Page:Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. (IA journalofstraits8386roya).pdf/131

 XVII. 17 ("The Sacred hands of the Aryas" Volume I, Oxford). So to this day does the Malay. In the code of Manu among persons to be avoided were physicians, sufferers from phthisis, elephantiasis, epilepsy, leprosy and erysipelas, persons with thick hair on the body, a one-eyed man, a usurer, a mariner, a gambling-house keeper and dancers. Even now the Malay regards the professions of physician and sailor as degrading, and distrusts one-eyed men and hairy persons.

The Brahman student shall not eat food offered at a funeral oblation" (Apastamba, pp. 7 and 43, "Sacred Books of the East." vol. 11): there are Malay rajas who observe this tabu. "He shall not sit on a seat higher than that of his teacher" (ib., p. 30); "he shall not drink water standing or bent forward" (ib., p. 57); "sheep's milk is forbidden" (ib., p. 83). All these tabus are common among Malays. The Brahman student, "may not feed a thief, a eunuch, an outcast, an atheist, a destroyer of the sacred fire, the husband of a younger sister married before the elder, the husband of an elder sister whose youngest sister was married first,, a younger brother married before the elder brother, an elder brother married after his younger brother" (Gautama, ib., p. 254). The objection to younger children, especially girls, marrying before elder is called by Malays langkah batang and universally disliked.

The henna dance with lighted candles (Wilkinson's "Incidents. of Malay Life, 2nd ed., p. 58 and Skeat's "Malay Magic ") is hardly likely to have been invented by a primitive people to whom candles were unknown. A dance with lighted candlesticks is common in Persia (Hales' "From Persian Uplands," p. 121. London 1920) and the Malay dance would seem to have come with other marriage-ceremonies from India.

There would seem to be a similarity between the outlook of those of Hindu faith towards Mahameru, the abode of Indra and Vishnu, the pivot of the universe, (Dowson op. cit.) and the outlook of the Greek towards Olympus. "Whatever the original meaning of Olympus may be, it seems clear that the Olympian gods, wherever their worshippers moved, tended to dwell on the highest mountain in the neighbourhood and the mountain thereby became Olympus" (Gilbert Murray's "Four Stages of Greek Religion": cf. Journal 81, page 26).

Though I do not suggest its introduction to have been of early date, yet perhaps one may note in a paper dealing with India and Malay beliefs the fact that the language of signs practised in Malay intrigue is identical with that practised in Kandy:— "Kandian girls make almost imperceptible signs to each other. If without moving the head, the eyes be momentarily directed towards the door, the question is asked, "Shall we go out? An affirmative reply is given by an expressionless gaze, a negative one by closing the eyes for an instant (Parker's "Village Folk-Tales of Ceylon," Volume II, page 32).