THE EVIL EYE AND THE SCARING OF GHOSTS.
Hindus generally believe in the effects of the evil eye. If an accident
befall any thing of value, or it undergoes any sudden change, it is
said to be due to the effects of an evil eye. In order to escape from
the influence of an evil eye, people begin the use of incantations
and charms on a Sunday, Wednesday, or Thursday and finish them on
the third or the fifth day. Small children, domestic animals, and
beautiful objects are generally liable to be affected by an evil eye.
The following are some of the methods of evading the effects of an
evil eye.
1st.--Dry chillies are waved round the body of the affected person and
thrown into the fire, and if they do not thereupon make a loud noise,
it is said that the effects of an evil eye are averted.
2nd.--Mustard seed and salt are waved round the face of a child and
then thrown into the fire.
3rd.--Alum is waved round the child and then thrown into fire. The
piece of alum thus thrown is sometimes believed to be changed into
the form of a man or a woman. From this, conjectures are made as to
the sex of the person by whose evil eye the patient is affected. The
form or the figure is then broken by a toe of the left foot of the
patient, and dry chillies, garlic, hair, rubbish from the house and
salt are mixed in the alum powder. The mixture is waved round the
patient three times and then thrown into fire. Meanwhile the sorcerer
repeats the names of all persons, things and evil spirits suspected
by him. After this performance has been repeated three times, the
fire is deposited in a public place where three roads meet.
4th.--If the evil eye is believed to be that of a ghost, the sorcerer
mutters some words to himself, waves ashes round the affected child,
and blows them in the air.
5th.--The evil eye of a tiger is removed from an affected animal in
the following manner. An oil lamp is burnt in the eye of a dead tiger
and the lamp is waved round the animal by a Mahár. The Mahár is given
a loaf prepared from eight kinds of grain.
6th.--Copper amulets and black cotton strings charmed by a sorcerer
are also tied round the neck or arms of the patient. [618]
When a child is to be removed from one village to another, rice is
scattered at the boundary of the village, at the bridges, rivers,
creeks, etc, that are crossed during the journey. Cocoanuts are waved
round the child and thrown away at the boundary of the village and at
places supposed to be haunted by ghosts. Before entering a house in
a new village, a small quantity of boiled rice, bread, or grains of
rice are waved round the child and thrown away. It is believed that,
when black ointment is applied to the eyes, cheeks, or forehead of
a child, there is no fear of its being affected by an evil eye. This
also depends on the position of the stars at the birth of a child. If
anybody sees a beautiful thing and praises it, there is a chance of its
being affected by an evil eye. It is believed that children, animals,
trees, and even wood and stones, are apt to be affected by an evil
eye. In order to avoid injury from an evil eye, cocoanut shells or
a shoe are tied on a conspicuous part of a tree or a creeping plant,
black beads known as Vajrabuttu are tied round the necks of children,
and cowries and black beads are tied round the necks of animals. Even
grown up persons are affected by an evil eye. When a man is very ill
or frequently becomes unconscious, cocoanuts, fowls and boiled rice
are waved round him and thrown away. [619]
When the effects of an evil eye cannot be removed by ordinary methods,
the evil influence is said to have entered through the bones, 'Hádi
drusta padali.' In order to remove it people bring the bone of an
animal in the evening, and after besmearing it with oil and turmeric
powder, wash it in hot water. It is dressed in a yellow cloth, and
black and red ointments are applied to it. It is then waved round
the affected person, and thrown away in some public place where three
roads meet. [620]
For evading the effects of an evil eye, salt, mustard seed, hair,
garlic, dry leaves of onions, dry chillies, and seven small stones
from the road are put on the fire. The fire is then waved round the
body of the affected person and thrown away. Charmed black cotton
strings are turned over the burning incense and tied round the arm
or the neck. Charmed ashes from the temples of certain deities are
also applied to the forehead of the affected person. [621]
At Ibrámpur in the Ratnágiri District, it is believed that a person
whose eyes have come under the influence of evil stars possesses the
power of the evil eye. Ashes are taken on a mango leaf, and charmed
with the mantras or incantations for an evil eye, and then they are
applied to the forehead of the affected person. [622]
The people of Poladpur in the Kolába District believe the effects
of an evil eye to be as follows. A healthy child becomes sickly and
cries, a man may suffer from indigestion or loss of appetite, a cow
or a she-buffalo yielding plenty of milk suddenly ceases to give milk
or gives blood in place of it, a good image is disfigured or broken,
and even stones are shattered to pieces by the effects of an evil eye.
The following devices are used to ward off such evil effects. A
black mark is made on the forehead of children. Black beads called
Drustamani, and Vajrabuttu are tied round their necks. Marking nuts
and cowries tied with a black thread are fastened round the necks of
animals. A little black spot is marked on an image. A worn out shoe or
a sandal is tied to the fruit-yielding trees. Salt and mustard seed
are waved thrice round the face of a child repeating "Ishta mishta
konyá pápinichi drushta" and thrown into the fire. Some people roll
a cotton thread round a curry stone, wave it three times round the
patient, and then put it into the fire; if the thread burns, the evil
eye is held to have been removed. If the evil eye be on the food,
three morsels of food are first raised to the mouth, and then thrown
into the fire. Sacred ashes are applied to trees and creeping plants
to remove the effects of an evil eye. [623]
The people of Khopoli in the Kolába District believe that the evil
eye can be diverted from living creatures only, and not from inanimate
things such as a stone or an earthen image. Sacred ashes are applied
to the forehead of the suffering child by repeating the Rám raksha
stotra, i.e., the protecting praises of Ráma, the seventh incarnation
of Vishnu. Among Bráhmans, rice grains are waved thrice round the face
of a child and put into water. The water is then thrown away. Even
flowers are waved round the faces of small children in the evening
and thrown away. [624]
At Chauk in the Karjat taluka of the Kolába District, some people
wave the left shoe thrice round the body of the affected person for
the purpose of evading the effects of an evil eye. A red hot iron
bar is also cooled in water mixed with turmeric powder. [625]
At Shirgáon in the Máhim taluka of the Thána District water is drawn
in a brass or a copper pot in the evening, and turmeric powder, rice,
and any other edible articles on which the evil eye has fallen are
put into it. Twentyone date leaves, each of them with a knot, are
then waved round the body of the affected person and thrown into the
water pot, burning coals being dropped into the mixture. The pot is
then waved thrice round the body of the affected person, and kept in
a corner of the bedroom for one night, with a basket, a broom, and
a sandal or an old shoe placed on the top. It is then thrown away in
the morning in some public place where three roads meet. If the water
becomes red, it is supposed that the evil eye has been removed. [626]
The effects of an evil eye are sometimes visible on the face of
a child in the form of small red pustules. The appearance of such
pustules is called Chák padane. [627]
If a person is affected by an evil eye at the time of taking his
meals, he loses his appetite. He also becomes weaker day by day. One
of the modes of removing these evils is to wave fresh date leaves
three times round the face of the affected person, and to throw them
into water. Some people take water in a copper plate and extinguish
in it burning sticks of the tamarind tree, after waving them round
the body of the affected person. [628]
At Khárbáv in the Bassein taluka of the Thána District, five pieces
of broken tiles are made red hot and put into water in which a little
quantity of all the cooked food in the house has been mixed. Turmeric
powder is also put into it. A pen knife or some other iron instrument
is then turned five times in the water. A winnowing basket and a
broom are waved thrice round the face of the affected person, and
placed over the water pot. [629]
At Dahánu in the Thána District, two big stones, of which one has
been waved round the face of a person affected by an evil eye, are
struck one against the other. If the stone breaks, it is believed
that the evil effect has been removed. Cowdung is mixed with water
in a brass or a copper plate, and dust from a public road, hair, and
burning black cotton cloth are put into another small vessel. This
vessel is then waved round the person, and placed upside down over
the mixture of cowdung. If it sticks to the brass plate, this is
supposed to be due to the evil eye. [630]
The people of Kolhápur believe in the effects of an evil eye. A
child suffering from an evil eye turns pale and thin, and suffers
from headache. To avoid these effects, elderly women make a mark
with lamp black on the face or brow of the child. Boiled rice and
curds, and bread and oil are also passed round the face of a child,
and thrown into a public road. [631]
Generally, in the Konkan districts, opprobrious names are given
to children when they are sickly, always crying, and weak, or when
they are short lived. These names are Marya, Rodya, Kerya, etc. It
is believed that children improve in health when called by such
opprobrious names. [632]
Opprobrious names such as Dhondu, Kondu, Keru, are given to children
in families in which the first children are shortlived. But their
real names are different. The names of the wellknown arithmetician
Keru Nána Chhatre and his son Kondopant Chhatre are examples of
opprobrious names. [633]
Among high class Hindus, the first son is not generally called by
his real name, but by one of the opprobrious names given above. [634]
Children are sometimes weighed with shoes or sandals, and also with
cowdung. In some cases, their nostrils are bored, especially the
right one. [635]
Hindus generally call their children by the names of their deities and
ancestors, and they attribute the premature death of their children
to their own misbehaviour towards such ancestors, or to their having
abused them; they fear that such abuse or misbehaviour has offended
the ancestors. To avoid their displeasure and the consequent death of
their children, the people give opprobrious names to their next born
such as Dagadya, Dhondya, Gundya, Dandya, Kerya, Ukirdya, Kondya,
Lobhya, etc. The custom of tattooing one side of the body of females
also prevails in the Kolhápur District, especially in cases where
the children in a family are shortlived. [636]
In the Puránas there are instances of males being transformed into
females, and females into males. For example, the female Amba was
transformed into a male called Shikhandi and the male Nárad was
transformed into a female. Arjuna, the third brother of the Pándavas
is said to have changed his sex, and turned into Bruhannada. [637]
In the Shivlilamruta, a book pertaining to the god Shiva, in the
chapter of Simantini, it has been described how a man was turned into
a woman. [638]
At Kolhápur, there are no instances known of a change of sex. The
goddess Yallamma has a high reputation in this district for making a
change in the habits and deportments of men and women, especially among
low caste people. It is believed that the curse of this goddess has
the power of destroying the virility of males, whereupon they behave
like females. Many instances of this type can be seen at the fair
of the goddess Yallamma, which is held in Márgashirsha (December);
men dressed in women's clothes and vice versa are often seen at this
fair. [639]
In Western India, iron nails are generally used when any spirit is
to be buried in the ground. Other metals, such as gold, silver, and
copper, are sometimes offered to the ghosts. The blood of fowls and
goats is also offered to them. When incense is burnt before a sorcerer,
the spirit enters into his body. Water is charmed and sprinkled over
the body of a person attacked by an evil spirit. Rice and udid grains
are required for exorcising spirits. Red powder Pinjar, turmeric
powder, black ointment kájal, lemons, Narakya Wuda a kind of incense,
betel-leaves, betelnuts, cocoanuts, mango leaves, Nirgudi leaves,
and pieces of cloth are also used for the same purpose. [640]
Cane sticks are used by people as a protection against evil
spirits. A stick cut from the tree known as Pándhri is also used as
protection. Charmed black cotton strings are tied to the wrist, arm
or neck. If a man is very much afraid of a ghost, he repeats the name
of the monkey god Máruti or any other deity that may be favourable
to his family. [641]
The blood of fowls and goats is used as a protection against ghosts
and Devachárs, and also against witchcraft. Charmed water is waved
round the person affected by an evil spirit, and thrown away. Rings,
amulets, and anklets made of metals of five kinds are put on the hands
and legs of children to ward off the effects of evil spirits. [642]
It is customary among certain people to apply spittle to the
sandalpaste mark on the forehead of a man, and to the red Kunku
mark on the forehead of an unwidowed woman. It is considered to be
a protection against evil spirits. [643]
The beak of an eagle, a stick cut from a tree known as Pándhri, a cane
having three joints, and the root of a shrub called Shrávad, which
has white leaves, are used as protection against evil spirits. [644]
At Pendur in the Málwan taluka of the Ratnágiri District it is
believed that an iron stick held in the hand is a protection against
evil spirits. [645]
At Chauk in the Karjat taluka of the Kolába District, pictures of
certain deities are tattooed on the body for the purpose of protection
against evil spirits. It is also believed that evil spirits run away
when salt and garlic are thrown into fire as they cannot bear the
smoke of burning garlic. [646]
At Medhe in the Rohe taluka, when the dead body of a woman dying
within ten days of her delivery is taken out of the house for burial,
an iron horseshoe is driven into the threshold of the house, and
grains of Náchani are scattered in the street while the corpse is
being carried to the burial ground. [647]
At Bhuwan in the Murbád taluka some people tie a square piece of
leather to the necks of their children as protection against evil
spirits. [648]
At Rái, a custom prevails of putting coral necklaces on children as
a protective against evil spirits. [649]
Iron nails and horseshoes are driven into the threshold or on to
the door of a house on the full moon day or the last day of the
Hindu calendar month at evening time, to prevent the entrance of
evil spirits. Dirty localities being considered to be haunts of evil
spirits, people living in such localities burn incense in their houses
every day. While exorcising evil spirits the sorcerers throw charmed
Udid grains and Rále panic seeds on the body of the diseased, or place
these things below his bed. Rings made of metals of five kinds,--iron,
copper, brass, silver and gold--are charmed on an eclipse day, and
worn by people. Red lead and cowries are tied to the necks or feet of
animals as protection against evil spirits. The spirits that haunt
buried treasures are pacified by the blood of fowls and goats when
digging up such treasures. [650]
Certain mantras are written on a paper, and the paper is tied to a
black cotton string, or the paper is put into a copper amulet, and
then tied to a black cotton string. The black cotton string with the
amulet is then tied round the arm or the neck of a person attacked
by evil spirits, or suffering from malarial fevers. These mantras
are never disclosed to anybody. [651]
Nádádora is a black cotton thread having seven or nine knots with a
charmed paper in one of these knots. The thread is first held over
burning incense, and then tied round the neck or the arm of the
diseased. Sunday is generally chosen for attaching these threads. [652]
At Poladpur in the Kolába District, there lived a sorcerer who used to
give such amulets and charmed threads. He placed about ten or twelve
copper rings or amulets in a copper plate kept in the sun. While thus
exposed to the sun, these amulets were continuously watched by the
sorcerer for some two hours, repeating certain mantras. [653]
At Málád in the Thána District, copper amulets and charmed black cotton
threads in the name of Kál Bhairav, an incarnation of the god Shiva,
are used as protective against evil spirits. They are tied to the arms
or the neck of the diseased on an eclipse day, on the last day of the
Hindu calendar month, or on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday. [654]
At Kolhápur, the use of amulets is generally resorted to by people
suffering from the attacks of evil spirits or from malarial fevers. The
sorcerer who exorcises the evil spirits writes certain mantras on a
paper, or draws certain symbols and repeats the mantras over them. The
paper is then wrapped in an amulet made of copper or silver, and
fastened to a cotton thread. This amulet is tied round the arm or
the neck of the diseased. Before tying it to the arm or the neck,
it is once held over burning incense. [655]
A sacred circle is frequently used as a protection from spirits. The
sorcerer draws a circle on the ground, with his stick, and the
following articles are put inside it. Cocoanuts, lemons, red lead, and
a Kohala gourd. Fowls are also sacrificed to this circle. The filling
in of this circle is called mánda bharane by the exorcists. [656]
Rice or Udid grain, and ashes charmed by mantras, are scattered
round a certain area of land, or are given to a person supposed to be
affected by evil spirits. The spirits cannot enter a place charmed
in this manner. They are also scattered round the place supposed to
be haunted by evil spirits in the belief that neither evil spirits
nor snakes can transgress the boundary thus marked by a sorcerer. [657]
Formerly sages and saints used to make such sacred circles round
their residence, repeating certain mantras, for their protection
from evil spirits. It is believed that the spirits cannot enter or
leave these enchanted circles. They used to bury bottles containing
such spirits at the boundaries of these circles. There are many such
places in the Kolhápur District, such as Buránsáheb of Brahmapuri,
the Sádhubuwa of Panhála, and Bábu Jámál at Kolhápur. [658]
It is a general belief among all classes of Hindus in the Bombay
Presidency that Saturday is an unlucky day, and in some places Friday
and Tuesday are also considered inauspicious.
Sunday is considered as an ordinary day.
Monday, Wednesday and Thursday are believed to be auspicious or
lucky days.
It is said that a thing suggested or thought of on Friday cannot be
carried out successfully. [659]
Sowing seed and watering trees is strictly forbidden on Sunday. It
is believed that trees do not bear well if watered on Sundays. [660]
Tuesday and Friday are considered unlucky days for beginning a new
task. Wednesday and Saturday are said to be inauspicious for visiting
another village. [661]
The numbers 2, 6, 11 and zero are believed to be lucky, 4, 5, 10 and 8
are unlucky, and 1, 3, 7 and 9 are considered as middling or moderate.
The figure zero is by some considered inauspicious. [662]
The numbers 5, 7, 9 are said by some to be auspicious, and 1, 3,
11 and 13 inauspicious. [663]
Odd numbers are auspicious, and even numbers are said to be
inauspicious. [664]
The following are generally held to be auspicious omens:--
While going on any business, to come across an unwidowed woman,
a cow, Bráhmans, a five-petaled flower, or a pot filled with water;
[665] the throbbing of the right eyelid and of the right arm of a man,
and of the left eyelid of a woman; a Bráhman coming in front with a cup
and a spoon in his hand after taking his bath; [666] the appearance of
a peacock, the Bháradwáj or the blue jay, and the mongoose, especially
when they pass on the left side of the person going on business. [667]
The following are considered to be auspicious when seen within a
hundred paces of a person starting on business:--
Bráhmans, unwidowed women, boiled food, meat, fishes, milk, any kind
of corn, the bird Chásha or the blue jay, passing by the left side,
the appearance of the moon in front, a person coming across one's path
with vessels filled with water, and a married couple, a cow with its
calf, images of god, cocoanuts and other fruits, the mother, white
clothes, the sound of a musical instrument, a horse, an elephant,
curds, flowers, a lighted lamp, a jackal, a spiritual preceptor,
a public woman, a Mahár, a washerman coming with a bundle of washed
clothes, and a marriage procession. [668]
The following objects and persons are generally believed to be
inauspicious:--
Oil, buttermilk, a couple of snakes, a monkey, pig, and an ass,
firewood, ashes and cotton, a person with a disfigured nose, a man
dressing his hair in the shape of a crown, red garlands, wet clothes,
a woman wearing red cloth, an empty earthen vessel, a Bráhman widow,
a Brahmachári and an unmarried Bráhman, [669] a widow, a bare-headed
Bráhman, a cat going across the path, a dog flapping his ears,
meeting a barber with his bag, a beggar, sneezing, or the asking of
a question at the time of departure, waiting, meeting a person with
an empty vessel, [670] howling of dogs and jackals, a pair of crows
playing on the ground, and a lighted lamp extinguished by its fall
on the ground. [671]
While plans or proposals are being made, it is considered inauspicious
if any one sneezes or the sound of a lizard is heard. [672] Meeting
a person of the depressed classes whose touch is pollution, or a
Bráhman who accepts funeral gifts, is considered inauspicious. [673]
Meeting a woman who is in her menses, a mourner, a buffalo, a snake
and a diwad are considered inauspicious. [674] An iron vessel or
an iron bar, cow dung cakes, salt, grass, a broom, a vulture, and a
washerman bringing with him dirty clothes are also considered to be
inauspicious omens. [675]
Among the Hindus in Western India, for the purpose of helping
the spirit to go to heaven safely, and for securing its goodwill
towards the survivors, after death ceremonies called the Shráddhas
are generally performed. Some perform these ceremonies once a year
in the month of Bhádrapada, and others perform them twice or thrice,
i.e., on the anniversary day of the deceased as well as in the dark
half of Bhádrapada, which is generally known as the manes' fortnight
(pitru paksha). [676]
The funeral solemnities performed from the 1st to the 14th day from
the death of the deceased are as described below:--
On the first day, at the time of burning the dead body, a plot of
ground is purified by repeating certain mantras, and the corpse is
then placed on it. Before setting the funeral pile on fire, balls
of boiled rice or wheat flour are put on the face, the forehead,
arms and the chest of the corpse. Such balls are placed on the body
of the deceased only when death has taken place on an unlucky day,
or when there is an unlucky conjunction of stars. The son, or some
other near relative, of the deceased generally performs these rites
with the help of a Bráhman priest. On the third day he goes to the
burning place, collects the ashes of the deceased, and throws them
into the sea. On this occasion he is accompanied by the relatives of
the deceased. Rich persons who are able to go to Benares keep the
bones of their deceased parents and throw them into the Ganges at
Prayága near Benares after performing certain Shráddhas there. The
giving of oblations continues daily till the tenth day. The oblations
of the tenth day are called Das Pinda. The rites of the eleventh
day are called Ekotistha. On the eleventh day the person performing
the rites has to change his sacred thread, after sipping a little
cow's urine. Cooked food is prepared at the place where the rites
of the eleventh day are performed, and Bráhmans are fed there, or at
least thirty-two mouthfuls of cooked food are offered to the sacred
fire. A big ball of boiled rice is put before the sacred fire or near
the Bráhmans taking their meals. This ball is then thrown into the
sea. A male calf is branded, worshipped and let loose. This calf is
called Vasu, and is considered sacred by the villagers. On the 11th
day, special ceremonies for propitiating the eight Vasus and the
eleven Rudras are performed, and gifts of a plot of ground, a cow,
cooking vessels, various kinds of corn, golden images, silver and
copper coins, clothes, shoes, umbrellas, bedding, etc. are given to
the Bráhmans collected there. On the 13th day after death a feast
is given to 13 or more Bráhmans and the other relatives. Navakádán,
i.e., the gift of a ship and Gopradán, i.e., of a cow and a calf,
are also given to the Bráhmans on the understanding that they will
help the soul of the dead while crossing the river Vaitarna. [677]
Water mixed with til or sesamum seed, sandalpaste, and oblations of
boiled rice are given daily to the manes to secure their goodwill
towards the survivors. [678]
At Bankavli in the Dápoli taluka of the Ratnágiri District, in
order to prevent the soul from assuming the form of a ghost, there
is a custom of tying a piece of Gulvel, a species of moonseed, or
the seed of a vegetable known as Máthbháji, round the neck of the
corpse before burning it. It is also believed that, by doing this,
the soul is prevented from troubling the survivors. [679]
At Poladpur in the Kolába District, some villagers drive an iron
nail into the head of the corpse before it is taken to the funeral
ground. They believe that, in consequence, the soul of the deceased
will not turn into an evil spirit. Some people scatter grain on the
road while the corpse is being carried to the cremation ground. [680]
Among the Hindus in the Konkan, as well as in the Deccan, dead
bodies are generally burnt, but under the following circumstances
they are buried.
Persons dying of small pox, women dying in childbirth or during
their menses, children dying within six months from their birth,
and Sanyásis are buried. The bodies of persons suffering from leprosy
are necessarily buried. [681] Among Lingáyats the bodies are always
buried. Certain mantras are repeated while burying or burning the
dead body. While burying, cocoanuts and certain kinds of grain are
thrown into the grave, and after covering the dead body with salt,
the grave is filled up with earth and stones. [682] While burning,
the dead body is placed on the funeral pile with its head to the north
and feet towards the south. Tulsi wood, sandal-wood, and Bel wood are
kept on the pile before placing the dead body over it. Cocoanuts and
camphor cakes are placed on the body, and it is set on fire. Among
the Lingáyats and Gosávis the dead are buried. Before burying, the
Lingáyats have to take a written order from their priest, the Ayya or
Jangam. The paper is then tied to the neck of the deceased, and the
body is placed in a bag made of new cloth, the head being allowed to
remain out of the bag. Bhasma or ashes, salt and camphor are also
put into the bag along with the corpse, which is then buried. The
Jangam repeats mantras when the body is in the grave. No such written
order is necessary for the burial of Gosávis. A cocoanut is broken
on the head of the corpse at the time of burying it. Among high class
Hindus the corpse is carried to the funeral ground in a bier made of
bamboos. Among the Lingáyats a gaily dressed frame called Makhar is
prepared on the bier, and the body is dressed with clothes and head
dress and seated in the Makhar. Some of them carry the dead body in a
bag made of blanket. There is a custom of keeping foot-prints on the
spot where a Sanyási is buried, and they are daily worshipped by the
people. [683] Among the Káthawatis of Thána and Kolába Districts the
dead body is first buried, and after a few days the skeleton is taken
out of the grave and then burnt as usual. [684] Among the high class
Hindus the moustaches are shaved at the death of parents, paternal
uncle and elder brother. Among the Shudras it is not necessary to
shave. [685] Persons who have lost their parents have to perform
certain funeral rites or Shráddhas when they visit holy places
such as Benáres, Prayág, Ayodhya and Násik, and they have to shave
their moustaches at all these places before performing the funeral
rites. [686] Moustaches are also shaved as a penance for certain
sins. The Agnihotri, i.e., one who preserves perpetual fire in his
house for worship, has to get himself shaved every fortnight. [687]
Among high class Hindus boiled rice is daily offered to the dead after
a portion has been thrown into the fire, the remainder being given
to the crows. The portion thrown in the fire is called Vaishvadev,
and that which is given to the crows is called Kágwás. Among other
Hindus it is given on the last day of Bhádrapada and on the date of
the father's death, annually. [688] Oblations of boiled rice are given
to the dead every day, on the last day of the Hindu calendar month,
on the date of a person's death every month, on the same date of the
dark half of Bhádrapada every year. These oblations are put out of
the house before taking the meals. It is believed that the ancestors
come down in the form of crows to partake of these offerings. [689]
Oblations of cooked food are also offered to a cow, and considered
thus to be received by the dead. They are especially given to the crows
annually in the dark half of Bhádrapada on the date of the deceased's
death. [690] After the corpse has been carried to the funeral ground,
an oil lamp containing one cotton wick is kept on the spot where the
deceased expired. The flame of the lamp is directed towards the south
as it is believed that the soul goes to heaven by the south. A ball
of boiled rice and a little quantity of water or milk is kept daily
for the first ten days near the lamp while repeating the name of the
deceased and of the gotra to which it belonged. The lamp is taken
out of the house on the 11th day. [691]
Hindus believe that impurity attaches to all the things in the house
in consequence of the death of a person in that house. All those
things which can be purified by washing are washed and taken back,
while things like earthen pots, cooked food, etc. are thrown away,
special care being taken to break these pots, so that they may not
be used again. Even the walls of the house are white washed. [692]
The earthen pots that are required for the funeral rites of the dead
are all broken. One which is required for boiling water to bathe the
corpse is broken when the body is carried to the funeral ground. Of
the rest, one is broken at the funeral pile after the son has passed
thrice round the pile with an earthen vessel filled with water. It is
believed that birds and animals drinking water out of these vessels
would be infected by disease, and this is the reason why these pots
are broken. The mourners who use earthen vessels during the mourning
break them at the end of the mourning period. [693] Among the Agris
of Chaul in the Kolába District, all earthen vessels in the house are
broken on the eleventh day after a death in the family, the chief
reason assigned for this act being that the wishes and desires of
the deceased might lurk in the earthen vessels and cause trouble to
the inmates of the house. [694]
All the members of the family of the dead have to observe mourning for
ten days. They are purified on the eleventh day after taking a bath
and sipping Panchgavya, or the five products of the cow. The son of
the dead person, or one who performs the funeral rites of the dead is
purified on the twelfth day after completing the rites of Sapindi. A
man in mourning does not touch those who are not in mourning. If
anybody touches him, both of them have to take a bath. The son of the
deceased or, in the absence of a son, any male member belonging to
the family is entitled to perform the funeral rites of the dead. These
rites are performed during the first twelve days, beginning from the
first day or from the 3rd, 5th, 7th or the 9th. One who performs these
rites has to sleep on the ground during these twelve days. A person
hearing of the death of a member of his family within the first ten
days from the date of the death, becomes free from that mourning on the
eleventh day. If he happens to hear it within one month of the death,
he has to observe it for three days and after one month he has to
observe it for one day only. [695] The son, or one who performs the
funeral rites of the deceased has to sleep on the ground, and has
to take his meals only once a day till the end of the 13th day. He
takes his bath in cold water. Sweet things are not prepared in the
house during the days of mourning. During the period of mourning,
every morning, a Bráhman comes to the mourner's house and recites
some passages from the Garud Purána, which relates to the state of
the soul after death. On the eleventh day the house is besmeared with
cowdung, and cow's urine is sprinkled in the house. All the clothes are
washed. Mourning is not observed in the case of a death of a Sanyási,
and the Lingáyats do not observe any kind of mourning. [696]
The brother of the deceased, his son, grandson and all the members
belonging to the family, have to observe the mourning for ten days. The
married daughter of the deceased has to observe it for three days. From
the fifth or sixth generation in the same family, it is observed for
three or one day only. [697] In case of the death of a wife's parents,
the husband has to observe mourning for three days. During the mourning
days people do not worship the gods or go to the temples. Milk is
also prohibited during the mourning period. The mourners are not to
touch anybody except the members of their family. [698]
On the thirteenth day the sons and other members of the family are
taken out to visit the temple of any deity by the people assembled
for the purpose. It is believed that after going to the temple on
the 13th day, the sons and the other members of the family are at
liberty to go out of the house. [699]
At Kolhápur it is believed that the deities Etalái and Kálkái of the
Konkan districts keep with them evil spirits as their servants. These
servant spirits obey the orders of these deities. Some people in
this district go to the temples of these deities and request them
to lend them the services of these spirit servants. It is considered
very lucky to secure the help of these spirits. The temple ministrant
then requests the deity to give a Kaul or omen. For this purpose, the
temple ministrant calls on the deity to enter his body, and when he is
possessed by the spirit of the deity, he allows the applicant to take
with him one of the deity's servants for a fixed period. The Gurav,
or the ministrant, then explains to the person the period for which
the spirit servant is given, and the amount of the annual tribute
required to be given to the deity for the use of her servant. He also
gives him a cocoanut and sacred ashes. The applicant then returns home,
believing that the spirit servant will follow him, and from that time
he prospers. This spirit servant is called Chetuk, and it can be seen
only by the person in whose charge it is given by the Gurav. [700]
At Achare in the Ratnágiri District, the spirit of a Bráhman well
versed in the Vedas is called Mahápurusha and it is said to be
benevolent. It haunts Pipal and Umbar trees. [701]
At Murbád in the Thána District, the spirit known as Vetál, the king
of evil spirits, is considered to be benevolent. [702]
The spirit known as Mahápurush haunts the Pipal and Umbar
trees. Avagat the ghost of a widow haunts the Avali (Phyllanthus
emblica) tree. Alavant, the ghost of a woman dying at childbirth
or during her menses, lives in the Nágchámpa, Surang and the Kájra
trees. Devachár, Sambandh, Munja, Zoting, Khavis and Khápra reside
in trees and plants. [703]
The people of Kolhápur believe that the spirits known as
Brahmasambandh, Brahma Rákshasa, and Khavis reside in trees. [704]
The spirits known as Devchár and Chálegat are considered to be the
special protectors of crops and cattle. [705]
The people of Ubhádánda in the Ratnágiri District believe that the
village deities and the Devachárs are the special protectors of
crops and cattle. Offerings of fowls and cocoanuts are made to them
annually. [706]
At Kochare in the Ratnágiri District, the spirit known as Viswáti is
believed to be the special protector of crops and cattle. [707]
The people of the Kolába District consider that the spirits known
as Mhashya, Khavis, and Bándav are the protectors of crops and
cattle. [708]
At Dahánu in the Thána District, the spirit Cheda is believed to be
the guardian of crops and cattle. [709]
The people of Kolhápur believe that the deities of the fields protect
the crops and cattle. Those who are in possession of the Chetuk, or
the servant spirit, are sure to find their crops and cattle protected
by this servant spirit. [710]
Evil spirits are not usually invoked to frighten children, but
occasionally the names of goblins such as Bágulbáwa, Bowáji, Gosávi
etc. are mentioned to scare them. [711]