Indian Antiquary Vol 46

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 360

12
THE INDIAX ARTIQLARE
other fruit before the image or the object walked round. These offerings are elaimed by the priest who superintends the ceremony. When a sacred tree is circum- ambulated, water is poured out at the foot of the tree at each turn,
During the month of Shravan (the tenth month) and during the Purushottama (or the intercalatory) month, men and women observe a number of vows, in respect of which, every morning and evening, they take turns round hoły images and objects,
People observing the chaturmäs-urat (or monsoon yow), called Tulsi-vivāha marriage of Tulsi), worship that plant and take turns round it on every eleventh day of both the bright and the dark halves of each of the monsoon months. The gautrat-vrat (gaur cow) necessitates perambulations round a cow, and the VatSavitri-vrat round the Vad or banyan tree. The banyan tree is also circuniambulated on the Kapilashashthi day (the sixth day of the bright half of Márgashirsba, the second month) and on the Amaväsyä 'or the last day of Bhadrapada (the eleventh month).
Women who are anxious to prolong the lives of their husbands take turns round the Tulsi plant or the banyan tree. At each turn they wind a fine cotton thread. At the end of the last turn, they throw red lac and rice over the tree and place a betelnut and a pice or a holf-anna piece before it,5
The Shastras authorise four pradakshinas (or perambulations) for Vishnu,' three for the goddesses, and a half (or one and a half) for Shiva," But the usual number of pradakshinas is either 5, 7, 21 or 108. In taking turns round the image of Vishnu, one must take care to keep one's right side towards the image, while in the
case of Shiva, one must not cross the jala. dhari* or the small passage for corducting water poured over the Shiva-linga.
Sometimes in pradakshinas the votary repeats the name of the deity round which the turns are taken while the priest recites. the names of the gods in Shlokas. Some times the following varse is repeated.
पापी पापकर्मापापास्मा पापसंभवः। पाहि मां पुण्डरीकाक्ष सर्वपापहरो भक॥ बानि कानिच पापानि जन्मांतरकृतानि च। सानि तानि विनश्यन्तु प्रदक्षिणपरपरे ।।
I am sinful, the doer of sin, a sinful soul and am born of sin. O lotus-eyed One! protect me and take away all sins from me. Whatever sins I may have committed now as well as in my former births, may every one of them perish at each footstep of my pradakshina'
The recitation and the turns are supposed to free the soul from the phera of lakhchoryasit. Alms are given many times to the poor after pradakshinas, 10
The reason why pradakshinds are taken during the day is that they have to be taken in the presence of the sun, the great everlasting witness of all human actions, 11
HIJ
1 Mr. N. D. Vora, Schoolmaster, Rajpara. ? The Deputy Educational Inspector, Gobelwad. * Mr. D. K. Pandya, Dhhank,
Mr. P. L. Mehta, Schoolmaster, Luvaria. 5 Mr. Jeram Vasaram, Schoolmaster, Jodia. • Mr. M. H. Raval, Ganod. + Mr. H. M. Bhatt, Ganod.
• See figure above. A shows Shiva's image: the arrow-bead, the jaladhari which a person is not to cross, He is to return from the point B in his first round and from the point C in his balf turn. Thus B C remains uncrossed. The circle round A shows the Khal, place wherein god Shiva is installed.-K. D. Desai. . Mr. G. K, Dave, Sultanpore.
The Deputy Educational Inspector, Gohelwad. Hindus believe that a soul has to go through a lac and eighty-four thousand transmigrations before it: attains final emancipation. The cycle of 1,84,000 births is called the phera of lakh-choryasi.-K, D. Desai. 10 Mr. N. M. Dave, Sank.
11 Mr. D. K. Pandya, Schoolmaster, Dbhanks.