missing Ugnee; or, in other words, he quenches the fire by pouring curds upon it. This sacrifice is supposed to be effectual to all spiritual purposes, but it does not restore the dundee to his rank among the same class of mendicants.

Sacrifice at the birth of a Son.-A father, on first visiting his son, is commanded to take a piece of gold in his hand; and with fire produced by rubbing two pieces of wood together, to offer a sacrifice to Brumha, and then anoint the forehead of the child with the clarified butter left on the fingers at the close of the sacrifice. The mother must sit near the altar, and receive the scent of the offerings, having the child in her arms. To secure the strength of the child, clarified butter and curds must be burnt, and prayers repeated. The father must also bind a string of seven or nine threads, and five blades of dōōrva grass, round the wrist of the child; and sprinkle water on its forehead with blades of kooshŭ grass. He must also present oil and betle to ten or twelve married females, and entertain them at his house. This ceremony is never performed at present.

Sacrifice after Death.-The sagniků bramhŭns, who burn the bodies of the dead with the fire kindled at their birth, are directed to make this sacrifice. First, a burnt-offering is made with clarified butter; then the corpse, being washed, is laid upon the altar, and the person officiating puts some of the clarified butter to the mouth of the deceased; after which the fire is made to surround the body, and a prayer is repeated, that all the sins collected in this body may be destroyed by this fire, and the person obtain an excellent heaven.

Sacrifice to the nine Planets.-Most of the formulas in the

preceding sacrifices are used in this. The only differences belong to the wood and food burnt, to the images of the planets, the dress of the priests, and to the fees presented at the close of the ceremony. This sacrifice is made to remove the supposed baneful influence of an evil planet. The author once witnessed this ceremony at Calcutta.

Other sacrifices.-Beside these, many other sacrifices are mentioned in the Hindoo writings; I select the names of a few.-Raju-sōōyŭ, offered by the kshůtriyŭ kings to atone for the sin of destroying men in war.-Ugnishtomů, a sacrifice to Ugnee.-Jyotishtomů, to obtain a glorious body; and Ayooshtomu, to obtain long life.-Sŭrpŭgnů, to destroy snakes.-Muha-vrůtů, to obtain the heaven of Brumha. At the close of this sacrifice, a bramhŭn and his wife are brought out, worshipped, feasted, and loaded with presents.-Poundŭrēēků, performed with the flowers of the water-lily dipped in clarified butter, in order to obtain Vishnoo's heaven.-Ŏtiratrů, performed in the last stages of the night, to the god Brůmha.-Vishwů-jatů, to obtain universal conquest.—Oindră-dŭdhee, performed with curds, made from milk taken from the cow while the calf is kept at a distance with a twig of the půlashŭ tree; the whey to be given to a horse.-Průja-yagů, performed by a king for the good of his subjects.-Ritoo-yagŭ, attended to for six years, the time being varied according to the six seasons.Survvů-důkshinů; so called because the fees to the officiating bramhuns, at the close of the sacrifice, amount to the whole property of the sacrificera.-Nŭvůshus-yshtee, a sacrifice with first fruits to obtain good harvests.

• One of the gifts proper to be presented to bramhŭns is a person's whole property! See a succeeding article, Danu. Here the fee at the close of

SECT. V.-Burnt-Offerings, (Homй b.)

THIS is a particular part of the sacrifice called yŭgnŭ, but at present it is often performed separately. The things offered are clarified butter, sesamum, flowers, boiled rice, rice boiled in milk and sweetened with honey, dōōrvu-grass, vilwŭ leaves, and the tender branches, half a span long, of the ŭshwutt'hů, the doomvěrů, the pŭlashŭ, the akŭndu, the shŭmees, and the khudirů" trees. Clarified butter alone is sufficient, but any or all of these things may be added'.

The person who wishes to perform this ceremony, provides a bramhun acquainted with the usual forms, and on the day before the service observes a fast. The next day he rises early and bathes, performing in the morning his usual worship: then coming home, he begins the ceremony in the presence of his friends, with the assistance of the bramhun whom he has chosen. First he sits down, either in the house or before the door, with his face towards the east, and makes a square altar of four cubits with clean dry sand; upon which, with a blade of kooshu-grass, he writes the proper incantation. He then takes a little straw in each hand, lights that in his left, and throws the other away. He repeats this action again, and then laying down the wisp of lighted straw on the altar, repeating incantations, lays upon

a sacrifice is a person's all! Such is the rapacity of these priests of idolatry.

b From hoo, to offer by fire.

d Ficus racimosa.

f Asclepias gigantea.

h Mimosa catechu.

c Ficus religiosa.

• Butea frondosa.

Mimosa albida.

The flesh of goats may be used in the homŭ; but it is not customary

at present.

it the wood, and worships the god Ŭgnee, (fire.) Having already provided clarified butter, and placed twigs, half a span long, by his side, he takes up one of them at a time, and, dipping it in the clarified butter, lays it on the fire, repeating a prayer. He may offer either eight twigs, twenty-eight, one hundred and eight, two hundred and eight, or three hundred and eight, and so on till he be satisfied, or till he think the gods have had clarified butter enough. At the close, he puts or pours upon the fire, plantains, the leaves of the piper betle, and sour milk. He does this, as they say, to cool the earth, which, being a goddess, is supposed to have sustained some harm by the heat of the fire. Finally, he makes presents, and entertains bramhŭns.

SECT. VI.-Bloody Sacrifices, (Bŭlee-dană1.)

THE reader will have observed, that for the burnt-sacrifices animals were slain, and offered on the altar. In these sacrifices (Bŭlee-dană) animals are slain, but the flesh is offered raw, and not burnt on the altar: this is the difference between the two sacrifices. Among the things proper for sacrifice are men, buffaloes, goats, sheep, horses, camels, deer, fish, and birds of various kinds. At present only buffaloes, goats, and sheep are offered.

When an animal (for example, a goat) is sacrificed, the following forms are used.-First, the animal is bathed either

The god Ugnee was once surfeited with clarified butter, and to relieve him Urjoonů burnt a whole forest containing medicinal plants. 1 From Bŭlee, a sacrifice, and da, to give. The shastrus include all offerings under the name bülee; but at present this term is confined to the offering of the flesh of animals.

with or in water; and then brought before the idol; when the officiating bramhun paints its horns red, and whispers an incantation in its right ear; after which, taking the right ear of the goat in his left hand, with a blade of kooshŭgrass he sprinkles the head of the animal with water, and repeats many incantations: the goat is then worshipped, and fed with the offerings; after which, it is led out, and fastened to the stake. The instrument of death is next brought, bathed, smeared with red lead during the repetition of an incantation, worshipped, and made to touch a burning lamp, that its edge may not be blunted by the power of any incantation. The officiating bramhun next puts the instrument and a flower into the hand of the slayer, (perhaps the blacksmith;) who places the flower in his hair, and prostrates himself before the idol. Then laying down the weapon, he binds his cloth firmly round his loins, and waits at the post, in the excavation of which the neck of the goat is to be placed, till the bramhun has anointed the post with red lead, and placed a saucer containing a plantain to catch the blood. The goat's neck is now fastened in the excavation of the post, with its head on one side and the body on the other. One man pulls its head by the cord round its neck, which has been smeared with red lead, and another pulls the body. The officiating bramhun sprinkles the neck with water, and divides the hair on the neck; after which he goes into the presence of the idol, and offers a cloud of incense; and then he and all present, putting their loose garment around their necks, rise, and stand before the idol with joined hands and while they remain in this attitude, the executioner, at one blow, strikes off the head. The man who holds the body

4.

m A person in the east of Bengal, who was accustomed to lay aside part of his monthly savings to purchase offerings for the annual worship