DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.636#0106
94 Saivism. Saiva Ceremonies.
food follows; (19) after an hour's interval the regular supper
is served ; (20) five masks1 and a Damaru are brought in and
oblations made to them ; (21) waving of lights (arti; Sanskrit,
arati) is performed before bedtime; (22) a bedstead is brought
into the sanctuary and the god composed to sleep.
Of course the offerings are ultimately eaten by the priests
and attendants, the superfluity being sold.
This brief summary of a tedious series of ceremonies must
conclude our account of Saivism. The Bhuvanesvara cere-
monial seems to be an imitation of the forms of worship
offered to the images of Krishna. The usual Saiva services,
though certainly marked by degrading superstitious observ-
ances, have the merit of being exceedingly simple.
It is satisfactory to find that many enlightened Brahmans
in the present day are striving by their writings to expose
the absurdities of idol-offerings. In a Gujarat! work called
Agama-prakasa (p. 1622) the following sentiment occurs:
' When one remembers the greatness of the perfect God who
is Existence, Knowledge, and Bliss, how can any idea be
formed of offering food and oblations to such a Being ?'
The author of the same work in expressing his disgust at
the practices of the Aghora-panthls (mentioned at p. 87 of
this chapter) states that their number is happily decreasing3.
Yet many are still to be found who believe they are pro-
pitiating Siva not by worship, but by feeding on filth and
animal excreta of all kinds. He asserts that occasional
instances occur of fanatical members of the sect eating corpses
stolen from Muhammadan burial-grounds; and that the head
of the Aghorls near Siddhapur subsists on scorpions, lizards, and
loathsome insects left to putrefy in a dead-man's skull (p. 7).
1 Intended, I presume, to represent Siva's five faces (p. 79), which may
possibly be connected with the five elements; as to the Damaru, see p. 8r.
a Given to me by Rao Bahadur Gopal Hari Deshmukh at Ahmedabad
and written by himself.
3 In the whole course of my travels I only met with one Aghorl—a
disgusting creature who accosted me at Benares.
food follows; (19) after an hour's interval the regular supper
is served ; (20) five masks1 and a Damaru are brought in and
oblations made to them ; (21) waving of lights (arti; Sanskrit,
arati) is performed before bedtime; (22) a bedstead is brought
into the sanctuary and the god composed to sleep.
Of course the offerings are ultimately eaten by the priests
and attendants, the superfluity being sold.
This brief summary of a tedious series of ceremonies must
conclude our account of Saivism. The Bhuvanesvara cere-
monial seems to be an imitation of the forms of worship
offered to the images of Krishna. The usual Saiva services,
though certainly marked by degrading superstitious observ-
ances, have the merit of being exceedingly simple.
It is satisfactory to find that many enlightened Brahmans
in the present day are striving by their writings to expose
the absurdities of idol-offerings. In a Gujarat! work called
Agama-prakasa (p. 1622) the following sentiment occurs:
' When one remembers the greatness of the perfect God who
is Existence, Knowledge, and Bliss, how can any idea be
formed of offering food and oblations to such a Being ?'
The author of the same work in expressing his disgust at
the practices of the Aghora-panthls (mentioned at p. 87 of
this chapter) states that their number is happily decreasing3.
Yet many are still to be found who believe they are pro-
pitiating Siva not by worship, but by feeding on filth and
animal excreta of all kinds. He asserts that occasional
instances occur of fanatical members of the sect eating corpses
stolen from Muhammadan burial-grounds; and that the head
of the Aghorls near Siddhapur subsists on scorpions, lizards, and
loathsome insects left to putrefy in a dead-man's skull (p. 7).
1 Intended, I presume, to represent Siva's five faces (p. 79), which may
possibly be connected with the five elements; as to the Damaru, see p. 8r.
a Given to me by Rao Bahadur Gopal Hari Deshmukh at Ahmedabad
and written by himself.
3 In the whole course of my travels I only met with one Aghorl—a
disgusting creature who accosted me at Benares.