38 HOPKINS— MAGIC OBSERVANCES IN HINDU EPIC. [April 21, 



you shall see all invisible things," ancna mrstanayano bhntany 

 antarhitdny itta bhavdn draksyati, and, it is added, " he to whom 

 you shall give it," that is, if he uses it as an eye-wash, he too shall 

 see the invisible. 



It is difficult to decide whether the power of water rests in every 

 case on magic or on the feeling that water " of which the world is 

 made," 1. 180.18, and which is one of the three "purities" ("purity 

 of speech, of deed, and purity consisting in water," 3.200.82) is a 

 natural purifier. Water touched by a priest purifies from sin, 

 3.193.36, and this is the secret of most of the Tirthas or sacred 

 watering-places. They have been in contact before with some great 

 saint or god and so won exceptional virtue. 



But even plain water refreshes weary horses better if a Mantra 

 (spell) has been said over it, 7.2.26.^'' 



Water is especially associated with truth because truth is verbal 

 purity. Consequently a very good man may walk over water or 

 even drive his battle-car over water without sinking into it, as was 

 the case with Prthu Vainya, 7.69.9 and with Dilipa, 7.61.9 and 10 

 (who was "a speaker of truth"). So too Yudhisthira's car did 

 not sink upon earth till he told a lie, an analogous case with the 

 divine earth instead of water as witness. The perjurer is cast 

 out by the water in ordeals (passim).^" 



Magic Rites With Images. 

 The rite called Chdyd-npasevana, " shadow-cult," is explained by 

 the commentator to be the well-known practice of sticking thorns 

 or needles into the clay (wax) image of an enemy and thus inflicting 

 pain or death upon the object of dislike. It is a clear case of 

 " sympathetic magic." The commentor says it is explained in the 



^"Bathing "in different waters" at the end of a battle is of doubtful 

 bearing; the water may be medicated, 6.86.54. 



"Defilement of the water leads to the divine water's rejection of the 

 sinner. So in Manu and other law-books. The defilement of water by cast- 

 ing into it excreta, saliva, etc., leads to the sinner's going to undesirable 

 worlds, 7.73.31 f. It is the fear of defiled water which causes the prohibition 

 against living " in a village which has its water from only one well," 7.73.40. 

 The crematory fire, when a corpse is burned, is extinguished with water, 

 8.20.50 (to keep off evil spirits). 



