Chapter V · WORSHIP OF THE MALEVOLENT DEAD.

There are some persons whose dreams are always fulfilled. Dreams dreamt by persons pure of mind and heart seldom turn out false.

If a person has a bad dream, he should go to sleep at once, and not communicate it to any one. If he has a good dream, he should not sleep on that night after its occurrence. Early on the following morning he should communicate it to a preceptor or saint; but if neither be available, he should repeat it into the ears of a cow. A good dream should never be told to a bad or low-minded person.

The king Nala was questioned in his sleep several times by an individual unknown to him, “May I come now or later?” Nala replied “Come now” thinking that if it was misfortune that put him the question, it would be better to get rid of it soon, so that the latter part of life might be passed happily. The questioner proved to be misfortune, and it is related that Nala met many mishaps during his youth.9

Similarly, a bad dream dreamt by Harischandra was followed by a series of calamities.9

To see or think or experience in dreams the following, as the case may be is considered to be auspicious:—

Similarly, the sight of an unwidowed woman and the thought of the death of any person, in a dream, is believed to bring good luck.12

A dream in which one of the following objects is seen is also supposed to be good:—

In a book called Harit-sanhita the subject of the influence of dreams on human happiness or misery is fully treated.

The book says:—If the sun, the moon, the congregation of the stars, a lake filled with clusters of expanded lotuses, or crossing the sea or a river full of water be seen or experienced in a dream by a man, he attains wealth, happiness and prosperity and relief from diseases.

“All black objects except a cow, a horse, a king, an elephant, and fish, seen in a dream, are the precursors of disease and calamity.”

The following objects seen, heard or experienced in a dream are believed to forebode evil:—

If in a dream one relishes a dish of sweetmeats, plays upon a musical instrument, or sees a widow dressed in the garment of an unwidowed woman, it is believed to prognosticate evil and bring misfortune.

It is a common belief that the soul can leave the body temporarily.

It is related that the spirit of the daughter of a black-smith in Luvaria returned to her body two hours after her death, after which she lived for a fortnight.

About forty years ago, the corpse of a Kanbi in Lilāpur was carried to the burning ground for cremation, and there his spirit returned to his body. On being asked where he had been, the Kanbi replied that he had been to Dharmarāja, the lord of hell, who told him to go back to his body, saying that his life’s thread had not yet ended. It is related that the Kanbi lived for some years after this incident.

The soul of a living being leaves its physical tabernacle during sleep and hovers about. It can go to and return from even the heavenly and infernal regions.

Often the soul of a man ascends to his temples, when the man is supposed to be dead although he is alive. In such cases, when the soul descends, the man is supposed to come to life again.

The popular conceptions of the character and functions of the bhut or disembodied soul are as follows:

If it is sought to catch hold of a goat-shaped ghost, the goat swells into such a monstrous size that the spectator gets terrified, whereupon the ghost finds an opportunity of disappearing in a flame.

It is said that a woman dying in childbed becomes a chudel. Her form is a skeleton behind with the figure of a pretty woman in front.

It is believed that the spirits of deceased persons become ghosts under the following conditions:—

1 If scriptural ceremonies are not performed with the ceremonial offerings of rice balls to the deceased.

2 If the deceased dies with a strong attachment to worldly objects.

3 If the death is unnatural that is, caused by an accident.

There are various beliefs current as to the state of the soul after death. The Garud purān contains many passages illustrating its movements after it leaves the body. Says the book:—

“When the soul leaves the body it assumes a form as small as a thumb. At this very moment it is caught by the servants of Yama while he is crying out ha! ha! looking at its corporal receptacle.”

And again:—

“Covering the body of the soul (which suffers intensely) and strangling it forcibly, the servants of the god Yama carry it away just as a culprit is carried by a king’s soldiers.”

Others maintain that two states await the soul after death according to whether it has performed righteous or sinful acts during life.

The sinful souls go to Yamaloka and are made to suffer the miseries of twenty-eight naraks or hells in proportion to the sins perpetrated by them, after which they return to the earth.

The following are some of the punishments meted out to wicked souls for their sins, in their next lives:—

1 Those who murder Brāhmans suffer from consumption.

2 Those who slaughter cows are born as tortoises.

3 Those guilty of female infanticide suffer from white leprosy.

4 One who kills his wife, as well as a woman guilty of causing abortion, becomes a beggar.

5 Those who commit adultery become impotent.

6 He who seats himself on the bed or seat of his preceptor is affected by skin diseases.

7 Flesh-eaters get a red body.

8 Those who indulge in drink get black teeth.

9 A Brāhman partaking of prohibited food suffers from dropsy.

10 One who eats sweets without sharing them with the by-standers suffers from cancer in the throat.

11 One who offers polluted food to departed spirits suffers from black leprosy.

12 One who disobeys and despises his teacher suffers from wind apasmār.

13 One who does not believe in the shāstras suffers from enlargement of the spleen or Bright’s disease.

14 A perjurer is born dumb.

15 One who does not serve food equally to all the members at a dining table loses one of his eyes.

16 Those who break off a marriage alliance are punished with thick (negro-like) lips.

17 Those who steal books lose their eye-sight.

18 He who kicks a Brāhman becomes lame.

19 A liar becomes a stammerer.

20 Those who listen to contradictory versions of what is generally believed to be true become deaf.

21 One who poisons another becomes a lunatic.

22 One who steals precious metals becomes indigent.

23 An incendiary is punished with a bald head.

24 Meat-sellers meet with misfortunes.

25 One who steals gold has his nails deformed.

26 He who steals food is born a mouse.

27 One stealing corn has to be reborn as a locust.

28 One stealing opium or other poisonous drugs is born a scorpion.

29 One who steals leaves or vegetables is born a peacock.

30 One who enjoys perfumes by stealing them is born a mole.

31 One who steals honey becomes an eagle.

The state of the soul after death depends upon a man’s good or bad actions in life.

The souls of the righteous leave the body without any trouble. The messengers of the god of death present themselves to these souls in the form of saints and carry them to that part of the heaven which is presided over by their favourite deity, by the eastern, northern, or western gates. They are received there with great respect. Here they enjoy the fruits of their merit, after which they return to this world and are born either in the family of a wealthy virtuous man or in that of a poor Brāhman who has attained the knowledge of God. In this new life they accumulate further merit, in virtue of which they are endowed with a higher spiritual life in the following birth, and so on until they attain final emancipation.

After attaining moksha or salvation the soul becomes free from the wheel of birth and rebirth.

The soul is carried to Dharmarāja after it leaves the body. Thence, with the permission of the god, it returns to this world and halts for thirteen days at the threshold of its house. On the thirteenth day an earthen jar filled with water is emptied on a pipal tree (Ficus religiosa) after which its connection with this world ceases. Then it returns to the heavenly judge of actions (Dharmarāja), and is again born in the species prescribed by him. The soul of a strictly spiritual being merges into the divine entity and becomes free from birth and rebirth.

Moksha or Mukti, that is final emancipation is of two kinds, sāyujya or merging into the divine form and sāmishya or entering the divine order and living in this state so long as one’s merits allow.62

After death, the soul has to cross the river Vaitarna (vide the fifth rung above) on its way to the next world. Those who have given cows in charity can cross this river without difficulty by holding the tails of the cows, who present themselves to help them.

Those who have given shoes in charity can tread the third step with ease.

One enters the human order after passing through 8,400,000 species of living beings. It is in the human life that one can accumulate merit, and wipe out the influence of past sins.

There are various beliefs current as to the way in which spirits enter and leave the body.

Another method of driving away an evil spirit from the body is as follows:—

A third method is to subject the person possessed to the fumes of red chillies or of black wood, or to tie a sacred thread round his elbow.

In a book entitled Brāhman Nighanta Ratnākar is described the method of driving away an evil spirit from the body of a man by an offering of dhup or frankincense. The dhup to be used for this purpose must be made of gugal, and it must be offered with honey and clarified butter, repeating the following mantra:—

There are various superstitious beliefs entertained by people regarding sneezing.

According to one belief, if a person sneezes face to face with another who is about to begin an auspicious act, such as starting on a journey, decking his person with ornaments, performing a marriage ceremony, and the like, it portends misfortune to the latter; but a sneeze on his right or at his back foretells good. A sneeze in front of a person starting to perform an auspicious act is supposed to mean that a blow has been struck on his forehead, suggesting that the act should be stopped. If, in spite of this warning, the act is commenced, evil consequences are sure to follow.

A sneeze at a man’s back confirms the unobstructed fulfilment of the act taken in hand, as it is believed to have patted the man on his back or shoulders in token of approval.

Sneezes on either side, right or left, portend neither good nor evil.

The beliefs enumerated above relate to sneezes which occur on certain week days. The sneezes which occur on Sundays have the following consequences.

It is a common belief that if while one is about to commence some act, somebody sneezes once, the act is doomed to fail, and to avoid failure it must be postponed. But if the sneeze is repeated, no harm ensues.101

A sneeze by an ailing person is believed to be a sign of his recovery, and more sneezes by the same person are supposed to indicate his complete recovery, even though the symptoms be not favourable.

The two rākshasas Hiranyāksha and Hiranyakashyapu were originally the gate-keepers of Vishnu, one of the gods of the Hindu trinity. Once they affronted Sanatkumār, the son of Brahma, when they were cursed by Vishnu who decreed that they would be born rākshasas in three successive lives. In these lives they had to play the part of the enemies of gods and men, and were destroyed by Vishnu as such.113

In addition to the wizards and witches mentioned above, there are others the names of which are as follows:—

There are three classes of Chudels, (1) Poshi, (2) Soshi and (3) Toshi. Those women that have not enjoyed before death the pleasures of this world to their satisfaction enter the order of Poshi Chudels. They fondle children and render good service to their widower husbands.

Those women that are persecuted beyond endurance by the members of their families become Soshi Chudels after death. They dry up the blood of men and prove very troublesome to the members of the family.

Even after the precautions mentioned above have been taken, to prevent the return of a Chudel or Vantri, Shrāddhas are performed, and a number of Brāhman women feasted on the twelfth and thirteenth day after death to propitiate her as the fear of the mischief done by her is very strong.152

Such children are named Mulubhāi, Mulchand, Muli or Mulo.

If perchance an owl utters some note perching on the top cross beam of a house on a Sunday or Tuesday night, the owner of the house should pass a dark woollen thread below the cross beam, to which a nude person should give a knot at every screech of the owl. If such a thread be kept in one’s anklet, one need have no fear of ghosts nor can he be seen by a dākan or witch.