,,from ,,the ,,caves ,,and ,,jungles    
,,of ,,hindostan  ,by ,helena ,petrovna 
,blavatsky  ,translated ,from ,the      
,russian     ,translator's ,preface     
,you must remember1 said ,mme4          
,blavatsky1 that ,i never meant this for
 a scientific work4 ,my letters to the  
,russian ,messenger1 under the general  
title3 ',from the ,caves and ,jungles of
 ,hindostan1' were written in leisure   
moments1 more for amusement than with   
any serious design4  ,broadly speaking1 
the facts and incidents are true2 but ,i
 have freely availed myself of an       
author's privilege to group1 colour1 and
 dramatize them1 whenever this seemed   
necessary to the full artistic effect2  
though1 as ,i say1 much of the book is  
exactly true1 l would rather claim      
kindly judgment for it1 as a romance of 
travel1 than incur the critical risks   
that haunt an avowedly serious work4    
,to this caution of the author's1 the   
translator must add another2 these      
letters1 as ,mme ,blavatsky says1 were  

written in leisure moments1 during #ahgi
 and #ahhj1 for the pages of the ,russki
 ,vyestnik1 then edited by ,m4 ,katkoff4
 ,mme4 ,blavatsky's manuscript was often
 incorrect2 often obscure4 ,the ,russian
 compositors1 though they did their best
 to render faithfully the ,indian names 
and places1 often produced1 through     
their ignorance of ,oriental tongues1   
forms which are strange1 and sometimes  
unrecognizable4 ,the proof-sheets were  
never corrected by the author1 who was  
then in ,india2 and1 in consequence1 it 
has been impossible to restore all the  
local and personal names to their proper
 form4  ,a similar difficulty has arisen
 with reference to quotations and cited 
authorities1 all of which have gone     
through a double process of refraction3 
first into ,russian1 then into ,english4
 ,the translator1 also a ,russian1 and  
far from perfectly acquainted with      
,english1 cannot claim to possess the   
erudition necessary to verify and       
restore the many quotations to verbal   

accuracy2 all that is hoped is that1 by 
a careful rendering1 the correct sense  
has been preserved4  ,the translator    
begs the indulgence of ,english readers 
for all imperfections of style and      
language2 in the words of the ,sanskrit 
proverb3 ,who is to be blamed1 if       
success be not reached after due effort8
  ,the translator's best thanks are due 
to ,mr4 ,john ,c4 ,staples1 for valuable
 help in the early chapters4--,london1  
,july1 #ahib     ,contents        ,in   
,bombay      ,on the ,way to ,karli     
,in the ,karli ,caves      ,vanished    
,glories      ,a ,city of the ,dead     
,brahmanic ,hospitalities      ,a       
,witch's ,den      ,god's ,warrior      
,the ,banns of ,marriage      ,the      
,caves of ,bagh      ,an ,isle of       
,mystery      ,jubblepore     ,,from    
,,the ,,caves ,,and ,,jungles ,,of      
,,hindostan     ,in ,bombay    ,late in 
the evening of the sixteenth of         
,february1 #ahgi1 after a rough voyage  
which lasted thirty-two days1 joyful    

exclamations were heard everywhere on   
deck4 ,have you seen the lighthouse8    
,there it is at last1 the ,bombay       
lighthouse4  ,cards1 books1 music1      
everything was forgotten4 ,everyone     
rushed on deck4 ,the moon had not risen 
as yet1 and1 in spite of the starry     
tropical sky1 it was quite dark4 ,the   
stars were so bright that1 at first1 it 
seemed hardly possible to distinguish1  
far away amongst them1 a small fiery    
point lit by earthly hands4 ,the stars  
winked at us like so many huge eyes in  
the black sky1 on one side of which     
shone the ,southern ,cross4 ,at last we 
distinguished the lighthouse on the     
distant horizon4 ,it was nothing but a  
tiny fiery point diving in the          
phosphorescent waves4 ,the tired        
travellers greeted it warmly4 ,the      
rejoicing was general4  ,what a glorious
 daybreak followed this dark night6 ,the
 sea no longer tossed our ship4 ,under  
the skilled guidance of the pilot1 who  
had just arrived1 and whose bronze form 

was so sharply defined against the pale 
sky1 our steamer1 breathing heavily with
 its broken machinery1 slipped over the 
quiet1 transparent waters of the ,indian
 ,ocean straight to the harbour4 ,we    
were only four miles from ,bombay1 and1 
to us1 who had trembled with cold only a
 few weeks ago in the ,bay of ,biscay1  
which has been so glorified by many     
poets and so heartily cursed by all     
sailors1 our surroundings simply seemed 
a magical dream4  ,after the tropical   
nights of the ,red ,sea and the         
scorching hot days that had tortured us 
since ,aden1 we1 people of the distant  
,north1 now experienced something       
strange and unwonted1 as if the very    
fresh soft air had cast its spell over  
us4 ,there was not a cloud in the sky1  
thickly strewn with dying stars4 ,even  
the moonlight1 which till then had      
covered the sky with its silvery garb1  
was gradually vanishing2 and the        
brighter grew the rosiness of dawn over 
the small island that lay before us in  

the ,east1 the paler in the ,west grew  
the scattered rays of the moon that     
sprinkled with bright flakes of light   
the dark wake our ship left behind her1 
as if the glory of the ,west was bidding
 good-bye to us1 while the light of the 
,east welcomed the newcomers from       
far-off lands4 ,brighter and bluer grew 
the sky1 swiftly absorbing the remaining
 pale stars one after the other1 and we 
felt something touching in the sweet    
dignity with which the ,queen of ,night 
resigned her rights to the powerful     
usurper4 ,at last1 descending lower and 
lower1 she disappeared completely4  ,and
 suddenly1 almost without interval      
between darkness and light1 the red-hot 
globe1 emerging on the opposite side    
from under the cape1 leant his golden   
chin on the lower rocks of the island   
and seemed to stop for a while1 as if   
examining us4 ,then1 with one powerful  
effort1 the torch of day rose high over 
the sea and gloriously proceeded on its 
path1 including in one mighty fiery     

embrace the blue waters of the bay1 the 
shore and the islands with their rocks  
and cocoanut forests4 ,his golden rays  
fell upon a crowd of ,parsees1 his      
rightful worshippers1 who stood on shore
 raising their arms towards the mighty  
,eye of ,ormuzd4 ,the sight was so      
impressive that everyone on deck became 
silent for a moment1 even a red-nosed   
old sailor1 who was busy quite close to 
us over the cable1 stopped working1 and1
 clearing his throat1 nodded at the sun4
  ,moving slowly and cautiously along   
the charming but treacherous bay1 we had
 plenty of time to admire the picture   
around us4 ,on the right was a group of 
islands with ,gharipuri or ,elephanta1  
with its ancient temple1 at their head4 
,gharipuri translated means the town of 
caves according to the ,orientalists1   
and the town of purification according  
to the native ,sanskrit scholars4 ,this 
temple1 cut out by an unknown hand in   
the very heart of a rock resembling     
porphyry1 is a true apple of discord    

amongst the archaeologists1 of whom none
 can as yet fix1 even approximately1 its
 antiquity4 ,elephanta raises high its  
rocky brow1 all overgrown with secular  
cactus1 and right under it1 at the foot 
of the rock1 are hollowed out the chief 
temple and the two lateral ones4 ,like  
the serpent of our ,russian fairy tales1
 it seems to be opening its fierce black
 mouth to swallow the daring mortal who 
comes to take possession of the secret  
mystery of ,titan4 ,its two remaining   
teeth1 dark with time1 are formed by two
 huge pillars t the entrance1 sustaining
 the palate of the monster4  ,how many  
generations of ,hindus1 how many races1 
have knelt in the dust before the       
,trimurti1 your threefold deity1 ,o     
,elephanta8 ,how many centuries were    
spent by weak man in digging out in your
 stone bosom this town of temples and   
carving your gigantic idols8 ,who can   
say8 ,many years have elapsed since ,i  
saw you last1 ancient1 mysterious       
temple1 and still the same restless     

thoughts1 the same recurrent questions  
vex me snow as they did then1 and still 
remain unanswered4 ,in a few days we    
shall see each other again4 ,once more  
,i shall gaze upon your stern image1    
upon your three huge granite faces1 and 
shall feel as hopeless as ever of       
piercing the mystery of your being4     
,this secret fell into safe hands three 
centuries before ours4 ,it is not in    
vain that the old ,portuguese historian 
,don ,diego de ,cuta boasts that the big
 square stone fastened over the arch of 
the pagoda with a distinct inscription1 
having been torn out and sent as a      
present to the ,king ,dom ,juan ,,iii1  
disappeared mysteriously in the course  
of time44441 and adds1 further1 ,close  
to this big pagoda there stood another1 
and farther on even a third one1 the    
most wonderful of all in beauty1        
incredible size1 and richness of        
material4 ,all those pagodas and caves  
have been built by the ,kings of        
,kanada1 787 the most important of whom 

was ,bonazur1 and these buildings of    
,satan our 7,portuguese7 soldiers       
attacked with such vehemence that in a  
few years one stone was not left upon   
another4444 ,and1 worst of all1 they    
left no inscriptions that might have    
given a clue to so much4 ,thanks to the 
fanaticism of ,portuguese soldiers1 the 
chronology of the ,indian cave temples  
must remain for ever an enigma to the   
archaeological world1 beginning with the
 ,brah-mans1 who say ,elephanta is      
#cgd1jjj years old1 and ending with     
,fergusson1 who tries to prove that it  
was carved only in the twelfth century  
of our era4 ,whenever one turns one's   
eyes to history1 there is nothing to be 
found but hypotheses and darkness4 ,and 
yet ,gharipuri is mentioned in the epic 
,mahabharata1 which was written1        
according to ,colebrooke and ,wilson1 a 
good while before the reign of ,cyrus4  
,in another ancient legend it is said   
that the temple of ,trimurti was built  
on ,elephanta by the sons of ,pandu1 who

 took part in the war between the       
dynasties of the ,sun and the ,moon1    
and1 belonging to the latter1 were      
expelled at the end of the war4 ,the    
,rajputs1 who are the descendants of the
 first1 still sing of this victory2 but 
even in their popular songs there is    
nothing positive4 ,centuries have passed
 and will pass1 and the ancient secret  
will die in the rocky bosom of the cave 
still unrecorded4  ,on the left side of 
the bay1 exactly opposite ,elephanta1   
and as if in contrast with all its      
antiquity and greatness1 spreads the    
,malabar ,hill1 the residence of the    
modern ,europeans and rich natives4     
,their brightly painted bungalows are   
bathed in the greenery of banyan1       
,indian fig1 and various other trees1   
and the tall and straight trunks of     
cocoanut palms cover with the fringe of 
their leaves the whole ridge of the     
hilly headland4 ,there1 on the          
south-western end of the rock1 you see  
the almost transparent1 lace-like       

,government ,house surrounded on three  
sides by the ocean4 ,this is the coolest
 and the most comfortable part of       
,bombay1 fanned by three different sea  
breezes4  ,the island of ,bombay1       
designated by the natives ,mambai1      
received its name from the goddess      
,mamba1 in ,mahrati ,mahima1 or ,amba1  
,mama1 and ,amma1 according to the      
dialect1 a word meaning1 literally1 the 
,great ,mother4 ,hardly one hundred     
years ago1 on the site of the modern    
esplanade1 there stood a temple         
consecrated to ,mamba-,devi4 ,with great
 difficulty and expense they carried it 
nearer to the shore1 close to the fort1 
and erected it in front of ,baleshwara  
the ,lord of the ,innocent--one of the  
names of the god ,shiva4 ,bombay is part
 of a considerable group of islands1 the
 most remarkable of which are ,salsetta1
 joined to ,bombay by a mole1           
,elephanta1 so named by the ,portuguese 
because of a huge rock cut in the shape 
of an elephant thirty-five feet long1   

and ,trombay1 whose lovely rock rises   
nine hundred feet above the surface of  
the sea4 ,bombay looks1 on the maps1    
like an enormous crayfish1 and is at the
 head of the rest of the islands4       
,spreading far out into the sea its two 
claws1 ,bombay island stands like a     
sleepless guardian watching over his    
younger brothers4 ,between it and the   
,continent there is a narrow arm of a   
river1 which gets gradually broader and 
then again narrower1 deeply indenting   
the sides of both shores1 and so forming
 a haven that has no equal in the world4
 ,it was not without reason that the    
,portuguese1 expelled in the course of  
time by the ,english1 used to call it   
,buona ,bahia4  ,in a fit of tourist    
exaltation some travellers have compared
 it to the ,bay of ,naples2 but1 as a   
matter of fact1 the one is as much like 
the other as a lazzaroni is like a      
,kuli4 ,the whole resemblance between   
the former consists in the fact that    
there is water in both4 ,in ,bombay1 as 

well as in its harbour1 everything is   
original and does not in the least      
remind one of ,southern ,europe4 ,look  
at those coasting vessels and native    
boats2 both are built in the likeness of
 the sea bird sat1 a kind of kingfisher4
 ,when in motion these boats are the    
personi-fication of grace1 with their   
long prows and rounded poops4 ,they look
 as if they were gliding backwards1 and 
one might mistake for wings the         
strangely shaped1 long lateen sails1    
their narrow angles fastened upwards to 
a yard4 ,filling these two wings with   
the wind1 and careening1 so as almost to
 touch the surface of the water1 these  
boats will fly along with astonishing   
swiftness4 ,unlike our ,european boats1 
they do not cut the waves1 but glide    
over them like a sea-gull4  ,the        
surroundings of the bay transported us  
to some fairy land of the ,arabian      
,nights4 ,the ridge of the ,western     
,ghats1 cut through here and there by   
some separate hills almost as high as   

themselves1 stretched all along the     
,eastern shore4 ,from the base to their 
fantastic1 rocky tops1 they are all     
overgrown with impenetrable forests and 
jungles inhabited by wild animals4      
,every rock has been enriched by the    
popular imagination with an independent 
legend4 ,all over the slope of the      
mountain are scattered the pagodas1     
mosques1 and temples of numberless      
sects4 ,here and there the hot rays of  
the sun strike upon an old fortress1    
once dreadful and inaccessible1 now half
 ruined and covered with prickly cactus4
 ,at every step some memorial of        
sanctity4 ,here a deep vihara1 a cave   
cell of a ,buddhist bhikshu saint1 there
 a rock protected by the symbol of      
,shiva1 further on a ,jaina temple1 or a
 holy tank1 all covered with sedge and  
filled with water1 once blessed by a    
,brahman and able to purify every sin1  
all indispensable attribute of all      
pagodas4 ,all the surroundings are      
covered with symbols of gods and        

goddesses4 ,each of the three hundred   
and thirty millions of deities of the   
,hindu ,pantheon has its representative 
in something consecrated to it1 a stone1
 a flower1 a tree1 or a bird4 ,on the   
,west side of the ,malabar ,hill peeps  
through the trees ,valakeshvara1 the    
temple of the ,lord of ,sand4 ,a long   
stream of ,hindus moves towards this    
celebrated temple2 men and women1       
shining with rings on their fingers and 
toes1 with bracelets from their wrists  
up to their elbows1 clad in bright      
turbans and snow white muslins1 with    
foreheads freshly painted with red1     
yellow1 and white1 holy sectarian signs4
  ,the legend says that ,rama spent here
 a night on his way from ,ayodhya       
7,oudh7 to ,lanka 7,ceylon7 to fetch his
 wife ,sita who had been stolen by the  
wicked ,king ,ravana4 ,rama's brother   
,lakshman1 whose duty it was to send him
 daily a new lingam from ,benares1 was  
late in doing so one evening4 ,losing   
patience1 ,rama erected for himself a   

lingam of sand4 ,when1 at last1 the     
symbol arrived from ,benares1 it was put
 in a temple1 and the lingam erected by 
,rama was left on the shore4 ,there it  
stayed during long centuries1 but1 at   
the arrival of the ,portuguese1 the     
,lord of ,sand felt so disgusted with   
the feringhi 7foreigners7 that he jumped
 into the sea never to return4 ,a little
 farther on there is a charming tank1   
called ,vanattirtha1 or the point of the
 arrow4 ,here ,rama1 the much worshipped
 hero of the ,hindus1 felt thirsty and1 
not finding any water1 shot an arrow and
 immediately there was created a pond4  
,its crystal waters were surrounded by a
 high wall1 steps were built leading    
down to it1 and a circle of white marble
 dwellings was filled with dwija 7twice 
born7 ,brahmans4  ,india is the land of 
legends and of mysterious nooks and     
corners4 ,there is not a ruin1 not a    
monument1 not a thicket1 that has no    
story attached to it4 ,yet1 however they
 may be entangled in the cobweb of      

popular imagination1 which becomes      
thicker with every generation1 it is    
difficult to point out a single one that
 is not founded on fact4 ,with patience 
and1 still more1 with the help of the   
learned ,brahmans you can always get at 
the truth1 when once you have secured   
their trust and friendship4  ,the same  
road leads to the temple of the ,parsee 
fire-worshippers4 ,at its altar burns an
 unquenchable fire1 which daily consumes
 hundredweights of sandal wood and      
aromatic herbs4 ,lit three hundred years
 ago1 the sacred fire has never been    
extinguished1 notwithstanding many      
disorders1 sectarian discords1 and even 
wars4 ,the ,parsees are very proud of   
this temple of ,zaratushta1 as they call
 ,zoroaster4 ,compared with it the      
,hindu pagodas look like brightly       
painted ,easter eggs4 ,generally they   
are consecrated to ,hanuman1 the        
monkey-god and the faithful ally of     
,rama1 or to the elephant headed        
,ganesha1 the god of the occult wisdom1 

or to one of the ,devis4 ,you meet with 
these temples in every street4 ,before  
each there is a row of pipals 7,ficus   
religiosa7 centuries old1 which no      
temple can dispense with1 because these 
trees are the abode of the elementals   
and the sinful souls4  ,all this is     
entangled1 mixed1 and scattered1        
appearing to one's eyes like a picture  
in a dream4 ,thirty centuries have left 
their traces here4 ,the innate laziness 
and the strong conservative tendencies  
of the ,hindus1 even before the         
,european invasion1 preserved all kinds 
of monuments from the ruinous vengeance 
of the fanatics1 whether those memorials
 were ,buddhist1 or belonged to some    
other unpopular sect4 ,the ,hindus are  
not naturally given to senseless        
vandalism1 and a phrenologist would     
vainly look for a bump of               
destructiveness on their skulls4 ,if you
 meet with antiquities that1 having been
 spared by time1 are1 nowadays1 either  
destroyed or disfigured1 it is not they 

who are to blame1 but either            
,mussulmans1 or the ,portuguese under   
the guidance of the ,jesuits4  ,at last 
we were anchored and1 in a moment1 were 
besieged1 ourselves as well as our      
luggage1 by numbers of naked            
skeleton-like ,hindus1 ,parsees1        
,moguls1 and various other tribes4 ,all 
this crowd emerged1 as if from the      
bottom of the sea1 and began to shout1  
to chatter1 and to yell1 as only the    
tribes of ,asia can4 ,to get rid of this
 ,babel confusion of tongues as soon as 
possible1 we took refuge in the first   
bunder boat and made for the shore4     
,once settled in the bungalow awaiting  
us1 the first thing we were struck with 
in ,bombay was the millions of crows and
 vultures4 ,the first are1 so to speak1 
the ,county ,council of the town1 whose 
duty it is to clean the streets1 and to 
kill one of them is not only forbidden  
by the police1 but would be very        
dangerous4 ,by killing one you would    
rouse the vengeance of every ,hindu1 who

 is always ready to offer his own life  
in exchange for a crow's4 ,the souls of 
the sinful forefathers transmigrate into
 crows and to kill one is to interfere  
with the law of ,karma and to expose the
 poor ancestor to something still worse4
 ,such is the firm belief1 not only of  
,hindus1 but of ,parsees1 even the most 
enlightened amongst them4 ,the strange  
behaviour of the ,indian crows explains1
 to a certain extent1 this superstition4
 ,the vultures are1 in a way1 the       
grave-diggers of the ,parsees and are   
under the personal protection of the    
,farvardania1 the angel of death1 who   
soars over the ,tower of ,silence1      
watching the occupations of the         
feathered workmen4  ,the deafening caw  
of the crows strikes every new comer as 
uncanny1 but1 after a while1 is         
explained very simply4 ,every tree of   
the numerous cocoa-nut forests round    
,bombay is provided with a hollow       
pumpkin4 ,the sap of the tree drops into
 it and1 after fermenting1 becomes a    

most intoxicating beverage1 known in    
,bombay under the name of toddy4 ,the   
naked toddy wallahs1 generally          
half-caste ,portuguese1 modestly adorned
 with a single coral necklace1 fetch    
this beverage twice a day1 climbing the 
hundred and fifty feet high trunks like 
squirrels4 ,the crows mostly build their
 nests on the tops of the cocoa-nut     
palms and drink incessantly out of the  
open pumpkins4 ,the result of this is   
the chronic intoxication of the birds4  
,as soon as we went out in the garden of
 our new habitation1 flocks of crows    
came down heavily from every tree4 ,the 
noise they make whilst jumping about    
everywhere is indescribable4 ,there     
seemed to be something positively human 
in the positions of the slyly bent heads
 of the drunken birds1 and a fiendish   
light shone in their eyes while they    
were examining us from foot to head4    
,we occupied three small bungalows1     
lost1 like nests1 in the garden1 their  
roofs literally smothered in roses      

blossoming on bushes twenty feet high1  
and their windows covered only with     
muslin1 instead of the usual panes of   
glass4 ,the bungalows were situated in  
the native part of the town1 so that we 
were transported1 all at once1 into the 
real ,india4 ,we were living in ,india1 
unlike ,english people1 who are only    
surrounded by ,india at a certain       
distance4 ,we were enabled to study her 
character and customs1 her religion1    
superstitions and rites1 to learn her   
legends1 in fact1 to live among ,hindus4
  ,everything in ,india1 this land of   
the elephant and the poisonous cobra1 of
 the tiger and the unsuccessful ,english
 missionary1 is original and strange4   
,everything seems unusual1 unexpected1  
and striking1 even to one who has       
travelled in ,turkey1 ,egypt1 ,damascus1
 and ,palestine4 ,in these tropical     
regions the conditions of nature are so 
various that all the forms of the animal
 and vegetable kingdoms must radically  
differ from what we are used to in      

,europe4 ,look1 for instance1 at those  
women on their way to a well through a  
garden1 which is private and at the same
 time open to anyone1 because somebody's
 cows are grazing in it4 ,to whom does  
it not happen to meet with women1 to see
 cows1 and admire a garden8 ,doubtless  
these are among the commonest of all    
things4 ,but a single attentive glance  
will suffice to show you the difference 
that exists between the same objects in 
,europe and in ,india4 ,nowhere more    
than in ,india does a human being feel  
his weakness and insignificance4 ,the   
majesty of the tropical growth is such  
that our highest trees would look       
dwarfed compared with banyans and       
especially with palms4 ,a ,european cow1
 mistaking1 at first sight1 her ,indian 
sister for a calf1 would deny the       
existence of any kinship between them1  
as neither the mouse-coloured wool1 nor 
the straight goat-like horns1 nor the   
humped back of the latter would permit  
her to make such an error4 ,as to the   

women1 each of them would make any      
artist feel enthusiastic about the      
gracefulness of her movements and       
drapery1 but still1 no pink and white1  
stout ,anna ,ivanovna would condescend  
to greet her4 ,such a shame1 ,god       
forgive me1 the woman is entirely naked6
  ,this opinion of the modern ,russian  
woman is nothing but the echo of what   
was said in #adgj by a distinguished    
,russian traveler1 the sinful slave of  
,god1 ,athanasius son of ,nikita from   
,tver1 as he styles himself4 ,he        
describes ,india as follows3 ,this is   
the land of ,india4 ,its people are     
naked1 never cover their heads1 and wear
 their hair braided4 ,women have babies 
every year4 ,men and women are black4   
,their prince wears a veil round his    
head and wraps another veil round his   
legs4 ,the noblemen wear a veil on one  
shoulder1 and the noblewomen on the     
shoulders and round the loins1 but      
everyone is barefooted4 ,the women walk 
about with their hair spread and their  

breasts naked4 ,the children1 boys and  
girls1 never cover their shame until    
they are seven years old4444 ,this      
description is quite correct1 but       
,athanasius ,nikita's son is right only 
concerning the lowest and poorest       
classes4 ,these really do walk about    
covered only with a veil1 which often is
 so poor that1 in fact1 it is nothing   
but a rag4 ,but still1 even the poorest 
woman is clad in a piece of muslin at   
least ten yards long4 ,one end serves as
 a sort of short petticoat1 and the     
other covers the head and shoulders when
 out in the street1 though the faces are
 always uncovered4 ,the hair is erected 
into a kind of ,greek chignon4 ,the legs
 up to the knees1 the arms1 and the     
waist are never covered4 ,there is not a
 single respectable woman who would     
consent to put on a pair of shoes4      
,shoes are the attribute and the        
prerogative of disreputable women4      
,when1 some time ago1 the wife of the   
,madras governor thought of passing a   

law that should induce native women to  
cover their breasts1 the place was      
actually threatened with a revolution4  
,a kind of jacket is worn only by       
dancing girls4 ,the ,government         
recognized that it would be unreasonable
 to irritate women1 who1 very often1 are
 more dangerous than their husbands and 
brothers1 and the custom1 based on the  
law of ,manu1 and sanctified by three   
thousand years' observance1 remained    
unchanged4   ,for more than two years   
before we left ,america we were in      
constant correspondence with a certain  
learned ,brahman1 whose glory is great  
at present 7#ahgi7 all over ,india4 ,we 
came to ,india to study1 under his      
guidance1 the ancient country of ,aryas1
 the ,vedas1 and their difficult        
language4 ,his name is ,dayanand        
,saraswati ,swami4 ,swami is the name of
 the learned anchorites who are         
initiated into many mysteries           
unattainable by common mortals4 ,they   
are monks who never marry1 but are quite

 different from other mendicant         
brotherhoods1 the so-called ,sannyasi   
and ,hossein4 ,this ,pandit is          
considered the greatest ,sanskritist of 
modern ,india and is an absolute enigma 
to everyone4 ,it is only five years     
since he appeared on the arena of great 
reforms1 but till then1 he lived1       
entirely secluded1 in a jungle1 like the
 ancient gymnosophists mentioned by the 
,greek and ,latin authors4 ,at this time
 he was studying the chief philosophical
 systems of the ,aryavartta and the     
occult meaning of the ,vedas with the   
help of mystics and anchorites4 ,all    
,hindus believe that on the ,bhadrinath 
,mountains 7#bb1jjj feet above the level
 of the sea7 there exist spacious caves1
 inhabited1 now for many thousand years1
 by these anchorites4 ,bhadrinath is    
situated in the north of ,hindustan on  
the river ,bishegunj1 and is celebrated 
for its temple of ,vishnu right in the  
heart of the town4 ,inside the temple   
there are hot mineral springs1 visited  

yearly by about fifty thousand pilgrims1
 who come to be purified by them4  ,from
 the first day of his appearance        
,dayanand ,saraswati produced an immense
 impression and got the surname of the  
,luther of ,india4 ,wandering from one  
town to another1 today in the ,south1   
tomorrow in the ,north1 and transporting
 himself from one end of the country to 
another with incredible quickness1 he   
has visited every part of ,india1 from  
,cape ,comorin to the ,himalayas1 and   
from ,calcutta to ,bombay4 ,he preaches 
the ,one ,deity and1 ,vedas in hand1    
proves that in the ancient writings     
there was not a word that could justify 
polytheism4 ,thundering against idol    
worship1 the great orator fights with   
all his might against caste1 infant     
marriages1 and superstitions4           
,chastising all the evils grafted on    
,india by centuries of casuistry and    
false interpretation of the ,vedas1 he  
blames for them the ,brahmans1 who1 as  
he openly says before masses of people1 

are alone guilty of the humiliation of  
their country1 once great and           
independent1 now fallen and enslaved4   
,and yet ,great ,britain has in him not 
an enemy1 but rather an ally4 ,he says  
openly--,if you expel the ,english1     
then1 no later than tomorrow1 you and ,i
 and everyone who rises against idol    
worship will have our throats cut like  
mere sheep4 ,the ,mussulmans are        
stronger than the idol worshippers2 but 
these last are stronger than we4 ,the   
,pandit held many a warm dispute with   
the ,brah-mans1 those treacherous       
enemies of the people1 and has almost   
always been victorious4 ,in ,benares    
secret assassins were hired to slay him1
 but the attempt did not succeed4 ,in a 
small town of ,bengal1 where he treated 
fetishism with more than his usual      
severity1 some fanatic threw on his     
naked feet a huge cobra4 ,there are two 
snakes deified by the ,brahman          
mythology3 the one which surrounds the  
neck of ,shiva on his idols is called   

,vasuki2 the other1 ,ananta1 forms the  
couch of ,vishnu4 ,so the worshipper of 
,shiva1 feeling sure that his cobra1    
trained purposely for the mysteries of a
 ,shivaite pagoda1 would at once make an
 end of the offender's life1            
triumphantly exclaimed1 ,let the god    
,vasuki himself show which of us is     
right6  ,dayanand jerked off the cobra  
twirling round his leg1 and with a      
single vigorous movement1 crushed the   
reptile's head4 ,let him do so1 he      
quietly assented4 ,your god has been too
 slow4 ,it is ,i who have decided the   
dispute1 ,now go1 added he1 addressing  
the crowd1 and tell everyone how easily 
perish the false gods4  ,thanks to his  
excellent knowledge of ,sanskrit the    
,pandit does a great service1 not only  
to the masses1 clearing their ignorance 
about the monotheism of the ,vedas1 but 
to science too1 showing who1 exactly1   
are the ,brahmans1 the only caste in    
,india which1 during centuries1 had the 
right to study ,sanskrit literature and 

comment on the ,vedas1 and which used   
this right solely for its own advantage4
  ,long before the time of such         
,orientalists as ,burnouf1 ,colebrooke  
and ,max ,muller1 there have been in    
,india many reformers who tried to prove
 the pure monotheism of the ,vedic      
doctrines4 ,there have even been        
founders of new religions who denied the
 revelations of these scriptures2 for   
instance1 the ,raja ,ram ,mohun ,roy1   
and1 after him1 ,babu ,keshub ,chunder  
,sen1 both ,calcutta ,bengalees4 ,but   
neither of them had much success4 ,they 
did nothing but add new denominations to
 the numberless sects existing in       
,india4 ,ram ,mohun ,roy died in        
,england1 having done next to nothing1  
and ,keshub ,chunder ,sen1 having       
founded the community of ,brahmo-,samaj1
 which professes a religion extracted   
from the depths of the ,babu's own      
imagination1 became a mystic of the most
 pronounced type1 and now is only a     
berry from the same field1 as we say in 

,russia1 as the ,spiritualists1 by whom 
he is considered to be a medium and a   
,calcutta ,swedenborg4 ,he spends his   
time in a dirty tank1 singing praises to
 ,chaitanya1 ,koran1 ,buddha1 and his   
own person1 proclaiming himself their   
prophet1 and performs a mystical dance1 
dressed in woman's attire1 which1 on his
 part1 is an attention to a woman       
goddess whom the ,babu calls his mother1
 father and eldest brother4  ,in short1 
all the attempts to re-establish the    
pure primitive monotheism of ,aryan     
,india have been a failure4 ,they always
 got wrecked upon the double rock of    
,brahmanism and of prejudices centuries 
old4 ,but lo6 here appears unexpectedly 
the pandit ,dayanand4 ,none1 even of the
 most beloved of his disciples1 knows   
who he is and whence he comes4 ,he      
openly confesses before the crowds that 
the name under which he is known is not 
his1 but was given to him at the ,yogi  
initiation4  ,the mystical school of    
,yogis was established by ,patanjali1   

the founder of one of the six           
philosophical systems of ancient ,india4
 ,it is supposed that the               
,neo-platonists of the second and third 
,alexandrian ,schools were the followers
 of ,indian ,yogis1 more especially was 
their theurgy brought from ,india by    
,pythagoras1 according to the tradition4
 ,there still exist in ,india hundreds  
of ,yogis who follow the system of      
,patanjali1 and assert that they are in 
communion with ,brahma4 ,nevertheless1  
most of them are do-nothings1 mendicants
 by profession1 and great frauds1 thanks
 to the insatiable longing of the       
natives for miracles4 ,the real ,yogis  
avoid appearing in public1 and spend    
their lives in secluded retirement and  
studies1 except when1 as in ,dayanand's 
case1 they come forth in time of need to
 aid their country4 ,however1 it is     
perfectly certain that ,india never saw 
a more learned ,sanskrit scholar1 a     
deeper metaphysician1 a more wonderful  
orator1 and a more fearless denunciator 

of every evil1 than ,dayanand1 since the
 time of ,sankharacharya1 the celebrated
 founder of the ,vedanta philosophy1 the
 most metaphysical of ,indian systems1  
in fact1 the crown of pantheistic       
teaching4 ,then1 ,dayanand's personal   
appearance is striking4 ,he is immensely
 tall1 his complexion is pale1 rather   
,european than ,indian1 his eyes are    
large and bright1 and his greyish hair  
is long4 ,the ,yogis and ,dikshatas     
7initiated7 never cut either their hair 
or beard4 ,his voice is clear and loud1 
well calculated to give expression to   
every shade of deep feeling1 ranging    
from a sweet childish caressing whisper 
to thundering wrath against the evil    
doings and falsehoods of the priests4   
,all this taken together produces an    
indescribable effect on the             
impressionable ,hindu4 ,wherever        
,dayanand appears crowds prostrate      
themselves in the dust over his         
footprints2 but1 unlike ,babu ,keshub   
,chunder ,sen1 he does not teach a new  

religion1 does not invent new dogmas4   
,he only asks them to renew their       
half-forgotten ,sanskrit studies1 and1  
having compared the doctrines of their  
forefathers with what they have become  
in the hands of ,brahmans1 to return to 
the pure conceptions of ,deity taught by
 the primitive ,rishis--,agni1 ,vayu1   
,aditya1 and ,anghira--the patriarchs   
who first gave the ,vedas to humanity4  
,he does not even claim that the ,vedas 
are a heavenly revelation1 but simply   
teaches that every word in these        
scriptures belongs to the highest       
inspiration possible to the earthly man1
 an inspiration that is repeated in the 
history of humanity1 and1 when          
necessary1 may happen to any nation44444
  ,during his five years of work ,swami 
,dayanand made about two million        
proselytes1 chiefly amongst the higher  
castes4 ,judging by appearances1 they   
are all ready to sacrifice to him their 
lives and souls and even their earthly  
possessions1 which are often more       

precious to them than their lives4 ,but 
,dayanand is a real ,yogi1 he never     
touches money1 and despises pecuniary   
affairs4 ,he contents himself with a few
 handfuls of rice per day4 ,one is      
inclined to think that this wonderful   
,hindu bears a charmed life1 so careless
 is he of rousing the worst human       
passions1 which are so dangerous in     
,india4 ,a marble statue could not be   
less moved by the raging wrath of the   
crowd4 ,we saw him once at work4 ,he    
sent away all his faithful followers and
 forbade them either to watch over him  
or to defend him1 and stood alone before
 the infuriated crowd1 facing calmly the
 monster ready to spring upon him and   
tear him to pieces4    ,here a short    
explanation is necessary4 ,a few years  
ago a society of well-informed1         
energetic people was formed in ,new     
,york4 ,a certain sharp-witted savant   
surnamed them ,la ,societe des          
,malcontents du ,spiritisme4 ,the       
founders of this club were people who1  

believing in the phenomena of           
spiritualism as much as in the          
possibility of every other phenomenon in
 ,nature1 still denied the theory of the
 spirits4 ,they considered that the     
modern psychology was a science still in
 the first stages of its development1 in
 total ignorance of the nature of the   
psychic man1 and denying1 as do many    
other sciences1 all that cannot be      
explained according to its own          
particular theories4  ,from the first   
days of its existence some of the most  
learned ,americans joined the ,society1 
which became known as the ,theosophical 
,society4 ,its members differed on many 
points1 much as do the members of any   
other ,society1 ,geographical or        
,archeological1 which fights for years  
over the sources of the ,nile1 or the   
,hieroglyphs of ,egypt4 ,but everyone is
 unanimously agreed that1 as long as    
there is water in the ,nile1 its sources
 must exist somewhere4 ,so much about   
the phenomena of spiritualism and       

mesmerism4 ,these phenomena were still  
waiting their ,champollion--but the     
,rosetta stone was to be searched for   
neither in ,europe nor in ,america1 but 
in the far-away countries where they    
still believe in magic1 where wonders   
are performed daily by the native       
priesthood1 and where the cold          
materialism of science has never yet    
reached--in one word1 in the ,east4     
,the ,council of the ,society knew that 
the ,lama-,buddhists1 for instance1     
though not believing in ,god1 and       
denying the personal immortality of the 
soul1 are yet celebrated for their      
phenomena1 and that mesmerism was known 
and daily practised in ,china from time 
immemorial under the name of gina4 ,in  
,india they fear and hate the very name 
of the spirits whom the ,spiritualists  
venerate so deeply1 yet many an ignorant
 fakir can perform miracles calculated  
to turn upside-down all the notions of a
 scientist and to be the despair of the 
most celebrated of ,european            

prestidigitateurs4 ,many members of the 
,society have visited ,india--many were 
born there and have themselves witnessed
 the sorceries of the ,brahmans4 ,the   
founders of the ,club1 well aware of the
 depth of modern ignorance in regard to 
the spiritual man1 were most anxious    
that ,cuvier's method of comparative    
anatomy should acquire rights of        
citizenship among metaphysicians1 and1  
so1 progress from regions physical to   
regions psychological on its own        
inductive and deductive foundation4     
,otherwise1 they thought1 psychology    
will be unable to move forward a single 
step1 and may even obstruct every other 
branch of ,natural ,history4 ,instances 
have not been wanting of physiology     
poaching on the preserves of purely     
metaphysical and abstract knowledge1 all
 the time feigning to ignore the latter 
absolutely1 and seeking to class        
psychology with the positive sciences1  
having first bound it to a ,bed of      
,procrustes1 where it refuses to yield  

its secret to its clumsy tormentors4    
,in a short time the ,theosophical      
,society counted its members1 not by    
hundreds1 but by thousands4 ,all the    
malcontents of ,american                
,spiritualism--and there were at that   
time twelve million ,spiritualists in   
,america--joined the ,society4          
,collateral branches were formed in     
,london1 ,corfu1 ,australia1 ,spain1    
,cuba1 ,california1 etc4 ,everywhere    
experiments were being performed1 and   
the conviction that it is not spirits   
alone who are the causes of the         
phenomena was becoming general4  ,in    
course of time branches of the ,society 
were in ,india and in ,ceylon4 ,the     
,buddhist and ,brahmanical members      
became more numerous than the           
,europeans4 ,a league was formed1 and to
 the name of the ,society was added the 
subtitle1 ,the ,brotherhood of          
,humanity4 ,after an active             
correspondence between the ,arya-,samaj1
 founded by ,swami ,dayanand1 and the   

,theosophical ,society1 an amalgamation 
was arranged between the two bodies4    
,then the ,chief ,council of the ,new   
,york branch decided upon sending a     
special delegation to ,india1 for the   
purpose of studying1 on the spot1 the   
ancient language of the ,vedas and the  
manuscripts and the wonders of ,yogism4 
,on the #agth of ,december1 #ahgh1 the  
delegation1 composed of two secretaries 
and two members of the council of the   
,theosophical ,society1 started from    
,new ,york1 to pause for a while in     
,london1 and then to proceed to ,bombay1
 where it landed in ,february1 #ahgi4   
,it may easily be conceived that1 under 
these circumstances1 the members of the 
delegation were better able to study the
 country and to make fruitful researches
 than might1 otherwise1 have been the   
case4 ,today they are looked upon as    
brothers and aided by the most          
influential natives of ,india4 ,they    
count among the members of their society
 pandits of ,benares and ,calcutta1 and 

,buddhist priests of the ,ceylon        
,viharas--amongst others the learned    
,sumangala1 mentioned by ,minayeff in   
the description of his visit to ,adam's 
,peak--and ,lamas of ,thibet1 ,burmah1  
,travancore and elsewhere4 ,the members 
of the delegation are admitted to       
sanctuaries where1 as yet1 no ,european 
has set his foot4 ,consequently they may
 hope to render many services to        
,humanity and ,science1 in spite of the 
illwill which the representatives of    
positive science bear to them4  ,as soon
 as the delegation landed1 a telegram   
was despatched to ,dayanand1 as everyone
 was anxious to make his personal       
acquaintance4 ,in reply1 he said that he
 was obliged to go immediately to       
,hardwar1 where hundreds of thousands of
 pilgrims were expected to assemble1 but
 he insisted on our remaining behind1   
since cholera was certain to break out  
among the devotees4 ,he appointed a     
certain spot1 at the foot of the        
,himalayas1 in the jab1 where we were to

 meet in a month's time4  ,alas6 all    
this was written some time ago4 ,since  
then ,swami ,dayanand's countenance has 
changed completely toward us4 ,he is1   
now1 an enemy of the ,theosophical      
,society and its two founders--,colonel 
,olcott and the author of these letters4
 ,it appeared that1 on entering into an 
offensive and defensive alliance with   
the ,society1 ,dayanand nourished the   
hope that all its members1 ,christians1 
,brahmans and ,buddhists1 would         
acknowledge ,his supremacy1 and become  
members of the ,arya ,samaj4  ,needless 
to say1 this was impossible4 ,the       
,theosophical ,society rests on the     
principle of complete non-interference  
with the religious beliefs of its       
members4 ,toleration is its basis and   
its aims are purely philosophical4 ,this
 did not suit ,dayanand4 ,he wanted all 
the members1 either to become his       
disciples1 or to be expelled from the   
,society4 ,it was quite clear that      
neither the ,president1 nor the ,council

 could assent to such a claim4          
,englishmen and ,americans1 whether they
 were ,christians or ,freethinkers1     
,buddhists1 and especially ,brahmans1   
revolted against ,dayanand1 and         
unanimously demanded that the league    
should be broken4  ,however1 all this   
happened later4 ,at the time of which ,i
 speak we were friends and allies of the
 ,swami1 and we learned with deep       
interest that the ,hardwar mela1 which  
he was to visit1 takes place every      
twelve years1 and is a kind of religious
 fair1 which attracts representatives   
from all the numerous sects of ,india4  
,learned dissertations are read by the  
disputants in defence of their peculiar 
doctrines1 and the debates are held in  
public4 ,this year the ,hardwar         
gathering was exceptionally numerous4   
,the ,sannyasis--the mendicant monks of 
,india--alone numbered #ce1jjj and the  
cholera1 foreseen by the ,swami1        
actually broke out4    ,as we were not  
yet to start for the appointed meeting1 

we had plenty of spare time before us2  
so we proceeded to examine ,bombay4     
,the ,tower of ,silence1 on the heights 
of the ,malabar ,hill1 is the last abode
 of all the sons of ,zoroaster4 ,it is1 
in fact1 a ,parsee cemetery4 ,here their
 dead1 rich and poor1 men1 women and    
children1 are all laid in a row1 and in 
a few minutes nothing remains of them   
but bare skeletons4 ,a dismal impression
 is made upon a foreigner by these      
towers1 where absolute silence has      
reigned for centuries4 ,this kind of    
building is very common in every place  
were ,parsees live and die4 ,in ,bombay1
 of six towers1 the largest was built   
#bej years ago1 and the least but a     
short time since4 ,with few exceptions1 
they are round or square in shape1 from 
twenty to forty feet high1 without roof1
 window1 or door1 but with a single iron
 gate opening towards the ,east1 and so 
small that it is quite covered by a few 
bushes4 ,the first corpse brought to a  
new tower--dakhma--must be the body of  

the innocent child of a mobed or priest4
 ,no one1 not even the chief watcher1 is
 allowed to approach within a distance  
of thirty paces of these towers4 ,of all
 living human beings                    
nassesalars--corpse-carriers--alone     
enter and leave the ,tower of ,silence4 
,the life these men lead is simply      
wretched4 ,no ,european executioner's   
position is worse4 ,they live quite     
apart from the rest of the world1 in    
whose eyes they are the most abject of  
beings4 ,being forbidden to enter the   
markets1 they must get their food as    
they can4 ,they are born1 marry1 and    
die1 perfect strangers to all except    
their own class1 passing through the    
streets only to fetch the dead and carry
 them to the tower4 ,even to be near one
 of them is a degradation4 ,entering the
 tower with a corpse1 covered1 whatever 
may have been its rank or position1 with
 old white rags1 they undress it and    
place it1 in silence1 on one of the     
three rows presently to be described4   

,then1 still preserving the same        
silence1 they come out1 shut the gate1  
and burn the rags4  ,amongst the        
fire-worshippers1 ,death is divested of 
all his majesty and is a mere object of 
disgust4 ,as soon as the last hour of a 
sick person seems to approach1 everyone 
leaves the chamber of death1 as much to 
avoid impeding the departure of the soul
 from the body1 as to shun the risk of  
polluting the living by contact with the
 dead4 ,the mobed alone stays with the  
dying man for a while1 and having       
whispered into his ear the ,zend-,avesta
 precepts1 ashem-vohu and               
,yato-,ahuvarie1 leaves the room while  
the patient is still alive4 ,then a dog 
is brought and made to look straight    
into his face4 ,this ceremony is called 
sas-did1 the dog's-stare4 ,a dog is the 
only living creature that the           
,drux-nassu--the evil one--fears1 and   
that is able to prevent him from taking 
possession of the body4 ,it must be     
strictly observed that no one's shadow  

lies between the dying man and the dog1 
otherwise the whole strength of the     
dog's gaze will be lost1 and the demon  
will profit by the occasion4 ,the body  
remains on the spot where life left it1 
until the nassesalars appear1 their arms
 hidden to the shoulders under old bags1
 to take it away4 ,having deposited it  
in an iron coffin--the same for         
everyone--they carry it to the dakhma4  
,if any one1 who has once been carried  
thither1 should happen to regain        
consciousness1 the nassesalars are bound
 to kill him2 for such a person1 who has
 been polluted by one touch of the dead 
bodies in the dakhma1 has thereby lost  
all right to return to the living1 by   
doing so he would contaminate the whole 
community4 ,as some such cases have     
occurred1 the ,parsees are trying to get
 a new law passed1 that would allow the 
miserable ex-corpses to live again      
amongst their friends1 and that would   
compel the nassesalars to leave the only
 gate of the dakhma unlocked1 so that   

they might find a way of retreat open to
 them4 ,it is very curious1 but it is   
said that the vultures1 which devour    
without hesitation the corpses1 will    
never touch those who are only          
apparently dead1 but fly away uttering  
loud shrieks4 ,after a last prayer at   
the gate of the dakhma1 pronounced from 
afar by the mobed1 and re-peated in     
chorus by the nassesalars1 the dog      
ceremony is repeated4 ,in ,bombay there 
is a dog1 trained for this purpose1 at  
the entrance to the tower4 ,finally1 the
 body is taken inside and placed on one 
or other of the rows1 according to its  
sex and age4  ,we have twice been       
present at the ceremonies of dying1 and 
once of burial1 if ,i may be permitted  
to use such an incongruous term4 ,in    
this respect the ,parsees are much more 
tolerant than the ,hindus1 who are      
offended by the mere presence at their  
religious rites of an ,european4 ,n4    
,bayranji1 a chief official of the      
tower1 invited us to his house to be    

present at the burial of some rich      
woman4 ,so we witnessed all that was    
going on at a distance of about forty   
paces1 sitting quietly on our obliging  
host's verandah4 ,while the dog was     
staring into the dead woman's face1 we  
were gazing1 as intently1 but with much 
more disgust1 at the huge flock of      
vultures above the dakhma1 that kept    
entering the tower1 and flying out again
 with pieces of human flesh in their    
beaks4 ,these birds1 that build their   
nests in thousands round the ,tower of  
,silence1 have been purposely imported  
from ,persia4 ,indian vultures proved to
 be too weak1 and not sufficiently      
bloodthirsty1 to perform the process of 
stripping the bones with the despatch   
prescribed by ,zoroaster4 ,we were told 
that the entire operation of denuding   
the bones occupies no more than a few   
minutes4 ,as soon as the ceremony was   
over1 we were led into another building1
 where a model of the dakhma was to be  
seen4 ,we could now very easily imagine 

what was to take place presently inside 
the tower4 ,in the centre there is a    
deep waterless well1 covered with a     
grating like the opening into a drain4  
,around it are three broad circles1     
gradually sloping downwards4 ,in each of
 them are coffin-like receptacles for   
the bodies4 ,there are three hundred and
 sixty-five such places4 ,the first and 
smallest row is destined for children1  
the second for women1 and the third for 
men4 ,this threefold circle is          
symbolical of three cardinal            
,zoroastrian virtues--pure thoughts1    
kind words1 and good actions4 ,thanks to
 the vultures1 the bones are laid bare  
in less than an hour1 and1 in two or    
three weeks1 the tropical sun scorches  
them into such a state of fragility1    
that the slightest breath of wind is    
enough to reduce them to powder and to  
carry them down into the pit4 ,no smell 
is left behind1 no source of plagues and
 epidemics4 ,i do not know that this way
 may not be preferable to cremation1    

which leaves in the air about the ,ghat 
a faint but disagreeable odour4 ,the    
,ghat is a place by the sea1 or river   
shore1 where ,hindus burn their dead4   
,instead of feeding the old ,slavonic   
deity ,mother ,wet ,earth with carrion1 
,parsees give to ,armasti pure dust4    
,armasti means1 literally1 fostering    
cow1 and ,zoroaster teaches that the    
cultivation of land is the noblest of   
all occupations in the eyes of ,god4    
,accordingly1 the worship of ,earth is  
so sacred among the ,parsees1 that they 
take all possible precautions against   
polluting the fostering cow that gives  
them a hundred golden grains for every  
single grain4 ,in the season of the     
,monsoon1 when1 during four months1 the 
rain pours incessantly down and washes  
into the well everything that is left by
 the vultures1 the water absorbed by the
 earth is filtered1 for the bottom of   
the well1 the walls of which are built  
of granite1 is1 to this end1 covered    
with sand and charcoal4  ,the sight of  

the ,pinjarapala is less lugubrious and 
much more amusing4 ,the ,pinjarapala is 
the ,bombay ,hospital for decrepit      
animals1 but a similar institution      
exists in every town where ,jainas      
dwell4 ,being one of the most ancient1  
this is also one of the most            
interesting1 of the sects of ,india4 ,it
 is much older than ,buddhism1 which    
took its rise about #edc to #dgg ,b4,c4 
,jainas boast that ,buddhism is nothing 
more than a mere heresy of ,jainism1    
,gautama1 the founder of ,buddhism1     
having been a disciple and follower of  
one of the ,jaina ,gurus4 ,the customs1 
rites1 and philosophical conceptions of 
,jainas place them midway between the   
,brahmanists and the ,buddhists4 ,in    
view of their social arrangements1 they 
more closely resemble the former1 but in
 their religion they incline towards the
 latter4 ,their caste divisions1 their  
total abstinence from flesh1 and their  
non-worship of the relics of the saints1
 are as strictly observed as the similar

 tenets of the ,brahmans1 but1 like     
,buddhists1 they deny the ,hindu gods   
and the authority of the ,vedas1 and    
adore their own twenty-four             
,tirthankaras1 or ,jinas1 who belong to 
the ,host of the ,blissful4 ,their      
priests1 like the ,buddhists'1 never    
marry1 they live in isolated viharas and
 choose their successors from amongst   
the members of any social class4        
,according to them1 ,prakrit is the only
 sacred language1 and is used in their  
sacred literature1 as well as in        
,ceylon4 ,jainas and ,buddhists have the
 same traditional chronology4 ,they do  
not eat after sunset1 and carefully dust
 any place before sitting down upon it1 
that they may not crush even the tiniest
 of insects4 ,both systems1 or rather   
both schools of philosophy1 teach the   
theory of eternal indestructible atoms1 
following the ancient atomistic school  
of ,kanada4 ,they assert that the       
universe never had a beginning and never
 will have an end4 ,the world and       

everything in it is but an illusion1 a  
,maya1 say the ,vedantists1 the         
,buddhists1 and the ,jainas2 but1       
whereas the followers of ,sankaracharya 
preach ,parabrahm 7a deity devoid of    
will1 understanding1 and action1 because
 ,it is absolute understanding1 mind and
 will71 and ,ishwara emanating from ,it1
 the ,jainas and the ,buddhists believe 
in no ,creator of the ,universe1 but    
teach only the existence of ,swabhawati1
 a plastic1 infinite1 self-created      
principle in ,nature4 ,still they firmly
 believe1 as do all ,indian sects1 in   
the transmigration of souls4 ,their     
fear1 lest1 by killing an animal or an  
insect1 they may1 perchance1 destroy the
 life of an ancestor1 develops their    
love and care for every living creature 
to an almost incredible extent4 ,not    
only is there a hospital for invalid    
animals in every town and village1 but  
their priests always wear a muslin      
muzzle1 7,i trust they will pardon the  
disrespectful expression67 in order to  

avoid destroying even the smallest      
animalcule1 by inadvertence in the act  
of breathing4 ,the same fear impels them
 to drink only filtered water4 ,there   
are a few millions of ,jainas in        
,gujerat1 ,bombay1 ,konkan1 and some    
other places4  ,the ,bombay ,pinjarapala
 occupies a whole quarter of the town1  
and is separated into yards1 meadows and
 gardens1 with ponds1 cages for beasts  
of prey1 and enclosures for tame        
animals4 ,this institution would have   
served very well for a model of ,noah's 
,ark4 ,in the first yard1 however1 we   
saw no animals1 but1 instead1 a few     
hundred human skeletons--old men1 women 
and children4 ,they were the remaining  
natives of the1 so-called1 famine       
districts1 who had crowded into ,bombay 
to beg their bread4 ,thus1 while1 a few 
yards off1 the official ,vets4 were     
busily bandaging the broken legs of     
jackals1 pouring ointments on the backs 
of mangy dogs1 and fitting crutches to  
lame storks1 human beings were dying1 at

 their very elbows1 of starvation4      
,happily for the famine-stricken1 there 
were at that time fewer hungry animals  
than usual1 and so they were fed on what
 remained from the meals of the brute   
pensioners4 ,no doubt many of these     
wretched sufferers would have consented 
to transmigrate instantly into the      
bodies of any of the animals who were   
ending so snugly their earthly careers4 
,but even the ,pinjarajala roses are not
 without thorns4 ,the graminivorous     
subjects1 of course1 could mot wish for 
anything better2 but ,i doubt very much 
whether the beasts of prey1 such as     
tigers1 hyenas1 and wolves1 are content 
with the rules and the forcibly         
prescribed diet4 ,jainas themselves turn
 with disgust even from eggs and fish1  
and1 in consequence1 all the animals of 
which they have the care must turn      
vegetarians4 ,we were present when an   
old tiger1 wounded by an ,english       
bullet1 was fed4 ,having sniffed at a   
kind of rice soup which was offered to  

him1 he lashed his tail1 snarled1       
showing his yellow teeth1 and with a    
weak roar turned away from the food4    
,what a look he cast askance upon his   
keeper1 who was meekly trying to        
persuade him to taste his nice dinner6  
,only the strong bars of the cage saved 
the ,jaina from a vigorous protest on   
the part of this veteran of the forest4 
,a hyena1 with a bleeding head and an   
ear half torn off1 began by sitting in  
the trough filled with this ,spartan    
sauce1 and then1 without any further    
ceremony1 upset it1 as if to show its   
utter contempt for the mess4 ,the wolves
 and the dogs raised such disconsolate  
howls that they attracted the attention 
of two inseparable friends1 an old      
elephant with a wooden leg and a        
sore-eyed ox1 the veritable ,castor and 
,pollux of this institution4 ,in        
accordance with his noble nature1 the   
first thought of the elephant concerned 
his friend4 ,he wound his trunk round   
the neck of the ox1 in token of         

protection1 and both moaned dismally4   
,parrots1 storks1 pigeons1              
flamingoes--the whole feathered         
tribe--revelled in their breakfast4     
,monkeys were the first to answer the   
keeper's invitation and greatly enjoyed 
themselves4 ,further on we were shown a 
holy man1 who was feeding insects with  
his own blood4 ,he lay with his eyes    
shut1 and the scorching rays of the sun 
striking full upon his naked body4 ,he  
was literally covered with flies1       
mosquitoes1 ants and bugs4  ,all these  
are our brothers1 mildly observed the   
keeper1 pointing to the hundreds of     
animals and insects4 ,how can you       
,europeans kill and even devour them8   
,what would you do1 ,i asked1 if this   
snake were about to bite you8 ,is it    
possible you would not kill it1 if you  
had time8  ,not for all the world4 ,i   
should cautiously catch it1 and then ,i 
should carry it to some deserted place  
outside the town1 and there set it free4
  ,nevertheless2 suppose it bit you8    

,then ,i should recite a mantram1 and1  
if that produced no good result1 ,i     
should be fair to consider it as the    
finger of ,fate1 and quietly leave this 
body for another4  ,these were the words
 of a man who was educated to a certain 
extent1 and very well read4 ,when we    
pointed out that no gift of ,nature is  
aimless1 and that the human teeth are   
all devouring1 he answered by quoting   
whole chapters of ,darwin's ,theory of  
,natural ,selection and ,origin of      
,species4 ,it is not true1 argued he1   
that the first men were born with canine
 teeth4 ,it was only in course of time1 
with the degradation of humanity1--only 
when the appetite for flesh food began  
to develop--that the jaws changed their 
first shape under the influence of new  
necessities4  ,i could not help asking  
myself1 ,ou la science va-t'elle se     
fourrer8    ,the same evening1 in       
,elphinstone's ,theatre1 there was given
 a special performance in honour of the 
,american ,mission1 as we are styled    

here4 ,native actors represented in     
,gujerati the ancient fairy drama       
,sita-,rama1 that has been adapted from 
the ,ramayana1 the celebrated epic by   
,vilmiki4 ,this drama is composed of    
fourteen acts and no end of tableaux1 in
 addition to transformation scenes4 ,all
 the female parts1 as usual1 were acted 
by young boys1 and the actors1          
accord-ing to the historical and        
national customs1 were bare-footed and  
half-naked4 ,still1 the richness of the 
costumes1 the stage adornments and      
transformations1 were truly wonderful4  
,for instance1 even on the stages of    
large metropolitan theatres1 it would   
have been difficult to give a better    
representation of the army of ,rama's   
allies1 who are nothing more than troops
 of monkeys under the leadership of     
,hanuman--the soldier1 statesman1       
dramatist1 poet1 god1 who is so         
celebrated in history 7that of ,india   
s4v4p474 ,the oldest and best of all    
,sanskrit dramas1 ,hanuman-,natak1 is   

ascribed to this talented forefather of 
ours4  ,alas6 gone is the glorious time 
when1 proud of our white skin 7which    
after all may be nothing more than the  
result of a fading1 under the influences
 of our northern sky71 we looked down   
upon ,hindus and other niggers with a   
feeling of contempt well suited to our  
own magnificence4 ,no doubt ,sir        
,william ,jones's soft heart ached1 when
 translating from the ,sanskrit such    
humiliating sentences as the following3 
,hanuman is said to be the forefather of
 the ,europeans4 ,rama1 being a hero and
 a demi-god1 was well entitled to unite 
all the bachelors of his useful monkey  
army to the daughters of the ,lanka     
7,ceylon7 giants1 the ,rakshasas1 and to
 present these ,dravidian beauties with 
the dowry of all ,western lands4 ,after 
the most pompous marriage ceremonies1   
the monkey soldiers made a bridge1 with 
the help of their own tails1 and safely 
landed with their spouses in ,europe1   
where they lived very happily and had a 

numerous progeny4 ,this progeny are we1 
,europeans4 ,dravidian words found in   
some ,european languages1 in ,basque for
 instance1 greatly rejoice the hearts of
 the ,brahmans1 who would gladly promote
 the philologists to the rank of        
demi-gods for this important discovery1 
which confirms so gloriously their      
ancient legend4 ,but it was ,darwin who 
crowned the edifice of proof with the   
authority of ,western education and     
,western scientific literature4 ,the    
,indians became still more convinced    
that we are the veritable descendants of
 ,hanuman1 and that1 if one only took   
the trouble to examine carefully1 our   
tails might easily be discovered4 ,our  
narrow breeches and long skirts only add
 to the evidence1 however               
uncomplimentary the idea may be to us4  
,still1 if you consider seriously1 what 
are we to say when ,science1 in the     
person of ,darwin1 concedes this        
hypothesis to the wisdom of ancient     
,aryas4 ,we must perforce submit4 ,and1 

really1 it is better to have for a      
forefather ,hanu-man1 the poet1 the     
hero1 the god1 than any other monkey1   
even though it be a tailless one4       
,sita-,rama belongs to the category of  
mythological dramas1 something like the 
tragedies of ,aeschylus4 ,listening to  
this production of the remotest         
antiquity1 the spectators are carried   
back to the times when the gods1        
descending upon earth1 took an active   
part in the everyday life of mortals4   
,nothing reminds one of a modern drama1 
though the exterior arrangement is the  
same4 ,from the sublime to the          
ridiculous there is but a step1 and vice
 versa4 ,the goat1 chosen for a         
sacrifice to ,bacchus1 presented the    
world tragedy 7greek script here74 ,the 
death bleatings and buttings of the     
quadrupedal offering of antiquity have  
been polished by the hands of time and  
of civilization1 and1 as a result of    
this process1 we get the dying whisper  
of ,rachel in the part of ,adrienne     

,lecouvreur1 and the fearfully realistic
 kicking of the modern ,croisette in the
 poisoning scene of ,the ,sphinx4 ,but1 
whereas the descendants of ,themistocles
 gladly receive1 whether captive or     
free1 all the changes and improvements  
considered as such by modern taste1     
thinking them to be a corrected and     
enlarged edition of the genius of       
,aeschylus2 ,hindus1 happily for        
archaeologists and lovers of antiquity1 
have never moved a step since the times 
of our much honoured forefather         
,hanuman4  ,we awaited the performance  
of ,sita-,rama with the liveliest       
curiosity4 ,except ourselves and the    
building of the theatre1 everything was 
strictly indigenous and nothing reminded
 us of the ,west4 ,there was not the    
trace of an orchestra4 ,music was only  
to be heard from the stage1 or from     
behind it4 ,at last the curtain rose4   
,the silence1 which had been very       
remarkable before the performance1      
considering the huge crowd of spectators

 of both sexes1 now became absolute4    
,rama is one of the incarnations of     
,vishnu and1 as most of the audience    
were worshippers of ,vishnu1 for them   
the spectacle was not a mere theatrical 
performance1 but a religious mystery1   
representing the life and achievements  
of their favourite and most venerated   
gods4  ,the prologue was laid in the    
epoch before creation began 7it may     
safely be said that no dramatist would  
dare to choose an earlier one7--or1     
rather1 before the last manifestation of
 the universe4 ,all the philosophical   
sects of ,india1 except ,mussulmans1    
agree that the universe has always      
existed4 ,but the ,hindus divide the    
periodical appearances and vanishings   
into days and nights of ,brahma4 ,the   
nights1 or withdrawals of the objective 
universe1 are called ,pralayas1 and the 
days1 or epochs of new awakening into   
life and light1 are called ,manvantaras1
 ,yugas1 or centuries of the gods4      
,these periods are also called1         

respectively1 the inbreathings and      
outbreathings of ,brahma4 ,when ,pralaya
 comes to an end ,brahma awakens1 and1  
with this awakening1 the universe that  
rested in deity1 in other words1 that   
was reabsorbed in its subjective        
essence1 emanates from the divine       
principle and becomes visible4 ,the     
gods1 who died at the same time as the  
universe1 begin slowly to return to     
life4 ,the ,invisible alone1 the        
,infinite1 the ,lifeless1 the ,one who  
is the unconditioned original ,life     
itself1 soars1 surrounded by shoreless  
chaos4 ,its holy presence is not        
visible4 ,it shows itself only in the   
periodical pulsation of chaos1          
represented by a dark mass of waters    
filling the stage4 ,these waters are    
not1 as yet1 separated from the dry     
land1 because ,brahma1 the creative     
spirit of ,narayana1 has not yet        
separated from the ,ever ,unchanging4   
,then comes a heavy shock of the whole  
mass and the waters begin to acquire    

transparency4 ,rays1 proceeding from a  
golden egg at the bottom1 spread through
 the chaotic waters4 ,receiving life    
from the spirit of ,narayana1 the egg   
bursts and the awakened ,brahma rises to
 the surface of the water in the shape  
of a huge lotus4 ,light clouds appear1  
at first transparent and web-like4 ,they
 gradually become condensed1 and        
transform themselves into ,prajapatis1  
the ten personified creative powers of  
,brahma1 the god of everything living1  
and sing a hymn of praise to the        
creator4 ,something naively poetical1 to
 our unaccustomed ears1 breathed in this
 uniform melody unaccompanied by any    
orchestra4  ,the hour of general revival
 has struck4 ,pralaya comes to an end4  
,everything rejoices1 returning to life4
 ,the sky is separated from the waters  
and on it appear the ,asuras and        
,gandharvas1 the heavenly singers and   
musicians4 ,then ,indra1 ,yama1 ,varuna1
 and ,kuvera1 the spirits presiding over
 the four cardinal points1 or the four  

elements1 water1 fire1 earth1 and air1  
pour forth atoms1 whence springs the    
serpent ,ananta4 ,the monster swims to  
the surface of the waves and1 bending   
its swanlike neck1 forms a couch on     
which ,vishnu reclines with the ,goddess
 of ,beauty1 his wife ,lakshmi1 at his  
feet4 ,swatha6 ,swatha6 ,swatha6 cries  
the choir of heavenly musicians1 hailing
 the deity4 ,in the ,russian church     
service this is pronounced ,swiat6      
,swiat6 ,swiat6 and means holy6 holy6   
holy6  ,in one of his future avatars    
,vishnu will incarnate in ,rama1 the son
 of a great king1 and ,lakshmi will     
become ,sita4 ,the motive of the whole  
poem of ,ramayana is sung in a few words
 by the celestial musicians4 ,kama1 the 
,god of ,love1 shelters the divine      
couple and1 that very moment1 a flame is
 lit in their hearts and the whole world
 is created4  ,later there are performed
 the fourteen acts of the drama1 which  
is well known to everybody1 and in which
 several hundred personages take part4  

,at the end of the prologue the whole   
assembly of gods come forward1 one after
 another1 and acquaint the audience with
 the contents and the epilogue of their 
performance1 asking the public not to be
 too exacting4 ,it is as though all     
these familiar deities1 made of painted 
granite and marble1 left the temples and
 came down to remind mortals of events  
long past and forgotten4  ,the hall was 
full of natives4 ,we four alone were    
representatives of ,europe4 ,like a huge
 flower bed1 the women displayed the    
bright colors of their garments4 ,here  
and there1 among handsome1 bronze-like  
heads1 were the pretty1 dull white faces
 of ,parsee women1 whose beauty reminded
 me of the ,georgians4 ,the front rows  
were occupied by women only4 ,in ,india 
it is quite easy to learn a person's    
religion1 sect1 and caste1 and even     
whether a woman is married or single1   
from the marks painted in bright colors 
on everyone's forehead4  ,since the time
 when ,alexander the ,great destroyed   

the sacred books of the ,gebars1 they   
have constantly been oppressed by the   
idol worshippers4 ,king                 
,ardeshir-,babechan restored fire       
worship in the years #bbi-bdc ,a4,c4    
,since then they have again been        
persecuted during the reign of one of   
the ,shakpurs1 either ,,ii41 ,,ix41 or  
,,xi41 of the ,sassanids1 but which of  
them is not known4 ,it is1 however1     
reported that one of them was a great   
protector of the ,zartushta doctrines4  
,after the fall of ,yesdejird1 the      
fire-worshippers emigrated to the island
 of ,ormasd1 and1 some time later1      
having found a book of ,zoroastrian     
prophecies1 in obedience to one of them 
they set out for ,hindustan4 ,after many
 wanderings1 they appeared1 about #a1jjj
 or #a1bjj years ago1 in the territory  
of ,maharana-,jayadeva1 a vassal of the 
,rajput ,king ,champanir1 who allowed   
them to colonize his land1 but only on  
condition that they laid down their     
weapons1 that they abandoned the        

,persian language for ,hindi1 and that  
their women put off their national dress
 and clothed themselves after the manner
 of ,hindu women4 ,he1 however1 allowed 
them to wear shoes1 since this is       
strictly prescribed by ,zoroaster4      
,since then very few changes have been  
made4 ,it follows that the ,parsee women
 could only be distinguished from their 
,hindu sisters by very slight           
differences4 ,the almost white faces of 
the former were separated by a strip of 
smooth black hair from a sort of white  
cap1 and the whole was covered with a   
bright veil4 ,the latter wore no        
covering on their rich1 shining hair1   
twisted into a kind of ,greek chignon4  
,their foreheads were brightly painted1 
and their nostrils adorned with golden  
rings4 ,both are fond of bright1 but    
uniform1 colors1 both cover their arms  
up to the elbow with bangles1 and both  
wear saris4  ,behind the women a whole  
sea of most wonderful turbans was waving
 in the pit4 ,there were long-haired    

,rajputs with regular ,grecian features 
and long beards parted in the middle1   
their heads covered with pagris         
consisting of1 at least1 twenty yards of
 finest white muslin1 and their persons 
adorned with earrings and necklaces2    
there were ,mahrata ,brahmans1 who shave
 their heads1 leaving only one long     
central lock1 and wear turbans of       
blinding red1 decorated in front with a 
sort of golden horn of plenty2 ,bangas1 
wearing three-cornered helmets with a   
kind of cockscomb on the top2 ,kachhis1 
with ,roman helmets2 ,bhillis1 from the 
borders of ,rajastan1 whose chins are   
wrapped three times in the ends of their
 pyramidal turbans1 so that the innocent
 tourist never fails to think that they 
constantly suffer from toothache2       
,bengalis and ,calcutta ,babus1         
bare-headed all the year round1 their   
hair cut after an ,athenian fashion1 and
 their bodies clothed in the proud folds
 of a white toga-virilis1 in no way     
different from those once worn by ,roman

 senators2 ,parsees1 in their black1    
oilcloth mitres2 ,sikhs1 the followers  
of ,nanaka1 strictly monotheist and     
mystic1 whose turbans are very like the 
,bhillis'1 but who wear long hair down  
to their waists2 and hundreds of other  
tribes4  ,proposing to count how many   
different headgears are to be seen in   
,bombay alone1 we had to abandon the    
task as impracticable after a fortnight4
 ,every caste1 every trade1 guild1 and  
sect1 every one of the thousand         
sub-divisions of the social hierarchy1  
has its own bright turban1 often        
sparkling with gold lace and precious   
stones1 which is laid aside only in case
 of mourning4 ,but1 as if to compensate 
for this luxury1 even the mem-bers of   
the municipality1 rich merchants1 and   
,rai-,bahadurs1 who have been created   
baronets by the ,government1 never wear 
any stockings1 and leave their legs bare
 up to the knees4 ,as for their dress1  
it chiefly consists of a kind of        
shapeless white shirt4  ,in ,baroda some

 ,gaikwars 7a title of all the ,baroda  
princes7 still keep in their stables    
elephants and the less common giraffes1 
though the former are strictly forbidden
 in the streets of ,bombay4 ,we had an  
opportunity of seeing ministers1 and    
even ,rajas1 mounted on these noble     
animals1 their mouths full of pansupari 
7betel leaves71 their heads drooping    
under the weight of the precious stones 
on their turbans1 and each of their     
fingers and toes adorned with rich      
golden rings4 ,while the evening ,i am  
describing lasted1 however1 we saw no   
elephants1 no giraffes1 though we       
enjoyed the company of ,rajas and       
ministers4 ,we had in our box the       
hand-some ambassador and late tutor of  
the ,mahararana of ,oodeypore4 ,our     
companion was a ,raja and a pandit4 ,his
 name was a                             
,mohunlal-,vishnulal-,pandia4 ,he wore a
 small pink turban sparkling with       
diamonds1 a pair of pink barege         
trousers1 and a white gauze coat4 ,his  

raven black hair half covered his       
amber-colored neck1 which was surrounded
 by a necklace that might have driven   
any ,parisian belle frantic with envy4  
,the poor ,raiput was awfully sleepy1   
but he stuck heroically to his duties1  
and1 thoughtfully pulling his beard1 led
 us all through the endless labyrinth of
 metaphysical entanglements of the      
,ramayana4 ,during the entr'actes we    
were offered coffee1 sherbets1 and      
cigarettes1 which we smoked even during 
the performance1 sitting in front of the
 stage in the first row4 ,we were       
covered1 like idols1 with garlands of   
flowers1 and the manager1 a stout ,hindu
 clad in transparent muslins1 sprinkled 
us several times with rose-water4  ,the 
performance began at eight p4m4 and1 at 
half-past two1 had only reached the     
ninth act4 ,in spite of each of us      
having a punkah-wallah at our backs1 the
 heat was unbearable4 ,we had reached   
the limits of our endurance1 and tried  
to excuse ourselves4 ,this led to       

general disturbance1 on the stage as    
well as in the auditorium4 ,the airy    
chariot1 on which the wicked king       
,ravana was carrying ,sita away1 paused 
in the air4 ,the king of the ,nagas     
7serpents7 ceased breathing flames1 the 
monkey soldiers hung motionless on the  
trees1 and ,rama himself1 clad in light 
blue and crowned with a diminutive      
pagoda1 came to the front of the stage  
and pronounced in pure ,english speech1 
in which he thanked us for the honour of
 our presence4 ,then new bouquets1      
pansu-paris1 and rose-water1 and1       
finally1 we reached home about four a4m4
 ,next morning we learned that the      
performance had ended at half-past six4 
,on ,the ,way ,to ,karli    ,it is an   
early morning near the end of ,march4 ,a
 light breeze caresses with its velvety 
hand the sleepy faces of the pilgrims2  
and the intoxicating perfume of         
tuberoses mingles with the pungent odors
 of the bazaar4 ,crowds of barefooted   
,brahman women1 stately and well-formed1

 direct their steps1 like the biblical  
,rachel1 to the well1 with brass water  
pots bright as gold upon their heads4   
,on our way lie numerous sacred tanks1  
filled with stagnant water1 in which    
,hindus of both sexes perform their     
prescribed morning ablutions4 ,under the
 hedge of a garden somebody's tame      
mongoose is devouring the head of a     
cobra4 ,the headless body of the snake  
convulsively1 but harmlessly1 beats     
against the thin flanks of the little   
animal1 which regards these vain efforts
 with an evident delight4 ,side by side 
with this group of animals is a human   
figure2 a naked mali 7gardener71        
offering betel and salt to a monstrous  
stone idol of ,shiva1 with the view of  
pacifying the wrath of the ,destroyer1  
excited by the death of the cobra1 which
 is one of his favourite servants4 ,a   
few steps before reaching the railway   
station1 we meet a modest ,catholic     
procession1 consisting of a few newly   
converted pariahs and some of the native

 ,portuguese4 ,under a baldachin is a   
litter1 on which swings to and fro a    
dusky ,madonna dressed after the fashion
 of the native goddesses1 with a ring in
 her nose4 ,in her arms she carries the 
holy ,babe1 clad in yellow pyjamas and a
 red ,brah-manical turban4 ,hari1 hari1 
devaki6 7,glory to the holy ,virgin67   
exclaim the converts1 unconscious of any
 difference between the ,devaki1 mother 
of ,krishna1 and the ,catholic ,madonna4
 ,all they know is that1 excluded from  
the temples by the ,brahmans on account 
of their not belonging to any of the    
,hindu castes1 they are admitted        
sometimes into the ,christian pagodas1  
thanks to the padris1 a name adopted    
from the ,portuguese padre1 and applied 
indiscriminately to the missionaries of 
every ,european sect4  ,at last1 our    
gharis--native two-wheeled vehicles     
drawn by a pair of strong               
bullocks--arrived at the station4       
,english employes open wide their eyes  
at the sight of white-faced people      

travelling about the town in gilded     
,hindu chariots4 ,but we are true       
,americans1 and we have come hither to  
study1 not ,europe1 but ,india and her  
products on the spot4  ,if the tourist  
casts a glance on the shore opposite to 
the port of ,bombay1 he will see a dark 
blue mass rising like a wall between    
himself and the horizon4 ,this is       
,parbul1 a flat-topped mountain #b1bej  
feet high4 ,its right slope leans on two
 sharp rocks covered with woods4 ,the   
highest of them1 ,mataran1 is the object
 of our trip4 ,from ,bombay to ,narel1 a
 station situated at the foot of this   
mountain1 we are to travel four hours by
 railway1 though1 as the crow flies1 the
 distance is not more than twelve miles4
 ,the railroad wanders round the foot of
 the most charming little hills1 skirts 
hundreds of pretty lakes1 and pierces   
with more than twenty tunnels the very  
heart of the rocky ghats4  ,we were     
accompanied by three ,hindu friends4    
,two of them once belonged to a high    

caste1 but were excommunicated from     
their pagoda for association and        
friendship with us1 unworthy foreigners4
 ,at the station our party was joined by
 two more natives1 with whom we had been
 in correspondence for many a year4 ,all
 were members of our ,society1 reformers
 of the ,young ,india school1 enemies of
 ,brahmans1 castes1 aid prejudices1 and 
were to be our fellow-travelers and     
visit with us the annual fair at the    
temple festivities of ,karli1 stopping  
on the way at ,mataran and ,khanduli4   
,one was a ,brahman from ,poona1 the    
second a moodeliar 7landowner7 from     
,madras1 the third a ,singalese from    
,kegalla1 the fourth a ,bengali         
,zemindar1 and the fifth a gigantic     
,rajput1 whom we had known for a long   
time by the name of ,gulab-,lal-,sing1  
and had called simply ,gulab-,sing4 ,i  
shall dwell upon his personality more   
than on any of the others1 because the  
most wonderful and diverse stories were 
in circulation about this strange man4  

,it was asserted that he belonged to the
 sect of ,raj-,yogis1 and was an        
initiate of the mysteries of magic1     
alchemy1 and various other occult       
sciences of ,india4 ,he was rich and    
independent1 and rumour did not dare to 
suspect him of deception1 the more so   
because1 though quite full of these     
sciences1 he never uttered a word about 
them in public1 and carefully concealed 
his knowledge from all except a few     
friends4  ,he was an independent ,takur 
from ,rajistan1 a province the name of  
which means the land of kings4 ,takurs  
are1 almost without exception1 descended
 from the ,surya 7sun71 and are         
accordingly called ,suryavansa4 ,they   
are prouder than any other nation in the
 world4 ,they have a proverb1 ,the dirt 
of the earth cannot stick to the rays of
 the sun4 ,they do not despise any sect1
 except the ,brahmans1 and honor only   
the bards who sing their military       
achievements4 ,of the latter ,colonel   
,tod writes somewhat as follows199 ,the 

magnificence and luxury of the ,rajput  
courts in the early periods of history  
were truly wonderful1 even when due     
allowance is made for the poetical      
license of the bards4 ,from the earliest
 times ,northern ,india was a wealthy   
country1 and it was precisely here that 
was situated the richest satrapy of     
,darius4 ,at all events1 this country   
abounded in those most striking events  
which furnish history with her richest  
materials4 ,in ,rajistan every small    
kingdom had its ,thermopylae1 and every 
little town has produced its ,leonidas4 
,but the veil of the centuries hides    
from posterity events that the pen of   
the historian might have bequeathed to  
the everlasting admiration of the       
nations4 ,somnath might have appeared as
 a rival of ,delphi1 the treasures of   
,hind might outweigh the riches of the  
,king of ,lydia1 while compared with the
 army of the brothers ,pandu1 that of   
,xerxes would seem an inconsiderable    
handful of men1 worthy only to rank in  

the second place4   99 ,in nearly every 
instance the passages quoted from       
various authorities have been           
retranslated from the ,russian4 ,as the 
time and labor needful for verification 
would he too great1 the sense only of   
these passages is given here4 ,they do  
not pretend to be textual4--,translator 
,england did not disarm the ,rajputs1 as
 she did the rest of the ,indian        
nations1 so ,gulab-,sing came           
accompanied by vassals and              
shield-bearers4  ,possessing an         
inexhaustible knowledge of legends1 and 
being evidently well acquainted with the
 antiquities of his country1            
,gulab-,sing proved to be the most      
interesting of our companions4  ,there1 
against the blue sky1 said              
,gulab-,lal-,sing1 you behold the       
majestic ,bhao ,mallin4 ,that deserted  
spot was once the abode of a holy       
hermit2 now it is visited yearly by     
crowds of pilgrims4 ,according to       
popular belief the most wonderful things

 happen there--miracles4 ,at the top of 
the mountain1 two thousand feet above   
the level of the sea1 is the platform of
 a fortress4 ,behind it rises another   
rock two hundred and seventy feet in    
height1 and at the very summit of this  
peak are to be found the ruins of a     
still more ancient fortress1 which for  
seventy-five years served as a shelter  
for this hermit4 ,whence he obtained his
 food will for ever remain a mystery4   
,some think he ate the roots of wild    
plants1 but upon this barren rock there 
is no vegetation4 ,the only mode of     
ascent of this perpendicular mountain   
consists of a rope1 and holes1 just big 
enough to receive the toes of a man1 cut
 out of the living rock4 ,one would     
think such a pathway accessible only to 
acrobats and monkeys4 ,surely fanaticism
 must provide wings for the ,hindus1 for
 no accident has ever happened to any of
 them4 ,unfortunately1 about forty years
 ago1 a party of ,englishmen conceived  
the unhappy thought of exploring the    

ruins1 but a strong gust of wind arose  
and carried them over the precipice4    
,after this1 ,general ,dickinson gave   
orders for the destruction of all means 
of communication with the upper         
fortress1 and the lower one1 once the   
cause of so many losses and so much     
bloodshed1 is now entirely deserted1 and
 serves only as a shelter for eagles and
 tigers4  ,listening to these tales of  
olden times1 ,i could not help comparing
 the past with the present4 ,what a     
difference6  ,kali-,yug6 cry old ,hindus
 with grim despair4 ,who can strive     
against the ,age of ,darkness8  ,this   
fatalism1 the certainty that nothing    
good can be expected now1 the conviction
 that even the powerful god ,shiva      
himself can neither appear nor help them
 are all deeply rooted in the minds of  
the old generation4 ,as for the younger 
men1 they receive their education in    
high schools and universities1 learn by 
heart ,herbert ,spencer1 ,john ,stuart  
,mill1 ,darwin and the ,german          

philosophers1 and entirely lose all     
respect1 not only for their own         
religion1 but for every other in the    
world4  ,the young educated ,hindus are 
materialists almost without exception1  
and often achieve the last limits of    
,atheism4 ,they seldom hope to attain to
 anything better than a situation as    
chief mate of the junior clerk1 as we   
say in ,russia1 and either become       
sycophants1 disgusting flatterers of    
their present lords1 or1 which is still 
worse1 or at any rate sillier1 begin to 
edit a newspaper full of cheap          
liberalism1 which gradually develops    
into a revolutionary organ4  ,but all   
this is only en passant4 ,compared with 
the mysterious and grandiose past of    
,india1 the ancient ,aryavarta1 her     
present is a natural ,indian ink        
background1 the black shadow of a bright
 picture1 the inevitable evil in the    
cycle of every nation4 ,india has become
 decrepit and has fallen down1 like a   
huge memorial of antiquity1 prostrate   

and broken to pieces4 ,but the most     
insignificant of these fragments will   
for ever remain a treasure for the      
archeologist and the artist1 and1 in the
 course of time1 may even afford a clue 
to the philosopher and the psychologist4
 ,ancient ,hindus built like giants and 
finished their work like goldsmiths1    
says ,archbishop ,heber1 describing his 
travel in ,india4 ,in his description of
 the ,taj-,mahal of ,agra1 that         
veritable eighth wonder of the world1 he
 calls it a poem in marble4 ,he might   
have added that it is difficult to find 
in ,india a ruin1 in the least state of 
preservation1 that cannot speak1 more   
eloquently than whole volumes1 of the   
past of ,india1 her religious           
aspirations1 her beliefs and hopes4     
,there is not a country of antiquity1   
not even excluding the ,egypt of the    
,pharaohs1 where the development of the 
subjective ideal into its demonstration 
by an objective symbol has been         
expressed more graphically1 more        

skillfully1 and artistically1 than in   
,india4 ,the whole pantheism of the     
,vedanta is contained in the symbol of  
the bisexual deity ,ardhanari4 ,it is   
surrounded by the double triangle1 known
 in ,india under the name of the sign of
 ,vishnu4 ,by his side lie a lion1 a    
bull1 and an eagle4 ,in his hands there 
rests a full moon1 which is reflected in
 the waters at his feet4 ,the ,vedanta  
has taught for thousands of years what  
some of the ,german philosophers began  
to preach at the end of last century and
 the beginning of this one1 namely1 that
 everything objective in the world1 as  
well as the world itself1 is no more    
than an illusion1 a ,maya1 a phantom    
created by our imagination1 and as      
unreal as the reflection of the moon    
upon the surface of the waters4 ,the    
phenomenal world1 as well as the        
subjectivity of our conception          
concerning our ,egos1 are nothing but1  
as it were1 a mirage4 ,the true sage    
will never submit to the temptations of 

illusion4 ,he is well aware that man    
will attain to self-knowledge1 and      
become a real ,ego1 only after the      
entire union of the personal fragment   
with the ,all1 thus becoming an         
immutable1 infinite1 universal ,brahma4 
,accordingly1 he considers the whole    
cycle of birth1 life1 old age1 and death
 as the sole product of imagination4    
,generally speaking1 ,indian philosophy1
 split up as it is into numerous        
metaphysical teachings1 possesses1 when 
united to ,indian ontological doctrines1
 such a well developed logic1 such a    
wonderfully refined psychology1 that it 
might well take the first rank when     
contrasted with the schools1 ancient and
 modern1 idealist or positivist1 and    
eclipse them all in turn4 ,that         
positivism expounded by ,lewis1 that    
makes each particular hair on the heads 
of ,oxford theologians stand on end1 is 
ridiculous child's play compared with   
the atomistic school of ,vaisheshika1   
with its world divided1 like a          

chessboard1 into six categories of      
everlasting atoms1 nine substances1     
twenty-four qualities1 and five motions4
 ,and1 however difficult1 and even      
impossible may seem the exact           
representation of all these abstract    
ideas1 idealistic1 pantheistic1 and1    
sometimes1 purely material1 in the      
condensed shape of allegorical symbols1 
,india1 nevertheless1 has known how to  
express all these teachings more or less
 successfully4 ,she has immortalized    
them in her ugly1 four-headed idols1 in 
the geometrical1 complicated forms of   
her temples1 and even in the entangled  
lines and spots on the foreheads of her 
sectaries4  ,we were discussing this and
 other topics with our ,hindu           
fellow-travellers when a ,catholic      
padre1 a teacher in the ,jesuit ,college
 of ,st4 ,xavier in ,bombay1 entered our
 carriage at one of the stations4 ,soon 
he could contain himself no longer1 and 
joined in our conversation4 ,smiling and
 rubbing his hands1 he said that he was 

curious to know on the strength of what 
sophistry our companions could find     
anything resembling a philosophical     
explanation in the fundamental idea of  
the four faces of this ugly ,shiva1     
crowned with snakes1 pointing with his  
finger to the idol at the entrance to a 
pagoda4  ,it is very simple1 answered   
the ,bengali ,babu4 ,you see that its   
four faces are turned towards the four  
cardinal points1 ,south1 ,north1 ,west1 
and ,east--but all these faces are on   
one body and belong to one god4  ,would 
you mind explaining first the           
philosophical idea of the four faces and
 eight hands of your ,shiva1 interrupted
 the padre4  ,with great pleasure4      
,thinking that our great ,rudra 7the    
,vedic name for this god7 is            
omnipresent1 we represent him with his  
face turned simultaneously in all       
directions4 ,eight hands indicate his   
omnipotence1 and his single body serves 
to remind us that he is ,one1 though he 
is everywhere1 and nobody can avoid his 

all-seeing eye1 or his chastising hand4 
,the padre was going to say something   
when the train stopped2 we had arrived  
at ,narel4  ,it is hardly twenty-five   
years since1 for the first time1 a white
 man ascended ,mataran1 a huge mass of  
various kinds of trap rock1 for the most
 part crystalline in form4 ,though quite
 near to ,bombay1 and only a few miles  
from ,khandala1 the summer residence of 
the ,europeans1 the threatening heights 
of this giant were long considered      
inaccessible4 ,on the north1 its smooth1
 almost vertical face rises #b1dej feet 
over the valley of the river ,pen1 and1 
further on1 numberless separate rocks   
and hillocks1 covered with thick        
vegetation1 and divided by valleys and  
precipices1 rise up to the clouds4 ,in  
#ahed1 the railway pierced one of the   
sides of ,mataran1 and now has reached  
the foot of the last mountain1 stopping 
at ,narel1 where1 not long ago1 there   
was nothing but a precipice4 ,from      
,narel to the upper plateau is but eight

 miles1 which you may travel on a pony1 
or in an open or closed palanquin1 as   
you choose4  ,considering that we       
arrived at ,narel about six in the      
evening1 this course was not very       
tempting4 ,civilization has done much   
with inanimate nature1 but1 in spite of 
all its despotism1 it has not yet been  
able to conquer tigers and snakes4      
,tigers1 no doubt1 are banished to the  
more remote jungles1 but all hinds of   
snakes1 especially cobras and           
coralillos1 which last by preference    
inhabit trees1 still abound in the      
forests of ,mataran as in days of old1  
and wage a regular guerilla warfare     
against the invaders4 ,woe betide the   
belated pedestrian1 or even horseman1 if
 he happens to pass under a tree which  
forms the ambuscade of a coralillo      
snake6 ,cobras and other reptiles seldom
 attack men1 and will generally try to  
avoid them1 unless accidentally trodden 
upon1 but these guerilleros of the      
forest1 the tree serpents1 lie in wait  

for their victims4 ,as soon as the head 
of a man comes under the branch which   
shelters the coralillo1 this enemy of   
man1 coiling its tail round the branch1 
dives down into space with all the      
length of is body1 and strikes with its 
fangs at the man's forehead4 ,this      
curious fact was long considered to be a
 mere fable1 but it has now been        
verified1 and belongs to the natural    
history of ,india4 ,in these cases the  
natives see in the snake the envoy of   
,death1 the fulfiller of the will of the
 bloodthirsty ,kali1 the spouse of      
,shiva4  ,but evening1 after the        
scorchingly hot day1 was so tempting1   
and held out to us from the distance    
such promise of delicious coolness1 that
 we decided upon risking our fate4 ,in  
the heart of this wondrous nature one   
longs to shake off earthly chains1 and  
unite oneself with the boundless life1  
so that death itself has its attractions
 in ,india4  ,besides1 the full moon was
 about to rise at eight p4m4 ,three     

hours' ascent of the mountain1 on such a
 moonlit1 tropical night as would tax   
the descriptive powers of the greatest  
artists1 was worth any sacrifice4       
,apropos1 among the few artists who can 
fix upon canvas the subtle charm of a   
moonlit night in ,india public opinion  
begins to name our own ,v4,v4           
,vereshtchagin4  ,having dined hurriedly
 in the dak bungalow we asked for our   
sedan chairs1 and1 drawing our roof-like
 topees over our eyes1 we started4      
,eight coolies1 clad1 as usual1 in      
vine-leaves1 took possession of each    
chair and hurried up the mountain1      
uttering the shrieks and yells no true  
,hindu can dispense with4 ,each chair   
was accompanied besides by a relay of   
eight more porters4 ,so we were         
sixty-four1 without counting the ,hindus
 and their servants--an army sufficient 
to frighten any stray leopard or jungle 
tiger1 in fact any animal1 except our   
fearless cousins on the side of our     
great-grandfather ,hanuman4 ,as soon as 

we turned into a thicket at the foot of 
the ,mountain1 several dozens of these  
kinsmen joined our procession4 ,thanks  
to the achievements of ,rama's ally1    
monkeys are sacred in ,india4 ,the      
,government1 emulating the earlier      
wisdom of the ,east ,india ,company1    
forbids everyone to molest them1 not    
only when met with in the forests1 which
 in all justice belong to them1 but even
 when they invade the city gardens4     
,leaping from one branch to another1    
chattering like magpies1 and making the 
most formidable grimaces1 they followed 
us all the way1 like so many midnight   
spooks4 ,sometimes they hung on the     
trees in full moonlight1 like forest    
nymphs of ,russian mythology2 sometimes 
they preceded us1 awaiting our arrival  
at the turns of the road as if showing  
us the way4 ,they never left us4 ,one   
monkey babe alighted on my knees4 ,in a 
moment the authoress of his being1      
jumping without any ceremony over the   
coolies' shoulders1 came to his rescue1 

picked him up1 and1 after making the    
most ungodly grimace at me1 ran away    
with him4  ,bandras 7monkeys7 bring luck
 with their presence1 remarked one of   
the ,hindus1 as if to console me for the
 loss of my crumpled topee4 ,besides1 he
 added1 seeing them here we may be sure 
that there is not a single tiger for ten
 miles round4  ,higher and higher we    
ascended by the steep winding path1 and 
the forest grew perceptibly thicker1    
darker1 and more impenetrable4 ,some of 
the thickets were as dark as graves4    
,passing under hundred-year-old banyans 
it was impossible to distinguish one's  
own finger at the distance of two       
inches4 ,it seemed to me that in certain
 places it would not be possible to     
advance without feeling our way1 but our
 coolies never made a false step1 but   
hastened onwards4 ,not one of us uttered
 a word4 ,it was as if we had agreed to 
be silent at these moments4 ,we felt as 
though wrapped in the heavy veil of     
dark-ness1 and no sound was heard but   

the short1 irregular breathing of the   
porters1 and the cadence of their quick1
 nervous footsteps upon the stony soil  
of the path4 ,one felt sick at heart and
 ashamed of belonging to that human     
race1 one part of which makes of the    
other mere beasts of burden4 ,these poor
 wretches are paid for their work four  
annas a day all the year round4 ,four   
annas for going eight miles upwards and 
eight miles downwards not less than     
twice a day2 altogether thirty-two miles
 up and down a mountain #a1ejj feet     
high1 carrying a burden of two          
hundredweight6 ,however1 ,india is a    
country where everything is adjusted to 
never changing customs1 and four annas a
 day is the pay for unskilled labor of  
any kind4  ,gradually open spaces and   
glades became more frequent and the     
light grew as intense as by day4        
,millions of grasshoppers were shrilling
 in the forest1 filling the air with a  
metallic throbbing1 and flocks of       
frightened parrots rushed from tree to  

tree4 ,sometimes the thundering1        
prolonged roars of tigers rose from the 
bottom of the precipices thickly covered
 with all kinds of vegetation4 ,shikaris
 assure us that1 on a quiet night1 the  
roaring of these beasts can be heard for
 many miles around4 ,the panorama1 lit  
up1 as if by ,bengal fires1 changed at  
every turn4 ,rivers1 fields1 forests1   
and rocks1 spread out at our feet over  
an enormous distance1 moved and         
trembled1 iridescent1 in the silvery    
moonlight1 like the tides of a mirage4  
,the fantastic character of the pictures
 made us hold our breath4 ,our heads    
grew giddy if1 by chance1 we glanced    
down into the depths by the flickering  
moonlight4 ,we felt that the precipice1 
#b1jjj feet deep1 was fascinating us4   
,one of our ,american fellow travelers1 
who had begun the voyage on horseback1  
had to dismount1 afraid of being unable 
to resist the temptation to dive head   
foremost into the abyss4  ,several times
 we met with lonely pedestrians1 men and

 young women1 coming down ,mataran on   
their way home after a day's work4 ,it  
often happens that some of them never   
reach home4 ,the police unconcernedly   
report that the missing man has been    
carried off by a tiger1 or killed by a  
snake4 ,all is said1 and he is soon     
entirely forgotten4 ,one person1 more or
 less1 out of the two hundred and forty 
millions who inhabit ,india does not    
matter much6 ,but there exists a very   
strange superstition in the ,deccan     
about this mysterious1 and only         
partially explored1 mountain4 ,the      
natives assert that1 in spite of the    
considerable number of victims1 there   
has never been found a single skeleton4 
,the corpse1 whether intact or mangled  
by tigers1 is immediately carried away  
by the monkeys1 who1 in the latter case1
 gather the scattered bones1 and bury   
them skillfully in deep holes1 that no  
traces ever remain4 ,englishmen laugh at
 this superstition1 but the police do   
not deny the fact of the entire         

disappearance of the bodies4 ,when the  
sides of the mountain were excavated1 in
 the course of the construction of the  
railway1 separate bones1 with the marks 
of tigers' teeth upon them1 broken      
bracelets1 and other adornments1 were   
found at an incredible depth from the   
surface4 ,the fact of these things being
 broken showed clearly that they were   
not buried by men1 because1 neither the 
religion of the ,hindus1 nor their      
greed1 would allow them to break and    
bury silver and gold4 ,is it possible1  
then1 that1 as amongst men one hand     
washes the other1 so in the animal      
kingdom one species conceals the crimes 
of another8  ,having spent the night in 
a ,portuguese inn1 woven like an eagle's
 nest out of bamboos1 and clinging to   
the almost vertical side of a rock1 we  
rose at daybreak1 and1 having visited   
all the points de vue famed for their   
beauty1 made our preparations to return 
to ,narel4 ,by daylight the panorama was
 still more splendid than by night2     

volumes would not suffice to describe   
it4 ,had it not been that on three sides
 the horizon was shut out by rugged     
ridges of mountain1 the whole of the    
,deccan plateau would have appeared     
before our eyes4 ,bombay was so distinct
 that it seemed quite near to us1 and   
the channel that separates the town from
 ,salsetta shone like a tiny silvery    
streak4 ,it winds like a snake on its   
way to the port1 surrounding ,kanari and
 other islets1 which look the very image
 of green peas scattered on the white   
cloth of its bright waters1 and1        
finally1 joins the blinding line of the 
,indian ,ocean in the extreme distance4 
,on the outer side is the northern      
,konkan1 terminated by the ,tal-,ghats1 
the needle-like summits of the          
,jano-,maoli rocks1 and1 lastly1 the    
battlemented ridge of ,funell1 whose    
bold silhouette stands out in strong    
relief against the distant blue of the  
dim sky1 like a giant's castle in some  
fairy tale4 ,further on looms ,parbul1  

whose flat summit1 in the days of old1  
was the seat of the gods1 whence1       
according to the legends1 ,vishnu spoke 
to mortals4 ,and there below1 where the 
defile widens into a valley1 all covered
 with huge separate rocks1 each of which
 is crowded with historical and         
mythological legends1 you may perceive  
the dim blue ridge of mountains1 still  
loftier and still more strangely shaped4
 ,that is ,khandala1 which is overhung  
by a huge stone block1 known by the name
 of the ,duke's ,nose4 ,on the opposite 
side1 under the very summit of the      
mountain1 is situated ,karli1 which1    
according to the unanimous opinion or   
archeologists1 is the most ancient and  
best preserved of ,indian cave temples4 
,one who has traversed the passes of the
 ,caucasus again and again2 one who1    
from the top of the ,cross ,mountain1   
has beheld beneath her feet             
thunderstorms and lightnings2 who has   
visited the ,alps and the ,rigi2 who is 
well acquainted with the ,andes and     

,cordilleras1 and knows every corner of 
the ,catskills in ,america1 may be      
allowed1 ,i hope1 the expression of a   
humble opinion4 ,the ,caucasian         
,mountains1 ,i do not deny1 are more    
majestic than ,ghats of ,india1 and     
their splendour cannot be dimmed by     
comparison with these2 but their beauty 
is of a type1 if ,i may use this        
expression4 ,at their sight one         
experiences true delight1 but at the    
same time a sensation of awe4 ,one feels
 like a pigmy before these ,titans of   
nature4 ,but in ,india1 the ,himalayas  
excepted1 mountains produce quite a     
different impression4 ,the highest      
summits of the ,deccan1 as well as of   
the triangular ridge that fringes       
,northern ,hindostan1 and of the        
,eastern ,ghats1 do not exceed #c1jjj   
feet4 ,only in the ,ghats of the        
,malabar coast1 from ,cape ,comorin to  
the river ,surat1 are there heights of  
#g1jjj feet above the surface of the    
sea4 ,so that no comparison can be dawn 

between these and the hoary headed      
patriarch ,elbruz1 or ,kasbek1 which    
exceeds #ah1jjj feet4 ,the chief and    
original charm of ,indian mountains     
wonderfully consists in their capricious
 shapes4 ,sometimes these mountains1 or1
 rather1 separate volcanic peaks        
standing in a row1 form chains2 but it  
is more common to find them scattered1  
to the great perplexity of geologists1  
without visible cause1 in places where  
the formation seems quite unsuitable4   
,spacious valleys1 surrounded by high   
walls of rock1 over the very ridge of   
which passes the railway1 are common4   
,look below1 and it will seem to you    
that you are gazing upon the studio of  
some whimsical ,titanic sculptor1 filled
 with half finished groups1 statues1 and
 monuments4 ,here is a dream-land bird1 
seated upon the head of a monster six   
hundred feet high1 spreading its wings  
and widely gaping its dragon's mouth2 by
 its side the bust of a man1 surmounted 
by a helmet1 battlemented like the walls

 of a feudal castle2 there1 again1 new  
monsters devouring each other1 statues  
with broken limbs1 disorderly heaps of  
huge balls1 lonely fortresses with      
loopholes1 ruined towers and bridges4   
,all this scattered and intermixed with 
shapes changing incessantly like the    
dreams of delirium4 ,and the chief      
attraction is that nothing here is the  
result of art1 everything is the pure   
sport of ,nature1 which1 however1 has   
occasionally been turned to account by  
ancient builders4 ,the art of man in    
,india is to be sought in the interior  
of the earth1 not on its surface4       
,ancient ,hindus seldom built their     
temples otherwise than in the bosom of  
the earth1 as though they were ashamed  
of their efforts1 or did not dare to    
rival the sculpture of nature4 ,having  
chosen1 for instance1 a pyramidal rock1 
or a cupola shaped hillock like         
,elephanta1 ,or ,karli1 they scraped    
away inside1 according to the ,puranas1 
for centuries1 planning on so grand a   

style that no modern architecture has   
been able to conceive anything to equal 
it4 ,fables 787 about the ,cyclops seem 
truer in ,india than in ,egypt4  ,the   
marvellous railroad from ,narel to      
,khandala reminds one of a similar line 
from ,genoa up the ,apenines4 ,one may  
be said to travel in the air1 not on    
land4 ,the railway traverses a region   
#a1djj feet above ,konkan1 and1 in some 
places1 while one rail is laid on the   
sharp edge of the rock1 the other is    
supported on vaults and arches4 ,the    
,mali ,khindi viaduct is #afc feet high4
 ,for two hours we hastened on between  
sky and earth1 with abysses on both     
sides thickly covered with mango trees  
and bananas4 ,truly ,english engineers  
are wonderful builders4  ,the pass of   
,bhor-,ghat is safely accomplished and  
we are in ,khandala4 ,our bungalow here 
is built on the very edge of a ravine1  
which nature herself has carefully      
concealed under a cover of the most     
luxuriant vegetation4 ,everything is in 

blossom1 and1 in this unfathomed recess1
 a botanist might find sufficient       
material to occupy him for a lifetime4  
,palms have disappeared2 for the most   
part they grow only near the sea4 ,here 
they are replaced by bananas1 mango     
trees1 pipals 7ficus religiosa71 fig    
trees1 and thousands of other trees and 
shrubs1 unknown to such outsiders as    
ourselves4 ,the ,indian flora is too    
often slandered and misrepresented as   
being full of beautiful1 but scentless1 
flowers4 ,at some seasons this may be   
true enough1 but1 as long as jasmines1  
the various balsams1 white tuberoses1   
and golden champa 7champaka or          
frangipani7 are in blossom1 this        
statement is far from being true4 ,the  
aroma of champa alone is so powerful as 
to make one almost giddy4 ,for size1 it 
is the king of flowering trees1 and     
hundreds of them were in full bloom1    
just at this time of year1 on ,mataran  
and ,khandala4  ,we sat on the verandah1
 talking and enjoying the surrounding   

views1 until well-nigh midnight4        
,everything slept around us4  ,khandala 
is nothing but a big village1 situated  
on the flat top of one of the mountains 
of the ,sahiadra range1 about #b1bjj    
feet above the sea level4 ,it is        
surrounded by isolated peaks1 as strange
 in shape as any we have seen4  ,one of 
them1 straight before us1 on the        
opposite side of the abyss1 looked      
exactly like a long1 one-storied        
building1 with a flat roof and a        
battlemented parapet4 ,the ,hindus      
assert that1 somewhere about this       
hillock1 there exists a secret entrance1
 leading into vast interior halls1 in   
fact to a whole subterranean palace1 and
 that there still exist people who      
possess the secret of this abode4 ,a    
holy hermit1 ,yogi1 and ,magus1 who had 
inhabited these caves for many          
centuries1 imparted this secret to      
,sivaji1 the celebrated leader of the   
,mahratta armies4 ,like ,tanhauser1 in  
,wagner's opera1 the unconquerable      

,sivaji spent seven years of his youth  
in this mysterious abode1 and therein   
acquired his extraordinary strength and 
valour4  ,sivaji is a kind of ,indian   
,ilia ,moorometz1 though his epoch is   
much nearer to our times4 ,he was the   
hero and the king of the ,mahrattas in  
the seventeenth century1 and the founder
 of their short-lived empire4 ,it is to 
him that ,india owes the weakening1 if  
not the entire destruction1 of the      
,mussulman yoke4 ,no taller than an     
ordinary woman1 and with the hand of a  
child1 he was1 nevertheless1 possessed  
of wonderful strength1 which1 of course1
 his compatriots ascribed to sorcery4   
,his sword is still preserved in a      
museum1 and one cannot help wondering at
 its size and weight1 and at the hilt1  
through which only a ten-year-old child 
could put his hand4 ,the basis of this  
hero's fame is the fact that he1 the son
 of a poor officer in the service of a  
,mogul emperor1 like another ,david1    
slew the ,mussulman ,goliath1 the       

formidable ,afzul ,khan4 ,it was not1   
however1 with a sling that he killed    
him1 he used in this combat the         
formidable ,mahratti weapon1 vaghnakh1  
consisting of five long steel nails1 as 
sharp as needles1 and very strong4 ,this
 weapon is worn on the fingers1 and     
wrestlers use it to tear each other's   
flesh like wild animals4 ,the ,deccan is
 full of legends about ,sivaji1 and even
 the ,english historians mention him    
with respect4 ,just as in the fable     
respecting ,charles ,v1 one of the local
 ,indian traditions asserts that ,sivaji
 is not dead1 but lives secreted in one 
of the ,sahiadra caves4 ,when the       
fateful hour strikes 7and according to  
the calculations of the astrologers the 
time is not far off7 he will reappear1  
and will bring freedom to his beloved   
country4  ,the learned and artful       
,brahmans1 those ,jesuits of ,india1    
profit by the profound superstition of  
the masses to extort wealth from them1  
sometimes to the last cow1 the only food

 giver of a large family4  ,in the      
following passage ,i give a curious     
example of this4 ,at the end of ,july1  
#ahgi1 this mysterious document appeared
 in ,bombay4 ,i translate literally1    
from the ,mahratti1 the original having 
been translated into all the dialects of
 ,india1 of which there are #bgc4       
,shri6 7an untranslatable greeting74    
,let it be known unto every one that    
this epistle1 traced in the original in 
golden letters1 came down from          
,indra-loka 7the heaven of ,indra71 in  
the presence of holy ,brahmans1 on the  
altar of the ,vishveshvara temple1 which
 is in the sacred town of ,benares4     
,listen and remember1 ,o tribes of      
,hindustan1 ,rajis-tan1 ,punjab1 etc41  
etc4 ,on ,saturday1 the second day of   
the first half of the month ,magha1     
#ahji1 of ,shalivahan's era 7#ahhg      
,a4,d471 the eleventh month of the      
,hindus1 during the ,ashwini ,nakshatra 
7the first of the twenty-seven          
constellations on the moon's path71 when

 the sun enters the sign ,capricorn1 and
 the time of the day will be near the   
constellation ,pisces1 that is to say1  
exactly one hour and thirty-six minutes 
after sunrise1 the hour of the end of   
the ,kali-,yug will strike1 and the much
 desired ,satya-,yug will commence 7that
 is to say1 the end of the ,maha-,yug1  
the great cycle that embraces the four  
minor ,yugas74 ,this time ,satya-,yug   
will last #a1ajj years4 ,during all this
 time a man's lifetime will be #abh     
years4 ,the days will become longer and 
will consist of twenty hours and        
forty-eight minutes1 and the nights of  
thirteen hours and twelve minutes1 that 
is to say1 instead of twenty-four hours 
we shall have exactly thirty-four hours 
and one minute4 ,the first day of       
,satya-,yug will be very important for  
us1 because it is then that will appear 
to us our new ,king with white face and 
golden hair1 who will come from the far 
,north4 ,he will become the autonomous  
,lord of ,india4 ,the ,maya of human    

unbelief1 with all the heresies over    
which it presides1 will be thrown down  
to ,patala 7sig-nifying at once hell and
 the antipodes71 and the ,maya of the   
righteous and pious will abide with     
them1 and will help them to enjoy life  
in ,mretinloka 7our earth74  ,let it    
also be known to everyone that1 for the 
dissemination of this divine document1  
every separate copy of it will be       
rewarded by the forgiveness of as many  
sins as are generally forgiven when a   
pious man sacrifices to a ,brahman one  
hundred cows4 ,as for the disbelievers  
and the indifferent1 they will be sent  
to ,naraka 7hell74 ,copied out and      
given1 by the slave of ,vishnu1 ,malau  
,shriram1 on ,saturday1 the #gth day of 
the first half of ,shravan 7the fifth   
month of the ,hindu year71 #ahja1 of    
,shalivalian's era 7that is1 #bfth      
,july1 #ahgi74  ,the further career of  
this ignorant and cunning epistle is not
 known to me4 ,probably the police put a
 stop to its distribution2 this only    

concerns the wise administrators4 ,but  
it splendidly illustrates1 from one     
side1 the credulity of the populace1    
drowned in superstition1 and from the   
other the unscrupulousness of the       
,brahmans4  ,concerning the word        
,patala1 which literally means the      
opposite side1 a recent discovery of    
,swami ,dayanand ,saraswati1 whom ,i    
have already mentioned in the preceding 
letters1 is interesting1 especially if  
this discovery can be accepted by       
philologists1 as the facts seem to      
promise4 ,dayanand tries to show that   
the ancient ,aryans knew1 and even      
visited1 ,america1 which in ancient     
,,mss4 is called ,patala1 and out of    
which popular fancy constructed1 in the 
course of time1 something like the      
,greek ,hades4 ,he supports his theory  
by many quotations from the oldest      
,,mss41 especially from the legends     
about ,krishna and his favourite        
disciple ,arjuna4 ,in the history of the
 latter it is mentioned that ,arjuna1   

one of the five ,pandavas1 descendants  
of the moon dynasty1 visited ,patala on 
his travels1 and there married the      
widowed daughter of ,king ,nagual1      
called ,illupl4 ,comparing the names of 
father and daughter we reach the        
following considerations1 which speak   
strongly in favour of ,dayanand's       
supposition4  7#a7 ,nagual is the name  
by which the sorcerers of ,mexico1      
,indians and aborigines of ,america1 are
 still designated4 ,like the ,assyrian  
and ,chaldean ,nargals1 chiefs of the   
,magi1 the ,mexican ,nagual unites in   
his person the functions of priest and  
of sorcerer1 being served in the latter 
capacity by a demon in the shape of some
 animal1 generally a snake or a         
crocodile4 ,these ,naguals are thought  
to be the descendants of ,nagua1 the    
king of the snakes4 ,abbe ,brasseur de  
,bourbourg devotes a considerable amount
 of space to them in his book about     
,mexico1 and says that the ,naguals are 
servants of the evil one1 who1 in his   

turn1 renders them but a temporary      
service4 ,in ,sanskrit1 likewise1 snake 
is ,naga1 and the ,king of the ,nagas   
plays an important part in the history  
of ,buddha2 and in the ,puranas there   
exists a tradition that it was ,arjuna  
who introduced snake worship into       
,patala4 ,the coincidence1 and the      
identity of the names are so striking   
that our scientists really ought to pay 
some attention to them4  7#b7 ,the ,name
 of ,arjuna's wife ,illupl is purely old
 ,mexican1 and if we reject the         
hypothesis of ,swami ,daya-nand it will 
be perfectly impossible to explain the  
actual existence of this name in        
,sanskrit manuscripts long before the   
,christian era4 ,of all ancient dialects
 and languages it is only in those of   
the ,american aborigines that you       
constantly meet with such combinations  
of consonants as pl1 tl1 etc4 ,they are 
abundant especially in the language of  
the ,toltecs1 or ,nahuatl1 whereas1     
neither in ,sanskrit nor in ancient     

,greek are they ever found at the end of
 a word4 ,even the words ,atlas and     
,atlantis seem to be foreign to the     
etymology of the ,european languages4   
,wherever ,plato may have found them1 it
 was not he who invented them4 ,in the  
,toltec language we find the root atl1  
which means water and war1 and directly 
after ,america was discovered ,columbus 
found a town called ,atlan1 at the      
entrance of the ,bay of ,uraga4 ,it is  
now a poor fishing village called ,aclo4
 ,only in ,america does one find such   
names as ,itzcoatl1 ,zempoaltecatl1 and 
,popocatepetl4 ,to attempt to explain   
such coincidences by the theory of blind
 chance would be too much1 consequently1
 as long as science does not seek to    
deny ,dayanand's hypothesis1 which1 as  
yet1 it is unable to do1 we think it    
reasonable to adopt it1 be it only in   
order to follow out the axiom one       
hypothesis is equal to another4 ,amongst
 other things ,dayanand points out that 
the route that led ,arjuna to ,america  

five thousand years ago was by ,siberia 
and ,behring's ,straits4  ,it was long  
past midnight1 but we still sat         
listening to this legend and others of a
 similar kind4 ,at length the innkeeper 
sent a servant to warn us of the dangers
 that threatened us if we lingered too  
long on the verandah on a moonlit night4
 ,the programme of these dangers was    
divided into three sections--snakes1    
beasts of prey1 and dacoits4 ,besides   
the cobra and the rock-snake1 the       
surrounding mountains are full of a kind
 of very small mountain snake1 called   
furzen1 the most dangerous of all4      
,their poison kills with the swiftness  
of lightning4 ,the moonlight attracts   
them1 and whole parties of these        
uninvited guests crawl up to the        
verandahs of houses1 in order to warm   
themselves4 ,here they are more snug    
than on the wet ground4 ,the verdant and
 perfumed abyss below our verandah      
happened1 too1 to be the favorite resort
 of tigers and leopards1 who come       

thither to quench their thirst at the   
broad brook which runs along the bottom1
 and then wander until daybreak under   
the windows of the bungalow4 ,lastly1   
there were the mad dacoits1 whose dens  
are scattered in mountains inaccessible 
to the police1 who often shoot          
,europeans simply to afford themselves  
the pleasure of sending ad patres one of
 the hateful bellatis 7foreigners74     
,three days before our arrival the wife 
of a ,brahman disappeared1 carried off  
by a tiger1 and two favorite dogs of the
 commandant were killed by snakes4 ,we  
declined to wait for further            
explanations1 but hurried to our rooms4 
,at daybreak we were to start for       
,karli1 six miles from this place4      
,in ,the ,karli ,caves    ,at five      
o'clock in the morning we had already   
arrived at the limit1 not only of       
driveable1 but1 even1 of rideable roads4
 ,our bullock-cart could go no further4 
,the last half mile was nothing but a   
rough sea of stones4 ,we had either to  

give up our enterprise1 or to climb on  
all-fours up an almost perpendicular    
slope two hundred feet high4 ,we were   
utterly at our wits' end1 and meekly    
gazed at the historical mass before us1 
not knowing what to do next4 ,almost at 
the summit of the mountain1 under the   
overhanging rocks1 were a dozen black   
openings4 ,hundreds of pilgrims were    
crawling upwards1 looking1 in their     
holiday dresses1 like so many green1    
pink1 and blue ants4 ,here1 however1 our
 faithful ,hindu friends came to our    
rescue4 ,one of them1 putting the palm  
of his hand to his mouth1 produced a    
strident sound something between a      
shriek and a whistle4 ,this signal was  
answered from above by an echo1 and the 
next moment several half naked          
,brahmans1 hereditary watchmen of the   
temple1 began to descend the rocks as   
swiftly and skillfully as wild cats4    
,five minutes later they were with us1  
fastening round our bodies strong       
leathern straps1 and rather dragging    

than leading us upwards4 ,half an hour  
later1 exhausted but perfectly safe1 we 
stood before the porch of the chief     
temple1 which until then had been hidden
 from us by giant trees and cactuses4   
,this majestic entrance1 resting on four
 massive pillars which form a           
quadrangle1 is fifty-two feet wide and  
is covered with ancient moss and        
carvings4 ,before it stands the lion    
column1 so-called from the four lions   
carved as large as nature1 and seated   
back to back1 at its base4 ,over the    
principal entrance1 its sides covered   
with colossal male and female figures1  
is a huge arch1 in front of which three 
gigantic elephants are sculptured in    
relief1 with heads and trunks that      
project from the wall4 ,the shape of the
 temple is oval4 ,it is #abh feet long  
and forty-six feet wide4 ,the central   
space is separated on each side from the
 aisles by forty-two pillars1 which     
sustain the cupola-shaped ceiling4      
,further on is an altar1 which divides  

the first dome from a second one which  
rises over a small chamber1 formerly    
used by the ancient ,aryan priests for  
an inner1 secret altar4 ,two side       
passages leading towards it come to a   
sudden end1 which suggests that1 once   
upon a time1 either doors or wall were  
there which exist no longer4 ,each of   
the forty-two pillars has a pedestal1 an
 octagonal shaft1 and a capital1        
described by ,fergusson as of the most  
exquisite workmanship1 representing two 
kneeling elephants surmounted by a god  
and a goddess4 ,fergusson further says  
that this temple1 or chaitya1 is older  
and better preserved than any other in  
,india1 and may be assigned to a period 
about #bjj years ,b4,c41 because        
,prinsep1 who has read the inscription  
on the ,silastamba pillar1 asserts that 
the lion pillar was the gift of ,ajmitra
 ,ukasa1 son of ,saha ,ravisobhoti1 and 
another inscription shows that the      
temple was visited by ,dathama ,hara1   
otherwise ,dathahamini1 ,king of        

,ceylon1 in the twentieth year of his   
reign1 that is to say1 #afc years before
 our era4 ,for some reason or other1    
,dr4 ,stevenson points to seventy years 
,b4,c4 as the date1 asserting that      
,karlen1 or ,karli1 was built by the    
,emperor ,devobhuti1 under the          
supervision of ,dhanu-,kakata4 ,but how 
can this be maintained in view of the   
above-mentioned perfectly authentic     
inscriptions8 ,even ,fergusson1 the     
celebrated defender of the ,egyptian    
antiquities and hostile critic of those 
of ,india1 insists that ,karli belongs  
to the erections of the third century   
,b4,c41 adding that the disposition of  
the various parts of its architecture is
 identical with the architecture of the 
choirs of the ,gothic period1 and the   
polygonal apsides of cathedrals4  ,above
 the chief entrance is found a gallery1 
which reminds one of the choirs1 where1 
in ,catholic churches1 the organ is     
placed4 ,besides the chief entrance     
there are two lateral entrances1 leading

 to the aisles of the temple1 and over  
the gallery there is a single spacious  
window in the shape of a horseshoe1 so  
that the light falls on the daghopa     
7altar7 entirely from above1 leaving the
 aisles1 sheltered by the pillars1 in   
obscurity1 which increases as you       
approach the further end of the         
building4 ,to the eyes of a spectator   
standing at the entrance1 the whole     
daghopa shines with light1 and behind it
 is nothing but impenetrable darkness1  
where no profane footsteps were         
permitted to tread4 ,a figure on the    
dag-hopa1 from the summit of which ,raja
 priests used to pronounce verdicts to  
the people1 is called ,dharma-,raja1    
from ,dharma1 the ,hindu ,minos4 ,above 
the temple are two stories of caves1 in 
each of which are wide open galleries   
formed by huge carved pillars1 and from 
these galleries an opening leads to     
roomy cells and corridors1 sometimes    
very long1 but quite useless1 as they   
invariably come to an abrupt termination

 at solid walls1 without the trace of an
 issue of any kind4 ,the guardians of   
the temple have either lost the secret  
of further caves1 or conceal them       
jealously from ,europeans4  ,besides the
 ,viharas already described1 there are  
many others1 scattered over the slope of
 the mountain4 ,these temple-monasteries
 are all smaller than the first1 but1   
according to the opinion of some        
archeologists1 they are much older4 ,to 
what century or epoch they belong is not
 known except to a few ,brahmans1 who   
keep silence4 ,generally speaking1 the  
position of a ,european archaeologist in
 ,india is very sad4 ,the masses1       
drowned in superstition1 are utterly    
unable to be of any use to him1 and the 
learned ,brahmans1 initiated into the   
mysteries of secret libraries in        
pagodas1 do all they can to prevent     
archeological research4 ,however1 after 
all that has happened1 it would be      
unjust to blame the conduct of the      
,brahmans in these matters4 ,the bitter 

experience of many centuries has taught 
them that their only weapons are        
distrust and circumspection1 without    
these their national history and the    
most sacred of their treasures would be 
irrevocably lost4 ,political coups      
d'etat which have shaken their country  
to its foundation1 ,mussulman invasions 
that proved so fatal to its welfare1 the
 all-destructive fanaticism of          
,mussulman vandals and of ,catholic     
padres1 who are ready for anything in   
order to secure manuscripts and destroy 
them--all these form a good excuse for  
the action of the ,brahmans4 ,however in
 spite of these manifold destructive    
tendencies1 there exist in many places  
in ,india vast libraries capable of     
pouring a bright and new light1 not only
 on the history of ,india itself1 but   
also on the darkest problems of         
universal history4 ,some of these       
libraries1 filled with the most precious
 manuscripts1 are in the possession of  
native princes and of pagodas attached  

to their territories1 but the greater   
part is in the hands of the ,jainas 7the
 oldest of ,hindu sects7 and of the     
,rajputana ,takurs1 whose ancient       
hereditary castles are scattered all    
over ,rajistan1 like so many eagles'    
nests on high rocks4 ,the existence of  
the celebrated collections in ,jassulmer
 and ,patana is not unknown to the      
,government1 but they remain wholly     
beyond its reach4 ,the manuscripts are  
written in an ancient and now completely
 forgotten language1 intelligible only  
to the high priests and their initiated 
librarians4 ,one thick folio is so      
sacred and inviolable that it rests on a
 heavy golden chain in the centre of the
 temple of ,chintamani in ,jassulmer1   
and taken down only to be dusted and    
rebound at the advent of each new       
pontiff4 ,this is the work of ,somaditya
 ,suru ,acharya1 a great priest of the  
pre-,mussulman time1 well-known in      
history4 ,his mantle is still preserved 
in the temple1 and forms the robe of    

initiation of every new high priest4    
,colonel ,james ,tod1 who spent so many 
years in ,india and gained the love of  
the people as well as of the            
,brahmans--a most uncommon trait in the 
biography of any ,anglo-,indian--has    
written the only true history of ,india1
 but even he was never allowed to touch 
this folio4 ,natives commonly believe   
that he was offered initiation into the 
mysteries at the price of the adoption  
of their religion4 ,being a devoted     
archaeologist he almost resolved to do  
so1 but1 having to return to ,england on
 account of his health1 he left this    
world before he could return to his     
adopted country1 and thus the enigma of 
this new book of the sibyl remains      
unsolved4  ,the ,takurs of ,rajputana1  
who are said to possess some of the     
underground libraries1 occupy in ,india 
position similar to the position of     
,european feudal barons of the ,middle  
,ages4 ,nominally they are dependent on 
some of the native princes or on the    

,british ,government2 but de facto they 
are perfectly independent4 ,their       
castles are built on high rocks1 and    
besides the natural difficulty of       
entering them1 their possessors are made
 doubly unreachable by the fact that    
long secret passages exist in every such
 castle1 known only to the present owner
 and confided to his heir only at his   
death4 ,we have visited two such        
underground halls1 one of them big      
enough to contain a whole village4 ,no  
torture would ever induce the owners to 
disclose the secret of their entrances1 
but the ,yogis and the initiated ,adepts
 come and go freely1 entirely trusted by
 the ,takurs4  ,a similar story is told 
concerning the libraries and            
subterranean passages of ,karli4 ,as for
 the archaeologists1 they are unable    
even to determine whether this temple   
was built by ,buddhists or ,brahmans4   
,the huge daghopa that hides the holy of
 holies from the eyes of the worshippers
 is sheltered by a mushroom-shaped roof1

 and resembles a low minaret with a     
cupola4 ,roofs of this description are  
called umbrellas1 and usually shelter   
the statues of ,buddha and of the       
,chinese sages4 ,but1 on the other hand1
 the worshippers of ,shiva1 who possess 
the temple nowadays1 assert that this   
low building is nothing but a lingam of 
,shiva4 ,besides1 the carvings of gods  
and goddesses cut out of the rock forbid
 one to think that the temple is the    
production of the ,buddhists4 ,fergusson
 writes1 ,what is this monument of      
antiquity8 ,does it belong to the       
,hindus1 or to the ,buddhists8 ,has it  
been built upon plans drawn since the   
death of ,sakya ,sing1 or does it belong
 to a more ancient religion8  ,that is  
the question4 ,if ,fergusson1 being     
bound by facts existing in inscriptions 
to acknowledge the antiquity of ,karli1 
will still persist in asserting that    
,elephanta is of much later date1 he    
will scarcely be able to solve this     
dilemma1 because the two styles are     

exactly the same1 and the carvings of   
the latter are still more magnificent4  
,to ascribe the temples of ,elephanta   
and ,kanari to the ,buddhists1 and to   
say that their respective periods       
correspond to the fourth and fifth      
centuries in the first case1 and the    
tenth in the second1 is to introduce    
into history a very strange and         
unfounded anachronism4 ,after the first 
century ,a4,d4 there was not left a     
single influential ,buddhist in ,india4 
,conquered and persecuted by the        
,brahmans1 they emigrated by thousands  
to ,ceylon and the trans-,himalayan     
districts4 ,after the death of ,king    
,asoka1 ,buddhism speedily broke down1  
and in a short time was entirely        
displaced by the theocratic ,brahmanism4
  ,fergusson's hypothesis that the      
followers of ,sakya ,sing1 driven out by
 intolerance from the continent1        
probably sought shelter on the islands  
that surround ,bombay1 would hardly     
sustain critical analysis4 ,elephanta   

and ,salsetta are quite near to ,bombay1
 two and five miles distant             
respectively1 and they are full of      
ancient ,hindu temples4 ,is it credible1
 then1 that the ,brahmans1 at the       
culminating point of their power1 just  
before the ,mussulman invasions1        
fanatical as they were1 and mortal      
enemies of the ,buddhists1 would allow  
these hated heretics to build temples   
within their possessions in general and 
on ,gharipuri in particular1 this latter
 being an island consecrated to their   
,hindu pagodas8 ,it is not necessary to 
be either a specialist1 an architect1 or
 an eminent archeologist1 in order to be
 convinced at the first glance that such
 temples as ,elephanta are the work of  
,cyclopses1 requiring centuries and not 
years for their construction4 ,whereas  
in ,karli everything is built and carved
 after a perfect plan1 in ,elephanta it 
seems as if thousands of different hands
 had wrought at different times1 each   
following its own ideas and fashioning  

after its own device4 ,all three caves  
are dug out of a hard porphyry rock4    
,the first temple is practically a      
square1 #acj feet #f inches long and    
#acj feet wide4 ,it contains twenty-six 
thick pillars and sixteen pilasters4    
,between some of them there is a        
distance of #ab or #af feet1 between    
others #ae feet #e inches1 #ac feet #c  
#a_/b inches1 and so on4 ,the same lack 
of uniformity is found in the pedestals 
of the columns1 the finish and style of 
which is constantly varying4  ,why1     
then1 should we not pay some attention  
to the explanations of the ,brahmans8   
,they say that this temple was begun by 
the sons of ,pandu1 after the great war1
 ,mahabharata1 and that after their     
death every true believer was bidden to 
continue the work according to his own  
notions4 ,thus the temple was gradually 
built during three centuries4 ,every one
 who wished to redeem his sins would    
bring his chisel and set to work4 ,many 
were the members of royal families1 and 

even kings1 who personally took part in 
these labors4  ,on the right hand side  
of the temple there is a corner stone1 a
 lingam of ,shiva in his character of   
,fructifying ,force1 which is sheltered 
by a small square chapel with four      
doors4 ,round this chapel are many      
colossal human figures4 ,according to   
the ,brahmans1 these are statues        
representing the royal sculptors        
themselves1 they being doorkeepers of   
the holy of holies1 ,hindus of the      
highest caste4 ,each of the larger      
figures leans upon a dwarf              
representative of the lower castes1     
which have been promoted by the popular 
fancy to the rank of demons 7,pisachas74
 ,moreover1 the temple is full of       
unskillful work4 ,the ,brahmans hold    
that such a holy place could not be     
deserted if men of the preceding and    
present generations had not become      
unworthy of visiting it4 ,as to ,kanari 
or ,kanhari1 and some other cave        
temples1 there is not the slightest     

doubt that they were all erected by     
,buddhists4 ,in some of them were found 
inscriptions in a perfect state of      
preservation1 and their style does not  
remind one in the least of the          
symbolical buildings of the ,brahmans4  
,archbishop ,heber thinks the ,kanari   
caves were built in the first or second 
centuries ,b4,c4 ,but ,elephanta is much
 older and must be classed among        
prehistoric monuments1 that is to say1  
its date must be assigned to the epoch  
that immediately followed the great war1
 ,mahabharata4 ,unfortunately the date  
of this war is a point of disagreement  
between ,european scientists2 the       
celebrated and learned ,dr4 ,martin     
,haug thinks it is almost antediluvian1 
while the no less celebrated and learned
 ,professor ,max ,muller places it as   
near the first century of our era as    
possible4    ,the fair was at its       
culmination when1 having finished       
visiting the cells1 climbing over all   
the stories1 and examining the          

celebrated hall of wrestlers1 we        
descended1 not by way of the stairs1 of 
which there is no trace to be found1 but
 after the fashion of pails bringing    
water out of a deep well1 that is to    
say1 by the aid of ropes4 ,a crowd of   
about three thousand persons had        
assembled from the surrounding villages 
and towns4 ,women were there adorned    
from the waist down in brilliant-hued   
saris1 with rings in their noses1 their 
ears1 their lips1 and on all parts of   
their limbs that could hold a ring4     
,their raven-black hair which was       
smoothly combed back1 shone with        
cocoanut oil1 and was adorned with      
crimson flowers1 which are sacred to    
,shiva and to ,bhavani1 the feminine    
aspect of this god4  ,before the temple 
there were rows of small shops and of   
tents1 where could be bought all the    
requisites for the usual                
sacrifices--aromatic herbs1 incense1    
sandal wood1 rice1 gulab1 and the red   
powder with which the pilgrim sprinkles 

first the idol and then his own face4   
,fakirs1 bairagis1 hosseins1 the whole  
body of the mendicant brotherhood1 was  
present among the crowd4 ,wreathed in   
chaplets1 with long uncombed hair       
twisted at the top of the head into a   
regular chignon1 and with bearded faces1
 they presented a very funny likeness to
 naked apes4 ,some of them were covered 
with wounds and bruises due to          
mortification of the flesh4 ,we also saw
 some bunis1 snake-charmers1 with dozens
 of various snakes round their waists1  
necks1 arms1 and legs--models well      
worthy of the brush of a painter who    
intended to depict the image of a male  
,fury4 ,one jadugar was especially      
remarkable4 ,his head was crowned with a
 turban of cobras4 ,expanding their     
hoods and raising their leaf-like dark  
green heads1 these cobras hissed        
furiously and so loudly that the sound  
was audible a hundred paces off4 ,their 
stings quivered like lightning1 and     
their small eyes glittered with anger at

 the approach of every passer-by4 ,the  
expression1 the sting of a snake1 is    
universal1 but it does not describe     
accurately the process of inflicting a  
wound4 ,the sting of a snake is         
perfectly harmless4 ,to introduce the   
poison into the blood of a man1 or of an
 animal1 the snake must pierce the flesh
 with its fangs1 not prick with its     
sting4 ,the needle-like eye teeth of a  
cobra communicate with the poison gland1
 and if this gland is cut out the cobra 
will not live more than two days4       
,accordingly1 the supposition of some   
sceptics1 that the bunis cut out this   
gland1 is quite unfounded4 ,the term    
hissing is also inaccurate when applied 
to cobras4 ,they do not hiss4 ,the noise
 they make is exactly like the          
death-rattle of a dying man4 ,the whole 
body of a cobra is shaken by this loud  
and heavy growl4  ,here we happened to  
be the witnesses of a fact which ,i     
relate exactly as it occurred1 without  
indulging in explanations or hypotheses 

of any kind4 ,i leave to naturalists the
 solution of the enigma4  ,expecting to 
be well paid1 the cobra-turbaned buni   
sent us word by a messenger boy that he 
would like very much to exhibit his     
powers of snake-charming4 ,of course we 
were perfectly willing1 but on condition
 that between us and his pupils there   
should be what ,mr4 ,disraeli would call
 a scientific frontier499 ,we selected a
 spot about fifteen paces from the magic
 circle4 ,i will not describe minutely  
the tricks and wonders that we saw1 but 
will proceed at once to the main fact4  
,with the aid of a vaguda1 a kind of    
musical pipe of bamboo1 the buni caused 
all the snakes to fall into a sort of   
cataleptic sleep4 ,the melody that he   
played1 monotonous1 low1 and original to
 the last degree1 nearly sent us to     
sleep ourselves4 ,at all events we all  
grew extremely sleepy without any       
apparent cause4 ,we were aroused from   
this half lethargy by our friend        
,gulab-,sing1 who gathered a handful of 

a grass1 perfectly unknown to us1 and   
advised us to rub our temples and       
eyelids with it4 ,then the buni produced
 from a dirty bag a kind of round stone1
 something like a fish's eye1 or an onyx
 with a white spot in the centre1 not   
bigger than a ten-kopek bit4 ,he        
declared that anyone who bought that    
stone would be able to charm any cobra  
7it would produce no effect on snakes of
 other kinds7 paralyzing the creature   
and then causing it to fall asleep4     
,moreover1 by his account1 this stone is
 the only remedy for the bite of a      
cobra4 ,you have only to place this     
talisman on the wound1 where it will    
stick so firmly that it cannot be torn  
off until all the poison is absorbed    
into it1 when it will fall off of       
itself1 and all danger will be past4    
99 ,written in #ahgi4   ,being aware    
that the ,government gladly offers any  
premium for the invention of a remedy   
for the bite of the cobra1 we did not   
show any unreasonable interest on the   

appearance of this stone4 ,in the       
meanwhile1 the buni began to irritate   
his cobras4 ,choosing a cobra eight feet
 long1 he literally enraged it4         
,twisting its tail round a tree1 the    
cobra arose and hissed4 ,the buni       
quietly let it bite his finger1 on which
 we all saw drops of blood4 ,a unanimous
 cry of horror arose in the crowd4 ,but 
master buni stuck the stone on his      
finger and proceeded with his           
performance4  ,the poison gland of the  
snake has been cut out1 remarked our    
,new ,york colonel4 ,this is a mere     
farce4  ,as if in answer to this remark1
 the buni seized the neck of the cobra1 
and1 after a short struggle1 fixed a    
match into its mouth1 so that it        
remained open4 ,then he brought the     
snake over and showed it to each of us  
separately1 so that we all saw the      
death-giving gland in its mouth4 ,but   
our colonel would not give up his first 
impression so easily4 ,the gland is in  
its place right enough1 said he1 but how

 are we to know that it really does     
contain poison8  ,then a live hen was   
brought forward and1 tying its legs     
together1 the buni placed it beside the 
snake4 ,but the latter would pay no     
attention at first to this new victim1  
but went on hissing at the buni1 who    
teased and irritated it until at last it
 actually struck at the wretched bird4  
,the hen made a weak attempt to cackle1 
then shuddered once or twice and became 
still4 ,the death was instantaneous4    
,facts will remain facts1 the most      
exacting critic and disbeliever         
notwithstanding4 ,this thought gives me 
courage to write what happened further4 
,little by little the cobra grew so     
infuriated that it became evident the   
jadugar himself did not dare to approach
 it4 ,as if glued to the trunk of the   
tree by its tail1 the snake never ceased
 diving into space with its upper part  
and trying to bite everything4 ,a few   
steps from us was somebody's dog4 ,it   
seemed to attract the whole of the      

buni's attention for some time4 ,sitting
 on his haunches1 as far as possible    
from his raging pupil1 he stared at the 
dog with motionless glassy eyes1 and    
then began a scarcely audible song4 ,the
 dog grew restless4 ,putting his tail   
between his legs1 he tried to escape1   
but remained1 as if fastened to the     
ground4 ,after a few seconds he crawled 
nearer and nearer to the buni1 whining1 
but unable to tear his gaze from the    
charmer4 ,i understood his object1 and  
felt awfully sorry for the dog4 ,but1 to
 my horror1 ,i suddenly felt that my    
tongue would not move1 ,i was perfectly 
unable either to get up or even to raise
 my finger4 ,happily this fiendish scene
 was not prolonged4 ,as soon as the dog 
was near enough1 the cobra bit him4 ,the
 poor animal fell on his back1 made a   
few convulsive movements with his legs1 
and shortly died4 ,we could no longer   
doubt that there was poison in the      
gland4 ,in the meanwhile the stone had  
dropped from the buni's finger and he   

approached to show us the healed member4
 ,we all saw the trace of the prick1 a  
red spot not bigger than the head of an 
ordinary pin4  ,next he made his snakes 
rise on their tails1 and1 holding the   
stone between his first finger and      
thumb1 he proceeded to demonstrate its  
influence on the cobras4 ,the nearer his
 hand approached to the head of the     
snake1 the more the reptile's body      
recoiled4 ,looking steadfastly at the   
stone they shivered1 and1 one by one1   
dropped as if paralyzed4 ,the buni then 
made straight for our sceptical colonel1
 and made him an offer to try the       
experiment himself4 ,we all protested   
vigorously1 but he would not listen to  
us1 and chose a cobra of a very         
considerable size4 ,armed with the      
stone1 the colonel bravely approached   
the snake4 ,for a moment ,i positively  
felt petrified with fright4 ,inflating  
its hood1 the cobra made an attempt to  
fly at him1 then suddenly stopped short1
 and1 after a pause1 began following    

with all its body the circular movements
 of the colonel's hand4 ,when he put the
 stone quite close to the reptile's     
head1 the snake staggered as if         
intoxicated1 its hissing grew weak1 its 
hood dropped helplessly on both sides of
 its neck1 and its eyes closed4         
,drooping lower and lower1 the snake    
fell at last on the ground like a stick1
 and slept4  ,only then did we breathe  
freely4 ,taking the sorcerer aside we   
expressed our desire to buy the stone1  
to which he easily assented1 and1 to our
 great astonishment1 asked for it only  
two rupees4 ,this talisman became my own
 property and ,i still keep it4 ,the    
buni asserts1 and our ,hindu friends    
confirm the story1 that it is not a     
stone but an excrescence4 ,it is found  
in the mouth of one cobra in a hundred1 
between the bone of the upper jaw and   
the skin of the palate4 ,this stone is  
not fastened to the skull1 but hangs1   
wrapped in skin1 from the palate1 and so
 is very easily cut off2 but after this 

operation the cobra is said to die4 ,if 
we are to believe ,bishu ,nath1 for that
 was our sorcerer's name1 this          
excrescence confers upon the cobra who  
possesses it the rank of king over the  
rest of his kind4  ,such a cobra1 said  
the buni1 is like a ,brahman1 a ,dwija  
,brahman amongst ,shudras1 they all obey
 him4 ,there exists1 moreover1 a        
poisonous toad that also1 sometimes1    
possesses this stone1 but its effect is 
much weaker4 ,to destroy the effect of a
 cobra's poison you must apply the      
toad's stone not later than two minutes 
after the infliction of the wound2 but  
the stone of a cobra is effectual to the
 last4 ,its healing power is certain as 
long as the heart of the wounded man has
 not ceased to beat4  ,bidding us       
good-bye1 the buni advised us to keep   
the stone in a dry place and never to   
leave it near a dead body1 also1 to hide
 it during the sun and moon eclipses1   
otherwise1 said he1 it will lose all its
 power4 ,in case we were bitten by a mad

 dog1 he said1 we were to put the stone 
into a glass of water and leave it there
 during the night1 next morning the     
sufferer was to drink the water and then
 forget all danger4  ,he is a regular   
devil and not a man6 exclaimed our      
colonel1 as soon as the buni had        
disappeared on his way to a ,shiva      
temple1 where1 by the way1 we were not  
admitted4  ,as simple a mortal as you or
 ,i1 remarked the ,rajput with a smile1 
and1 what is more1 he is very ignorant4 
,the truth is1 he has been brought up in
 a ,shivaite pagoda1 like all the real  
snake-charmers4 ,shiva is the patron god
 of snakes1 and the ,brahmans teach the 
bunis to produce all kinds of mesmeric  
tricks by empirical methods1 never      
explaining to them the theoretical      
principles1 but assuring them that      
,shiva is behind every phenomenon4 ,so  
that the bunis sincerely ascribe to     
their god the honor of their 'miracles4'
  ,the ,government of ,india offers a   
reward for an antidote to the poison of 

the cobra4 ,why then do the bunis not   
claim it1 rather than let thousands of  
people die helpless8  ,the ,brahmans    
would never suffer that4 ,if the        
,government took the trouble to examine 
carefully the statistics of deaths      
caused by snakes1 it would be found that
 no ,hindu of the ,shivaite sect has    
ever died from the bite of a cobra4     
,they let people of other sects die1 but
 save the members of their own flock4   
,but did we not see how easily he parted
 with his secret1 notwithstanding we    
were foreigners4 ,why should not the    
,english buy it as readily8  ,because   
this secret is quite useless in the     
hands of ,europeans4 ,the ,hindus do not
 try to conceal it1 because they are    
perfectly certain that without their aid
 nobody can make any use of it4 ,the    
stone will retain its wonderful power   
only when it is taken from a live cobra4
 ,in order to catch the snake without   
killing it1 it must be cast into a      
lethargy1 or1 if you prefer the term1   

charmed4 ,who is there among the        
foreigners who is able to do this8 ,even
 amongst the ,hindus1 you will not find 
a single individual in all ,india who   
possesses this ancient secret1 unless he
 be a disciple of the ,shivaite         
,brahmans4 ,only ,brahmans of this sect 
possess a monopoly of the secret1 and   
not all even of them1 only those1 in    
short1 who belong to the                
pseudo-,patanjali school1 who are       
usually called ,bhuta ascetics4 ,now    
there exist1 scattered over the whole of
 ,india1 only about half-a-dozen of     
their pagoda schools1 and the inmates   
would rather part with their very lives 
than with their secret4  ,we have paid  
only two rupees for a secret which      
proved as strong in the colonel's hands 
as in the hands of the buni4 ,is it then
 so difficult to procure a store of     
these stones8 ,our friend laughed4  ,in 
a few days1 said he1 the talisman will  
lose all its healing powers in your     
inexperienced hands4 ,this is the reason

 why he let it go at such a low price1  
which he is1 probably1 at this moment   
sacrificing before the altar of his     
deity4 ,i guarantee you a week's        
activity for your purchase1 but after   
that time it will only be fit to be     
thrown out of the window4  ,we soon     
learned how true were these words4 ,on  
the following day we came across a      
little girl1 bitten by a green scorpion4
 ,she seemed to be in the last          
convulsions4 ,no sooner had we applied  
the stone than the child seemed         
relieved1 and1 in an hour1 she was gaily
 playing about1 whereas1 even in the    
case of the sting of a common black     
scorpion1 the patient suffers for two   
weeks4 ,but when1 about ten days later1 
we tried the experiment of the stone    
upon a poor coolie1 just bitten by a    
cobra1 it would not even stick to the   
wound1 and the poor wretch shortly      
expired4 ,i do not take upon myself to  
offer1 either a defence1 or an          
explanation of the virtues of the stone4

 ,i simply state the facts and leave the
 future career of the story to its own  
fate4 ,the sceptics may deal with it as 
they will4 ,yet ,i can easily find      
people in ,india who will bear witness  
to my accuracy4  ,in this connection ,i 
was told a funny story4 ,when ,dr4 7now 
,sir ,j47 ,fayrer1 who lately published 
his ,thanatophidia1 a book on the       
venomous snakes of ,india1 a work well  
known throughout ,europe1 he            
categorically stated in it his disbelief
 in the wondrous snake-charmers of      
,india4 ,however1 about a fortnight or  
so after the book appeared amongst the  
,anglo-,indians1 a cobra bit his own    
cook4 ,a buni1 who happened to pass by1 
readily offered to save the man's life4 
,it stands to reason that the celebrated
 naturalist could not accept such an    
offer4 ,nevertheless1 ,major ,kelly and 
other officers urged him to permit the  
experiment4 ,declaring that in spite of 
all1 in less than an hour his cook would
 be no more1 he gave his consent4 ,but  

it happened that in less than an hour   
the cook was quietly preparing dinner in
 the kitchen1 and1 it is added1 ,dr4    
,fayrer seriously thought of throwing   
his book into the fire4  ,the day grew  
dreadfully hot4 ,we felt the heat of the
 rocks in spite of our thick-soled      
shoes4 ,besides1 the general curiosity  
aroused by our presence1 and the        
unceremonious persecutions of the crowd1
 were becoming tiring4 ,we resolved to  
go home1 that is to say1 to return to   
the cool cave1 six hundred paces from   
the temple1 where we were to spend the  
evening and to sleep4 ,we would wait no 
longer for our ,hindu companions1 who   
had gone to see the fair1 and so we     
started by ourselves4----   ,on         
approaching the entrance of the temple  
we were struck by the appearance of a   
young man1 who stood apart from the     
crowd and was of an ideal beauty4 ,he   
was a member of the ,sadhu sect1 a      
candidate for ,saintship1 to use the    
expression of one of our party4  ,the   

,sadhus differ greatly from every other 
sect4 ,they never appear unclothed1 do  
not cover themselves with damp ashes1   
wear no painted signs on their faces1 or
 foreheads1 and do not worship idols4   
,belonging to the ,adwaiti section of   
the ,vedantic school1 they believe only 
in ,parabrahm 7the great spirit74 ,the  
young man looked quite decent in his    
light yellow costume1 a kind of         
nightgown without sleeves4 ,he had long 
hair1 and his head was uncovered4 ,his  
elbow rested on the back of a cow1 which
 was itself well calculated to attract  
attention1 for1 in addition to her four 
perfectly shaped legs1 she had a fifth  
growing out of her hump4 ,this wonderful
 freak of nature used its fifth leg as  
if it were a hand and arm1 hunting and  
killing tiresome flies1 and scratching  
its head with the hoof4 ,at first we    
thought it was a trick to attract       
attention1 and even felt offended with  
the animal1 as well as with its handsome
 owner1 but1 coming nearer1 we saw that 

it was no trick1 but an actual sport of 
mischievous ,nature4 ,from the young man
 we learned that the cow had been       
presented to him by the ,maharaja       
,holkar1 and that her milk had been his 
only food during the last two years4    
,sadhus are aspirants to the ,raj ,yoga1
 and1 as ,i have said above1 usually    
belong to the school of the ,vedanta4   
,that is to say1 they are disciples of  
initiates who have entirely resigned the
 life of the world1 and lead a life of  
monastic chastity4 ,between the ,sadhus 
and the ,shivaite bunis there exists a  
mortal enmity1 which manifests itself by
 a silent contempt on the side of the   
,sadhus1 and on that of the bunis by    
constant attempts to sweep their rivals 
off the face of the earth4 ,this        
antipathy is as marked as that between  
light and darkness1 and reminds one of  
the dualism of the ,ahura-,mazda and    
,ahriman of the ,zoroastrians4 ,masses  
of people look up to the first as to    
,magi1 sons of the sun and of the       

,divine ,principle1 while the latter are
 dreaded as dangerous sorcerers4 ,having
 heard most wonderful accounts of the   
former1 we were burning with anxiety to 
see some of the miracles ascribed to    
them by some even among the ,englishmen4
 ,we eagerly invited the ,sadhu to visit
 our vihara during the evening4 ,but the
 handsome ascetic sternly refused1 for  
the reason that we were staying within  
the temple of the idol-worshippers1 the 
very air of which would prove           
antagonistic to him4 ,we offered him    
money1 but he would not touch it1 and so
 we parted4  ,a path1 or rather a ledge 
cut along the perpendicular face of a   
rocky mass #bjj feet high1 led from the 
chief temple to our vihara4 ,a man needs
 good eyes1 sure feet1 and a very strong
 head to avoid sliding down the         
precipice at the first false step4 ,any 
help would be quite out of the question1
 for1 the ledge being only two feet     
wide1 no one could walk side by side    
with another4 ,we had to walk one by    

one1 appealing for aid only to the whole
 of our personal courage4 ,but the      
courage of many of us was gone on an    
unlimited furlough4 ,the position of our
 ,american colonel was the worst1 for he
 was very stout and short-sighted1 which
 defects1 taken together1 caused him    
frequent vertigos4 ,to keep up our      
spirits we indulged in a choral         
performance of the duet from ,norma1    
,moriam' insieme1 holding each other's  
hands the while1 to ensure our being    
spared by death or dying all four in    
company4 ,but the colonel did not fail  
to frighten us nearly out of our lives4 
,we were already half way up to the cave
 when he made a false step1 staggered1  
lost hold of my hand1 and rolled over   
the edge4 ,we three1 having to clutch   
the bushes and stones1 were quite unable
 to help him4 ,a unanimous cry of horror
 escaped us1 but died away as we        
perceived that he had succeeded in      
clinging to the trunk of a small tree1  
which grew on the slope a few steps     

below us4 ,fortunately1 we knew that the
 colonel was good at athletics1 and     
remarkably cool in danger4 ,still the   
moment was a critical one4 ,the slender 
stem of the tree might give way at any  
moment4 ,our cries of distress were     
answered by the sudden appearance of the
 mysterious ,sadhu with his cow4  ,they 
were quietly walking along about twenty 
feet below us1 on such invisible        
projections of the rock that a child's  
foot could barely have found room to    
rest there1 and they both traveled as   
calmly1 and even carelessly1 as if a    
comfortable causeway were beneath their 
feet1 instead of a vertical rock4 ,the  
,sadhu called out to the colonel to hold
 on1 and to us to keep quiet4 ,he patted
 the neck of his monstrous cow1 and     
untied the rope by which he was leading 
her4 ,then1 with both hands he turned   
her head in our direction1 and clucking 
with his tongue1 he cried ,chal6 7go74  
,with a few wild goat-like bounds the   
animal reached our path1 and stood      

before us motion-less4 ,a for the ,sadhu
 himself1 his movements were as swift   
and as goat-like4 ,in a moment he had   
reached the tree1 tied the rope round   
the colonel's body1 and put him on his  
legs again2 then1 rising higher1 with   
one effort of his strong hand he hoisted
 him up to the path4 ,our colonel was   
with us once more1 rather pale1 and with
 the loss of his pince-nez1 but not of  
his presence of mind4  ,an adventure    
that had threatened to become a tragedy 
ended in a farce4  ,what is to be done  
now8 was our unanimous inquiry4 ,we     
cannot let you go alone any further4    
,in a few moments it will be dark and we
 shall be lost1 said ,mr4 ,y----1 the   
colonel's secretary4  ,and1 indeed1 the 
sun was dipping below the horizon1 and  
every moment was precious4 ,in the      
meanwhile1 the ,sadhu had fastened the  
rope round the cow's neck again and     
stood before us on the pathway1         
evidently not understanding a word of   
our conversation4 ,his tall1 slim figure

 seemed as if suspended in the air above
 the precipice4 ,his long1 black hair1  
floating in the breeze1 alone showed    
that in him we beheld a living being and
 not a magnificent statue of bronze4    
,forgetting our recent danger and our   
present awkward situation1 ,miss ,x----1
 who was a born artist1 exclaimed3 ,look
 at the majesty of that pure profile2   
observe the pose of that man4 ,how      
beautiful are his outlines seen against 
the golden and blue sky4 ,one would say1
 a ,greek ,adonis1 not a ,hindu6 ,but   
the ,adonis in question put a sudden    
stop to her ecstasy4 ,he glanced at     
,miss ,x---- with half-pitying1         
half-kindly1 laughing eyes1 and said    
with his ringing voice in ,hindi--      
,bara-,sahib cannot go any further      
without the help of someone else's eyes4
 ,sahib's eyes are his enemies4 ,let the
 ,sahib ride on my cow4 ,she cannot     
stumble4  ,i6 ,ride on a cow1 and a     
five-legged one at that8 ,never6        
exclaimed the poor colonel1 with such a 

helpless air1 nevertheless1 that we     
burst out laughing4  ,it will be better 
for ,sahib to sit on a cow than to lie  
on a chitta 7the pyre on which dead     
bodies are burned71 remarked the ,sadhu 
with modest seriousness4 ,why call forth
 the hour which has not yet struck8     
,the colonel saw that argument was      
perfectly useless1 and we succeeded in  
persuading him to follow the ,sadhu's   
advice1 who carefully hoisted him on the
 cow's back1 then1 recommending him to  
hold on by the fifth leg1 he led the    
way4 ,we all followed to the best of our
 ability4  ,in a few minutes more we    
were on the verandah of our vihara1     
where we found our ,hindu friends1 who  
had arrived by another path4 ,we eagerly
 related all our adventures1 and then   
looked for the ,sadhu1 but1 in the      
meanwhile1 he had disappeared together  
with his cow4  ,do not look for him1 he 
is gone by a road known only to himself1
 remarked ,gulab-,sing carelessly4 ,he  
knows you are sincere in your gratitude1

 but he would not take your money4 ,he  
is a ,sadhu1 not a buni1 added he       
proudly4  ,we remembered that it was    
reported this proud friend of ours also 
belonged to the ,sadhu sect4 ,who can   
tell1 whispered the colonel in my ear1  
whether these reports are mere gossip1  
or the truth8  ,sadhu-,nanaka must not  
be confounded with ,guru-,nanaka1 a     
leader of the ,sikhs4 ,the former are   
,adwaitas1 the latter monotheists4 ,the 
,adwaitas believe only in an impersonal 
deity named ,parabrahm4  ,in the chief  
hall of the vihara was a life-sized     
statue of ,bhavani1 the feminine aspect 
of ,shiva4 ,from the bosom of this      
devaki streams forth the pure cold water
 of a mountain spring1 which falls into 
a reservoir at her feet4 ,around it lay 
heaps of sacrificial flowers1 rice1     
betel leaves and incense4 ,this hall    
was1 in consequence1 so damp that we    
preferred to spend the night on the     
verandah in the open air1 hanging1 as it
 were1 between sky and earth1 and lit   

from below by numerous fires kept       
burning all the night by ,gulab-,sing's 
servants1 to scare away wild beasts1    
and1 from above1 by the light of the    
full moon4 ,a supper was arranged after 
the ,eastern fashion1 on carpets spread 
upon the floor1 and with thick banana   
leaves for plates and dishes4 ,the      
noiselessly gliding steps of the        
servants1 more silent than ghosts1 their
 white muslins and red turbans1 the     
limitless depths of space1 lost in waves
 of moonlight1 before us1 and behind1   
the dark vaults of ancient caves1 dug   
out by unknown races1 in unknown times1 
in honor of an unknown1 prehistoric     
religion--all these1 our surroundings1  
transported us into a strange world1 and
 into distant epochs far different from 
our own4  ,we had before us             
representatives of five different       
peoples1 five different types of        
costume1 each quite unlike the others4  
,all five are known to us in ethnography
 under the generic name of ,hindus4     

,similarly eagles1 condors1 hawks1      
vultures1 and owls are known to         
ornithology as birds of prey1 but the   
analogous differences are as great4     
,each of these five companions1 a       
,rajput1 a ,bengali1 a ,madrasi1 a      
,sinhalese and a ,mahratti1 is a        
descendant of a race1 the origin of     
which ,european scientists have         
discussed for over half a century       
without coming to any agreement4        
,rajputs are called ,hindus and are said
 to belong to the ,aryan race2 but they 
call themselves ,suryavansa1 that is to 
say1 descendants of ,surya or the sun4  
,the ,brahmans derive their origin from 
,indu1 the moon1 and are called         
,induvansa2 ,indu1 ,soma1 or ,chandra1  
meaning moon in ,sanskrit4 ,if the first
 ,aryans1 appearing in the prologue of  
universal history1 are ,brahmans1 that  
is to say1 the people who1 according to 
,max ,muller1 having crossed the        
,himalayas conquered the country of the 
five rivers1 then the ,rajputs are no   

,aryans2 and if they are ,aryans they   
are not ,brahmans1 as all their         
genealogies and sacred books 7,puranas7 
show that they are much older than the  
,brahmans2 and1 in this case1 moreover1 
the ,aryan tribes had an actual         
existence in other countries of our     
globe than the much renowned district of
 the ,oxus1 the cradle of the ,germanic 
race1 the ancestors of ,aryans and      
,hindus1 in the fancy of the scientist  
we have named and his ,german school4   
,the moon line begins with ,pururavas   
7see the genealogical tree prepared by  
,colonel ,tod from the ,,ms4 ,puranas in
 the ,oodeypore archives71 that is to   
say1 two thousand two hundred years     
before ,christ1 and much later than     
,ikshvaku1 the patriarch of the         
,suryavansa4 ,the fourth son of         
,pururavas1 ,rech1 stands at the head of
 the line of the moon-race1 and only in 
the fifteenth generation after him      
appears ,harita1 who founded the        
,kanshikagotra1 the ,brahman tribe4     

,the ,rajputs hate the latter4 ,they say
 the children of the sun and ,rama have 
nothing in common with the children of  
the moon and ,krishna4 ,as for the      
,bengalis1 according to their traditions
 and history1 they are aborigines4 ,the 
,madrasis and the ,sinhalese are        
,dravidians4 ,they have1 in turn1 been  
said to belong to the ,semites1 the     
,hamites1 the ,aryans1 and1 lastly1 they
 have been given up to the will of ,god1
 with the conclusion drawn that the     
,sinhalese1 at all events1 must be      
,mongolians of ,turanian origin4 ,the   
,mahrattis are aborigines of the ,west  
of ,india1 as the ,bengalis are of1 the 
,east2 but to what group of tribes      
belong these two nationalities no       
ethnographer can define1 save perhaps a 
,german4 ,the traditions of the people  
themselves are generally denied1 because
 they are not in harmony with foregone  
conclusions4 ,the meaning of ancient    
manuscripts is disfigured1 and1 in fact1
 sacrificed to fiction1 if only the     

latter proceeds from the mouth of some  
favorite oracle4  ,the ignorant masses  
are often blamed and found to be guilty 
of superstition for creating idols in   
the spiritual world4 ,is not1 then1 the 
educated man1 the man who craves after  
knowledge1 who is enlightened1 still    
more inconsistent than these masses1    
when he deals with his favorite         
authorities8 ,are not half a dozen      
laurel-crowned heads allowed by him to  
do whatever they like with facts1 to    
draw their own conclusions1 according to
 their own liking1 and does he not stone
 every one who would dare to rise       
against the decisions of these          
quasi-infallible specialists1 and brand 
him as an ignorant fool8  ,let us       
remember the case in point of ,louis    
,jacolliot1 who spent twenty years in   
,india1 who actually knew the language  
and the country to perfection1 and who1 
nevertheless1 was rolled in the mud by  
,max ,muller1 whose foot never touched  
,indian soil4  ,the oldest peoples of   

,europe are mere babes com-pared with   
the tribes of ,asia1 and especially of  
,india4 ,and oh6 how poor and           
insignificant are the genealogies of the
 oldest ,european families compared with
 those of some ,rajputs4 ,in the opinion
 of ,colonel ,tod1 who for over twenty  
years studied these genealogies on the  
spot1 they are the completest and most  
trustworthy of the records of the       
peoples of antiquity4 ,they date from   
#a1jjj to #b1bjj years ,b4,c41 and their
 authenticity may often be proved by    
reference to ,greek authors4 ,after long
 and careful research and comparison    
with the text of the ,puranas1 and      
various monumental inscriptions1        
,colonel ,tod came to the conclusion    
that in the ,oodeypore archives 7now    
hidden from public inspection71 not to  
mention other sources1 may be found a   
clue to the history of ,india in        
particular1 and to universal ancient    
history in general4 ,colonel ,tod       
advises the earnest seeker after this   

clue not to think1 with some flippant   
archaeologists who are insufficiently   
acquainted with ,india1 that the stories
 of ,rama1 the ,mahabharata1 ,krishna1  
and the five brothers ,pandu1 are mere  
allegories4 ,he affirms that he who     
seriously considers these legends will  
very soon become thoroughly convinced   
that all these so-called fables are     
founded on historical facts1 by the     
actual existence of the descendants of  
the heroes1 by tribes1 ancient towns1   
and coins still extant2 that to acquire 
the right to pronounce a final opinion  
one must read first the inscriptions on 
the ,inda-,prestha pillars of ,purag and
 ,mevar1 on the rocks of ,junagur1 in   
,bijoli1 on ,aravuli and on all the     
ancient ,jaina temples scattered        
throughout ,india1 where are to be found
 numerous inscriptions in a language    
utterly unknown1 in comparison with     
which the hieroglyphs will seem a mere  
toy4  ,yet1 nevertheless1 ,professor    
,max ,muller1 who1 as already mentioned1

 was never in ,india1 sits as a judge   
and corrects chronological tables as is 
his wont1 and ,europe1 taking his words 
for those of an oracle1 endorses his    
decisions4 ,et c'est ainsi que s'ecrit  
l'histoire4  ,talking of the venerable  
,german ,sanskritist's chronology1 ,i   
cannot resist the desire to show1 be it 
only to ,russia1 on what a fragile basis
 are founded his scientific discussions1
 and how little he is to be trusted when
 he pronounces upon the antiquity of    
this or that manuscript4 ,these pages   
are of a superficial and descriptive    
nature1 and1 as such1 make no pretense  
to profound learning1 so that what      
follows may seem incongruous4 ,but it   
must be remembered that in ,russia1 as  
elsewhere in ,europe1 people estimate   
the value of this philological light by 
the points of exclamation lavished upon 
him by his admiring followers1 and that 
no one reads the ,veda ,bhashaya of     
,swami ,dayanand4 ,it may even be that  
,i shall not be far from the truth in   

saying that the very existence of this  
work is ignored1 which may perhaps be a 
fortunate fact for the reputation of    
,professor ,max ,muller4 ,i shall be as 
brief as possible4 ,when ,professor ,max
 ,muller states1 in his                 
,sahitya-,grantha1 that the ,aryan tribe
 in ,india acquired the notion of ,god  
step by step and very slowly1 he        
evidently wishes to prove that the      
,vedas are far from being as old as is  
supposed by some of his colleagues4     
,having presented1 in due course1 some  
more or less valuable evidence to prove 
the truth of this new theory1 he ends   
with a fact which1 in his opinion1 is   
indisputable4 ,he points to the word    
hiranya-garbha in the mantrams1 which he
 translates by the word gold1 and adds  
that1 as the part of the ,vedas called  
chanda appeared #c1ajj years ago1 the   
part called mantrams could not have been
 written earlier than #b1ijj years ago4 
,let me remind the reader that the      
,vedas are divided into two parts3      

chandas--slokas1 verses1 etc42 and      
mantrams--prayers and rhythmical hymns1 
which are1 at the same time1            
incantations used in white magic4       
,professor ,max ,muller divides the     
mantram 7,agnihi ,poorwebhihi1 etc47    
philologically and chronologically1 and1
 finding in it the word hiranya-garbha1 
he denounces it as an anachronism4 ,the 
ancients1 he says1 had no knowledge of  
gold1 and1 therefore1 if gold is        
mentioned in this mantram it means that 
the mantram was composed at a           
comparatively modern epoch1 and so on4  
,but here the illustrious ,sanskritist  
is very much mistaken4 ,swami ,dayanand 
and other pandits1 who sometimes are far
 from being ,dayanand's allies1 maintain
 that ,professor ,max ,muller has       
completely misunderstood the meaning of 
the term hiranya4 ,originally it did not
 mean1 and1 when united to the word     
garbha1 even now does not mean1 gold4   
,so all the ,professor's brilliant      
demonstrations are labor in vain4 ,the  

word hiranya in this mantram must be    
translated divine light--mystically a   
symbol of knowledge2 analogically the   
alchemists used the term sublimated gold
 for light1 and hoped to compose the    
objective metal out of its rays4 ,the   
two words1 hiranya-garbha1 taken        
together1 mean1 literally1 the radiant  
bosom1 and1 when used in the ,vedas1    
designate the first principle1 in whose 
bosom1 like gold in the bosom of the    
earth1 rests the light of divine        
knowledge and truth1 the essence of the 
soul liberated from the sins of the     
world4 ,in the mantrams1 as in the      
chandas1 one must always look for a     
double meaning3 7#a7 a metaphysical one1
 purely abstract1 and 7#b7 one as purely
 physical2 for everything existing upon 
the earth is closely bound to the       
spiritual world1 from which it proceeds 
and by which it is reabsorbed4 ,for     
instance ,indra1 the god of thunder1    
,surya1 the sun-god1 ,vayu1 god of the  
wind1 and ,agni1 god of fire1 all four  

depending on this first divine          
principle1 expand1 according to the     
mantram from hiranya-garbha1 the radiant
 bosom4 ,in this case the gods are the  
personifications of the forces of       
,nature4 ,but the initiated ,adepts of  
,india understand very clearly that the 
god ,indra1 for instance1 is nothing    
more than a mere sound1 born of the     
shock of electrical forces1 or simply   
electricity itself4 ,surya is not the   
god of the sun1 but simply the centre of
 fire in our system1 the essence whence 
come fire1 warmth1 light1 and so on2 the
 very thing1 namely1 which no ,european 
scientist1 steering an even course      
between ,tyndall and ,schropfer1 has1 as
 yet1 defined4 ,this concealed meaning  
has totally escaped ,professor ,max     
,muller's attention1 and this is why1   
clinging to the dead letter1 he never   
hesitates before cutting a ,gordian     
knot4 ,how then can he be permitted to  
pronounce upon the antiquity of the     
,vedas1 when he is so far from the right

 understanding of the language of these 
ancient writings4  ,the above is a      
resume of ,dayanand's argument1 and to  
him the ,sanskritists must apply for    
further particulars1 which they will    
certainly find in his ,rigvedadi        
,bhashya ,bhoomika4    ,in the cave1    
every one slept soundly round the fire  
except myself4 ,none of my companions   
seemed to mind in the least either the  
hum of the thousand voices of the fair1 
or the prolonged1 far-away roar of the  
tigers rising from the valley1 or even  
the loud prayers of the pilgrims who    
passed to and fro all night long1 never 
fearing to cross the steep passage      
which1 even by daylight1 caused us such 
perplexity4 ,they came in parties of    
twos and threes1 and sometimes there    
appeared a lonely unescorted woman4     
,they could not reach the large vihara1 
because we occupied the verandah at its 
entrance1 and so1 after grumbling a     
little1 they entered a small lateral    
cave something like a chapel1 containing

 a statue of ,devaki-,mata1 above a tank
 full of water4 ,each pilgrim prostrated
 himself for a time1 then placed his    
offering at the feet of the goddess and 
bathed in the holy waters of            
purification1 or1 at the least1         
sprinkled some water over his forehead1 
cheeks1 and breast4 ,lastly1 retreating 
backwards1 he knelt again at the door   
and disappeared in the darkness with a  
final invocation3 ,mata1 maha           
mata6--,mother1 ,o great mother6  ,two  
of ,gulab-,sing's servants1 with        
traditional spears and shields of       
rhinoceros skin1 who had been ordered to
 protect us from wild beasts1 sat on the
 steps of the verandah4 ,i was unable to
 sleep1 and so watched with increasing  
curiosity everything that was going on4 
,the ,takur1 too1 was sleepless4 ,every 
time ,i raised my eyes1 heavy with      
fatigue1 the first object upon which    
they fell was the gigantic figure of our
 mysterious friend4  ,having seated     
himself after the ,eastern fashion1 with

 his feet drawn up and his arms round   
his knees1 the ,rajput sat on a bench   
cut in the rock at one end of the       
verandah1 gazing out into the silvery   
atmosphere4 ,he was so near the abyss   
that the least incautious movement would
 expose him to great danger4 ,but the   
granite goddess1 ,bhavani herself1 could
 not be more immovable4 ,the light of   
the moon before him was so strong that  
the black shadow under the rock which   
sheltered him was doubly impenetrable1  
shrouding his face in absolute darkness4
 ,from time to time the flame of the    
sinking fires leaping up shed its hot   
reflection on the dark bronze face1     
enabling me to distinguish its          
sphinx-like lineaments and its shining  
eyes1 as unmoving as the rest of the    
features4  ,what am ,i to think8 ,is he 
simply sleeping1 or is he in that       
strange state1 that temporary           
annihilation of bodily life8444 ,only   
this morning he was telling us how the  
initiate ,raj-yogis were able to plunge 

into this state at will444 ,oh1 if ,i   
could only go to sleep44444  ,suddenly a
 loud prolonged hissing1 quite close to 
my ear1 made me start1 trembling with   
indistinct reminiscences of cobras4 ,the
 sound was strident and evidently came  
from under the hay upon which ,i rested4
 ,then it struck one6 two6 ,it was our  
,american alarum-clock1 which always    
traveled with me4 ,i could not help     
laughing at myself1 and1 at the same    
time1 feeling a little ashamed of my    
involuntary fright4  ,but neither the   
hissing1 nor the loud striking of the   
clock1 nor my sudden movement1 that made
 ,miss ,x---- raise her sleepy head1    
awakened ,gulab-,sing1 who still hung   
over the precipice4 ,another half hour  
passed4 ,the far-away roar of the       
festivity was still heard1 but          
everything round me was calm and still4 
,sleep fled further and further from my 
eyes4 ,a fresh1 strong wind arose1      
before the dawn1 rustling the leaves and
 then shaking the tops of the trees that

 rose above the abyss4 ,my attention    
became absorbed by the group of three   
,rajputs before me--by the two shield   
bearers and their master4 ,i cannot tell
 why ,i was specially attracted at this 
moment by the sight of the long hair of 
the servants1 which was waving in the   
wind1 though the place they occupied was
 comparatively sheltered4 ,i turned my  
eyes upon their ,sahib1 and the blood in
 my veins stood still4 ,the veil of     
somebody's topi1 which hung beside him1 
tied to a pillar1 was simply whirling in
 the wind1 while the hair of the ,sahib 
himself lay as still as if it had been  
glued to his shoulders1 not a hair      
moved1 nor a single fold of his light   
muslin garment4 ,no statue could be more
 motionless4 ,what is this then8 ,i said
 to myself4 ,is it delirium8 ,is this a 
hallucination1 or a wonderful           
inexplicable reality8 ,i shut my eyes1  
telling myself ,i must look no longer4  
,but a moment later ,i again looked up1 
startled by a crackling sound from above

 the steps4 ,the long1 dark silhouette  
of some animal appeared at the entrance1
 clearly outlined against the pale sky4 
,i saw it in profile4 ,its long tail was
 lashing to and fro4 ,both the servants 
rose swiftly and noiselessly and turned 
their heads towards ,gulab-,sing1 as if 
asking for orders4 ,but where was       
,gulab-,sing8 ,in the place which1 but a
 moment ago1 he occupied1 there was no  
one4 ,there lay only the topi1 torn from
 the pillar by the wind4 ,i sprang up3 a
 tremendous roar deafened me1 filling   
the vihara1 wakening the slumbering     
echoes1 and resounding1 like the        
softened rumbling of thunder1 over all  
the borders of the precipice4 ,good     
heavens6 ,a tiger6  ,before this thought
 had time to shape itself clearly in my 
mind1 the sleepers sprang up and the men
 all seized their guns and revolvers1   
and then we heard the sound of crashing 
branches1 and of something heavy sliding
 down into the precipice4 ,the alarm was
 general4  ,what is the matter now8 said

 the calm voice of ,gulab-,sing1 and ,i 
again saw him on the stone bench4 ,why  
should you be so frightened8  ,a tiger6 
,was it not a tiger8 came in hasty1     
questioning tones from ,europeans and   
,hindus4  ,miss ,x---- trembled like one
 stricken with fever4 ,whether it was a 
tiger1 or something else1 matters very  
little to us now4 ,whatever it was1 it  
is1 by this time1 at the bottom of the  
abyss1 answered the ,rajput yawning4  ,i
 wonder the ,government does not destroy
 all these horrid animals1 sobbed poor  
,miss ,x----1 who evidently believed    
firmly in the omnipotence of her        
,executive4  ,but how did you get rid of
 the 'striped one'8 insisted the        
colonel4 ,has anyone fired a shot8  ,you
 ,europeans think that shooting is1 if  
not the only1 at least the best way to  
get rid of wild animals4 ,we possess    
other means1 which are sometimes more   
efficacious than guns1 explained ,babu  
,narendro-,das ,sen4 ,wait until you    
come to ,bengal1 there you will have    

many opportunities to make acquaintance 
with the tigers4  ,it was now getting   
light1 and ,gulab-,sing proposed to us  
to descend and examine the rest of the  
caves and the ruins of a fortress before
 the day became too hot1 so1 at         
half-past three1 we went by another and 
easier way to the valley1 and1 happily1 
this time we had no adventures4 ,the    
,mahratti did not accompany us4 ,he     
disappeared without informing us whither
 he was going4    ,we saw ,logarh1 a    
fortress which was captured by ,sivaji  
from the ,moguls in #afgj1 and the ruins
 of the hall1 where the widow of ,nana  
,farnavese1 under the pretext of an     
,english protectorate1 became de facto  
the captive of ,general ,wellesley in   
#ahjd1 with a yearly pension of #ab1jjj 
rupees4 ,we then started for the village
 of ,vargaon1 once fortified and still  
very rich4 ,we were to spend the hottest
 hours of the day there1 from nine in   
the morning until four in the afternoon1
 and proceed afterwards to the          

historical caves of ,birsa and ,badjah1 
about three miles from ,karli4  ,at     
about two ,p4,m4 when1 in spite of the  
huge punkahs waving to and fro1 we were 
grumbling at the heat1 appeared our     
friend the ,mahratta ,brahman1 whom we  
thought we had lost on the way4         
,accompanied by half-a-dozen ,daknis    
7inhabitants of the ,dekhan plateau7 he 
was slowly advancing1 seated almost on  
the ears of his horse1 which snorted and
 seemed very unwilling to move4 ,when he
 reached the verandah and jumped down1  
we saw the reason of his disappearance4 
,across the saddle was tied a huge      
tiger1 whose tail dragged in the dust4  
,there were traces of dark blood in his 
half opened mouth4 ,he was taken from   
the horse and laid down by the doorstep4
  ,was it our visitor of the night      
before8 ,i looked at ,gulab-,sing4 ,he  
lay on a rug in a corner1 resting his   
head on his hand and reading4 ,he       
knitted his brows slightly1 but did not 
say a word4 ,the ,brahman who had just  

brought the tiger was very silent too1  
watching over certain preparations1 as  
if making ready for some solemnity4 ,we 
soon learned that1 in the eyes of a     
superstitious people1 what was about to 
happen was a solemnity indeed4  ,a bit  
of hair cut from the skin of a tiger    
that has been killed1 neither by bullet1
 nor by knife1 but by a word1 is        
considered the best of all talismans    
against his tribe4  ,this is a very rare
 opportunity1 explained the ,mahratti4  
,it is very seldom that one meets with a
 man who possesses the word4 ,yogis and 
,sadhus do not generally kill wild      
animals1 thinking it sinful to destroy  
any living creature1 be it even a cobra 
or a tiger1 so they simply keep out of  
the way of noxious animals4 ,there      
exists only one brotherhood in ,india   
whose members possess all secrets1 and  
from whom nothing in nature is          
concealed4 ,here is the body of the     
tiger to testify that the animal was not
 killed with a weapon of any kind1 but  

simply by the word of ,gulab-,lal-,sing4
 ,i found it1 very easily1 in the bushes
 exactly under our vihara1 at the foot  
of the rock over which the tiger had    
rolled1 already dead4 ,tigers never make
 false steps4 ,gulab-,lal-,sing1 you are
 a ,raj-,yogi1 and ,i salute you6 added 
the proud ,brahman1 kneeling before the 
,takur4  ,do not use vain words1        
,krishna ,rao6 interrupted ,gulab-,sing4
 ,get up2 do not play the part of a     
,shudra4  ,i obey you1 ,sahib1 but1     
forgive me1 ,i trust my own judgment4   
,no ,raj-,yogi ever yet acknowledged his
 connection with the brotherhood1 since 
the time ,mount ,abu came into          
existence4  ,and he began distributing  
bits of hair taken from the dead animal4
 ,no one spoke1 ,i gazed curiously at   
the group of my fellow-travelers4 ,the  
colonel1 ,president of our ,society1 sat
 with downcast eyes1 very pale4 ,his    
secretary1 ,mr4 ,y----1 lay on his back1
 smoking a cigar and looking straight   
above him1 with no expression in his    

eyes4 ,he silently accepted the hair and
 put it in his purse4 ,the ,hindus stood
 round the tiger1 and the ,sinhalese    
traced mysterious signs on its forehead4
 ,gulab-,sing continued quietly reading 
his book4----   ,the ,birza cave1 about 
six miles from ,vargaon1 is constructed 
on the same plan as ,karli4 ,the        
vault-like ceiling of the temple rests  
upon twenty-six pillars1 eighteen feet  
high1 and the portico on four1          
twenty-eight feet high2 over the portico
 are carved groups of horses1 oxen1 and 
elephants1 of the most exquisite beauty4
 ,the ,hall of ,initiation is a         
spacious1 oval room1 with pillars1 and  
eleven very deep cells cut in the rock4 
,the ,bajah caves are older and more    
beautiful4 ,inscriptions may still be   
seen showing that all these temples were
 built by ,buddhists1 or1 rather1 by    
,jainas4 ,modern ,buddhists believe in  
one ,buddha only1 ,gautama1 ,prince of  
,kapilavastu 7six centuries before      
,christ7 whereas the ,jainas recognize a

 ,buddha in each of their twenty-four   
divine teachers 7,tirthankaras7 the last
 of whom was the ,guru 7teacher7 of     
,gautama4 ,this disagreement is very    
embarrassing when people try to         
conjecture the antiquity of this or that
 vihara or chaitya4 ,the origin of the  
,jaina sect is lost in the remotest1    
unfathomed antiquity1 so the name of    
,buddha1 mentioned in the inscriptions1 
may be attributed to the last of the    
,buddhas as easily as to the first1 who 
lived 7see ,tod's genealogy7 a long time
 before #b1bjj ,b4,c4  ,one of the      
inscriptions in the ,baira cave1 for    
instance1 in cuneiform characters1 says3
 ,from an ascetic in ,nassik to the one 
who is worthy1 to the holy ,buddha1     
purified from sins1 heavenly and great4 
,this tends to convince scientists that 
the cave was cut out by ,buddhists4     
,another inscription1 in the same cave1 
but over an-other cell1 contains the    
following3 ,an agreeable offering of a  
small gift to the moving force life1 to 

the mind principle soul1 the            
well-beloved material body1 fruit of    
,manu1 priceless treasure1 to the       
highest and here present1 ,heavenly4    
,of course the conclusion is drawn that 
the building does not belong to the     
,buddhists1 but to the ,brahmans1 who   
believe in ,manu4  ,here are two more   
inscriptions from ,bajah caves4  ,an    
agreeable gift of the symbol and vehicle
 of the purified ,saka-,saka4  ,gift of 
the vehicle of ,radha wife of ,krishna1 
symbol of perfection to ,sugata who is  
gone for ever4  ,sugata1 again1 is one  
of the names of ,buddha4 ,a new         
contradiction6  ,it was somewhere here1 
in the neighborhood of ,vargaon1 that   
the ,mahrattis seized ,captain ,vaughan 
and his brother1 who were hanged after  
the battle of ,khirki4  ,next morning we
 drove to ,chinchor1 or1 as it is called
 here1 ,chinchood4 ,this place is       
celebrated in the annals of the ,dekkan4
 ,here one meets with a repetition in   
miniature of what takes place on a      

larger scale at ,l'hassa in ,tibet4 ,as 
,buddha incarnates in every new         
,dalai-,lama1 so1 here1 ,gunpati        
7,ganesha1 the god of wisdom with the   
elephant's head7 is allowed by his      
father ,shiva to incarnate in the eldest
 son of a certain ,brahman family4      
,there is a splendid temple erected in  
his honor1 where the avatars            
7incarnations7 of ,gunpati have lived   
and received adoration for over two     
hundred years4  ,this is how it         
happened4  ,about #bej years ago a poor 
,brahman couple were promised1 in sleep1
 by the god of wisdom that he would     
incarnate in their eldest son4 ,the boy 
was named ,maroba 7one of the god's     
titles7 in honor of the deity4 ,maroba  
grew up1 married1 and begot several     
sons1 after which he was commanded by   
the god to relinquish the world and     
finish his days in the desert4 ,there1  
during twenty-two years1 according to   
the legend1 ,maroba wrought miracles and
 his fame grew day by day4 ,he lived in 

an impenetrable jungle1 in a corner of  
the thick forest that covered ,chinchood
 in those days4 ,gunpati appeared to him
 once more1 and promised to incarnate in
 his descendants for seven generations4 
,after this there was no limit to his   
miracles1 so that the people began to   
worship him1 and ended by building a    
splendid temple for him4  ,at last      
,maroba gave orders to the people to    
bury him alive1 in a sitting posture1   
with an open book in his hands1 and     
never to open his grave again under     
penalty of his wrath and maledictions4  
,after the burial of ,maroba1 ,gunpati  
incarnated in his first-born1 who began 
a conjuring career in his turn4 ,so that
 ,maroba-,deo ,i1 was replaced by       
,chintaman-,deo ,i4 ,this latter god had
 eight wives and eight sons4 ,the tricks
 of the eldest of these sons1           
,narayan-,deo ,i1 became so celebrated  
that his fame reached the ears of the   
,emperor ,alamgir4 ,in order to test the
 extent of his deification1 ,alamgir    

sent him a piece of a cow's tail wrapped
 in rich stuffs and coverings4 ,now1 to 
touch the tail of a dead cow is the     
worst of all degradations for a ,hindu4 
,on receiving it ,narayan sprinkled the 
parcel with water1 and1 when the stuffs 
were unfolded1 there was found enclosed 
in them a nosegay of white syringa1     
instead of the ungodly tail4 ,this      
transformation rejoiced the ,emperor so 
much that he presented the god with     
eight villages1 to cover his private    
expenses4 ,narayan's social position and
 property were inherited by             
,chintaman-,deo ,,ii41 whose heir was   
,dharmadhar1 and1 lastly1 ,narayan ,,ii 
came into power4 ,he drew down the      
malediction of ,gunpati by violating the
 grave of ,maroba4 ,that is why his son1
 the last of the gods1 is to die without
 issue4  ,when we saw him he was an aged
 man1 about ninety years old4 ,he was   
seated on a kind of platform4 ,his head 
shook and his eyes idiotically stared   
without seeing us1 the result of his    

constant use of opium4 ,on his neck1    
ears1 and toes1 shone precious stones1  
and all around were spread offerings4   
,we had to take off our shoes before we 
were allowed to approach this           
half-ruined relic4----   ,on the evening
 of the same day we returned to ,bombay4
 ,two days later we were to start on our
 long journey to the ,north-,west       
,provinces1 and our route promised to be
 very attractive4 ,we were to see       
,nassik1 one of the few towns mentioned 
by ,greek historians1 its caves1 and the
 tower of ,rama2 to visit ,allahabad1   
the ancient ,prayaga1 the metropolis of 
the moon dynasty1 built at the          
confluence of the ,ganges and ,jumna2   
,benares1 the town of five thousand     
temples and as many monkeys2 ,cawnpur1  
notorious for the bloody revenge of     
,nana ,sahib2 the remains of the city of
 the sun1 destroyed1 according to the   
computations of ,colebrooke1 six        
thousand years ago2 ,agra and ,delhi2   
and then1 having explored ,rajistan with

 its thousand ,takur castles1           
fortresses1 ruins1 and legends1 we were 
to go to ,lahore1 the metropolis of the 
,punjab1 and1 lastly1 to stay for a     
while in ,amritsar4 ,there1 in the      
,golden ,temple1 built in the centre of 
the ,lake of ,immortality1 was to be    
held the first meeting of the members of
 our ,society1 ,brahmans1 ,buddhists1   
,sikhs1 etc4--in a word1 the            
representatives of the one thousand and 
one sects of ,india1 who all            
sympathized1 more or less1 with the idea
 of the ,brotherhood of ,humanity of our
 ,theosophical ,society4     ,vanished  
,glories   ,benares1 ,prayaga 7now      
,allahabad71 ,nassik1 ,hurdwar1         
,bhadrinath1 ,matura--these were the    
sacred places of prehistoric ,india     
which we were to visit one after the    
other2 but to visit them1 not after the 
usual manner of tourists1 a vol         
d'oiseau1 with a cheap guide-book in our
 hands and a cicerone to weary our      
brains1 and wear out our legs4 ,we were 

well aware that all these ancient places
 are thronged with traditions and       
overgrown with the weeds of popular     
fancy1 like ruins of ancient castles    
covered with ivy2 that the original     
shape of the building is destroyed by   
the cold embrace of these parasitic     
plants1 and that it is as difficult for 
the archaeologist to form an idea of the
 architecture of the once perfect       
edifice1 judging only by the heaps of   
disfigured rubbish that cover the       
country1 as for us to select from out   
the thick mass of legends good wheat    
from weeds4 ,no guides and no cicerone  
could be of any use whatever to us4 ,the
 only thing they could do would be to   
point out to us places where once there 
stood a fortress1 a castle1 a temple1 a 
sacred grove1 or a celebrated town1 and 
then to repeat legends which came into  
existence only lately1 under the        
,mussulman rule4 ,as to the undisguised 
truth1 the original history of every    
interesting spot1 we should have had to 

search for these by ourselves1 assisted 
only by our own conjectures4  ,modern   
,india does not present a pale shadow of
 what it was in the pre-,christian era1 
nor even of the ,hindostan of the days  
of ,akbar1 ,shah-,jehan and ,aurungzeb4 
,the neighborhood of every town that has
 been shattered by many a war1 and of   
every ruined hamlet1 is covered with    
round reddish pebbles1 as if with so    
many petrified tears of blood4 ,but1 in 
order to approach the iron gate of some 
ancient fortress1 it is not over natural
 pebbles that it is necessary to walk1  
but over the broken fragments of some   
older granite remains1 under which1 very
 often1 rest the ruins of a third town1 
still more ancient than the last4       
,modern names have been given to them by
 ,mussulmans1 who generally built their 
towns upon the remains of those they had
 just taken by assault4 ,the names of   
the latter are sometimes mentioned in   
the legends1 but the names of their     
predecessors had completely disappeared 

from the popular memory even before the 
,mussulman invasion4 ,will a time ever  
come for these secrets of the centuries 
to be revealed8 ,knowing all this       
beforehand1 we resolved not to lose     
patience1 even though we had to devote  
whole years to explorations of the same 
places1 in order to obtain better       
historical information1 and facts less  
disfigured than those obtained by our   
predecessors1 who had to be contented   
with a choice collection of naive lies1 
poured forth from the mouth of some     
frightened semi-savage1 or some         
,brahman1 unwilling to speak and        
desirous of disguising the truth4 ,as   
for ourselves1 we were differently      
situated4 ,we were helped by a whole    
society of educated ,hindus1 who were as
 deeply interested in the same questions
 as ourselves4 ,besides1 we had a       
promise of the revelation of some       
secrets1 and the accurate translation of
 some ancient chronicles1 that had been 
preserved as if by a miracle4  ,the     

history of ,india has long since faded  
from the memories of her sons1 and is   
still a mystery to her conquerors4      
,doubtless it still exists1 though1     
perchance1 only partly1 in manuscripts  
that are jealously concealed from every 
,european eye4 ,this has been shown by  
some pregnant words1 spoken by ,brahmans
 on their rare occasions of friendly    
expansiveness4 ,thus1 ,colonel ,tod1    
whom ,i have already quoted several     
times1 is said to have been told by a   
,mahant1 the chief of an ancient        
pagoda-monastery3 ,sahib1 you lose your 
time in vain researches4 ,the ,bellati  
,india ,india of foreigners is before   
you1 but you will never see the ,gupta  
,india secret ,india4 ,we are the       
guardians of her mysteries1 and would   
rather cut out each other's tongues than
 speak4  ,yet1 nevertheless1 ,tod       
succeeded in learning a good deal4 ,it  
must be borne in mind that no           
,englishman has ever been loved so well 
by the natives as this old and          

courageous friend of the ,maharana of   
,oodeypur1 who1 in his turn1 was so     
friendly towards the natives that the   
humblest of them never saw a trace of   
contempt in his demeanour4 ,he wrote    
before ethnology had reached its present
 stage of development1 but his book is  
still an authority on everything        
concerning ,rajistan4 ,though the       
author's opinion of his work was not    
very high1 though he stated that it is  
nothing but a conscientious collection  
of materials for a future historian1    
still in this book is to be found many a
 thing undreamed of by any ,british     
civil servant4  ,let our friends smile  
incredulously4 ,let our enemies laugh at
 our pretensions to penetrate the       
world-mysteries of ,aryavarta1 as a     
certain critic recently expressed       
himself4 ,however pessimistic may be our
 critics' views1 yet1 even in the event 
of our conclusions not proving more     
trustworthy than those of ,fergusson1   
,wilson1 ,wheeler1 and the rest of the  

archeologists and ,sanskritists who have
 written about ,india1 still1 ,i hope1  
they will not be less susceptible of    
proof4 ,we are daily reminded that1 like
 unreasonable children1 we have         
undertaken a task before which          
archaeologists and historians1 aided by 
all the influence and wealth of the     
,government1 have shrunk dismayed2 that 
we have taken upon ourselves a work     
which has proved to be beyond the       
capacities of the ,royal ,asiatic       
,society4  ,let it be so4  ,let everyone
 try to remember1 as we ourselves       
remember1 that not very long ago a poor 
,hungarian1 who not only had no means of
 any kind but was almost a beggar1      
traveled on foot to ,tibet through      
unknown and dangerous countries1 led    
only by the love of learning and the    
eager wish to pour light on the         
historical origin of his nation4 ,the   
result was that inexhaustible mines of  
literary treasures were discovered4     
,philology1 which till then had wandered

 in the ,egyptian darkness of           
etymological labyrinths1 and was about  
to ask the sanction of the scientific   
world to one of the wildest of theories1
 suddenly stumbled on the clue of       
,ariadne4 ,philology discovered1 at     
last1 that the ,sanskrit language is1 if
 not the forefather1 at least--to use   
the language of ,max ,muller--the elder 
brother of all classical languages4     
,thanks to the extraordinary zeal of    
,alexander ,csoma de ,koros1 ,tibet     
yielded a language the literature of    
which was totally unknown4 ,he partly   
translated it and partly analyzed and   
explained it4 ,his translations have    
shown the scientific world that 7#a7 the
 originals of the ,zend-,avesta1 the    
sacred scriptures of the                
sun-worshippers1 of ,tripitaka1 that of 
the ,buddhists1 and of                  
,aytareya-,brahmanam1 that of the       
,brahmans1 were written in one and the  
same ,sanskrit language2 7#b7 that all  
these three languages--,zend1 ,nepalese1

 and the modern ,brahman ,sanskrit--are 
more or less dialects of the first2 7#c7
 that old ,sanskrit is the origin of all
 the less ancient ,indo-,european       
languages1 as well as of the modern     
,european tongues and dialects2 7#d7    
that the three chief religions of       
heathendom--,zoroastrianism1 ,buddhism  
and ,brahmanism--are mere heresies of   
the monotheistic teachings of the       
,vedas1 which does not prevent them from
 being real ancient religions and not   
modern falsifications4  ,the moral of   
all this is evident4 ,a poor traveler1  
without either money or protection1     
succeeded in gaining admittance to the  
,lamaseries of ,tibet and to the sacred 
literature of the isolated tribe which  
inhabits it1 probably because he treated
 the ,mongolians and the ,tibetans as   
his brothers and not as an inferior     
race--a feat which has never been       
accomplished by generations of          
scientists4 ,one cannot help feeling    
ashamed of humanity and science when one

 thinks that he whose labors first gave 
to science such precious results1 he who
 was the first sower of such an abundant
 harvest1 remained1 almost until the day
 of his death1 a poor and obscure       
worker4 ,on his way from ,tibet he      
walked to ,calcutta without a penny in  
his pocket4 ,at last ,csoma de ,koros   
became known1 and his name began to be  
pronounced with honor and praise whilst 
he was dying in one of the poorest parts
 of ,calcutta4 ,being already very ill1 
he wanted to get back to ,tibet1 and    
started on foot again through ,sikkhim4 
,he succumbed to his illness on the road
 and was buried in ,darhjeeling4  ,it is
 needless to say we are fully aware that
 what we have undertaken is simply      
impossible within the limits of ordinary
 newspaper articles4 ,all we hope to    
accomplish is to lay the foundation     
stone of an edifice1 whose further      
progress must be entrusted to future    
generations4 ,in order to combat        
successfully the theories worked out by 

two generations of ,orientalists1 half a
 century of diligent labor would be     
required4 ,and1 in order to replace     
these theories with new ones1 we must   
get new facts1 facts founded not on the 
chronology and false evidence of        
scheming ,brahmans1 whose interest is to
 feed the ignorance of ,european        
,sanskritists 7as1 unfortunately1 was   
the experience of ,lieutenant ,wilford  
and ,louis ,jacolliot71 but on          
indubitable proofs that are to be found 
in inscriptions as yet undeciphered4    
,the clue to these inscriptions         
,europeans do not possess1 because1 as  
,i have already stated1 it is guarded in
 ,,mss4 which are as old as the         
inscriptions and which are almost out of
 reach4 ,even in case our hopes are     
realized and we obtain this clue1 a new 
difficulty will arise before us4 ,we    
shall have to begin a systematic        
refutation1 page by page1 of many a     
volume of hypotheses published by the   
,royal ,asiatic ,society4 ,a work like  

this might be accomplished by dozens of 
tireless1 never-resting ,sanskritists--a
 class which1 even in ,india1 is almost 
as rare as white elephants4  ,thanks to 
private contributions and the zeal of   
some educated ,hindu patriots1 two free 
classes of ,sanskrit and ,pali had      
already been opened--one in ,bombay by  
the ,theosophical ,society1 the other in
 ,benares under the presidency of the   
learned ,rama-,misra-,shastri4 ,in the  
present year1 #ahhb1 the ,theosophical  
,society has1 altogether1 fourteen      
schools in ,ceylon and ,india4  ,our    
heads full of thoughts and plans of this
 kind1 we1 that is to say1 one          
,american1 three ,europeans1 and three  
natives1 occupied a whole carriage of   
the ,great ,indian ,peninsular ,railroad
 on our way to ,nassik1 one of the      
oldest towns in ,india1 as ,i have      
already mentioned1 and the most sacred  
of all in the eyes of the inhabitants of
 the ,western ,presidency4 ,nassik      
borrowed its name from the ,sanskrit    

word ,nasika1 which means nose4 ,an epic
 legend assures us that on this very    
spot ,lakshman1 the eldest brother of   
the deified ,king ,rama1 cut off the    
nose of the giantess ,sarpnaka1 sister  
of ,ravana1 who stole ,sita1 the ,helen 
of ,troy of the ,hindus4  ,the train    
stops six miles from the town1 so that  
we had to finish our journey in six     
two-wheeled1 gilded chariots1 called    
ekkas1 and drawn by bullocks4 ,it was   
one o'clock ,a4,m41 but1 in spite of the
 darkness of the hour1 the horns of the 
animals were gilded and adorned with    
flowers1 and brass bangles tinkled on   
their legs4 ,our waylay through ravines 
overgrown with jungle1 where1 as our    
drivers hastened to inform us1 tigers   
and other four-footed misanthropes of   
the forest played hide-and-seek4        
,however1 we had no opportunity of      
making the acquaintance of the tigers1  
but enjoyed instead a concert of a whole
 community of jackals4 ,they followed us
 step by step1 piercing our ears with   

shrieks1 wild laughter and barking4     
,these animals are annoying1 but so     
cowardly that1 though numerous enough to
 devour1 not only all of us1 but our    
gold-horned bullocks too1 none of them  
dared to come nearer than the distance  
of a few steps4 ,every time the long    
whip1 our weapon against snakes1        
alighted on the back of one of them1 the
 whole horde disappeared with           
unimaginable noise4 ,nevertheless1 the  
drivers did not dispense with a single  
one of their superstitious precautions  
against tigers4 ,they chanted mantrams  
in unison1 spread betel over the road as
 a token of their respect to the ,rajas 
of the forest1 and1 after every couplet1
 made the bullocks kneel and bow their  
heads in honor of the great gods4       
,needless to say1 the ekka1 as light as 
a nutshell1 threatened each time to fall
 with its passenger over the horns of   
the bullocks4 ,we had to endure this    
agreeable way of traveling for five     
hours under a very dark sky4 ,we reached

 the ,inn of the ,pilgrims in the       
morning at about six o'clock4  ,the real
 cause of ,nassik's sacredness1 however1
 is not the mutilated trunk of the      
giantess1 but the situation of the town 
on the banks of the ,godavari1 quite    
close to the sources of this river      
which1 for some reason or other1 are    
called by the natives ,ganga 7,ganges74 
,it is to this magic name1 probably1    
that the town owes its numerous         
magnificent temples1 and the selectness 
of the ,brahmans who inhabit the banks  
of the river4 ,twice a year pilgrims    
flock here to pray1 and on these solemn 
occasions the number of the visitors    
exceeds that of the inhabitants1 which  
is only #ce1jjj4 ,very picturesque1 but 
equally dirty1 are the houses of the    
rich ,brahmans built on both sides of   
the way from the centre of the town to  
the ,godavari4 ,a whole forest of narrow
 pyramidal temples spreads on both sides
 of the river4 ,all these new pagodas   
are built on the ruins of those         

destroyed by the fanaticism of the      
,mussulmans4 ,a legend informs us that  
most of them rose from the ashes of the 
tail of the monkey god ,hanuman4        
,retreating from ,lanka1 where the      
wicked ,ravana1 having anointed the     
brave hero's tail with some combustible 
stuff set it on fire1 ,hanuman1 with a  
single leap through the air1 reached    
,nassik1 his fatherland4 ,and here the  
noble adornment of the monkey's back1   
burned almost entirely during the       
voyage1 crumbled into ashes1 and from   
every sacred atom of these ashes1 fallen
 to the ground1 there rose a temple4444 
,and1 indeed1 when seen from the        
mountain1 these numberless pagodas1     
scattered in a most curious disorderly  
way1 look as if they had really been    
thrown down by handfuls from the sky4   
,not only the river banks and the       
surrounding country1 but every little   
island1 every rock peeping from the     
water is covered with temples4 ,and not 
one of them is destitute of a legend of 

its own1 different versions of which are
 told by every individual of the        
,brahmanical community according to his 
own taste--of course in the hope of a   
suitable reward4  ,here1 as everywhere  
else in ,india1 ,brahmans are divided   
into two sects--worshippers of ,shiva   
and worshippers of ,vishnu--and between 
the two there is rivalry and warfare    
centuries old4 ,though the neighborhood 
of the ,godavari shines with a twofold  
fame derived from its being the         
birthplace of ,hanuman and the theatre  
of the first great deeds of ,rama1 the  
incarnation of ,vishnu1 it possesses as 
many temples dedicated to ,shiva as to  
,vishnu4 ,the material of which the     
pagodas consecrated to ,shiva are       
constructed is black basalt4 ,and it is1
 exactly1 the color of the material     
which is the apple of discord in this   
case4 ,the black material is claimed by 
the ,vaishnavas as their own1 it being  
of the same color as the burned tail of 
,rama's ally4 ,they try to prove that   

the ,shivaites have no right to it4     
,from the first days of their rule the  
,english inherited endless lawsuits     
between the fighting sectarians1 cases  
decided in one law-court only to be     
transferred on appeal to another1 and   
always having their origin in this      
ill-omened tail and its pretensions4    
,this tail is a mysterious deus ex      
machina that directs all the thoughts of
 the ,nassik ,brahmans pro and contra4  
,on the subject of this tail were       
written more reams of paper and         
petitions than in the quarrel about the 
goose between ,ivan ,ivanitch and ,ivan 
,nikiphoritch2 and more ink and bile    
were spilt than there was mud in        
,mirgorod1 since the creation of the    
universe4 ,the pig that so happily      
decided the famous quarrel in ,gogol    
would be a priceless blessing to        
,nassik1 and the struggle for the tail4 
,but unhappily even the pig if it hailed
 from ,russia would be of no avail in   
,india2 for the ,english would suspect  

it at once1 and arrest it as a ,russian 
spy6  ,rama's bathing place is shown in 
,nassik4 ,the ashes of pious ,brahmans  
are brought hither from distant parts to
 be thrown into the ,godavari1 and so to
 mingle for ever with the sacred waters 
of ,ganges4 ,in an ancient ,,ms4 there  
is a statement of one of ,rama's        
generals1 who1 somehow or other1 is not 
mentioned in the ,ramayana4 ,this       
statement points to the river ,godavari 
as the frontier between the kingdoms of 
,rama1 ,king of ,ayodya 7,oude71 and of 
,ravana1 ,king of ,lanka 7,ceylon74     
,legends and the poem of ,ramayana state
 that this was the spot where ,rama1    
while hunting1 saw a beautiful antelope1
 and1 intending to make a present to his
 beloved ,sita of its skin1 entered the 
regions of his unknown neighbor4 ,no    
doubt ,rama1 ,ravana1 and even ,hanuman1
 promoted1 for some unexplained reason1 
to the rank of a monkey1 are historical 
personages who once had a real          
existence4 ,about fifty years ago it was

 vaguely suspected that the ,brahmans   
possessed priceless ,,mss4 ,it was      
reported that one of these ,,mss4 treats
 of the prehistoric epoch when the      
,aryans first invaded the country1 and  
began an endless war with the dark      
aborigines of southern ,india4 ,but the 
religious fanaticism of the ,hindus     
never allowed the ,english ,government  
to verify these reports4  ,the most     
interesting sights of ,nassik are its   
cave-temples1 about five miles from the 
town4 ,the day before we started        
thither1 ,i certainly did not dream that
 a tail would have to play an important 
part in our visit to ,nassik1 that1 in  
this case1 it would save me1 if not from
 death1 at least from disagreeable and  
perhaps dangerous bruises4 ,this is how 
it happened4  ,as the difficult task of 
ascending a steep mountain lay before   
us1 we decided to hire elephants4 ,the  
best couple in the town was brought     
before us4 ,their owner assured us that 
the ,prince of ,wales had ridden upon   

them and was very contented4 ,to go     
there and back and have them in         
attendance the whole day--in fact the   
whole pleasure-trip--was to cost us two 
rupees for each elephant4 ,our native   
friends1 accustomed from infancy to this
 way of riding1 were not long in getting
 on the back of their elephant4 ,they   
covered him like flies1 with no         
predilection for this or that spot of   
his vast back4 ,they held on by all     
kinds of strings and ropes1 more with   
their toes than their fingers1 and1 on  
the whole1 presented a picture of       
contentment and comfort4 ,we ,europeans 
had to use the lady elephant1 as being  
the tamer of the two4 ,on her back there
 were two little benches with sloping   
seats on both sides1 and not the        
slightest prop for our backs4 ,the      
wretched1 undergrown youngsters seen in 
,european circuses give no idea of the  
real size of this noble beast4 ,the     
mahout1 or driver1 placed himself       
between the huge animal's ears whilst we

 gazed at the perfected seats ready for 
us with an uneasy feeling of distrust   
,the mahout ordered his elephant to     
kneel1 and it must be owned that in     
climbing on her back with the aid of a  
small ladder1 ,i felt what the ,french  
call chair de poule4 ,our she-elephant  
answered to the poetical name of        
,chanchuli ,peri1 the ,active ,fairy1   
and really was the most obedient and the
 merriest of all the representatives of 
her tribe that ,i have ever seen4       
,clinging to each other we at last gave 
the signal for departure1 and the mahout
 goaded the right ear of the animal with
 an iron rod4 ,first the elephant raised
 herself on her fore-legs1 which        
movement tilted us all back1 then she   
heavily rose on her hind ones1 too1 and 
we rolled forwards1 threatening to upset
 the mahout4 ,but this was not the end  
of our misfortunes4 ,at the very first  
steps of ,peri we slipped about in all  
directions1 like quivering fragments of 
blancmange4  ,the journey came to a     

sudden pause4 ,we were picked up in a   
hasty way1 replaced on our respective   
seats1 during which proceeding ,peri's  
trunk proved very active1 and the       
journey continued4 ,the very thought of 
the five miles before us filled us with 
horror1 but we would not give up the    
excursion1 and indignantly refused to be
 tied to our seats1 as was suggested by 
our ,hindu companions1 who could not    
suppress their merry laughter4444       
,however1 ,i bitterly repented this     
display of vanity4 ,this unusual mode of
 locomotion was something incredibly    
fantastical1 and1 at the same time1     
ridiculous4 ,a horse carrying our       
luggage trotted by ,peri's side1 and    
looked1 from our vast elevation1 no     
bigger than a donkey4 ,at every mighty  
step of ,peri we had to be prepared for 
all sorts of unexpected acrobatic feats1
 while jolted from one side to the other
 by her swinging gait4 ,this experience1
 under the scorching sun1 unavoidably   
induced a state of body and mind        

something between sea-sickness and a    
delirious nightmare4 ,as a crown to our 
pleasures1 when we began to ascend a    
tortuous little path over the stony     
slope of a deep ravine1 our ,peri       
stumbled4 ,this sudden shock caused me  
to lose my balance altogether4 ,i sat on
 the hinder part of the elephant's back1
 in the place of honor1 as it is        
esteemed1 and1 once thoroughly shaken1  
rolled down like a log4 ,no doubt1 next 
moment ,i should have found myself at   
the bottom of the ravine1 with some more
 or less sad loss to my bodily          
constitution1 if it had not been for the
 wonderful dexterity and instinct of the
 clever animal4 ,having felt that       
something was wrong she twisted her tail
 round me1 stopped instantaneously and  
began to kneel down carefully4 ,but my  
natural weight was too much for the thin
 tail of this kind animal4 ,peri did not
 lose hold of me1 but1 having at last   
knelt down1 she moaned plaintively1     
though discreetly1 thinking probably    

that she had nearly lost her tail       
through being so generous4 ,the mahout  
hurried to my rescue and then examined  
the damaged tail of his animal4  ,we now
 witnessed a scene that clearly showed  
us the coarse cunning1 greediness and   
cowardice of a low-class ,hindu1 of an  
outcast1 as they are denominated here4  
,the mahout very indifferently and      
composedly examined ,peri's tail1 and   
even pulled it several times to make    
sure1 and was already on the point of   
hoisting himself quietly into his usual 
place1 when ,i had the unhappy thought  
of muttering something that expressed my
 regret and compassion4 ,my words worked
 a miraculous transformation in the     
mahout's behavior4 ,he threw himself on 
the ground1 and rolled about like a     
demoniac1 uttering horrible wild groans4
 ,sobbing and crying he kept on         
repeating that the ,mam-,sahib had torn 
off his darling ,peri's tail1 that ,peri
 was damaged for ever in everybody's    
estimation1 that ,peri's husband1 the   

proud ,airavati1 lineal descendant of   
,indra's own favourite elephant1 having 
witnessed her shame1 would renounce his 
spouse1 and that she had better die4444 
,yells and bitter tears were his only   
answer to all remonstrances of our      
companions4 ,in vain we tried to        
persuade him that the proud ,airavati   
did not show the slightest disposition  
to be so cruel1 in vain we pointed out  
to him that all this time both elephants
 stood quietly together1 ,airavati even 
at this critical moment rubbing his     
trunk affectionately against ,peri's    
neck1 and ,peri not looking in the least
 discomfited by the accident to her     
tail4 ,all this was of no avail6 ,our   
friend ,narayan lost his patience at    
last4 ,he was a man of extraordinary    
muscular strength and took recourse to a
 last original means4 ,with one hand he 
threw down a silver rupee1 with the     
other he seized the mahout's muslin     
garment and hurled him after the coin4  
,without giving a thought to his        

bleeding nose1 the mahout jumped at the 
rupee with the greediness of a wild     
beast springing upon its prey4 ,he      
prostrated himself in the dust before us
 repeatedly1 with endless salaams1      
instantly changing his deep sorrow into 
mad joy4 ,he gave another pull at the   
unfortunate tail and gladly declared    
that1 thanks to the prayers of the      
sahib1 it really was safe2 to           
demonstrate which he hung on to it1 till
 he was torn away and put back on his   
seat4  ,is it possible that a single1   
miserable rupee can have been the cause 
of all this8 we asked each other in     
utter bewilderment4  ,your astonishment 
is natural enough1 answered the ,hindus4
 ,we need not express how ashamed and   
how disgusted we all feel at this       
voluntary display of humiliation and    
greed4 ,but do not forget that this     
wretch1 who certainly has a wife and    
children1 serves his employer for twelve
 rupees a year1 instead of which he     
often gets nothing but a beating4       

,remember also the long centuries of    
tyrannical treatment from ,brahmans1    
from fanatical ,mussulmans1 who regard a
 ,hindu as nothing better than an       
unclean reptile1 and1 nowadays1 from the
 average ,englishman1 and maybe you will
 pity this wretched caricature of       
humanity4  ,but the caricature in       
question evidently felt perfectly happy 
and not in the least conscious of a     
humiliation of any kind4 ,sitting on the
 roomy forehead of his ,peri1 he was    
telling her of his unexpected wealth1   
reminding her of her divine origin1 and 
ordering her to salute the sahibs with  
her trunk4 ,peri1 whose spirits had been
 raised by the gift of a whole stick of 
sugar-cane from me1 lifted her trunk    
backwards and playfully blew into our   
faces4  ,on the threshold of the ,nassik
 caves we bid good-bye to the modern    
pigmy ,india1 to the petty things of her
 everyday life1 and to her humiliations4
 ,we re-entered the unknown world of    
,india1 the great and the mysterious4   

,the main caves of ,nassik are excavated
 in a mountain bearing the name of      
,pandu-,lena1 which points again to the 
undying1 persistent1 primaeval tradition
 that ascribes all such buildings to the
 five mythical 787 brothers of          
prehistoric times4 ,the unanimous       
opinion of archaeologists esteems these 
caves more interesting and more         
important than all the caves of         
,elephanta and ,karli put together4     
,and1 nevertheless--is it not           
strange8--with the exception of the     
learned ,dr4 ,wilson1 who1 it may be1   
was a little too fond of forming hasty  
opinions1 no archaeologist has1 as yet1 
made so bold as to decide to what epoch 
they belong1 by whom they were erected1 
and which of the three chief religions  
of antiquity was the one professed by   
their mysterious builders4  ,it is      
evident1 however1 that those who wrought
 here did not all belong either to the  
same generation or to the same sect4    
,the first thing which strikes the      

attention is the roughness of the       
primitive work1 its huge dimensions1 and
 the decline of the sculpture on the    
solid walls1 whereas the sculpture and  
carvings of the six colossi which prop  
the chief cave on the second floor1 are 
magnificently preserved and very        
elegant4 ,this circumstance would lead  
one to think that the work was begun    
many centuries before it was finished4  
,but when8 ,one of the ,sanskrit        
inscriptions of a comparatively recent  
epoch 7on the pedestal of one of the    
colossi7 clearly points to #dec ,b4,c4  
as the year of the building4 ,at all    
events1 ,barth1 ,stevenson1 ,gibson1    
,reeves1 and some other scientists1 who 
being ,westerns can have none of the    
prejudices proper to the native         
,pundits1 have formed this conjecture on
 the basis of some astronomical data4   
,besides1 the conjunction of the planets
 stated in the inscription leaves no    
doubt as to the dates1 it must be either
 #dec ,b4,c41 or #agcd of our era1 or   

#bfdj ,b4,c41 which last is impossible1 
because ,buddha and ,buddhist           
monasteries are mentioned in the        
inscription4 ,i translate some of the   
most important sentences3  ,to the most 
,perfect and the ,highest6 ,may this be 
agreeable to ,him6 ,the son of ,king    
,kshaparata1 ,lord of the ,kshatriya    
tribe and protector of people1 the      
,ruler of ,dinik1 bright as the dawn1   
sacrifices a hundred thousand cows that 
graze on the river ,banasa1 together    
with the river1 and also the gift of    
gold by the builder of this holy shelter
 of gods1 the place of the curbing of   
the ,brahmans' passions4 ,there is no   
more desirable place than this place1   
neither in ,prabhasa1 where accumulate  
hundreds of thousands of ,brahmans      
repeating the sacred verse1 nor in the  
sacred city ,gaya1 nor on the steep     
mountain near ,dashatura1 nor on the    
,serpents' ,field in ,govardhana1 nor in
 the city ,pratisraya where stands the  
monastery of ,buddhists1 nor even in the

 edifice erected by ,depana-kara on the 
shores of the fresh water 8 sea4 ,this  
place1 giving incomparable favors1 is   
agreeable and useful in all respects to 
the spotted deerskin of an ascetic4 ,a  
safe boat given also by him who built   
the gratuitous ferry daily transports to
 the well-guarded shore4 ,by him also   
who built the house for travelers and   
the public fountain1 a gilded lion was  
erected by the ever-assaulted gate of   
this ,govardhana1 also another lion by  
the ferry-boat1 and another by          
,ramatirtha4 ,various kinds of food will
 always be found here by the scanty     
flock2 for this flock more than a       
hundred kinds of herbs and thousands of 
mountain roots are stored by this       
generous giver4 ,in the same            
,govardhana1 in the luminous mountain1  
this second cave was dug by the order of
 the same beneficent person1 during the 
very year when the ,sun1 ,shukra and    
,rahu1 much respected by men1 were in   
the full glory of their rise2 it was in 

this year that the gifts were offered4  
,lakshmi1 ,indra and ,yama having       
blessed them1 returned with shouts of   
triumph to their chariot1 kept on the   
way free from obstacles the sky1 by the 
force of mantrams4 ,when they the gods  
all left1 poured a heavy shower44444 and
 so on4  ,rahn and ,kehetti are the     
fixed stars which form the head and the 
tail of the constellation of the        
,dragon4 ,shukra is ,venus4 ,lakshmi1   
,indra and ,yama stand here for the     
constellations of ,virgo1 ,aquarius and 
,taurus1 which are subject and          
consecrated to these three among the    
twelve higher deities4  ,the first caves
 are dugout in a conical hillock about  
two hundred and eighty feet from its    
base4 ,in the chief of them stand three 
statues of ,buddha2 in the lateral ones 
a lingam and two ,jaina idols4 ,in the  
top cave there is a statue of ,dharma   
,raja1 or ,yudhshtira1 the eldest of the
 ,pandus1 who is worshipped in a temple 
erected in his honor1 between ,pent and 

,nassik4 ,farther on is a whole         
labyrinth of cells1 where ,buddhist     
hermits probably lived1 a huge statue of
 ,buddha in a reclining posture4 and    
another as big1 but surrounded with     
pillars adorned with figures of various 
animals4 ,styles1 epochs and sects are  
here as much mixed up and entangled as  
different trees in a thick forest4  ,it 
is very remarkable that almost all the  
cave temples of ,india are to be found  
inside conical rocks and mountains4 ,it 
is as though the ancient builders looked
 for such natural pyramids purposely4 ,i
 noticed this peculiarity in ,karli1 and
 it is to be met with only in ,india4   
,is it a mere coincidence1 or is it one 
of the rules of the religious           
architecture of the remote past8 ,and   
which are the imitators--the builders of
 the ,egyptian pyramids1 or the unknown 
architects of the under ground caves of 
,india8 ,in pyramids as well as in caves
 everything seems to be calculated with 
geometrical exactitude4 ,in neither case

 are the entrances ever at the bottom1  
but always at a certain distance from   
the ground4 ,it is well known that      
nature does not imitate art1 and1 as a  
rule1 art tries to copy certain forms of
 nature4 ,and if1 even in this          
similarity of the symbols of ,egypt and 
,india1 nothing is to be found but a    
coincidence1 we shall have to own that  
coincidences are sometimes very         
extraordinary4 ,egypt has borrowed many 
things from ,india4 ,we must not forget 
that nothing is known about the origin  
of the ,pharaohs1 and that the few facts
 science has succeeded in discovering1  
far from contradicting our theory1      
suggest ,india as the cradle of the     
,egyptian race4 ,in the days of remote  
antiquity ,kalluka-,bhatta wrote3       
,during the reign of ,visvamitra1 first 
king of the ,soma-,vansha dynasty1 after
 a five days battle1 ,manu-,vena1 the   
heir of ancient kings1 was abandoned by 
the ,brahmans1 and emigrated with his   
army1 and1 having traversed ,arya and   

,barria1 at last reached the shores of  
,masra44444  ,arya is ,iran or ,persia2 
,barria is an ancient name of ,arabia2  
,masr or ,masra is a name of ,cairo1    
disfigured by ,mussulmans into ,misro   
and ,musr4  ,kalluka-,bhatta is an      
ancient writer4 ,sanskritists still     
quarrel over his epoch1 wavering between
 #b1jjj years ,b4,c41 and the reign of  
the ,emperor ,akbar 7the time of ,john  
the ,terrible and ,elizabeth of         
,england74 ,on the grounds of this      
uncertainty1 the evidence of            
,kalluka-,bhatta might be objected to4  
,in this case1 there are the words of a 
modern historian1 who has studied ,egypt
 all his life1 not in ,berlin or        
,london1 like some other historians1 but
 in ,egypt1 deciphering the inscriptions
 of the oldest sarcophagi and papyri1   
that is to say1 the words of ,henry     
,brugsch-,bey3  444 ,i repeat1 my firm  
conviction is that the ,egyptians came  
from ,asia long before the historical   
period1 having traversed the ,suez      

promontory1 that bridge of all the      
nations1 and found a new fatherland on  
the banks of the ,nile4  ,an inscription
 on a ,hammamat rock says that ,sankara1
 the last ,pharaoh of the eleventh      
dynasty1 sent a nobleman to ,punt3 ,i   
was sent on a ship to ,punt1 to bring   
back some aromatic gum1 gathered by the 
princes of the ,red ,land4  ,commenting 
on this inscription1 ,brugsch-,bey      
explains that under the name of ,punt   
the ancient inhabitants of ,chemi meant 
a distant land surrounded by a great    
ocean1 full of mountains and valleys1   
and rich in ebony and other expensive   
woods1 in perfumes1 precious stones and 
metals1 in wild beasts1 giraffes1       
leopards and big monkeys4 ,the name of a
 monkey in ,egypt was ,kaff1 or ,kafi1  
in ,hebrew ,koff1 in ,sanskrit ,kapi4   
,in the eyes of the ancient ,egyptians1 
this ,punt was a sacred land1 because   
,punt or ,panuter was the original land 
of the gods1 who left it under the      
leadership of ,a-,mon ,manu-,vena of    

,kalluka-,bhatta8 ,hor and ,hator1 and  
duly arrived in ,chemi4  ,hanuman has a 
decided family likeness to the ,egyptian
 ,cynocephalus1 and the emblem of       
,osiris and ,shiva is the same4 ,qui    
vivra verra6  ,our return journey was   
very agreeable4 ,we had adapted         
ourselves to ,peri's movements and felt 
ourselves first-rate jockeys4 ,but for a
 whole week afterwards we could hardly  
walk4     ,a ,city ,of ,the ,dead       
,what would be your choice if you had to
 choose between being blind and being   
deaf8 ,nine people out of ten answer    
this question by positively preferring  
deafness to blindness4 ,and one whose   
good fortune it has been to contemplate1
 even for a moment1 some fantastic      
fairy-like corner of ,india1 this       
country of lace-like marble palaces and 
enchanting gardens1 would willingly add 
to deafness1 lameness of both legs1     
rather than lose such sights4  ,we are  
told that ,saadi1 the great poet1       
bitterly complained of his friends      

looking tired and indifferent while he  
praised the beauty and charm of his     
lady-love4 ,if the happiness of         
contemplating her wonderful beauty1     
remonstrated he1 was yours1 as it is    
mine1 you could not fail to understand  
my verses1 which1 alas1 describe in such
 meagre and inadequate terms the        
rapturous feelings experienced by every 
one who sees her even from a distance6  
,i fully sympathize with the enamoured  
poet1 but cannot condemn his friends who
 never saw his lady-love1 and that is   
why ,i tremble lest my constant         
rhapsodies on ,india should bore my     
readers as much as ,saadi bored his     
friends4 ,but what1 ,i pray you1 is the 
poor narrator to do1 when new1          
undreamed-of charms are daily discovered
 in the lady-love in question8 ,her     
darkest aspects1 abject and immoral as  
they are1 and sometimes of such a nature
 as to excite your horror--even these   
aspects are full of some wild poetry1 of
 originality1 which cannot be met with  

in any other country4 ,it is not unusual
 for a ,european novice to shudder with 
disgust at some features of local       
everyday life2 but at the same time     
these very sights attract and fascinate 
the attention like a horrible nightmare4
 ,we had plenty of these experiences    
whilst our ecole buissoniere lasted4 ,we
 spent these days far from railways and 
from any other vestige of civilization4 
,happily so1 because ,european          
civilization does not suit ,india any   
better than a fashionable bonnet would  
suit a half naked ,peruvian maiden1 a   
true daughter of ,sun1 of ,cortes' time4
  ,all the day long we wandered across  
rivers and jungles1 passing villages and
 ruins of ancient fortresses1 over      
local-board roads between ,nassik and   
,jubblepore1 traveling with the aid of  
bullock cars1 elephants1 horses1 and    
very often being carried in palks4 ,at  
nightfall we put up our tents and slept 
anywhere4 ,these days offered us an     
opportunity of seeing that man decidedly

 can surmount trying and even dangerous 
conditions of climate1 though1 perhaps1 
in a passive way1 by mere force of      
habit4 ,in the afternoons1 when we1     
white people1 were very nearly fainting 
with the roasting heat1 in spite of     
thick cork topis and such shelter as we 
could procure1 and even our native      
companions had to use more than the     
usual supplies of muslin round their    
heads--the ,bengali ,babu traveled on   
horseback endless miles1 under the      
vertical rays of the hot sun1           
bareheaded1 protected only by his thick 
crop of hair4 ,the sun has no influence 
whatever on ,bengali skulls4 ,they are  
covered only on solemn occasions1 in    
cases of weddings and great festivities4
 ,their turbans are useless adornments1 
like flowers in a ,european lady's hair4
  ,bengali ,babus are born clerks2 they 
invade all railroad stations1 post and  
telegraph offices and ,government law   
courts4 ,wrapped in their white muslin  
toga virilis1 their legs bare up to the 

knees1 their heads unprotected1 they    
proudly loaf on the platforms of railway
 stations1 or at the entrances of their 
offices1 casting contemptuous glances on
 the ,mahrattis1 who dearly love their  
numerous rings and lovely earrings in   
the upper part of their right ears4     
,bengalis1 unlike the rest of the       
,hindus1 do not paint sectarian signs on
 their foreheads4 ,the only trinket they
 do not completely despise is an        
expensive necklace2 but even this is not
 common4 ,contrary to all expectations1 
the ,mahrattis1 with all their little   
effeminate ways1 are the bravest tribe  
of ,india1 gallant and experienced      
soldiers1 a fact which has been         
demonstrated by centuries of fighting2  
but ,bengal has never as yet produced a 
single soldier out of its sixty-five    
million inhabitants4 ,not a single      
,bengali is to be found in the native   
regiments of the ,british army4 ,this is
 a strange fact1 which ,i refused to    
believe at first1 but which has been    

confirmed by many ,english officers and 
by ,bengalis themselves4 ,but with all  
this1 they are far from being cowardly4 
,their wealthy classes do lead a        
somewhat effeminate life1 but their     
zemindars and peasantry are undoubtedly 
brave4 ,disarmed by their present       
,government1 the ,bengali peasants go   
out to meet the tiger1 which in their   
country is more ferocious than          
elsewhere1 armed only with a club1 as   
composedly as they used to go with      
rifles and swords4  ,many out-of-the-way
 paths and groves which most probably   
had never before been trodden by a      
,european foot1 were visited by us      
during these short days4                
,gulab-,lal-,sing was absent1 but we    
were accompanied by a trusted servant of
 his1 and the welcome we met with almost
 everywhere was certainly the result of 
the magic influence of his name4 ,if the
 wretched1 naked peasants shrank from us
 and shut their doors at our approach1  
the ,brahmans were as obliging as could 

be desired4  ,the sights around         
,kandesh1 on the way to ,thalner and    
,mhau1 are very picturesque4 ,but the   
effect is not entirely due to ,nature's 
beauty4 ,art has a good deal to do with 
it1 especially in ,mussulman cemeteries4
 ,now they are all more or less         
destroyed and deserted1 owing to the    
increase of the ,hindu inhabitants      
around them1 and to the ,mussulman      
princes1 once the rightful lords of     
,india1 being expelled4 ,mussulmans of  
the present day are badly off and have  
to put up with more humiliations than   
even the ,hindus4 ,but still they have  
left many memorials behind them1 and1   
amongst others1 their cemeteries4 ,the  
,mussulman fidelity to the dead is a    
very touching feature of their          
character4 ,their devotion to those that
 are gone is always more demonstrative  
than their affection for the living     
members of their families1 and almost   
entirely concentrates itself on their   
last abodes4 ,in proportion as their    

notions of paradise are coarse and      
material1 the appearance of their       
cemeteries is poetical1 especially in   
,india4 ,one may pleasantly spend whole 
hours in these shady1 delightful        
gardens1 amongst their white monuments  
crowned with turbans1 covered with roses
 and jessamine and sheltered with rows  
of cypresses4 ,we often stopped in such 
places to sleep and dine4 ,a cemetery   
near ,thalner is especially attractive4 
,out of several mausoleums in a good    
state of preservation the most          
magnificent is the monument of the      
family of ,kiladar1 who was hanged on   
the city tower by the order of ,general 
,hislop in #ahah4 ,four other mausoleums
 attracted our attention and we learned 
that one of them is celebrated          
throughout ,india4 ,it is a white marble
 octagon1 covered from top to bottom    
with carving1 the like of which could   
not be found even in ,pere ,la ,chaise4 
,a ,persian inscription on its base     
records that it cost one hundred        

thousand rupees4  ,by day1 bathed in the
 hot rays of the sun1 its tall          
minaret-like outline looks like a block 
of ice against the blue sky4 ,by night1 
with the aid of the intense1            
phosphorescent moonlight proper to      
,india1 it is still more dazzling and   
poetical4 ,the summit looks as if it    
were covered with freshly fallen        
snow-crystals4 ,raising its slender     
profile above the dark background of    
bushes1 it suggests some pure midnight  
apparition1 soaring over this silent    
abode of destruction and lamenting what 
will never return4 ,side by side with   
these cemeteries rise the ,hindu ghats1 
generally by the river bank4 ,there     
really is something grand in the ritual 
of burning the dead4 ,witnessing this   
ceremony the spectator is struck with   
the deep philosophy underlying the      
fundamental idea of this custom4 ,in the
 course of an hour nothing remains of   
the body but a few handfuls of ashes4 ,a
 professional ,brahman1 like a priest of

 death1 scatters these ashes to the     
winds over a river4 ,the ashes of what  
once lived and felt1 loved and hated1   
rejoiced and wept1 are thus given back  
again to the four elements3 to ,earth1  
which fed it during such a long time and
 out of which it grew and developed2 to 
,fire1 emblem of purity1 that has just  
devoured the body in order that the     
spirit may be rid of everything impure1 
and may freely gravitate to the new     
sphere of posthumous existence1 where   
every sin is a stumbling block on the   
way to ,moksha1 or infinite bliss2 to   
,air1 which it inhaled and through which
 it lived1 and to ,water1 which purified
 it physically and spiritually1 and is  
now to receive its ashes into her pure  
bosom4  ,the adjective pure must be     
understood in the figurative sense of   
the mantram4 ,generally speaking1 the   
rivers of ,india1 beginning with the    
thrice sacred ,ganges1 are dreadfully   
dirty1 especially near villages and     
towns4  ,in these rivers about two      

hundred millions of people daily cleanse
 themselves from the tropical           
perspiration and dirt4 ,the corpses of  
those who are not worth burning are     
thrown in the same rivers1 and their    
number is great1 because it includes all
 ,shudras1 pariahs1 and various other   
outcasts1 as well as ,brahman children  
under three years of age4  ,only rich   
and high-born people are buried         
pompously4 ,it is for them that the     
sandal-wood fires are lit after sunset2 
it is for them that mantrams are        
chanted1 and for them that the gods are 
invoked4 ,but ,shudras must not listen  
on any account to the divine words      
dictated at the beginning of the world  
by the four ,rishis to ,veda ,vyasa1 the
 great theologian of ,aryavarta4 ,no    
fires for them1 no prayers4 ,as during  
his life a ,shudra never approaches a   
temple nearer than seven steps1 so even 
after death he cannot be put on the same
 level with the twice-born4  ,brightly  
burn the fires1 extending like a fiery  

serpent along the river4 ,the dark      
outlines of strange1 wildly-fantastical 
figures silently move amongst the       
flames4 ,sometimes they raise their arms
 towards the sky1 as if in a prayer1    
sometimes they add fuel to the fires and
 poke them with long iron pitchforks4   
,the dying flames rise high1 creeping   
and dancing1 sputtering with melted     
human fat and shooting towards the sky  
whole showers of golden sparks1 which   
are instantly lost in the clouds of     
black smoke4  ,this on the right side of
 the river4 ,let us now see what is     
going on on the left4 ,in the early     
hours of the morning1 when the red      
fires1 the black clouds of miasmas1 and 
the thin figures of the fakirs grow dim 
and vanish little by little1 when the   
smell of burned flesh is blown away by  
the fresh wind which rises at the       
approach of the dawn1 when1 in a word1  
the right side of the river with its    
ghotas plunges into stillness and       
silence1 to be reawakened when the      

evening comes1 processions of a         
different kind appear on the left bank4 
,we see groups of ,hindu men and women  
in sad1 silent trains4 ,they approach   
the river quietly4 ,they do not cry1 and
 have no rituals to perform4 ,we see two
 men carrying something long and thin1  
wrapped in an old red rug4 ,holding it  
by the head and feet they swing it into 
the dirty1 yellowish waves of the river4
 ,the shock is so violent that the red  
rug flies open and we behold the face of
 a young woman tinged with dark green1  
who quickly disappears in the river4    
,further on another group2 an old man   
and two young women4 ,one of them1 a    
little girl of ten1 small1 thin1 hardly 
fully developed1 sobs bitterly4 ,she is 
the mother of a stillborn child1 whose  
body is to be thrown in the river4 ,her 
weak voice monotonously resounds over   
the shore1 and her trembling hands are  
not strong enough to lift the poor      
little corpse that is more like a tiny  
brown kitten than a human being4 ,the   

old man tries to console her1 and1      
taking the body in his own hands1 enters
 the water and throws it right in the   
middle4 ,after him both the women get   
into the river1 and1 having plunged     
seven times to purify themselves from   
the touch of a dead body1 they return   
home1 their clothes dripping with wet4  
,in the meanwhile vultures1 crows and   
other birds of prey gather in thick     
clouds and considerably retard the      
progress of the bodies down the river4  
,occasionally some half-stripped        
skeleton is caught by the reeds1 and    
stranded there helplessly for weeks1    
until an outcast1 whose sad duty it is  
to busy himself all his life long with  
such unclean work1 takes notice of it1  
and catching it by the ribs with his    
long hook1 restores it to its highway   
towards the ocean4  ,but let us leave   
the river bank1 which is unbearably hot 
in spite of the early hour4 ,let us bid 
good-bye to the watery cemetery of the  
poor4 ,disgusting and heart-rending are 

such sights in the eyes of a ,european6 
,and unconsciously we allow the light   
wings of reverie to transport us to the 
far ,north1 to the peaceful village     
cemeteries where there are no marble    
monuments crowned with turbans1 no      
sandal-wood fires1 no dirty rivers to   
serve the purpose of a last resting     
place1 but where humble wooden crosses  
stand in rows1 sheltered by old birches4
 ,how peacefully our dead repose under  
the rich green grass6 ,none of them ever
 saw these gigantic palms1 sumptuous    
palaces and pagodas covered with gold4  
,but on their poor graves grow violets  
and lilies of the valley1 and in the    
spring evenings nightingales sing to    
them in the old birch-trees4  ,no       
nightingales ever sing for me1 either in
 the neighboring groves1 or in my own   
heart4 ,the latter least of all4----    
,let us stroll along this wall of       
reddish stone4 ,it will lead us to a    
fortress once celebrated and drenched   
with blood1 now harmless and half       

ruined1 like many another ,indian       
fortress4 ,flocks of green parrots1     
startled by our approach1 fly from under
 every cavity of the old wall1 their    
wings shining in the sun like so many   
flying emeralds4 ,this territory is     
accursed by ,englishmen4 ,this is       
,chandvad1 where1 during the ,sepoy     
mutiny1 the ,bhils streamed from their  
ambuscades like a mighty mountain       
torrent1 and cut many an ,english       
throat4  ,tatva1 an ancient ,hindu book1
 treating of the geography of the times 
of ,king ,asoka 7#bej-cjj ,b4,c471      
teaches us that the ,mahratti territory 
spreads up to the wall of ,chandvad or  
,chandor1 and that the ,kandesh country 
begins on the other side of the river4  
,but ,english people do not believe in  
,tatva or in any other authority and    
want us to learn that ,kandesh begins   
right at the foot of ,chandor           
hillocks4----   ,twelve miles south-east
 from ,chandvad there is a whole town of
 subterranean temples1 known under the  

name of ,enkay-,tenkay4 ,here1 again1   
the entrance is a hundred feet from the 
base1 and the hill is pyramidal4 ,i must
 not attempt to give a full description 
of these temples1 as this subject must  
be worked out in a way quite impossible 
in a newspaper article4 ,so ,i shall    
only note that here all the statues1    
idols1 and carvings are ascribed to     
,buddhist ascetics of the first         
centuries after the death of ,buddha4 ,i
 wish ,i could content myself with this 
statement4 ,but1 unfortunately1         
messieurs les archeologues meet here    
with an unexpected difficulty1 and a    
more serious one than all the           
difficulties brought on them by the     
inconsistencies of all other temples put
 together4  ,in these temples there are 
more idols designated ,buddhas than     
anywhere else4 ,they cover the main     
entrance1 sit in thick rows along the   
balconies1 occupy the inner walls of the
 cells1 watch the entrances of all the  
doors like monster giants1 and two of   

them sit in the chief tank1 where spring
 water washes them century after century
 without any harm to their granite      
bodies4 ,some of these ,buddhas are     
decently clad1 with pyramidal pagodas as
 their head gear2 others are naked2 some
 sit1 others stand2 some are real       
colossi1 some tiny1 some of middle size4
 ,however1 all this would not matter2 we
 may go so far as to overlook the fact  
of ,gautama's or ,siddhartha-,buddha's  
reform consisting precisely in his      
earnest desire to tear up by the roots  
the ,brahmanical idol-worship4 ,though1 
of course1 we cannot help remembering   
that his religion remained pure from    
idol-worship of any kind during         
centuries1 until the ,lamas of ,tibet1  
the ,chinese1 the ,burmese1 and the     
,siamese taking it into their lands     
disfigured it1 and spoilt it with       
heresies4 ,we cannot forget that1       
persecuted by conquer-ing ,brahmans1 and
 expelled from ,india1 it found1 at     
last1 a shelter in ,ceylon where it     

still flourishes like the legendary     
aloe1 which is said to blossom once in  
its lifetime and then to die1 as the    
root is killed by the exuberance of     
blossom1 and the seeds cannot produce   
anything but weeds4 ,all this we may    
overlook1 as ,i said before4 ,but the   
difficulty of the archaeologists still  
exists1 if not in the fact of idols     
being ascribed to early ,buddhists1 then
 in the physiognomies1 in the type of   
all these ,enkay-,tenkay ,buddhas4 ,they
 all1 from the tiniest to the hugest1   
are ,negroes1 with flat noses1 thick    
lips1 forty five degrees of the facial  
angle1 and curly hair6 ,there is not the
 slightest likeness between these ,negro
 faces and any of the ,siamese or       
,tibetan ,buddhas1 which all have purely
 ,mongolian features and perfectly      
straight hair4 ,this unexpected ,african
 type1 unheard of in ,india1 upsets the 
antiquarians entirely4 ,this is why the 
archaeologists avoid mentioning these   
caves4 ,enkay-,tenkay is a worse        

difficulty for them than even ,nassik2  
they find it as hard to conquer as the  
,persians found ,thermopylae4  ,we      
passed by ,maleganva and ,chikalval1    
where we examined an exceedingly curious
 ancient temple of the ,jainas4 ,no     
cement was used in the building of its  
outer walls1 they consist entirely of   
square stones1 which are so well wrought
 and so closely joined that the blade of
 the thinnest knife cannot be pushed    
between two of them2 the interior of the
 temple is richly decorated4  ,on our   
way back we did not stop in ,thalner1   
but went straight on to ,ghara4 ,there  
we had to hire elephants again to visit 
the splendid ruins of ,mandu1 once a    
strongly fortified town1 about twenty   
miles due north east of this place4     
,this time we got there speedily and    
safely4 ,i mention this place because   
some time later ,i witnessed in its     
vicinity a most curious sight1 offered  
by the branch of the numerous ,indian   
rites1 which is generally called devil  

worship4  ,mandu is situated on the     
ridge of the ,vindhya ,mountains1 about 
two thousand feet above the surface of  
the sea4 ,according to ,malcolm's       
statement1 this town was built in ,a4,d4
 #cac1 and for a long time was the      
capital of the ,hindu ,rajas of ,dhara4 
,the historian ,ferishtah points to     
,mandu as the residence of              
,dilivan-,khan-,ghuri1 the first ,king  
of ,malwa1 who flourished in #achg-adje4
 ,in #aebf the town was taken by        
,bahadur-,shah1 ,king of ,gujerat1 but  
in #aegj ,akbar won this town back1 and 
a marble slab over the town gate still  
bears his name and the date of his      
visit4  ,on entering this vast city in  
its present state of solitude 7the      
natives call it the dead town7 we all   
experienced a peculiar feeling1 not     
unlike the sensation of a man who enters
 ,pompeii for the first time4           
,everything shows that ,mandu was once  
one of the wealthiest towns of ,india4  
,the town wall is thirty-seven miles    

long4 ,streets ran whole miles1 on their
 sides stand ruined palaces1 and marble 
pillars lie on the ground4 ,black       
excavations of the subterranean halls1  
in the coolness of which rich ladies    
spent the hottest hours of the day1 peer
 from under dilapidated granite walls4  
,further on are broken stairs1 dry      
tanks1 waterless fountains1 endless     
empty yards1 marble platforms1 and      
disfigured arches of majestic porches4  
,all this is overgrown with creepers and
 shrubs1 hiding the dens of wild beasts4
 ,here and there a well-preserved wall  
of some palace rises high above the     
general wreck1 its empty windows fringed
 with parasitic plants blinking and     
staring at us like sightless eyes1      
protesting against troublesome          
intruders4 ,and still further1 in the   
very centre of the ruins1 the heart of  
the dead town sends forth a whole crop  
of broken cypresses1 an untrimmed grove 
on the place where heaved once so many  
breasts and clamoured so many passions4 

,in #aegj this town was called          
,shadiabad1 the abode of happiness4 ,the
 ,franciscan missionaries1 ,adolf       
,aquaviva1 ,antario de ,moncerotti1 and 
others1 who came here in that very year 
as an embassy from ,goa to seek various 
privileges from the ,mogul ,government1 
described it over and over again4 ,at   
this epoch it was one of the greatest   
cities of the world1 whose magnificent  
streets and luxurious ways used to      
astonish the most pompous courts of     
,india4 ,it seems almost incredible that
 in such a short period nothing should  
remain of this town but the heaps of    
rubbish1 amongst which we could hardly  
find room enough for our tent4 ,at last 
we decided to pitch it in the only      
building which remained in a tolerable  
state of preservation1 in ,yami-,masjid1
 the cathedral-mosque1 on a granite     
platform about twenty-five steps higher 
than the square4 ,the stairs1           
constructed of pure marble like the     
greater part of the town buildings1 are 

broad and almost untouched by time1 but 
the roof has entirely disappeared1 and  
so we were obliged to put up with the   
stars for a canopy4 ,all round this     
building runs a low gallery supported by
 several rows of thick pillars4 ,from a 
distance it reminds one1 in spite of its
 being somewhat clumsy and lacking in   
proportion1 of the ,acropolis of        
,athens4 ,from the stairs1 where we     
rested for a while1 there was a view of 
the mausoleum of ,gushanga-,guri1 ,king 
of ,malwa1 in whose reign the town was  
at the culmination of its brilliancy and
 glory4 ,it is a massive1 majestic1     
white marble edifice1 with a sheltered  
peristyle and finely carved pillars4    
,this peristyle once led straight to the
 palace1 but now it is surrounded with a
 deep ravine1 full of broken stones and 
overgrown with cacti4 ,the interior of  
the mausoleum is covered with golden    
lettering of inscriptions from the      
,koran1 and the sarcophagus of the      
sultan is placed in the middle4 ,close  

by it stands the palace of              
,baz-,bahadur1 all broken to            
pieces--nothing now but a heap of dust  
covered with trees4  ,we spent the whole
 day visiting these sad remains1 and    
returned to our sheltering place a      
little before sunset1 exhausted with    
hunger and thirst1 but triumphantly     
carrying on our sticks three huge       
snakes1 killed on our way home4 ,tea and
 supper were waiting for us4 ,to our    
great astonishment we found visitors in 
the tent4 ,the ,patel of the neighboring
 village--something between a           
tax-collector and a judge--and two      
zemindars 7land owners7 rode over to    
present us their respects and to invite 
us and our ,hindu friends1 some of whom 
they had known previously1 to accompany 
them to their houses4 ,on hearing that  
we intended to spend the night in the   
dead town they grew awfully indignant4  
,they assured us it was highly dangerous
 and utterly impossible4 ,two hours     
later hyenas1 tigers1 and other beasts  

of prey were sure to come out from under
 every bush and every ruined wall1      
without mentioning thousands of jackals 
and wild cats4 ,our elephants would not 
stay1 and if they did stay no doubt they
 would be devoured4 ,we ought to leave  
the ruins as quickly as possible and go 
with them to the nearest village1 which 
would not take us more than half an     
hour4 ,in the village everything had    
been prepared for us1 and our friend the
 ,babu was already there1 and getting   
impatient at our delay4  ,only on       
hearing this did we become aware that   
our bareheaded and cautious friend was  
conspicuous by his absence4 ,probably he
 had left some time ago1 without        
consulting us1 and made straight to the 
village where he evidently had friends4 
,sending for us was a mere trick of his4
 ,but the evening was so sweet1 and we  
felt so comfortable1 that the idea of   
upsetting all our plans for the morning 
was not at all attractive4 ,besides1 it 
seemed quite ridiculous to think that   

the ruins1 amongst which we had wandered
 several hours without meeting anything 
more dangerous than a snake1 swarmed    
with wild animals4 ,so we smiled and    
returned thanks1 but would not accept   
the invitation4  ,but you positively    
must not dare to stay here1 insisted the
 fat ,patel4 ,in case of accident1 ,i   
shall be responsible for you to the     
,government4 ,is it possible you do not 
dread a sleepless night spent in        
fighting jackals1 if not something      
worse8 ,you do not believe that you are 
surrounded with wild animals44444 ,it is
 true they are invisible until sunset1  
but nevertheless they are dangerous4 ,if
 you do not believe us1 believe the     
instinct of your elephants1 who are as  
brave as you1 but a little more         
reasonable4 ,just look at them6  ,we    
looked4 ,truly1 our grave1              
philosophic-looking elephants behaved   
very strangely at this moment4 ,their   
lifted trunks looked like huge points of
 interrogation4 ,they snorted and       

stamped restively4 ,in another minute   
one of them tore the thick rope1 with   
which he was tied to a broken pillar1   
made a sudden volte-face with all his   
heavy body1 and stood against the wind1 
sniffing the air4 ,evidently he         
perceived some dangerous animal in the  
neighborhood4  ,the colonel stared at   
him through his spectacles and whistled 
very meaningly4  ,well1 well1 remarked  
he1 what shall we do if tigers really   
assault us8  ,what shall we do indeed8  
was my thought4 ,takur ,gulab-,lal-,sing
 is not here to protect us4  ,our ,hindu
 companions sat on the carpet after     
their oriental fashion1 quietly chewing 
betel4 ,on being asked their opinion1   
they said they would not interfere with 
our decision1 and were ready to do      
exactly as we liked4 ,but as for the    
,european portion of our party1 there   
was no use concealing the fact that we  
were frightened1 and we speedily        
prepared to start4 ,five minutes later  
we mounted the elephants1 and1 in a     

quarter of an hour1 just when the sun   
disappeared behind the mountain and     
heavy darkness instantaneously fell1 we 
passed the gate of ,akbar and descended 
into the valley4  ,we were hardly a     
quarter of a mile from our abandoned    
camping place when the cypress grove    
resounded with shrieking howls of       
jackals1 followed by a well-known mighty
 roar4 ,there was no longer any         
possibility of doubting4 ,the tigers    
were disappointed at our escape4 ,their 
discontentment shook the very air1 and  
cold perspiration stood on our brows4   
,our elephant sprang forward1 upsetting 
the order of our procession and         
threatening to crush the horses and     
their riders before us4 ,we ourselves1  
however1 were out of danger4 ,we sat in 
a strong howdah1 locked as in a dungeon4
  ,it is useless to deny that we have   
had a narrow escape6 remarked the       
colonel1 looking out of the window at   
some twenty servants of the ,patel1 who 
were busily lighting torches4           

,brahmanic ,hospitalities    ,in an     
hour's time we stopped at the gate of a 
large bungalow1 and were welcomed by the
 beaming face of our bareheaded         
,bengali4 ,when we were all safely      
gathered on the verandah1 he explained  
to us that1 knowing beforehand that our 
,american pigheadedness would not listen
 to any warning1 he had dodged up this  
little scheme of his own and was very   
glad he had been successful4  ,now let  
us go and wash our hands1 and then to   
supper4 ,and1 he added1 addressing me1  
was it not your wish to be present at a 
real ,hindu meal8 ,this is your         
opportunity4 ,our host is a ,brahman1   
and you are the first ,europeans who    
ever entered the part of his house      
inhabited by the family4----  ,who      
amongst ,europeans ever dreamed of a    
country where every step1 and the least 
action of everyday life1 especially of  
the family life1 is controlled by       
religious rites and cannot be performed 
except according to a certain programme8

 ,india is this country4 ,in ,india all 
the important incidents of a man's life1
 such as birth1 reaching certain periods
 of a child's life1 marriage1           
fatherhood1 old age and death1 as well  
as all the physical and physiological   
functions of everyday routine1 like     
morning ablutions1 dressing1 eating1 et 
tout ce qui s'en suit1 from a man's     
first hour to his last sigh1 everything 
must be performed according to a certain
 ,brahmanical ritual1 on penalty of     
expulsion from his caste4 ,the ,brahmans
 may be compared to the musicians of an 
orchestra in which the different musical
 instruments are the numerous sects of  
their country4 ,they are all of a       
different shape and of a different      
timbre2 but still every one of them     
obeys the same leader of the band4      
,however widely the sects may differ in 
the interpretation of their sacred      
books1 however hostile they may be to   
each other1 striving to put forward     
their particular deity1 every one of    

them1 obeying blindly the ancient       
custom1 must follow like musicians the  
same directing wand1 the laws of ,manu4 
,this is the point where they all meet  
and form a unanimous1 single-minded     
community1 a strongly united mass4 ,and 
woe to the one who breaks the symphony  
by a single discordant note6 ,the elders
 and the caste or sub-caste councils 7of
 these there are any number71 whose     
members hold office for life1 are stern 
rulers4 ,there is no appeal against     
their decisions1 and this is why        
expulsion from the caste is a calamity1 
entailing truly formidable consequences4
 ,the excommunicated member is worse off
 than a leper1 the solidarity of the    
castes in this respect being something  
phenomenal4 ,the only thing that can    
bear any comparison with it is the      
solidarity of the disciples of ,loyola4 
,if members of two different castes1    
united by the sincerest feelings of     
respect and friendship1 may not         
intermarry1 may not dine together1 are  

forbidden to accept a glass of water    
from each other1 or to offer each other 
a hookah1 it becomes clear how much more
 severe all these restrictions must be  
in the case of an excommunicated person4
 ,the poor wretch must literally die to 
everybody1 to the members of his own    
family as to strangers4 ,his own        
household1 his father1 wife1 children1  
are all bound to turn their faces from  
him1 under the penalty of being         
excommunicated in their turn4 ,there is 
no hope for his sons and daughters of   
getting married1 however innocent they  
may be of the sin of their father4      
,from the moment of excommunication the 
,hindu must totally disappear4 ,his     
mother and wife must not feed him1 must 
not let him drink from the family well4 
,no member of any existing caste dares  
to sell him his food or cook for him4   
,he must either starve or buy eatables  
from outcasts and ,europeans1 and so    
incur the dangers of further pollution4 
,when the ,brahmanical power was at its 

zenith1 such acts as deceiving1 robbing 
and even killing this wretch were       
encouraged1 as he was beyond the pale of
 the laws4 ,now1 at all events1 he is   
free from the latter danger1 but still1 
even now1 if he happens to die before he
 is forgiven and received back into his 
caste1 his body may not be burned1 and  
no purifying mantrams will be chanted   
for him2 he will be thrown into the     
water1 or left to rot under the bushes  
like a dead cat4  ,this is a passive    
force1 and its passiveness only makes it
 more formidable4 ,western education and
 ,english influence can do nothing to   
change it4 ,there exists only one course
 of action for the excommunicated2 he   
must show signs of repentance and submit
 to all kinds of humiliations1 often to 
the total loss of all his worldly       
possessions4 ,personally1 ,i know       
several young ,brahmans1 who1 having    
brilliantly passed the university       
examinations in ,england1 have had to   
submit to the most repulsive conditions 

of purification on their return home2   
these purifications consisting chiefly  
in shaving off half their moustaches and
 eyebrows1 crawling in the dust round   
pagodas1 clinging during long hours to  
the tail of a sacred cow1 and1 finally1 
swallowing the excrements of this cow4  
,the latter ceremony is called          
,pancha-,gavya1 literally1 the five     
products of the cow3 milk1 curds1       
butter1 etc4 ,the voyage over ,kalapani1
 the black water1 that is to say the    
sea1 is considered the worst of all the 
sins4 ,a man who commits it is          
considered as polluting himself         
continually1 from the first moment of   
his going on board the bellati 7foreign7
 ship4  ,only a few days ago a friend of
 ours1 who is an ,,ll4,d41 had to       
undergo this purgation1 and it nearly   
cost him his reason4 ,when we           
remonstrated with him1 pointing out that
 in his case it was simply foolish to   
submit1 he being a materialist by       
conviction and not caring a straw for   

,brahmanism1 he replied that he was     
bound to do so for the following        
reasons3  ,i have two daughters1 he     
explained1 one five1 the other six years
 old4 ,if ,i do not find a husband for  
the eldest of them in the course of the 
coming year1 she will grow too old to   
get married1 nobody will think of       
espousing her4 ,suppose ,i suffer my    
caste to excommunicate me1 both my girls
 will be dishonored and miserable for   
the rest of their lives4 ,then1 again1  
,i must take into consideration the     
superstitions of my old mother4 ,if such
 a misfortune befell me1 it would simply
 kill her44444  ,but why should he not  
free himself from every bond to         
,brahmanism and caste8 ,why not join1   
once for all1 the ever-growing community
 of men who are guilty of the same      
offence8 ,why not ask all his family to 
form a colony and join the civilization 
of the ,europeans8  ,all these are very 
natural questions1 but unfortunately    
there is no difficulty in finding       

reasons for answering them in the       
negative4  ,there were thirty-two       
reasons given why one of ,napoleon's    
marshals refused to besiege a certain   
fortress1 but the first of these reasons
 was the absence of gunpowder1 and so it
 excluded the necessity of discussing   
the remaining thirty-one4 ,similarly the
 first reason why a ,hindu cannot be    
,europeanized is quite sufficient1 and  
does not call for any additional ones4  
,this reason is that by doing so a      
,hindu would not improve his position4  
,were he such an adept of science as to 
rival ,tyndall1 were he such a clever   
politician as to eclipse the genius of  
,disraeli and ,bismarck1 as soon as he  
actually had given up his caste and     
kinsmen1 he would indubitably find      
himself in the position of ,mahomet's   
coffin2 metaphorically speaking1 he     
would hang half-way between the earth   
and the sky4  ,it would be an utter     
injustice to suppose that this state of 
things is the result of the policy of   

the ,english ,government2 that the said 
,government is afraid of giving a chance
 to natives who may be suspected of     
being hostile to the ,british rule4 ,in 
reality1 the ,government has little or  
nothing to do with it4 ,this state of   
things must be attributed entirely to   
the social ostracism1 to the contempt   
felt by a superior for an inferior race1
 a contempt deeply rooted in some       
members of the ,anglo-,indian society   
and displayed at the least provocation4 
,this question of racial superiority and
 inferiority plays a more important part
 than is generally believed1 even in    
,england4 ,nevertheless1 the natives    
7,mussulmans included7 do not deserve   
contempt1 and so the gulf between the   
rulers and the ruled widens with every  
year1 and long centuries would not      
suffice to fill it up4  ,i have to dwell
 upon all this to give my readers a     
clear idea on the subject4 ,and so it is
 no wonder the ill-fated ,hindus prefer 
temporary humiliations and the physical 

and moral sufferings of the             
purification1 to the prospect of general
 contempt until death4 ,these were the  
questions we discussed with the         
,brahmans during the two hours before   
dinner4  ,dining with foreigners and    
people belonging to different castes is1
 no doubt1 a dangerous breach of ,manu's
 sacred precepts4 ,but this time1 for   
once1 it was easily explained4 ,first1  
the stout ,patel1 our host1 was the head
 of his caste1 and so was beyond the    
dread of excommunication2 secondly1 he  
had already taken all the prescribed and
 advisable precautions against being    
polluted by our presence4 ,he was a     
free-thinker in his own way1 and a      
friend of ,gulab-,lal-,sing1 and so he  
rejoiced at the idea of showing us how  
much skillful sophistry and strategical 
circumspection can be used by adroit    
,brahmans to avoid the law in some      
circumstances1 while adhering at the    
same time to its dead letter4 ,besides1 
our good-natured1 well-favored host     

evidently desired to obtain a diploma   
from our ,society1 being well aware that
 the collector of his district was      
enrolled amongst our members4  ,these1  
at any rate1 were the explanations of   
our ,babu when we expressed our         
astonishment2 so it was our concern to  
make the most of our chance1 and to     
thank ,providence for this rare         
opportunity4 ,and this we accordingly   
did4  ,hindus take their food only twice
 a day1 at ten o'clock in the morning   
and at nine in the evening4 ,both meals 
are accompanied by complicated rites and
 ceremonies4 ,even very young children  
are not allowed to eat at odd times1    
eating without the prescribed           
performance of certain exorcisms being  
considered a sin4 ,thousands of educated
 ,hindus have long ceased to believe in 
all these superstitious customs1 but1   
nevertheless1 they are daily practised4 
,sham ,rao ,bahunathji1 our host1       
belonged to the ancient caste of        
,patarah ,prabhus1 and was very proud of

 his origin4 ,prabhu means lord1 and    
this caste descends from the            
,kshatriyas4 ,the first of them was     
,ashvapati 7#gjj ,b4,c471 a lineal      
descendant of ,rama and ,prithu1 who1 as
 is stated in the local chronology1     
governed ,india in the ,dvapara and     
,treta ,yugas1 which is a good while    
ago6 ,the ,patarah ,prabhus are the only
 caste within which ,brahmans have to   
perform certain purely ,vedic rites1    
known under the name of the ,kshatriya  
rites4 ,but this does not prevent their 
being ,patans1 instead of ,patars1      
,patan meaning the fallen one4 ,this is 
the fault of ,king ,ashvapati4 ,once1   
when distributing gifts to holy         
anchorites1 he inadvertently forgot to  
give his due to the great ,bhrigu4 ,the 
offended prophet and seer declared to   
him that his reign was drawing near its 
end1 and that all his posterity would   
perish4 ,the king1 throwing himself on  
the ground1 implored the prophet's      
pardon4 ,but his curse had worked its   

fulfilment already4 ,all that he could  
do to stop the mischief consisted in a  
solemn promise not to let the king's    
descendants disappear completely from   
the earth4 ,however1 the ,patars soon   
lost their throne and their power4      
,since then they have had to live by    
their pens1 in the employment of many   
successive governments1 to exchange     
their name of ,patars for ,patans1 and  
to lead a humbler life than many of     
their late subjects4 ,happily for our   
talkative ,amphitryon1 his forefathers  
became ,brahmans1 that is to say went   
through the golden cow4  ,the expression
 to live by their pens alludes1 as we   
learned later on1 to the fact of the    
,patans occupying all the small         
,government posts in the ,bombay        
,presidency1 and so being dangerous     
rivals of the ,bengali ,babus since the 
time of ,british rule4 ,in ,bombay the  
,patan clerks reach the considerable    
figure of five thousand4 ,their         
complexion is darker than the complexion

 of ,konkan ,brahmans1 but they are     
handsomer and brighter4 ,as to the      
mysterious expression1 went through the 
golden cow1 it illustrates a very       
curious custom4 ,the ,kshatriyas1 and   
even the much-despised ,shudras1 may    
become a sort of left-hand ,brahmans4   
,this metamorphosis depends on the will 
of the real ,brahmans1 who may1 if they 
like1 sell this right for several       
hundreds or thousands of cows4 ,when the
 gift is accomplished1 a model cow1 made
 of pure gold1 is erected and made      
sacred by the performance of some       
mystical ceremonies4 ,the candidate must
 now crawl through her hollow body three
 times1 and thus is transformed into a  
,brahman4 ,the present ,maharaja of     
,travankor1 and even the great ,raja of 
,benares1 who died recently1 were both  
,shudras who acquired their rights in   
this manner4 ,we received all this      
information and a notion of the         
legendary ,patar chronicle from our     
obliging host4  ,having announced that  

we must now get ready for dinner1 he    
disappeared in the company of all the   
gentlemen of our party4 ,being left to  
ourselves1 ,miss ,x---- and ,i decided  
to have a good look at the house whilst 
it was empty4 ,the ,babu1 being a       
downright1 modern ,bengali1 had no      
respect for the religious preparations  
for dinner1 and chose to accompany us1  
proposing to explain to us all that we  
should otherwise fail to understand4    
,the ,prabhu brothers always live       
together1 but every married couple have 
separate rooms and servants of their    
own4 ,the habitation of our host was    
very spacious4 ,there were small several
 bungalows1 occupied by his brothers1   
and a chief building containing rooms   
for visitors1 the general dining-room1 a
 lying-in ward1 a small chapel with any 
number of idols1 and so on4 ,the ground 
floor1 of course1 was surrounded by a   
verandah pierced with arches leading to 
a huge hall4 ,all round this hall were  
wooden pillars adorned with exquisite   

carving4 ,for some reason or other1 it  
struck me that these pillars once       
belonged to some palace of the dead     
town4 ,on close examination ,i only grew
 more convinced that ,i was right4      
,their style bore no traces of ,hindu   
taste2 no gods1 no fabulous monster     
animals1 only arabesques and elegant    
leaves and flowers of nonexistent       
plants4 ,the pillars stood very close to
 each other1 but the carvings prevented 
them from forming an uninterrupted wall1
 so that the ventilation was a little   
too strong4 ,all the time we spent at   
the dinner table miniature hurricanes   
whistled from behind every pillar1      
waking up all our old rheumatisms and   
toothaches1 which had peacefully        
slumbered since our arrival in ,india4  
,the front of the house was thickly     
covered with iron horseshoes--the best  
precaution against evil spirits and evil
 eyes4  ,at the foot of a broad1 carved 
staircase we came across a couch or a   
cradle1 hung from the ceiling by iron   

chains4 ,i saw somebody lying on it1    
whom1 at first sight1 ,i mistook for a  
sleeping ,hindu1 and was going to       
retreat discreetly1 but1 recognizing my 
old friend ,hanuman1 ,i grew bold and   
endeavored to examine him4 ,alas6 the   
poor idol possessed only a head and     
neck1 the rest of his body was a heap of
 old rags4  ,on the left side of the    
verandah there were many more lateral   
rooms1 each with a special destination1 
some of which ,i have mentioned already4
 ,the largest of these rooms was called 
vattan1 and was used exclusively by the 
fair sex4 ,brahman women are not bound  
to spend their lives under veils1 like  
,mussulman women1 but still they have   
very little communication with men1 and 
keep aloof4 ,women cook the men's food1 
but do not dine with them4 ,the elder   
ladies of the family are often held in  
great respect1 and husbands sometimes   
show a shy courteousness towards their  
wives1 but still a woman has no right to
 speak to her husband before strangers1 

nor even before the nearest relations1  
such as her sisters and her mother4  ,as
 to the ,hindu widows1 they really are  
the most wretched creatures in the whole
 world4 ,as soon as a woman's husband   
dies she must have her hair and her     
eyebrows shaven off4 ,she must part with
 all her trinkets1 her earrings1 her    
nose jewels1 her bangles and toe-rings4 
,after this is done she is as good as   
dead4 ,the lowest outcast would not     
marry her4 ,a man is polluted by her    
slightest touch1 and must immediately   
proceed to purify himself4 ,the dirtiest
 work of the household is her duty1 and 
she must not eat with the married women 
and the children4 ,the sati1 the burning
 of the widows1 is abolished1 but       
,brahmans are clever managers1 and the  
widows often long for the sati4  ,at    
last1 having examined the family chapel1
 full of idols1 flowers1 rich vases with
 burning incense1 lamps hanging from its
 ceiling1 and aromatic herbs covering   
its floor1 we decided to get ready for  

dinner4 ,we carefully washed ourselves1 
but this was not enough1 we were        
requested to take off our shoes4 ,this  
was a somewhat disagreeable surprise1   
but a real ,brahmanical supper was worth
 the trouble4  ,however1 a truly amazing
 surprise was still in store for us4    
,on entering the dining-room we stopped 
short at the entrance--both our         
,european companions were dressed1 or   
rather undressed1 exactly like ,hindus6 
,for the sake of decency they kept on a 
kind of sleeveless knitted vest1 but    
they were barefooted1 wore the          
snow-white ,hindu dhutis 7a piece of    
muslin wrapped round to the waist and   
forming a petticoat71 and looked like   
something between white ,hindus and     
,constantinople garcons de bains4 ,both 
were indescribably funny1 ,i never saw  
anything funnier4 ,to the great         
discomfiture of the men1 and the scandal
 of the grave ladies of the house1 ,i   
could not restrain myself1 but burst out
 laughing4 ,miss ,x----blushed violently

 and followed my example4  ,a quarter of
 an hour before the evening meal every  
,hindu1 old or young1 has to perform a  
puja before the gods4 ,he does not      
change his clothes1 as we do in ,europe1
 but takes off the few things he wore   
during the day4 ,he bathes by the family
 well and loosens his hair1 of which1 if
 he is a ,mahratti or an inhabitant of  
the ,dekkan1 he has only one long lock  
at the top of his shaven head4 ,to cover
 the body and the head whilst eating    
would be sinful4 ,wrapping his waist and
 legs in a white silk dhuti1 he goes    
once more to salute the idols and then  
sits down to his meal4----   ,but here  
,i shall allow myself to digress4 ,silk 
possesses the property of dismissing the
 evil spirits who inhabit the magnetic  
fluids of the atmosphere1 says the      
,mantram1 book v41 verse #bc4 ,and ,i   
cannot help wondering whether this      
apparent superstition may not contain a 
deeper meaning4 ,it is difficult1 ,i    
own1 to part with our favorite theories 

about all the customs of ancient        
heathendom being mere ignorant          
superstitions4 ,but have not some vague 
notions of these customs being founded  
originally on a true knowledge of       
scientific principles found their way   
amongst ,european scientific circles8   
,at first sight the idea seems          
untenable4 ,but why may we not suppose  
that the ancients prescribed this       
observance in the full knowledge that   
the effect of electricity upon the      
organs of digestion is truly beneficial8
 ,people who have studied the ancient   
philosophy of ,india with a firm resolve
 to penetrate the hidden meaning of its 
aphorisms have for the most part grown  
convinced that electricity and its      
effects were known to a considerable    
extent to some philosophers1 as1 for    
instance1 to ,patanjali4 ,charaka and   
,sushruta had pro-pounded the system of 
,hippocrates long before the time of him
 who in ,europe is supposed to be the   
father of medicine4 ,the ,bhadrinath    

temple of ,vishnu possesses a stone     
bearing evident proof of the fact that  
,surya-,sidhanta knew and calculated the
 expansive force of steam many centuries
 ago4 ,the ancient ,hindus were the     
first to determine the velocity of light
 and the laws of its reflection2 and the
 table of ,pythagoras and his celebrated
 theorem of the square of hypotenuse are
 to be found in the ancient books of    
,jyotisha4 ,all this leads us to suppose
 that ancient ,aryans1 when instituting 
the strange custom of wearing silk      
during meals1 had something serious in  
view1 more serious1 at all events1 than 
the dismissing of demons4    ,having    
entered the refectory1 we immediately   
noticed what were the ,hindu precautions
 against their being polluted by our    
presence4 ,the stone floor of the hall  
was divided into two equal parts4 ,this 
division consisted of a line traced in  
chalk1 with ,kabalistic signs at either 
end4 ,one part was destined for the     
host's party and the guests belonging to

 the same caste1 the other for          
ourselves4 ,on our side of the hall     
there was yet a third square to contain 
,hindus of a different caste4 ,the      
furniture of the two bigger squares was 
exactly similar4 ,along the two opposite
 walls there were narrow carpets spread 
on the floor1 covered with cushions and 
low stools4 ,before every occupant there
 was an oblong on the bare floor1 traced
 also with chalk1 and divided1 like a   
chess board1 into small quadrangles     
which were destined for dishes and      
plates4 ,both the latter articles were  
made of the thick strong leaves of the  
butea frondosa3 larger dishes of several
 leaves pinned together with thorns1    
plates and saucers of one leaf with its 
borders turned up4 ,all the courses of  
the supper were already arranged on each
 square2 we counted forty-eight dishes1 
containing about a mouthful of          
forty-eight different dainties4 ,the    
materials of which they were composed   
were mostly terra incognita to us1 but  

some of them tasted very nice4 ,all this
 was vegetarian food4 ,of meat1 fowl1   
eggs and fish there appeared no traces4 
,there were chutneys1 fruit and         
vegetables preserved in vinegar and     
honey1 panchamrits1 a mixture of        
pampello-berries1 tamarinds1 cocoa milk1
 treacle and olive oil1 and kushmer1    
made of radishes1 honey and flour2 there
 were also burning hot pickles and      
spices4 ,all this was crowned with a    
mountain of exquisitely cooked rice and 
another mountain of chapatis1 which are 
something like brown pancakes4 ,the     
dishes stood in four rows1 each row     
containing twelve dishes2 and between   
the rows burned three aromatic sticks of
 the size of a small church taper4 ,our 
part of the hall was brightly lit with  
green and red candles4 ,the chandeliers 
which held these candles were of a very 
queer shape4 ,they each represented the 
trunk of a tree with a seven-headed     
cobra wound round it4 ,from each of the 
seven mouths rose a red or a green wax  

candle of spiral form like a corkscrew4 
,draughts blowing from behind every     
pillar fluttered the yellow flames1     
filling the roomy refectory with        
fantastic moving shadows1 and causing   
both our lightly-clad gentlemen to      
sneeze very frequently4 ,leaving the    
dark silhouettes of the ,hindus in      
comparative obscurity1 this unsteady    
light made the two white figures still  
more conspicuous1 as if making a        
masquerade of them and laughing at them4
  ,the relatives and friends of our host
 came in one after the other4 ,they were
 all naked down to the waist1 all       
barefooted1 all wore the triple         
,brahmanical thread and white silk      
dhutis1 and their hair hung loose4      
,every sahib was followed by his own    
servant1 who carried his cup1 his       
silver1 or even gold1 jug filled with   
water1 and his towel4 ,all of them1     
having saluted the host1 greeted us1 the
 palms of their hands pressed together  
and touching their foreheads1 their     

breasts1 and then the floor4 ,they all  
said to us3 ,ram-,ram and ,namaste      
7salutation to thee71 and then made     
straight for their respective seats in  
perfect silence4 ,their civilities      
reminded me that the custom of greeting 
each other with the twice pronounced    
name of some ancestor was usual in the  
remotest antiquity4  ,we all sat down1  
the ,hindus calm and stately1 as if     
preparing for some mystic celebration1  
we ourselves feeling awkward and uneasy1
 fearing to prove guilty of some        
unpardonable blunder4 ,an invisible     
choir of women's voices chanted a       
monotonous hymn1 celebrating the glory  
of the gods4 ,these were half a dozen   
nautch-girls from a neighboring pagoda4 
,to this accompaniment we began         
satisfying our appetites4 ,thanks to the
 ,babu's instructions1 we took great    
care to eat only with our right hands4  
,this was somewhat difficult1 because we
 were hungry and hasty1 but quite       
necessary4 ,had we only so much as      

touched the rice with our left hands    
whole hosts of ,rakshasas 7demons7 would
 have been attracted to take part in the
 festivity that very moment2 which1 of  
course1 would send all the ,hindus out  
of the room4 ,it is hardly necessary to 
say that there were no traces of forks1 
knives or spoons4 ,that ,i might run no 
risk of breaking the rule ,i put my left
 hand in my pocket and held on to my    
pocket-handkerchief all the time the    
dinner lasted4  ,the singing lasted only
 a few minutes4 ,during the rest of the 
time a dead silence reigned amongst us4 
,it was ,monday1 a fast day1 and so the 
usual absence of noise at meal times had
 to be observed still more strictly than
 on any other day4 ,usually a man who is
 compelled to break the silence by some 
emergency or other hastens to plunge    
into water the middle finger of his left
 hand1 which till then had remained     
hidden behind his back1 and to moisten  
both his eyelids with it4 ,but a really 
pious man would not be content with this

 simple formula of purification2 having 
spoken1 he must leave the dining-room1  
wash thoroughly1 and then abstain from  
food for the remainder of the day4      
,thanks to this solemn silence1 ,i was  
at liberty to notice everything that was
 going on with great attention4 ,now and
 again1 whenever ,i caught sight of the 
colonel or ,mr4 ,y----1 ,i had all the  
difficulty in the world to preserve my  
gravity4 ,fits of foolish laughter would
 take possession of me when ,i observed 
them sitting erect with such comical    
solemnity and working so awkwardly with 
their elbows and hands4 ,the long beard 
of the one was white with grains of     
rice1 as if silvered with hoar-frost1   
the chin of the other was yellow with   
liquid saffron4 ,but unsatisfied        
curiosity happily came to my rescue1 and
 ,i went on watching the quaint         
proceedings of the ,hindus4  ,each of   
them1 having sat down with his legs     
twisted under him1 poured some water    
with his left hand out of the jug       

brought by the servant1 first into his  
cup1 then into the palm of his right    
hand4 ,then he slowly and carefully     
sprinkled the water round a dish with   
all kinds of dainties1 which stood by   
itself1 and was destined1 as we learned 
afterwards1 for the gods4 ,during this  
procedure each ,hindu repeated a ,vedic 
mantram4 ,filling his right hand with   
rice1 he pronounced a new series of     
couplets1 then1 having stored five      
pinches of rice on the right side of his
 own plate1 he once more washed his     
hands to avert the evil eye1 sprinkled  
more water1 and pouring a few drops of  
it into his right palm1 slowly drank it4
 ,after this he swallowed six pinches of
 rice1 one after the other1 murmuring   
prayers all the while1 and wetted both  
his eyes with the middle finger of his  
left hand4 ,all this done1 he finally   
hid his left hand behind his back1 and  
began eating with the right hand4 ,all  
this took only a few minutes1 but was   
performed very solemnly4  ,the ,hindus  

ate with their bodies bent over the     
food1 throwing it up and catching it in 
their mouths so dexterously that not a  
grain of rice was lost1 not a drop of   
the various liquids spilt4 ,zealous to  
show his consideration for his host1 the
 colonel tried to imitate all these     
movements4 ,he contrived to bend over   
his food almost horizontally1 but1 alas6
 he could not remain long in this       
position4 ,the natural weight of his    
powerful limbs overcame him1 he lost his
 balance and nearly tumbled head        
foremost1 dropping his spectacles into a
 dish of sour milk and garlic4 ,after   
this unsuccessful experience the brave  
,american gave up all further attempts  
to become ,hinduized1 and sat very      
quietly4  ,the supper was concluded with
 rice mixed with sugar1 powdered peas1  
olive oil1 garlic and grains of         
pomegranate1 as usual4 ,this last dainty
 is consumed hurriedly4 ,everyone       
nervously glances askance at his        
neighbor1 and is mortally afraid of     

being the last to finish1 because this  
is considered a very bad sign4 ,to      
conclude1 they all take some water into 
their mouths1 murmuring prayers the     
while1 and this time they must swallow  
it in one gulp4 ,woe to the one who     
chokes6 ',tis a clear sign that a bhuta 
has taken possession of his throat4 ,the
 unfortunate man must run for his life  
and get purified before the altar4  ,the
 poor ,hindus are very much troubled by 
these wicked bhutas1 the souls of the   
people who have died with ungratified   
desires and earthly passions4 ,hindu    
spirits1 if ,i am to believe the        
unanimous assertions of one and all1 are
 always swarming round the living1      
always ready to satisfy their hunger    
with other people's mouths and gratify  
their impure desires with the help of   
organs temporarily stolen from the      
living4 ,they are feared and cursed all 
over ,india4 ,no means to get rid of    
them are despised4 ,the notions and     
conclusions of the ,hindus on this point

 categorically contradict the           
aspirations and hopes of ,western       
spiritualists4  ,a good and pure spirit1
 they are confident1 will not let his   
soul revisit the earth1 if this soul is 
equally pure4 ,he is glad to die and    
unite himself to ,brahma1 to live an    
eternal life in ,svarga 7heaven7 and    
enjoy the society of the beautiful      
,gandharvas or singing angels4 ,he is   
glad to slumber whole eternities1       
listening to their songs1 whilst his    
soul is purified by a new incarnation in
 a body1 which is more perfect than the 
one the soul abandoned previously4  ,the
 ,hindus believe that the spirit or     
,atma1 a particle of the ,,great ,,all1 
which is ,parabrahm1 cannot be punished 
for sins in which it never participated4
 ,it is ,manas1 the animal intelligence1
 and the animal soul or ,jiva1 both half
 material illusions1 that sin and suffer
 and transmigrate from one body into the
 other till they purify themselves4 ,the
 spirit merely overshadows their earthly

 transmigrations4 ,when the ,ego has    
reached the final state of purity1 it   
will be one with the ,atma1 and         
gradually will merge and disappear in   
,parabrahm4  ,but this is not what      
awaits the wicked souls4 ,the soul that 
does not succeed in getting rid of      
earthly cares and desires before the    
death of the body is weighed down by its
 sins1 and1 instead of reincarnating in 
some new form1 according to the laws of 
metempsychosis1 it will remain bodiless1
 doomed to wander on earth4 ,it will    
become a bhuta1 and by its own          
sufferings will cause unutterable       
sufferings to its kinsmen4 ,that is why 
the ,hindu fears above all things to    
remain bodiless after his death4  ,it is
 better for one to enter the body of a  
tiger1 of a dog1 even of a yellow-legged
 falcon1 after death1 than to become a  
bhuta6 an old ,hindu said to me on one  
occasion4 ,every animal possesses a body
 of his own and a right to make an      
honest use of it4 ,whereas the bhutas   

are doomed dakoits1 brigands and        
thieves1 they are ever watching for an  
opportunity to use what does not belong 
to them4 ,this is a horrible state--a   
horror indescribable4 ,this is the true 
hell4 ,what is this spiritualism they   
talk so much of in the ,west8 ,is it    
possible the intelligent ,english and   
,americans are so mad as this8  ,and all
 our remonstrances notwithstanding1 he  
refused to believe that there are       
actually people who are fond of bhutas1 
who would do much to attract them into  
their homes4  ,after supper the men went
 again to the family well to wash1 and  
then dressed themselves4  ,usually at   
this hour of the night the ,hindus put  
on clean malmalas1 a kind of tight      
shirt1 white turbans1 and wooden sandals
 with knobs pressed between the toes4   
,these curious shoes are left at the    
door whilst their owners return to the  
hall and sit down along the walls on    
carpets and cushions to chew betel1     
smoke hookahs and cheroots1 to listen to

 sacred reading1 and to witness the     
dances of the nautches4 ,but this       
evening1 probably in our honor1 all the 
,hindus dressed magnificently4 ,some of 
them wore darias of rich striped satin1 
no end of gold bangles1 necklaces       
mounted with diamonds and emeralds1 gold
 watches and chains1 and transparent    
,brahmanical scarfs with gold           
embroidery4 ,the fat fingers and the    
right ear of our host were simply       
blazing with diamonds4  ,the women1 who 
waited on us during the meal1           
disappeared afterwards for a            
considerable time4 ,when they came back 
they also were luxuriously overdressed  
and were introduced to us formally as   
the ladies of the house4 ,they were     
five3 the wife of the host1 a woman of  
twenty-six or twenty-seven years of age1
 then two others looking somewhat       
younger1 one of whom carried a baby1    
and1 to our great astonishment1 was     
introduced as the married daughter of   
the hostess2 then the old mother of the 

host and a little girl of seven1 the    
wife of one of his brothers4 ,so that   
our hostess turned out to be a          
grandmother1 and her sister-in-law1 who 
was to enter finally into matrimony in  
from two to three years1 might have     
become a mother before she was twelve4  
,they were all barefooted1 with rings on
 each of their toes1 and all1 with the  
exception of the old woman1 wore        
garlands of natural flowers round their 
necks and in their jet black hair4      
,their tight bodices1 covered with      
embroidery1 were so short that between  
them and the sari there was a good      
quarter of a yard of bare skin4 ,the    
dark1 bronze-coloured waists of these   
well-shaped ,women were boldly presented
 to any one's examination and reflected 
the lights of the room4 ,their beautiful
 arms and their ankles were covered with
 bracelets4 ,at the least of their      
movements they all set up a tinkling    
silvery sound1 and the little           
sister-in-law1 who might easily be      

mistaken for an automaton doll1 could   
hardly move under her load of ornaments4
 ,the young grandmother1 our hostess1   
had a ring in her left nostril1 which   
reached to the lower part of the chin4  
,her nose was considerably disfigured by
 the weight of the gold1 and we noticed 
how unusually handsome she was only when
 she took it off to enable herself to   
drink her tea with some comfort4  ,the  
dances of the nautch girls began4 ,two  
of them were very pretty4 ,their dancing
 consisted chiefly in more or less      
expressive movements of their eyes1     
their heads1 and even their ears1 in    
fact1 of the whole upper part of their  
bodies4 ,as to their legs1 they either  
did not move at all or moved with such a
 swiftness as to appear in a cloud of   
mist4  ,after this eventful day ,i slept
 the sleep of the just4    ,after many  
nights spent in a tent1 it is more than 
agreeable to sleep in a regular bed1    
even if it is only a hanging one4 ,the  
pleasure would1 no doubt1 have been     

considerably increased had ,i but known 
,i was resting on the couch of a god4   
,but this latter circumstance was       
revealed to me only in the morning1 when
 descending the staircase ,i suddenly   
discovered the poor general en chef1    
,hanuman1 deprived of his cradle and    
unceremoniously stowed away under the   
stairs4 ,decidedly1 the ,hindus of the  
nineteenth century are a degenerate and 
blaspheming race6  ,in the course of the
 morning we learned that this swinging  
throne of his1 and an ancient sofa1 were
 the only pieces of furniture in the    
whole house that could be transformed   
into beds4  ,neither of our gentlemen   
had spent a comfortable night4 ,they    
slept in an empty tower that was once   
the altar of a decayed pagoda and was   
situated behind the main building4 ,in  
assigning to them this strange resting  
place1 the host was guided by the       
praiseworthy intention of protecting    
them from the jackals1 which freely     
penetrate into all the rooms of the     

ground floor1 as they are pierced by    
numberless arches and have no door and  
no window frames4 ,the jackals1 however1
 did not trouble the gentlemen much that
 night1 except by giving their nightly  
concert4 ,but both ,mr4 ,y---- and the  
colonel had to fight all the night long 
with a vampire1 which1 besides being a  
flying fox of an unusual size1 happened 
to be a spirit1 as we learned too late1 
to our great misfortune4  ,this is how  
it happened4 ,noiselessly hovering about
 the tower1 the vampire from time to    
time alighted on the sleepers1 making   
them shudder under the disgusting touch 
of his cold sticky wings4 ,his intention
 clearly was to get a nice suck of      
,european blood4 ,they were wakened by  
his manipulations at least ten times1   
and each time frightened him away4 ,but1
 as soon as they were dozing again1 the 
wretched bat was sure to return and     
perch on their shoulders1 heads1 or     
legs4 ,at last ,mr4 ,y----1 losing      
patience1 had recourse to strong        

measures2 he caught him and broke his   
neck4  ,feeling perfectly innocent1 the 
gentlemen mentioned the tragic end of   
the troublesome flying fox to their     
host1 and instantly drew down on their  
heads all the thunder-clouds of heaven4 
,the yard was crowded with people4 ,all 
the inhabitants of the house stood      
sorrowfully drooping their heads1 at the
 entrance of the tower4 ,our host's old 
mother tore her hair in despair1 and    
shrieked lamentations in all the        
languages of ,india4 ,what was the      
matter with them all8 ,we were at our   
wits' end4 ,but when we learned the     
cause of all this1 there was no limit to
 our confusion4  ,by certain mysterious 
signs1 known only to the family         
,brahman1 it had been decided ten years 
ago that the soul of our host's elder   
brother had incarnated in this          
blood-thirsty vampire-bat4 ,this fact   
was stated as being beyond any doubt4   
,for nine years the late ,patarah       
,prabhu existed under this new shape1   

carrying out the laws of metempsychosis4
 ,he spent the hours between sunrise and
 the sunset in an old pipal-tree before 
the tower1 hanging with his head        
downwards4 ,but at night he visited the 
old tower and gave fierce chase to the  
insects that sought rest in this        
out-of-the-way corner4 ,and so nine     
years were spent in this happy          
existence1 divided between sleep1 food1 
and the gradual redemption of old sins  
committed in the shape of a ,patarah    
,prabhu4 ,and now8 ,now his listless    
body lay in the dust at the entrance of 
his favorite tower1 and his wings were  
half devoured by the rats4 ,the poor old
 woman1 his mother1 was mad with sorrow1
 and cast1 through her tears1           
reproachful1 angry looks at ,mr4 ,y----1
 who1 in his new capacity of a heartless
 murderer1 looked disgustingly composed4
  ,but the affair was growing serious4  
,the comical side of it disappeared     
before the sincerity and the intensity  
of her lamentations4 ,her descendants1  

grouped around her1 were too polite to  
reproach us openly1 but the expression  
of their faces was far from reassuring4 
,the family priest and astrologer stood 
by the old lady1 ,shastras in hand1     
ready to begin the ceremony of          
purification4 ,he solemnly covered the  
corpse with a piece of new linen1 and so
 hid from our eyes the sad remains on   
which ants were literally swarming4     
,mr4 ,y---- did his best to look        
unconcerned1 but still1 when the        
tactless ,miss ,x---- came to him1      
expressing her loud indignation at all  
these superstitions of an inferior race1
 he at least seemed to remember that our
 host knew ,english perfectly1 and he   
did not encourage her farther           
expressions of sympathy4 ,he made no    
answer1 but smiled contemptuously4 ,our 
host approached the colonel with        
respectful salaams and invited us to    
follow him4  ,no doubt he is going to   
ask us to leave his house immediately6  
was my uncomfortable impression4  ,but  

my apprehension was not justified4 ,at  
this epoch of my ,indian pilgrimage ,i  
was far1 as yet1 from having fathomed   
the metaphysical depth of a ,hindu      
heart4  ,sham ,rao began by delivering a
 very far-fetched1 eloquent preface4 ,he
 reminded us that he1 personally1 was an
 enlightened man1 a man who possessed   
all the advantages of a ,western        
education4 ,he said that1 owing to this1
 he was not quite sure that the body of 
the vampire was actually inhabited by   
his late brother4 ,darwin1 of course1   
and some other great naturalists of the 
,west1 seemed to believe in the         
transmigration of souls1 but1 as far as 
he understood1 they believed in it in an
 inverse sense2 that is to say1 if a    
baby had been born to his mother exactly
 at the moment of the vampire's death1  
this baby would indubitably have had a  
great likeness to a vampire1 owing to   
the decaying atoms of the vampire being 
so close to her4  ,is not this an exact 
interpretation of the ,darwinian school8

 he asked4  ,we modestly answered that1 
having traveled almost incessantly      
during the last year1 we could not help 
being a bit behindhand in the questions 
of modern science1 and that we were not 
able to follow its latest conclusions4  
,but ,i have followed them6 rejoined the
 good-natured ,sham ,rao1 with a touch  
of pomposity4 ,and so ,i hope ,i may be 
allowed to say that ,i have understood  
and duly appreciated their most recent  
developments4 ,i have just finished     
studying the magnificent                
,anthropogenesis of ,haeckel1 and have  
carefully discussed in my own mind his  
logical1 scientific explanations of the 
origin of man from inferior animal forms
 through transformation4 ,and what is   
this transformation1 pray1 if not the   
transmigration of the ancient and modern
 ,hindus1 and the metempsychosis of the 
,greeks8  ,we had nothing to say against
 the identity1 and even ventured to     
observe that1 according to ,haeckel1 it 
does look like it4  ,exactly6 exclaimed 

he joyfully4 ,this shows that our       
conceptions are neither silly nor       
superstitious1 as is maintained by some 
opponents of ,manu4 ,the great ,manu1   
anticipated ,darwin and ,haeckel4 ,judge
 for yourself2 the latter derives the   
genesis of man from a group of          
plastides1 from the jelly-like moneron2 
this moneron1 through the ameoba1 the   
ascidian1 the brainless and heartless   
amphioxus1 and so on1 transmigrates in  
the eighth remove into the lamprey1 is  
transformed1 at last1 into a vertebrate 
amniote1 into a premammalian1 into a    
marsupial animal4444 ,the vampire1 in   
its turn1 belongs to the species of     
vertebrates4 ,you1 being well read      
people all of you1 cannot contradict    
this statement4 ,he was right in his    
supposition2 we did not contradict it4  
,in this case1 do me the honor to follow
 my argument4444  ,we did follow his    
argument with the greatest attention1   
but were at a loss to foresee whither it
 tended to lead us4  ,darwin1 continued 

,sham ,rao1 in his ,origin of ,species1 
re-established almost word for word the 
palin-genetic teachings of our ,manu4   
,of this ,i am perfectly convinced1 and1
 if you like1 ,i can prove it to you    
book in hand4 ,our ancient law-giver1   
amongst other sayings1 speaks as        
follows3 ',the great ,parabrahm         
commanded man to appear in the universe1
 after traversing all the grades of the 
animal kingdom1 and springing primarily 
from the worm of the deep sea mud4' ,the
 worm be-came a snake1 the snake a fish1
 the fish a mammal1 and so on4 ,is not  
this very idea at the bottom of         
,darwin's theory1 when he maintains that
 the organic forms have their origin in 
more simple species1 and says that the  
structureless protoplasm born in the mud
 of the ,laurentian and ,silurian       
periods--the ,manu's 'mud of the seas1' 
,i dare say--gradually transformed      
itself into the anthropoid ape1 and then
 finally into the human being8  ,we said
 it looked very like it4  ,but1 in spite

 of all my respect for ,darwin and his  
eminent follower ,haeckel1 ,i cannot    
agree with their final conclusions1     
especially with the conclusions of the  
latter1 continued ,sham ,rao4 ,this     
hasty and bilious ,german is perfectly  
accurate in copying the embryology of   
,manu and all the metamorphoses of our  
ancestors1 but he forgets the evolution 
of the human soul1 which1 as it is      
stated by ,manu1 goes hand in hand with 
the evolution of matter4 ,the son of    
,swayambhuva1 the ,self ,becoming1      
speaks as follows3 ',everything created 
in a new cycle1 in addition to the      
qualities of its preceding              
transmigrations1 acquires new qualities1
 and the nearer it approaches to man1   
the highest type of the earth1 the      
brighter becomes its divine spark2 but1 
once it has become a ,brahma1 it will   
enter the cycle of conscious            
transmigrations4' ,do you realize what  
that means8 ,it means that from this    
moment1 its transformations depend no   

longer on the blind laws of gradual     
evolution1 but on the least of a man's  
actions1 which brings either a reward or
 a punishment4 ,now you see that it     
depends on the man's will whether1 on   
the one hand1 he will start on the way  
to ,moksha1 the eternal bliss1 passing  
from one ,loka to another till he       
reaches ,brahmaloka1 or1 on the other1  
owing to his sins1 will be thrown back4 
,you know that the average soul1 once   
freed from earthly reincarnations1 has  
to ascend from one ,loka to another1    
always in the human shape1 though this  
shape will grow and perfect itself with 
every ,loka4 ,some of our sects         
understood these ,lokas to mean certain 
stars4 ,these spirits1 freed from       
earthly matter1 are what we mean by     
,pitris and ,devas1 whom we worship4    
,and did not your ,kabalists of the     
middle ages designate these ,pitris     
under the expression ,planetary         
,spirits8 ,but1 in the case of a very   
sinful man1 he will have to begin once  

more with the animal forms which he had 
already traversed unconsciously4 ,both  
,darwin and ,haeckel lose sight of this1
 so to speak1 second volume of their    
incomplete theory1 but still neither of 
them advances any argument to prove it  
false4 ,is it not so8  ,neither of them 
does anything of the sort1 most         
assuredly4  ,why1 in this case1         
exclaimed he1 suddenly changing his     
colloquial tone for an aggressive one1  
why am ,i1 ,i who have studied the most 
modern ideas of ,western science1 ,i who
 believe in its representatives--why am 
,i suspected1 pray1 by ,miss ,x---- of  
belonging to the tribe of the ignorant  
and superstitious ,hindus8 ,why does she
 think that our perfected scientific    
theories are superstitions1 and we      
ourselves a fallen inferior race8  ,sham
 ,rao stood before us with tears in his 
eyes4 ,we were at a loss what to answer 
him1 being confused to the last degree  
by this outburst4  ,mind you1 ,i do not 
proclaim our popular beliefs to be      

infallible dogmas4 ,i consider them as  
mere theories1 and try to the best of my
 ability to reconcile the ancient and   
the modern science4 ,i formulate        
hypotheses just like ,darwin and        
,haeckel4 ,besides1 if ,i understood    
rightly1 ,miss ,x---- is a spiritualist1
 so she believes in bhutas4 ,and1       
believing that a bhuta is capable of    
penetrating the body of a medium1 how   
can she deny that a bhuta1 and more so a
 less sinful soul1 may enter the body of
 a vampire-bat8  ,i own1 this logic was 
a little too condensed for us1 and so1  
avoiding a direct answer to a           
metaphysical question of such delicacy1 
we tried to apologize and excuse ,miss  
,x----'s rudeness as well as we could4  
,she did not mean to offend you1 we     
said1 she only repeated a calumny1      
familiar to every ,european4 ,besides1  
if she had taken the trouble to think it
 over1 she probably would not have said 
it4444  ,little by little we succeeded  
in pacifying our host4 ,he recovered his

 usual cheerfulness1 but could not      
resist the temptation of adding a few   
words to his long argumentation4 ,he had
 just begun to reveal to us certain     
peculiarities of his late brother's     
character1 which induced him to be      
prepared1 judging by the laws of        
atavism1 to see their repetition in the 
propensities of a vampire bat1 when ,mr4
 ,y----suddenly dashed in on our small  
group and spoiled all the results of our
 conciliatory words by screaming at the 
top of his voice3 ,the old woman has    
gone demented6 ,she keeps on cursing us 
and says that the murder of this        
wretched bat is only the forerunner of a
 whole series of misfortunes brought on 
her house by you1 ,sham ,rao1 said he1  
hastily addressing the bewildered       
follower of ,haackel4 ,she says you have
 polluted your ,brahmanical holiness by 
inviting us4 ,colonel1 you had better   
send for the elephants4 ,in another     
moment all this crowd will be on us444  
,for goodness' sake6 exclaimed poor     

,sham ,rao1 have some consideration for 
my feelings4 ,she is an old woman1 she  
has some superstitions1 but she is my   
mother4 ,you are educated people1       
learned people444 ,advise me1 show me a 
way out of all these difficulties4 ,what
 should you do in my place8  ,what      
should ,i do1 sir8 exclaimed ,mr4       
,y----1 completely put out of temper by 
the utter ludicrousness of our awkward  
predicament4 ,what should ,i do8 ,were  
,i a man in your position and a believer
 in all you are brought up to believe1  
,i should take my revolver1 and in the  
first place1 shoot all the vampire bats 
in the neighborhood1 if only to rid all 
your late relations from the abject     
bodies of these creatures1 and1 in the  
second place1 ,i should endeavor to     
smash the head of the conceited fraud in
 the shape of a ,brahman who invented   
all this stupid story4 ,that is what ,i 
should do1 sir6  ,but this advice did   
not content the miserable descendant of 
,rama4 ,no doubt he would have remained 

a long time undecided as to what course 
of action to adopt1 torn as he was      
between the sacred feelings of          
hospitality1 the innate fear of the     
,brahman-priest1 and his own            
superstitions1 if our ingenious ,babu   
had not come to our rescue4 ,learning   
that we all felt more or less indignant 
at all this row1 and that we were       
preparing to leave the house as quickly 
as possible1 he persuaded us to stay1 if
 only for an hour1 saying that our hasty
 departure would be a terrible outrage  
upon our host1 whom1 in any case1 we    
could not find fault with4 ,as to the   
stupid old woman1 the ,babu promised us 
to pacify her speedily enough3 he had   
his own plans and views4 ,in the        
meantime1 he said1 we had better go and 
examine the ruins of an old fortress    
close by4  ,we obeyed very reluctantly1 
feeling an acute interest in his plans4 
,we proceeded slowly4 ,our gentlemen    
were visibly out of temper4 ,miss ,x----
 tried to calm herself by talking more  

than usual1 and ,narayan1 as phlegmatic 
as usual1 indolently and good-naturedly 
chaffed her about her beloved spirits4  
,glancing back we saw the ,babu         
accompanied by the family priest4       
,judging by their gestures they were    
engaged in some warm discussion4 ,the   
shaven head of the ,brahman nodded right
 and left1 his yellow garment flapped in
 the wind1 and his arms rose towards the
 sky1 as if in an appeal to the gods to 
come down and testify to the truth of   
his words4  ,i'll bet you a thousand    
dollars1 no plans of our ,babu's will be
 of any avail with this fanatic6        
confidently remarked the colonel as he  
lit his pipe4  ,but we had hardly walked
 a hundred steps after this remark when 
we saw the ,babu running after us and   
signaling us to stop4  ,everything ended
 first-rate6 screamed he1 as soon as we 
could hear4 ,you are to be thanked444   
,you happen to be the true saviours and 
benefactors of the deceased bhuta444    
,you444  ,our ,babu sank on the ground  

holding his narrow1 panting breast with 
both his hands1 and laughed1 laughed    
till we all burst into laughter too1    
before learning any-thing at all4       
,think of it1 began the ,babu1 and      
stopped short1 prevented from going on  
by his exuberant hilarity4 ,just think  
of it6 ,the whole transaction is to cost
 me only ten rupees4444 ,i offered five 
at first444 but he would not4444 ,he    
said this was a sacred matter44444 ,but 
ten he could not resist6 ,ho1 ho1 ho4444
  ,at last we learned the story4 ,all   
the metempsychoses depend on the        
imagination of the family ,gurus1 who   
receive for their kind offices from one 
hundred to one hundred and fifty rupees 
a year4 ,every rite is accompanied by a 
more or less considerable addition to   
the purse of the insatiable family      
,brahman1 but the happy events pay      
better than the sad ones4 ,knowing all  
this1 the ,babu asked the ,brahman      
point-blank to perform a false samadhi1 
that is to say1 to feign an inspiration 

and to announce to the sorrowing mother 
that her late son's will had acted      
consciously in all the circumstances2   
that he brought about his end in the    
body of the flying fox1 that he was     
tired of that grade of transmigration1  
that he longed for death in order to    
attain a higher position in the animal  
kingdom1 that he is happy1 and that he  
is deeply indebted to the sahib who     
broke his neck and so freed him from his
 abject embodiment4  ,besides1 the      
observant eye of our all-knowing ,babu  
had not failed to remark that a         
she-buffalo of the ,guru's was expecting
 a calf1 and that the ,guru was yearning
 to sell it to ,sham ,rao4 ,this        
circumstance was a trump card in the    
,babu's hand4 ,let the ,guru announce1  
under the influence of samadhi1 that the
 freed spirit intends to inhabit the    
body of the future baby-buffalo and the 
old lady will buy the new incarnation of
 her first-born as sure as the sun is   
bright4 ,this announcement will be      

followed by rejoicings and by new rites4
 ,and who will profit by all this if not
 the family priest8  ,at first the ,guru
 had some misgivings1 and swore by      
everything sacred that the vampire bat  
was veritably inhabited by the brother  
of ,sham ,rao4 ,but the ,babu knew      
better than to give in4 ,the ,guru ended
 by understanding that his skillful     
opponent saw through his tricks1 and    
that he was well aware that the         
,shastras exclude the possibility of    
such a transmigration4 ,growing alarmed1
 the ,guru also grew meek1 and asked    
only ten rupees and a promise of silence
 for the performance of a samadhi4  ,on 
our way back we were met at the gate by 
,sham ,rao1 who was simply radiant4     
,whether he was afraid of our laughing  
at him1 or was at loss to find an       
explanation of this new metamorphosis in
 the positive sciences in general1 and  
,haeckel in particular1 he did not      
attempt to explain why the affair had   
taken such an unexpectedly good turn4   

,he merely mentioned awkwardly enough   
that his mother1 owing to some new      
mysterious conjectures of hers1 had     
dismissed all sad apprehensions as to   
the destiny of her elder son1 and he    
then dropped the subject completely4----
   ,in order to wipe away the traces of 
the morning's perplexities from our     
minds1 ,sham ,rao invited us to sit on  
the verandah1 by the wide entrance of   
his idol room1 whilst the family prayers
 were going on4 ,nothing could suit us  
better4 ,it was nine o'clock1 the usual 
time of the morning prayers4 ,sham ,rao 
went to the well to get ready1 and dress
 himself1 as he said1 though the process
 was more like undressing4 ,in a few    
moments he came back wearing only a     
dhuti1 as during dinner time1 and with  
his head uncovered4 ,he went straight to
 his idol room4 ,the moment he entered  
we heard the loud stroke of a bell that 
hung under the ceiling1 and that        
continued tolling all the time the      
prayers lasted4  ,the ,babu explained to

 us that a little boy was pulling the   
bell rope from the roof4  ,sham ,rao    
stepped in with his right foot and very 
slowly4 ,then he approached the altar   
and sat on a little stool with his legs 
crossed4 ,at the opposite side of the   
room1 on the red velvet shelves of an   
altar that resembled an etagere in the  
drawing-room of some fashionable lady1  
stood many idols4 ,they were made of    
gold1 of silver1 of brass and of marble1
 according to their im-portance and     
merits4 ,maha-,deva or ,shiva was of    
gold4 ,gunpati or ,ganesha of silver1   
,vishnu in the form of a round black    
stone from the river ,gandaki in ,nepal4
 ,in this form ,vishnu is called        
,lakshmi-,narayan4 ,there were also many
 other gods unknown to us1 who were     
worshipped in the shapes of big         
sea-shells1 called ,chakra4 ,surya1 the 
god of the sun1 and the kula-devas1 the 
domestic gods1 were placed in the second
 rank4 ,the altar was sheltered by a    
cupola of carved sandal-wood4 ,during   

the night the gods and the offerings    
were covered by a huge bell glass4 ,on  
the walls there were many sacred images 
representing the chief episodes in the  
biographies of the higher gods4  ,sham  
,rao filled his left hand with ashes1   
murmuring prayers all the while1 covered
 it for a second with the right one1    
then put some matter to the ashes1 and  
mixing the two by rubbing his hands     
together1 he traced a line on his face  
with this mixture by moving the thumb of
 his right hand from his nose upwards1  
then from the middle of the forehead to 
the right temple1 then back again to the
 left temple4 ,having done with his face
 he proceeded to cover with wet ashes   
his throat1 arms1 shoulders1 his back1  
head and ears4 ,in one corner of the    
room stood a huge bronze font filled    
with water4 ,sham ,rao made straight to 
it and plunged into it three times1     
dhuti1 head1 and all1 after which he    
came out looking exactly like a         
well-favored dripping wet ,triton4 ,he  

twisted the only lock of hair on the top
 of his shaved head and sprinkled it    
with water4 ,this operation concluded   
the first act4  ,the second act began   
with religious meditations and with     
mantrams1 which1 by really pious people1
 must be repeated three times a day--at 
sunrise1 at noon and at sunset4 ,sham   
,rao loudly pronounced the names of     
twenty-four gods1 and each name was     
accompanied by a stroke of the bell4    
,having finished he first shut his eyes 
and stuffed his ears with cotton1 then  
pressed his left nostril with two       
fingers of his left hand1 and having    
filled his lungs with air through the   
right nostril1 pressed the latter also4 
,then he tightly closed his lips1 so    
that breathing became impossible4 ,in   
this position every pious ,hindu must   
mentally repeat a certain verse1 which  
is called the ,gayatri4 ,these are      
sacred words which no ,hindu will dare  
to pronounce aloud4 ,even in repeating  
them mentally he must take every        

precaution not to inhale anything       
impure4  ,i am bound by my word of honor
 never to repeat the whole of this      
prayer1 but ,i may quote a few          
unconnected sentences3  ,om444 ,earth444
 ,heaven4444 ,let the adored light      
of4444 here follows a name which must   
not be pronounced shelter me4 ,let thy  
,sun1 ,o thou only ,one1 shelter me1 the
 unworthy444 ,i shut my eyes1 ,i shut my
 ears1 ,i do not breathe444 in order to 
see1 hear and breathe thee alone4 ,throw
 light upon our thoughts again the      
secret name444   ,it is curious to      
compare this ,hindu prayer with the     
celebrated prayer of ,descartes'        
,meditation ,,iii in his ,l',existence  
de ,dieu4 ,it runs as follows1 if ,i    
remember rightly3  ,now ,i shut my eyes1
 cover my ears1 and dismiss all my five 
senses1 ,i will dwell on the thought of 
,god alone1 ,i will meditate on ,his    
quality and look on the beauty of this  
wondrous radiancy4  ,after this prayer  
,sham ,rao read many other prayers1     

holding with two fingers his sacred     
,brahmanical thread4 ,after a while     
began the ceremony of the washing of the
 gods4 ,taking them down from the altar1
 one after the other1 according to their
 rank1 ,sham ,rao first plunged them in 
the big font1 in which he had just      
bathed himself1 and then bathed them in 
milk in a smaller bronze font by the    
altar4 ,the milk was mixed up with      
curds1 butter1 honey1 and sugar1 and so 
it cannot be said that this cleansing   
served its purpose4 ,no wonder we were  
glad to see that the gods underwent a   
second bathing in the first font and    
then were dried with a clean towel4     
,when the gods were arranged in their   
respective places1 the ,hindu traced on 
them the sectarian signs with a ring    
from his left hand4 ,he used white      
sandal paint for the lingam and red for 
,gunpati and ,surya4 ,then he sprinkled 
them with aromatic oils and covered them
 with fresh flowers4 ,the long ceremony 
was finished by the awakening of the    

gods4 ,a small bell was repeatedly rung 
under the noses of the idols1 who1 as   
the ,brahman probably supposed1 all went
 to sleep during this tedious ceremony4 
,having noticed1 or fancied1 which often
 amounts to the same thing1 that they   
were wide awake1 he began offering them 
his daily sacrifices1 lighting the      
incense and the lamps1 and1 to our great
 astonishment1 snapping his fingers from
 time to time1 as if warning the idols  
to look out4 ,having filled the room    
with clouds of incense and fumes of     
burning camphor1 he scattered some more 
flowers over the altar and sat on the   
small stool for a while1 murmuring the  
last prayers4 ,he repeatedly held the   
palms of his hands over the flame of the
 tapers and rubbed his face with them4  
,then he walked round the altar three   
times1 and1 having knelt three times1   
retreated backwards to the door4  ,a    
little while before our host had        
finished his morning prayers the ladies 
of the house came into the room4 ,they  

brought each a small stool and sat in a 
row murmuring prayers and telling the   
beads of their rosaries4  ,the part     
played by the rosaries in ,india is as  
important as in all ,buddhist countries4
 ,every god has his favorite flower and 
his favorite material for a rosary4 ,the
 fakirs are simply covered with         
rosaries4 ,the rosary is called mala and
 consists of one hundred and eight      
beads4 ,very pious ,hindus are not      
content to tell the beads when praying2 
they must hide their hands during this  
ceremony in a bag called gomukha1 which 
means the cow's mouth4  ,we left the    
women to their prayers and followed our 
host to the cow house4 ,the cow         
symbolizes the fostering earth1 or      
,nature1 and is worshipped accordingly4 
,sham ,rao sat down by the cow and      
washed her feet1 first with her own     
milk1 then with water4 ,he gave her some
 sugar and rice1 covered her forehead   
with powdered sandal1 and adorned her   
horns and four legs with chains of      

flowers4 ,he burned some incense under  
her nostrils and brandished a burning   
lamp over her head4 ,then he walked     
three times round her and sat down to   
rest4 ,some ,hindus walk round the cow  
one hundred and eight times1 rosary in  
hand4 ,but our ,sham ,rao had a slight  
tendency to freethinking1 as we knew1   
and besides1 he was too much of an      
admirer of ,haeckel4 ,having rested     
himself1 he filled a cup with water1 put
 in it the cow's tail for a moment1 and 
then drank it6  ,after this he performed
 the rite of worshipping the sun and the
 sacred plant tulsi4 ,unable to bring   
the god ,surya from his heavenly altar  
and wash him in the sacred font1 ,sham  
,rao contented himself by filling his   
own mouth with water1 standing on one   
leg1 and spirting this water towards the
 sun4 ,needless to say it never reached 
the orb of day1 but1 very unexpectedly1 
sprinkled us instead4----   ,it is still
 a mystery to us why the plant tulsi1   
,royal ,basilicum1 is worshipped4       

,however1 towards the end of ,september 
we yearly witnessed the strange ceremony
 of the wedding of this plant with the  
god ,vishnu1 notwithstanding that tulsi 
bears the title of ,krishna's bride1    
probably because of the latter being an 
incarnation of ,vishnu4 ,on these       
occasions pots of this plant are painted
 and adorned with tinsel4 ,a magical    
circle is traced in the garden and the  
plant is put in the middle of it4 ,a    
,brahman brings an idol of ,vishnu and  
begins the marriage ceremony1 standing  
before the plant4 ,a married couple hold
 a shawl between the plant and the god1 
as if screening them from each other1   
the ,brahman utters prayers1 and young  
women1 and especially unmarried girls1  
who are the most ardent worshippers of  
tulsi1 throw rice and saffron over the  
idol and the plant4 ,when the ceremony  
is concluded1 the ,brahman is presented 
with the shawl1 the idol is put in the  
shade of his wife1 the ,hindus clap     
their hands1 rend everyone's ears with  

the noise of tom-toms1 let off          
fireworks1 offer each other pieces of   
sugar-cane1 and rejoice in every        
conceivable way till the dawn of the    
next day4     ,a ,witch's ,den    ,our  
kind host ,sham ,rao was very gay during
 the remaining hours of our visit4 ,he  
did his best to entertain us1 and would 
not hear of our leaving the neighborhood
 without having seen its greatest       
celebrity1 its most interesting sight4  
,a jadu wala--sorceress--well known in  
the district1 was just at this time     
under the influence of seven            
sister-goddesses1 who took possession of
 her by turns1 and spoke their oracles  
through her lips4 ,sham ,rao said we    
must not fail to see her1 be it only in 
the interests of science4  ,the evening 
closes in1 and we once more get ready   
for an excursion4 ,it is only five miles
 to the cavern of the ,pythia of        
,hindostan2 the road runs through a     
jungle1 but it is level and smooth4     
,besides1 the jungle and its ferocious  

inhabitants have ceased to frighten us4 
,the timid elephants we had in the dead 
city are sent home1 and we are to mount 
new behemoths belonging to a neighboring
 ,raja4 ,the pair1 that stand before the
 verandah like two dark hillocks1 are   
steady and trust worthy4 ,many a time   
these two have hunted the royal tiger1  
and no wild shrieking or thunderous     
roaring can frighten them4 ,and so1 let 
us start6  ,the ruddy flames of the     
torches dazzle our eyes and increase the
 forest gloom4 ,our surroundings seem so
 dark1 so mysterious4 ,there is         
something indescribably fascinating1    
almost solemn1 in these night-journeys  
in the out-of-the-way corners of ,india4
 ,everything is silent and deserted     
around you1 everything is dozing on the 
earth and overhead4 ,only the heavy1    
regular tread of the elephants breaks   
the stillness of the night1 like the    
sound of falling hammers in the         
underground smithy of ,vulcan4 ,from    
time to time uncanny voices and murmurs 

are heard in the black forest4  ,the    
wind sings its strange song amongst the 
ruins1 says one of us1 what a wonderful 
acoustic phenomenon6 ,bhuta1 bhuta6     
whisper the awestruck torch-bearers4    
,they brandish their torches and swiftly
 spin on one leg1 and snap their fingers
 to chase away the aggressive spirits4  
,the plaintive murmur is lost in the    
distance4 ,the forest is once more      
filled with the cadences of its         
invisible nocturnal life--the metallic  
whirr of the crickets1 the feeble1      
monotonous croak of the tree-frog1 the  
rustle of the leaves4 ,from time to time
 all this suddenly stops short and then 
begins again1 gradually increasing and  
increasing4  ,heavens6 ,what teeming    
life1 what stores of vital energy are   
hidden under the smallest leaf1 the most
 imperceptible blades of grass1 in this 
tropical forest6 ,myriads of stars shine
 in the dark blue of the sky1 and       
myriads of fireflies twinkle at us from 
every bush1 moving sparks1 like a pale  

reflection of the far-away stars4  ,we  
left the thick forest behind us1 and    
reached a deep glen1 on three sides     
bordered with the thick forest1 where   
even by day the shadows are as dark as  
by night4 ,we were about two thousand   
feet above the foot of the ,vindhya     
ridge1 judging by the ruined wall of    
,mandu1 straight above our heads4       
,suddenly a very chilly wind rose that  
nearly blew our torches out4 ,caught in 
the labyrinth of bushes and rocks1 the  
wind angrily shook the branches of the  
blossoming syringas1 then1 shaking      
itself free1 it turned back along the   
glen and flew down the valley1 howling1 
whistling and shrieking1 as if all the  
fiends of the forest together were      
joining in a funeral song4  ,here we    
are1 said ,sham ,rao1 dismounting4 ,here
 is the village2 the elephants cannot go
 any further4  ,the village8 ,surely you
 are mistaken4 ,i don't see anything but
 trees4  ,it is too dark to see the     
village4 ,besides1 the huts are so      

small1 and so hidden by the bushes1 that
 even by daytime you could hardly find  
them4 ,and there is no light in the     
houses1 for fear of the spirits4  ,and  
where is your witch8 ,do you mean we are
 to watch her performance in complete   
darkness8  ,sham ,rao cast a furtive1   
timid look round him2 and his voice1    
when he answered our questions1 was     
somewhat tremulous4  ,i implore you not 
to call her a witch6 ,she may hear      
you4444 ,it is not far off1 it is not   
more than half a mile4 ,do not allow    
this short distance to shake your       
decision4 ,no elephant1 and even no     
horse1 could make its way there4 ,we    
must walk4444 ,but we shall find plenty 
of light there4444   ,this was          
unexpected1 and far from agreeable4 ,to 
walk in this gloomy ,indian night2 to   
scramble through thickets of cactuses2  
to venture in a dark forest1 full of    
wild animals--this was too much for     
,miss ,x----4 ,she declared that she    
would go no further4 ,she would wait for

 us in the howdah1 on the elephant's    
back1 and perhaps would go to sleep4    
,narayan was against this parti de      
plaisir from the very beginning1 and    
now1 without explaining his reasons1 he 
said she was the only sensible one among
 us4  ,you won't lose anything1 he      
remarked1 by staying where you are4 ,and
 ,i only wish everyone would follow your
 example4  ,what ground have you for    
saying so1 ,i wonder8 remonstrated ,sham
 ,rao1 and a slight note of             
disappointment rang in his voice1 when  
he saw that the excursion1 proposed and 
organized by himself1 threatened to come
 to nothing4 ,what harm could be done by
 it8 ,i won't insist any more that the  
'incarnation of gods' is a rare sight1  
and that the ,europeans hardly ever have
 an opportunity of witnessing it2 but1  
besides1 the ,kangalim in question is no
 ordinary woman4 ,she leads a holy life2
 she is a prophetess1 and her blessing  
could not prove harmful to any one4 ,i  
insisted on this excursion out of pure  

patriotism4  ,sahib1 if your patriotism 
consists in displaying before foreigners
 the worst of our plagues1 then why did 
you not order all the lepers of your    
district to assemble and parade before  
the eyes of our guests8 ,you are a      
patel1 you have the power to do it4     
,how bitterly ,narayan's voice sounded  
to our unaccustomed ears4 ,usually he   
was so even-tempered1 so indifferent to 
everything belonging to the exterior    
world4  ,fearing a quarrel between the  
,hindus1 the colonel remarked1 in a     
conciliatory tone1 that it was too late 
for us to reconsider our expedition4    
,besides1 without being a believer in   
the incarnation of gods1 he was         
personally firmly convinced that        
demoniacs existed even in the ,west4 ,he
 was eager to study every psychological 
phenomenon1 wherever he met with it1 and
 whatever shape it might assume4  ,it   
would have been a striking sight for our
 ,european and ,american friends if they
 had beheld our procession on that dark 

night4 ,our way lay along a narrow      
winding path up the mountain4 ,not more 
than two people could walk together--and
 we were thirty1 including the          
torch-bearers4 ,surely some reminiscence
 of night sallies against the           
confederate ,southerners had revived in 
the colonel's breast1 judging by the    
readiness with which he took upon       
himself the leadership of our small     
expedition4 ,he ordered all the rifles  
and revolvers to be loaded1 despatched  
three torch-bearers to march ahead of   
us1 and arranged us in pairs4 ,under    
such a skilled chieftain we had nothing 
to fear from tigers2 and so our         
procession started1 and slowly crawled  
up the winding path4  ,it cannot be said
 that the inquisitive travelers1 who    
appeared later on1 in the den of the    
prophetess of ,mandu1 shone through the 
freshness and elegance of their         
costumes4 ,my gown1 as well as the      
traveling suits of the colonel and of   
,mr4 ,y---- were nearly torn to pieces4 

,the cactuses gathered from us whatever 
tribute they could1 and the ,babu's     
disheveled hair swarmed with a whole    
colony of grasshoppers and fireflies1   
which1 probably1 were attracted thither 
by the smell of cocoa-nut oil4 ,the     
stout ,sham ,rao panted like a steam    
engine4 ,narayan alone was like his     
usual self2 that is to say1 like a      
bronze ,hercules1 armed with a club4 ,at
 the last abrupt turn of the path1 after
 having surmounted the difficulty of    
climbing over huge1 scattered stones1 we
 suddenly found ourselves on a perfectly
 smooth place2 our eyes1 in spite of our
 many torches1 were dazzled with light2 
and our ears were struck by a medley of 
unusual sounds4  ,a new glen opened     
before us1 the entrance of which1 from  
the valley1 was well masked by thick    
trees4 ,we understood how easily we     
might have wandered round it1 without   
ever suspecting its existence4 ,at the  
bottom of the glen we discovered the    
abode of the celebrated ,kangalim4  ,the

 den1 as it turned out1 was situated in 
the ruin of an old ,hindu temple in     
tolerably good preservation4 ,in all    
probability it was built long before the
 dead city1 because during the epoch of 
the latter1 the heathen were not allowed
 to have their own places of worship2   
and the temple stood quite close to the 
wall of the town1 in fact1 right under  
it4 ,the cupolas of the two smaller     
lateral pagodas had fallen long ago1 and
 huge bushes grew out of their altars4  
,this evening1 their branches were      
hidden under a mass of bright colored   
rags1 bits of ribbon1 little pots1 and  
various other talismans2 because1 even  
in them1 popular superstition sees      
something sacred4  ,and are not these   
poor people right8 ,did not these bushes
 grow on sacred ground8 ,is not their   
sap impregnated with the incense of     
offerings1 and the exhalations of holy  
anchorites1 who once lived and breathed 
here8  ,the learned1 but superstitious  
,sham ,rao would only answer our        

questions by new questions4  ,but the   
central temple1 built of red granite1   
stood unharmed by time1 and1 as we      
learned afterwards1 a deep tunnel opened
 just behind its closely-shut door4     
,what was beyond it no one knew4 ,sham  
,rao assured us that no man of the last 
three generations had ever stepped over 
the threshold of this thick iron door2  
no one had seen the subterranean passage
 for many years4 ,kangalim lived there  
in perfect isolation1 and1 according to 
the oldest people in the neighborhood1  
she had always lived there4 ,some people
 said she was three hundred years old2  
others alleged that a certain old man on
 his death-bed had revealed to his son  
that this old woman was no one else than
 his own uncle4 ,this fabulous uncle had
 settled in the cave in the times when  
the dead city still counted several     
hundreds of inhabitants4 ,the hermit1   
busy paving his road to ,moksha1 had no 
intercourse with the rest of the world1 
and nobody knew how he lived and what he

 ate4 ,but a good while ago1 in the days
 when the ,bellati 7foreigners7 had not 
yet taken possession of this mountain1  
the old hermit suddenly was transformed 
into a hermitess4 ,she continues his    
pursuits and speaks with his voice1 and 
often in his name2 but she receives     
worshippers1 which was not the practice 
of her predecessor4  ,we had come too   
early1 and the ,pythia did not at first 
appear4 ,but the square before the      
temple was full of people1 and a wild1  
though picturesque1 scene it was4 ,an   
enormous bonfire blazed in the centre1  
and round it crowded the naked savages  
like so many black gnomes1 adding whole 
branches of trees sacred to the seven   
sister-goddesses4 ,slowly and evenly    
they all jumped from one leg to another 
to a tune of a single monotonous musical
 phrase1 which they repeated in chorus1 
accompanied by several local drums and  
tambourines4 ,the hushed trill of the   
latter mingled with the forest echoes   
and the hysterical moans of two little  

girls1 who lay under a heap of leaves by
 the fire4 ,the poor children were      
brought here by their mothers1 in the   
hope that the goddesses would take pity 
upon them and banish the two evil       
spirits under whose obsession they were4
 ,both mothers were quite young1 and sat
 on their heels blankly and sadly       
staring at the flames4 ,no one paid us  
the slightest attention when we         
appeared1 and afterwards during all our 
stay these people acted as if we were   
invisible4 ,had we worn a cap of        
darkness they could not have behaved    
more strangely4  ,they feel the approach
 of the gods6 ,the atmosphere is full of
 their sacred emanations6 mysteriously  
explained ,sham ,rao1 contemplating with
 reverence the natives1 whom his beloved
 ,haeckel might have easily mistaken for
 his missing link1 the brood of his     
,bathybius ,haeckelii4  ,they are simply
 under the influence of toddy and opium6
 retorted the irreverent ,babu4  ,the   
lookers-on moved as in a dream1 as if   

they all were only half-awakened        
somnambulists2 but the actors were      
simply victims of ,st4 ,vitus's dance4  
,one of them1 a tall old man1 a mere    
skeleton with a long white beard1 left  
the ring and begun whirling             
vertiginously1 with his arms spread like
 wings1 and loudly grinding his long1   
wolf-like teeth4 ,he was painful and    
disgusting to look at4 ,he soon fell    
down1 and was carelessly1 almost        
mechanically1 pushed aside by the feet  
of the others still engaged in their    
demoniac performance4  ,all this was    
frightful enough1 but many more horrors 
were in store for us4  ,waiting for the 
appearance of the prima donna of this   
forest opera company1 we sat down on the
 trunk of a fallen tree1 ready to ask   
innumerable questions of our            
condescending host4 ,but ,i was hardly  
seated1 when a feeling of indescribable 
astonishment and horror made me shrink  
back4  ,i beheld the skull of a         
monstrous animal1 the like of which ,i  

could not find in my zoological         
reminiscences4 ,this head was much      
larger than the head of an elephant     
skeleton4 ,and still it could not be    
anything but an elephant1 judging by the
 skillfully restored trunk1 which wound 
down to my feet like a gigantic black   
leech4 ,but an elephant has no horns1   
whereas this one had four of them6 ,the 
front pair stuck from the flat forehead 
slightly bending forward and then       
spreading out2 and the others had a wide
 base1 like the root of a deer's horn1  
that gradually decreased almost up to   
the middle1 and bore long branches      
enough to decorate a dozen ordinary     
elks4 ,pieces of the transparent        
amber-yellow rhinoceros skin were       
strained over the empty eye-holes of the
 skull1 and small lamps burning behind  
them only added to the horror1 the      
devilish appearance of this head4  ,what
 can this be8 was our unanimous         
question4 ,none of us had ever met      
anything like it1 and even the colonel  

looked aghast4  ,it is a ,sivatherium1  
said ,narayan4 ,is it possible you never
 came across these fossils in ,european 
museums8 ,their remains are common      
enough in the ,himalayas1 though1 of    
course1 in fragments4 ,they were called 
after ,shiva4  ,if the collector of this
 district ever hears that this          
antediluvian relic adorns the den of    
your--ahem6--witch1 remarked the ,babu1 
it won't adorn it many days longer4     
,all round the skull1 and on the floor  
of the portico there were heaps of white
 flowers1 which1 though not quite       
antediluvian1 were totally unknown to   
us4 ,they were as large as a big rose2  
and their white petals were covered with
 a red powder1 the inevitable           
concomitant of every ,indian religious  
ceremony4 ,further on1 there were groups
 of cocoa-nuts1 and large brass dishes  
filled with rice2 and each adorned with 
a red or green taper4 ,in the centre of 
the portico there stood a queer-shaped  
censer1 surrounded with chandeliers4 ,a 

little boy1 dressed from head to foot in
 white1 threw into it handfuls of       
aromatic powders4  ,these people1 who   
assemble here to worship ,kangalim1 said
 ,sham ,rao1 do not actually belong     
either to her sect or to any other4     
,they are devil-worshippers4 ,they do   
not believe in ,hindu gods1 but live in 
small communities2 they belong to one of
 the many ,indian races1 which usually  
are called the hill-tribes4 ,unlike the 
,shanars of ,southern ,travancore1 they 
do not use the blood of sacrificial     
animals2 they do not build separate     
temples to their bhutas4 ,but they are  
possessed by the strange fancy that the 
goddess ,kali1 the wife of ,shiva1 from 
time immemorial has had a grudge against
 them1 and sends her favorite evil      
spirits to torture them4 ,save this     
little difference1 they have the same   
beliefs as the ,shanars4 ,god does not  
exist for them2 and even ,shiva is      
considered by them as an ordinary       
spirit4 ,their chief worship is offered 

to the souls of the dead4 ,these souls1 
however righteous and kind they may be  
in their lifetime1 become after death as
 wicked as can be2 they are happy only  
when they are torturing living men and  
cattle4 ,as the opportunities of doing  
so are the only reward for the virtues  
they possessed when incarnated1 a very  
wicked man is punished by becoming after
 his death a very soft-hearted ghost2 he
 loathes his loss of daring1 and is     
altogether miserable4 ,the results of   
this strange logic are not bad1         
nevertheless4 ,these savages and        
devil-worshippers are the kindest and   
the most truth-loving of all the        
hill-tribes4 ,they do whatever they can 
to be worthy of their ultimate reward2  
because1 don't you see1 they all long to
 become the wickedest of devils64444    
,and put in good humor by his own       
wittiness1 ,sham ,rao laughed till his  
hilarity became offensive1 considering  
the sacredness of the place4  ,a year   
ago some business matters sent me to    

,tinevelli1 continued he4 ,staying with 
a friend of mine1 who is a ,shanar1 ,i  
was allowed to be present at one of the 
ceremonies in the honor of devils4 ,no  
,european has as yet witnessed this     
worship--whatever the missionaries may  
say2 but there are many converts amongst
 the ,shanars1 who willingly describe   
them to the padres4 ,my friend is a     
wealthy man1 which is probably the      
reason why the devils are especially    
vicious to him4 ,they poison his cattle1
 spoil his crops and his coffee plants1 
and persecute his numerous relations1   
sending them sunstrokes1 madness and    
epilepsy1 over which illnesses they     
especially preside4 ,these wicked demons
 have settled in every corner of his    
spacious landed property--in the woods1 
the ruins1 and even in his stables4 ,to 
avert all this1 my friend covered his   
land with stucco pyramids1 and prayed   
humbly1 asking the demons to draw their 
portraits on each of them1 so that he   
may recognize them and worship each of  

them separately1 as the rightful owner  
of this1 or that1 particular pyramid4   
,and what do you think84444 ,next       
morning all the pyramids were found     
covered with drawings4 ,each of them    
bore an incredibly good likeness of the 
dead of the neighborhood4 ,my friend had
 known personally almost all of them4   
,he found also a portrait of his own    
late father amongst the lot44444  ,well8
 ,and was he satisfied8  ,oh1 he was    
very glad1 very satisfied4 ,it enabled  
him to choose the right thing to gratify
 the personal tastes of each demon1     
don't you see8 ,he was not vexed at     
finding his father's portrait4 ,his     
father was somewhat irascible2 once he  
nearly broke both his son's legs1       
administering to him fatherly punishment
 with an iron bar1 so that he could not 
possibly be very dangerous after his    
death4 ,but another portrait1 found on  
the best and the prettiest of the       
pyramids1 amazed my friend a good deal1 
and put him in a blue funk4 ,the whole  

district recognized an ,english officer1
 a certain ,captain ,pole1 who in his   
lifetime was as kind a gentleman as ever
 lived4  ,indeed8 ,but do you mean to   
say that this strange people worshipped 
,captain ,pole also8  ,of course they   
did6 ,captain ,pole was such a worthy   
man1 such an honest officer1 that1 after
 his death1 he could not help being     
promoted to the highest rank of ,shanar 
devils4 ,the ,pe-,kovil1 demon's house1 
sacred to his memory1 stands side by    
side with the ,pe-,kovil ,bhadrakali1   
which was recently conferred on the wife
 of a certain ,german missionary1 who   
also was a most charitable lady and so  
is very dangerous now4  ,but what are   
their ceremonies8 ,tell us something    
about their rites4  ,their rites consist
 chiefly of dancing1 singing1 and       
killing sacrificial animals4 ,the       
,shanars have no castes1 and eat all    
kinds of meat4 ,the crowd assembles     
about the ,pe-,kovil1 previously        
designated by the priest2 there is a    

general beating of drums1 and           
slaughtering of fowls1 sheep and goats4 
,when ,captain ,pole's turn came an ox  
was killed1 as a thoughtful attention to
 the peculiar tastes of his nation4 ,the
 priest appeared1 covered with bangles1 
and holding a wand on which tinkled     
numberless little bells1 and wearing    
garlands of red and white flowers round 
his neck1 and a black mantle1 on which  
were embroidered the ugliest fiends you 
can imagine4 ,horns were blown and drums
 rolled incessantly4 ,and oh1 ,i forgot 
to tell you there was also a kind of    
fiddle1 the secret of which is known    
only to the ,shanar priesthood4 ,its bow
 is ordinary enough1 made of bamboo2 but
 it is whispered that the strings are   
human veins4444 ,when ,captain ,pole    
took possession of the priest's body1   
the priest leapt high in the air1 and   
then rushed on the ox and killed him4   
,he drank off the hot blood1 and then   
began his dance4 ,but what a fright he  
was when dancing6 ,you know1 ,i am not  

superstitious4444 ,am ,i8444  ,sham ,rao
 looked at us inquiringly1 and ,i1 for  
one1 was glad1 at this moment1 that     
,miss ,x---- was half a mile off1 asleep
 in the howdah4  ,he turned1 and turned1
 as if possessed by all the demons of   
,naraka4 ,the enraged crowd hooted and  
howled when the priest begun to inflict 
deep wounds all over his body with the  
bloody sacrificial knife4 ,to see him1  
with his hair waving in the wind and his
 mouth covered with foam2 to see him    
bathing in the blood of the sacrificed  
animal1 mixing it with his own1 was more
 than ,i could bear4 ,i felt as if      
hallucinated1 ,i fancied ,i also was    
spinning round4444  ,sham ,rao stopped  
abruptly1 struck dumb4 ,kangalim stood  
before us6  ,her appearance was so      
unexpected that we all felt embarrassed4
 ,carried away by ,sham ,rao's          
description1 we had noticed neither how 
nor whence she came4 ,had she appeared  
from beneath the earth we could not have
 been more astonished4 ,narayan stared  

at her1 opening wide his big jet-black  
eyes2 the ,babu clicked his tongue in   
utter confusion4 ,imagine a skeleton    
seven feet high1 covered with brown     
leather1 with a dead child's tiny head  
stuck on its bony shoulders2 the eyes   
set so deep and at the same time        
flashing such fiendish flames all       
through your body that you begin to feel
 your brain stop working1 your thoughts 
become entangled and your blood freeze  
in your veins4  ,i describe my personal 
impressions1 and no words of mine can do
 them justice4 ,my description is too   
weak4  ,mr4 ,y---- and the colonel both 
grew pale under her stare1 and ,mr4     
,y----made a movement as if about to    
rise4  ,needless to say that such an    
impression could not last4 ,as soon as  
the witch had turned her gleaming eyes  
to the kneeling crowd1 it vanished as   
swiftly as it had come4 ,but still all  
our attention was fixed on this         
remarkable creature4  ,three hundred    
years old6 ,who can tell8 ,judging by   

her appearance1 we might as well        
conjecture her to be a thousand4 ,we    
beheld a genuine living mummy1 or rather
 a mummy endowed with motion4 ,she      
seemed to have been withering since the 
creation4 ,neither time1 nor the ills of
 life1 nor the elements could ever      
affect this living statue of death4 ,the
 all-destroying hand of time had touched
 her and stopped short4 ,time could do  
no more1 and so had left her4 ,and with 
all this1 not a single grey hair4 ,her  
long black locks shone with a greenish  
sheen1 and fell in heavy masses down to 
her knees4  ,to my great shame1 ,i must 
confess that a disgusting reminiscence  
flashed into my memory4 ,i thought about
 the hair and the nails of corpses      
growing in the graves1 and tried to     
examine the nails of the old woman4     
,meanwhile1 she stood motionless as if  
suddenly transformed into an ugly idol4 
,in one hand she held a dish with a     
piece of burning camphor1 in the other a
 handful of rice1 and she never removed 

her burning eyes from the crowd4 ,the   
pale yellow flame of the camphor        
flickered in the wind1 and lit up her   
deathlike head1 almost touching her     
chin2 but she paid no heed to it4 ,her  
neck1 as wrinkled as a mushroom1 as thin
 as a stick1 was surrounded by three    
rows of golden medallions4 ,her head was
 adorned with a golden snake4 ,her      
grotesque1 hardly human body was covered
 by a piece of saffron-yellow muslin4   
,the demoniac little girls raised their 
heads from be-neath the leaves1 and set 
up a prolonged animal-like howl4 ,their 
example was followed by the old man1 who
 lay exhausted by his frantic dance4    
,the witch tossed her head convulsively1
 and began her invocations1 rising on   
tiptoe1 as if moved by some external    
force4  ,the goddess1 one of the seven  
sisters1 begins to take possession of   
her1 whispered ,sham ,rao1 not even     
thinking of wiping away the big drops of
 sweat that streamed from his brow4     
,look1 look at her6  ,this advice was   

quite superfluous4 ,we were looking at  
her1 and at nothing else4  ,at first1   
the movements of the witch were slow1   
unequal1 somewhat convulsive2 then1     
gradually1 they became less angular2 at 
last1 as if catching the cadence of the 
drums1 leaning all her long body        
forward1 and writhing like an eel1 she  
rushed round and round the blazing      
bonfire4 ,a dry leaf caught in a        
hurricane could not fly swifter4 ,her   
bare bony feet trod noiselessly on the  
rocky ground4 ,the long locks of her    
hair flew round her like snakes1 lashing
 the spectators1 who knelt1 stretching  
their trembling arms towards her1 and   
writhing as if they were alive4 ,whoever
 was touched by one of this ,fury's     
black curls1 fell down on the ground1   
overcome with happiness1 shouting thanks
 to the goddess1 and considering himself
 blessed for ever4 ,it was not human    
hair that touched the happy elect1 it   
was the goddess herself1 one of the     
seven4 ,swifter and swifter fly her     

decrepit legs2 the young1 vigorous hands
 of the drummer can hardly follow her4  
,but she does not think of catching the 
measure of his music2 she rushes1 she   
flies forward4 ,staring with her        
expressionless1 motionless orbs at      
something before her1 at something that 
is not visible to our mortal eyes1 she  
hardly glances at her worshippers2 then 
her look becomes full of fire2 and      
whoever she looks at feels burned       
through to the marrow of his bones4 ,at 
every glance she throws a few grains of 
rice4 ,the small handful seems          
inexhaustible1 as if the wrinkled palm  
contained the bottomless bag of ,prince 
,fortunatus4  ,suddenly she stops as if 
thunderstruck4  ,the mad race round the 
bonfire had lasted twelve minutes1 but  
we looked in vain for a trace of fatigue
 on the deathlike face of the witch4    
,she stopped only for a moment1 just the
 necessary time for the goddess to      
release her4 ,as soon as she felt free1 
by a single effort she jumped over the  

fire and plunged into the deep tank by  
the portico4 ,this time1 she plunged    
only once2 and whilst she stayed under  
the water1 the second sister-goddess    
entered her body4 ,the little boy in    
white produced another dish1 with a new 
piece of burning camphor1 just in time  
for the witch to take it up1 and to rush
 again on her headlong way4  ,the       
colonel sat with his watch in his hand4 
,during the second obsession the witch  
ran1 leaped1 and raced for exactly      
fourteen minutes4 ,after this1 she      
plunged twice in the tank1 in honor of  
the second sister2 and with every new   
obsession the number of her plunges     
increased1 till it became six4  ,it was 
already an hour and a half since the    
race began4 ,all this time the witch    
never rested1 stopping only for a few   
seconds1 to disappear under the water4  
,she is a fiend1 she cannot be a woman6 
exclaimed the colonel1 seeing the head  
of the witch immersed for the sixth time
 in the water4  ,hang me if ,i know6    

grumbled ,mr4 ,y----1 nervously pulling 
his beard4 ,the only thing ,i know is   
that a grain of her cursed rice entered 
my throat1 and ,i can't get it out6     
,hush1 hush6 ,please1 do be quiet6      
implored ,sham ,rao4 ,by talking you    
will spoil the whole business6  ,i      
glanced at ,narayan and lost myself in  
conjectures4 ,his features1 which       
usually were so calm and serene1 were   
quite altered at this moment1 by a deep 
shadow of suffering4 ,his lips trembled1
 and the pupils of his eyes were        
dilated1 as if by a dose of belladonna4 
,his eyes were lifted over the heads of 
the crowd1 as if in his disgust he tried
 not to see what was before him1 and at 
the same time could not see it1 engaged 
in a deep reverie1 which carried him    
away from us1 and from the whole        
performance4  ,what is the matter with  
him8 was my thought1 but ,i had no time 
to ask him1 because the witch was again 
in full swing1 chasing her own shadow4  
,but with the seventh goddess the       

programme was slightly changed4 ,the    
running of the old woman changed to     
leaping4 ,sometimes bending down to the 
ground1 like a black panther1 she leaped
 up to some worshipper1 and halting     
before him touched his forehead with her
 finger1 while her long1 thin body shook
 with inaudible laughter4 ,then1 again1 
as if shrinking back playfully from her 
shadow1 and chased by it1 in some       
uncanny game1 the witch appeared to us  
like a horrid caricature of ,dinorah1   
dancing her mad dance4 ,suddenly she    
straightened herself to her full height1
 darted to the portico and crouched     
before the smoking censer1 beating her  
forehead against the granite steps4     
,another jump1 and she was quite close  
to us1 before the head of the monstrous 
,sivatherium4 ,she knelt down again and 
bowed her head to the ground several    
times1 with the sound of an empty barrel
 knocked against something hard4  ,we   
had hardly the time to spring to our    
feet and shrink back when she appeared  

on the top of the ,sivatherium's head1  
standing there amongst the horns4       
,narayan alone did not stir1 and        
fearlessly looked straight in the eyes  
of the frightful sorceress4  ,but what  
was this8 ,who spoke in those deep manly
 tones8 ,her lips were moving1 from her 
breast were issuing those quick1 abrupt 
phrases1 but the voice sounded hollow as
 if coming from beneath the ground4     
,hush1 hush6 whispered ,sham ,rao1 his  
whole body trembling4 ,she is going to  
prophesy64444  ,she8 incredulously      
inquired ,mr4 ,y----4 ,this a woman's   
voice8 ,i don't believe it for a moment4
 ,someone's uncle must be stowed away   
somewhere about the place4 ,not the     
fabulous uncle she inherited from1 but a
 real live one6444  ,sham ,rao winced   
under the irony of this supposition1 and
 cast an imploring look at the speaker4 
,woe to you6 woe to you6 echoed the     
voice4 ,woe to you1 children of the     
impure ,jaya and ,vijaya6 of the        
mocking1 unbelieving lingerers round    

great ,shiva's door6 ,ye1 who are cursed
 by eighty thousand sages6 ,woe to you  
who believe not in the goddess ,kali1   
and you who deny us1 her ,seven divine  
,sisters6 ,flesh-eating1 yellow-legged  
vultures6 friends of the oppressors of  
our land6 dogs who are not ashamed to   
eat from the same trough with the       
,bellati6 7foreigners74  ,it seems to me
 that your prophetess only foretells the
 past1 said ,mr4 ,y----1 philosophically
 putting his hands in his pockets4 ,i   
should say that she is hinting at you1  
my dear ,sham ,rao4  ,yes6 and at us    
also1 murmured the colonel1 who was     
evidently beginning to feel uneasy4  ,as
 to the unlucky ,sham ,rao1 he broke out
 in a cold sweat1 and tried to assure us
 that we were mistaken1 that we did not 
fully understand her language4  ,it is  
not about you1 it is not about you6 ,it 
is of me she speaks1 because ,i am in   
,government service4 ,oh1 she is        
inexorable6  ,rakshasas6 ,asuras6       
thundered the voice4 ,how dare you      

appear before us8 how dare you to stand 
on this holy ground in boots made of a  
cow's sacred skin8 ,be cursed for       
etern----  ,but her curse was not       
destined to be finished4 ,in an instant 
the ,hercules-like ,narayan had fallen  
on the ,sivatherium1 and upset the whole
 pile1 the skull1 the horns and the     
demoniac ,pythia included4 ,a second    
more1 and we thought we saw the witch   
flying in the air towards the portico4  
,a confused vision of a stout1 shaven   
,brahman1 suddenly emerging from under  
the ,sivatherium and instantly          
disappearing in the hollow beneath it1  
flashed before my dilated eyes4  ,but1  
alas6 after the third second had passed1
 we all came to the embarrassing        
conclusion that1 judging from the loud  
clang of the door of the cave1 the      
representative of the ,seven ,sisters   
had ignominiously fled4 ,the moment she 
had disappeared from our inquisitive    
eyes to her subterranean domain1 we all 
realized that the unearthly hollow voice

 we had heard had nothing supernatural  
about it and belonged to the ,brahman   
hidden under the ,sivatherium--to       
someone's live uncle1 as ,mr4 ,y---- had
 rightly supposed4  ,oh1 ,narayan6 how  
carelessly4444 how disorderly the worlds
 rotate around us4444 ,i begin to       
seriously doubt their reality4 ,from    
this moment ,i shall earnestly believe  
that all things in the universe are     
nothing but illusion1 a mere ,maya4 ,i  
am becoming a ,vedantin4444 ,i doubt    
that in the whole universe there may be 
found anything more objective than a    
,hindu witch flying up the spout4----   
,miss ,x---- woke up1 and asked what was
 the meaning of all this noise4 ,the    
noise of many voices and the sounds of  
the many retreating footsteps1 the      
general rush of the crowd1 had          
frightened her4 ,she listened to us with
 a condescending smile1 and a few yawns1
 and went to sleep again4  ,next        
morning1 at daybreak1 we very           
reluctantly1 it must be owned1 bade     

good-bye to the kind-hearted1           
good-natured ,sham ,rao4 ,the           
confoundingly easy victory of ,narayan  
hung heavily on his mind4 ,his faith in 
the holy hermitess and the seven        
goddesses was a good deal shaken by the 
shameful capitulation of the ,sisters1  
who had surrendered at the first blow   
from a mere mortal4 ,but during the dark
 hours of the night he had had time to  
think it over1 and to shake off the     
uneasy feeling of having unwillingly    
misled and disappointed his ,european   
friends4  ,sham ,rao still looked       
confused when he shook hands with us at 
parting1 and expressed to us the best   
wishes of his family and himself4  ,as  
to the heroes of this truthful          
narrative1 they mounted their elephants 
once more1 and directed their heavy     
steps towards the high road and         
,jubbulpore4     ,god's ,warrior    ,the
 direction of our pilgrimage of         
self-improvement lay towards the        
north-west1 as was previously decided4  

,we were very impatient to see these    
status in statu of ,anglo-,india1       
but4444 ,do what you may1 there always  
will be a but4  ,we left the ,jubbulpore
 line several miles from ,nassik2 and1  
to return to it1 we had to go back to   
,akbarpur1 then travel by doubtful      
,local-,board roads to the station      
,vanevad and take the train of ,holkar's
 line1 which joins the ,great ,indian   
,peninsular ,railway4  ,meanwhile1 the  
,bagh caves were quite close to us1 not 
more than fifty miles off1 to the east  
from ,mandu4 ,we were undecided whether 
to leave them alone or go back to the   
,nerbudda4 ,in the country situated on  
the other side of ,kandesh1 our ,babu   
had some chums1 as everywhere else in   
,india2 the omnipresent ,bengali ,babus1
 who are always glad to be of some      
service to you1 are scattered all over  
,hindostan1 like the ,jews in ,russia4  
,besides1 our party was joined by a new 
member4  ,the day before we had received
 a letter from ,swami ,dayanand1 carried

 to us by a traveling ,sannyasi4        
,dayanand informed us that the cholera  
was increasing every day in ,hardwar1   
and that we must postpone making his    
acquaintance personally till the end of 
,may1 either in ,dehra-,dun1 at the foot
 of ,himalaya1 or in ,saharanpur1 which 
attracts every tourist by its charming  
situation4  ,the ,sannyasi brought us   
also a nosegay from the ,swami1 a       
nosegay of the most extraordinary       
flowers1 which are totally unknown in   
,europe4 ,they grow only in certain     
,himalayan valleys2 they possess the    
wonderful capacity of changing their    
color after midday1 and do not look dead
 even when faded4 ,the ,latin name of   
this charming plant is ,hibiscus        
mutabilis4 ,at night they are nothing   
but a large knot of pressed green       
leaves1 but from dawn till ten o'clock  
the flowers open and look like large    
snow-white roses2 then1 towards twelve  
o'clock1 they begin to redden1 and later
 in the afternoon they look as crimson  

as a peony4 ,these flowers are sacred to
 the ,asuras1 a kind of fallen angels in
 ,hindu mythology1 and to the sun-god   
,surya4 ,the latter deity fell in love  
with an ,asuri at the beginning of      
creation1 and since then is constantly  
caught whispering words of fiery love to
 the flower that shelters her4 ,but the 
,asura is a virgin2 she gives herself   
entirely to the service of the goddess  
,chastity1 who is the patroness of all  
the ascetic brotherhoods4 ,the love of  
,surya is vain1 ,asura will not listen  
to him4 ,but under the flaming arrows of
 the enamoured god she blushes and in   
appearance loses her purity4 ,the       
natives call this plant lajjalu1 the    
modest one4  ,we were spending the night
 by a brook1 under a shadowy fig-tree4  
,the ,sannyasi1 who had made a wide     
circuit to fulfil ,dayanand's request1  
made friends with us2 and we sat up late
 in the night1 listening whilst he      
talked about his travels1 the wonders of
 his native country1 once so great1 and 

about the heroic deeds of old           
,runjit-,sing1 the ,lion of the ,punjab4
  ,strange1 mysterious beings are found 
sometimes amongst these traveling monks4
 ,some of them are very learned2 read   
and talk ,sanskrit2 know all about      
modern science and politics2 and1       
nevertheless1 remain faithful to their  
ancient philosophical conceptions4      
,generally they do not wear any clothes1
 except a piece of muslin round the     
loins1 which is insisted upon by the    
police of the towns inhabited by        
,europeans4 ,they wander from the age of
 fifteen1 all their lives1 and die      
generally very aged4 ,they live never   
giving a thought to the morrow1 like the
 birds of heaven1 and the lilies of the 
field4 ,they never touch money1 and are 
contented with a handful of rice4 ,all  
their worldly possessions consist of a  
small dry pumpkin to carry water1 a     
rosary1 a brass cup and a walking stick4
 ,the ,sannyasis and the ,swamis are    
usually ,sikhs from the ,punjab1 and    

monotheists4 ,they despise              
idol-worshipers1 and have nothing to do 
with them1 though the latter very often 
call themselves by their names4  ,our   
new friend was a native of ,amritsar1 in
 the ,punjab1 and had been brought up in
 the ,golden ,temple1 on the banks of   
,amrita-,saras1 the ,lake of            
,immortality4 ,the head ,guru1 or       
instructor1 of ,sikhs resides there4 ,he
 never crosses the boundaries of the    
temple4 ,his chief occupation is the    
study of the book called ,adigrantha1   
which belongs to the sacred literature  
of this strange bellicose sect4 ,the    
,sikhs respect him as much as the       
,tibetans respect their ,dalai-,lama4   
,the ,lamas in general consider the     
latter to be the incarnation of ,buddha1
 the ,sikhs think that the ,maha-,guru  
of ,amritsar is the incarnation of      
,nanak1 the founder of their sect4      
,nevertheless1 no true ,sikh will ever  
say that ,nanak was a deity2 they look  
on him as a prophet1 inspired by the    

spirit of the only ,god4 ,this shows    
that our ,sannyasi was not one of the   
naked travelling monks1 but a true      
,akali2 one of the six hundred          
warrior-priests attached to the ,golden 
,temple1 for the purpose of serving ,god
 and protecting the temple from the     
destructive ,mussulmans4 ,his name was  
,ram-,runjit-,das2 and his personal     
appearance was in perfect accordance    
with his title of ,god's warrior4 ,his  
exterior was very remarkable and        
typical2 and he looked like a muscular  
centurion of ancient ,roman legions1    
rather than a peaceable servant of the  
altar4 ,ram-,runjit-,das appeared to us 
mounted on a magnificent horse1 and     
accompanied by another ,sikh1 who       
respectfully walked some distance behind
 him1 and was evidently passing through 
his noviciate4 ,our ,hindu companions   
had discerned that he was an ,akali1    
when he was still in the distance4 ,he  
wore a bright blue tunic without        
sleeves1 exactly like that we see on the

 statues of ,roman warriors4 ,broad     
steel bracelets protected his strong    
arms1 and a shield protruded from behind
 his back4 ,a blue1 conical turban      
covered his head1 and round his waist   
were many steel circlets4 ,the enemies  
of the ,sikhs assert that these sacred  
sectarian belts become more dangerous in
 the hand of an experienced ,god's      
warrior1 than any other weapon4  ,the   
,sikhs are the bravest and the most     
warlike sect of the whole ,punjab4 ,the 
word sikh means disciple4 ,founded in   
the fifteenth century by the wealthy and
 noble ,brahman ,nanak1 the new teaching
 spread so successfully amongst the     
northern soldiers1 that in #aeci ,a4,d41
 when the founder died1 it counted one  
hundred thousand followers4 ,at the     
present time1 this sect1 harmonizing    
closely with the fiery natural          
mysticism1 and the warlike tendencies of
 the natives1 is the reigning creed of  
the whole ,punjab4 ,it is based on the  
principles of theocratic rule2 but its  

dogmas are almost totally unknown to    
,europeans2 the teachings1 the religious
 conceptions1 and the rites of the      
,sikhs1 are kept secret4 ,the following 
details are known generally3 the ,sikhs 
are ardent monotheists1 they refuse to  
recognize caste2 have no restrictions in
 diet1 like ,europeans2 and bury their  
dead1 which1 except among ,mussulmans1  
is a rare exception in ,india4 ,the     
second volume of the ,adigrantha teaches
 them to adore the only true ,god2 to   
avoid superstitions2 to help the dead1  
that they may lead a righteous life2 and
 to earn one's living1 sword in hand4   
,govinda1 one of the great ,gurus of the
 ,sikhs1 ordered them never to shave    
their beards and moustaches1 and not to 
cut their hair--in order that they may  
not be mistaken for ,mussulmans or any  
other native of ,india4  ,many a        
desperate battle the ,sikhs fought and  
won1 against the ,mussulmans1 and       
against the ,hindus4 ,their leader1 the 
celebrated ,runjit-,sing1 after having  

been acknowledged the autocrat of the   
,upper ,punjab1 concluded a treaty with 
,lord ,auckland1 at the beginning of    
this century1 in which his country was  
proclaimed an independent state4 ,but   
after the death of the old lion1 his    
throne became the cause of the most     
dreadful civil wars and disorders4 ,his 
son1 ,maharaja ,dhulip-,sing1 proved    
quite unfit for the high post he        
inherited from his father1 and1 under   
him1 the ,sikhs became an               
ill-disciplined restless mob4 ,their    
attempt to conquer the whole of         
,hindostan proved disastrous4           
,persecuted by his own soldiers1        
,dhulip-,sing sought the help of        
,englishmen1 and was sent away to       
,scotland4 ,and some time after this1   
the ,sikhs took their place amongst the 
rest of ,britain's ,indian subjects4    
,but still there remains a strong body  
of the great ,sikh sect of old4 ,the    
,kuks represent the most dangerous      
underground current of the popular      

hatred4 ,this new sect was founded about
 thirty years ago written in #ahgi by   
,balaka-,rama1 and1 at first1 formed a  
bulk of people near ,attok1 in the      
,punjab1 on the east bank of the ,indus1
 exactly on the spot where the latter   
becomes navigable4 ,balaka-,rama had a  
double aim2 to restore the religion of  
the ,sikhs to its pristine purity1 and  
to organize a secret political body1    
which must be ready for everything1 at a
 moment's notice4 ,this brotherhood     
consists of sixty thousand members1 who 
pledged themselves never to reveal their
 secrets1 and never to disobey any order
 of their leaders4 ,in ,attok they are  
few1 for the town is small4 ,but we were
 assured that the ,kuks live everywhere 
in ,india4 ,their community is so       
perfectly organized that it is          
impossible to find them out1 or to learn
 the names of their leaders4  ,in the   
course of the evening our ,akali        
presented us with a little crystal      
bottle1 filled with water from the ,lake

 of ,immortality4 ,he said that a drop  
of it would cure all diseases of the    
eye4 ,there are numbers of fresh springs
 at the bottom of this lake1 and so its 
water is wonderfully pure and           
transparent1 in spite of hundreds of    
people daily bathing in it4 ,when1 later
 on1 we visited it1 we had the          
opportunity to verify the fact that the 
smallest stone at the bottom is seen    
perfectly distinctly1 all over the one  
hundred and fifty square yards of the   
lake4 ,amrita-,saran is the most        
charming of all the sights of ,northern 
,india4 ,the reflection of the ,golden  
,temple in its crystal waters makes a   
picture that is simply feerique4  ,we   
had still seven weeks at our disposal4  
,we were undecided between exploring the
 ,bombay ,presidency1 the ,north-,west  
,provinces and the ,rajistan4 ,which    
were we to choose8 ,where were we to go8
 ,how best to employ our time8 ,before  
such a variety of interesting places we 
became irresolute4 ,hyderabad1 which is 

said to transport the tourists into the 
scenery of the ,arabian ,nights1 seemed 
so attractive that we seriously thought 
of turning our elephants back to the    
territory of the ,nizam4 ,we grew fond  
of the idea of visiting this ,city of   
the ,lion1 which was built in #aehi by  
the magnificent                         
,mohamed-,kuli-,kuth-,shah1 who was so  
used to luxuries of every kind as to    
grow weary even of ,golkonda1 with all  
its fairyland castles and bright        
gardens4 ,some buildings of ,hyderabad1 
mere remnants of the past glory1 are    
still known to renown4 ,mir-,abu-,talib1
 the keeper of the ,royal ,treasury1    
states that ,mohamed-,kuli-,shah spent  
the fabulous sum of ,l #b1hjj1jjj       
sterling on the embellishment of the    
town1 at the beginning of his reign2    
though the labor of the workmen did not 
cost him anything at all4 ,save these   
few memorials of greatness1 the town    
looks like a heap of rubbish nowadays4  
,but all tourists are unanimous on one  

point1 namely1 that the ,british        
,residency of ,hyderabad still deserves 
its title of the ,versailles of ,india4 
,the title the ,british ,residency      
bears1 and everything it may contain at 
the present time1 are mere trifles      
compared with the past4 ,i remember     
reading a chapter of the ,history of    
,hyderabad1 by an ,english author1 which
 contained something to the following   
effect3 ,whilst the ,resident           
entertained the gentlemen1 his wife was 
similarly employed receiving the ladies 
a few yards off1 in a separate palace1  
which was as sumptuous1 and bore the    
name of ,rang-,mahal4 ,both palaces were
 built by ,colonel ,kirkpatrick1 the    
late minister at the ,nizam's court4    
,having married a native princess1 he   
constructed this charming abode for her 
personal use4 ,its garden is surrounded 
by a high wall1 as is customary in the  
,orient1 and the centre of the garden is
 adorned with a large marble fountain1  
covered with scenes from the ,ramayana1 

and mosaics1 ,pavilions1 galleries and  
terraces--everything in this garden is  
loaded with adornments of the most      
costly ,oriental style1 that is to say1 
with abundance of inlaid designs1       
paintings1 gilding1 ivory and marble4   
,the great attraction of ,mrs4          
,kirkpatrick's receptions were the      
nautches1 magnificently dressed1 thanks 
to the generosity of the ,resident4     
,some of them wore a cargo of jewels    
worth ,l #cj1jjj1 and literally shone   
from head to foot with diamonds and     
other precious stones4  ,the glorious   
times of the ,east ,india ,company are  
beyond recall1 and no ,residents1 and   
even no native princes1 could now afford
 to be so generous4 ,india1 this most   
precious diamond of the ,british crown1 
is utterly exhausted1 like a pile of    
gold in the hands of an alchemist1 who  
thriftlessly spent it in the hope of    
finding the philosopher's stone4        
,besides ruining themselves and the     
country1 the ,anglo-,indians commit the 

greatest blunders1 at least in two      
points of their present ,government     
system4 ,these two points are3 first1   
the ,western education they give to the 
higher classes2 and1 secondly1 the      
protection and maintenance of the rights
 of idol worship4 ,neither of these     
systems is wise4 ,by means of the first 
they successfully replace the religious 
feelings of old ,india1 which1 however  
false1 had the great advantage of being 
sincere1 by a positive atheism amongst  
the young generation of the ,brahmans2  
and by the means of the second they     
flatter only the ignorant masses1 from  
whom nothing is to be feared under any  
circumstances4 ,if the patriotic        
feelings of the bulk of the population  
could possibly be roused1 the ,english  
would have been slaughtered long ago4   
,the rural populace is unarmed1 it is   
true1 but a crowd seeking revenge could 
use the brass and stone idols1 sent to  
,india by thousands from ,birmingham1   
with as great success as if they were so

 many swords4 ,but1 as it is1 the masses
 of ,india are indifferent and harmless2
 so that the only existing danger comes 
from the side of the educated classes4  
,and the ,english fail to see that the  
better the education they give them1 the
 more careful they must be to avoid     
reopening the old wounds1 always alive  
to new injury1 in the heart of every    
true ,hindu4 ,the ,hindus are proud of  
the past of their country1 dreams of    
past glories are their only compensation
 for the bitter present4 ,the ,english  
education they receive only enables them
 to learn that ,europe was plunged in   
the darkness of the ,stone ,age1 when   
,india was in the full growth of her    
splendid civilization4 ,and so the      
comparison of their past with their     
present is only the more sad4 ,this     
consideration never hinders the         
,anglo-,indians from hurting the        
feelings of the ,hindus4 ,for instance1 
in the unanimous opinion of travelers   
and antiquarians1 the most interesting  

building of ,hyderabad is               
,chahar-,minar1 a college that was built
 by ,mohamed-,kuli-,khan on the ruins of
 a still more ancient college4 ,it is   
built at the crossing of four streets1  
on four arches1 which are so high that  
loaded camels and elephants with their  
turrets pass through freely4 ,over these
 arches rise the several stories of the 
college4 ,each story once was destined  
for a separate branch of learning4      
,alas6 the times when ,india studied    
philosophy and astronomy at the feet of 
her great sages are gone1 and the       
,english have transformed the college   
itself into a warehouse4 ,the hall1     
which served for the study of astronomy1
 and was filled with quaint1 medieval   
apparatus1 is now used for a depot of   
opium2 and the hall of philosophy       
contains huge boxes of liqueurs1 rum and
 champagne1 which are prohibited by the 
,koran1 as well as by the ,brahmans4    
,we were so enchanted by what we heard  
about ,hyderabad1 that we resolved to   

start thither the very next morning1    
when our ciceroni and companions        
destroyed all our plans by a single     
word4 ,this word was3 heat4 ,during the 
hot season in ,hyderabad the thermometer
 reaches ninety-eight degrees           
,fahrenheit in the shade1 and the       
temperature of the water in the ,indus  
is the temperature of the blood4 ,as to 
,upper ,sindh1 where the dryness of the 
air1 and the extreme aridity of the     
sandy soil reproduce the ,sahara in     
miniature1 the usual shade temperature  
is one hundred and thirty degrees       
,fahrenheit4 ,no wonder the missionaries
 have no chance there4 ,the most        
eloquent of ,dante's descriptions of    
hell could hardly produce anything but a
 cooling effect on a populace who live  
perfectly contented under these         
circumstances4  ,calculating that there 
was no obstacle to our going to the     
,bagh caves1 and that going to ,sindh   
was a perfect impossibility1 we         
recovered our equanimity4 ,then the     

general council decided that we had     
better abandon all ideas of a           
predetermined plan1 and travel as fancy 
led us4  ,we dismissed our elephants1   
and next day1 a little before sunset1   
arrived at the spot where the ,vagrey   
and ,girna join4 ,these are two little  
rivers1 quite famous in the annals of   
the ,indian mythology1 and which are    
generally conspicuous by their absence1 
especially in summer4 ,at the opposite  
side of the river1 there lay the        
illustrious ,bagh caves1 with their four
 openings blinking in the thick evening 
mist4  ,we thought of crossing to them  
immediately1 by the help of a ferry     
boat1 but our ,hindu friends and the    
boat-men interposed4 ,the former said   
that visiting these caves is dangerous  
even by daytime2 because all the        
neighborhood is full of beasts of prey  
and of tigers1 who1 ,i concluded1 are   
like the ,bengali ,babus1 to be met with
 everywhere in ,india4 ,before venturing
 into these caves1 you must send a      

reconnoitring party of torch-bearers and
 armed shikaris4 ,as to the boatmen1    
they protested on different grounds1 but
 protested strongly4 ,they said that no 
,hindu would dare to approach these     
caves after the sun set4 ,no one but a  
,bellati would fancy that ,vagrey and   
,girna are ordinary rivers1 for every   
,hindu knows they are divine spouses1   
the god ,shiva and his wife ,parvati4   
,this1 in the first instance2 and in the
 second1 the ,bagh tigers are no        
ordinary tigers either4 ,the sahibs are 
totally mistaken4 ,these tigers are the 
servants of the ,sadhus1 of the holy    
miracle-workers1 who have haunted the   
caves now for many centuries1 and who   
deign sometimes to take the shape of a  
tiger4 ,and neither the gods1 nor the   
,sadhus1 nor the glamour1 nor the true  
tigers are fond of being disturbed in   
their nightly rest4  ,what could we say 
against all this8 ,we cast one more     
sorrowful look at the caves1 and        
returned to our antediluvian carriages4 

,the ,babu and ,narayan said we must    
spend the night at the house of a       
certain chum of the ,babu1 who resided  
in a small town1 three miles further on1
 and bearing the same name as the caves2
 and we unwillingly acquiesced4  ,many  
things in ,india are wonderful and      
unintelligible1 but one of the most     
wonderful and the most unintelligible1  
is the geographical and the             
topographical disposition of the        
numberless territories of this country4 
,political conjunctures in ,india seem  
to be everlastingly playing the ,french 
game casse-tete1 changing the pattern1  
diminishing one part and adding to      
another4 ,the land that only yesterday  
belonged to this ,raja or that ,takur1  
is sure to be found today in the hands  
of quite a different set of people4 ,for
 instance1 we were in the ,raj of ,amjir
 in ,malva1 and we were going to the    
little city of ,bagh1 which also belongs
 to ,malva and is included in the ,amjir
 ,raj4 ,in the documents1 ,malva is     

included in the independent possessions 
of ,holkar2 and nevertheless the ,amjir 
,raj does not belong to                 
,tukuji-,rao-,holkar1 but to the son of 
the independent ,raja of ,amjir1 who was
 hanged1 by inadvertence as we were     
assured1 in #aheg4 ,the city1 and the   
caves of ,bagh1 very oddly belong to the
 ,maharaja ,sindya of ,gwalior1 who1    
besides1 does not own them personally1  
having made a kind of present of them1  
and their nine thousand rupees of       
revenue1 to some poor relation4 ,this   
poor relation1 in his turn1 does not    
enjoy the property in the least1 because
 a certain ,rajput ,takur stole it from 
him1 and will not consent to give it    
back4 ,bagh is situated on the road from
 ,gujerat to ,malva1 in the defile of   
,oodeypur1 which is owned accordingly by
 the ,maharana of ,oodeypur4 ,bagh      
itself is built on the top of a woody   
hillock1 and being disputed property    
does not belong to any one in           
particular1 properly speaking2 but a    

small fortress1 and a bazaar in the     
centre of it are the private possessions
 of a certain dhani2 who1 besides being 
the chieftain of the ,bhimalah tribe1   
was the personal chum of our ,babu1 and 
a great thief and highway robber1       
according to the assertions of the said 
,babu4  ,but why do you intend taking us
 to the place of a man whom you consider
 as a thief and a robber8 objected one  
of us timidly4  ,he is a thief and a    
brigand1 coolly answered the ,bengali1  
but only in the political sense4        
,otherwise he is an excellent man1 and  
the truest of friends4 ,besides1 if he  
does not help us1 we shall starve2 the  
bazaar and everything in the shops      
belong to him4  ,these explanations of  
the ,babu notwithstanding1 we were glad 
to learn that the chum in question was  
absent1 and we were received by a       
relation of his4 ,the garden was put at 
our disposal1 and before our tents were 
pitched1 we saw people coming from every
 side of the garden1 bringing us        

provisions4 ,having deposited what he   
had brought1 each of them1 on leaving   
the tent1 threw over his shoulder a     
pinch of betel and soft sugar1 an       
offering to the foreign bhutas1 which   
were supposed to accompany us wherever  
we went4 ,the ,hindus of our party asked
 us1 very seriously1 not to laugh at    
this performance1 saying it would be    
dangerous in this out-of-the-way place4 
,no doubt they were right4 ,we were in  
,central ,india1 the very nest of all   
kinds of superstitions1 and were        
surrounded by ,bhils4 ,all along the    
,vindya ridge1 from ,yama1 on the west  
of the dead city1 the country is thickly
 populated by this most daring1 restless
 and superstitious of all the           
half-savage tribes of ,india4  ,the     
,orientalists think that the naive      
,bhils comes from the ,sanskrit root    
bhid1 which means to separate4 ,sir ,j4 
,malcolm supposes accordingly that the  
,bhils are sectarians1 who separated    
from the ,brahmanical creed1 and were   

excommunicated4 ,all this looks very    
probable1 but their tribal traditions   
say something different4 ,of course1 in 
this case1 as in every other1 their     
history is strongly entangled with      
mythology2 and one has to go through a  
thick shrubbery of fancy before reaching
 the tribe's genealogical tree4  ,the   
relation of the absent dhani1 who spent 
the evening with us1 told us the        
following3 ,the ,bhils are the          
descendants of one of the sons of       
,mahadeva1 or ,shiva1 and of a fair     
woman1 with blue eyes and a white face1 
whom he met in some forest on the other 
side of the ,kalapani1 black waters1 or 
ocean4 ,this pair had several sons1 one 
of whom1 as handsome as he was vicious1 
killed the favorite ox of his           
grandfather ,maha-deva1 and was banished
 by his father to the ,jodpur desert4   
,banished to its remotest southern      
corner1 he married2 and soon his        
descendants filled the whole country4   
,they scattered along the ,vindya ridge1

 on the western frontier of ,malva and  
,kandesh2 and1 later1 in the woody      
wilderness1 on the shores of the rivers 
,maha1 ,narmada and ,tapti4 ,and all of 
them1 inheriting the beauty of their    
forefather1 his blue eyes and fair      
complexion1 inherited also his turbulent
 disposition and his vice4  ,we are     
thieves and robbers1 naively explained  
the relative of the ,babu's chum1 but we
 can't help it1 because this is the     
decree of our mighty forefather1 the    
great ,maha-deva-,shiva4 ,sending his   
grandson to repent his sins in the      
desert1 he said to him3 ',go1 wretched  
murderer of my son and your brother1 the
 ox ,nardi2 go and live the life of an  
exile and a brigand1 to be an           
everlasting warning to your brethren6444
 ' ,these are the very words of the     
great god4 ,now1 do you think we could  
disobey his orders8 ,the least of our   
actions is always regulated by our      
,bhamyas--chieftains--who are the direct
 descendants of ,nadir-,sing1 the first 

,bhil1 the child of our exiled ancestor1
 and being this1 it is only natural that
 the great god speaks to us through him4
  ,is not it strange that ,apis1 the    
sacred ox of the ,egyptians1 is honored 
by the followers of ,zoroaster1 as well 
as by the ,hindus8 ,the ox ,nardi1 the  
emblem of life in nature1 is the son of 
the creating father1 or rather his      
life-giving breath4 ,ammianus           
,marcellinus mentions1 in one of his    
works1 that there exists a book which   
gives the exact age of ,apis1 the clue  
to the mystery of creation and the      
cyclic calculations4 ,the ,brahmans also
 explain the allegory of the ox ,nardi  
by the continuation of life on our      
globe4  ,the mediators between ,shiva   
and the ,bhils possess such unrestricted
 authority that the most awful crimes   
are accomplished at their lightest word4
 ,the tribe have thought it necessary to
 decrease their power to a certain      
extent by instituting a kind of council 
in every village4 ,this council is      

called tarvi1 and tries to cool down the
 hot-headed fancies of the dhanis1 their
 brigand lords4 ,however1 the word of   
the ,bhils is sacred1 and their         
hospitality is boundless4  ,the history 
and the annals of the princes of ,jodpur
 and ,oodeypur confirm the legend of the
 ,bhil emigration from their primitive  
desert1 but how they happened to be     
there nobody knows4 ,colonel ,tod is    
positive that the ,bhils1 together with 
the ,merases and the ,goands1 are the   
aborigines of ,india1 as well as the    
tribes who inhabit the ,nerbuda forests4
 ,but why the ,bhils should be almost   
fair and blue-eyed1 whereas the rest of 
the hill-tribes are almost ,african in  
type1 is a question that is not answered
 by this statement4 ,the fact that all  
these aborigines call themselves        
,bhumaputra and ,vanaputra1 sons of the 
earth and sons of the forest1 when the  
,rajputs1 their first conquerors1 call  
themselves ,surya-vansa and the         
,brahmans ,indu-putras1 descendants of  

the sun and the moon1 does not prove    
everything4 ,it seems to me1 that in the
 present case1 their appearance1 which  
confirms their legends1 is of much      
greater value than philology4 ,dr4      
,clark1 the author of ,travels in       
,scandinavia1 is very logical in saying 
that1 by directing our attention on the 
traces of the ancient superstitions of a
 tribe1 we shall find out who were its  
primitive forefathers much more easily  
than by scientific examination of their 
tongue2 the superstitions are grafted on
 the very root1 whereas the tongue is   
subjected to all kinds of changes4      
,but1 unfortunately1 everything we know 
about the history of the ,bhils is      
reduced to the above-mentioned          
tradition1 and to a few ancient songs of
 their bards4 ,these bards or bhattas   
live in ,rajistan1 but visit the ,bhils 
yearly1 in order not to lose the leading
 thread of the achievements of their    
countrymen4 ,their songs are history1   
because the bhattas have existed from   

time immemorial1 composing their lays   
for future generations1 for this is     
their hereditary duty4 ,and the songs of
 the remotest antiquity point to the    
lands over the ,kalapani as the place   
whence the ,bhils came2 that is to say1 
some place in ,europe4 ,some            
,orientalists1 especially ,colonel ,tod1
 seek to prove that the ,rajputs1 who   
conquered the ,bhils1 were newcomers of 
,scythian origin1 and that the ,bhils   
are the true aborigines4 ,to prove this1
 they put forward some features common  
to both peoples1 ,rajput and ,scythian1 
for instance 7#a7 the worship of the    
sword1 the lance1 the shield and the    
horse2 7#b7 the worship of1 and the     
sacrifice to1 the sun 7which1 as far as 
,i know1 never was worshiped by the     
,scythians72 7#c7 the passion of        
gambling 7which again is as strong      
amongst the ,chinese and the ,japanese72
 7#d7 the custom of drinking blood out  
of the skull of an enemy 7which is also 
practised by some aborigines of         

,america71 etc41 etc4  ,i do not intend 
entering here on a scientific           
ethnological discussion2 and1 besides1  
,i am sure no one fails to see that the 
reasoning of scientists sometimes takes 
a very strange turn when they set to    
prove some favorite theory of theirs4   
,it is enough to remember how entangled 
and obscure is the history of the       
ancient ,scythians to abstain from      
drawing any positive conclusions        
whatsoever from it4 ,the tribes that go 
under one general denomination of       
,scythians were many1 and still it is   
impossible to deny that there is a good 
deal of similitude between the customs  
of the old ,scandinavians1 worshipers of
 ,odin1 whose land indeed was occupied  
by the ,scythians more than five hundred
 years ,b4,c4 and the customs of the    
,rajputs4 ,but this similitude gives as 
much right to the ,rajputs to say that  
we are a colony of ,surya-vansas settled
 in the ,west as to us to maintain that 
the ,rajputs are the descendants of     

,scythians who emigrated to the ,east4  
,the ,scythians of ,herodotus and the   
,scythians of ,ptolemy1 and some other  
classical writers1 are two perfectly    
distinct nationalities4 ,under ,scythia1
 ,herodotus means the extension of land 
from the mouth of ,danube to the ,sea of
 ,azoff1 according to ,niebuhr2 and to  
the mouth of ,don1 according to         
,rawlinson2 whereas the ,scythia of     
,ptolemy is a country strictly ,asiatic1
 including the whole space between the  
river ,volga and ,serika1 or ,china4    
,besides this1 ,scythia was divided by  
the western ,himalayas1 which the ,roman
 writers call ,imaus1 into ,scythia     
intra ,imaum1 and ,scythia extra ,imaum4
 ,given this lack of precision1 the     
,rajputs may be called the ,scythians of
 ,asia1 and the ,scythians the ,rajputs 
of ,europe1 with the same degree of     
likelihood4 ,pinkerton's opinion is that
 ,european contempt for the ,tartars    
would not be half so strong if the      
,european public learned how closely we 

are related to them2 that our           
forefathers came from northern ,asia1   
and that our primitive customs1 laws and
 mode of living were the same as theirs2
 in a word1 that we are nothing but a   
,tartar colony444 ,cimbri1 ,kelts and   
,gauls1 who conquered the northern part 
of ,europe1 are different names of the  
same tribe1 whose origin is ,tartary4   
,who were the ,goths1 the ,swedes1 the  
,vandals1 the ,huns and the ,franks1 if 
not separate swarms of the same beehive8
 ,the annals of ,sweden point to        
,kashgar as the fatherland of the       
,swedes4 ,the likeness between the      
languages of the ,saxons and the        
,kipchak-,tartars is striking2 and the  
,keltic1 which still exists in ,brittany
 and in ,wales1 is the best proof that  
their inhabitants are descendants of the
 ,tartar nation4  ,whatever ,pinkerton  
and others may say1 the modern ,rajput  
warriors do not answer in the least the 
description ,hippocrates gives us of the
 ,scythians4 ,the father of medicine    

says3 ,the bodily structure of these men
 is thick1 coarse and stunted2 their    
joints are weak and flabby2 they have   
almost no hair1 and each of them        
resembles the other4 ,no man1 who has   
seen the handsome1 gigantic warriors of 
,rajistan1 with their abundant hair and 
beards1 will ever recognize this        
portrait drawn by ,hippocrates as       
theirs4 ,besides1 the ,scythians1       
whoever they may be1 buried their dead1 
which the ,rajputs never did1 judging by
 the records of their most ancient      
,,mss4 ,the ,scythians were a wandering 
nation1 and are described by ,hesiod as 
living in covered carts and feeding on  
mare's milk4 ,and the ,rajputs have been
 a sedentary people from time           
immemorial1 inhabiting towns1 and having
 their history at least several hundred 
years before ,christ--that is to say1   
earlier than the epoch of ,herodotus4   
,they do celebrate the ,ashvamedha1 the 
horse sacrifice2 but will not touch     
mare's milk1 and despise all            

,mongolians4 ,herodotus says that the   
,scythians1 who called themselves       
,skoloti1 hated foreigners1 and never   
let any stranger in their country2 and  
the ,rajputs are one of the most        
hospitable peoples of the world4 ,in the
 epoch of the wars of ,darius1 #eaf     
,b4,c41 the ,scythians were still in    
their own district1 about the mouth of  
the ,danube4 ,and at the same epoch the 
,rajputs were already known in ,india   
and had their own kingdom4 ,as to the   
,ashvamedha1 which ,colonel ,tod thinks 
to be the chief illustration of his     
theory1 the custom of killing horses in 
honor of the sun is mentioned in the    
,rig-,veda1 as well as in the           
,aitareya-,brahmana4 ,martin ,haug      
states that the latter has probably been
 in existence since #bjjj-bdjj          
,b4,c4----   ,but it strikes me that the
 digression from the ,babu's chum to the
 ,scythians and the ,rajputs of the     
antediluvian epoch threatens to become  
too long1 so ,i beg the reader's pardon 

and resume the thread of my narrative4  
,the ,banns ,of ,marriage    ,next day1 
early in the morning1 the local shikaris
 went under the leadership of the       
warlike ,akali1 to hunt glamoured and   
real tigers in the caves4 ,it took them 
longer than we expected4 ,the old ,bhil1
 who represented to us the absent dhani1
 proposed that in the meanwhile we      
should witness a ,brahmanical wedding   
ceremony4 ,needless to say1 we jumped at
 this4 ,the ceremonies of betrothal and 
marriage have not changed in ,india     
during the last two millenniums at      
least4 ,they are performed according to 
the directions of ,manu1 and the old    
theme has no new variations4 ,india's   
religious rites have crystallized long  
ago4 ,whoever has seen a ,hindu wedding 
in #ahgi1 saw it as it was celebrated in
 ancient ,aryavarta many centuries      
ago4----   ,a few days before we left   
,bombay we read in a small local        
newspaper two announcements of          
marriages3 the first the marriage of a  

,brahman heiress1 the second of a       
daughter of the fire-worshipers4 ,the   
first announcement was something to the 
following effect3 ,the family of ,bimbay
 ,mavlankar1 etc41 etc41 are preparing  
for a happy event4 ,this respectable    
member of our community1 unlike the rest
 of the less fortunate ,brahmans of his 
caste1 has found a husband for his      
grand-daughter in a rich ,gujerat family
 of the same caste4 ,the little         
,rama-bai is already five1 her future   
husband is seven4 ,the wedding is to    
take place in two months and promises to
 be brilliant4   ,the second            
announcement referred to an accomplished
 fact4 ,it appeared in a ,parsi paper1  
which strongly insists on the necessity 
of giving up disgusting superannuated   
customs1 and especially the early       
marriage4 ,it justly ridiculed a certain
 ,gujerati newspaper1 which had just    
described in very pompous expressions a 
recent wedding ceremony in ,poona4 ,the 
bridegroom1 who had just entered his    

sixth year pressed to his heart a       
blushing bride of two and a half6 ,the  
usual answers of this couple entering   
into matrimony proved so indistinct that
 the ,mobed had to address the questions
 to their parents3 ,are you willing to  
have him for your lawful husband1 ,o    
daughter of ,zaratushta8 and ,are you   
willing to be her husband1 ,o son of    
,zoroaster8 ,everything went as well as 
it could be expected1 continued the     
newspaper2 the bridegroom was led out of
 the room by the hand1 and the bride1   
who was carried away in arms1 greeted   
the guests1 not with smiles1 but with a 
tremendous howl1 which made her forget  
the existence of such a thing as a      
pocket-handkerchief1 and remember only  
her feeding-bottle2 for the latter      
article she asked repeatedly1 half      
choked with sobs1 and throttled with the
 weight of the family diamonds4 ,taking 
it all in all1 it was a ,parsi marriage1
 which shows the progress of our        
speedily developing nation with the     

exactitude of a weather glass1 added the
 satirical newspaper4  ,having read this
 we laughed heartily1 though we did not 
give full credit to this description1   
and thought it a good deal exaggerated4 
,we knew ,parsi and ,brahman families in
 which were husbands of ten years of    
age2 but had never heard as yet of a    
bride who was a baby in arms4----   ,it 
is not without reason that the ,brahmans
 are fervent upholders of the ancient   
law which prohibits to everyone1 except 
the officiating ,brahmans1 the study of 
,sanskrit and the reading of the ,vedas4
 ,the ,shudras and even the high-born   
,vaishyas were in olden times to be     
executed for such an offence4 ,the      
secret of this rigour lies in the fact  
that the ,vedas do not permit matrimony 
for women under fifteen to twenty years 
of age1 and for men under twenty-five1  
or even thirty4 ,eager above all that   
every religious ceremony should fill    
their pockets1 the ,brahmans never      
stopped at disfiguring their ancient    

sacred literature2 and not to be caught1
 they pronounced its study accursed4    
,amongst other criminal inventions1 to  
use the expression of ,swami ,dayanand1 
there is a text in the ,brahmanical     
books1 which contradicts everything that
 is to be found in the ,vedas on this   
particular matter3 ,i speak of the      
,kudva ,kunbis1 the wedding season of   
all the agricultural classes of ,central
 ,asia4 ,this season is to be celebrated
 once in every twelve years1 but it     
appears to be a field from which        
,messieurs les ,brahmans gathered the   
most abundant harvest4 ,at this epoch1  
all the mothers have to seek audiences  
from the goddess ,mata1 the great       
mother--of course through her rightful  
oracles the ,brahmans4 ,mata is the     
special patroness of all the four kinds 
of marriages practised in ,india3 the   
marriages of adults1 of children1 of    
babies1 and of specimens of humanity    
that are as yet to be born4  ,the latter
 is the queerest of all1 because the    

feelings it excites are so very like    
gambling4 ,in this case1 the marriage   
ceremony is celebrated between the      
mothers of the future children4 ,many a 
curious incident is the result of these 
matrimonial parodies4 ,but a true       
,brahman will never allow the derision  
of fate to shake his dignity1 and the   
docile population never will doubt the  
infallibility of these elect of the     
gods4 ,an open antagonism to the        
,brahmanical institutions is more than  
rare2 the feelings of reverence and     
dread the masses show to the ,brahmans  
are so blind and so sincere1 that an    
outsider cannot help smiling at them and
 respecting them at the same time4  ,if 
both the mothers have children of the   
same sex1 it will not upset the ,brahman
 in the least2 he will say this was the 
will of the goddess ,mata1 it shows that
 she desires the new-born babies to be  
two loving brothers1 or two loving      
sisters1 as the case may be1 in future4 
,and if the children grow up1 they will 

be acknowledged heirs to the properties 
of both mothers4 ,in this case1 the     
,brahman breaks the bonds of the        
marriage by the order of the goddess1 is
 paid for doing so1 and the whole affair
 is dropped altogether4 ,but if the     
children are of different sexes these   
bonds cannot be broken1 even if they are
 born cripples or idiots4  ,while ,i am 
dealing with the family life of ,india1 
,i had better mention some other        
features1 not to return to them any     
more4 ,no ,hindu has the right to remain
 single4 ,the only exceptions are1 in   
case the child is destined to monastic  
life from the first days of his         
existence1 and in case the child is     
consecrated to the service of one of the
 gods of the ,trimurti even before he is
 born4 ,religion insists on matrimony   
for the sake of having a son1 whose duty
 it will be to perform every prescribed 
rite1 in order that his departed father 
may enter ,swarga1 or paradise4 ,even   
the caste of ,brahmacharyas1 who take   

vows of chastity1 but take a part and   
interest in worldly life--and so are the
 unique lay-celibates of ,india--are    
bound to adopt sons4 ,the rest of the   
,hindus must remain in matrimony till   
the age of forty2 after which they earn 
the right to leave the world1 and to    
seek salvation1 leading an ascetic life 
in some jungle4 ,if a member of some    
,hindu family happens to be afflicted   
from birth with some organic defect1    
this will not be an impediment to his   
marrying1 on the condition that his wife
 should be also a cripple1 if she       
belongs to the same caste4 ,the defects 
of husband and wife must be different3  
if he is blind1 she must be hump-backed 
or lame1 and vice versa4 ,but if the    
young man in question is prejudiced1 and
 wants a healthy wife1 he must          
condescend to make a mesalliance2 he    
must stoop to choose a wife in a caste  
that is exactly one degree lower than   
his own4 ,but in this case his kinsmen  
and associates will not acknowledge her2

 the parvenue will not be received on   
any conditions whatever4 ,besides1 all  
these exceptional instances depend      
entirely on the family ,guru--on the    
priest who is inspired by the gods4     
,all the above holds good as far as the 
men are concerned2 but with the women it
 is quite different4  ,only the         
nautches--dancing girls consecrated to  
gods1 and living in temples--can be said
 to be free and happy4 ,their occupation
 is hereditary1 but they are vestals and
 daughters of vestals1 however strange  
this may sound to a ,european ear4 ,but 
the notions of the ,hindus1 especially  
on questions of morality1 are quite     
independent1 and even anti-,western1 if 
,i may use this expression4 ,no one is  
more severe and exacting in the         
questions of feminine honor and         
chastity2 but the ,brahmans proved to be
 more cunning than even the ,roman      
augurs4 ,rhea ,sylvia1 for instance1 the
 mother of ,romulus and ,remus1 was     
buried alive by the ancient ,romans1 in 

spite of the god ,mars taking an active 
part in her faux pas4 ,numa and         
,tiberius took exceedingly good care    
that the good morals of their           
priestesses should not become merely    
nominal4 ,but the vestals on the banks  
of the ,ganges and the ,indus understand
 the question differently from those on 
the banks of the ,tiber4 ,the intimacy  
of the nautch-girls with the gods1 which
 is generally accepted1 cleanses them   
from every sin and makes them in every  
one's eyes irreproachable and           
infallible4 ,a nautcha cannot sin1 in   
spite of the crowd of the celestial     
musicians who swarm in every pagoda1 in 
the form of baby-vestals and their      
little brothers4 ,no virtuous ,roman    
matron was ever so respected as the     
pretty little nautcha4 ,this great      
reverence for the happy brides of the   
gods is especially striking in the      
purely native towns of ,central ,india1 
where the population has preserved      
intact their blind faith in the         

,brahmans4  ,every nautcha can read1 and
 receives the highest ,hindu education4 
,they all read and write in ,sanskrit1  
and study the best literature of ancient
 ,india1 and her six chief philosophies1
 but especially music1 singing and      
dancing4 ,besides these godborn         
priestesses of the pagodas1 there are   
also public nautches1 who1 like the     
,egyptian almeas1 are within the reach  
of ordinary mortals1 not only of gods2  
they also are in most cases women of a  
certain culture4  ,but the fate of an   
honest woman of ,hindostan is quite     
different2 and a bitter and incredibly  
unjust fate it is4 ,the life of a       
thoroughly good woman1 especially if she
 happens to possess warm faith and      
unshaken piety1 is simply a long chain  
of fatal misfortunes4 ,and the higher   
her family and social position1 the more
 wretched is her life4 ,married women   
are so afraid of resembling the         
professional dancing girls1 that they   
cannot be persuaded to learn anything   

the latter are taught4 ,if a ,brahman   
woman is rich her life is spent in      
demoralizing idleness2 if she is poor1  
so much the worse1 her earthly existence
 is concentrated in monotonous          
performances of mechanical rites4 ,there
 is no past1 and no future for her2 only
 a tedious present1 from which there is 
no possible escape4 ,and this only if   
everything be well1 if her family be not
 visited by sad losses4 ,needless to say
 that1 amongst ,brahman women1 marriage 
is not a question of free choice1 and   
still less of affection4 ,her choice of 
a husband is restricted by the caste to 
which her father and mother happen to   
belong2 and so1 to find a suitable match
 for a girl is a matter of great        
difficulty1 as well as of great expense4
 ,in ,india1 the high-caste woman is not
 bought1 but she has to buy the right to
 get married4 ,accordingly1 the birth of
 a girl is not a joy1 but a sorrow1     
especially if her parents are not rich4 
,she must be married not later than when

 she is seven or eight2 a little girl of
 ten is an old maid in ,india1 she is a 
discredit to her parents and is the     
miser-able butt of all her more         
fortunate contemporaries4  ,one of the  
few noble achievements of ,englishmen in
 ,india which have succeeded is the     
decrease of infanticide1 which some time
 ago was a daily practice1 and still is 
not quite got rid of4 ,little girls were
 killed by their parents everywhere in  
,india2 but this dreadful custom was    
especially common amongst the tribes of 
,jadej1 once so powerful in ,sindh1 and 
now reduced to petty brigandage4        
,probably these tribes were the first to
 spread this heartless practice4        
,obligatory marriage for little girls is
 a comparatively recent invention1 and  
it alone is responsible for the parents'
 decision rather to see them dead than  
unmarried4 ,the ancient ,aryans knew    
nothing of it4 ,even the ancient        
,brahmanical literature shows that1     
amongst the pure ,aryans1 woman enjoyed 

the same privileges as man4 ,her voice  
was listened to by the statesmen2 she   
was free either to choose a husband1 or 
to remain single4 ,many a woman's name  
plays an important part in the          
chronicles of the ancient ,aryan land2  
many women have come down to posterity  
as eminent poets1 astronomers1          
philosophers1 and even sages and        
lawyers4  ,but with the invasion of the 
,persians1 in the seventh century1 and  
later on of the fanatical1              
all-destroying ,mussulmans1 all this    
changed4 ,woman became enslaved1 and the
 ,brahmans did everything to humiliate  
her4 ,in towns1 the position of the     
,hindu woman is still worse than amongst
 agricultural classes4  ,the wedding    
ceremonies are very complicated and     
numerous4 ,they are divided into three  
groups3 the rites before the wedding2   
the rites during the ceremony2 and the  
rites after the celebration has taken   
place4 ,the first group consists of     
eleven ceremonies3 the asking in        

marriage2 the comparison of the two     
horoscopes2 the sacrifice of a goat2 the
 fixing of a propitious day2 the        
building of the altar2 the purchase of  
the sacred pots for household use2 the  
invitation of guests2 the sacrifices to 
the household gods2 mutual presents and 
so on4 ,all this must be accomplished as
 a religious duty1 and is full of       
entangled rites4 ,as soon as a little   
girl in some ,hindu family is four years
 old1 her father and mother send for the
 family ,guru1 give him her horoscope1  
drawn up previously by the astrologer of
 their caste 7a very important post71   
and send the ,guru to this or that      
inhabitant of the place who is known to 
have a son of appropriate age4 ,the     
father of the little boy has to put the 
horoscope on the altar before the family
 gods and to answer3 ,i am well disposed
 towards the ,panigrhana2 let ,rudra    
help us4 ,the ,guru must ask when the   
union is to take place1 after which he  
is bowed out4 ,a few days later the     

father of the little boy takes the      
horoscope of his son as well as of the  
little girl to the chief astrologer4 ,if
 the latter finds them propitious to the
 intended marriage1 it will take place2 
if not1 his decision is immediately sent
 to the father of the little girl1 and  
the whole affair is dropped4 ,if the    
astrologer's opinion is favorable1      
however1 the bargain is concluded on the
 spot4 ,the astrologer offers a         
cocoa-nut and a handful of sugar to the 
father1 after which nothing can be      
altered2 otherwise a ,hindu vendetta    
will be handed down from generation to  
generation4 ,after the obligatory       
goat-sacrifice1 the couple are          
irrevocably betrothed1 and the          
astrologer fixes the day of the wedding4
  ,the sacrifice of the goat is very    
interesting1 so ,i am going to describe 
it in detail4  ,a child of the male sex 
is sent to invite several married       
ladies1 old women of twenty or          
twenty-five1 to witness the worship of  

the ,lares and ,penates4 ,each family   
has a household goddess of its          
own--which is not impossible1 since the 
,hindu gods number thirty-three crores4 
,on the eve of the sacrificial day1 a   
kid is brought into the house1 and all  
the family sleep round him4 ,next       
morning1 the reception hall in the lower
 story is made ready for the ceremony4  
,the floor is thickly covered with      
cow-dung1 and1 right in the middle of   
the room a square is traced with white  
chalk1 in which is placed a high        
pedestal1 with the statue of the        
goddess4 ,the patriarch of the family   
brings the goat1 and1 holding him by the
 horns1 lowers his head to salute the   
goddess4 ,after this1 the old and young 
women sing marriage hymns1 tie the legs 
of the goat1 cover his head with red    
powder1 and make a lamp smoke under his 
nose1 to banish the evil spirits from   
round him4 ,when all this is done1 the  
female element puts itself out of the   
way1 and the patriarch comes again upon 

the stage4 ,he treacherously puts a     
ration of rice before the goat1 and as  
soon as the victim becomes innocently   
absorbed in gratifying his appetite1 the
 old man chops his head off with a      
single stroke of his sword1 and bathes  
the goddess in the smoking blood coming 
from the head of the animal1 which he   
holds in his right arm1 over the idol4  
,the women sing in chorus1 and the      
ceremony of betrothal is over4  ,the    
ceremonies with the astrologers1 and the
 exchange of presents1 are too long to  
be described4 ,i shall mention only1    
that in all these ceremonies the        
astrologer plays the double part of an  
augur and a family lawyer4 ,after a     
general invocation to the               
elephant-headed god ,ganesha1 the       
marriage contract is written on the     
reverse of the horoscopes and sealed1   
and a general blessing is pronounced    
over the assembly4  ,needless to say    
that all these ceremonies had been      
accomplished long ago in the family to  

whose marriage party we were invited in 
,bagh4 ,all these rites are sacred1 and 
most probably we1 being mere strangers1 
would not have been allowed to witness  
them4 ,we saw them all later on in      
,benares--thanks to the intercession of 
our ,babu4    ,when we arrived on the   
spot1 where the ,bagh cere-mony was     
celebrated1 the festivity was at its    
height4 ,the bridegroom was not more    
than fourteen years old1 while the bride
 was only ten4 ,her small nose was      
adorned with a huge golden ring with    
some very brilliant stone1 which dragged
 her nostril down4 ,her face looked     
comically piteous1 and sometimes she    
cast furtive glances at us4 ,the        
bridegroom1 a stout1 healthy-looking    
boy1 attired in cloth of gold and       
wearing the many storied ,indra hat1 was
 on horseback1 surrounded by a whole    
crowd of male relations4  ,the altar1   
especially erected for this occasion1   
presented a queer sight4 ,its regulation
 height is three times the length of the

 bride's arm from the shoulder down to  
the middle finger4 ,its materials are   
bricks and white-washed clay4 ,forty-six
 earthen pots painted with red1 yellow  
and green stripes--the colors of the    
,trimurti--rose in two pyramids on both 
sides of the god of marriages on the    
altar1 and all round it a crowd of      
little married girls were busy grinding 
ginger4 ,when it was reduced to powder  
the whole crowd rushed on the           
bridegroom1 dragged him from his horse1 
and1 having undressed him1 began rubbing
 him with wet ginger4 ,as soon as the   
sun dried him he was dressed again by   
some of the little ladies1 whilst one   
part of them sang and the other         
sprinkled his head with water from lotus
 leaves twisted into tubes4 ,we         
understood that this was a delicate     
attention to the water gods4  ,we were  
also told that the whole of the previous
 night had been given up to the worship 
of various spirits4 ,the last rites1    
begun weeks ago1 were hurriedly brought 

to an end during this last night4       
,invocations to ,ganesha1 to the god of 
marriages2 to the gods of the elements1 
water1 fire1 air and earth2 to the      
goddess of the smallpox and other       
illnesses2 to the spirits of ancestors  
and planetary spirits1 to the evil      
spirits1 good spirits1 family spirits1  
and so on1 and so on4 ,suddenly our ears
 were struck by strains of music4444    
,good heavens6 what a dreadful symphony 
it was6 ,the ear-splitting sounds of    
,indian tom-toms1 ,tibetan drunis1      
,singalese pipes1 ,chinese trumpets1 and
 ,burmese gongs deafened us on all      
sides1 awakening in our souls hatred for
 humanity and humanity's inventions4    
,de tous les bruits du monde celui de la
 musique est le plus desagreable6 was my
 ever-recurring thought4 ,happily1 this 
agony did not last long1 and was        
replaced by the choral singing of       
,brahmans and nautches1 which was very  
original1 but perfectly bearable4 ,the  
wedding was a rich one1 and so the      

vestals appeared in state4 ,a moment of 
silence1 of restrained whispering1 and  
one of them1 a tall1 handsome girl with 
eyes literally filling half her         
forehead1 began approaching one guest   
after the other in perfect silence1 and 
rubbing their faces with her hand1      
leaving traces of sandal and saffron    
powders4 ,she glided towards us also1   
noiselessly moving over the dusty road  
with her bare feet2 and before we       
realized what she was doing she had     
daubed me as well as the colonel and    
,miss ,x----1 which made the latter     
sneeze and wipe her face for at least   
ten minutes1 with loud but vain         
utterances of indignation4  ,the ,babu  
and ,mulji offered their faces to the   
little hand1 full of saffron1 with      
smiles of condescending generosity4 ,but
 the indomitable ,narayan shrank from   
the vestal so unexpectedly at the       
precise moment when1 with fiery glances 
at him1 she stood on tiptoe to reach his
 face1 that she quite lost countenance  

and sent a full dose of powder over his 
shoulder1 whilst he turned away from her
 with knitted brow4 ,her forehead also  
showed several threatening lines1 but in
 a moment she overcame her anger and    
glided towards ,ram-,runjit-,das1       
sparkling with engaging smiles4 ,but    
here she met with still less luck2      
offended at once in his monotheism and  
his chastity1 the ,god's warrior pushed 
the vestal so unceremoniously that she  
nearly upset the elaborate              
pot-decoration of the altar4 ,a         
dissatisfied murmur ran through the     
crowd1 and we were preparing to be      
condemned to shameful banishment for the
 sins of the warlike ,sikh1 when the    
drums sounded again and the procession  
moved on4 ,in front of everyone drove   
the trumpeters and the drummers in a car
 gilded from top to bottom1 and dragged 
by bullocks loaded with garlands of     
flowers2 next after them walked a whole 
detachment of pipers1 and then a third  
body of musicians on horseback1 who     

frantically hammered huge gongs4 ,after 
them proceeded the cortege of the       
bridegroom's and the bride's relations  
on horses adorned with rich harness1    
feathers and flowers2 they went in      
pairs4 ,they were followed by a regiment
 of ,bhils in full disarmour--because no
 weapons but bows and arrows had been   
left to them by the ,english            
,government4 ,all these ,bhils looked as
 if they had tooth-ache1 because of the 
odd way they have of arranging the ends 
of their white pagris4 ,after them      
walked clerical ,brahmans1 with aromatic
 tapers in their hands and surrounded by
 the flitting battalion of nautches1 who
 amused themselves all the way by       
graceful glissades and pas4 ,they were  
followed by the lay ,brahmans--the twice
 born4 ,the bridegroom rode on a        
handsome horse2 on both sides walked two
 couples of warriors1 armed with yaks'  
tails to wave the flies away4 ,they were
 accompanied by two more men on each    
side with silver fans4 ,the bridegroom's

 group was wound up by a naked ,brahman1
 perched on a donkey and holding over   
the head of the boy a huge red silk     
umbrella4 ,after him a car loaded with a
 thousand cocoa-nuts and a hundred      
bamboo baskets1 tied together by a red  
rope4 ,the god who looks after marriages
 drove in melancholy isolation on the   
vast back of an elephant1 whose mahout  
led him by a chain of flowers4 ,our     
humble party modestly advanced just     
behind the elephant's tail4  ,the       
performance of rites on the way seemed  
endless4  ,we had to stop before every  
tree1 every pagoda1 every sacred tank   
and bush1 and at last before a sacred   
cow4 ,when we came back to the house of 
the bride it was four in the afternoon1 
and we had started a little after six in
 the morning4 ,we all were utterly      
exhausted1 and ,miss ,x---- literally   
threatened to fall asleep on her feet4  
,the indignant ,sikh had left us long   
ago1 and had persuaded ,mr4 ,y---- and  
,mulji--whom the colonel had nicknamed  

the mute general--to keep him company4  
,our respected president was bathed in  
his own perspiration1 and even ,narayan 
the unchangeable yawned and sought      
consolation in a fan4 ,but the ,babu was
 simply astonishing4 ,after a nine      
hours' walk under the sun1 with his head
 unprotected1 he looked fresher than    
ever1 without a drop of sweat on his    
dark satin-like forehead4 ,he showed his
 white teeth in an eternal smile1 and   
chaffed us all1 reciting the ,diamond   
,wedding of ,steadman4  ,we struggled   
against our fatigue in our desire to    
wit-ness the last ceremony1 after which 
the woman is forever cut off from the   
external world4 ,it was just going to   
begin2 and we kept our eyes and ears    
wide open4  ,the bridegroom and the     
bride were placed before the altar4 ,the
 officiating ,brahman tied their hands  
with some kus-kus grass1 and led them   
three times round the altar4 ,then their
 hands were untied1 and the ,brahman    
mumbled a mantram4 ,when he had         

finished1 the boy husband lifted his    
diminutive bride and carried her three  
times round the altar in his arms1 then 
again three turns round the altar1 but  
the boy preceding the girl1 and she     
following him like an obedient slave4   
,when this was over1 the bridegroom was 
placed on a high chair by the entrance  
door1 and the bride brought a basin of  
water1 took off his shoes1 and1 having  
washed his feet1 wiped them with her    
long hair4 ,we learned that this was a  
very ancient custom4 ,on the right side 
of the bridegroom sat his mother4 ,the  
bride knelt before her also1 and1 having
 performed the same operation over her  
feet1 she retired to the house4 ,then   
her mother came out of the crowd and    
repeated the same ceremony1 but without 
using her hair as a towel4 ,the young   
couple were married4 ,the drums and the 
tom-toms rolled once more2 and half-deaf
 we started for home4----   ,in the tent
 we found the ,akali in the middle of a 
sermon1 delivered for the edification of

 the mute general and ,mr4 ,y----4 ,he  
was explaining to them the advantages of
 the ,sikh religion1 and comparing it   
with the faith of the devil-worshipers1 
as he called the ,brahmans4  ,it was too
 late to go to the caves1 and1 besides1 
we had had enough sights for one day4   
,so we sat down to rest1 and to listen  
to the words of wisdom falling from the 
lips of the ,god's warrior4 ,in my      
humble opinion1 he was right in more    
than one thing2 in his most imaginative 
moments ,satan himself could not have   
invented anything more unjust and more  
refinedly cruel than what was invented  
by these twice-born egotists in their   
relation to the weaker sex4 ,an         
unconditioned civil death awaits her in 
case of widowhood--even if this sad fate
 befalls her when she is two or three   
years old4 ,it is of no importance for  
the ,brahmans if the marriage never     
actually took place2 the goat sacrifice1
 at which the personal presence of the  
little girl is not even required--she   

being represented by the wretched       
victim--is considered binding for her4  
,as for the man1 not only is he         
permitted to have several lawful wives  
at a time1 but he is even required by   
the law to marry again if his wife dies4
 ,not to be unjust1 ,i must mention     
that1 with the exception of some vicious
 and depraved ,rajas1 we never heard of 
a ,hindu availing himself of this       
privilege1 and having more than one     
wife4  ,at the present time1 the whole  
of orthodox ,india is shaken by the     
struggle in favor of the remarriage of  
widows4 ,this agitation was begun in    
,bombay1 by a few reformers1 and        
opponents of ,brahmans4 ,it is already  
ten years since ,mulji-,taker-,sing and 
others raised this question2 but we know
 only of three or four men who have     
dared as yet to marry widows4 ,this     
struggle is carried on in silence and   
secrecy1 but nevertheless it is fierce  
and obstinate4  ,in the meanwhile1 the  
fate of the widow is what the ,brahmans 

wish it to be4 ,as soon as the corpse of
 her husband is burned the widow must   
shave her head1 and never let it grow   
again as long as she lives4 ,her        
bangles1 necklaces and rings are broken 
to pieces and burned1 together with her 
hair and her husband's remains4 ,during 
the rest of her life she must wear      
nothing but white if she was less than  
twenty-five at her husband's death1 and 
red if she was older4 ,temples1         
religious ceremonies1 society1 are      
closed to her for ever4 ,she has no     
right to speak to any of her relations1 
and no right to eat with them4 ,she     
sleeps1 eats and works separately2 her  
touch is considered impure for seven    
years4 ,if a man1 going out on business1
 meets a widow1 he goes home again1     
abandoning every pursuit1 because to see
 a widow is accounted an evil omen4  ,in
 the past all this was seldom practised1
 and concerned only the rich widows1 who
 refused to be burned2 but now1 since   
the ,brahmans have been caught in the   

false interpretation of the ,vedas1 with
 the criminal intention of appropriating
 the widows' wealth1 they insist on the 
fulfilment of this cruel precept1 and   
make what once was the exception the    
rule4 ,they are powerless against       
,british law1 and so they revenge       
themselves on the innocent and helpless 
women1 whom fate has deprived of their  
natural protectors4 ,professor ,wilson's
 demonstration of the means by which the
 ,brahmans distorted the sense of the   
,vedas1 in order to justify the practice
 of widow-burning1 is well worth        
mentioning4 ,during the many centuries  
that this terrible practice prevailed1  
the ,brahmans had appealed to a certain 
,vedic text for their justification1 and
 had claimed to be rigidly fulfilling   
the institutes of ,manu1 which contain  
for them the interpretation of ,vedic   
law4 ,when the ,east ,india ,company's  
,government first turned its attention  
to the suppression of suttee1 the whole 
country1 from ,cape ,comorin to the     

,himalayas1 rose in protest1 under the  
influence of the ,brahmans4 ,the        
,english promised not to interfere in   
our religious affairs1 and they must    
keep their word6 was the general outcry4
 ,never was ,india so near revolution as
 in those days4 ,the ,english saw the   
danger and gave up the task4 ,but       
,professor ,wilson1 the best            
,sanskritist of the time1 did not       
consider the battle lost4 ,he applied   
himself to the study of the most ancient
 ,,mss41 and gradually became convinced 
that the alleged precept did not exist  
in the ,vedas2 though in the ,laws of   
,manu it was quite distinct1 and had    
been translated accordingly by ,t4      
,colebrooke and other ,orientalists4 ,an
 attempt to prove to the fanatic        
population that ,manu's interpretation  
was wrong would have been equivalent to 
an attempt to reduce water to powder4   
,so ,wilson set himself to study ,manu1 
and to compare the text of the ,vedas   
with the text of this law-giver4 ,this  

was the result of his labors3 the ,rig  
,veda orders the ,brahman to place the  
widow side by side with the corpse1 and 
then1 after the performance of certain  
rites1 to lead her down from the funeral
 pyre and to sing the following verse   
from ,grhya ,sutra3          ,arise1 ,o 
woman6 return to the world of the       
living6         ,having gone to sleep by
 the dead1 awake again6         ,long   
enough thou hast been a faithful wife   
,to the one who made thee mother of his 
children4  ,then those present at the   
burning were to rub their eyes with     
collyrium1 and the ,brahman to address  
to them the following verse3            
,approach1 you married women1 not       
widows1         ,with your husbands     
bring ghi and butter4         ,let the  
mothers go up to the womb first1        
,dressed in festive garments and costly 
adornments4  ,the line before the last  
was misinterpreted by the ,brahmans in  
the most skillful way4 ,in ,sanskrit it 
reads as follows3          ,arohantu    

janayo yonim agre44444  ,yonina agre    
literally means to the womb first4      
,having changed only one letter of the  
last word agre1 first1 in ,sanskrit     
script1 the ,brahmans wrote instead     
agneh1 fire's1 in ,sanskrit script1 and 
so acquired the right to send the       
wretched widows yonina agneh--to the    
womb of fire4 ,it is difficult to find  
on the face of the world another such   
fiendish deception4  ,the ,vedas never  
permitted the burning of the widows1 and
 there is a place in                    
,taittiriya-,aranyaka1 of the ,yajur    
,veda1 where the brother of the         
deceased1 or his disciple1 or even a    
trusted friend1 is recommended to say to
 the widow1 whilst the pyre is set on   
fire3 ,arise1 ,o woman6 do not lie down 
any more beside the lifeless corpse2    
return to the world of the living1 and  
become the wife of the one who holds you
 by the hand1 and is willing to be your 
husband4 ,this verse shows that during  
the ,vedic period the remarriage of     

widows was allowed4 ,besides1 in several
 places in the ancient books1 pointed   
out to us by ,swami ,dayanand1 we found 
orders to the widows to keep the ashes  
of the husband for several months after 
his death and to perform over them      
certain final rituals4  ,however1 in    
spite of the scandal created by         
,professor ,wilson's discovery1 and of  
the fact that the ,brahmans were put to 
shame before the double authority of the
 ,vedas and of ,manu1 the custom of     
centuries proved so strong that some    
pious ,hindu women still burn themselves
 whenever they can4 ,not more than two  
years ago the four widows of            
,yung-,bahadur1 the chief minister of   
,nepal1 insisted upon being burned4     
,nepal is not under the ,british rule1  
and so the ,anglo-,indian ,government   
had no right to interfere4     ,the     
,caves ,of ,bagh    ,at four o'clock in 
the morning we crossed the ,vagrey and  
,girna1 or rather1 comme coloris local1 
,shiva and ,parvati4 ,probably1         

following the bad example of the average
 mortal husband and wife1 this divine   
couple were engaged in a quarrel1 even  
at this early hour of the day4 ,they    
were frightfully rough1 and our ferry1  
striking on something at the bottom1    
nearly upset us into the cold embrace of
 the god and his irate better half4     
,like all the cave temples of ,india1   
the ,bagh caverns are dug out in the    
middle of a vertical rock--with the     
intention1 as it seems to me1 of testing
 the limits of human patience4 ,taking  
into consideration that such a height   
does not prevent either glamour or      
tigers reaching the caves1 ,i cannot    
help thinking that the sole aim of the  
ascetic builders was to tempt weak      
mortals into the sin of irritation by   
the inaccessibility of their airy       
abodes4 ,seventy-two steps1 cut out in  
the rock1 and covered with thorny weeds 
and moss1 are the beginning of the      
ascent to the ,bagh caves4 ,footmarks   
worn in the stone through centuries     

spoke of the numberless pilgrims who had
 come here before us4 ,the roughness of 
the steps1 with deep holes here and     
there1 and thorns1 added attractions to 
this ascent2 join to this a number of   
mountain springs exuding through the    
pores of the stone1 and no one will be  
astonished if ,i say that we simply felt
 faint under the weight of life and our 
archeological difficulties4 ,the ,babu1 
who1 taking off his slippers1 scampered 
over the thorns as unconcernedly as if  
he had hoofs instead of vulnerable human
 heels1 laughed at the helplessness of  
,europeans1 and only made us feel worse4
  ,but on reaching the top of the       
mountain we stopped grumbling1 realizing
 at the first glance that we should     
receive our reward4 ,we saw a whole     
enfilade of dark caves1 through regular 
square openings1 six feet wide4 ,we felt
 awestruck with the gloomy majesty of   
this deserted temple4 ,there was a      
curious ceiling over the square platform
 that once served as a verandah2 there  

was also a portico with broken pillars  
hanging over our heads2 and two rooms on
 each side1 one with a broken image of  
some flat-nosed goddess1 the other      
containing a ,ganesha2 but we did not   
stop to examine all this in detail4     
,ordering the torches to be lit1 we     
stepped into the first hall4  ,a damp   
breath as of the tomb met us4 ,at our   
first word we all shivered3 a hollow1   
prolonged echoing howl1 dying away in   
the distance1 shook the ancient vaults  
and made us all lower our voices to a   
whisper4 ,the torch-bearers shrieked    
,devi6444 ,devi6444 and1 kneeling in the
 dust1 performed a fervent puja in honor
 of the voice of the invisible goddess  
of the caves1 in spite of the angry     
protestations of ,narayan and of the    
,god's warrior4  ,the only light of the 
temple came from the entrance1 and so   
two-thirds of it looked still gloomier  
by contrast4 ,this hall1 or the central 
temple1 is very spacious1 eighty--four  
feet square1 and sixteen feet high4     

,twenty-four massive pillars form a     
square1 six pillars at each side1       
including the corner ones1 and four in  
the middle to prop up the centre of the 
ceiling2 otherwise it could not be kept 
from falling1 as the mass of the        
mountain which presses on it from the   
top is much greater than in ,karli or   
,elephanta4  ,there are at least three  
different styles in the architecture of 
these pillars4 ,some of them are grooved
 in spirals1 gradually and imperceptibly
 changing from round to sixteen sided1  
then octagonal and square4 ,others1     
plain for the first third of their      
height1 gradually finished under the    
ceiling by a most elaborate display of  
ornamentation1 which reminds one of the 
,corinthian style4 ,the third with a    
square plinth and semi-circular friezes4
 ,taking it all in all1 they made a most
 original and graceful picture4 ,mr4    
,y----1 an architect by profession1     
assured us that he never saw anything   
more striking4 ,he said he could not    

imagine by the aid of what instruments  
the ancient builders could accomplish   
such wonders4  ,the construction of the 
,bagh caves1 as well as of all the cave 
temples of ,india1 whose history is lost
 in the darkness of time1 is ascribed by
 the ,european archeologists to the     
,buddhists1 and by the native tradition 
to the ,pandu brothers4 ,indian         
paleography protests in every one of its
 new discoveries against the hasty      
conclusions of the ,orientalists4 ,and  
much may be said against the            
intervention of ,buddhists in this      
particular case4 ,but ,i shall indicate 
only one particular4 ,the theory which  
declares that all the cave temples of   
,india are of ,buddhist origin is wrong4
 ,the ,orientalists may insist as much  
as they choose on the hypothesis that   
the ,buddhists became again             
idol-worshipers2 it will explain        
nothing1 and contradicts the history of 
both ,buddhists and ,brahmans4 ,the     
,brahmans began persecuting and         

banishing the ,buddhists precisely      
because they had begun a crusade against
 idol-worship4 ,the few ,buddhist       
communities who remained in ,india and  
deserted the pure1 though1 maybe--for a 
shallow observer--somewhat atheistic    
teachings of ,gautama ,siddhartha1 never
 joined ,brahmanism1 but coalesced with 
the ,jainas1 and gradually became       
absorbed in them4 ,then why not suppose 
that if1 amongst hundreds of            
,brahmanical gods1 we find one statue of
 ,buddha1 it only shows that the masses 
of half-converts to ,buddhism added this
 new god to the ancient ,brahmanical    
temple4 ,this would be much more        
sensible than to think that the         
,buddhists of the two centuries before  
and after the beginning of the          
,christian era dared to fill their      
temples with idols1 in defiance of the  
spirit of the reformer ,gau-tama4 ,the  
figures of ,buddha are easily discerned 
in the swarm of heathen gods2 their     
position is always the same1 and the    

palm of its right hand is always turned 
upwards1 blessing the worshipers with   
two fingers4 ,we examined almost every  
remarkable vihara of the so-called      
,buddhist temples1 and never met with   
one statue of ,buddha which could not   
have been added in a later epoch than   
the construction of the temple2 it does 
not matter whether it was a year or a   
thousand years later4 ,not being        
perfectly self-confident in this matter1
 we always took the opinion of ,mr4     
,y----1 who1 as ,i said before1 was an  
experienced architect2 and he invariably
 came to the conclusion that the        
,brahmanical idols formed a harmonic and
 genuine part of the whole1 pillars1    
decorations1 and the general style of   
the temple2 whereas the statue of       
,buddha was an additional and discordant
 patch4 ,out of thirty or forty caves of
 ,ellora1 all filled with idols1 there  
is only one1 the one called the ,temple 
of the ,tri-,lokas1 which contains      
nothing but statues of ,buddha1 and of  

,ananda1 his favourite disciple4 ,of    
course1 in this case it would be        
perfectly right to think it is a        
,buddhist vihara4  ,most probably1 some 
of the ,russian archeologists will      
protest against the opinions ,i         
maintain1 that is to say1 the opinions  
of the ,hindu archeologists1 and will   
treat me as an ignoramus1 outraging     
science4 ,in self-defence1 and in order 
to show how unstable a ground to base   
one's opinions upon are the conclusions 
even of such a great authority as ,mr4  
,fergusson1 ,i must mention the         
following instance4 ,this great         
architect1 but very mediocre            
archeologist1 proclaimed at the very    
beginning of his scientific career that 
all the cave temples of ,kanara1 without
 exception1 were built between the fifth
 and the tenth centuries4 ,this theory  
became generally accepted1 when suddenly
 ,dr4 ,bird found a brass plate in a    
certain ,kanara monument1 called a tope4
 ,the plate announced in pure and       

distinct ,sanskrit that this tope was   
erected as a homage to the old temple1  
at the beginning of #bde of the ,hindu  
astronomical 7,samvat7 era4 ,according  
to ,prinsep and ,dr4 ,stevenson1 this   
date coincides with #ahi ,a4,d41 and so 
it clearly settles the question of when 
the tope was built4 ,but the question of
 the antiquity of the temple itself     
still remains open1 though the          
inscription states that it was an old   
temple in #ahi ,a4,d41 and contradicts  
the above-quoted opinion of ,fergusson4 
,however1 this important discovery      
failed to shake ,fergusson's equanimity4
 ,for him1 ancient inscriptions are of  
no importance1 because1 as he says1 the 
antiquity of ruins must not be fixed on 
the basis of inscriptions1 but on the   
basis of certain architectural canons   
and rules1 discovered by ,mr4 ,fergusson
 in person4 ,fiat hypothesis1 ruat      
coelum6  ,and now ,i shall return to my 
narrative4  ,straight before the        
entrance a door leads to another hall1  

which is oblong1 with hexagonal pillars 
and niches1 containing statues in a     
tolerable state of preservation2        
goddesses ten feet and gods nine feet   
high4 ,after this hall there is a room  
with an altar1 which is a regular       
hexagon1 having sides each three feet   
long1 and protected by a cupola cut in  
the rock4 ,nobody was admitted here1    
except the initiates of the mysteries of
 the adytum4 ,all round this room there 
are about twenty priests' cells4        
,absorbed in the examination of the     
altar1 we did not notice the absence of 
the colonel1 till we heard his loud     
voice in the distance calling to us3  ,i
 have found a secret passage4444 ,come  
along1 let us find where it leads to6   
,torch in hand1 the colonel was far     
ahead of us1 and very eager to proceed2 
but each of us had a little plan of his 
own1 and so we were reluctant to obey   
his summons4 ,the ,babu took upon       
himself to answer for the whole party3  
,take care1 colonel4 ,this passage leads

 to the den of the glamour4444 ,mind the
 tigers6  ,but once fairly started on   
the way to discoveries1 our president   
was not to be stopped4 ,nolens volens we
 followed him4  ,he was right2 he had   
made a discovery2 and on entering the   
cell we saw a most unexpected tableau4  
,by the opposite wall stood two         
torch-bearers with their flaming        
torches1 as motionless as if they were  
transformed into stone caryatides2 and  
from the wall1 about five feet above the
 ground1 protruded two legs clad in     
white trousers4 ,there was no body to   
them2 the body had disappeared1 and but 
that the legs were shaken by a          
convulsive effort to move on1 we might  
have thought that the wicked goddess of 
this place had cut the colonel into two 
halves1 and having caused the upper half
 instantly to evaporate1 had stuck the  
lower half to the wall1 as a kind of    
trophy4  ,what is become of you1 ,mr4   
,president8 ,where are you8 were our    
alarmed questions4  ,instead of an      

answer1 the legs were convulsed still   
more violently1 and soon disappeared    
completely1 after which we heard the    
voice of the colonel1 as if coming      
through a long tube3  ,a room444 a      
secret cell4444 ,be quick6 ,i see a     
whole row of rooms4444 ,confound it6 my 
torch is out6 ,bring some matches and   
another torch6 ,but this was easier said
 than done4 ,the torch-bearers refused  
to go on2 as it was1 they were already  
frightened out of their wits4 ,miss     
,x---- glanced with apprehension at the 
wall thickly covered with soot and then 
at her pretty gown4 ,mr4 ,y---- sat down
 on a broken pillar and said he would go
 no farther1 preferring to have a quiet 
smoke in the company of the timid       
torch-bearers4  ,there were several     
vertical steps cut in the wall2 and on  
the floor we saw a large stone of such a
 curiously irregular shape that it      
struck me that it could not be natural4 
,the quick-eyed ,babu was not long in   
discovering its peculiarities1 and said 

he was sure it was the stopper of the   
secret passage4 ,we all hurried to      
examine the stone most minutely1 and    
discovered that1 though it imitated as  
closely as possible the irregularity of 
the rock1 its under surface bore evident
 traces of workmanship and had a kind of
 hinge to be easily moved4 ,the hole was
 about three feet high1 but not more    
than two feet wide4  ,the muscular      
,god's warrior was the first to follow  
the colonel4 ,he was so tall that when  
he stood on a broken pillar the opening 
came down to the middle of his breast1  
and so he had no difficulty in          
transporting himself to the upper story4
 ,the slender ,babu joined him with a   
single monkey-like jump4 ,then1 with the
 ,akali pulling from above and ,narayan 
pushing from below1 ,i safely made the  
passage1 though the narrowness of the   
hole proved most disagreeable1 and the  
roughness of the rock left considerable 
traces on my hands4 ,however trying     
archeological explorations may be for a 

person afflicted by an unusually fine   
presence1 ,i felt perfectly confident   
that with two such ,hercules-like       
helpers as ,narayan and                 
,ram-,runjit-,das the ascent of the     
,himalayas would be perfectly possible  
for me4 ,miss ,x---- came next1 under   
the escort of ,mulji1 but ,mr4 ,y----   
stayed behind4  ,the secret cell was a  
room of twelve feet square4 ,straight   
above the black hole in the floor there 
was another in the ceiling1 but this    
time we did not discover any stopper4   
,the cell was perfectly empty with the  
exception of black spiders as big as    
crabs4 ,our apparition1 and especially  
the bright light of the torches1        
maddened them2 panic-stricken they ran  
in hundreds over the walls1 rushed down1
 and tumbled on our heads1 tearing their
 thin ropes in their inconsiderate      
haste4 ,the first movement of ,miss     
,x---- was to kill as many as she could4
 ,but the four ,hindus protested        
strongly and unanimously4 ,the old lady 

remonstrated in an offended voice3  ,i  
thought that at least you1 ,mulji1 were 
a reformer1 but you are as superstitious
 as any idol-worshiper4  ,above         
everything ,i am a ,hindu1 answered the 
mute general4 ,and the ,hindus1 as you  
know1 consider it sinful before nature  
and before their own consciences to kill
 an animal put to flight by the strength
 of man1 be it even poisonous4 ,as to   
the spiders1 in spite of their ugliness1
 they are perfectly harmless4  ,i am    
sure all this is because you think you  
will transmigrate into a black spider6  
she replied1 her nostrils trembling with
 anger4  ,i cannot say ,i do1 retorted  
,mulji2 but if all the ,english ladies  
are as unkind as you ,i should rather be
 a spider than an ,englishman4  ,this   
lively answer coming from the usually   
taciturn ,mulji was so unexpected that  
we could not help laugh-ing4 ,but to our
 great discomfiture ,miss ,x---- was    
seriously angry1 and1 under pretext of  
giddiness1 said she would rejoin ,mr4   

,y---- below4  ,her constant bad spirits
 were becoming trying for our           
cosmopolitan little party1 and so we did
 not press her to stay4  ,as to us we   
climbed through the second opening1 but 
this time under the leadership of       
,narayan4 ,he disclosed to us that this 
place was not new to him2 he had been   
here before1 and confided to us that    
similar rooms1 one on the top of the    
other1 go up to the summit of the       
mountain4 ,then1 he said1 they take a   
sudden turn1 and descend gradually to a 
whole underground palace1 which is      
sometimes temporarily inhabited4        
,wishing to leave the world for a while 
and to spend a few days in isolation1   
the ,raj-,yogis find perfect solitude in
 this underground abode4 ,our president 
looked askance at ,narayan through his  
spectacles1 but did not find anything to
 say4 ,the ,hindus also received this   
information in perfect silence4  ,the   
second cell was exactly like the first  
one2 we easily discovered the hole in   

its ceiling1 and reached the third cell4
 ,there we sat down for a while4 ,i felt
 that breathing was becoming difficult  
to me1 but ,i thought ,i was simply out 
of breath and tired1 and so did not     
mention to my companions that anything  
was wrong4 ,the passage to the fourth   
cell was almost stopped by earth mixed  
with little stones1 and the gentlemen of
 the party were busy clearing it out for
 about twenty minutes4 ,then we reached 
the fourth cell4  ,narayan was right1   
the cells were one straight over the    
other1 and the floor of the one formed  
the ceiling of the other4 ,the fourth   
cell was in ruins4 ,two broken pillars  
lying one on the other presented a very 
convenient stepping-stone to the fifth  
story4 ,but the colonel stopped our zeal
 by saying that now was the time to     
smoke the pipe of deliberation after the
 fashion of red ,indians4  ,if ,narayan 
is not mistaken1 he said1 this going up 
and up may continue till tomorrow       
morning4  ,i am not mistaken1 said      

,narayan almost solemnly4 ,but since my 
visit here ,i have heard that some of   
these passages were filled with earth1  
so that every communication is stopped2 
and1 if ,i remember rightly1 we cannot  
go further than the next story4  ,in    
that case there is no use trying to go  
any further4 ,if the ruins are so shaky 
as to stop the passages1 it would be    
dangerous for us4  ,i never said the    
passages were stopped by the hand of    
time4444 ,they did it on purpose4444    
,who they8 ,do you mean glamour8444     
,colonel6 said the ,hindu with an       
effort4 ,don't laugh at what ,i say4 444
 ,i speak seriously4  ,my dear fellow1  
,i assure you my intention is neither to
 offend you nor to ridicule a serious   
matter4 ,i simply do not realize whom   
you mean when you say they4  ,i mean the
 brotherhood4444 ,the ,raj-,yogis4 ,some
 of them live quite close to here4  ,by 
the dim light of the half-extinguished  
torches we saw that ,narayan's lips     
trembled and that his face grew pale as 

he spoke4 ,the colonel coughed1         
rearranged his spectacles and remained  
silent for a while4  ,my dear ,narayan1 
at last said the colonel1 ,i do not want
 to believe that your intention is to   
make fun of our credulity4 ,but ,i can't
 believe either1 that you seriously mean
 to assure us that any living creature1 
be it an animal or an ascetic1 could    
exist in a place where there is no air4 
,i paid special attention to the fact1  
and so ,i am perfectly sure ,i am not   
mistaken3 there is not a single bat in  
these cells1 which shows that there is a
 lack of air4 ,and just look at our     
torches6 you see how dim they are       
growing4 ,i am sure1 that on climbing   
two or three more rooms like this1 we   
should be suffocated6  ,and in spite of 
all these facts1 ,i speak the truth1    
repeated ,narayan4 ,the caves further on
 are inhabited by them4 ,and ,i have    
seen them with my own eyes4  ,the       
colonel grew thoughtful1 and stood      
glancing at the ceiling in a perplexed  

and undecided way4 ,we all kept silent1 
breathing heavily4  ,let us go back6    
suddenly shouted the ,akali4 ,my nose is
 bleeding4  ,at this very moment ,i felt
 a strange and unexpected sensation1 and
 ,i sank heavily on the ground4 ,in a   
second ,i felt an indescribably         
delicious1 heavenly sense of rest1 in   
spite of a dull pain beating in my      
temples4 ,i vaguely realized that ,i had
 really fainted1 and that ,i should die 
if not taken out into the open air4 ,i  
could not lift my finger2 ,i could not  
utter a sound2 and1 in spite of it1     
there was no fear in my soul--nothing   
but an apathetic1 but indescribably     
sweet feeling of rest1 and a complete   
inactivity of all the senses except     
hearing4 ,a moment came when even this  
sense forsook me1 because ,i remember   
that ,i listened with imbecile          
intentness to the dead silence around   
me4 ,is this death8 was my indistinct   
wondering thought4 ,then ,i felt as if  
mighty wings were fanning me4 ,kind     

wings1 caressing1 kind wings6 were the  
recurring words in my brain1 like the   
regular movements of a pendulum1 and    
interiorily under an unreasoning        
impulse1 ,i laughed at these words4     
,then ,i experienced a new sensation3 ,i
 rather knew than felt that ,i was      
lifted from the floor1 and fell down and
 down some unknown precipice1 amongst   
the hollow rollings of a distant        
thunder-storm4 ,suddenly a loud voice   
resounded near me4 ,and this time ,i    
think ,i did not hear1 but felt it4     
,there was something palpable in this   
voice1 something that instantly stopped 
my helpless descent1 and kept me from   
falling any further4 ,this was a voice  
,i knew well1 but whose voice it was ,i 
could not in my weakness remember4  ,in 
what way ,i was dragged through all     
these narrow holes will remain an       
eternal mystery for me4 ,i came to      
myself on the verandah below1 fanned by 
fresh breezes1 and as suddenly as ,i had
 fainted above in the impure air of the 

cell4 ,when ,i recovered completely the 
first thing ,i saw was a powerful figure
 clad in white1 with a raven black      
,rajput beard1 anxiously leaning over   
me4 ,as soon as ,i recognized the owner 
of this beard1 ,i could not abstain from
 expressing my feelings by a joyful     
exclamation3 ,where do you come from8   
,it was our friend ,takur               
,gulab-,lal-,sing1 who1 having promised 
to join us in the ,north-,west          
,provinces1 now appeared to us in ,bagh1
 as if falling from the sky or coming   
out of the ground4  ,but my unfortunate 
accident1 and the pitiable state of the 
rest of the daring explorers1 were      
enough to stop any further questions and
 expressions of astonishment4 ,on one   
side of me the frightened ,miss ,x----1 
using my nose as a cork for her         
sal-volatile bottle2 on the other the   
,god's warrior covered with blood as if 
returning from a battle with the        
,afghans2 further on1 poor ,mulji with a
 dreadful headache4 ,narayan and the    

colonel1 happily for our party1 did not 
experience anything worse than a slight 
vertigo4 ,as to the ,babu1 no carbonic  
acid gas could inconvenience his        
wonderful ,bengali nature4 ,he said he  
was safe and comfortable enough1 but    
awfully hungry4  ,at last the outpour of
 entangled exclamations and             
unintelligible explanations stopped1 and
 ,i collected my thoughts and tried to  
understand what had happened to me in   
the cave4 ,narayan was the first to     
notice that ,i had fainted1 and hastened
 to drag me back to the passage4 ,and   
this very moment they all heard the     
voice of ,gulab-,sing coming from the   
upper cell3 ,tum-hare iha aneka kya kam 
tha8 ,what on earth brought you here8   
,even before they recovered from their  
astonishment he ran quickly past them1  
and descending to the cell beneath      
called to them to pass him down the bai 
7sister74 ,this passing down of such a  
solid object as my body1 and the picture
 of the proceeding1 vividly imagined1   

made me laugh heartily1 and ,i felt     
sorry ,i had not been able to witness   
it4 ,handing him over their half-dead   
load1 they hastened to join the ,takur2 
but he contrived to do without their    
help1 though how he did it they were at 
a loss to understand4 ,by the time they 
succeeded in getting through one passage
 ,gulab-,sing was already at the next   
one1 in spite of the heavy burden he    
carried2 and they never were in time to 
be of any assistance to him4 ,the       
colonel1 whose main feature is the      
tendency to go into the details of      
everything1 could not conceive by what  
proceedings the ,takur had managed to   
pass my almost lifeless body so rapidly 
through all these narrow holes4  ,he    
could not have thrown her down the      
passage before going in himself1 for    
every single bone of her body would have
 been broken1 mused the colonel4 ,and it
 is still less possible to suppose that1
 descending first himself1 he dragged   
her down afterwards4 ,it is simply      

incomprehensible6  ,these questions     
harassed him for a long time afterwards1
 until they became something like the   
puzzle3 ,which was created first1 the   
egg or the bird8  ,as to the ,takur1    
when closely questioned1 he shrugged his
 shoulders1 and answered that he really 
did not remember4 ,he said that he      
simply did whatever he could to get me  
out into the open air2 that all our     
traveling companions were there to watch
 his proceedings2 he was under their    
eyes all the time1 and that in          
circumstances when every second is      
precious people do not think1 but act4  
,but all these questions arose only in  
the course of the day4 ,as to the time  
directly after ,i was laid down on the  
verandah1 there were other things to    
puzzle all our party2 no one could      
understand how the ,takur happened to be
 on the spot exactly when his help was  
most needed1 nor where he came from--and
 everyone was anxious to know4 ,on the  
verandah they found me lying on a       

carpet1 with the ,takur busy restoring  
me to my senses1 and ,miss ,x---- with  
her eyes wide open at the ,takur1 whom  
she decidedly believed to be a          
materialized ghost4  ,however1 the      
explanations our friend gave us seemed  
perfectly satisfactory1 and at first did
 not strike us as unnatural4 ,he was in 
,hardwar when ,swami ,dayanand sent us  
the letter which postponed our going to 
him4 ,on arriving at ,kandua by the     
,indore railway1 he had visited ,holkar2
 and1 learning that we were so near1 he 
decided to join us sooner than he had   
expected4 ,he had come to ,bagh         
yesterday evening1 but knowing that we  
were to start for the caves early in the
 morning he went there before us1 and   
simply was waiting for us in the caves4 
,there is the whole mystery for you1    
said he4  ,the whole mystery8 exclaimed 
the colonel4 ,did you know1 then1       
beforehand that we would discover the   
cells1 or what8  ,no1 ,i did not4 ,i    
simply went there myself because it is a

 long time since ,i saw them last4      
,examining them took me longer than ,i  
expected1 and so ,i was too late to meet
 you at the entrance4  ,probably the    
,takur-,sahib was enjoying the freshness
 of the air in the cells1 suggested the 
mischievous ,babu1 showing all his white
 teeth in a broad grin4  ,our president 
uttered an energetic exclamation4       
,exactly6 ,how on earth did ,i not think
 of that before8444 ,you could not      
possibly have any breathing air in the  
cells above the one you found us in4444 
,and1 besides1444 how did you reach the 
fifth cell1 when the entrance of the    
fourth was nearly stopped and we had to 
dig it out8  ,there are other passages  
leading to them4 ,i know all the turns  
and corridors of these caves1 and       
everyone is free to choose his way1     
answered ,gulab-,sing2 and ,i thought ,i
 saw a look of intelligence pass between
 him and ,narayan1 who simply cowered   
under his fiery eyes4 ,however1 let us  
go to the cave where breakfast is ready 

for us4 ,fresh air will do all of you   
good4  ,on our way we met with another  
cave1 twenty or thirty steps south from 
the verandah1 but the ,takur did not let
 us go in1 fearing new accidents for us4
 ,so we descended the stone steps ,i    
have already mentioned1 and after       
descending about two hundred steps      
towards the foot of the mountain1 made a
 short reascent again and entered the   
dining-room1 as the ,babu denominated   
it4 ,in my role of interesting invalid1 
,i was carried to it1 sitting in my     
folding chair1 which never left me in   
all my travels4  ,this temple is much   
the less gloomy of the two1 in spite of 
considerable signs of decay4 ,the       
frescoes of the ceiling are better      
preserved than in the first temple4 ,the
 walls1 the tumbled down pillars1 the   
ceiling1 and even the interior rooms1   
which were lighted by ventilators cut   
through the rock1 were once covered by a
 varnished stucco1 the secret of which  
is now known only to the ,madrasis1 and 

which gives the rock the appearance of  
pure marble4  ,we were met by the       
,takur's four servants1 whom we         
remembered since our stay in ,karli1 and
 who bowed down in the dust to greet us4
 ,the carpets were spread1 and the      
breakfast ready4 ,every trace of        
carbonic acid had left our brains1 and  
we sat down to our meal in the best of  
spirits4 ,our conversation soon turned  
to the ,hardwar ,mela1 which our        
unexpectedly-recovered friend had left  
exactly five days ago4 ,all the         
information we got from                 
,gulab-,lal-,sing was so interesting    
that ,i wrote it down at the first      
opportunity4  ,after a few weeks we     
visited ,hardwar ourselves1 and since ,i
 saw it1 my memory has never grown tired
 of recalling the charming picture of   
its lovely situation4 ,it is as near a  
primitive picture of earthly ,paradise  
as anything that can be imagined4       
,every twelfth year1 which the ,hindus  
call ,kumbha1 the planet ,jupiter enters

 the constellation of ,aquarius1 and    
this event is considered very propitious
 for the beginning of the religious     
fair2 for which this day is accordingly 
fixed by the astrologers of the pagodas4
 ,this gathering attracts the           
representatives of all sects1 as ,i said
 before1 from princes and maharajas down
 to the last fakir4 ,the former come for
 the sake of religious discussions1 the 
latter1 simply to plunge into the waters
 of ,ganges at its very source1 which   
must be done at a certain propitious    
hour1 fixed also by the position of the 
stars4  ,ganges is a name invented in   
,europe4 ,the natives always say ,ganga1
 and consider this river to belong      
strictly to the feminine sex4 ,ganges is
 sacred in the eyes of the ,hindus1     
because she is the most important of all
 the fostering goddesses of the country1
 and a daughter of the old ,himavat     
7,himalaya71 from whose heart she       
springs for the salvation of the people4
 ,that is why she is worshiped1 and why 

the city of ,hardwar1 built at her very 
source1 is so sacred4  ,hardwar is      
written ,hari-avara1 the doorway of the 
sun-god1 or ,krishna1 and is also often 
called ,gangadvara1 the doorway of      
,ganga2 there is still a third name of  
the same town1 which is the name of a   
certain ascetic ,kapela1 or rather      
,kapila1 who once sought salvation on   
this spot1 and left many miraculous     
traditions4  ,the town is situated in a 
charming flowery valley1 at the foot of 
the southern slope of the ,sivalik      
ridge1 between two mountain chains4 ,in 
this valley1 raised #a1jbd feet above   
the sea-level1 the northern nature of   
the ,himalayas struggles with the       
tropical growth of the plains2 and1 in  
their efforts to excel each other1 they 
have created the most delightful of all 
the delightful corners of ,india4 ,the  
town itself is a quaint collection of   
castle-like turrets of the most         
fantastical architecture2 of ancient    
viharas2 of wooden fortresses1 so gaily 

painted that they look like toys2 of    
pagodas1 with loopholes and overhanging 
curved little balconies2 and all this   
over-grown by such abundance of roses1  
dahlias1 aloes and blossoming cactuses1 
that it is hardly possible to tell a    
door from a window4 ,the granite        
foundations of many houses are laid     
almost in the bed of the river1 and so1 
during four months of the year1 they are
 half covered with water4 ,and behind   
this handful of scattered houses1 higher
 up the mountain slope1 crowd           
snow-white1 stately temples4 ,some of   
them are low1 with thick walls1 wide    
wings and gilded cupolas2 others rise in
 majestical many-storied towers2 others 
again with shapely pointed roofs1 which 
look like the spires of a bell tower4   
,strange and capricious is the          
architecture of these temples1 the like 
of which is not to be seen anywhere     
else4 ,they look as if they had suddenly
 dropped from the snowy abodes of the   
mountain spirits above1 standing there  

in the shelter of the mother mountain1  
and timidly peeping over the head of the
 small town below at their own images   
reflected in the pure1 untroubled waters
 of the sacred river4  ,here the ,ganges
 is not yet polluted by the dirt and the
 sins of her many million adorers4      
,releasing her worshipers1 cleansed from
 her icy embrace1 the pure maiden of the
 mountains carries her transparent waves
 through the burning plains of          
,hindostan2 and only three hundred and  
forty-eight miles lower down1 on passing
 through ,cawnpore1 do her waters begin 
to grow thicker and darker1 while1 on   
reaching ,benares1 they transform       
themselves into a kind of peppery pea   
soup4  ,once1 while talking to an old   
,hindu1 who tried to convince us that   
his compatriots are the cleanest nation 
in the world1 we asked him3  ,why is it 
then that1 in the less populous places1 
the ,ganges is pure and transparent1    
whilst in ,benares1 especially towards  
evening1 it looks like a mass of liquid 

mud8  ,o sahibs6 answered he mournfully1
 it is not the dirt of our bodies1 as   
you think1 it is not even the blackness 
of our sins1 that the devi 7goddess7    
washes away444 ,her waves are black with
 the sorrow and shame of her children4  
,her feelings are sad and sorrowful2    
hidden suffering1 burning pain and      
humiliation1 despair and shame at her   
own helplessness1 have been her lot for 
many past centuries4 ,she has suffered  
all this till her waters have become    
waves of black bile4 ,her waters are    
poisoned and black1 but not from        
physical causes4 ,she is our mother1 and
 how could she help resenting the       
degradation we have brought ourselves to
 in this dark age4  ,this sorrowful1    
poetical allegory made us feel very     
keenly for the poor old man2 but1       
however great our sympathy1 we could not
 but suppose that probably the woes of  
the maiden ,ganga do not affect her     
sources4 ,in ,hardwar the color of      
,ganges is crystal aqua marina1 and the 

waters run gaily murmuring to the       
shore-reeds about the wonders they saw  
on their way from the ,himalayas4  ,the 
beautiful river is the greatest and the 
purest of goddesses1 in the eyes of the 
,hindus2 and many are the honors given  
to her in ,hardwar4 ,besides the ,mela  
celebrated once every twelve years1     
there is a month in every year when the 
pilgrims flock together to the          
,harika-,paira1 stairs of ,vishnu4      
,whosoever succeeds in throwing himself 
first into the river1 at the appointed  
day1 hour and moment1 will not only     
expiate all his sins1 but also have all 
bodily sufferings removed4 ,this zeal to
 be first is so great that1 owing to a  
badly-constructed and narrow stair      
leading to the water1 it used to cost   
many lives yearly1 until1 in #ahai1 the 
,east ,india ,company1 taking pity upon 
the pilgrims1 ordered this ancient relic
 to be removed1 and a new stairway1 one 
hundred feet wide1 and consisting of    
sixty steps1 to be constructed4  ,the   

month when the waters of the ,ganges are
 most salutary1 falls1 according to the 
,brahmanical computation1 between ,march
 #abth and ,april #ajth1 and is called  
,chaitra4 ,the worst of it is that the  
waters are at their best only at the    
first moment of a certain propitious    
hour1 indicated by the ,brahmans1 and   
which sometimes happens to be midnight4 
,you can fancy what it must be when this
 moment comes1 in the midst of a crowd  
which exceeds two millions4 ,in #ahai   
more than four hundred people were      
crushed to death4 ,but even after the   
new stairs were constructed1 the goddess
 ,ganga has carried away on her virgin  
bosom many a disfigured corpse of her   
worshipers4 ,nobody pitied the drowned1 
on the contrary1 they were envied4      
,whoever happens to be killed during    
this purification by bathing1 is sure to
 go straight to ,swarga 7heaven74 ,in   
#agfj1 the two rival brotherhoods of    
,sannyasis and ,bairagis had a regular  
battle amongst them on the sacred day of

 ,purbi1 the last day of the religious  
fair4 ,the ,bairagis were conquered1 and
 there were eighteen thousand people    
slaughtered4  ,and in #agif1 proudly    
narrated our warlike friend the ,akali1 
the pilgrims from ,punjab1 all of them  
,sikhs1 desiring to punish the insolence
 of the ,hossains1 killed here about    
five hundred of these heathens4 ,my own 
grandfather took part in the fight6     
,later on we verified this in the       
,gazetteer of ,india1 and the ,god's    
warrior was cleared of every suspicion  
of exaggeration and boasting4  ,in      
#ahgi1 however1 no one was drowned1 or  
crushed to death1 but a dreadful        
epidemic of cholera broke out4 ,we were 
disgusted at this impediment2 but had to
 keep at a distance in spite of our     
impatience to see ,hardwar4 ,and unable 
to behold distant summits of old        
,himavat ourselves1 we had in the       
meanwhile to be contented with what we  
could hear about him from other people4 
,so we talked long after our breakfast  

under the cave vault was finished4 ,but 
our talk was not so gay as it might have
 been1 because we had to part with      
,ram-,runjit-,das1 who was going to     
,bombay4 ,the worthy ,sikh shook hands  
with us in the ,european way1 and then  
raising his right hand gave us his      
blessing1 after the fashion of all the  
followers of ,nanaka4 ,but when he      
approached the ,takur to take leave of  
him1 his countenance suddenly changed4  
,this change was so evident that we all 
noted it4 ,the ,takur was sitting on the
 ground leaning on a saddle1 which      
served him as a cushion4 ,the ,akali did
 not attempt either to give him his     
blessing or to shake hands with him4    
,the proud expression of his face also  
changed1 and showed confusion and       
anxious humility instead of the usual   
self-respect and self-sufficiency4 ,the 
brave ,sikh knelt down before the       
,takur1 and instead of the ordinary     
,namaste6--,salutation to you1 whispered
 reverently1 as if addressing the ,guru 

of the ,golden ,lake3 ,i am your        
servant1 ,sadhu-,sahib6 give me your    
blessing6  ,without any apparent reason 
or cause1 we all felt self-conscious and
 ill at ease1 as if guilty of some      
indiscretion4 ,but the face of the      
mysterious ,rajput remained as calm and 
as dispassionate as ever4 ,he was       
looking at the river before this scene  
took place1 and slowly moved his eyes to
 the ,akali1 who lay prostrated before  
him4 ,then he touched the head of the   
,sikh with his index finger1 and rose   
with the remark that we also had better 
start at once1 because it was getting   
late4  ,we drove in our carriage1 moving
 very slowly because of the deep sand   
which covers all this locality1 and the 
,takur followed us on horseback all the 
way4 ,he told us the epic legends of    
,hardwar and ,rajistan1 of the great    
deeds of the ,hari-,kulas1 the heroic   
princes of the solar race4 ,hari means  
sun1 and ,kula family4 ,some of the     
,rajput princes belong to this family1  

and the ,maharanas of ,oodeypur are     
especially proud of their astronomical  
origin4  ,the name of ,hari-,kula gives 
to some ,orientalists ground to suppose 
that a member of this family emigrated  
to ,egypt in the remote epoch of the    
first ,pharaonic dynasties1 and that the
 ancient ,greeks1 borrowing the name as 
well as the traditions1 thus formed     
their legends about the mythological    
,hercules4 ,it is believed that the     
ancient ,egyptians adored the sphinx    
under the name of ,hari-,mukh1 or the   
sun on the horizon4 ,on the mountain    
chain which fringes ,kashmir on the     
north1 thirteen thousand feet above the 
sea1 there is a huge summit1 which is   
exactly like a head1 and which bears the
 name of ,harimukh4 ,this name is also  
met with in the most ancient of the     
,puranas4 ,besides1 popular tradition   
considers this ,himalayan stone head to 
be the image of the setting sun4  ,is it
 possible1 then1 that all these         
coincidences are only accidental8 ,and  

why is it that the ,orientalists will   
not give it more serious attention8 ,it 
seems to me that this is a rich soil for
 future research1 and that it is no more
 to be explained by mere chance than the
 fact that both ,egypt and ,india held  
the cow sacred1 and that the ancient    
,egyptians had the same religious horror
 of killing certain animals1 as the     
modern ,hindus4     ,an ,isle of        
,mystery    ,when evening began to draw 
on1 we were driving beneath the trees of
 a wild jungle2 arriving soon after at a
 large lake1 we left the carriages4 ,the
 shores were overgrown with reeds--not  
the reeds that answer our ,european     
notions1 but rather such as ,gulliver   
was likely to meet with in his travels  
to ,brobdingnag4 ,the place was         
perfectly deserted1 but we saw a boat   
fastened close to the land4 ,we had     
still about an hour and a half of       
daylight before us1 and so we quietly   
sat down on some ruins and enjoyed the  
splendid view1 whilst the servants of   

the ,takur transported our bags1 boxes  
and bundles of rugs from the carriages  
to the ferry boat4 ,mr4 ,y---- was      
preparing to paint the picture before   
us1 which indeed was charming4  ,don't  
be in a hurry to take down this view1   
said ,gulab-,sing4 ,in half an hour we  
shall be on the islet1 where the view is
 still lovelier4 ,we may spend there the
 night and tomorrow morning as well4  ,i
 am afraid it will be too dark in an    
hour1 said ,mr4 ,y----1 opening his     
color box4 ,and as for tomorrow1 we     
shall probably have to start very early4
  ,oh1 no6 there is not the slightest   
need to start early4 ,we may even stay  
here part of the afternoon4 ,from here  
to the railway station it is only three 
hours1 and the train only leaves for ,j 
ubbulpore at eight in the evening4 ,and 
do you know1 added the ,takur1 smiling  
in his usual mysterious way1 ,i am going
 to treat you to a concert4 ,tonight you
 shall be witness of a very interesting 
natural phenomenon connected with this  

island4  ,we all pricked up our ears    
with curiosity4  ,do you mean that      
island there8 and do you really think we
 must go8 asked the colonel4 ,why should
 not we spend the night here1 where we  
are so deliciously cool1 and where444   
,where the forest swarms with playful   
leopards1 and the reeds shelter snug    
family parties of the serpent race1 were
 you going to say1 colonel8 interrupted 
the ,babu1 with a broad grin4 ,don't you
 admire this merry gathering1 for       
instance8 ,look at them6 ,there is the  
father and the mother1 uncles1 aunts1   
and children4444 ,i am sure ,i could    
point out even a mother-in-law4  ,miss  
,x---- looked in the direction he       
indicated and shrieked1 till all the    
echoes of the forest groaned in answer4 
,not farther than three steps from her  
there were at least forty grown up      
serpents and baby snakes4 ,they amused  
themselves by practising somersaults1   
coiled up1 then straightened again and  
interlaced their tails1 presenting to   

our dilated eyes a picture of perfect   
innocence and primitive contentment4    
,miss ,x---- could not stand it any     
longer and fled to the carriage1 whence 
she showed us a pale1 horrified face4   
,the ,takur1 who had arranged himself   
comfortably beside ,mr4 ,y---- in order 
to watch the progress of his paint-ing1 
left his seat and looked attentively at 
the dangerous group1 quietly smoking his
 gargari--,rajput narghile--the while4  
,if you do not stop screaming you will  
attract all the wild animals of the     
forest in another ten minutes1 said he4 
,none of you have anything to fear4 ,if 
you do not excite an animal he is almost
 sure to leave you alone1 and most      
probably will run away from you4  ,with 
these words he lightly waved his pipe in
 the direction of the serpentine        
family-party4 ,a thunderbolt falling in 
their midst could not have been more    
effectual4 ,the whole living mass looked
 stunned for a moment1 and then rapidly 
disappeared among the reeds with loud   

hissing and rustling4  ,now this is pure
 mesmerism1 ,i declare1 said the        
colonel1 on whom not a gesture of the   
,takur was lost4 ,how did you do it1    
,gulab-,sing8 ,where did you learn this 
science8  ,they were simply frightened  
away by the sudden movement of my       
chibook1 and there was no science and no
 mesmerism about it4 ,probably by this  
fashionable modern word you mean what we
 ,hindus call vashi-karana vidya--that  
is to say1 the science of charming      
people and animals by the force of will4
 ,however1 as ,i have already said1 this
 has nothing to do with what ,i did4    
,but you do not deny1 do you1 that you  
have studied this science and possess   
this gift8  ,of course ,i don't4 ,every 
,hindu of my sect is bound to study the 
mysteries of physiology and psychology  
amongst other secrets left to us by our 
ancestors4 ,but what of that8 ,i am very
 much afraid1 my dear colonel1 said the 
,takur with a quiet smile1 that you are 
rather inclined to view the simplest of 

my acts through a mystical prism4       
,narayan has been telling you all kinds 
of things about me behind my back4444   
,now1 is it not so8  ,and he looked at  
,narayan1 who sat at his feet1 with an  
indescribable mixture of fondness and   
reproof4 ,the ,dekkan colossus dropped  
his eyes and remained silent4  ,you have
 guessed rightly1 absently answered ,mr4
 ,y----1 busy over his drawing          
apparatus4 ,narayan sees in you         
something like his late deity ,shiva2   
something just a little less than       
,parabrahm4 ,would you believe it8 ,he  
seriously assured us--in ,nassik it     
was--that the ,raj-,yogis1 and amongst  
them yourself--though ,i must own ,i    
still fail to understand what a         
,raj-,yogi is1 precisely--can force any 
one to see1 not what is before his eyes 
at the given moment1 but what is only in
 the imagination of the ,raj-,yogi4 ,if 
,i remember rightly he called it        
,maya4444 ,now1 this seemed to me going 
a little too far6  ,well6 ,you did not  

believe1 of course1 and laughed at      
,narayan8 asked the ,takur1 fathoming   
with his eyes the dark green deeps of   
the lake4  ,not precisely444 ,though1 ,i
 dare say1 ,i did just a little bit1    
went on ,mr4 ,y----1 absently1 being    
fully engrossed by the view1 and trying 
to fix his eyes on the most effective   
part of it4 ,i dare say ,i am too       
scep-tical on this kind of question4    
,and knowing ,mr4 ,y---- as ,i do1 said 
the colonel1 ,i can add1 for my part1   
that even were any of these phenomena to
 happen to himself personally1 he1 like 
,dr4 ,carpenter1 would doubt his own    
eyes rather than believe4  ,what you say
 is a little bit exaggerated1 but there 
is some truth in it4 ,maybe ,i would not
 trust myself in such an occurrence2 and
 ,i tell you why4 ,if ,i saw something  
that does not exist1 or rather exists   
only for me1 logic would interfere4     
,however objective my vision may be1    
before believing in the materiality of a
 hallucination1 ,i feel ,i am bound to  

doubt my own senses and sanity4444      
,besides1 what bosh all this is6 ,as if 
,i ever will allow myself to believe in 
the reality of a thing that ,i alone    
saw2 which belief implies also the      
admission of somebody else governing and
 dominating1 for the time being1 my     
optical nerves1 as well as my brains4   
,however1 there are any number of       
people1 who do not doubt1 because they  
have had proof that this phenomenon     
really occurs1 remarked the ,takur1 in a
 careless tone1 which showed he had not 
the slightest desire to insist upon this
 topic4  ,however1 this remark only     
increased ,mr4 ,y----'s excitement4  ,no
 doubt there are6 he exclaimed4 ,but    
what does that prove8 ,besides them1    
there are equal numbers of people who   
believe in the materialization of       
spirits4 ,but do me the kindness of not 
including me among them6  ,don't you    
believe in animal magnetism8  ,to a     
certain extent1 ,i do4 ,if a person     
suffering from some contagious illness  

can influence a person in good health1  
and make him ill1 in his turn1 ,i       
suppose somebody else's overflow of     
health can also affect the sick person1 
and1 perhaps cure him4 ,but between     
physiological contagion and mesmeric    
influence there is a great gulf1 and ,i 
don't feel inclined to cross this gulf  
on the grounds of blind faith4 ,it is   
perfectly possible that there are       
instances of thought-transference in    
cases of somnambulism1 epilepsy1 trance4
 ,i do not positively deny it1 though ,i
 am very doubtful4 ,mediums and         
clairvoyants are a sickly lot1 as a     
rule4 ,but ,i bet you anything1 a       
healthy man in perfectly normal         
conditions is not to be influenced by   
the tricks of mesmerists4 ,i should like
 to see a magnetizer1 or even a         
,raj-,yogi1 inducing me to obey his     
will4  ,now1 my dear fellow1 you really 
ought not to speak so rashly1 said the  
colonel1 who1 till then1 had not taken  
any part in the discussion4  ,ought ,i  

not8 ,don't take it into your head that 
it is mere boastfulness on my part4 ,i  
guarantee failure in my case1 simply    
because every renowned ,european        
mesmerist has tried his luck with me1   
without any result2 and that is why ,i  
defy the whole lot of them to try again1
 and feel perfectly safe about it4 ,and 
why a ,hindu ,raj-,yogi should succeed  
where the strongest of ,european        
mesmerists failed1 ,i do not quite      
see4444  ,mr4 ,y---- was growing        
altogether too excited1 and the ,takur  
dropped the subject1 and talked of      
something else4  ,for my part1 ,i also  
feel inclined to deviate once more from 
my subject1 and give some necessary     
explanations4  ,miss ,x---- excepted1   
none of our party had ever been numbered
 amongst the spiritualists1 least of all
 ,mr4 ,y----4 ,we ,theosophists did not 
believe in the playfulness of departed  
souls1 though we admitted the           
possibility of some mediumistic         
phenomena1 while totally disagreeing    

with the spiritualists as to the cause  
and point of view4 ,refusing to believe 
in the interference1 and even presence  
of the spirits1 in the so-called        
spiritualistic phenomena1 we            
nevertheless believe in the living      
spirit of man2 we believe in the        
omnipotence of this spirit1 and in its  
natural1 though benumbed capacities4 ,we
 also believe that1 when incarnated1    
this spirit1 this divine spark1 may be  
apparently quenched1 if it is not       
guarded1 and if the life the man leads  
is unfavorable to its expansion1 as it  
generally is2 but1 on the other hand1   
our conviction is that human beings can 
develop their potential spiritual       
powers2 that1 if they do1 no phenomenon 
will be impossible for their liberated  
wills1 and that they will perform what1 
in the eyes of the uninitiated1 will be 
much more wondrous than the materialized
 forms of the spiritualists4 ,if proper 
training can render the muscular        
strength ten times greater1 as in the   

cases of renowned athletes1 ,i do not   
see why proper training should fail in  
the case of moral capacities4 ,we have  
also good grounds to believe that the   
secret of this proper training--though  
unknown to1 and denied by1 ,european    
physiologists and even psychologists--is
 known in some places in ,india1 where  
its knowledge is hereditary1 and        
entrusted to few4  ,mr4 ,y---- was a    
novice in our ,society and looked with  
distrust even on such phenomena as can  
be pro-duced by mesmerism4 ,he had been 
trained in the ,royal ,institute of     
,british ,architects1 which he left with
 a gold medal1 and with a fund of       
scepticism that caused him to distrust  
everything1 en dehors des mathematiques 
pures4 ,so that no wonder he lost his   
temper when people tried to convince him
 that there existed things which he was 
inclined to treat as mere bosh and      
fables4  ,now ,i return to my narrative4
  ,the ,babu and ,mulji left us to help 
the servants to transport our luggage to

 the ferry boat4 ,the remainder of the  
party had grown very quiet and silent4  
,miss ,x---- dozed peacefully in the    
carriage1 forgetting her recent fright4 
,the colonel1 stretched on the sand1    
amused himself by throwing stones into  
the water4 ,narayan sat motionless1 with
 his hands round his knees1 plunged as  
usual in the mute contemplation of      
,gulab ,lal-,sing4 ,mr4 ,y---- sketched 
hurriedly and diligently1 only raising  
his head from time to time to glance at 
the opposite shore1 and knitting his    
brow in a preoccupied way4 ,the ,takur  
went on smoking1 and as for me1 ,i sat  
on my folding chair1 looking lazily at  
everything round me1 till my eyes rested
 on ,gulab-,sing1 and were fixed1 as if 
by a spell4  ,who and what is this      
mysterious ,hindu8 ,i wondered in my    
uncertain thoughts4 ,who is this man1   
who unites in himself two such distinct 
personalities3 the one exterior1 kept up
 for strangers1 for the orld in general1
 the other interior1 moral and          

spiritual1 shown only to a few intimate 
friends8 ,but even these intimate       
friends do they know much beyond what is
 generally known8 ,and what do they     
know8 ,they see in him a ,hindu who     
differs very little from the rest of    
educated natives1 perhaps only in his   
perfect contempt for the social         
conventions of ,india and the demands of
 ,western civilization4444 ,and that is 
all--unless ,i add that he is known in  
,central ,india as a sufficiently       
wealthy man1 and a ,takur1 a feudal     
chieftain of a ,raj1 one of the hundreds
 of similar ,rajes4 ,besides1 he is a   
true friend of ours1 who offered us his 
protection in our travels and           
volunteered to play the mediator between
 us and the suspicious1 uncommunicative 
,hindus4 ,beyond all this1 we know      
absolutely nothing about him4 ,it is    
true1 though1 that ,i know a little more
 than the others2 but ,i have promised  
silence1 and silent ,i shall be4 ,but   
the little ,i know is so strange1 so    

unusual1 that it is more like a dream   
than a reality4  ,a good while ago1 more
 than twenty-seven years1 ,i met him in 
the house of a stranger in ,england1    
whither he came in the company of a     
certain dethroned ,indian prince4 ,then 
our acquaintance was limited to two     
conversations2 their unexpectedness1    
their gravity1 and even severity1       
produced a strong impression on me then2
 but1 in the course of time1 like many  
other things1 they sank into oblivion   
and ,lethe4 ,about seven years ago he   
wrote to me to ,america1 reminding me of
 our conversation and of a certain      
promise ,i had made4 ,now we saw each   
other once more in ,india1 his own      
country1 and ,i failed to see any change
 wrought in his appearance by all these 
long years4 ,i was1 and looked1 quite   
young1 when ,i first saw him2 but the   
passage of years had not failed to      
change me into an old woman4 ,as to him1
 he appeared to me twenty-seven years   
ago a man of about thirty1 and still    

looked no older1 as if time were        
powerless against him4 ,in ,england1 his
 striking beauty1 especially his        
extraordinary height and stature1       
together with his eccentric refusal to  
be presented to the ,queen--an honour   
many a high-born ,hindu has sought1     
coming over on purpose--excited the     
public notice and the attention of the  
newspapers4 ,the newspapermen of those  
days1 when the influence of ,byron was  
still great1 discussed the wild ,rajput 
with untiring pens1 calling him         
,raja-,misanthrope and  ,prince         
,jalma-,samson1 and in-venting fables   
about him all the time he stayed in     
,england4  ,all this taken together was 
well calculated to fill me with         
consuming curiosity1 and to absorb my   
thoughts till ,i forgot every exterior  
circumstance1 sitting and staring at him
 in no wise less intensely than         
,narayan4  ,i gazed at the remarkable   
face of ,gulab-,lal-,sing with a mixed  
feeling of indescribable fear and       

enthusiastic admiration2 recalling the  
mysterious death of the ,karli tiger1 my
 own miraculous escape a few hours ago  
in ,bagh1 and many other incidents too  
many to relate4 ,it was only a few hours
 since he appeared to us in the morning1
 and yet what a number of strange ideas1
 of puzzling occurrences1 how many      
enigmas his presence stirred in our     
minds6 ,the magic circle of my revolving
 thought grew too much for me4 ,what    
does all this mean6 ,i exclaimed to     
myself1 trying to shake off my torpor1  
and struggling to find words for my     
meditation4 ,who is this being whom ,i  
saw so many years ago1 jubilant with    
manhood and life1 and now see again1 as 
young and as full of life1 only still   
more austere1 still more                
incomprehensible4 ,after all1 maybe it  
is his brother1 or even his son8 thought
 ,i1 trying to calm myself1 but with no 
result4 ,no6 there is no use doubting2  
it is he himself1 it is the same face1  
the same little scar on the left temple4

 ,but1 as a quarter of a century ago1 so
 now3 no wrinkles on those beautiful    
classic features2 not a white hair in   
this thick jet-black mane2 and1 in      
moments of silence1 the same expression 
of perfect rest on that face1 calm as a 
statue of living bronze4 ,what a strange
 expression1 and what a wonderful       
,sphinx-like face6  ,not a very         
brilliant comparison1 my old friend6    
suddenly spoke the ,takur1 and a        
good-natured laughing note rung in his  
voice1 whilst ,i shuddered and grew red 
like a naughty schoolgirl4 ,this        
comparison is so inaccurate that it     
decidedly sins against history in two   
important points4 ,primo1 the ,sphinx is
 a lion2 so am ,i1 as indicates the word
 ,sing in my name2 but the ,sphinx is   
winged1 and ,i am not4 ,secondo1 the    
,sphinx is a woman as well as a winged  
lion1 but the ,rajput ,sinhas never had 
anything effeminate in their characters4
 ,besides1 the ,sphinx is the daughter  
of ,chimera1 or ,echidna1 who were      

neither beautiful nor good2 and so you  
might have chosen a more flattering and 
a less inaccurate comparison6  ,i simply
 gasped in my utter confusion1 and he   
gave vent to his merriment1 which by no 
means relieved me4 ,shall ,i give you   
some good advice8 continued             
,gulab-,sing1 changing his tone for a   
more serious one4 ,don't trouble your   
head with such vain speculations4 ,the  
day when this riddle yields its         
solution1 the ,rajput ,sphinx will not  
seek destruction in the waves of the    
sea2 but1 believe me1 it won't bring any
 profit to the ,russian ,oedipus either4
 ,you already know every detail you ever
 will learn4 ,so leave the rest to our  
respective fates4  ,and he rose because 
the ,babu and ,mulji had informed us    
that the ferry boat was ready to start1 
and were shouting and making signs to us
 to hasten4  ,just let me finish1 said  
,mr4 ,y----1 ,i have nearly done4 ,just 
an additional touch or two4  ,let us see
 your work4 ,hand it round6 insisted the

 colonel and ,miss ,x----1 who had just 
left her haven of refuge in the         
carriage1 and joined us still half      
asleep4  ,mr4 ,y---- hurriedly added a  
few more touches to his drawing and rose
 to collect his brushes and pencils4    
,we glanced at his fresh wet picture and
 opened our eyes in astonishment4 ,there
 was no lake on it1 no woody shores1 and
 no velvety evening mists that covered  
the distant island at this moment4      
,instead of all this we saw a charming  
sea view2 thick clusters of shapely     
palm-trees scattered over the chalky    
cliffs of the littoral2 a fortress-like 
bungalow with balconies and a flat roof1
 an elephant standing at its entrance1  
and a native boat on the crest of a     
foaming billow4  ,now what is this view1
 sir8 wondered the colonel4 ,as if it   
was worth your while to sit in the sun1 
and detain us all1 to draw fancy        
pictures out of your own head6  ,what on
 earth are you talking about8 exclaimed 
,mr4 ,y----4 ,do you mean to say you do 

not recognize the lake8  ,listen to     
him--the lake6 ,where is the lake1 if   
you please8 ,were you asleep1 or what8  
,by this time all our party gathered    
round the colonel1 who held the drawing4
 ,narayan uttered an exclamation1 and   
stood still1 the very image of          
bewilderment past description4  ,i know 
the place6 said he1 at last4 ,this is   
,dayri--,bol1 the country house of the  
,takur-,sahib4 ,i know it4 ,last year   
during the famine ,i lived there for two
 months4  ,i was the first to grasp the 
meaning of it all1 but something        
prevented me from speaking at once4  ,at
 last ,mr4 ,y---- finished arranging and
 packing his things1 and approached us  
in his usual lazy1 careless way1 but his
 face showed traces of vexation4 ,he was
 evidently bored by our persistency in  
seeing a sea1 where there was nothing   
but the corner of a lake4 ,but1 at the  
first sight of his unlucky sketch1 his  
countenance suddenly changed4 ,he grew  
so pale1 and the expression of his face 

became so piteously distraught that it  
was painful to see4 ,he turned and      
returned the piece of ,bristol board1   
then rushed like a madman to his drawing
 portfolio and turned the whole contents
 out1 ransacking and scattering over the
 sand hundreds of sketches and of loose 
papers4 ,evidently failing to find what 
he was looking for1 he glanced again at 
his sea-view1 and suddenly covering his 
face with his hands totally collapsed4  
,we all remained silent1 exchanging     
glances of wonder and pity1 and heedless
 of the ,takur1 who stood on the ferry  
boat1 vainly calling to us to join him4 
,look here1 ,y----6 timidly spoke the   
kind-hearted colonel1 as if addressing a
 sick child4 ,are you sure you remember 
drawing this view8  ,mr4 ,y---- did not 
give any answer1 as if gathering        
strength and thinking it over4 ,after a 
few moments he answered in hoarse and   
tremulous tones3  ,yes1 ,i do remember4 
,of course ,i made this sketch1 but ,i  
made it from nature4 ,i painted only    

what ,i saw4 ,and it is that very       
certainty that upsets me so4  ,but why  
should you be upset1 my dear fellow8    
,collect yourself6 ,what happened to you
 is neither shameful nor dreadful4 ,it  
is only the result of the temporary     
influence of one dominant will over     
another1 less powerful4 ,you simply     
acted under 'biological influence1' to  
use the expression of ,dr4 ,carpenter4  
,that is exactly what ,i am most afraid 
of4444 ,i remember everything now4 ,i   
have been busy over this view more than 
an hour4 ,i saw it directly ,i chose the
 spot1 and seeing it all the while on   
the opposite shore ,i could not suspect 
anything uncanny4 ,i was perfectly      
conscious444 or1 shall ,i say1 ,i       
fancied ,i was conscious of putting down
 on paper what everyone of you had      
before your eyes4 ,i had lost every     
notion of the place as ,i saw it before 
,i began my sketch1 and as ,i see it    
now4444 ,but how do you account for it8 
,good gracious6 am ,i to believe that   

these confounded ,hindus really possess 
the mystery of this trick8 ,i tell you1 
colonel1 ,i shall go mad if ,i don't    
understand it all6  ,no fear of that1   
,mr4 ,y----1 said ,narayan1 with a      
triumphant twinkle in his eyes4 ,you    
will simply lose the right to deny      
,yoga-,vidya1 the great ancient science 
of my country4  ,mr4 ,y---- did not     
answer him4 ,he made an effort to calm  
his feelings1 and bravely stepped on the
 ferry boat with firm foot4 ,then he sat
 down1 apart from us all1 obstinately   
looking at the large surface of water   
round us1 and struggling to seem his    
usual self4  ,miss ,x---- was the first 
to interrupt the silence4  ,ma chere6   
said she to me in a subdued1 but        
triumphant voice4 ,ma chere1 ,monsieur  
,y---- devient vraiment un medium de    
premiere force6  ,in moments of great   
excitement she always addressed me in   
,french4 ,but ,i also was too excited to
 control my feelings1 and so ,i answered
 rather unkindly3  ,please stop this    

nonsense1 ,miss ,x----4 ,you know ,i    
don't believe in spiritualism4 ,poor    
,mr4 ,y----1 was not he upset8          
,receiving this rebuke and no sympathy  
from me1 she could not think of anything
 better than drawing out the ,babu1 who1
 for a wonder1 had managed to keep quiet
 till then4  ,what do you say to all    
this8 ,i for one am perfectly confident 
that no one but the disembodied soul of 
a great artist could have painted that  
lovely view4 ,who else is capable of    
such a wonderful achievement8  ,why8    
,the old gentleman in person4 ,confess  
that at the bottom of your soul you     
firmly believe that the ,hindus worship 
devils4 ,to be sure it is some deity of 
ours of this kind that had his august   
paw in the matter4  ,il est positivement
 malhonnete1 ce ,negre-la6 angrily      
muttered ,miss ,x----1 hurriedly        
withdrawing from him4  ,the island was a
 tiny one1 and so overgrown with tall   
reeds that1 from a distance1 it looked  
like a pyramidal basket of verdure4     

,with the exception of a colony of      
monkeys1 who bustled away to a few mango
 trees at our approach1 the place seemed
 uninhabited4 ,in this virgin forest of 
thick grass there was no trace of human 
life4 ,seeing the word grass the reader 
must not forget that it is not the grass
 of ,europe ,i mean2 the grass under    
which we stood1 like insects under a    
rhubarb leaf1 waved its feathery        
many-colored plumes much above the head 
of ,gulab-,sing 7who stood six feet and 
a half in his stockings71 and of        
,narayan1 who measured hardly an inch   
less4 ,from a distance it looked like a 
waving sea of black1 yellow1 blue1 and  
especially of rose and green4 ,on       
landing1 we discovered that it consisted
 of separate thickets of bamboos1 mixed 
up with the gigantic sirka reeds1 which 
rose as high as the tops of the mangos4 
,it is impossible to imagine anything   
prettier and more graceful than the     
bamboos and sirka4 ,the isolated tufts  
of bamboos show1 in spite of their size1

 that they are nothing but grass1       
because the least gush of wind shakes   
them1 and their green crests begin to   
nod like heads adorned with long ostrich
 plumes4 ,there were some bamboos there 
fifty or sixty feet high4 ,from time to 
time we heard a light metallic rustle in
 the reeds1 but none of us paid much    
attention to it4  ,whilst our coolies   
and servants were busy clearing a place 
for our tents1 pitching them and        
preparing the supper1 we went to pay our
 respects to the monkeys1 the true hosts
 of the place4 ,without exaggeration    
there were at least two hundred4 ,while 
preparing for their nightly rest the    
monkeys behaved like decorous and       
well-behaved people2 every family chose 
a separate branch and defended it from  
the intrusion of strangers lodging on   
the same tree1 but this defence never   
passed the limits of good manners1 and  
generally took the shape of threatening 
grimaces4 ,there were many mothers with 
babies in arms amongst them2 some of    

them treated the children tenderly1 and 
lifted them cautiously1 with a perfectly
 human care2 others1 less thoughtful1   
ran up and down1 heedless of the child  
hanging at their breasts1 preoccupied   
with something1 discussing something1   
and stopping every moment to quarrel    
with other monkey ladies--a true picture
 of chatty old gossips on a market day1 
repeated in the animal kingdom4 ,the    
bachelors kept apart1 absorbed in their 
athletic exercises1 performed for the   
most part with the ends of their tails4 
,one of them1 especially1 attracted our 
attention by dividing his amusement     
between sauts perilleux and teasing a   
respectable looking grandfather1 who sat
 under a tree hugging two little        
monkeys4 ,swinging backward and forward 
from the branch1 the bachelor jumped at 
him1 bit his ear playfully and made     
faces at him1 chattering all the time4  
,we cautiously passed from one tree to  
another1 afraid of frightening them     
away2 but evidently the years spent by  

them with the fakirs1 who left the      
island only a year ago1 had accustomed  
them to human society4 ,they were sacred
 monkeys1 as we learned1 and so they had
 nothing to fear from men4 ,they showed 
no signs of alarm at our approach1 and1 
having received our greeting1 and some  
of them a piece of sugar-cane1 they     
calmly stayed on their branch-thrones1  
crossing their arms1 and looking at us  
with a good deal of dignified contempt  
in their intelligent hazel eyes4  ,the  
sun had set1 and we were told that the  
supper was ready4 ,we all turned        
homewards1 except the ,babu4 ,the main  
feature of his character1 in the eyes of
 orthodox ,hindus1 being a tendency to  
blasphemy1 he could never resist the    
temptation to justify their opinion of  
him4 ,climbing up a high branch he      
crouched there1 imitating every gesture 
of the monkeys and answering their      
threatening grimaces by still uglier    
ones1 to the unconcealed disgust of our 
pious coolies4  ,as the last golden ray 

disappeared on the horizon1 a gauze-like
 veil of pale lilac fell over the world4
 ,but as every moment decreased the     
transparency of this tropical twilight1 
the tint gradually lost its softness and
 became darker and darker4 ,it looked as
 if an invisible painter1 unceasingly   
moving his gigantic brush1 swiftly laid 
one coat of paint over the other1 ever  
changing the exquisite background of our
 islet4 ,the phosphoric candles of the  
fireflies began to twinkle here and     
there1 shining brightly against the     
black trunks of the trees1 and lost     
again on the silvery background of      
opalescent evening sky4 ,but in a few   
minutes more thousands of these living  
sparks1 precursors of ,queen ,night1    
played round us1 pouring like a golden  
cascade over the trees1 and dancing in  
the air above the grass and the dark    
lake4  ,and behold6 here is the queen in
 person4 ,noiselessly descending upon   
earth1 she reassumes her rights4 ,with  
her approach1 rest and peace spread over

 us2 her cool breath calms the          
activities of day4 ,like a fond mother1 
she sings a lullaby to nature1 lovingly 
wrapping her in her soft black mantle2  
and1 when everything is asleep1 she     
watches over nature's dozing powers till
 the first streaks of dawn4  ,nature    
sleeps2 but man is awake1 to be witness 
to the beauties of this solemn evening  
hour4 ,sitting round the fire we talked1
 lowering our voices as if afraid of    
awaking night4 ,we were only six2 the   
colonel1 the four ,hindus and myself1   
because ,mr4 ,y---- and ,miss ,x----    
could not resist the fatigue of the day 
and had gone to sleep directly after    
supper4  ,snugly sheltered by the high  
grass1 we had not the heart to spend    
this magnificent night in prosaic       
sleeping4 ,besides1 we were waiting for 
the concert which the ,takur had        
promised us4  ,be patient1 said he1 the 
musicians will not appear before the    
moon rises4  ,the fickle goddess was    
late2 she kept us waiting till after ten

 o'clock4 ,just before her arrival1 when
 the horizon began to grow perceptibly  
brighter1 and the opposite shore to     
assume a milky1 silvery tint1 a sudden  
wind rose4 ,the waves1 that had gone    
quietly to sleep at the feet of gigantic
 reeds1 awoke and tossed uneasily1 till 
the reeds swayed their feathery heads   
and murmured to each other as if taking 
counsel together about some thing that  
was going to happen4444 ,suddenly1 in   
the general stillness and silence1 we   
heard again the same musical notes1     
which we had passed unheeded1 when we   
first reached the island1 as if a whole 
orchestra were trying their musical     
instruments before playing some great   
composition4 ,all round us1 and over our
 heads1 vibrated strings of violins1 and
 thrilled the separate notes of a flute4
 ,in a few moments came another gust of 
wind tearing through the reeds1 and the 
whole island resounded with the strains 
of hundreds of ,aeolian harps4 ,and     
suddenly there began a wild unceasing   

symphony4 ,it swelled in the surrounding
 woods1 filling the air with an         
indescribable melody4 ,sad and solemn   
were its prolonged strains2 they        
resounded like the arpeggios of some    
funeral march1 then1 changing into a    
trembling thrill1 they shook the air    
like the song of a nightingale1 and died
 away in a long sigh4 ,they did not     
quite cease1 but grew louder again1     
ringing like hundreds of silver bells1  
changing from the heartrending howl of a
 wolf1 deprived of her young1 to the    
precipitate rhythm of a gay tarantella1 
forgetful of every earthly sorrow2 from 
the articulate song of a human voice1 to
 the vague majestic accords of a        
violoncello1 from merry child's laughter
 to angry sobbing4 ,and all this was    
repeated in every direction by mocking  
echo1 as if hundreds of fabulous forest 
maidens1 disturbed in their green       
abodes1 answered the appeal of the wild 
musical ,saturnalia4  ,the colonel and  
,i glanced at each other in our great   

astonishment4  ,how delightful6 ,what   
witchcraft is this8 we exclaimed at the 
same time4  ,the ,hindus smiled1 but did
 not answer us4 ,the ,takur smoked his  
gargari as peacefully as if he was deaf4
  ,there was a short interval1 after    
which the invisible orchestra started   
again with renewed energy4 ,the sounds  
poured and rolled in unrestrainable1    
overwhelming waves4 ,we had never heard 
anything like this inconceivable wonder4
 ,listen6 ,a storm in the open sea1 the 
wind tearing through the rigging1 the   
swish of the maddened waves rushing over
 each other1 or the whirling snow       
wreaths on the silent steppes4 ,suddenly
 the vision is changed2 now it is a     
stately cathedral and the thundering    
strains of an organ rising under its    
vaults4 ,the powerful notes now rush    
together1 now spread out through space1 
break off1 intermingle1 and become      
entangled1 like the fantastic melody of 
a delirious fever1 some musical phantasy
 born of the howling and whistling of   

the wind4  ,alas6 the charm of these    
sounds is soon exhausted1 and you begin 
to feel that they cut like knives       
through your brain4 ,a horrid fancy     
haunts our bewildered heads2 we imagine 
that the invisible artists strain our   
own veins1 and not the strings of       
imaginary violins2 their cold breath    
freezes us1 blowing their imaginary     
trumpets1 shaking our nerves and        
impeding our breathing4  ,for ,god's    
sake stop this1 ,takur6 ,this is really 
too much1 shouted the colonel1 at the   
end of his patience1 and covering his   
ears with his hands4 ,gulab-,sing1 ,i   
tell you you must stop this4  ,the three
 ,hindus burst out laughing2 and even   
the grave face of the ,takur lit up with
 a merry smile4 ,upon my word1 said he1 
do you really take me for the great     
,parabrahm8 ,do you think it is in my   
power to stop the wind1 as if ,i were   
,marut1 the lord of the storms1 in      
person4 ,ask for something easier than  
the instantaneous uprooting of all these

 bamboos4  ,i beg your pardon2 ,i       
thought these strange sounds also were  
some kind of psychologic influence4  ,so
 sorry to disappoint you1 my dear       
colonel2 but you really must think less 
of psychology and electrobiology4 ,this 
develops into a mania with you4 ,don't  
you see that this wild music is a       
natural acoustic phenomenon8 ,each of   
the reeds around us--and there are      
thousands on this island--contains a    
natural musical instrument2 and the     
musician1 ,wind1 comes here daily to try
 his art after nightfall--especially    
during the last quarter of the moon4    
,the wind6 murmured the colonel4 ,oh1   
yes6 ,but this music begins to change   
into a dreadful roar4 ,is there no way  
out of it8  ,i at least cannot help it4 
,but keep up your patience1 you will    
soon get accustomed to it4 ,besides1    
there will be intervals when the wind   
falls4  ,we were told that there are    
many such natural orchestras in ,india4 
,the ,brahmans know well their wonderful

 properties1 and calling this kind of   
reed vina-devi1 the lute of the gods1   
keep up the popular superstition and say
 the sounds are divine oracles4 ,the    
sirka grass and the bamboos always      
shelter a number of tiny beetles1 which 
make considerable holes in the hollow   
reeds4 ,the fakirs of the               
idol-worshipping sects add art to this  
natural beginning and work the plants   
into musical instruments4 ,the islet we 
visited bore one of the most celebrated 
vina-devis1 and so1 of course1 was      
proclaimed sacred4  ,tomorrow morning1  
said the ,takur1 you will see what deep 
knowledge of all the laws of acoustics  
was in the possession of the fakirs4    
,they enlarged the holes made by the    
beetle according to the size of the     
reed1 sometimes shaping it into a       
circle1 sometimes into an oval4 ,these  
reeds in their present state can be     
justly considered as the finest         
illustration of mechanism applied to    
acoustics4 ,however1 this is not to be  

wondered at1 because some of the most   
ancient ,sanskrit books about music     
minutely describe these laws1 and       
mention many musical instruments which  
are not only forgotten1 but totally     
incomprehensible in our days4  ,all this
 was very interesting1 but still1       
disturbed by the din1 we could not      
listen attentively4  ,don't worry       
yourselves1 said the ,takur1 who soon   
understood our uneasiness1 in spite of  
our attempts at composure4 ,after       
midnight the wind will fall1 and you    
will sleep undisturbed4 ,however1 if the
 too close neighborhood of this musical 
grass is too much for you1 we may as    
well go nearer to the shore4 ,there is a
 spot from which you can see the sacred 
bonfires on the opposite shore4  ,we    
followed him1 but while walking through 
the thickets of reeds we did not leave  
off our conversation4 ,how is it that   
the ,brahmans manage to keep up such an 
evident cheat8 asked the colonel4 ,the  
stupidest man cannot fail to see in the 

long run who made the holes in the      
reeds1 and how they come to give forth  
music4  ,in ,america stupid men may be  
as clever as that2 ,i don't know1       
answered the ,takur1 with a smile2 but  
not in ,india4 ,if you took the trouble 
to show1 to describe1 and to explain how
 all this is done to any ,hindu1 be he  
even comparatively educated1 he will    
still see nothing4 ,he will tell you    
that he knows as well as yourself that  
the holes are made by the beetles and   
enlarged by the fakirs4 ,but what of    
that8 ,the beetle in his eyes is no     
ordinary beetle1 but one of the gods    
incarnated in the insect for this       
special purpose2 and the fakir is a holy
 ascetic1 who has acted in this case by 
the order of the same god4 ,that will be
 all you will ever get out of him4      
,fanaticism and superstition took       
centuries to develop in the masses1 and 
now they are as strong as a necessary   
physiological function4 ,kill these two 
and the crowd will have its eyes opened1

 and will see truth1 but not before4 ,as
 to the ,brahmans1 ,india would have    
been very fortunate if everything they  
have done were as harmless4 ,let the    
crowds adore the muse and the spirit of 
harmony4 ,this adoration is not so very 
wicked1 after all4  ,the ,babu told us  
that in ,dehra-,dun this kind of reed is
 planted on both sides of the central   
street1 which is more than a mile long4 
,the buildings prevent the free action  
of the wind1 and so the sounds are heard
 only in time of east wind1 which is    
very rare4 ,a year ago ,swami ,dayanand 
happened to camp off ,dehra-,dun4       
,crowds of people gathered round him    
every evening4 ,one day he delivered a  
very powerful sermon against            
superstition4 ,tired out by this long1  
energetic speech1 and1 besides1 being a 
little unwell1 the ,swami sat down on   
his carpet and shut his eyes to rest as 
soon as the sermon was finished4 ,but   
the crowd1 seeing him so unusually quiet
 and silent1 all at once imagined that  

his soul1 abandoning him in this        
prostration1 entered the reeds--that had
 just begun to sing their fantastical   
rhapsody--and was now conversing with   
the gods through the bamboos4 ,many a   
pious man in this gathering1 anxious to 
show the teacher in what fulness they   
grasped his teaching and how deep was   
their respect for him personally1 knelt 
down before the singing reeds and       
performed a most ardent puja4  ,what did
 the ,swami say to that8  ,he did not   
say anything4444 ,your question shows   
that you don't know our ,swami yet1     
laughed the ,babu4 ,he simply jumped to 
his feet1 and1 uprooting the first      
sacred reed on his way1 gave such a     
lively ,european bakshish 7thrashing7 to
 the pious puja-makers1 that they       
instantly took to their heels4 ,the     
,swami ran after them for a whole mile1 
giving it hot to everyone in his way4   
,he is wonderfully strong is our ,swami1
 and no friend to useless talk1 ,i can  
tell you4  ,but it seems to me1 said the

 colonel1 that that is not the right way
 to convert crowds4 ,dispersing and     
frightening is not converting4  ,not a  
bit of it4 ,the masses of our nation    
require peculiar treatment4444 ,let me  
tell you the end of this story4         
,disappointed with the effect of his    
teachings on the inhabitants of         
,dehra-,dun1 ,dayanand ,saraswati went  
to ,patna1 some thirty-five or forty    
miles from there4 ,and before he had    
even rested from the fatigues of his    
journey1 he had to receive a deputation 
from ,dehra-,dun1 who on their knees    
entreated him to come back4 ,the leaders
 of this deputation had their backs     
covered with bruises1 made by the bamboo
 of the ,swami6 ,they brought him back  
with no end of pomp1 mounting him on an 
elephant and spreading flowers all along
 the road4 ,once in ,dehra-,dun1 he     
immediately proceeded to found a ,samaj1
 a society as you would say1 and the    
,dehra-,dun ,arya-,samaj now counts at  
least two hundred members1 who have     

renounced idol-worship and superstition 
for ever4  ,i was present1 said ,mulji1 
two years ago in ,benares1 when         
,dayanand broke to pieces about a       
hundred idols in the bazaar1 and the    
same stick served him to beat a ,brahman
 with4 ,he caught the latter in the     
hollow idol of a huge ,shiva4 ,the      
,brahman was quietly sitting there      
talking to the devotees in the name1 and
 so to speak1 with the voice of ,shiva1 
and asking money for a new suit of      
clothes the idol wanted4  ,is it        
possible the ,swami had not to pay for  
this new achievement of his8  ,oh1 yes4 
,the ,brahman dragged him into a law    
court1 but the judge had to pronounce   
the ,swami in the right1 because of the 
crowd of sympathizers and defenders who 
followed the ,swami4 ,but still he had  
to pay for all the idols he had broken4 
,so far so good2 but the ,brahman died  
of cholera that very night1 and of      
course1 the opposers of the reform said 
his death was brought on by the sorcery 

of ,dayanand ,saraswati4 ,this vexed us 
all a good deal4  ,now1 ,narayan1 it is 
your turn1 said ,i4 ,have you no story  
to tell us about the ,swami8 ,and do you
 not look up to him as to your ,guru8   
,i have only one ,guru and only one ,god
 on earth1 as in heaven1 answered       
,narayan2 and ,i saw that he was very   
unwilling to speak4 ,and while ,i live1 
,i shall not desert them4  ,i know who  
is his ,guru and his ,god6 thoughtlessly
 exclaimed the quick-tongued ,babu4 ,it 
is the ,takur--,sahib4 ,in his person   
both coincide in the eyes of ,narayan4  
,you ought to be ashamed to talk such   
nonsense1 ,babu1 coldly remarked        
,gulab-,sing4 ,i do not think myself    
worthy of being anybody's ,guru4 ,as to 
my being a god1 the mere words are a    
blasphemy1 and ,i must ask you not to   
repeat them444 ,here we are6 added he   
more cheerfully1 pointing to the carpets
 spread by the servants on the shore1   
and evidently desirous of changing the  
topic4 ,let us sit down6  ,we arrived at

 a small glade some distance from the   
bamboo forest4 ,the sounds of the magic 
orchestra reached us still1 but         
considerably weakened1 and only from    
time to time4 ,we sat to the windward of
 the reeds1 and so the harmonic rustle  
we heard was exactly like the low tones 
of an ,aeolian harp1 and had nothing    
disagreeable in it4 ,on the contrary1   
the distant murmur only added to the    
beauty of the whole scene around us4    
,we sat down1 and only then ,i realized 
how tired and sleepy ,i was--and no     
wonder1 after being on foot since four  
in the morning1 and after all that had  
happened to me on this memorable day4   
,the gentlemen went on talking1 and ,i  
soon became so absorbed in my thoughts  
that their conversation reached me only 
in fragments4  ,wake up1 wake up6       
repeated the colonel1 shaking me by the 
hand4 ,the ,takur says that sleeping in 
the moonlight will do you harm4  ,i was 
not asleep2 ,i was simply thinking1     
though ex-hausted and sleepy4 ,but      

wholly under the charm of this          
enchanting night1 ,i could not shake off
 my drowsiness1 and did not answer the  
colonel4  ,wake up1 for ,god's sake6    
,think of what you are risking6         
continued the colonel4 ,wake up and look
 at the landscape before us1 at this    
wonderful moon4 ,have you ever seen     
anything to equal this magnificent      
panorama8  ,i looked up1 and the        
familiar lines of ,pushkin about the    
golden moon of ,spain flashed into my   
mind4 ,and indeed this was a golden     
moon4 ,at this moment she radiated      
rivers of golden light1 poured forth    
liquid gold into the tossing lake at our
 feet1 and sprinkled with golden dust   
every blade of grass1 every pebble1 as  
far as the eye could reach1 all round   
us4 ,her disk of silvery yellow swiftly 
glided upward amongst the big stars1 on 
their dark blue ground4  ,many a moonlit
 night have ,i seen in ,india1 but every
 time the impression was new and        
unexpected4 ,it is no use trying to     

describe these feerique pictures1 they  
cannot be represented either in words or
 in colors on canvas1 they can only be  
felt--so fugitive is their grandeur and 
beauty6 ,in ,europe1 even in the south1 
the full moon eclipses the largest and  
most brilliant of the stars1 so that    
hardly any can be seen for a            
considerable distance round her4 ,in    
,india it is quite the contrary2 she    
looks like a huge pearl surrounded by   
diamonds1 rolling on a blue velvet      
ground4 ,her light is so intense that   
one can read a letter written in small  
handwriting2 one even can perceive the  
different greens of the trees and       
bushes--a thing unheard of in ,europe4  
,the effect of the moon is especially   
charming on tall palm trees4 ,from the  
first moment of her appearance her rays 
glide over the tree downwards1 beginning
 with the feathery crests1 then lighting
 up the scales of the trunk1 and        
descending lower and lower till the     
whole palm is literally bathing in a sea

 of light4 ,without any metaphor the    
surface of the leaves seems to tremble  
in liquid silver all the night long1    
whereas their under surfaces seem       
blacker and softer than black velvet4   
,but woe to the thoughtless novice1 woe 
to the mortal who gazes at the ,indian  
moon with his head uncovered4 ,it is    
very dangerous not only to sleep under1 
but even to gaze at the chaste ,indian  
,diana4 ,fits of epilepsy1 madness and  
death are the punishments wrought by her
 treacherous arrows on the modern       
,acteon who dares to contemplate the    
cruel daughter of ,latona in her full   
beauty4 ,the ,hindus never go out in the
 moonlight without their turbans or     
pagris4 ,even our invulnerable ,babu    
always wore a kind of white cap during  
the night4  ,as soon as the reeds       
concert reaches its height and the      
inhabitants of the neighborhood hear the
 distant voices of the gods1 whole      
villages flock together to the bank of  
the lake1 light bonfires1 and perform   

their pujas4 ,the fires lit up one after
 the other1 and the black silhouettes of
 the worshippers moved about on the     
opposite shore4 ,their sacred songs and 
loud exclamations1 ,hari1 ,hari1        
,maha-deva6 resounded with a strange    
loudness and a wild emphasis in the pure
 air of the night4 ,and the reeds1      
shaken in the wind1 answered them with  
tender musical phrases4 ,the whole      
stirred a vague feeling of uneasiness in
 my soul1 a strange intoxication crept  
gradually over me1 and in this          
enchanting place the idol-worship of    
these passionate1 poetical souls1 sunk  
in dark ignorance1 seemed more          
intelligible and less repulsive4 ,a     
,hindu is a born mystic1 and the        
luxuriant nature of his country has made
 of him a zealous pantheist4  ,sounds of
 alguja1 a kind of ,pandean pipe with   
seven openings1 struck our attention2   
their music was wafted by the wind quite
 distinctly from somewhere in the wood4 
,they also startled a whole family of   

monkeys in the branches of a tree over  
our heads4 ,two or three monkeys        
carefully slipped down1 and looked round
 as if waiting for something4  ,what is 
this new ,orpheus1 to whose voice these 
monkeys answer8 asked ,i laughingly4    
,some fakir probably4 ,the alguja is    
generally used to invite the sacred     
monkeys to their meals4 ,the community  
of fakirs1 who once inhabited this      
island1 have removed to an old pagoda in
 the forest4 ,their new resting-place   
brings them more profit1 because there  
are many passers by1 whereas the island 
is perfectly isolated4  ,probably they  
were compelled to desert this dreadful  
place because they were threatened by   
chronic deafness1 ,miss ,x---- expressed
 her opinion4 ,she could not help being 
out of temper at being prevented from   
enjoying her quiet slumber1 our tents   
being right in the middle of the        
orchestra4  ,a propos of ,orpheus1 asked
 the ,takur1 do you know that the lyre  
of this ,greek demigod was not the first

 to cast spells over people1 animals and
 even rivers8 ,kui1 a certain ,chinese  
musical artist1 as they are called1     
expresses something to this effect3     
',when ,i play my kyng the wild animals 
hasten to me1 and range themselves into 
rows1 spellbound by my melody4' ,this   
,kui lived one thousand years before the
 supposed era of ,orpheus4  ,what a     
funny coincidence6 exclaimed ,i4 ,kui is
 the name of one of our best artists in 
,st4 ,petersburg4 ,where did you read   
this8  ,oh1 this is not a very rare     
piece of information4 ,some of your     
,western ,orientalists have it in their 
books4 ,but ,i personally found it in an
 ancient ,sanskrit book1 translated from
 the ,chinese in the second century     
before your era4 ,but the original is to
 be found in a very ancient work1 named 
,the ,preserver of the ,five ,chief     
,virtues4 ,it is a kind of chronicle or 
treatise on the development of music in 
,china4 ,it was written by the order of 
,emperor ,hoang-,tee many hundred years 

before your era4  ,do you think1 then1  
that the ,chinese ever understood       
anything about music8 said the colonel1 
with an incredulous smile4 ,in          
,california and other places ,i heard   
some traveling artists of the celestial 
empire4 ,well1 ,i think1 that kind of   
musical entertainment would drive any   
one mad4  ,that is exactly the opinion  
of many of your ,western musicians on   
the subject of our ancient ,aryan1 as   
well as of modern ,hindu1 music4 ,but1  
in the first instance1 the idea of      
melody is perfectly arbitrary2 and1 in  
the second1 there is a good deal of     
difference between the technical        
knowledge of music1 and the creation of 
melodies fit to please the educated1 as 
well as the uneducated1 ear4 ,according 
to technical theory1 a musical piece may
 be perfect1 but the melody1            
nevertheless1 may be above the          
understanding of an untrained taste1 or 
simply unpleasant4 ,your most renowned  
operas sound for us like a wild chaos1  

like a rush of strident1 entangled      
sounds1 in which we do not see any      
meaning at all1 and which give us       
headaches4 ,i have visited the ,london  
and the ,paris opera2 ,i have heard     
,rossini and ,meyer-beer2 ,i was        
resolved to render myself an account of 
my impressions1 and listened with the   
greatest attention4 ,but ,i own ,i      
prefer the simplest of our native       
melodies to the productions of the best 
,european composers4 ,our popular songs 
speak to me1 whereas they fail to       
produce any emotion in you4 ,but leaving
 the tunes and songs out of question1 ,i
 can assure you that our ancestors1 as  
well as the ancestors of the ,chinese1  
were far from inferior to the modern    
,europeans1 if not in technical         
instrumentation1 at least in their      
abstract notions of music4  ,the ,aryan 
nations of antiquity1 perhaps2 but ,i   
hardly believe this in the case of the  
,turanian ,chinese6 said our president  
doubtfully4  ,but the music of nature   

has been everywhere the first step to   
the music of art4 ,this is a universal  
rule4 ,but there are different ways of  
following it4 ,our musical system is the
 greatest art1 if--pardon me this       
seeming paradox--avoiding all           
artificiality is art4 ,we do not allow  
in our melodies any sounds that cannot  
be classified amongst the living voices 
of nature2 whereas the modern ,chinese  
tendencies are quite different4 ,the    
,chinese system comprises eight chief   
tones1 which serve as a tuning-fork to  
all derivatives2 which are accordingly  
classified under the names of their     
generators4 ,these eight sounds are3 the
 notes metal1 stone1 silk1 bamboo1      
pumpkin1 earthenware1 leather and wood4 
,so that they have metallic sounds1     
wooden sounds1 silk sounds1 and so on4  
,of course1 under these conditions they 
cannot produce any melody2 their music  
consists of an entangled series of      
separate notes4 ,their imperial hymn1   
for instance1 is a series of endless    

unisons4 ,but we ,hindus owe our music  
only to living nature1 and in nowise to 
inanimate objects4 ,in a higher sense of
 the word1 we are pantheists1 and so our
 music is1 so to speak1 pantheistic2    
but1 at the same time1 it is highly     
scientific4 ,coming from the cradle of  
humanity1 the ,aryan races1 who were the
 first to attain manhood1 listened to   
the voice of nature1 and concluded that 
melody as well as harmony are both      
contained in our great common mother4   
,nature has no false and no artificial  
notes2 and man1 the crown of creation1  
felt desirous of imitating her sounds4  
,in their multiplicity1 all these       
sounds--according to the opinion of some
 of your ,western physicists--make only 
one tone1 which we all can hear1 if we  
know how to listen1 in the eternal      
rustle of the foliage of big forests1 in
 the murmur of water1 in the roar of the
 storming ocean1 and even in the distant
 roll of a great city4 ,this tone is the
 middle ,f1 the fundamental tone of     

nature4 ,in our melodies it serves as   
the starting point1 which we embody in  
the key-note1 and around which are      
grouped all the other sounds4 ,having   
noticed that every musical note has its 
typical representative in the animal    
kingdom1 our ancestors found out that   
the seven chief tones correspond to the 
cries of the goat1 the peacock1 the ox1 
the parrot1 the frog1 the tiger1 and the
 elephant4 ,so the octave was discovered
 and founded4 ,as to its subdivisions   
and measure1 they also found their basis
 in the complicated sounds of the same  
animals4  ,i am no judge of your ancient
 music1 said the colonel1 nor do ,i know
 whether your ancestors did1 or did not1
 work out any musical theories1 so ,i   
cannot contradict you2 but ,i must own  
that1 listening to the songs of the     
modern ,hindus1 ,i could not give them  
any credit for musical knowledge4  ,no  
doubt it is so1 because you have never  
heard a professional singer4 ,when you  
have visited ,poona1 and have listened  

to the ,gayan ,samaj1 we shall resume   
our present conversation4 ,the ,gayan   
,samaj is a society whose aim is to     
restore the ancient national music4     
,gulab-,lal-,sing spoke in his usual    
calm voice1 but the ,babu was evidently 
burning to break forth for his country's
 honor1 and at the same time1 he was    
afraid of offending his seniors by      
interrupting their conversation4 ,at    
last he lost patience4  ,you are unjust1
 colonel6 he exclaimed4 ,the music of   
the ancient ,aryans is an antediluvian  
plant1 no doubt1 but nevertheless it is 
well worth studying1 and deserves every 
consideration4 ,this is perfectly proved
 now by a compatriot of mine1 the ,raja 
,surendronath ,tagor4444 ,he is a ,mus4 
,d41 he has lots of decorations from all
 kinds of kings and emperors of ,europe 
for his book about the music of         
,aryans4444 ,and1 well1 this man has    
proved1 as clear as daylight1 that      
ancient ,india has every right to be    
called the mother of music4 ,even the   

best musical critics of ,england say    
so6444 ,every school1 whether ,italian1 
,german or ,aryan1 saw the light at a   
certain period1 developed in a certain  
climate and in perfectly different      
circumstances4 ,every school has its    
characteristics1 and its peculiar charm1
 at least for its followers2 and our    
school is no exception4 ,you ,europeans 
are trained in the melodies of the      
,west1 and acquainted with ,western     
schools of music2 but our musical       
system1 like many other things in       
,india1 is totally unknown to you4 ,so  
you must forgive my boldness1 colonel1  
when ,i say that you have no right to   
judge6  ,don't get so excited1 ,babu1   
said the ,takur4 ,every one has the     
right1 if not to discuss1 then to ask   
questions about a new subject4          
,otherwise no one would ever get any    
information4 ,if ,hindu music belonged  
to an epoch as little distant from us as
 the ,european--which you seem to       
suggest1 ,babu1 in your hot haste2 and  

if1 besides1 it included all the virtues
 of all the previous musical systems1   
which the ,european music assimilates2  
then no doubt it would have been better 
understood1 and better appreciated than 
it is4 ,but our music belongs to        
prehistoric times4 ,in one of the       
sarcophagi at ,thebes1 ,bruce found a   
harp with twenty strings1 and1 judging  
by this instrument1 we may safely say   
that the ancient inhabitants of ,egypt  
were well acquainted with the mysteries 
of harmony4 ,but1 except the ,egyptians1
 we were the only people possessing this
 art1 in the remote epochs1 when the    
rest of mankind were still struggling   
with the elements for bare existence4   
,we possess hundreds of ,sanskrit ,,mss4
 about music1 which have never been     
translated1 even into modern ,indian    
dialects4 ,some of them are four        
thousand and eight thousand years old4  
,whatever your ,orientalists may say to 
the contrary1 we will persist in        
believing in their antiquity1 because we

 have read and studied them1 while the  
,european scientists have never yet set 
their eyes on them4 ,there are many of  
these musical treatises1 and they have  
been written at different epochs2 but   
they all1 without exception1 show that  
in ,india music was known and           
systematized in times when the modern   
civilized nations of ,europe still lived
 like savages4 ,however true1 all this  
does not give us the right to grow      
indignant when ,europeans say they do   
not like our music1 as long as their    
ears are not accustomed to it1 and their
 minds cannot understand its spirit4444 
,to a certain extent we can explain to  
you its technical character1 and give   
you a right idea of it as a science4    
,but nobody can create in you1 in a     
moment1 what the ,aryans used to call   
,rakti2 the capacity of the human soul  
to receive and be moved by the          
combinations of the various sounds of   
nature4 ,this capacity is the alpha and 
omega of our musical system1 but you do 

not possess it1 as we do not possess the
 possibility to fall into raptures over 
,bellini4  ,but why should it be so8    
,what are these mysterious virtues of   
your music1 that can be understood only 
by yourselves8 ,our skins are of        
different colors1 but our organic       
mechanism is the same4 ,in other words1 
the physiological combination of bones1 
blood1 nerves1 veins and muscles1 which 
forms a ,hindu1 has as many parts1      
combined exactly after the same model as
 the living mechanism known under the   
name of an ,american1 ,englishman1 or   
any other ,european4 ,they come into the
 world from the same workshop of nature2
 they have the same beginning and the   
same end4 ,from a physiological point of
 view we are duplicates of each other4  
,physiologically yes4 ,and it would be  
as true psychologically1 if education   
did not interfere1 which1 after all is  
said and done1 could not but influence  
the mental and the moral direction taken
 by a human being4 ,sometimes it        

extinguishes the divine spark2 at other 
times it only increases it1 transforming
 it into a lighthouse which becomes     
man's lodestar for life4  ,no doubt this
 is so4 ,but the influence it has over  
the physiology of the ear cannot be so  
overpowering after all4  ,quite the     
contrary4 ,only remember what a strong  
influence climatic conditions1 food and 
everyday surroundings have on the       
complexion1 vitality1 capacity for      
reproduction1 and so on1 and you will   
see that you are mistaken4 ,apply this  
same law of gradual modification to the 
purely psychic element in man1 and the  
results will be the same4 ,change the   
education and you will change the       
capacities of a human being4444 ,for    
instance1 you believe in the powers of  
gymnastics1 you believe that special    
exercise can almost transform the human 
body4 ,we go one step higher4 ,the      
experience of centuries shows that      
gymnastics exist for the soul as well as
 for the body4 ,but what the soul's     

gymnastics are is our secret4 ,what is  
it that gives to the sailor the sight of
 an eagle1 that endows the acrobat with 
the skill of a monkey1 and the wrestler 
with muscles of iron8 ,practice and     
habit4 ,then why should not we suppose  
the same possibilities in the soul of   
the man as well as in his body8 ,perhaps
 on the grounds of modern science--which
 either dispenses with the soul         
altogether1 or does not acknowledge in  
it a life distinct from the life of the 
body4444  ,please do not speak in this  
way1 ,takur4 ,you1 at least1 ought to   
know that ,i believe in the soul and in 
its immortality6  ,we believe in the    
immortality of spirit1 not of soul1     
following the triple division of body1  
soul and spirit4 ,however1 this has     
nothing to do with the present          
discussion4444 ,and so you agree to the 
proposition that every dormant          
possibility of the soul may be led to   
perfected strength and activity by      
practice1 and also that if not properly 

used it may grow numb and even disappear
 altogether4 ,nature is so zealous that 
all her gifts should be used properly1  
that it is in our power to develop or to
 kill in our descendants any physical or
 mental gift4 ,a systematic training or 
a total disregard will accomplish both  
in the lifetime of a few generations4   
,perfectly true2 but that does not      
explain to me the secret charm of your  
melodies4444  ,these are details and    
particulars4 ,why should ,i dwell on    
them when you must see for yourself that
 my reasoning gives you the clue1 which 
will solve many similar problems8       
,centuries have accustomed the ear of a 
,hindu to be receptive only of certain  
combinations of atmospheric vibrations2 
whereas the ear of a ,european is used  
to perfectly different combinations4    
,hence the soul of the former will be   
enraptured where the soul of the latter 
will be perfectly indifferent4 ,i hope  
my explanation has been simple and      
clear1 and ,i might have ended it here  

were it not that ,i am anxious to give  
you something better than the feeling of
 satisfied curiosity4 ,as yet ,i have   
solved only the physiological aspect of 
the secret1 which is as easily admitted 
as the fact that we ,hindus eat by the  
handful spices which would give you     
inflammation of the intestines if you   
happened to swallow a single grain4 ,our
 aural nerves1 which1 at the beginning1 
were identical with yours1 have been    
changed through different training1 and 
became as distinct from yours as our    
complexion and our stomachs4 ,add to    
this that the eyes of the ,kashmir      
weavers1 men and women1 are able to     
distinguish three hundred shades more   
than the eye of a ,european4444 ,the    
force of habit1 the law of atavism1 if  
you like4 ,but things of this kind      
practically solve the apparent          
difficulty4 ,you have come all the way  
from ,america to study the ,hindus and  
their religion2 but you will never      
understand the latter if you do not     

realize how closely all our sciences are
 related1 not to the modern ignorant    
,brahmanism1 of course1 but to the      
philosophy of our primitive ,vedic      
religion4  ,i see4 ,you mean that your  
music has something to do with the      
,vedas8  ,exactly4 ,it has a good       
deal--almost everything--to do with the 
,vedas4 ,all the sounds of nature1 and1 
in consequence1 of music1 are directly  
allied to astronomy and mathematics2    
that is to say1 to the planets1 the     
signs of the zodiac1 the sun and moon1  
and to rotation and numbers4 ,above all1
 they depend on the ,akasha1 the ether  
of space1 of the existence of which your
 scientists have not made perfectly sure
 as yet4 ,this was the teaching of the  
ancient ,chinese and ,egyptians1 as well
 as of ancient ,aryans4 ,the doctrine of
 the 'music of the spheres' first saw   
the light here in ,india1 and not in    
,greece or ,italy1 whither it was       
brought by ,pythagoras after he had     
studied under the ,indian               

,gymnosophists4 ,and most certainly this
 great philosopher--who revealed to the 
world the heliocentric system before    
,copernicus and ,galileo--knew better   
than anyone else how dependent are the  
least sounds in nature on ,akasha and   
its interrelations4 ,one of the four    
,vedas1 namely1 the ,sama-,veda1        
entirely consists of hymns4 ,this is a  
collection of mantrams sung during the  
sacrifices to the gods1 that is to say1 
to the elements4 ,our ancient priests   
were hardly acquainted with the modern  
methods of chemistry and physics2 but1  
to make up for it1 they knew a good deal
 which has not as yet been thought of by
 modern scientists4 ,so it is not to be 
wondered at that1 sometimes1 our        
priests1 so perfectly acquainted with   
natural sciences as they were1 forced   
the elementary gods1 or rather the blind
 forces of nature1 to answer their      
prayers by various portents4 ,every     
sound of these mantrams has its meaning1
 its importance1 and stands exactly     

where it ought to stand2 and1 having a  
raison d'etre1 it does not fail to      
produce its effect4 ,remember ,professor
 ,leslie1 who says that the science of  
sound is the most subtle1 the most      
unseizable and the most complicated of  
all the series of physical sciences4    
,and if ever this teaching was worked   
out to perfection it was in the times of
 the ,rishis1 our philosophers and      
saints1 who left to us the ,vedas4      
,now1 ,i think ,i begin to understand   
the origin of all the mythological      
fables of the ,greek antiquity1         
thoughtfully said the colonel2 the      
syrinx of ,pan1 his pipe of seven reeds1
 the fauns1 the satyrs1 and the lyre of 
,orpheus himself4 ,the ancient ,greeks  
knew little about harmony2 and the      
rhythmical declamations of their dramas1
 which probably never reached the pathos
 of the simplest of modern recitals1    
could hardly suggest to them the idea of
 the magic lyre of ,orpheus4 ,i feel    
strongly inclined to believe what was   

written by some of our great            
philologists3 ,orpheus must be an       
emigrant from ,india2 his very name     
greek script1 or greek script1 shows    
that1 even amongst the tawny ,greeks1 he
 was remarkably dark4 ,this was the     
opinion of ,lempriere and others4  ,some
 day this opinion may become a          
certainty4 ,there is not the slightest  
doubt that the purest and the highest of
 all the musical forms of antiquity     
belongs to ,india4 ,all our legends     
ascribe magic powers to music2 it is a  
gift and a science coming straight from 
the gods4 ,as a rule1 we ascribe all our
 arts to divine revelation1 but music   
stands at the head of everything else4  
,the invention of the vina1 a kind of   
lute1 belongs to ,narada1 the son of    
,brahma4 ,you will probably laugh at me 
if ,i tell you that our ancient priests1
 whose duty it was to sing during the   
sacrifices1 were able to produce        
phenomena that could not but be         
considered by the ignorant as signs from

 supernatural powers2 and this1         
remember1 without a shadow of trickery1 
but simply with the help of their       
perfect knowledge of nature and certain 
combinations well known to them4 ,the   
phenomena produced by the priests and   
the ,raj-,yogis are perfectly natural   
for the initiate--however miraculous    
they may seem to the masses4  ,but do   
you really mean that you have no faith  
what-ever in the spirits of the dead8   
timidly asked ,miss ,x----1 who was     
always ill at ease in the presence of   
the ,takur4  ,with your permission1 ,i  
have none4  ,and444 and have you no     
regard for mediums8  ,still less than   
for the spirits1 my dear lady4 ,i do    
believe in the existence of many psychic
 diseases1 and1 amongst their number1 in
 mediumism1 for which we have got a     
queer sounding name from time           
immemorial4 ,we call it ,bhuta-,dak1    
literally a bhuta-hostelry4 ,i sincerely
 pity the real mediums1 and do whatever 
is in my power to help them4 ,as to the 

charlatans1 ,i despise them1 and never  
lose an opportunity of unmasking them4  
,the witch's den near the dead city     
suddenly flashed into my mind2 the fat  
,brahman1 who played the oracle in the  
head of the ,sivatherium1 caught and    
rolling down the hole2 the witch herself
 suddenly taking to her heels4 ,and with
 this recollection also occurred to me  
what ,i had never thought of before3    
,narayan had acted under the orders of  
the ,takur--doing his best to expose the
 witch and her ally4  ,the unknown power
 which possesses the mediums 7which the 
spiritualists believe to be spirits of  
the dead1 while the superstitious see in
 it the devil1 and the sceptics deceit  
and infamous tricks71 true men of       
science suspect to be a natural force1  
which has not as yet been discovered4   
,it is1 in reality1 a terrible power4   
,those possessed by it are generally    
weak people1 often women and children4  
,your beloved spiritualists1 ,miss      
,x----1 only help the growth of dreadful

 psychic diseases1 but people who know  
better seek to save them from this force
 you know nothing whatever about1 and it
 is no use discussing this matter now4  
,i shall only add one word3 the real    
living spirit of a human being is as    
free as ,brahma2 and even more than this
 for us1 for1 according to our religion 
and our philosophy1 our spirit is       
,brahma himself1 higher than whom there 
is only the unknowable1 the             
all-pervading1 the omnipotent essence of
 ,parabrahm4 ,the living spirit of man  
cannot be ordered about like the spirits
 of the spiritualists1 it cannot be made
 a slave of444 ,however1 it is getting  
so late that we had better go to bed4   
,let us say good-bye for tonight4       
,gulab-,lal-,sing would not talk any    
more that night1 but ,i have gathered   
from our previous conversations many a  
point without which the above           
conversation would remain obscure4 ,the 
,vedantins and the followers of         
,shankaracharya's philosophy1 in talking

 of themselves1 often avoid using the   
pronoun ,i1 and say1 this body went1    
this hand took1 and so on1 in everything
 concerning the automatic actions of    
man4 ,the personal pronouns are only    
used concerning mental and moral        
processes1 such as1 ,i thought1 he      
desired4 ,the body in their eyes is not 
the man1 but only a covering to the real
 man4  ,the real interior man possesses 
many bodies2 each of them more subtle   
and more pure than the preceding2 and   
each of them bears a different name and 
is independent of the material body4    
,after death1 when the earthly vital    
principle disintegrates1 together with  
the material body1 all these interior   
bodies join together1 and either advance
 on the way to ,moksha1 and are called  
,deva 7divine71 though it still has to  
pass many stadia before the final       
liberation1 or is left on earth1 to     
wander and to suffer in the invisible   
world1 and1 in this case1 is called     
bhuta4 ,but a ,deva has no tangible     

intercourse with the living4 ,its only  
link with the earth is its posthumous   
affection for those it loved in its     
lifetime1 and the power of protecting   
and influencing them4 ,love outlives    
every earthly feeling1 and a ,deva can  
appear to the beloved ones only in their
 dreams--unless it be as an illusion1   
which cannot last1 because the body of a
 ,deva undergoes a series of gradual    
changes from the moment it is freed from
 its earthly bonds2 and1 with every     
change1 it grows more intangible1 losing
 every time something of its objective  
nature4 ,it is reborn2 it lives and dies
 in new ,lokas or spheres1 which        
gradually become purer and more         
subjective4 ,at last1 having got rid of 
every shadow of earthly thoughts and    
desires1 it becomes nothing from a      
material point of view4 ,it is          
extinguished like a flame1 and1 having  
become one with ,parabrahm1 it lives the
 life of spirit1 of which neither our   
material conception nor our language can

 give any idea4 ,but the eternity of    
,parabrahm is not the eternity of the   
soul4 ,the latter1 according to a       
,vedanta expression1 is an eternity in  
eternity4 ,however holy1 the life of a  
soul had its beginning and its end1 and1
 consequently1 no sins and no good      
actions can be punished or rewarded in  
the eternity of ,parabrahm4 ,this would 
be contrary to justice1                 
disproportionate1 to use an expression  
of ,vedanta philosophy4 ,spirit alone   
lives in eternity1 and has neither      
beginning nor end1 neither limits nor   
central point4 ,the ,deva lives in      
,parabrahm1 as a drop lives in the      
ocean1 till the next regeneration of the
 universe from ,pralaya2 a periodical   
chaos1 a disappearance of the worlds    
from the region of objectivity4 ,with   
every new ,maha-yuga 7great cycle7 the  
,deva separates from that which is      
eternal1 attracted by existence in      
objective worlds1 like a drop of water  
first drawn up by the sun1 then starting

 again downwards1 passing from one      
region to another1 and returning at last
 to the dirt of our planet4 ,then1      
having dwelt there whilst a small cycle 
lasted1 it proceeds again upwards on the
 other side of the circle4 ,so it       
gravitates in the eternity of           
,parabrahm1 passing from one minor      
eternity to another4 ,each of these     
human1 that is to say conceivable1      
eternities consists of #d1cbj1jjj1jjj   
years of objective life and of as many  
years of subjective life in ,parabrahm1 
altogether #h1fdj1jjj1jjj years1 which  
are enough1 in the eyes of the          
,vedantins1 to redeem any mortal sin1   
and also to reap the fruit of any good  
actions performed in such a short period
 as human life4 ,the individuality of   
the soul1 teaches the ,vedanta1 is not  
lost when plunged in ,parabrahm1 as is  
supposed by some of the ,european       
,orientalists4  ,only the souls of      
bhutas--when the last spark of          
repentance and of tendency to           

improvement are extinguished in         
them--will evaporate for ever4 ,then    
their divine spirit1 the undying part of
 them1 separates from the soul and      
returns to its primitive source2 the    
soul is reduced to its primordial atoms1
 and the monad plunges into the darkness
 of eternal unconsciousness4 ,this is   
the only case of total destruction of   
personality4  ,such is the ,vedanta     
teaching concerning the spiritual man4  
,and this is why no true ,hindu believes
 in the disembodied souls voluntarily   
returning to earth1 except in the case  
of bhutas4     ,jubblepore    ,leaving  
,malva and ,indore1 the                 
quasi-independent country of ,holkar1 we
 found ourselves once more on strictly  
,british territory4 ,we were going to   
,jubblepore by railway4  ,this town is  
situated in the district of ,saugor and 
,nerbudda2 once it belonged to the      
,mahrattis1 but1 in #ahag1 the ,english 
army took possession of it4 ,we stopped 
in the town only for a short time1 being

 anxious to see the celebrated ,marble  
,rocks4 ,as it would have been a pity to
 lose a whole day1 we hired a boat and  
started at #b ,a4,m41 which gave us the 
double advantage of avoiding the heat1  
and enjoying a splendid bit of the river
 ten miles from the town4  ,the         
neighborhood of ,jubblepore is charming2
 and besides1 both a geologist and a    
mineralogist would find here the richest
 field for scientific researches4 ,the  
geological formation of the rocks offers
 an infinite variety of granites2 and   
the long chains of mountains might keep 
a hundred of ,cuviers busy for life4    
,the limestone caves of ,jubblepore are 
a true ossuary of antediluvian ,india2  
they are full of skeletons of monstrous 
animals1 now disappeared for ever4  ,at 
a considerable distance from the rest of
 the mountain ridges1 and perfectly     
separate1 stand the ,marble ,rocks1 a   
most wonderful natural phenomenon1 not  
very rare1 though1 in ,india4 ,on the   
flattish banks of the ,nerbudda1        

overgrown with thick bushes1 you        
suddenly perceive a long row of         
strangely-shaped white cliffs4  ,they   
are there without any apparent reason1  
as if they were a wart on the smooth    
cheek of mother nature4 ,white and pure1
 they are heaped up on each other as if 
after some plan1 and look exactly like a
 huge paperweight from the writing-table
 of a ,titan4 ,we saw them when we were 
half-way from the town4 ,they appeared  
and disappeared with the sudden         
capricious turnings of the river2       
trembling in the early morning mist like
 a distant1 deceitful mirage of the     
desert4 ,then we lost sight of them     
altogether4 ,but just before sunrise    
they stood out once more before our     
charmed eyes1 floating above their      
reflected image in the water4 ,as if    
called forth by the wand of a sorcerer1 
they stood there on the green bank of   
the ,nerbudda1 mirroring their virgin   
beauty on the calm surface of the lazy  
stream1 and promising us a cool and     

welcome shelter4444 ,and as to the      
preciousness of every moment of the cool
 hours before sunrise1 it can be        
appreciated only by those who have lived
 and traveled in this fiery land4       
,alas6 in spite of all our precautions1 
and our unusually early start1 our      
enjoyment of this cool retreat was very 
short-lived4 ,our project was to have   
prosaic tea amid these poetic           
surroundings2 but as soon as we landed1 
the sun leaped above the horizon1 and   
began shooting his fiery arrows at the  
boat1 and at our unfortunate heads4     
,persecuting us from one place to       
another1 he banished us1 at last1 even  
from under a huge rock hanging over the 
water4 ,there was literally no place    
where we could seek salvation4 ,the     
snow-white marble beauties became golden
 red1 pouring fire-sparks into the      
river1 heating the sand and blinding our
 eyes4  ,no wonder that legend supposes 
in them something between the abode and 
the incarnation of ,kali1 the fiercest  

of all the goddesses of the ,hindu      
pantheon4  ,for many ,yugas this goddess
 has been engaged in a desperate contest
 with her lawful husband ,shiva1 who1 in
 his shape of ,trikutishvara1 a         
three-headed lingam1 has dishonestly    
claimed the rocks and the river for his 
own--the very rocks and the very river  
over which ,kali presides in person4    
,and this is why people hear dreadful   
moaning1 coming from under the ground1  
every time that the hand of an          
irresponsible coolie1 working by        
,government orders in ,government       
quarries1 breaks a stone from the white 
bosom of the goddess4 ,the unhappy      
stone-breaker hears the cry and         
trembles1 and his heart is torn between 
the expectations of a dreadful          
punishment from the bloodthirsty goddess
 and the fear of his implacably exacting
 inspector in case he disobeys his      
orders4  ,kali is the owner of the      
,marble ,rocks1 but she is the patroness
 of the ex-,thugs as well4 ,many a      

lonely traveler has shuddered on hearing
 this name2 many a bloodless sacrifice  
has been offered on the marble altar of 
,kali4 ,the country is full of horrible 
tales about the achievements of the     
,thugs1 accomplished in the honor of    
this goddess4 ,these tales are too      
recent and too fresh in the popular     
memory to become as yet mere            
highly-colored legends4 ,they are mostly
 true1 and many of them are proved by   
official documents of the law courts and
 inquest commissions4  ,if ,england ever
 leaves ,india1 the perfect suppression 
of ,thugism will be one of the good     
memories that will linger in the country
 long after her departure4 ,under this  
name was practised in ,india during two 
long centuries the craftiest and the    
worst kind of homicide4 ,only after     
#ahdj was it discovered that its aim was
 simply robbery and brigandage4 ,the    
falsely interpreted symbolical meaning  
of ,kali was nothing but a pretext1     
otherwise there would not have been so  

many ,mussulmans amongst her devotees4  
,when they were caught at last1 and had 
to answer before justice1 most of these 
knights of the rumal--the handkerchief  
with which the operation of strangling  
was performed--proved to be ,mussulmans4
 ,the most illustrious of their leaders 
were not ,hindus1 but followers of the  
,prophet1 the celebrated ,ahmed1 for    
instance4 ,out of thirty-seven ,thugs   
caught by the police there were         
twenty-two ,mahometans4 ,this proves    
perfectly clearly that their religion1  
having nothing in common with the ,hindu
 gods1 had nothing to do with their     
cruel profession2 the reason and cause  
was robbery4  ,it is true though that   
the final initiation rite was performed 
in some deserted forest before an idol  
of ,bhavani1 or ,kali1 wearing a        
necklace of human skulls4 ,before this  
final initiation the candidates had to  
undergo a course of schooling1 the most 
difficult part of which was a certain   
trick of throwing the rumal on the neck 

of the unsuspecting victim and          
strangling him1 so that death might be  
instantaneous4 ,in the initiation the   
part of the goddess was made manifest in
 the use of certain symbols1 which are  
in common use amongst the               
,freemasons--for instance1 an unsheathed
 dagger1 a human skull1 and the corpse  
of ,hiram-,abiff1 son of the widow1     
brought back to life by the ,grand      
,master of the lodge4 ,kali was nothing 
but the pretext for an imposing         
scenarium4 ,freemasonry and ,thugism had
 many points of resemblance4 ,the       
members of both recognized each other by
 certain signs1 both had a pass-word and
 a jargon that no outsider could        
understand4 ,the ,freemason lodges      
receive among their members both        
,christians and ,atheists2 the ,thugs   
used to receive the thieves and robbers 
of every nation without any distinction2
 and it is reported that amongst them   
there were some ,portuguese and even    
,englishmen4 ,the difference between the

 two is that the ,thugs certainly were a
 criminal organization1 whereas the     
,freemasons of our days do no harm1     
except to their own pockets4  ,poor     
,shiva1 wretched ,bhavani6 ,what a mean 
interpretation popular ignorance has    
invented for these two poetical types1  
so deeply philosophical and so full of  
knowledge of the laws of nature4 ,shiva1
 in his primitive meaning is ,happy     
,god2 then the all-destroying1 as well  
as the all-regenerating force of nature4
 ,the ,hindu trinity is1 amongst other  
things1 an allegorical representation of
 the three chief elements3 fire1 earth  
and water4 ,brahma1 ,vishnu and ,shiva  
all represent these elements by turns1  
in their different phases2 but ,shiva is
 much more the god of the fire than     
either ,brahma or ,vishnu3 he burns and 
purifies2 at the same time creating out 
of the ashes new forms1 full of fresh   
life4 ,shiva-,sankarin is the destroyer 
or rather the scatterer2                
,shiva-,rakshaka is the preserver1 the  

regenerator4 ,he is represented with    
flames on his left palm1 and with the   
wand of death and resurrection in his   
right hand4 ,his worshippers wear on    
their foreheads his sign traced with wet
 ashes1 the ashes being called vibhuti1 
or purified substance1 and the sign     
consisting of three horizontal parallel 
lines between the eyebrows4 ,the color  
of ,shiva's skin is rosy-yellow1        
gradually changing into a flaming red4  
,his neck1 head and arms are covered    
with snakes1 emblems of eternity and    
eternal regeneration4 ,as a serpent1    
abandoning his old slough1 reappears in 
new skin1 so man after death reappears  
in a younger and a purer body1 say the  
,puranas4  ,in her turn1 ,shiva's wife  
,kali is the allegory of earth1         
fructified by the flames of the sun4    
,her educated worshippers say they allow
 themselves to believe their goddess is 
fond of human sacrifices1 only on the   
strength of the fact that earth is fond 
of organical decomposition1 which       

fertilizes her1 and helps her to call   
forth new forces from the ashes of the  
dead4 ,the ,shivaites1 when burning     
their dead1 put an idol of ,shiva at the
 head of the corpse2 but when beginning 
to scatter the ashes in the elements1   
they invoke ,bhavani1 in order that the 
goddess may receive the purified        
remains1 and develop in them germs of   
new life4 ,but what truth could bear the
 coarse touch of superstitious ignorance
 without being disfigured6  ,the        
murdering ,thugs laid their hands on    
this great philosophic emblem1 and1     
having understood that the goddess loves
 human sacrifice1 but hates useless     
blood-shed1 they resolved to please her 
doubly3 to kill1 but never to soil their
 hands by the blood of their victims4   
,the result of it was the knighthood of 
the rumal4  ,one day we visited a very  
aged ex-,thug4 ,in his young days he was
 transported to the ,andaman ,islands1  
but1 owing to his sincere repentance1   
and to some services he had rendered to 

the ,government1 he was afterwards      
pardoned4 ,having returned to his native
 village1 he settled down to earn his   
living by weaving ropes1 a profession   
probably suggested to him by some sweet 
reminiscences of the achievements of his
 youth4 ,he initiated us first into the 
mysteries of theoretic ,thugism1 and    
then extended his hospitality by a ready
 offer to show us the practical side of 
it1 if we agreed to pay for a sheep4 ,he
 said he would gladly show us how easy  
it was to send a living being ad patres 
in less than three seconds2 the whole   
secret consisting in some skillful and  
swift movements of the righthand finger 
joints4  ,we refused to buy the sheep   
for this old brigand1 but we gave him   
some money4 ,to show his gratitude he   
offered to demonstrate all the          
preliminary sensation of the rumal on   
any ,english or ,american neck that was 
willing4 ,of course1 he said he would   
omit the final twist4 ,but still none of
 us were willing2 and the gratitude of  

the repentant criminal found issue in   
great volubility4  ,the owl is sacred to
 ,bhavani ,kali1 and as soon as a band  
of ,thugs1 awaiting their victims1 had  
been signalled by the conventional      
hooting1 each of the travelers1 let them
 be twenty and more1 had a ,thug behind 
his shoulders4 ,one second more1 and the
 rumal was on the neck of the victim1   
the well-trained iron fingers of the    
,thug tightly holding the ends of the   
sacred handkerchief2 another second1 the
 joints of the fingers performed their  
artistic twist1 pressing the larynx1 and
 the victim fell down lifeless4 ,not a  
sound1 not a shriek6 ,the ,thugs worked1
 as swiftly as lightning4 ,the strangled
 man was immediately carried to a grave 
prepared in some thick forest1 usually  
under the bed of some brook or rivulet  
in their periodical state of drought4   
,every vestige of the victim            
disappeared4 ,who cared to know about   
him1 except his own family and his very 
intimate friends8 ,the inquests were    

especially difficult1 if not impossible1
 thirty years ago #ahgi1 when there were
 no regular railway communications1 and 
no regular ,government system4 ,besides1
 the country is full of tigers1 whose   
sad fate it is to be responsible for    
every one else's sins as well as for    
their own4 ,whoever it was who happened 
to disappear1 be it ,hindu or           
,mussulman1 the answer was invariably   
the same3 tigers6  ,the ,thugs possessed
 a wonderfully good organization4       
,trained accomplices used to tramp all  
over ,india1 stopping at the bazaars1   
those true clubs of ,eastern nations1   
gathering information1 scaring their    
listeners to death with tales of the    
,thugs1 and then advising them to join  
this or that travelling party1 who of   
course were ,thugs playing the part of  
rich merchants or pilgrims4 ,having     
ensnared these wretches1 they sent word 
to the ,thugs1 and got paid for the     
commission in proportion to the total   
profit4  ,during many long years these  

invisible bands1 scattered all over the 
country1 and working in parties of from 
ten to sixty men1 enjoyed perfect       
freedom1 but at last they were caught4  
,the inquiries unveiled horrid and      
repulsive secrets3 rich bankers1        
officiating ,brahmans1 ,rajas on the    
brink of poverty1 and a few ,english    
officials1 all had to be brought before 
justice4  ,this deed of the ,east ,india
 ,company truly deserves the popular    
gratitude which it receives4----   ,on  
our way back from the ,marble ,rocks we 
saw ,muddun-,mahal1 another mysterious  
curio2 it is a house built--no one knows
 by whom1 or with what purpose--on a    
huge boulder4 ,this stone is probably   
some kind of relative to the cromlechs  
of the ,celtic ,druids4 ,it shakes at   
the least touch1 together with the house
 and the people who feel curious to see 
inside it4 ,of course we had this       
curiosity1 and our noses remained safe  
only thanks to the ,babu1 ,narayan and  
the ,takur1 who took as great care of us

 as if they had been nurses1 and we     
their babies4  ,natives of ,india are   
truly a wonderful people4 ,however      
unsteady the thing may be1 they are sure
 to walk on it1 and sit on it1 with the 
greatest comfort4 ,they think nothing of
 sitting whole hours on the top of a    
post--maybe a little thicker than an    
ordinary telegraph post4 ,they also feel
 perfectly safe with their toes twisted 
round a thin branch and their bodies    
resting on nothing1 as if they were     
crows perched on a telegraph wire4      
,salam1 sahib6 said ,i once to an       
ancient1 naked ,hindu of a low caste1   
seated in the above described fashion4  
,are you comfortable1 uncle8 ,and are   
you not afraid of falling down8  ,why   
should ,i fall8 seriously answered the  
uncle1 expectorating a red fountain--an 
unavoidable result of betel-chewing4 ,i 
do not breathe1 mam-sahib6  ,what do you
 mean8 ,a man cannot do without         
breathing6 exclaimed ,i1 a good deal    
astonished by this wonderful bit of     

information4  ,oh yes1 he can4 ,i do not
 breathe just now1 and so ,i am         
perfectly safe4 ,but soon ,i shall have 
to fill up my breast again with fresh   
air1 and then ,i will hold on to the    
post1 otherwise ,i should fall4  ,after 
this astounding physiological           
information1 we parted4 ,he would not   
talk any more1 evidently fearing to     
endanger his comfort4 ,at that time1 we 
did not receive any more explanations on
 the subject1 but this incident was     
enough to disturb the scientific        
equanimity of our minds4  ,till then1 we
 were so naive as to fancy that only    
sturgeons and similar aquatic acrobats  
were clever enough to learn how to fill 
up their insides with air in order to   
become lighter1 and to rise to the      
surface of the water4 ,what is possible 
to a sturgeon is impossible to man1     
speculated we in our ignorance4 ,so we  
agreed to look upon the revelation of   
the above described uncle in the light  
of a brag1 having no other aim but to   

chaff the white sahibs4 ,in those days1 
we were still inexperienced1 and        
inclined to resent this kind of         
information1 as coming very near to     
mockery4 ,but1 later on1 we learned that
 his description of the process         
necessary to keep up this birdlike      
posture was perfectly accurate4 ,in     
,jubblepore we saw much greater wonders4
 ,strolling along the river bank1 we    
reached the so-called ,fakirs' ,avenue2 
and the ,takur invited us to visit the  
courtyard of the pagoda4 ,this is a     
sacred place1 and neither ,europeans nor
 ,mussulmans are admitted inside4 ,but  
,gulab-,sing said something to the chief
 ,brahman1 and we entered without       
hindrance4  ,the yard was full of       
devotees1 and of ascetics4 ,but our     
attention was especially attracted by   
three ancient1 perfectly naked fakirs4  
,as wrinkled as baked mushrooms1 as thin
 as skeletons1 crowned with twisted     
masses of white hair1 they sat or rather
 stood in the most impossible postures1 

as we thought4 ,one of them1 literally  
leaning only on the palm of his right   
hand1 was poised with his head downwards
 and his legs upwards2 his body was as  
motionless as if he were the dry branch 
of a tree4 ,just a little above the     
ground his head rose in the most        
unnatural position1 and his eyes were   
fixed on the glaring sun4 ,i cannot     
guarantee the truthfulness of some      
talkative inhabitants of the town1 who  
had joined our party1 and who assured us
 that this fakir daily spends in this   
posture all the hours between noon and  
the sunset4 ,but ,i can guarantee that  
not a muscle of his body moved during   
the hour and twenty minutes we spent    
amongst the fakirs4 ,another fakir stood
 on a sacred stone of ,shiva1 a small   
stone about five inches in diameter4    
,one of his legs was curled up under    
him1 and the whole of his body was bent 
backwards into an arc2 his eyes also    
were fixed on the sun4 ,the palms of his
 hands were pressed together as if in   

prayer4 ,he seemed glued to his stone4  
,we were at a loss to imagine by what   
means this man came to be master of such
 equilibration4   ,the third of these   
wonderful people sat crossing his legs  
under him2 but how he could sit was more
 than we could understand1 because the  
thing on which he sat was a stone       
lingam1 not higher than an ordinary     
street post and little wider than the   
stone of ,shiva1 that is to say1 hardly 
more than five or seven inches in       
diameter4 ,his arms were crossed behind 
his back1 and his nails had grown into  
the flesh of his shoulders4  ,this one  
never changes his position1 said one of 
our companions4 ,at least1 he has not   
changed for the last seven years4  ,his 
usual food1 or rather drink1 is milk1   
which is brought to him once in every   
forty-eight hours and poured into his   
throat with the aid of a bamboo4 ,every 
ascetic has willing servants1 who are   
also future fakirs1 whose duty it is to 
attend on them2 and so the disciples of 

this living mummy take him off his      
pedestal1 wash him in the tank1 and put 
him back like an inanimate object1      
because he can no longer stretch his    
limbs4  ,and what if ,i were to push one
 of these fakirs8 asked ,i4 ,i daresay  
the least touch would upset them4  ,try6
 laughingly advised the ,takur4 ,in this
 state of religious trance it is easier 
to break a man to pieces than to remove 
him from his place4  ,to touch an       
ascetic in the state of trance is a     
sacrilege in the eyes of the ,hindus2   
but evidently the ,takur was well aware 
that1 under certain circumstances1 there
 may be exceptions to every ,brahmanical
 rule4 ,he had another aside with the   
chief ,brahman1 who followed us1 darker 
than a thundercloud2 the consultation   
did not last long1 and after it was over
 ,gulab-,sing declared to us that none  
of us was allowed to touch the fakirs1  
but that he personally had obtained this
 permission1 and so was going to show us
 something still more astonishing4  ,he 

approached the fakir on the little      
stone1 and1 carefully holding him by his
 protruding ribs1 he lifted him and put 
him on the ground4 ,the ascetic remained
 as statuesque as before4 ,then         
,gulab-,sing took the stone in his hands
 and showed it to us1 asking us1        
however1 not to touch it for fear of    
offending the crowd4 ,the stone was     
round1 flattish1 with rather an uneven  
surface4 ,when laid on the ground it    
shook at the least touch4  ,now1 you see
 that this pedestal is far from being   
steady4 ,and also you have seen that1   
under the weight of the fakir1 it is as 
immovable as if it were planted in the  
ground4  ,when the fakir was put back on
 the stone1 he and it at once resumed   
their appearance1 as of one single body1
 solidly joined to the ground1 and not a
 line of the fakir's body had changed4  
,by all appearance1 his bending body and
 his head thrown backward sought to     
bring him down2 but for this fakir there
 was evidently no such thing as the law 

of gravity4  ,what ,i have described is 
a fact1 but ,i do not take upon myself  
to explain it4 ,at the gates of the     
pagoda we found our shoes1 which we had 
been told to take off before going in4  
,we put them on again1 and left this    
holy of holies of the secular mysteries1
 with our minds still more perplexed    
than before4 ,in the ,fakirs' ,avenue we
 found ,narayan1 ,mulji and the ,babu1  
who were waiting for us4 ,the chief     
,brahman would not hear of their        
entering the pagoda4 ,all the three had 
long before released themselves from the
 iron claws of caste2 they openly ate   
and drank with us1 and for this offence 
they were regarded as excommunicated1   
and despised by their compatriots much  
more than the ,europeans themselves4    
,their presence in the pagoda would have
 polluted it for ever1 whereas the      
pollution brought by us was only        
temporary2 it would evaporate in the    
smoke of cow-dung--the usual            
,brahmanical incense of                 

purification--like a drop of muddy water
 in the rays of the sun4  ,india is the 
country for originalities and everything
 unexpected and unconventional4 ,from   
the point of view of an ordinary        
,european observer every feature of     
,indian life is contrary to what could  
be expected4 ,shaking the head from one 
shoulder to another means no in every   
other country1 but in ,india it means an
 emphatic yes4 ,if you ask a ,hindu how 
his wife is1 even if you are well       
acquainted with her1 or how many        
children he has1 or whether he has any  
sisters1 he will feel offended in nine  
cases out of ten4 ,so long as the host  
does not point to the door1 having      
previously sprinkled the guest with     
rose-water1 the latter would not think  
of leaving4 ,he would stay the whole day
 without tasting any food1 and lose his 
time1 rather than offend his host by an 
unauthorized departure4 ,everything     
contradicts our ,western ideas4 ,the    
,hindus are strange and original1 but   

their religion is still more original4  
,it has its dark points1 of course4 ,the
 rites of some sects are truly          
repulsive2 the officiating ,brahmans are
 far from being without reproach4 ,but  
these are only superficialities4 ,in    
spite of them the ,hindu religion       
possesses something so deeply and       
mysteriously irresistible that it       
attracts and subdues even unimaginative 
,englishmen4  ,the following incident is
 a curious instance of this fascination3
  ,n4,c4 ,paul1 ,g4,b4,m4,c41 wrote a   
small1 but very interesting and very    
scientific pamphlet4 ,he was only a     
regimental surgeon in ,benares1 but his 
name was well known amongst his         
compatriots as a very learned specialist
 in physiology4 ,the pamphlet was called
 ,a ,treatise on the ,yoga ,philosophy1 
and produced a sensation amongst the    
representatives of medicine in ,india1  
and a lively polemic between the        
,anglo-,indian and native journalists4  
,dr4 ,paul spent thirty-five years in   

studying the extraordinary facts of     
,yogism1 the existence of which was1 for
 him1 beyond all doubt4 ,he not only    
described them1 but explained some of   
the most extraordinary phenomena1 for   
instance1 levitation1 the seeming       
evidence to the contrary of some laws of
 nature1 notwithstanding4 ,with perfect 
sincerity1 and evident regret1 ,dr4     
,paul says he could never learn anything
 from the ,raj-,yogis4 ,his experience  
was almost wholly limited to the facts  
that fakirs and ,hatha-,yogis would     
consent to give him4 ,it was his great  
friendship with ,captain ,seymour       
chiefly which helped him to penetrate   
some mysteries1 which1 till then1 were  
supposed to be impenetrable4  ,the      
history of this ,english gentleman is   
truly incredible1 and produced1 about   
twenty-five years ago1 an unprecedented 
scandal in the records of the ,british  
army in ,india4 ,captain ,seymour1 a    
wealthy and well-educated officer1      
accepted the ,brahmanical creed and     

became a ,yogi4 ,of course he was       
proclaimed mad1 and1 having been caught1
 was sent back to ,england4 ,seymour    
escaped1 and returned to ,india in the  
dress of a ,sannyasi4 ,he was caught    
again1 and shut up in some lunatic      
asylum in ,london4 ,three days after1 in
 spite of the bolts and the watchmen1 he
 disappeared from the establishment4    
,later on his acquaintances saw him in  
,benares1 and the governor-general      
received a letter from him from the     
,himalayas4 ,in this letter he declared 
that he never was mad1 in spite of his  
being put into a hospital2 he advised   
the governor-general not to interfere   
with what was strictly his own private  
concern1 and announced his firm resolve 
never to return to civilized society4 ,i
 am a ,yogi1 wrote he1 and ,i hope to   
obtain before ,i die what is the aim of 
my life--to become a ,raj-,yogi4 ,after 
this letter he was left alone1 and no   
,european ever saw him except ,dr4      
,paul1 who1 as it is reported1 was in   

constant correspondence with him1 and   
even went twice to see him in the       
,himalayas under the pretext of botanic 
excursions4  ,i was told that the       
pamphlet of ,dr4 ,paul was ordered to be
 burned as being offensive to the       
science of physiology and pathology4 ,at
 the time ,i visited ,india copies of it
 were very great rarities4 ,out of a few
 copies still extant1 one is to be found
 in the library of the ,maharaja of     
,benares1 and another was given to me by
 the ,takur4  ,this evening we dined at 
the refreshment rooms of the railway    
station4 ,our arrival caused an evident 
sensation4 ,our party occupied the whole
 end of a table1 at which were dining   
many first-class passengers1 who all    
stared at us with undisguised           
astonishment4 ,europeans on an equal    
footing with ,hindus6 ,hindus who       
condescended to dine with ,europeans6   
,these two were rare and wonderful      
sights indeed4 ,the subdued whispers    
grew into loud exclamations4 ,two       

officers who happened to know the ,takur
 took him aside1 and1 having shaken     
hands with him1 began a very animated   
conversation1 as if discussing some     
matter of business2 but1 as we learned  
afterwards1 they simply wanted to       
gratify their curiosity about us4  ,here
 we learned1 for the first time1 that we
 were under police supervision1 the     
police being represented by an          
individual clad in a suit of white      
clothes1 and possessing a very fresh    
complexion1 and a pair of long          
moustaches4 ,he was an agent of the     
secret police1 and had followed us from 
,bombay4 ,on learning this flattering   
piece of news1 the colonel burst into a 
loud laugh2 which only made us still    
more suspicious in the eyes of all these
 ,anglo-,indians1 enjoying a quiet and  
dignified meal4 ,as to me1 ,i was very  
disagreeably impressed by this bit of   
news1 ,i must confess1 and wished this  
unpleasant dinner was over4  ,the train 
for ,allahabad was to leave at eight    

,p4,m41 and we were to spend the night  
in the railway carriage4 ,we had ten    
reserved seats in a first-class         
carriage1 and had made sure that no     
strange passengers would enter it1 but1 
nevertheless1 there were many reasons   
which made me think ,i could not sleep  
this night4 ,so ,i obtained a provision 
of candles for my reading lamp1 and     
making myself comfortable on my couch1  
began reading the pamphlet of ,dr4      
,paul1 which interested me greatly4     
,amongst many other interesting things1 
,dr4 ,paul explains very fully and      
learnedly the mystery of the periodical 
suspension of breathing1 and some other 
seemingly impossible phenomena1         
practised by the ,yogis4  ,here is his  
theory in brief4 ,the ,yogis have       
discovered the reason of the wondrous   
capacity of the chameleon to assume the 
appearance of plumpness or of leanness4 
,this animal looks enormous when his    
lungs are filled with air1 but in his   
normal condition he is quite            

insignificant4 ,many other reptiles as  
well acquire the possibility of swimming
 across large rivers quite easily by the
 same process4 ,and the air that remains
 in their lungs1 after the blood has    
been fully oxygenated1 makes them       
extraordinarily lively on dry land and  
in the water4 ,the capacity of storing  
up an extraordinary provision of air is 
a characteristic feature of all the     
animals that are subjected to           
hibernation4  ,the ,hindu ,yogis studied
 this capacity1 and perfected and       
developed it in themselves4  ,the means 
by which they acquire it--known under   
the name of ,bhastrika                  
,kumbhala--consist of the following3    
,the ,yogi isolates himself in an       
underground cave1 where the atmosphere  
is more uniform and more damp than on   
the surface of the earth3 this causes   
the appetite to grow less4 ,man's       
appetite is proportionate to the        
quantity of carbonic acid he exhales in 
a certain period of time4 ,the ,yogis   

never use salt1 and live entirely on    
milk1 which they take only during the   
night4 ,they move very slowly in order  
not to breathe too often4 ,movement     
increases the exhaled carbonic acid1 and
 so the ,yoga practice prescribes       
avoidance of movement4 ,the quantity of 
exhaled carbonic acid is also increased 
by loud and lively talking3 so the      
,yogis are taught to talk slowly and in 
subdued tones1 and are even advised to  
take the vows of silence4 ,physical     
labor is propitious to the increase of  
carbonic acid1 and mental to its        
decrease2 accordingly the ,yogi spends  
his life in contemplation and deep      
meditation4 ,padmasana and ,siddhasana  
are the two methods by which a person is
 taught to breathe as little as         
possible4  ,suka-,devi1 a well-known    
miracle-monger of the second century    
,b4,c4 says3  ,place the left foot upon 
the right thigh1 and the right foot upon
 the left thigh2 straighten the neck and
 back2 make the palms of the hands rest 

upon the knees2 shut the mouth2 and     
expire forcibly through both nostrils4  
,next1 inspire and expire quickly until 
you are fatigued4 ,then inspire through 
the right nostril1 fill the abdomen with
 the inspired air1 suspend the breath1  
and fix the sight on the tip of the     
nose4 ,then expire through the left     
nostril1 and next1 inspiring through the
 left nostril1 suspend the breath444 and
 so on4  ,when a ,yogi1 by practice1 is 
enabled to maintain himself in one of   
the above-mentioned postures for the    
period of three hours1 and to live upon 
a quantity of food proportional to the  
reduced condition of circulation and    
respiration1 without inconvenience1 he  
proceeds to the practice of ,pranayama1 
writes ,dr4 ,paul4 ,it is the fourth    
stage or division of ,yoga4  ,the       
,pranayama consists of three parts4 ,the
 first excites the secretion of sweat1  
the second is attended by convulsive    
movements of the features1 the third    
gives to the ,yogi a feeling of         

extraordinary lightness in his body4    
,after this1 the ,yogi practises        
,pratyahara1 a kind of voluntary trance1
 which is recognizable by the full      
suspension of all the senses4 ,after    
this stage the ,yogis study the process 
of ,dharana2 this not only stops the    
activity of physical senses1 but also   
causes the mental capacities to be      
plunged into a deep torpor4 ,this stage 
brings abundant suffering2 it requires a
 good deal of firmness and resolution on
 the part of a ,yogi1 but it leads him  
to ,dhayana1 a state of perfect1        
indescribable bliss4 ,according to their
 own description1 in this state they    
swim in the ocean of eternal light1 in  
,akasha1 or ,ananta ,jyoti1 which they  
call the ,soul of the ,universe4        
,reaching the stage of ,dhyana1 the     
,yogi becomes a seer4 ,the ,dhyana of   
the ,yogis is the same thing as ,turiya 
,avastha of the ,vedantins1 in the      
number of whom are the ,raj-,yogis4     
,samadhi is the last stage of           

self-trance1 says ,dr4 ,paul4 ,in this  
state the ,yogis1 like the bat1 the     
hedge-hog1 the marmot1 the hamster and  
the dormouse1 acquire the power of      
supporting the abstraction of           
atmospheric air1 and the privation of   
food and drink4 ,of ,samadhi or human   
hibernation there have been three cases 
within the last twenty-five years4 ,the 
first case occurred in ,calcutta1 the   
second in ,jesselmere1 and the third in 
the ,punjab4 ,i was an eyewitness of the
 first case4 ,the ,jesselmere1 the      
,punjab1 and the ,calcutta ,yogis       
assumed a death-like condition by       
swallowing the tongue4 ,how the ,punjabi
 fakir 7witnessed by ,dr4 ,mc,gregor71  
by suspending his breath1 lived forty   
days without food and drink1 is a       
question which has puzzled a great many 
learned men of ,europe4444 ,it is on the
 principle of ,laghima and ,garima 7a   
diminution of one's specific gravity by 
swallowing large draughts of air7 that  
the ,brahman of ,madras maintained      

himself in an aerial posture444         
,however1 all these are physical        
phenomena produced by ,hatha-,yogis4    
,each of them ought to be investigated  
by physical science1 but they are much  
less interesting than the phenomena of  
the region of psychology4 ,but ,dr4     
,paul has next to nothing to say on this
 subject4 ,during the thirty-five years 
of his ,indian career1 he met only three
 ,raj-,yogis2 but in spite of the       
friendliness they showed to the ,english
 doctor1 none of them consented to      
initiate him into the mysteries of      
nature1 a knowledge of which is ascribed
 to them4 ,one of them simply denied    
that he had any power at all2 the other 
did not deny1 and even showed ,dr4 ,paul
 some very wonderful things1 but refused
 to give any explanations whatever2 the 
third said he would explain a few things
 on the condition that ,dr4 ,paul must  
pledge himself never to repeat anything 
he learned from him4 ,in acquiring this 
kind of information1 ,dr4 ,paul had only

 one aim--to give these secrets         
publicity1 and to enlighten the public  
ignorance1 and so he declined the honor4
  ,however1 the gifts of the true       
,raj-,yogis are much more interesting1  
and a great deal more important for the 
world1 than the phenomena of the lay    
,hatha-,yogis4 ,these gifts are purely  
psychic3 to the knowledge of the        
,hatha-,yogis the ,raj-,yogis add the   
whole scale of mental phenomena4 ,sacred
 books ascribe to them the following    
gifts3 foreseeing future events2        
understanding of all languages2 the     
healing of all diseases2 the art of     
reading other people's thoughts2        
witnessing at will everything that      
happens thousands of miles from them2   
understanding the language of animals   
and birds2 ,prakamya1 or the power of   
keeping up youthful appearance during   
incredible periods of time2 the power of
 abandoning their own bodies and        
entering other people's frames2         
,vashitva1 or the gift to kill1 and to  

tame wild animals with their eyes2 and1 
lastly1 the mesmeric power to subjugate 
any one1 and to force any one to obey   
the unexpressed orders of the           
,raj-,yogi4  ,dr4 ,paul has witnessed   
the few phenomena of ,hatha-,yoga       
already described2 there are many others
 about which he has heard1 and which he 
neither believes nor disbelieves4 ,but  
he guarantees that a ,yogi can suspend  
his breath for forty-three minutes and  
twelve seconds4  ,nevertheless1         
,european scientific authorities        
maintain that no one can suspend the    
breath for more than two minutes4 ,o    
science6 ,is it possible then that thy  
name is also vanitas vanitatum1 like the
 other things of this world8  ,we are   
forced to suppose that1 in ,europe1     
nothing is known about the means which  
enabled the philosophers of ,india1 from
 times immemorial1 gradually to         
transform their human frames4  ,here are
 a few deep words of ,professor         
,boutleroff1 a ,russian scientist whom  

,i1 in common with all ,russians1       
greatly respect3 4444,all this belongs  
to knowledge2 the increase of the mass  
of knowledge will only enrich and not   
abolish science4 ,this must be          
accomplished on the strength of serious 
observation1 of study1 of experience1   
and under the guidance of positive      
scientific methods1 by which people are 
taught to acknowledge every other       
phenomenon of nature4 ,we do not call   
you blindly to accept hypotheses1 after 
the example of bygone years1 but to seek
 after knowledge2 we do not invite you  
to give up science1 but to enlarge her  
regions444  ,this was said about        
spiritualist phenomena4 ,as to the rest 
of our learned physiologists1 this is1  
approximately1 what they have the right 
to say3 ,we know well certain phenomena 
of nature which we have personally      
studied and investigated1 under certain 
conditions1 which we call normal or     
abnormal1 and we guarantee the accuracy 
of our conclusions4  ,however1 it would 

be very well if they added3  ,but having
 no pretensions to assure the world that
 we are acquainted with all the forces  
of nature1 known and unknown1 we do not 
claim the right to hold back other      
people from bold investigations in      
regions which we have not reached as    
yet1 owing to our great cautiousness and
 also to our moral timidity4 ,not being 
able to maintain that the human organism
 is utterly incapable of developing     
certain transcendental powers1 which are
 rare1 and observable only under certain
 conditions1 unknown to science1 we by  
no means wish to keep other explorers   
within the limits of our own scientific 
discoveries4  ,by pronouncing this      
noble1 and1 at the same time1 modest    
speech1 our physiologists would         
doubtless gain the undying gratitude of 
posterity4  ,after this speech there    
would be no fear of mockery1 no danger  
of losing one's reputation for veracity 
and sound reason2 and the learned       
colleagues of these broad-minded        

physiologists would investigate every   
phenomenon of nature seriously and      
openly4 ,the phenomena of spiritualism  
would then transmigrate from the region 
of materialized mothers-in-law and      
half-witted fortune-telling to the      
regions of the psycho-physiological     
sciences4 ,the celebrated spirits would 
probably evaporate1 but in their stead  
the living spirit1 which belongeth not  
to this world1 would become better known
 and better realized by humanity1       
because humanity will comprehend the    
harmony of the whole only after learning
 how closely the visible world is bound 
to the world invisible4  ,after this    
speech1 ,haeckel at the head of the     
evolutionists1 and ,alfred ,russel      
,wallace at the head of the             
spiritualists1 would be relieved from   
many anxieties1 and would shake hands in
 brotherhood4  ,seriously speaking1 what
 is there to prevent humanity from      
acknowledging two active forces within  
itself2 one purely animal1 the other    

purely divine8  ,it does not behove even
 the greatest amongst scientists to try 
to bind the sweet influences of the     
,pleiades1 even if they have chosen     
,arcturus with his sons for their       
guides4 ,did it never occur to them to  
apply to their own intellectual pride   
the questions the voice out of the      
whirlwind once asked of long-suffering  
,job3 where were they when were laid the
 foundations of the earth8 and have the 
gates of death been opened unto them8   
,if so1 only then have they the right to
 maintain that here and not there is the
 abode of eternal light4   ,the ,end