Indian Antiquary Vol 58

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 91

THE POWER OF MAGIC IN BENGAL
83
MAY, 1929]
and a woman in her period is not allowed to touch, either actually or by implication, any
eatables $8.
Magic plays a significant role in the daily life of the Bengali, and its power is unlimited. Many of the magical practices of the modern Hindus may be traced to mythological allusions. It is said in Hindu mythology that there was a period when the Vindhya Hills began to grow higher and higher without stopping, so that the danger of the whole sky (?) being filled with the growing rock was imminent. All the gods were in despair, but nothing could be done to stop this objectionable growth. At last Agastya Muni, a renowned sage, who was also the master or teacher (guru) of the Vindhya hills (or the spirit of the mountain), undertook the task. When he went to the foot of the Vindhya hills, the rock, out of respect for his teacher, lowered its head, and remained in that position without growing. After a few moments the muni left the rock with the injunction to remain in that position till his return, which the dutiful pupil obeyed; but the muni never returned, and the rock is still waiting with bowed head for its master's return before it can resume its growth. This happened either on the last or on the first day of the month, it is not certain which. Hence the Bengali is afraid to go on a journey on the first or on the last day of a month because, like Agastya Muni, he may never return. To this day a journey undertaken on these days is called Agastyajátra, and is most inauspicious.39 By a similar train of reasoning another children's superstition has grown up. Nârada, an ancient sage, is reputed to have been of a quarrelsome nature. Hence, mischievous boys and girls, who take pleasure in seeing discord between other people, tap the two thumb-nails together, or beat two little pieces of stick together, and keep on repeating the name of Narada when people are quarrelling in their presence. The name of Narada will feed the flame of anger, and as the thumb-nails are tapped together so will the parties come to blows.
All simple actions of life are hedged round with peculiar rituals of their own. A Bengali woman is superstitious about cleaning out her ears after nightfall, because she thinks that such a procedure may do her some bodily injury. The evil, however, may be avoided by asking permission of anyone present; that is to say, whoever gives the permission will have to take the consequences. But if no one is present and she still wishes to clean her ears, she avoids all evil consequences by asking permission of the wall by addressing it as follows:
"Deyal, deyal! kane kâți deba?"
"Wall, wall, shall I clean out my ears (put the stick in my ear)?"
and answering in the affirmative herself.39 A well-known folk-remedy for diseases of the eye is to eat fish ; and it is said that since fish can see well in the dark, all those who eat the head and eyes of a fish will, by virtue of contagious magic, become clear-sighted.40 Among the Bengalis the head is sacred. All things that are sacred are taboo, if not entirely, still to a
88 For the taboo of menstruating women, see (Sir) J. G. Frazer, The Golden Bough, vol. III, p. 225; id., Taboo and the Perils of the Soul, Ch. IV, § 3, pp. 145-157; A Dictionary of Superstitions and Mythology, p. 165; L'Ethnologie du Bengale, pp. 79 sq.; Miriam van Waters, The Adolescent Girl among Primitive Peoples (Doctor Dissertation of the Clark University); W. Sumner, Folkways, (Boston, [1907], p. 513, § 561); J. Dar. msteter, Zend Avesta (Oxford, 1880), p. xcii (among the Zoroastrians); S. Powers, Tribes of California (Washington, 1877), p. 31 (the Karoks of California); A. B. Ellis, The Tachi-speaking Peoples of the Gold Coast of West Africa (London, 1887), p. 94 (Tschi-speaking peoples) R. Maran, Batoualah, a Negro Novel of French Congo (London, 1922), pp. 119 sq. (Negroes of French Congo); J. Bergel, Die Medizin der Talmudisten (Leipzig and Berlin), p. [159] (Talmudic Jews); Pliny, Natural History, VII, 64 sq., XXVIII, 77 sq. (the ancient Romans); Aijab Abela, "Beiträge zur Kenntnis abergläubischer Gebräuche in Syrian," Zeitschrift des deutschen Palästina-Vereins, vol. VII (1885), p. 11 (Syria); R. Andrée, Braunschweiger Volkskunde (Brunwick, 1896), p. 291 (Germans of Brunswick); (Sir) J. G. Frazer, The Golden Bough", vol. III, p. 225 (Guayquiris of Orinoco).
39 Communicated by Dr. Anil K. Das.
40 I remember this prescription being given for my sister who was suffering from cataract in both eyes, and was nearly blind [in the district of Nadiya]. Needless to say that the only medicine that was of any use to her was an operation, and not the fish-eyes,