature, without encountering him in
some of his varied characters. The whole race of Hindoos, it seems, is
divided into two classes, denoting the worship of Siva, or of Vishnu;
Brahma, the first or creative power, having no worshippers or temples.
These two classes are also called Saiva-bakht, and Vishnu-bakht. We
have also had occasion to inform our readers that destruction being
used in the sense of renovation, the character of Siva is that of the
renovator, or recreator; associating him in character with Brahma, the
producing or creative power. The variety of relations in which this
and the other two members of the Hindu triad appear--whether they be
introduced mythologically, metaphysically, or philosophically, has
been exhibited as follows--all three are symbols of the sun, as he is
typical of that great light, as the theologians express it, "whence
all proceeded, and to which all must return."
Brahma | Power | Creation | Matter | The Past | Earth
Vishnu | Wisdom | Preservation | Space | The Present | Water
Siva | Justice | Destruction | Time | The Future | Fire
But these characters, or attributes, are not exclusively applicable to
the three powers, as indicated above. They coalesce and participate,
more or less in several. An attempt has been made to shew in what
degree, more particularly, they represent their material forms of
earth, water, and fire, thus:--
Brahma and Siva are Fire, in which Vishnu } does not participate,
Vishnu and Brahma are Earth, in which Siva } or participates but
Siva and Vishnu are Water, in which Brahma } remotely.
In his examination of the Vedas, or Indian Scriptures, Mr. Colebrooke
gives the following description of the deities of India:
"The deities invoked appear, upon a cursory inspection of the Veda, to
be as various as the authors of the prayers addressed to them: but
according to the most ancient annotations on the Indian Scriptures,
these various names of persons and things, are all resolvable into
different titles of three deities, and ultimately of one God. The
Nig'hanti, or Glossary of the Vedas (which is the first part of the
Niructa), concludes with three lists of names of deities: the first
comprising such as are deemed synonymous with Fire; the second with
Air; and the third with the Sun. In the last part of the Niructa,
which entirely relates to deities, it is twice asserted that there are
but three gods, 'Tisra eva Devatah.' The further inference, that these
intend but one deity, is supported by many passages in the Veda; and
is very clearly and concisely stated in the beginning of the index to
the Rigveda, on the authority of the Niructa, and of the Veda itself."
After citing several passages, Mr. Colebrooke continues:--"The deities
are only three, whose places are the earth, the intermediate region,
and heaven: [namely] Fire, Air, and the Sun. They are pronounced to be
[deities] of the mysterious names severally; and (Prajapati) the lord
of creatures is [the deity] of them collectively. The syllable O'm
intends every deity: it belongs to (Paramasht'hi) him who dwells in
the supreme abode; it pertains to (Brahma) the vast one; to (Deva)
god; to (Ad'hyatma) the superintending soul. Other deities belonging
to those several regions, are portions of the [three] gods; for they
are variously named and described on account of their different
operations, but [in fact] there is only one deity, the Great Soul
(Mahanatma). He is called the Sun; for he is the soul of all beings;
[and] that is declared by the Sage. [The Sun] 'the soul of (jagat)
what moves, and of (tast'hush) that which is fixed'; other deities are
portions of him: and that is expressly declared by the Sage, 'The wise
call Fire, Indra, Mitra, and Varuna, etc."
In the Manava Sastra or Institutes of Menu the origin of the Universe
is thus unfolded: "It existed only in the first divine idea, yet
unexpanded, as if involved in darkness, imperceptible, indefinable,
undiscoverable by reason, and undiscovered by revelation, as if it
were wholly immersed in sleep. Then the sole self-existing power, who
had existed from eternity, shone forth in person, expanding his idea
and dispelling the gloom. With a thought he first created the waters,
and placed in them a productive seed: this seed became an egg, in
which he was himself born in the shape of Brahma, the great forefather
of all spirits. The waters are called Nara, because they were the
production of Nara, or the spirit of God: and since they were his
first Ayana, or place of motion, he was thence named Narayana, or
moving in the waters. In that egg the great Power sat inactive a whole
year of the Creator: at the close of which, by his thought alone, he
caused the egg to divide itself, and from its two divisions framed the
world."
The name given by the Indians to their Supreme Deity, or Monad, is
Brahm; and notwithstanding the appearance of materialism in all their
sacred books, the Brahmans never admit they uphold such a doctrine,
but invest their deities with the highest attributes. He is
represented as the Vast One, self-existing, invisible, eternal,
imperceptible, the only deity, the great soul, the over-ruling soul,
the soul of all beings, and of whom all other deities are but
portions. To him no sacrifices were ever offered; but he was adored in
silent meditation. He triplicates himself into three persons or
powers, Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva, and is designated by the word O'M or
rather AUM.
This word O'M is a monosyllable of very profound import. It is
supposed to be so holy and awful, like the name Jehovah of the Jews,
as not to be guiltlessly pronounced, even by a priest. It must be
contemplated, or recited mentally; and it then is said to excite many
efficacious aspirations. This awful monosyllable is triliteral, and
perhaps therefore better written AUM, for three Sanscrit letters do in
fact compose it: but in composition A and U coalesce in O. The first
letter is supposed to be symbolical of Brahma, the creative power of
the Deity; the second of Vishnu, the preserver; and the last of Siva,
the destroyer or renovator. As all the inferior deities of the Hindoos
are avataras or manifestation of, and resolve themselves into those
three superior powers, so those superior powers resolve themselves
ultimately into Brahm, or the supreme being, of whom the sun is the
most perfect and glorious murti, or image. A combination of the three
symbolical letters forms, therefore, a hieroglyphical representation
of the union of the three powers or attributes, and a word that, if
uttered, would be nearly expressed by our letters A U M, or O O M,
dwelling a little on each letter. A name of Parvati, the consort of
Siva, is Uma or Ooma, and it is perhaps hence derivable; as well as
Omkar, one of the most sacred places of pilgrimage in India, dedicated
to the worship of this mysterious union.
In the Institutes of Menu, many verses occur denoting the importance
of this monosyllable, and of a text of the Veda closely connected with
it, called the Gayatri. Among those verses are the following:
Chap. ii, v. 74. "A Brahman beginning and ending a lecture on the
Veda, must always pronounce to himself the syllable OM: for unless the
syllable OM precede, his learning will slip away from him; and unless
it follow, nothing will be long retained." A commentator on this verse
says, "As the leaf of the palasa is supported by a single pedicle, so
is this universe upheld by the syllable OM, a symbol of the supreme
Brahm."
76. "Brahma milked out as it were, from the three Vedas the letter A,
the letter U, and the letter M, which form by their coalition the
triliteral monosyllable, together with three mysterious words, _bhur_,
_bhuva_, and _siver_." These words mean earth, sky, and heaven, and
are called the vyahritis.
77. "From the three Vedas, also, the Lord of creatures
incomprehensibly exalted, successively milked out the three measures
of that ineffable text beginning with the word _tad_, and entitled
Savitri or Gayatri."
78. "A priest who shall know the Veda, and shall pronounce to himself,
both morning and evening, that syllable, and that holy text, preceded
by the three words, shall attain the sanctity which the Veda confers."
79. "And a twice born man who shall a thousand times repeat those
three (OM, the vyahritis, and the gayatri), apart from the multitude,
shall be released in a month from a great offence, as a snake from his
slough."
80. "The priest, the soldier, and the merchant, who shall neglect this
mysterious text, and fail to perform in due season his peculiar acts
of piety, shall meet with contempt among the virtuous."
81. "The great immutable words preceded by the triliteral syllable and
followed by the gayatri, which consists of three measures, must be
considered as the mouth or principal part of the Veda."
82. "Whoever shall repeat, day by day, for three years, without
negligence, that sacred text, shall hereafter approach the divine
essence, move freely as air, and assume an ethereal form."
83. "The triliteral monosyllable is an emblem of the Supreme, the
suppressions of the breath with a mind fixed on God are the highest
devotion; but nothing is more exalted than the gayatri."
The suppression of the breath is thus performed by the priest: closing
the left nostril with the two longest fingers of the right hand, he
draws his breath through the right nostril; then closing that nostril
likewise with his thumb, holds his breath while he meditates the text:
he then raises both fingers off the left nostril, and emits the
suppressed breath, having, during its suppression, repeated to himself
the gayatri, the vyahritis, the triliteral monosyllable, and the
sacred text of Brahm. By an ancient legislator it is said to imply the
following meditation: "OM! earth! sky! heaven! mansion of the blessed!
abode of truth!--_We meditate on the adorable light of the resplendent
Generator which governs our intellects_: which is water, lustre,
savour, immortal, faculty of thought, Brahm, earth, sky, heaven." The
words in italics are very nearly the gayatri.
Chap. vi., v. 70. "Even three suppressions of breath, made according
to the divine rule, accompanied by the triliteral phrase
(bhurbhuvaswah), and the triliteral syllable (OM), may be considered
as the highest devotion of a Brahman."
71. "For as the dross and impurities of metallic ores are consumed by
fire, thus are the sinful acts of the human organ consumed by the
suppression of breath, while the mystic words and the measures of the
Gayatri are revolved in the mind."
The extreme importance that the Hindoos attach to the gayatri, renders
it a text of more curiosity than perhaps a general reader will be able
to discover in the words themselves, in either their familiar or
recondite meaning. It is, like the holy monosyllable, to be mentally
revolved, never articulated. It is taught, as we have seen in the
preceding extracts from the Menu, to the three first classes, that is,
to the Brahman, or priesthood; to the Kshetriya, or soldier; and to
the Vaisya, or merchant; but not to the Sudra, or labourer, nor to
individuals of the three first named classes if rendered by vicious
propensities unworthy of the 'second birth,' promised in the holiness
of this mysterious regeneration. Fasting, ablution, prayer,
alms-giving, and other commendable acts, are necessary preliminaries
and accompaniments to initiation in the mysteries of this 'ineffable
text,' which is done by the Guru, or spiritual preceptor, in a
reverent and secret manner. In the Vedas the text occurs several
times, and translations of it by different Sanscrit scholars are
given, with many particulars of it and other mysterious points in the
Hindoo Pantheon. "There is no doubt," says the author of that work,
"but that pious Brahmans would be very deeply shocked at hearing the
gayatri denied by unholy articulation, even if expressed in the most
respectful manner; and many would be distressed at knowing the
characters, sound, and meaning, to be in the possession of persons out
of the pale of sanctity. A gentleman on the western side of India,
unaware of the result, began once to recite it audibly in the presence
of a pious Pandit: the astonished priest stopped his ears, and
hastened terrified from his presence." In the frontispiece to that
work, the character or symbol is given that would, if uttered, yield
the sound of OM. The author says he once shewed it to a Brahman, who
silently averted his face, evidently pained at what he unwillingly
saw.
* * * * *
The Hindoo deities have vehicles assigned for the conveyance of
themselves and wives. These are called vahan. The vahan of Siva is a
bull, called Nandi. They have likewise peculiar symbols or attributes:
those that more particularly designate Siva, his sakti, or anything
connected with them are the Linga, or phallus, and the Trisula or
Trident. The phallic emblem denotes his presiding over generation,
reminding us of the Jupiter Genitor of western mythologists, with whom
Sir William Jones identifies the Siva of the East.
"The Jupiter Marinus, or Neptune of the Romans, resembles Mahadeva
(Siva) in his generative character; especially as the Hindoo god is
the husband of Parvati, whose relation to the waters is evidently
marked by her image being restored to them at the conclusion of the
great festival, called Durgotsava. She is known to have attributes
exactly similar to those of Venus Marina, whose birth from the
sea-foam, and splendid rise from the couch in which she had been
cradled, have offered so many charming subjects to ancient and modern
artists."[5]
[5] Asiatic Researches, vol. I.
Another writer, Mr. Paterson, offers a passage descriptive of the
character and attributes of Siva. "To Siva," he says, "are given three
eyes, probably to denote his view of the three divisions of time; the
past, the present, and the future. A crescent on his forehead,
pourtrays the measure of time by the phases of the moon; a serpent
forms a necklace to denote the measure of time by years; a second
necklace formed of human skulls marks the lapse and revolution of
ages, and the extinction and succession of the generations of mankind.
He holds a trident, to show that the great attributes are in him
assembled and united; in another is a kind of rattle, shaped like an
hour glass, and I am inclined to think that it was at first intended
as such, since it agrees with the character of the deity; and a sand
gheri is mentioned in the Sastra as a mode of measuring time. In the
hieroglyphic of Maha Pralaya, or grand consummation of things, when
time itself shall be no more, he is represented as trodden under foot
by Mahakala, or eternity."
* * * * *
A writer in the Edinburgh Review for February, 1811, says:--"The most
ancient worship of which any trace is left in Hindustan, is that of
Osiris or Bacchus, whose Indian names are Iswara and Baghesa. In him,
and in the gods of his family, or lineage, we recognise the divinities
adored by the ancient Egyptians. That Osiris and Bacchus were the same
divinity, is attested by the unanimous suffrage of all the writers of
antiquity. But the most ancient Bacchus was not celebrated as the god
of wine, a character ascribed to that divinity in later times. The
Egyptians assert that Osiris conquered India; and indeed his
expedition to that region is the subject of the celebrated epic poem
of Nonnus. We by no means contend for the reality of these
expeditions; but it is an indisputable fact that the worship of
Osiris, distinguished by the same attributes and emblems, has
continued in India from the earliest ages to this day, under the
appellation of Iswara. This, we think, may be completely proved by a
comparative survey of both, before, as patron of the vine, he assumed
in Europe a new character.
"Osiris was adored in Egypt, and Bacchus in Greece, under the emblem
of the Phallus. It is under the same emblem that he is still venerated
in Hindustan; and Phalla is one of the names of Iswara in the
dictionary of Amara Singha. The bull was sacred to him in Egypt.
Plutarch assures us that several nations of Greece depict Bacchus with
a bull's head; and that when he is invoked by the women of Elis they
pray him to hasten to their relief on the feet of a bull. In India he
is often seen mounted on a bull; hence one of his Sanscrit names
Vrishadwaja, signifying, whose ensign is a bull. Plutarch inform us
that 'Nilum patrem ac servatorem suae regionis, ac defluxum Osiridis
nominant.' The Ganges in like manner is fabled by the Hindoos to flow
from the tresses of Siva; hence another of his names, Gangadhara, the
supporter of the Ganges. We conceive by the way, that Scaliger and
Selden are mistaken in supposing that Siris, the Egyptian name of the
Nile, is synonymous with Osiris. Siris seems to us the Sanscrit word
Saras, a river in general, or _the_ river, from its imputed
superiority. Isis is the consort of Osiris; Isa that of Iswara, or
Siva. The attributes of the goddesses might be shown to correspond as
precisely as those of their lords.
"The attendants of Iswara resemble, in their frantic demeanour, the
furious Bacchants of the god of Naxos. Many tribes of imaginary beings
compose his train. The Pramatha, whose name denotes intoxication; and
the Jacchi, from whom he derives the appellation of Jaccheo, or lord
of the Jacchi, corrupted into Jacchus, by his western votaries. It is
remarkable that many of the appellations by which the Greeks
distinguish Bacchus, are also used by the Hindus; but instead of
applying them to Baghesa himself, the latter refer them to his son,
whilst both nations have their legends to account for them. Thus the
Greeks name Bacchus, Dimeter, having two mothers; the Hindus call
Scandha, the son of Baghesa, Divimatri, with the same signification.
Pyrigenes, born from fire; and its equivalent in Sanscrit--Agnija, are
respectively Greek and Indian appellatives of Bacchus and of Scandha.
The title of Thriambus we are told by Diodorus, was assumed by the
Greek Deity in his triumph after the conquest of India. Tryambo, in
like-manner, is one of the most common appellations of the Indian
Bacchus, but we are not aware of its signification.
"We believe we have done more than was requisite to prove the identity
of the Egyptian, Grecian, and Indian Divinity; for our readers will
remark that our proofs do not rest in this instance, on analogy of
_sounds_, which may undoubtedly be fortuitous, but on that analogy,
combined with the unity of the attributes denoted by those names,
which it is impossible should be accidental."
There are five kinds of temples among the Hindoos, one of which is
dedicated exclusively to the linga, another to Jugunnathu, and another
is appropriated to the images of any of the gods or goddesses. The
first of these is called by the general name of Mundiru; the second
Daool, and the third Yorubangala. The names of the other two are
Punchu-rutnu, and Nuvu-rutnu, in which the images of different gods
and goddesses are placed, according to the wish of the owner.
The Mundiru is a double roofed building, the upper roof short and
tapering. It contains only one room, in which is placed the image of
the linga. It is ascended by steps. The floor is about three cubits by
four. On the roof are placed three tridents. The building is of the
Gothic order, as well as most of the other pyramidical temples of the
Hindoos. Some of the temples of the linga contain two, three, or more
rooms, arched over in the Gothic manner, with a porch in front for
spectators. The rooms in which the image is not placed contain the
things with which the ceremonies of worship are performed, the
offerings, etc.
Some rich men as an act of merit, build one, and others, erect four,
six, twelve, or more of these temples in one place. Some great
landowners build a greater number, and employ Brahmins to perform the
daily ceremonies. The relict of raja Tiluku-Chundru, of Burdwan, built
one hundred and eight temples in one plain, and placed in them as many
images of the linga, appointing eleven Brahmins, with other inferior
servants, to perform the daily ceremonies before these images. She
presented to these temples estates to the amount of the wages of these
persons, the daily offerings, etc.
Many persons build flights of steps down the banks to the river side,
for the benefit of persons coming to bathe, and very often also build
a row of temples for the linga in front of these steps, two, four, or
six on each side, and a roof supported by pillars immediately opposite
the steps. At the present day, most of the persons who build these
temples are the head-servants of Europeans, who appropriate a part of
their fortunes to these acts of supposed merit. Near Serampore a rich
Hindoo built twelve linga temples, and a flight of steps, and on the
opposite side of the river, he built a house for his mistress, without
any suspicion of the latter action spoiling the former.
Small square temples for the linga with flat roofs are erected in rows
on the right and left before the houses of rich men, or before a
college, or a consecrated pool of water, or before the descent to a
flight of steps.
Very small temples like the Mundiru, two, three, or five cubits high
only, and containing a linga about a foot in height, are to be seen at
Benares.
Some persons build near the temples of the linga, a small house, open
in front, for the accommodation of such persons who wish to die in
sight of the river; and others build a temple, adjoining to that built
for the linga, and dedicate it some other idol.
These temples of the linga are to be seen in great numbers on both
sides of the Ganges, especially in the neighbourhood of Calcutta. The
merit of building them near the river is greater than in the interior
of the country, and if in a place of the river peculiarly sacred, the
merit becomes the greater. The west side of the river is more sacred
than the east.
The expense of one of these temples, if a single room, amounts to
about two hundred rupees, and the wages and daily offerings to one
linga amount to about three rupees per month. Some give the brahmin
who officiates twelve anas, and others a rupee per month, with his
food and clothes. Sometimes the offerings are given to him for his
food, but in other cases they are presented to the brahmins of the
village alternately, and the priest has money given him in their
stead. These offerings consist of a pound of rice, a pint of milk,
half an ounce of sugar, and two plantains. The quantity, however, is
not prescribed, and other things are articled by some persons.
The daily ceremonies are:--In the morning the officiating brahmin,
after bathing, goes into the temple and bows to Siva. He then anoints
the image with clarified butter or boiled oil, after which, with water
which has not been defiled by the touch of a shoodru, nor of a brahmin
who has not bathed, he bathes the image by pouring water on it, and
afterwards wipes it with a towel. He next grinds some white powder in
water, and dipping the ends of his three fore-fingers in it, draws
them across the linga, marking it as the worshippers of Siva mark
their foreheads. Next he sits down before the image, and, shutting his
eyes, meditates on the work he is commencing; then puts rice and
doorva grass on the linga; next a flower on his own head, and then on
top of the linga; then another flower on the linga; then others one by
one, repeating incantations; then white powder, flowers, vilwu leaves,
incense, meat-offerings, and a lamp before the linga; next some rice
and a plantain; then he repeats the name of Siva, with some form of
praise, and at last he prostrates himself before the image.
The ceremonies in the hands of a secular person, are discharged in a
few minutes; if performed by a person who has sufficient leisure he
spends an hour in them.
In the evening the officiating brahmin goes again to the temple, after
washing his feet, etc., and prostrates himself at the door; then
opening the door he places in the temple a lamp, and, as an evening
oblation, presents to the image a little milk, some sweet-meats,
fruit, etc., that is, such things as a Hindoo eats and drinks at those
times when he does not eat his regular meals. The worship of the day
closes with prostration to the image, when the brahmin locks the door
and comes away.
At this temple on the 14th of the increase of the moon, in the month
Phalgoonu, in the night, a festival in honour of Siva is kept. On this
occasion the image is bathed four times, and four separate pujas
performed during the night. Before the temple Siva's worshippers
dance, sing, and revel all night, amidst the horrid din of their
music.
The occasion of this festival is thus related in the puranas:--A
bird-catcher was detained in a wilderness in a dark night, and took
refuge in a vilwu tree under which was an image of the linga. By
shaking the boughs of the trees the leaves and drops of dew fell upon
the image, with which Siva was so pleased, that he declared, that
whoever should from that time perform the worship of the linga on that
night, he should do an act of unbounded merit.