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CHAPTER V.
THE WORSHIP OF THE MALEVOLENT DEAD.
At Ubhádánda in the Ratnagiri District the black substances excepting a lotus, a horse, following dreams are believed to be lucky and an elephant, and a deity are considered propitions. To swim through the river or inauspicious 3 sea, to rise to the sky, to see the sun, the At Ibhrampur in the Chiplun taluka, hormoon and the other planets, to eat meat, to rible dreams are good omens, while pleasing bathe in blood, and to eat rice and curds. It dreams indicate approaching calamities. is also believed that the sight of white objects At Pendur in the Ratnagiri District it is in dreams foretells success in any work or believed that dreams foretell future events. undertaking that may be in view. A deity, a' It is believed that the dream will prove correct Bráhman, a king, a married woman decked and effective if the person dreaming has asked with ornaments, a bullock, a mountain, trees three questions and received three answers full of fruits, climbing the Umber tree, a in his dream. Those dreams which are caused looking-glass, meat and flowers, if seen in through cold are called Jalap. They are dreams, are good omens. Climbing the generally false dreams, and no good omens are Palas tree, Warul, i. e, an ant heap, the bitter
derived therefrom." line tree, to marry, to use red clothes or red
At Basani in the Ratnagiri District it is flower garlands, to eat cooked meat, to see the
believed that the ancestors who take interest som and the moon without lustre, and to see
'in the welfare of their descendants appear in shooting stars during dreams, are said to be dreams and foretell future events, so that the bad omens. 1
dreaming person may take the needful precauAt Mitbáv in the Devgad taluka of the tions for the prevention of future calamities. Ratnagiri District dreams are believed to
At Kálse in the Málwan taluka of the be caused by indigestion and restlessness.
Ratnagiri District it is believed that dreams in To embrace a dead body in a dream, to see
the last part of the night, i, e., just before
daybreak, and in which great men are seen, troubled waters, to dine heartily, are said to be
generally prove effective. If anybody sees bad omens. Feasting friends and receiving
ving himself married in a dream it is supposed that gifts from them are said to be good omens 2 he will hear of the death of some relative.?
At Fonde in the Ratnagiri District dreams At Chauk in the Kolába District it is are said to indicate things that have happened, believed that, when calamities are threatened, or are about to happen in the near future, the guardian deity of the family as well as All white substances other than cotton, salt, the dead ancestors appear in dreams and give und bones, arc considered auspicious, and all warnings of the coming calamities 8
1 School Master, Ubbádánda, Ratnagiri. 3 School Master, Fonde, Ratnagiri. 5 School Master, Pendur, Ratnagiri. 1 School Master, Kálse, Ratnagiri.
: School Master, Mitbáv, Ratnagiri. 4 School Master, Ibhrampur, Ratnagiri. & School Master, Bazani, Ratnagiri. & School Master, Chauk, Kolába.
