Occult Science in India and Among the Ancients 1000009873

OCCULT

SCIENCE

IN

INDIA

AND

AMONG THE

_ANCIENTS,

C

","','",""

^

WITH AN ACCOUNT OP THEIU

MYSTIC INITIATION'S, AND THE

HISTORY OF SPIRITISM.

BY

LOUIS JACOLLIOT.

Chief Justice of Chanaenagur {French East Indies), and of Tahiti (Ocecvrtica.)

TRANSLATED FHOM THE FRENCH BT

WILLAED L. FELT.

New York:

THE THEOSOPHICAL PUBLISHING CO.

244 Lenox Avenue

COPYBIQHT. 1901.

THB METAPHYSICAL PUBLISHING

PREFACE.

We will

_lay

aside, for the _{present, our}

_inquiries

into

the

_general

_subject of the

_primitive

civilizations of the far

East, and the

_people

who have

sprung from the Brahminic

stock in the old world, in order to

_publish

the result of

such researches as we have been able to make,

during

our

long

residence in India, into the

_subject

of occult _science,

and the _practices of those who have been initiated into the sect of the Pitris, which is Sanscrit for

_spirits

_or an-cestral

shades.

This is neither a doctrinal book nor a work of criticism.

"We _are not called

upon to decide, either for or against,

the belief in spirits,either

_mediating

_or

_inspiring,

which

was held by all who had been initiated in the

temples

of

antiquity, which is

_to-day

the

_keystone

of the

_philosoph-

_ical

and religious instruction of the _Brahmins, and to which

many of our Western thinkers and scientists seem inclined

to assent.

Being

neither _an advocate of this _{belief, nor} the _opposite,

we _are, on that account, better able to write its history.

An ardent

_partisan

would have been too credulous, and

would have taken everything _upon trust. A rabid

oppo-nent

would have made it his business to

_disparage

and

discredit it.

as

they

actually

were ; we shall

interpret

and

explain

the

Agrouchada-jparihchai,

which is the

_{philosophical}

com-pendium of the Hindu

_spiritists

; we shall tell what we

saw with our own _eyes, and shall

faithfully

record such

explanations

as we received from the Brahmins.

We shall _pay

_particular

attention to the

_phenomena

which the Fakirs

_produce

at

_will,

which _some

_regard

_as the manifestations of a

superior

intervention,

and others look

upon as the result of a shrewd charlatanism.

Upon

this

_point

_we have but a word to _say.

The facts which _are

_{simply magnetic}

_are

_{indisputable,}

extraordinary

as

they

_may seem.

As to the facts which are

purely spiritual,

we were

only

able to

_explain

those in which _we

_{participated,}

either as

actor or

spectator,

_upon the

hypothesis

that we were the victims of hallucination " unless we are

willing

to admit that there _{was an} occult intervention.

We shall describe

_things

_just

as we saw

them,

without

taking

sides in the

_dispute.

These doctrines were known to the

Egyptians,

to the Jewish

Cabalists,

to the

_people

of

_Finland,

to the school of

_Alexandria,

to Philo and his

disciples,

to the Gauls and

to the

_early

Christians, and,

as in the case of the

Hindus,

they

set them

_apart

for the use of those who had been ini-tiated. As for the ancient

_Chaldeans,

the

_practice

of _popu-lar

magic

and _{sorcery seems} to have been the utmost limit

of their attainments in this direction.

They

have also

_given

birth to a

peculiar

system

of

moral

_philosophy,

whose

_place

in the

_general

scale of the

metaphysical speculations

of mankind we shall take occa-sion

On the evening before the funeral araddha i8 to take place, or on the

day itself, he who gives the 9raddha should, with all due _respect, in-vite

at least three Brahmins, such as those which have been already

mentioned.

The Brahmin who has been invited to the sraddha of the spirit of the deceased should be entire master of his senses. He should not read the sacred Scriptures, but only recite, in

a low tone, the invocations which

it is his office to utter, as he should do, likewise, by whom the _ceremony

is performed.

* "

Tlie ancestral spirits, in the invisible state, _accompany the Brahmins who have been invited

; they go with them, under an aerial form, and occupy a

place by their side when they sit down.

"

(Manu, book hi., slocas

187-188-189.)

For

a long time previous to their laying aside their mortal envelope,

the souls which have practised virtue, like those which inhabit the

bodies of Sanyassis and Vanasprathas "

Anchorites and Cenobites

" ac-quire

the faculty of conversing with souls that have

gone before to

tlie swarga ; that is a sign that the series of their transmigrations upon earth

is ended." (The words of the ancient Bagavatta, quoted in the Proem of

FIBST PART. THE DOCTKINE OF THE PITKIS AND THE OCCULT SCIENCES IN INDIA.

Remember,

my son,

that there is only

one

God, the sovereign

master and principle of all things, and that the Brahmins should

"worship Him in secret

;

but learn also that this is

a mystery,

which should

never

be revealed to the vulgar herd

:

"

otherwise great harm may

befal

you.

"

(Wards spoken by the Brahmins

upon

receiving

a

A

CREATION

U

M

OCCULT

SCIENCE

IN

INDIA.

I.

SPIKITISM.

CHAPTER I.

THE INITIATED AT THE ANCIENT TEMPLES.

It is not to the

religious

writings of antiquity, such as

the Vedas, the Zend-Avesta, or the Bible, that we are to

look for an accurate expression of the highest thought of

the

_period.

Written to be read, or rather chanted, in the temples,

upon great festivals, and framed mainly

with _a view to

priestly

domination, these books of the law _were not in-tended

to make known to common

people

the secrets of a

science which occupies the leisure moments of the priests

and initiated.

" _{Bear in mind,}

my son," said the Hindu

Brahmin to

the

_neophyte,

" _{that there is but}

one God, the sovereign

master and

principle

of all things, and that every Brahmin should _worship him in secret. Learn also that this is a

mystery which should never be revealed to the vulgar

herd

; otherwise great harm may

befal _you."

We

_constantly

meet with a similar

prohibition

in

The

_primitive

holy

syllable,

composed

of the three let-ters

A,

U,

M,

and

_comprising

the Yedic

_trinity,

should be

kept

secret

_(Manu,

book

xi.,

sloca

265).

These three letters

_symbolize

all the

_initiatory

secrets

of the occult sciences.

The

honover,

or

primordial

germ, is defined in the

Zend-Avesta as follows :

" _The

pure, the

holy,

the

prompt

Honover,

I tell you

plainly,

O wise Zoroaster ! existed before the

_sky,

before the _sea, before the

earth,

before the

_animals,

before the

trees, before

fire,

son of

Ormuzd,

before the pure man,

before the

_deous,

before the whole world

; it existed be-fore

there was _any substance

"

" should it not be

explained,

in its _essence, to the

magi

alone ? The common

people

cannot even know of the existence of this venerated name under

_penalty

of death or madness.

The ancient Cabalists received a similar

prohibition

in

the

_following

_passage from the Mishna :

" _{It is forbidden to}

_explain

the

history

of creation to two

persons : or even the

history

of the Mercdba " or, the his-tory of the

_chariot,

treating

of the attributes of the

unre-vealed

_being

" to one

alone,

unless he is _a wise and intelli-gent

man, in which case it is

permitted

to intrust to him

the

_headings

of the

_chapters."

We are indebted to Mr. A.

Frank,

of the

Institute,

the

eminent

Hebraist,

for an

explanation

of this curious pass-age of the Jewish Cabala. It will be seen that he confirms the

_opinion

that _we have

_just

expressed,

that an accurate

interpretation

of the beliefs of the sacerdotal castes and of

the

_initiated,

is not to be found in the works the multitude were allowed to see.

"

Evidently

this cannot refer to the text of

Genesis,

or

that of

_Ezekiel,

where the

_prophet

describes the vision

he saw _upon the banks of the Chebar."

" _{The whole}

_Scriptures,

so to

speak,

were in every

body's

mouth. From time

_immemorial,

the most

scrupulous

ob-OCCULT SCIENCE IN INDIA. 15

servers of tradition had deemed it their

duty

to _go

througli

it,

at least once a _year, in the

temple.

Moses himself is

constantly

recommending

the

_study

of the

_law,

_by

which

he

_always

means the Pentateuch.

Esdras,

after the return

from the

_Babylonish

_captivity,

read it aloud before the assembled

_people.

The

_prohibition,

which we have

just

quoted,

cannot

_possibly

refer to the

_history

of the creation

or to Ezekiel's

vision,

which _any one

might

seek to ex-plain

himself,

or to

interpret

to others. It refers to an

interpretation,

or rather to a

known,

secretly

taught

doc-trine

" to a

science,

whose

forms,

as well as

principles,

were

fixed,

since we know how it was divided and that it was

separated

into

_chapters,

each of which _was

_preceded

_by

_a

heading.

Now,

it is to be noted that Ezekiel's vision

is

_totally

unlike this _; it contains a

single

chapter

and not

several " the first one in the works attributed to that

prophet."

"We _see also that this secret doctrine contains two

_parts,

which are not considered

equally important,

for one could be

_taught

to two _persons, while the whole of the other could never be

divulged

to _any one _person, even in case of

compliance

with the

_severity

of the

_required

conditions. If we are to believe

Maimonides,

who was a

_stranger

to

the

_Cabala,

_though

he could not

_deny

its

_existence,

the first

_half,

entitled The

_{History of}

the Genesis or

Creation,

taught

the science of nature. The

_second,

entitled Mercaba

or the

history

of the

chariot,

contained a treatise on the-ology.

This is the

_accepted

_opinion

of all Cabalists.

Here is another fact which shows the _same

_thing,

not

less

_{conclusively.}

" _{The Kabbi}

Jochanan

_said,

one

day,

to the Rabbi Eli-ezer: 'Let me teach _you the Mercaba.' The latter an-swered

him _: ' _I

am not old

enough

for that.' When he

had _grown

_old,

the Rabbi Jochanan

_died,

and after _a while the Rabbi Assi _came in his turn : ' Let me teach _you the

Mercaba,'

said he

worthy,

I would

_already

have learned it from the Rabbi

Jochanan,

_your master.' "

This shows

_that,

in order to be initiated into the mys' terious science of the

_Mercaba,

an eminent

position

and

exalted intellect were not all that were

required.

The candidate must also have reached a certain _age, and even

when that

_condition,

which is also observed

_by

modern

Cabalists,

had been

_complied

_with,

he did not

_always

feel _sure of

_possessing

intellect or moral

strength enough

to assume the burden of the fearful

_secrets,

which

might

endanger

his

_religious

convictions and the material observ-ances of the law.

Here is _a curious

_example,

taken from the Talmud it-self,

in

_allegorical

_terms,

of which it afterward

_gives

_an

explanation.

According

to the

_teachings

of the

_masters,

there _were four who entered into the

_garden

of

_delights,

and their names are as follows : Ben

Asai,

Ben

Zoma,

Acher,

and Rabbi Akiba.

Ben Asai was

over-inquisitive

and lost his life. We

may

apply

to him this verse of

Scripture

: What a _pre-cious

thing

in the _eyes of the Lord is the death of his saints.

Ben Zoma also

_looked,

but he lost his _reason. His fate

justifies

the

_{sage's parable}

_: Did

you find

honey

? eat

enough

to suffice_you, for fear that if _you take too much your stomach may

reject

it.

Acher committed _ravages

among the

plants.

Lastly,

Akiba entered

_quietly

and _came out

_quietly

_;

for the

_saint,

whose _name be

_blessed,

had said : "

Spare

this old man ! he is

worthy

to serve with

glory."

It is

_{hardly possible}

to construe this _passage

literally,

or

to _suppose that it refers to a material vision of the

splen-

dors

of another

_life,

for there is no

example

in the Talmud

of the use of the _very

mystical

language

here

employed

"

that the belief existed. But

_they

made it the

_subject

of

an

initiation,

and these terrible secrets were

only taught

by

word of mouth in the

_mysterious

_recesses of the tem-ples.

It was not the

study

of God or the world which drove

weak intellects into

_madness,

as mentioned in that _passage

of the Talmud before

_spoken

_of,

but rather the cabalistic

practice

of evocation in the

supreme initiation.

"

Whoever,"

_says the

_Talmud,

" _{has learned this}

secret

and

_keeps

it

_vigilantly,

in a _pure

heart,

_may reckon _upon

the love of God and the favor of men _; his name

inspires

respect

; his science is in no

danger

of

being

forgotten,

and

he is the heir of two worlds" that we live

in,

and the world

to come."

How can we know the secrets of the world to _come, ex-cept

by communicating

with those who live there

_already.

We shall see that the Zohar of the

Cabalists,

and the

Agrouchada-parihchai

of the

_Hindus,

_profess

the same ideas as to the

primordial

_germ or

God,

the world and the

soul. We

incline,

therefore,

to the belief that we are cor-rect

in

_thinking

that the

_{practisesopenly taught by}

the

Hindus,

were also

taught,

so to

speak, by

word of

mouth,

by

the ancient Thana'ims of Judaism.

We find Indian

_pagodas,

_indeed,

where the fourth

_part

of the

_Agrouchada

is

_separated

from the three

_others,

and

forms,

so to

speak,

a book

by

itself,

which would lead to

the

_supposition

that it was revealed last and

only

to a small

number of

_adepts.

We _may add that the Cabalists of Judea and the votaries

of the Pitris in

_India,

used the same

expression

to

desig-

nate

the

_adepts

of the occult sciences :

"He has entered the

_{garden of delights."}

No doctrinal work _upon these matters has come down

to us from the

Egyptians

or the ancient

Chaldeans,

but the

fragmentary

inscriptions

we do _possess show that a

higher

OCCULT SCIENCE IN INDIA. 19

mysterious name, the supreme name, which was known

only to "a, was never to be uttered.

Thus, there is no doubt that the initiation in ancient times did not consist of _{a knowledge} of the _{great religious} works of the

age, such as the Yedas, the Zend-Avesta, the

Bible, etc., which everybody studied, but rather of the

admission of _a small number of _priests and savants to _an

occult science, which had its _genesis, its theology, its _phil-osophy,

and its peculiar practices, which it _was forbidden

to reveal to the _vulgar herd.

India has _preserved all the _manuscript treasures of its

primitive civilization. The initiated have

never abandoned

any of their old beliefs or practices.

It is, therefore, in

our _power to lift the veil completely

from the Brahminic initiations.

After _comparing the _{philosophical} doctrines of the _adepts

of the Pitris with those of the Jewish Cabalists, we shall

go on to show the relations or connection between the

initiated of other nations and the initiated of the Hindu

THE BRAHMINS.

Before _{touching upon} the main _point of _our

_subject,

it

may not be amiss to say a few words about the Brahmins.

We do not _propose, however, to raise the _question of their real _origin, which has been the _subject of _so much scientific

controversy. According to _some, who have certain ethno-logical

theories of their own to support, they came from

the sterile and desolate _plains, which extend from the

eastern shore of the

Caspian

Sea to the banks of the Oxus. According to others, who

agree with the sacred books and

pundits of India

upon that point, they originated in the

country

comprised

between the

Ganges

and the Indus on

the _one side and the _Godavery and the Kristnah on the

other. With _regard to the former _hypothesis we have

said elsewhere,1 " _Such

a theory seems

singular,

to _say the

least, when it is known that this _country, which is held

out to us as the cradle of the ancient Hindu race, does not

possess a ruin, a tradition, a trace, which can furnish an

ethnological foundation for such _{an opinion.} This _land, which is said to have

_produced

the most astonishing civil-ization

of ancient _times, has not a monument or tradition

of

any sort to show for itself. It would be quite as

logical,

indeed, to make the _Aryans or Brahmins

originate

in the

_sandy

deserts of Sahara."

******

According

to the second

_theory,

the Brahmins _came

1 _{The Genesis}

OCCULT SCIENCE IN INDIA. 21

originally

from the

_plains

of Central Hindustan. This

opinion

has historic and

_geographical

truth in its

_favor,

as

well as the

authority

of all the learned

pundits

and of

Maim,

whose celebrated words are well known :

"

Courouckchetra,

Matsya,

and the land of

_Boutchala,

which is also called

_Cauya-Cobja

_(the

Mountain of the

Virgin),

and

_Souraswaca,

also called

_Mathoura,

form the

country

adjacent

to that of

_Brahmavarta,

the

_country

_of

virtuous _{men, or,} in other

_words,

of the Brahmins."

These countries are included in the

quadrilateral

formed

by

the four rivers

_just

named. We shall not dwell _upon

this

_point

further, however,

as it is not our intention to

discuss

_ethnological

_problems

in the

_present

_work,

but rather to set forth and elucidate

_{religiousconceptions.}

Manu,

the

_legislator,

who _sprang from the

_Temples

of

India,

attributes to the Brahmins a Divine orio-in.

*

For the

_propagation

of the human _race, from his

_mouth,

from his _arm,, from his

_thighs

from his

_foot,

the

_Sovereign

Master

_produced

the

_Brahmin,

_priest

" the

Xchatrya,

king

" the

Vaysia,

merchant " the

Soudra,

slave.

*

By

his

_origin,

which he derives from the most noble

member,

because he was the

first-born,

because he _pos-sesses

the

_Holy

_Scriptures,

the Brahmin

_is,

_by

_right,

the Lord of all creation.

Everything

that the world contains is the Brahmin's

property

;

by

his

primogeniture

and his eminent

birth,

he

is entitled to

_everything

that exists.

*

* *

The Brahmin eats

_nothing

that does not

_belong

to

_him,

no alms from tlie

property

of others that does not also

belong

to him. It is

_through

the Brahmin's

_generosity

that other men

enjoy

the

goods

of this world.

(Mami,

book

_i.)

This is the

_original

source of the doctrine of divine

right.

For several thousand _years the Brahmins

_(priests)

ruled over India without

dispute.

The

kings,

or, as we

might

rather _say, the

chiefs,

were

only

their

_agents.

The mass of the

_people,

like a flock of

sheep,

maintained the _upper

classes in

_luxury

and idleness

_by

their labor.

In the

_temples,

which were vast sacerdotal storehouses

filled with the treasures accumulated

_by

the toil of the

laboring

classes,

the

_{priestsappeared}

before the _eyes of the

assembled

multitude,

clad in _gorgeous vestments. Kneel-ing before idols of

_wood,

_granite,

or

bronze,

of their own

contrivance,

they

set _an

_example

of the most absurd

super-stitution. Their

_principal

motive in the

_performance

of their

_religious

duties was the maintenance of their tem-poral

supremacy, and when the sacrifices were over, the

Yaysia

and Soudra returned to their

_tasks,

the chiefs

to their

_pleasures,

and the

priests

to their

_mysterious

abodes,

where

_they

_engaged

in the

_study

of the sciences

and of the

_highest

_{philosophical}

and

_religious

_specula-

_tions.

The hour came when the

Xchatrias,

or

kings,

made use of the

_people

to throw off the theocratic

_yoke,

but when

they

had

_conquered

the

_priests,

and assumed the title of

Lords

_of

Creation,

they

abandoned their late

_allies,

and said to the Brahmins :

" _{Preach to the}

people

the doctrine that _{we are} the elect of

God,

and _we will

_give

_you all the wealth and

_privileges

you desire."

That was the basis of then*

agreement,

and for

twenty

thousand

years and more the

Soudra,

the servum _pecus, the

_people,

have never been able to break it_up.

OCCULT SCIENCE IN INDIA. 23

all their _power to

_keep

the multitude in

_ignorance

and

subserviency.

Mistrustful lest _some members of their order

more ambitious than the rest

might,

one

day

or

other,

seek

to further their own ends

by stirring

_up the lower classes

to

_revolt,

they

placed

the secret of their

_religious

_belief,

of their

_principles,

of their

sciences,

under the shield of

an

initiatory

_ceremony, to the

highest

grade

of which

those

_only

were admitted who had

completed

a novitiate of

forty

years of

passive

obedience.

There were three

degrees

of initiation.

The first included all the Brahmins of the

_popular

_cult,

or those who officiated at the

pagodas,

whose business it was to work _upon the

credulity

of the multitude.

They

were

taught

to comment _upon the three firstbooks of the

Vedas,

to direct the

_{religiousceremonies,}

and to

_perform

sacrifices. The Brahmins of the first

_degree

_were in con-stant

communication with the

_people.

_They

_were its im-mediate

directors,

its _gurus.

The second

degree

included the

_exorcists,

the

_soothsayers,

the

_prophets,

and the evocators

_{of spirits,}

whose business it _was, in times of

_difficulty,

to act _upon the

_imagination

of the _masses,

_through

_supernatural

_phenomena.

_They

read and commented _upon the

_{Atharva-Veda,}

which was a collection of

magical conjurations.

In the third

_degree

the Brahmins had no direct relations

with the

_populace,

the

_study

of all the

_physical

and _{super-natural}

forces of the universe

_being

their

_{only occupation.}

They

never

appeared

outside

_except

through

awe-inspiring

phenomena,

which

_spectators

were not allowed to scru-tinize

too

_{closely. According}

to the celebrated Sanscrit

sorits,

the

_gods

and

_spirits

_were at their

_disposition

:

Devadinam

_djagat

sarvam. Mantradinam ta devata. Tan mantram brahmanadinam.

Everything

that exists is in the

power of the

gods.

The

_gods

are in the _power of

magical

conjurations.

Magical conjurations

are in the _power of the Brahmins.

Therefore,

the

_gods

are in the _power of the Brahmins.

* *

It was

impossible

to arrive at the

highest degree

without

having

passed

through

the first _two, where a _process of

weeding,

as it _were, was

constantly going

_on,

having

re-gard

to the

ability

and

intelligence

of the candidates.

It would have been

_impossible

to conceive of a more

effective instrument of social

_{conservatism,}

and our modern

doctrinaires _may well

_regard

it with a

jealous

_eye.

Those who were too

intelligent,

or who were not suffi-ciently

amenable to

_discipline,

_owing

to their

_{inflexibility}

of

_character,

were soon lost amid the crowd of

bigots

and

fanatics of the first

_degree,

who were as submissive and

free from ambition as could

possibly

be desired. The

lower

clergy,

if we _may be allowed to use the

expression,

were not much above the level of the rest of the Hindu

people,

whose

_{superstitions}

_they

_shared,

and whom

_they

taught,

perhaps,

honestly.

Absorbed in the

_ordinary

ob-servances

of

_{religiousworship,}

that

_independence

of mind

which

_{usuallyaccompanies knowledge}

was not to be _appre-hended

from them. It was not until

twenty

_years had

elapsed

that

_promotion

was

possible

from the first to the

second

_degree,

where the veil of the occult sciences first

began

to be

_uplifted,

and the _same

_period

of time _was

necessary in order to surmount the

mysterious

barriers of the third

_degree.

That class of initiates studied the

Agrouchada-Parikchai,

or the Book of

Spirits.

Above this last

_degree

of initiation was the

Supreme

Council,

under the

_presidency

of the

_Brahmatma,

or su-preme

chief of all those who had been initiated.

Only

a Brahmin who had

passed

his

eightieth

_year

low before

_Mongol

and

_European

invasion _; when

every

pagoda

has its Brahmatma _; this unknown word has been

revealed to no human _power, and has been

kept

a _pro-found

secret. It was

engraved

in a

golden

triangle

and

carefully kept

in a sanctuary of the

Temple

of

Asgartha,

of which the Brahmatma alone had the

_keys.

For this

reason,

also,

he wore, upon his

tiara,

two crossed

keys

up-held

by

two

kneeling

Brahmins,

as a

sign

of the

precious

deposit

which had been entrusted to his care.

This word and

_triangle

were also

engraved

upon the

gem of the

ring,

which this

religious

chief wore as a

sign

of

his

_dignity.

It _was also set in a

golden

_sun, which stood

upon the altar upon which the supreme

pontiff

offered

every

morning

the sacrifice of the

Sarvameda,

or

sacrifice

to all the forces of nature.

At the death of the

_Brahmatma,

his

_body

was burned

upon a

golden

tripod

and his ashes

secretly

thrown into

the

_Ganges.

If,

in

_spite

of

every

precaution,

a

report

of

his death _was bruited

abroad,

the

_priests

adroitly

spread

abroad the rumor that the supreme chief had ascended for

a time to

Swarga

(heaven)

in the smoke of the

sacrifice,

but would soon return to the earth.

Numerous revolutions have so

thoroughly

disturbed the

social and

_religious

condition of

_India,

that Brahminism

no

longer

_{possesses any} supreme chief. Each

pagoda

has

its three

_degrees

of

_initiation,

and its own

private

Brah-matma.

The chiefs of these

_temples

are often at _open

hostility

with each other.

_However,

this does not seem

to have affected their

_{religious belief,}

as yet, and we shall

see, as we

study

the methods in use in the three different

classes of

_initiation,

that the Hindu Brahmins still

_cling

CHAPTEE III.

THE BRAHMIN " FROM HIS BIRTH TO HIS NOVITIATE "

THE CEREMONY OF THE DJITA CARMA.

When _a Brahmin's wife has _given birth to a _son, her

husband is careful to note _upon his tablets the _hour, the

day,

the

year, and the

epoch,

of the occurrence,

together

with the stars under whose _auspices the child has _just been

born.

He carries this information to the astronomer of the

pagoda, who casts the

_horoscope

of the new-born child. Nine

_days

thereafter _a stand is erected and decorated with flowers and

_foliage,

upon which the mother takes her seat,

with the _boy in her _arms.

An

_officiating

_{Pourohita, or} Brahmin _belonging to the

first class of _initiation, then _performs the _{poudja, or} sacri-fice to Vischnou, in front of the stand. He

pours a little

lustral water

upon the child's head, and into the hollow of the hands of the father and _mother, who drink _it,and then he _sprinkles all those _present with the

same liquid.

The father then _{brings a} dish of _{earthenware, bronze,}

or silver, according to his _{means, upon} which is a little

betel, and a present for the Pourohita.

By

this

ceremony the child is

purified

from all the uncleanness attached to his birth.

From this _time, the _mother, who since her _confinement, has _stayed in _{a separate}

room, is obliged to live ten days

longer by herself in _a retired _place, at the end of which time she is allowed to _go to the _temple, to purify herself from her uncleanness.

It is unnecessary to call attention to the fact that _a simi-lar

custom in such cases

prevailed

among the Jews.

The

_Ceremony

_of

the Nahma- Carma.

Twelve

_days

afterward the _ceremony of the

_giving

of

the _name, or of the

Nahma-Carma,

as it was

called,

took

place.

The house was decorated as if for a

festival,

and all the relatives and friends of the Brahmin caste alone were in-vited.

The

_father,

after

_performing

an oblation to the fire and

the nine

_principal

divinities which rule the

_planets,

trans-cribed

with a brush _upon a wooden tablet the

horoscope

of

his _son, which was cast at the

pagoda,

with the name that

he

_proposed

to

_give

him.

He then uttered three times in a loud voice the name

which he had

_just

_written,

which all

_present

_repeated

after him. He closed with the

_following

words :

" _{Blessed be the}

name of Brahma. This is my son

and his name is

Narayana

[or

any other

name].

Listen

attentively

in order that _{you may} remember it."

He then went out of the house at the head of a _proces-sion

consisting

of all his

_guests,

and

_planted

in his

_garden,

or in front of the

dwelling,

a cocoanut,

tamarind,

or

palm

tree,

according

to the section of

_country

where he re-sided,

saying:

" _{In the}

name of the

powerful

and

just

Brahma,

all you who are here

present,

bear this in mind. This tree is

planted

on

ISarayana's

name-day,

in the

thirty-fifth

year of the fifth lunar

_century

of the third divine

_epoch"

_(or

_any

given date).

This,

as the reader will

understand,

is

given

merely

as

a matter of form.

OCCULT SCIENCE IN INDIA. 29

which all

_present

_partake.

Previous to their

_departure,

the father

_presents

to each a _cup of cedar- or

sandal-wood,

upon which is

engraved

the

horoscope,

or more

generally

the _monogram of the child.

The

_object

of this

_present

is to furnish

_evidence,

in case

any

dispute

should thereafter arise as to the

legitimacy

of

the child's birth. When summoned as witnesses before

the caste

_tribunal,

the

_guests

_appear with their _cups in

their

hands,

and

_testify

as follows :

" _{In the}

name of the

powerful

and

just

Brahma _; the

words which

_proceed

from _my mouth _are

_strictly

true.

This _cup was

given

to me

by

Covinda,

on

Narayana's

name-day,

in the

_thirty-fifth

_year of the fifth lunar cen-tury

of the third divine

_epoch.

There can be no doubt

that

_Narayana

is the son of Covinda.""

The

_Pourohita,

or Brahmin who is

present

at the cere-mony,

then offers a sacrifice to the

Pitris,

or ancestral

spirits,

and asks them to

_protect

the new-born child.

The father then distributes betel _among the

_guests

and

makes a

present

to the

officiating

priest

according

to his means.

The

_Ceremony

_of

Anna-Prassana.

"When the child is in the seventh month of his _age, rice

is

_given

him to eat for the first time. This festival is

called the Anna-Prassana.

As in the case of the other ceremonies the father invites

all his relative? and friends and sends to the

_pagoda

for a

Brahmin to officiate. After a

general

bath in the tank of

ablutions,

upon which the Pourohita has scattered a few

drops

of lustral _water, all the

_guests

take their seats _upon

a stand decorated with branches of fruit-trees in full bear-ing,

and the

_priest

offers a sacrifice to the lunar

spirits

that

_protect

the

_family.

perform

the _ceremony of

_aratty

(which

has the

_property

of

_driving

_away evil

_spirits)

above the child's head for the

firsttime.

The

_priest

then blesses the Brahminical

_girdle

which is a

sign of his caste, and which is bound around the child's loins for the first time. A little boiled rice is then

_put

in his

_mouth,

and

_everybody

sits down to the

_repast.

The _ceremony terminates with the distribution of betel

and a

present

to the

officiating

priest.

The

_Ceremony

_of

the Tchaoula.

"When a child reaches the _age of three years, the cere-mony

of the

_Tchaoula,

or the

Tonsure,

is

performed.

This festival is much more solemn than the

preceding,

for the

_child,

who is

_present,

is able for the first time to

murmur the name of the

divinity,

as well as the names of

the

_{protecting spirits}

of his home and

family.

After

_bathing

and

_decorating

the child with a necklace

and bracelets of

_mingled

coral and sandal-wood

_beads,

he

is led beneath a

pandal,

which is a sort of dais formed of

trees

procured

for that _purpose and of flowers of every

description.

He is surrounded

_by

his relatives and

_guests

and the

priest

offers an oblation to all the

Pitris,

or

family

and

ancestral

shades,

in both

_branches,

on the father's and

mother's side.

The statue of

Siva-Lingam,

the

image

of

perpetual

fruitf

_ulness,

is

_brought

in covered with flowers and fruits.

At this

_point

of the office the barber commences. After

prostrating

himself in the

presence of the

god,

in the midst of female

_singing,

_accompanied

by

the musicians from the

pagoda,

he

_proceeds

to shave the child's

head,

leaving

a small lock of hair on the back

part,

which is never cut.

During

this

_operation

the child's female relatives _per-form

OCCULT SCIENCE IN INDIA. 31

to drive

away evil spirits, and everybody preserves a re-ligious

silence.

Having finished his duties, the barber retires with his

pay, which consists of a certain quantity of rice, and the priest cleanses the child from

any impurity which he may

have derived from unclean contact with the barber.

The child's toilet is then made

anew, and after a fresh

bath in the sacred tank of ablutions, in order to

pro-pitiate

all the _spirits and _genii of the plants to which that

day is consecrated the

ceremony closes as before with a repast and _presents.

Until the

age of nine years the Brahmin remains in the hands of the women until the term for commencing

THE BRAHMIN " FROM HIS

NOVITIATE TO HIS RECEPTION INTO

THE FIRST DEGREE OF HIS INITIATION.

The Ceremony

of

Oupanayana.

[Taken from the Nitia-Carma, the first _part of the

Agrouchada-Parikchai,

or book of the occult sciences of

the _Brahmins.]

The word

_Oupanayana

signifies

introduction to the

study of the sciences. We _give this _passage of the Agrou-chada in the form of

verses, as it was written :

It is now time for the virtuous father, who possesses a son over whose head has rolled three times three years,

the _figure of the _tutelary

_spirits,

to

perform

the _ceremony

of the _Oupanayana.

*

* *

He should _procure vessels of _{gold, silver,} bronze, or

earthenware, according to his _means, which are to be

distributed to the Brahmins after the repast.

*

* *

He should _lay in _an abundant _supply of _{rice, seeds,}

fruit, oil, butter, sugar, vegetables, and milk, for he has

not only to entertain his _guests, but the larger part should

be offered _{as an} oblation to the Pitris, or set apart for the

poor and

orphans.

*

* *

mony is to be

held,

should

perform

the usual

purifications

in the sacred tank of the

_pagoda.

When the

_parents

and friends are all assembled the

Pourohita should be introduced with all due marks of re-spect.

He should

_bring

with him a

girdle

and the skin of a

gazelle.

A

gazelle's

skin is

always

pure, and he who sits thereon does not contract _any uncleanness.

*

"

*

The Pourohita should then

_perform

the

_san-colpa,

or

preparation

of the

_soul,

in which he is absorbed in the

contemplation

of

_Yischnou,

who is

_represented

as the au-thor

and _preserver of the universe.

He should

_regard

him as a distributor of _every

favor,

and as one who crowns with success all our

enterprises.

With this view he should _pronounce his name three times

and offer him adoration.

* *

He should then

contemplate

the infinite

_perfection

of Brahma. He should

_ponder

over the three

triads,1

which have _sprung from

_him,

and have created the

_eight

mil-lion

four hundred thousand kinds of

_living

_creatures,

at

the head of which is man.

*

He should then

_ponder

over the existence of the uni-verse,

which is to last a hundred _years of the

gods,5

which are divided into four

periods,

of which the

first,

second,

and half of the third have

_{already elapsed.}

He should then

_perform

an oblation to the universe.

1 _{Nara-Narl-Viradj %* Ayni-Voya-Sourya} *

Brahma * _{Vischnou-Siva.}

8 _Each

year of the gods is equal to several thousands of the lunar

OCCULT SCIENCE IN INDIA. 35

He should think of the different incarnations of

Yisch-nou, and of that of the boar under whose form the

god

vanquished

the

_giant

Hirannia.

* *

He should

_prostrate

himself before the fourteen cate-gories

of celestial

_(Pitris)

and inferior

_spiritsby

which the universe is filled.

*

He should

_perform

an oblation to the _pure fluid which

is called

_Agasa,

and which is the _essence of life.

* *

He should

pronounce the

mysterious

monosyllable

which was to be

kept

from the

knowledge

of the

multitude,

by

merely moving

his

_lips.

He should offer sacrifice to

_{Swayambhouva,}

the self-ex-istent

being.

*

He should evoke the

_spirits

of his ancestors and ask them to be

_present

at the _ceremony.

*

* *

He should drive _away all evil

_spirits

whose

presence

might

otherwise disturb the sacrifices.

*

He should

_propitiate

the

_{superior spirit}

_Poulear,

who

presides

over obstacles and

brings enterprises

to a success-ful

issue.

*

All the

_guests

should

_{repair again}

to the sacred tank

of

_ablution,

where

_{they purify}

themselves

_according

to their method

_prescribed.

Upon

their return the

_{Brahmatchary,}

or

neophyte,

should take his

_place

beneath the

_pandal

of

_flowers,

and all the married _women

_present

should chant consecrated

psalms

and at the same time anoint his limbs with _per-fumed

oil and saffron and rub his

_eyelids

with

_antimony.

*

When his toilet is finished the father and mother of the

neophyte

should take their

_{place by}

his side beneath the

pandal,

and the women should

perform

_upon their heads

the _ceremony of the

_aratty,

in order to remove evil omens.

* *

The

_Poudja,

or

sacrifice,

is then offered to all the tute-lary

spirits

of the

_family,

as well as the

firstlings

of all the dishes

_prepared

for the

_repast.

*

* *

All the _men and women should then sit down on

cocoa-nut leaves covered with lotus

_leaves,

and should turn their

backs so that

they

_may not see each other eat. #

* *

Rice,

clarified

_{butter, oil,}

_sugar,

fruits,

and

_vegetables

are then

brought

in for the

feast,

and at the close of the

repast

the father distributes betel and

gives

a

present

to

the

_Pourohita,

after which

_everybody

retires.

*

* *

Such _was the first

_day

of the

_Oupanayana.

* #

The next

_day

was called

Mouhourta,

or the

_great

day,

for it was that on which the

neophyte

was to be invested

with the

_girdle.

*

OCCULT SCIENCE IN INDIA. 37

pandal,

between his father and

_mother,

and all three should turn their faces toward the East.

* *

The

_Brahmatchary

should have his loins

_girt

around

with _new linen of _pure

_material,

and the women should

gently

rub his chest and arms with the

powdered

saffron

and sandal-wood

mingled,

and should

_sing

consecrated

psalms.

* *

The Pourohita should then advance with _a silver fur-nace

filled with

_burning

coals: he should

_perform

the sacrifice to the

_spirits,

_by

evoking

them around the

_fire,

and should throw incense and

_powdered

sandal-wood

upon the

fire,

to

_gratify

their sense of smell.

*

This fire should be

_{carefullykept}

until the end of the festival

_Oupanayana,

for if it should

_happen

to be extin-guished,

great

harm

might

ensue, and the familiar

spirits

might desert the house.

*"*

* *

The

_preservation

of this fire should be

_given

in

_charge

to nine Brahmins and their wives.

*

All the married women who

happen

to be _among the

guests

should go in

great

pomp to the consecrated

tank,

preceded

by

musical

_instruments,

and

_bearing

_{a copper}

vessel,

which

_they

are to fill with water.

*

* *

Upon

their return to the house

_they

should cover the mouth of the vessel with _mango

_leaves,

and

_hang

above it a branch of a banana tree,

freshly

cut, with all its fruits.

They

should all then _go

_together

to the

_neighboring

forest, where,

having

found a nest of white ants,

they

should fill ten earthen

_pots

with earth beaten and sifted

by

these animals.

Returning

then to the other

_guests,

they

should

plant

in these

_pots

ten different kinds of

seeds,

which

they

should

_sprinkle

with water taken from the sacred tank.

*

* *

"When this has been

done,

the Pourohita should

_bring

all the

_pots

_together

and stretch over them a fine cloth _;

he should recite the invocation to the

tutelaryspirits

and

ask them to manifest their _power

by auspicious

omens.

*

Imposing

his hands above the

_cloth,

he should then _pro-nounce

in a low

voice,

unheard

by

those

present,

the fol-lowing

magic

words :

Agnim-Pa-Pdtra.

Parydya.

Paroxa.

These _are Sanscrit

_words,

_signifying

:

Agnim

" sacred

fire,

Pa "

holy

water,

Pdtr a "

purified

vessel,

Parydya

"

magic vegetation,

Paroxa " invisible.

The Pourohita should utter these words nine times

nine times. The

_{tutelaryspirits}

will then manifest them-selves and the cloth is

_gradually

raised

_during

the continu-ance

of the invocation.

*

The Pourohita should then remove the

cloth,

and he

OCCULT SCIENCE IN INDIA. 39

in the ten

_pots,

and ten shrubs have

grown as

high

as the

Pourohita's

_forehead,

_bearing

flowers and fruits each after its kind.

* *

The

_{Brahmatchary's}

mother should then weave a crown of flowers

_gathered

from these

_trees,

and should

_place

it upon her son's head. The Pourohita should then distrib-ute

among all of those

present

the fruits which have grown

beneath the

_cloth,

which the

_guests

should

_eat,

_repeating

the

_following

words three times :

The

_auspicious

omen has manifested itself.

The

_auspicious

_omen has manifested itself.

The

_auspicious

omen has manifested itself.

The

_Brahmatchary

then receives the

_triple

cord of the novitiate.

A _new invocation was then made to the

spirits

of the

planets

and _ancestors,

_thanking

them for their

_protection

and

_{intervention,}

and a

piece

of consecrated saffron was

attached about the _young Brahmin's neck.

*

The barber should then shave the

_neophyte's

head and

cut the nails of his feet and hands to the sound of the women's _songs,

_accompanied

_by

the musician from the

pagoda.

* *

The

young Brahmin is then

required

to take a bath in

the tank of

_ablution,

in order to remove _any

impurity

which he _may have contracted

_{by being}

in contact with

the

_barber,

who is

_unclean,

and the women attire him in new and _pure linen

garments.

*

* *

The Pourohita then advances to his side

_and,

_by

the im-position

for the

_study

of the

sciences,

which will _{now occupy every}

moment of his time. He should then

_gird

about his waist a

triplegirdle,

woven from the sacred grass of the Darba.

* *

Reciting

the

_conjurations

of the neck and

_bosom,

the

Pourohita then decorates the

_neophyte

with the

_triple

girdle

of the Brahminic

_initiation,

and consecrates him

Brahmatchary

or candidate for initiation.

*

* *

At this time a

Guru,

or master of the sacred

science,

is

chosen for the _young

_{Brahmatchary.}

He must be more

than

_sixty

_years old.

*

"

*

The Guru should take his new

pupil

aside,

and turn-ing his face toward the

_East,

he should _say to

_him,

" _{Oh !}

my son, you have now taken _your seat

by

the side of

men, may your

body

be free from all

impurity

; may your

thoughts

always

turn toward the

_good,

for Brahma will

now commence to know _you

by

_your actions.

* *

" _{Know that the shades} of

your ancestors in an aerial form will attend _you in all _your

_studies,

and will reveal to

you

hereafter,

if you are

worthy,

the

grand

secret of

being.

*

* "*

"

Always

bear in mind that what

you will now learn should never be revealed to the

vulgar

herd,

and that _you

will never arrive at the end of _your initiation if _you are

unable to hide the secret of

_things

in the

_deepest

recesses of _your heart."

* *

Having

uttered these

_words,

the Guru for the first time calls the _young

_Bramatchary,

_Douidja,

which means twice born.

by

a

Pourohita,

they

are

present

during

the whole festi-val, and

_they

almost

_exclusively

receive the

_sacrifice,

obla-tions,

and

_firstlings

of all the dishes

_prepared

for the

repast

which terminates the

mysterious

celebrations of each

_particular

_day.

Yischnou,

as well as

Brahma,

the lord of all

beings,

and the master of

_gods

and _men, is

_only

evoked

_by

the Pourohita in order to _prepare himself for the _ceremony

by

the

_{contemplation}

of the

_perfections

of the creator and

preserver of the universe.

The

_Brahmatchary

continues his studies as novice until

the time of his

_marriage,

which takes

_place

about the six-teenth

or

eighteenth

_year of his _age.

During

this

period

he lives with his

_Guru,

or

director,

and _engages in the

study

of the sacred

_books,

and of the mathematical and

astronomical sciences.

He is not

_yet

admitted to the

_study

of the occult

_sciences,

whose first

_principles

he will

_{only begin}

to learn when he has reached the

_degree

of

_Grihasta,

or head of a

family,

or of

Pourohita,

or

officiating

priest.

The

_following

instructions are taken from Manu :

After the initiation of the

_{Brahmatchary,}

the Guru teaches him the

_duty

of

_purity

and

_morality,

the main-tenance

of the sacred

_fire,

and the

_morning,

_noon, and

evening sandyas,

which are a kind of _prayers.

*

* #

After

_{having performed}

the

_prescribed

_ablutions,

and before

_opening

the

_Yeda,

_turning

his face toward the

East,

the

_Brahmatchary

should _pay

_homage

to the sov-ereign

master of the universe.

*

* *

During

the

_reading

of the Yeda he should control his

senses, and stand with

clasped

hands in an attitude of

commence-OCCULT SCIENCE IN INDIA. 43

ment and close of the

reading,

he should kiss the feet of

his

_director,

and not commence nor

_stop

until he hears the

Guru tell him to

_begin

his studies or to desist.

Always,

at the commencement or end of his

reading,

he should _pronounce the sacred

_{monosyllable,}

_A,

_{U, M,}

which contains the

_mystery

of the

_Trinity.

That will make him remember what he has

_learned,

otherwise it will vanish like letters traced _upon the waters.

He should _pronounce this

_mysterious

_{monosyllable,}

which is _an invocation to the Trimourti and which _ex-presses

the substance of the

_Yeda,

_according

to Brahma

himself,

with face turned toward the East _; he should be

free from all

_impurity,

should hold his

_breath,

and have in his hands a stalk of sacred cousa _grass.

The

_Brahmatchary

should never cause the

slighest

trouble to the Guru who has undertaken to educate him and to instruct him in the

_knowledge

of the sacred

_scrip-

_tures.

He should venerate him like a father and mother.

It nowhere _appears in the

_{Agrouchada-Parikchai}

that it is lawful for the

Brahmatchary

to make use of the invo-cation

of the

_mysterious

_{monosyllable,}

A,

U, M,

as he is

allowed to do

_by

_Manu,

but the ancient

_legislator

uses

the word here in its

_vulgar

_sense, in which it

_represents

the

_religious

triad _; as for the

mystical signification

of the

three

_letters,

he forbids its

_explanation,

like the book of the Pitris.

The

_{primitive holy}

_syllable,

_composed

of the three let-ters,

in which the vedic

_trinity

is

_comprised,

should be

We shall not describe in the _present work the

Brahmat-chary's marriage _ceremony nor his funeral, in case of his

death before his novitiate is _completed. The restricted

limits of a single volume will not allow us to dwell _upon

these matters _except at the

expense of the more interesting parts of our subject.

The real practice of the occult sciences did not com-mence

until the second _or third _degree of initiation. It

is _{mainly important} that _we should make ourselves _ac-quainted

with these, the novitiate and the first class of ini-tiation

being only preparatory to the _higher degrees.

Suffice it to

say that the evocation of the ancestral shades of the Pitris always formed _{a prominent} feature,

both of the _marriage

ceremony and of the funeral rites.