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234
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[AUGUST, 1876.
we would observe that this portion of the book is designated Bhumi-Sallium.
“There are sixteen kinds of sallium, viz. skulls, bones, bricks, potsherds, dry sprays of timber, demons, ashes, charcoal, a corpse, grains of corn, gold includes all metals), black stone, frogs, cows' horns, dogs' bones, urns in which the dead have been baried."
We shall now show our author's rules for discovering the sallium in the selected site:
"If in the seventh mansion from the rising sign (at the time of consultation, there are planets, and if at the same time the moon should be found in the fourth, seventh, or tenth mansion from that, there are hindrances most certainly in the proposed site; and should a man build a house upon it, his women will be murdered, his family will perish, his wealth and happiness will vanish, and to his own life danger will accrue. There can be no happiness in a house on such a site.
"If in the seventh mansion there are planets (at the time of consultation), and if at the same time the moon is in their kindras,t in the pro- posed site ashes and bones shall be found. If one builds on such a site, he will become lazy, he will live in the constant fear of snakes, his wife will hate him, his wealth will vanish, and misery and affliction will seize him.
"If in the tenth mansion there are planets (when the observation is made), black stone, bones, dry sprigs, lead and brass shall be found in the site. Now to build upon land where even but one of these is found would be to ensure the entire loss of one's property, the destruction of men, as well as of the house, and the householder shall have most horrible dreams : so saith Myen."
There is much more of this sort, but what we have given will suffice. The author next treats of the mode of discovering treasure that may be concealed in the selected sites, thus :
"If Jupiter or Mercury at the time of observation is in the fourth, seventh, or tenth lunar mansion from the moon, or if the sun is in the third, sixth, or eighth mansion from it, there is treasure in the site.
"If Venus and Mercury are in conjunction, and Jupiter in opposition without retrogres
sion, Saturn being in the leg of Japiter, in the selected site treasure will be found; anyhow silver will doubtless be found.
"If you desire to discover the exact place where money, enchantments, charcoal, bones, &c. &c. are concealed, divide the selected site into twenty-eight parts exactly, then ascertain what mansion the moon is in ; in the part correspond ing with the number of this mansion, the wealth, &c. &c. is concealed." Having given us these and many more, the author passes on to the consideration of times that are auspicious for various purposes. The first thing to do is to ascertain the time of the star Kulikan. The rule is as follows:
"On whatever day you wish to ascertain Kulikan's time, from that day to the next Saturday count up the number of Indian hours ; multiply this by 3*, and the sum thus obtained is Kulikan's time.”
To ascertain an auspicious hour :-"From the day you desire to ascertain the auspicious hour, to the fifth day following (at sunrise), deduct from each day two and a half Indian hours; if the remainder equals the sun's aphelion distance, death will be the result of anything undertaken that day. If, however, the remainder gives the distance of Venus, it is auspicious ; if it gives Mercury's, children will increase ; if the Moon's, praise; if Saturn's, death; if Japiter's, clothes; if Mars', unrelenting hate, will be respectively the consequences."
Our author next introduces to ns the days of the week upon which it is consider 3 unlucky to travel in certain directions, vis. -On Mondays and Saturdays eastward, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays northward, on Fridays and Sundays westward, on Thursdays southward. On these days to journey towards the prescribed pointa is not only unlucky, but positively disastrous.
To know the unlucky days, however, is not enough, we should know the propitious hours in which to commence an undertaking: accord ingly our author gives them : -On Mondays and Saturdays it is propitious to undertake a journey any time up to the 8th Indian hour; on Thursdays it is propitious to set out on journey sonthward up to the 12th Indian hour;
Kindras are found by sabtracting the place of the planets from their apbelion; the remainder is their kindra or anomaly.
An imaginary planet in Hinda astronomy, but per. hapo Caput Draconis.
