The following story was invented, no doubt, in order to check excessive sorrow for deceased relations. A rich biamhun had only one son, who grew up to manhood, and was loved almost to distraction by his parents.* This son, however, died in his youth, and his wife was burnt with him on the funeral pile. The father and mother were so overwhelmed with distress, that for years they refused all comfort. During this time, an old servant, who had served the bramhun many years, and had eaten of his food,+ died, and, for his merit, was made one of Yumi's officers. This man was going one day to fetch the soul of some one from the village where he had once lived, and saw his former master weeping by the side of the road for the loss of his son. Assuming his old form, he raised up his master, and endeavoured to comfort him, but in vain. He then told him, that he was become one of Yumu's officers, on account of the merit he had obtained by serving him (the bramhun) and eating of his food; and that now, to remove his sorrow, he would take him and shew him his son. The old man got on his back, and the officer immediately carried him to the residence of Yumu, and shewed him his son and daughter-in-law in the greatest happiness, sur. rounded with every delight, playing at chess. But the son having lost all affection for his parent would not even look at him, though exhorted to it by his wife. He replied, that in numerous transmigrations it was very likely that this old man might have been his son again and again. The old man was so incensed, to see that his daughter-in-law had more affection for him than his own son, for whom he was dying with grief, that he desired the constable to carry him back. The old bramhŭnēē would not believe that her son's affections were thus alienated from them: the constable, therefore, carried her also to see him, but she met with the same treatment. They both immediately renounced their grief for a son who had lost all his filial affection, and resolved to think no more about him. Other stories abound in the pooranus respecting Yumů, some of which relate to disputes betwixt the messengers of this god and those of some other god, about the * The Hindoos in general carry their attachment to children, especially to sons, to the greatest excess.—They are amazed at the supposed want of affection in Europeans, who leave their parents in order to traverse foreign countries, some of them without the hope of ever seeing them again. + Its a very meritorious action for a shōōdră to eat the leavings of a bramhun. bramhån for rather less wages than another person. Hence a shoödrů will serve a soul of a departed person, whether it shall be happy or miserable. I insert two of these stories: When the sage Ŭnimanduvyŭ was a child of five years old, he put a straw into the tail of a locust, and let it fly away. In advanced years, while once employed in performing religious austerities, he was seized as a thief by the officers of justice, and, as he gave no answer on his trial, the king took it for granted that he was guilty, and ordered him to be impaled. After he had been impaled four years, his body had undergone no change, and though he appeared perfectly insensible to human objects, he was evidently alive. The king, being informed of this, was filled with astonishment, and declared that he was certainly some great ascetic, equal to one of the gods. He then immediately ordered him to be taken down, but in endeavouring to extract the wood upon which he had been impaled, it broke within his body. The sage was then suffered to depart, and, after some time, his religious abstraction was interrupted, though his mind had been so set upon his god, that neither impaling him for four years, nor breaking the stake within his body, had disturbed his intense devotion. On awaking from this state he discovered what had been done to him, and that he had suffered all this from the hands of Yumu, for having pierced the locust when he was a child. He was exceedingly angry with Yumu for such unrighteous judgment. To punish a person for a sin committed at the age of five years, and for so small a crime to impale him for four years, was what he could not bear. He then cursed Yümů, and doomed him to be born on earth, and to take the name of Vidoorů, the son of a servant girl in the house of the mother of Védň-vyasu.-How the administration of justice in the other world was carried on after Yumů assumed human birth, this story does not relate. What an excellent religion for a wicked man! The criminal can punish his judge! Ujamilů had committed the most enormous crimes, having killed cows and bramhuns, drank spirits, and lived in the practice of evil all his days. He had four sons; the name of one was Narayŭnů. In the hour of death Ŭjamilu was extremely thirsty, and thus called to his son-Narayünü, Narayunů, Narayŭnů, give me some water.' After his decease, the messengers of Yumů seized him, and were about to drag him to a place of punishment, when Vishnoo's messengers came to rescue him. A furi. ous battle ensued, but Vishnoo's messengers were victorious, and carried off Ŭjami lu to Voikoontu, the heaven of Vishnoo. The messengers of Yumŭ enraged, returned Description of the heaven of Yumu, from the Muhabharutů. This heaven, formed by Vishwŭkurma, is 800 miles in circumference. From hence are excluded the fear of enemies, and sorrow both of body and mind; the climate is mild and salubrious; and each one is rewarded in kind, according to his works: thus, he who has given much away on earth, receives a far greater quantity of the same things in heaven. He who has not been liberal, will have other kinds of happiness, and will see food, houses, lands, &c, but will receive nothing. All kinds of excellent food are here heaped up into mountains.* To this heaven have been raised a great number of Hindoo kings, whose names are given in the Muhabharătă. The pleasures of this heaven are like those of Indru-poorů: the senses are satiated with gratifications as gross as the writer of this poorant, the licentious Vyasu, could make them. This seems to be a heaven for gluttons! Yumů married Vijŭyŭ, the daughter of Vēēru, a bramhun. The Bhuvishyut poorană contains the following story respecting this marriage: Yumŭ was so pleased with this female, on account of her having performed the Boodhashtŭmēē vrůtů, that he appeared to her, and offered her marriage. She was alarmed at the sight of this stranger, and asked him who he was. When she found it was Yumu, the judge of the dead, who was thus paying his addresses to her, she was filled with terror. Yumů calmed her fears, and permitted her to acquaint her brother, as he would be full of distress after her departure if he were left in ignorance. Her brother told her she was certainly mad- What to be married to Yumu! A fine husband truly!' She however consented, and Yumu conveyed her to his palace, but charged her never to go to the southwards. She suspected that there Yümu had another favourite, and would not be satisfied till he had explained to her, that his reasons for forbidding her to go southwards, were, that there the wicked were punished, and that she would not be able to bear so dreadful a sight. All these warnings, however, were given in vain: while Yumu was one day busy, she took another female or two, and went southwards, till the cries of the damned had nearly terrified her to distracti on. To add to the horror of the scene, she saw her mother in torments. On her return, Yumŭ found her in a state of the greatest distress, and soon discovered the cause. She insisted on Yumi's delivering her mother that very day, or he should see her face no more. Yumu declared this to be impossible; that her own bad conduct had brought her there, and that she could only be delivered according to the forms of the shastri, after suffering the punishment due to her. Vijay became impatient and clamorous; till Yumů told her, that if she could get the merit of the Boodhastūmēē vrutŭ transferred to her by some one, she might deliver her mother. Yümü further informed her, that on earth a certain queen, who had performed the Boodhashtūmēē vrůtů, had been three days in the pains of child-birth, and that if she would perform a certain ceremony, which he described to her, the queen would be delivered, and would in return transfer the merits of this vrutů to her mother, who would immediately be delivered from torments. Vijayu took this advice, and thus procured the deliverance of her mother from hell. Yumu's principal names are: Dhurmu-rajů, or, the holy king.-Pitripŭtee, the lord of the ancients.-Sumuvürttee, he who judges impartially.-Prétu-rat, the lord of the dead.-Kritantă, the destroyer.-Yumoona-bhrata, the brother of Yumoona.*—Shŭmunů, he who levels all.-Yumu-rat, the chief of the fourteen Yumus.+-Yůmŭ, be who takes out of the world.-Kalu, time.—Dăndŭdhůru, he who holds the rod of punishment.-Shraddhŭ-dévů, the god of the ceremonies paid to deceased ancestors; or, he who eats his share of the shraddhů.-Voivŭswŭtů, the son of Vivuswut, or, Sōōryū. --Ŭntukŭ, he who kills, or puts an end to life. SECTION XIN. The worship of the "Host of Heaven." THE Hindoos, like other idolatrous nations, have gone into the worship of the heavenly bodies. The planets, the constellations, the signs of the zodiac, the stars in general, the star Canopus, the star Kalu-poorooshii, &c. have all been deified, and are worshipped with appropriate forms of petition, praise, &c. some of them at the festivals of other gods, and others at different times. The constellations are wor shipped separately at the births of children, as well as at the anniversaries of these births till the time of death. Some persons suppose, that the worship of the elements was the primitive idolatry of the Hindoos, and that of heroes the invention of later times. It is plain, however, that the védŭs, supposed to be the most ancient of the Hindoo writings, countenance the worship of deified heroes. These books contain accounts of Brimha, Vishnoo, and Shivu, and most of the other deities. A paragraph in the Rig-védŭ speaks of the gods choosing Indruto be their king, whom they placed on a throne fan The river Yumoona. Yamů has thirteen assistants, whose names are here given as different names of this judge of the dead. Called by the Hindoos Ugustyŭ, the sage. |