Chapter VIII · TOTEMISM AND FETISHISM.
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The worship of totems is not known to prevail in Gujarāt, but the names of persons and clans or families are occasionally derived from animals and plants.
Instances of names derived from animals are given below:—
The following are instances of names derived from plants:—
Instances of family or clan names derived from trees and animals are as follows:—
The mouth of the she-goat and the smell of the horse are considered sacred.12
The peacock is considered sacred on account of its being the conveyance of Sarasvati, the goddess of learning.13
A male monkey is held holy, because it is supposed to represent the monkey god Māruti.13
There are some deities associated with the worship of animals. These animals, with the deities with whom they are connected, are given below.
1. Pothio or the bull is believed to be the vehicle of god Shiva. In all temples of Shiva its image is installed, facing the image of Shiva in the centre of the temple.
2. Sinha or the lion is believed to be the vehicle of Pārvati, the consort of Shiva. The lion is also connected with the demon planet Rāhu.
3. Hansa the goose is associated with Brahma the creator.
4. Gadhedo the ass is believed to be connected with Shitala, the goddess of small pox.
5. Undar the mouse is the conveyance of Ganpati.
6. Mor the peacock is the conveyance of Sarasvati, the goddess of learning. The peacock is also associated with Kārtik Swāmi.
7. Garud the eagle is the conveyance of the god Vishnu.
8. Pādo the male buffalo is the conveyance of Devis or goddesses.
9. Ghodo the horse is the conveyance of the Sun. The horse is also associated with the planet Guru or Jupiter and Shukra or Venus.
10. Mrig the deer is supposed to be the conveyance of the Moon as well as of Mangal or Mars.
11. Balad the ox is connected with Mars and Shani or Saturn.
12. Hāthi the elephant is supposed to be the conveyance of Indra. It is also connected with Budha or Mercury.
13 The tiger is the conveyance of the goddess Ambāji.
All the gods, goddesses and spirits mentioned in the preceding pages are represented by idols made of stone, metal or wood. In addition to stone idols of gods there are certain stones which are considered to represent gods and worshipped as such. Some of these stones are described below.
All the stones found in the river Narbada are believed to represent the god Shiva and worshipped.
There is a kind of stone found in the river Gandaki which is smooth on one side and porous on the other. It is either round or square and about five inches in length. This stone is called Shāligrām and is believed to represent the god Vishnu. It is kept in the household gods and worshipped daily.
There is another kind of hard, white, porous stone found near Dwārka. It is also worshipped along with the idol of Vishnu.
Each of the nine planets is supposed to be in touch with a stone of a particular colour. For instance, the stone in touch with Shani or Saturn is black, and that with Mangal or Mars is red. These stones are bored, and set in rings which are worn by persons suffering from the influence of these planets.
This sacrifice is generally made on the eighth or tenth day of the bright half of Ashvin.
Sieves for flour and corn, brooms, sambelus or corn pounders, and ploughs are regarded as sacred.
Sieves are considered sacred for the following reasons.
2. Because, on auspicious occasions, when women go to worship the potter’s wheel, the materials of worship are carried in a sieve.
The sambelu is considered so sacred that it is not touched with the foot. If a woman lie down during day time, she will not touch it either with her head or with her foot.
One of the reasons why it is considered sacred is that it was used as a weapon by Baldev, the brother of the god Krishna.
According to a popular saying, a broom should not be kept erect or trampled under foot. This indicates that brooms are held sacred.
Some people consider brooms sacred, because they are used in sweeping the ground58 (that is the earth, which is a goddess).
The Pārsis consider fire so sacred that they do not smoke. Neither do they cross fire. In their temples called Agiāris a fire of sandal wood is kept constantly burning. It is considered a great mishap if this fire is extinguished.65