do not present drink-offerings to deceased relations, all his works of merit lose their virtue.

The next thing is the act of worship, (pooja) in which the bramhun must sit with his face to the North, and placing the linga towards the same point, bathe it by sprinkling it with water, then closing his eyes sit for some time in the act of meditation, (dhyanŭ) after which, placing some flowers on his own head, he must perform the worship of Shivă; then meditate on the image, and placing flowers on the lingŭ, repeat other incantations, to communicate a soul (prană) to the lingŭ; then another prayer to bring Shivŭ himself into his presence; and then perform a ceremony called yonee-moodra, which consists of five curious motions with the hands; then he must offer to the lingua morsel of silver or gold; or, if he be poor, water, reading a pray◄ er. He must after this offer water for the god's feet; also a little dry rice, and a few blades of doorva grass, with a prayer; then a number of raw vegetables. He must next repeat the name of Shivă a certain number of times; offer water, and repeat an incantation offering water or flowers, and worship Shivă in his eight forms,* repeating eight incantations; then follow forms of praise in honour of Shivů, during which he must prostrate himself before the lingu; and afterwards make a drumming noise with his thumb or fingers on the right cheek, and beat against his sides with his arms. If he has been worshipping by the side of the Ganges, he must throw the lingŭ into the river, or if by the side of a pool or any other river, he must throw away the lingŭ on the land. To this should succeed the worship of Vishnoo before the shalgramů, or before water. Next that of Şōoryŭ, Ugnee, Doorga, Brămha, the gayătree, the spiritual guide, the nine planets, the ten guardian deities of the earth, and lastly of the person's guardian deity. The offerings in this last act of worship are the same as in the worship of the lingu, but the prayers are more nu

merous.

When all these ceremonies have been performed by the side of a pool, or a river, the worshipper having presented the burnt-offering, must return to his house, per

* These eight forms of Shivă are representatives of the earth, water, fire, air, space, sacrifice, the sun, and

form the daily shraddhŭ, and offer to the gods plantains, dry rice, peas, sweetmeats, cocoa nuts, &c.

The day's work must be closed by entertaining several poor bramhŭns or other guests who may be in his house. If no guests should arrive, about three o'clock in the afternoon he must sit down to dinner; which may consist of boiled rice, fried fruits, split peas, greens, sour curds, or milk, but neither fish nor flesh. First, he must offer the whole food to his guardian deity, sprinkling water on the rice, and repeating incantations; and then put morsels of the different articles of his food in five places on a clean spot, which, after sprinkling with water, he must offer to the five winds, Nagŭ, Kōōrmů, Krēekůtů, Dévŭ-dăttů, and Dhŭnŭn-jăyă. After this, drink a little water, repeating an incantation, and then put a little rice into his mouth with his right hand at five different times, and repeat incantations containing the names of five airs which the Hindoos say are lodged in the body: he may then, remaining in silence, finish his repast, afterwards drink a little water, wash his hands and mouth, and cleanse his teeth. After washing his feet, he must sit upon a mat of kooshŭ-grass and chew betle-nut, mixed with some or all of the following articles, lime, treacle, catechu, cardamums, cloves, nutmeg, mace, camphor, coriander seed, &c. Before he begins to chew the betle, he must offer it with prayers to his guardian deity. If he do not chew betle, he must eat fruit of the terminalia citrina, and repeat the name of Vishnoo once.

To this must succeed the evening sundhya, either in his own house or by the side of the river. The ceremonies are the same as those already described. After this,› repeating the name of his guardian deity during two hours, he may take a little refreshment, as sweatmeats, milk, plantains, curds, or something of the same nature; and about ten retire to rest.

At present, those bramhuns who live without secular employment, spend about four hours daily in worship, an hour in the morning, two at noon, and one in the evening. Such a person's first act in the morning, as he rises, is to repeat the name

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of his guardian deity, after which he goes into a field with a pan of water, and rẻturning, bathes then taking the water of the Ganges, he sits down in his house, or by the river, and pours out drink-offerings to his deceased ancestors; repeats certain forms from the védă, the meaning of which he himself does not understand; worships Shivů with the usual forms of praise, as, 'Oh! Shivă! thou art every thing; thou unitest all the gods in thyself; thou cans't do all things,' &c. during which he offers with proper forms water, flowers, &c. to the god; and then repeats for some time the name of his guardian deity. At noon after bathing, he repeats certain forms from the védŭ, and worships Shivu, his guardian deity, and other gods, with the usual forms and offerings; pours out drink-offerings to deceased ancestors, and repeats the name of his guardian deity. At this time, the worshipper prays for any thing he may be anxious to obtain, as the health of his child, a lucrative situation, &c. but this is done only when sickness, poverty, or any other necessity, forces a person to express his complaints to his god. The worship in the evening is similar to that in the morning.

Bramhŏns in employment unite the first and second services together in the morning, and finish the whole in half an hour, confining themselves to the repetition of the name of their guardian deity, the forms from the védů, including the gayůtree, and pouring out a drink-offering to deceased ancestors. Most of these persons omit the evening service altogether.

Though these ceremonies are in general performed in the house, the family do not unite in them: during their performance, the family business is transacted, and the children play as usual; the worshipper himself not unfrequently mixes in conversation, or gives directions respecting matters of business. The children sometimes sit as spectators, so that by the time they grow up, they learn the different forms of daily worship.

The women, though not allowed to touch a consecrated image, (beasts, women, and shoodrus are forbidden) worship the gods daily in their own houses, or by the

river side, (repeating certain forms from the Tăntră shastrŭs) before an earthen image of the lingu, or the water of the Ganges: if they should worship before a consecrated image, they must keep at a respectable distance from the idol. Some merely repeat a few forms while standing in the water, bow to the god, without an image, and thus finish the religion of the day; others spend half an hour in these ceremonies, and females who have leisure, an hour or more.

The shoodrus in general repeat the name of their guardian deity while bathing, and this comprises the whole of their daily religion: yet rich men of the lower casts spend an hour in religious ceremonies, in the house or by the side of the river.

As there is nothing of pure morality in the II indoo writings, so in the ceremonies of this people nothing like the rational and pure devotion of a christian worshipper is to be found. In performing their daily duties, as might be expected from a ritual possessing little meaning and no interest, the Hindoos are sometimes precise, and at other times careless, muttering forms of praise or prayer to the gods while their attention is drawn to every surrounding object. To expect that services like these would mead the heart, is out of the question.

CHAPTER IV.

Various Religious Duties and Ceremonies.

SECTION 1.

Form of initiation into the Hindoo religion.

EVERY Hindoo receives an initiating incantation from some bramhun,* who then becomes his spiritual guide (gooroo): the principal thing in this incantation is the name of some god, who becomes his (ishtă) chosen deity, and by repeating whose name he is to obtain present and future happiness.

When the ceremony of initiation is to be performed, an auspicious day is chosen, which is preceded by a fast. On the morning of the day appointed, the disciple bathes; after which, entreating the priest to sit down, he presents him with some cloth, kourees, betle-nut, and a poita; after which he performs the ceremony called sunkulpă, in doing which he first takes in his joined hands a small copper dish, with some water in it, lays a plantain, some flowers, sesamum, kooshŭ-grass, rice, &c. upon it, and then says, 'For the removal of all my sins, and to obtain happiness after death, I take the incantation from my gooroo." The gooroo then performs at some length the worship of the god whose name is to be given; to which succeeds the burnt-offering. He next thrice repeats in the right ear of the disciple the incantation; after which the disciple presents a fee of from one to twenty roopees, and worships the feet of the gooroo, presenting sweetmeats, cloths, flowers, fruits, and other offerings commonly presented to the gods. He next repeats certain forms, and in his meditation brings into his mind that his spiritual guide is in fact his guardian deity, from whom he is to receive salvation. Another fee is then given; after which the disciple drinks the water in which the gooroo's feet have been washed,

* There are some rare examples among the poor of persons who never receive the initiatory incantation.