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JANUARY, 1873.)
31
CORRESPONDENCE, &c.
circumstance which constitutes the Gosains a distinct dependance on the kindness and care of others is and legitimate caste, and not merely & religious thus of the most absolute character, yet they order,
are not reduced to want, or even to distress : they The ceremony observed at the creation of a Go- are fed by the Brahmans, and the Gosains, another sain is as follows. The candidate is generally & class of devotees, but of lax principles, and not boy, but may be an adult. At the Siva-ratri fes- restricted to any one caste. The Dandis do not tival in honour of Siva), water brought from a marry, and have no houses of their own. They tank, in which an image of the god has been depo- have literally nothing they can call their own, except sited, is applied to the head of the novitiate, which a diminutive mat to lie upon, a small pillow, the is thereupon shaved. The guru, or spiritual guide, cloth they wear, a stick, and a kamandal or hermit's whispers to the disciple & mantra or sacred text. pot for holding water. The stick they use at the In honour of the event all the Gosains in the neigh- age of fifty, previously to which they are only bourhood assemble together, and give their new disciples, and are not called Dandis. member their blessing; and & sweetmeat called Not a few of this religious order are learned men, laddu, made very large, is distributed amongst them. and devote a large portion of their time to study The novitiate is now regarded as a Gosain, but he and meditation. They are great readers of the does not become a perfect one until the Vijaiya S'astras, such as the Mimansa, Nyaya, Manjuka, Hom has been performed, at which a Gosain, famous and others, and also of the Puranas. Many Brahfor religion and learning, gives him the original mans, even Pandits, or learned Brahmans, come to mantra of Siva. The ceremony generally occupies them for instruction, which they impart freely three days in Benares. On the first day the without the smallest recompense. All classes of Gosain is again shaved, leaving & tuft on the the community pay them the greatest ho top of the head called in Hindi Chundi, but in to worshipping them. They are addressed as Sanskrit, Shikha. For that day he is consider- Swami Ji, that is, master, lord, spiritual teacher. ed to be a Brahınan, and is obliged to beg at Although they are said to worship idols, yet they a few houses. On the second day he is held to be make no obeisance to them. They are singularly & Brahmachari, and wears coloured garments, and independent in all their actions, and make no salam also the janeo or sacred cord. On the third day or sign of respect to any object, human or divine, the janeo is taken from him, and the Chundi is cut
TRIDANDI. off. The mantra of S'iva is made known to him, and also the Rudri Gayatri (not the usual one daily
A species of Gosains, originally they bore a pronounced by Brahmans). He is now a full Gosain! trident as their emblem ; hence the naine which
they assume. This practice, however, has ceased or oanparast, is removed from other persons, and abandons the secular world. Henceforth he is
to be observed. They are S'aivas, or worshippers bound to observe all the tenets of the Gosains. The
of Siva, and in habits are like Gosains. The Tricomplete Gosains, who have performed the ceremony
dandis do not marry. Their bodies after death are of Vijaiya Hom, are celibates. It is customary
buried, not burnt. therefore for men not to perform it until they are forty or fifty years of age, as it involves the aban- This class, or order, is of many kinds. Some are donment of their wives and families. Gosains will prognosticators of future events; others lead about eat food in the houses of Brahmans and Rajputs animals of monstrous formation in order to excite only. At death their bodies are not burnt, but are religious wonder and curiosity; others have their either buried or thrown into the Ganges.
ears split and wear in them a kind of ear-ring for DANDI.
sacred purposes. Persons of all castes can, in these The Dandis ar neither a caste nor a tribe of
latter daye, enter the order ; but this was not the Hindus, but are an order of devotees. As they
rule originally. Jogis are not particular on the keep themselves very distinct from the rest of the
subject of marriage, and some of them take to themcommunity, they demand a separate notice. Their
selves wives. At death their bodies are buried; habits are peculiar. One of thent has supplied an
and their tombs, termed Samadh, are held in 88appellation for the entire class, derived from their
cred estimation, and are often visited by pilgrims for habit of always carrying a staff in the band. Hence
idolatrous purposes. the name Dandi, from danda, a stick. They are
The term Jogi or Yogi is properly applicable; Brahmans and receive disciples only from
says Mr. Wilson, " to the followers of the Yoga or
the Brahmans.
Patanjala school of philosophy, which, amongst The Dandis do not touch fire, or metal, or vessels
other tenets, maintained the practicability of acmade of any sort of metals. It is impossible, there
quiring, even in life, entire command over elementary fore, for them to cook their own food like other
matter by means of certain ascetic practices." Hindus; it is equally impossible also for them to
BRAKHACHARI. handle money. They wear one long unsewn reddish This name is given to a sect of Brahman ascetics. cloth, thrown about the person. Although they are They wear red cloth and the rudraksk, let their hair on principle penniless, yet they do not beg. Their and beard grow, and besmear their bodies with
JOOL
