1. What wast thou then before thy birth? Enough thou know'st the saviour's name, Why murmur Oh my soul, &c. 2. Though one may wander like the crow, He can but meet his fate. Seek Siva, trust to his strong arm, And thus find heaven's bright gate. Why murmur Oh my soul, &c. 3. When thou'st attained the Yogi's power, The narrow way to heaven is found, Why murmur Oh my soul, &c. 4. The flesh and all its ties are vain, Why murmur Oh my soul, &c. The subject of Hindu Mendicity will be continued in the next chapter. CHAPTER XV. HINDU MENDICITY.-(Continued.) याचन. (Yachana.) Both he who respectfully bestows a present, and he who respectfully accepts it, shall go to a seat of bliss; but if they act otherwise, to a region of horror. (Manu iv. 235.) The next class of religious mendicants that may be described is the Satanis. The Sātanis are amongst the Vaishnavas what the Jangamas are among the Saivas. This sect was founded by Chaitanya in the 15th century, and originally its adherents were of all castes. Now, however, in the Circars at least, Sātanis are all Sudras; they particularly worship Krishna, whom they hold to be the supreme God. A large number of this sect are minstrels, or mendicants. Like the Jangam the Sātāni should be clean shaven, both face and head. On his face and on various portions of his person he is adorned with the trident-shaped mark of Vishnu. On his shoulder he carries a guitar-shaped instrument, having four wire strings. On this he strums as he goes along, and with it also he accompanies his songs. He has a pumpkin-shaped vessel to receive his doles, which he transfers to a cloth when the vessel is full. This vessel will also be adorned with the religious marks of Vishnu. He begs from all castes and conditions expect the Panchamas. When he comes in front of a house where he expects alms, he may shout out 'Shri matē Rāmānujāya namah'! (Adoration to the most excellent Ramanuja !), and then begin to sing one of his songs, or hymns, of which the following are specimens, rendered into English. They are taken from the Telugu, as were those of the Jangam in the previous chapter. In the first of these, Vishnu is called the saviour of the elephant (danti varda), in allusion to a story in the eighth book of the Bhagavatam which has been already alluded to in the ninth chapter. An elephant was bathing in a tank, when it was attacked by a crocodile which would have killed it had not Vishnu or Hari come to its reliefso the story goes: A MEDITATION ON VISHNU. Refrain:-My soul! why settest thou thyself 1. My soul! full satisfaction seek, Go meditate on Hari's feet, Make this thy chiefest bliss. My soul! why settest, &c. 2. My soul! know death is ever near, On him who's great in excellence, Thy heart and mind employ. My soul! why settest, &c. 3. My soul! why spendest thou thyself, Shri Vishnu serve and thus attain. To joy of soul and health. My soul! why settest, &c. 4. My soul! consider him who reigns, My soul! why settest, &c. The following is a hymn to Rāma, the various allusions in it may be briefly explained. They are stories to be found in the Ramayana. Maricha (verse 3) was a malevolent being (Rakshasa) son of Tataka. He and his brother Subahu impishly interfered with a Rushi named Vishvamitra and prevented his performance of a sacrifice (Yagnam). Being unable to endure this interference, and at the same time powerless to prevent it, the Rushi appealed to Rāma for assistance. Rama came and destroyed the two brothers with two arrows. Subahu was slain with a fire arrow; and Maricha being struck with a wind arrow (vārgerbānam) fell into the sea. In order to express his gratitude for this deliverance, Vishvamitra told Rama of a certain king named Janaka who had promised to give his daughter Sita to wife to any one strong enough to break a certain bow named Hara, or Harathanassu (verse 4). Rāma accompanied by Vishvamitra went to the king and succeeded in performing the required test and thus won his wife Sita. Upon Rama's banishment from his father's home into the eternal forest, he was accompanied by his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmanna. This story has already been alluded to in the fourth chapter. One day whilst the three were thus living in the forest, near a mountain called Chitrakūta (a mountain in Bundelkhand), Rāma lay sleeping with his head in Sita's lap. A demon crow (Rakshasa),named Kākāsura (verse 5), seeing the bare foot of Sita, and thinking from its red colour that it was meat, came near and bit the foot so that the blood began to flow. (Red is the beauty colour amongst Hindus.) At the cries of Sita, Rama awoke, and on seeing the bleeding wound was told what had been done. Upon this, the enraged husband, made an arrow of a blade of grass, and shot it from his bow at the demon crow, which was sitting near by on a tree. This blade of grass became an arrow of fire and followed the crow wherever it flew, no matter in what direction it went. At length Kākāsura being unable to bear the persecution any longer, flew to Rama and craved pardon. This was granted on condition that the culprit should lose one eye by way of punishment. To this Kākāsura consented whereupon his life was spared; but he lost an eye. PRAISE TO RAMA. 1. Thou parent of Brahma; Thy greatness what mortal can tell. 2. Attend and be gracious; I'll tell forth thy praises; Thy glory what mortal can tell. 3. Who slew foul Maricha; And saved Vishvāmitra ; Thy prowess what mortal can tell. 4. Who brake the bow Hara; And thus gained sweet Sita; Thy vigour what mortal can tell. 5. Who spared Kākāsura, Thy kindness what mortal can tell. 6. Who e'er bestows bounty, On those who seek from thee; Thy goodness what mortal can tell. 7. Thou friend of the friendless, Relieve all my distress; Thy pity what mortal can tell. Another well known religious mendicant is the DASARI, or Pariah priest. This functionary is the one who performs all religious ceremonies for the Pariahs. He officiates at their marriages and funerals; and at their celebrations for the dead, and all other such ceremonies. He is also Physician, Astrologer, and Soothsayer; and is, altogether, a very important man. He receives fees for his services, but he also lives by begging; and from the fact that he begs from all castes, and, hence, from those who do not need his official services, he must be classed as a Mendicant. He is a Vaishnava by religion, and he wears the trident-shaped mark of Vishnu on his forehead, |