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 Chap. II.]

HINDOO MYTHOLOGY.

33

^^r^E^-.

is believed to have established it. Of the many legends relating to this subject, a.d. — the following is a specimen: — Siva, meeting with Brahma, insultingly asked him, "Whence camest thou, and who created thee?" Brahma had then five heads, siva. and with the mouth of one of them replied, "And whence art thou? I know thee well, thou form of darkness." After much contumelious language banded to and fro, Siva lost temper, and gave a practical proof of his superiority by seizing the head of Brahma which performed the part of spokesman, and cutting it off with his left thumb. The Saivas think themselves entitled, in consequence of this exploit, to address their favourite divinity as the one supreme lord.

Since the process of destruction is, as a general rule, preparatory to that of Emblems of some form of renovation, Siva is conceived to preside over both, and hence the ^ "^^^^ "^' Linga and Yoni, as representing the productive and regenerating powers of nature, are the great emblems used in his worship. It is not difficult to understand how the idea of such emblems may have been suggested to contemplative minds unaccompanied by any approach to obscenity, but the great body of mankind are totally incapable of allegorizing purely on such a subject. To them grossness is too familiar, even as an object of thought, and when exhibited in a visible form only fosters licentious feelings and leads in practice to innumerable abominations. For these the shrines of Siva are notorious, but not so notorious as those of his consort Parvati, who, under various names, and more especially those of Kali and Durga, receives a worship of the mo.st disgusting and atrocious de- scription. The kind of carnage in which she delights

is significantly indicated in the Kalika Purana, which, after an enumeration of the animals to be offered to her in sacrifice, adds, that one human victim would please her for 1000 years, and three human victims for 100,000 years. Circumstances do not allow her wor.shippers any longer to gratify her in this manner, but she has still full opportunity of satisfying her thirst for blood. In her temple at Kalighat, near Calcutta, 1000 goats, besides various other animals, are sacrificed every month ; and it used to be the boast of her priest at Binda- bashni, where the Vindhj^a Hills abut on the Ganges, that the blood before her image was never allowed to dry. This profuse shedding of blood, disgusting as it is, is not the worst feature in her worship. During the great festival of Durga Puja, celebrated in her honour, the name of religion is employed as a cloak for secret orgies, in which parties of both sexes meet and give themselves up to unbounded licentiousness.

The properties and offices assigned to the members of the Hindoo triad are so numerous and diversified that all the other gods of the pantheon seem Vol. II. 94

Otrga

From Coltiium's Hindoo MjthoK'gy.