Page:History of India Vol 9.djvu/326

274 AN EARLY DUTCH ACCOUNT OF INDIA eration that it was still more shameful that the soul of a mother might pass into a young girl and be known by her own son. Nevertheless, these heathen make no difficulty either of the one or the other, but it is their firm belief that the souls of men pass from one body to another, whether of men, beasts, or herbs, and that this befalleth each man according to his deeds. But of those who migrate into the bodies of beasts, they deem them the luckiest who enter into kine; since the body of these beasts they hold to be the most lucky gaol or prison, for that they believe that among all sorts of beasts kine are the most acceptable to God, and that Nandi, or Baswa (Sanskrit vrishdba, " bull "), was an ox and the wahanam, that is, carrier, whereon Eswara (Siva) was carried; wherefore these heathen hold kine in high honour. They may not slaughter any of them, but as great horror as the Mohammedans have of pork, so great horror have they of eating beef. I have seen more reverence done a dead ox belonging to a pagoda than if he had been a man; for even as it is the custom, wherever there is a dead man, for bassoons to be blown, so was it done regarding this ox; and moreover he was covered with a robe in stately wise, and had incense burned over him. They also believe that some persons become devils because of their sins, and that they wander through the air until the time of their punishment be passed. They say that these suffer very great hunger, and that they cannot get a single blade of grass from the earth to fill their hungry bellies, and that they can enjoy