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TITE FOLKLORE OF GUJARAT
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gain these experiences Shankaracharya's There are eighteen kinds of siddhis or, soul left his body and entered the corpse accomplishments, one of which is parakàyuof a king just dead, and enjoyed the pleasures pravesh or the power of entering the body of married life for six months in the company of another and returning to one's own body of the queen of the deceased king. It then at will. The soul cannot exist separated returned to his body, which was preserved by from the body. When a person who revives his disciples according to his instructions, after death is asked how he returned to life, and answered the question put to him by the he declares that he has been carried to the wife of Mandan Misbra.1
presence of the god of death by his messenIt is related that the spirit of the daughter gors, being mistaken for another bearing the of a black-smith in Lavaria returned to her same name and living in the same locality. body two hours after her death, after which When such a mistake is detected, the god of she lived for a fortnight.
death tells the soul of the man concerned that A similar story is told of a Nägar Brāh- his life's span has not yet ended, and sends it man, who lived for some years after the back to the body, which appears to be return of his spirit to his body.
dead.5
Often the soul of a man ascends to his About forty years ago, the corpse of a
temples, when the man is supposed to be dead Kanbi in Liläpur was carried to the burning
although he is alive. In such cases, when ground for cremation, and there his spirit
the soal descends, the man is supposed to returned to his body. On being asked where
come to life again. he had been, the Kanbi replied that he had
It is bolieved by some people that if all been to Dharmarāja, the lord of hell, who the desires of a man are not satisfied at the told him to go back to his body, saying that time of his death, his soul leaves the body to his life's thread had not yet ended. It is satisfy them and subsequently returns to the related that the Kanbi lived for some years corpse, whereupon the body revives. after this incident.
A devotee in his meditative trance can send Another instance of the soul departing and forth his soul whithersoever he pleascs.? then returning to the body is that of a Kanbi
It is also believed that the soul of man woman in Lilàpur, whose soul returned to
leaves the body in sleep to enjoy those
leave the body after she had been carried to the
pleasures which it cannot enjoy in wakefulburning ground. The woman lived for five
ness. years after this occurrence.
The popular conceptions of the character A Brāhman in Limbdi named Vaijnath
and functions of the bhut or disembodied had, by the performance of yoga, obtained
soul are as follows: the power of sending his spirit out of his
A ghost has no recognised form. It may body and recalling it at pleasure.
assame the form of a human being, a goat, a The soul of a living being leaves its blaze of fire, a whirl-wind or any other physical tabernacle during sleep and hovers object it pleases. about. It can go to and return from even Some assume terribly gieantio and the heavenly and infernal regions.
fearfully uncouth frame, with big fang-like
· The School Master of Dhank. 3 The School Master of Lilapur, 5 The School Master of Vapod. * The School Master of Kolki.
• The School Master of Lavaria. The School Master of Ganod:
The School Master of Dadvi.
• The School Master of Mojidad, • The School Master of Dhank.
