Shell-Trumpets and their Destribution. 53 
fact the bond of connexion between the moon and _ these 
shells is the ancient association of both with women 
which grew upin the Old World somewhere in the region 
of the Red Sea. 
The remarkable identity in the Hindu and Mexican 
use of shell-trumpets in temple worship and harvest rites, 
and the association of the conch-shell with the God of the 
Moon, has been pointed out in a previous article.” 
The Chank (see Frontispiece, /zg. 5) is one of the two 
important symbols associated by Hindus with V7zshnu 
and his many avatars or incarnations. Szva, also, is 
sometimes represented holding the chank. Such an 
association is of peculiar interest when one considers the 
worship of the chank in the daily liturgy of the Brahmans. 
Taking the shell in his hand, the Brahman recites the 
following prayer :— 
“ At the mouth of this shell is the God of the Moon, 
on its sides is Varuna, on its back Prajapati, and on its 
apex, the Ganges, the Sarasvati, and all the other sacred 
rivers of the three worlds in which they make ablutions 
according to the command of Vasudeva.” In this chank 
is the chief of the Brahmans (Brahmendra or Brahmana- 
spati). This is why we worship the sacred chank. Glory 
to thee, sacred shell, blessed by all the gods, born in the 
sea, and formerly held by Vishnu in his hand. We adore 
the sacred chank and meditate upon it. May we be filled 
with joy! ; 
“T offer (to the chank) everything needful for wor- 
ship—perfumes, rice and flowers.” *! 
In India the moon is believed to preside over the 
growth of crops and produce, and in certain places, as 
®2 Jackson, ‘‘ The Aztec Moon-cult and its relation to the Chank-cult 
of India.” Manch. Memoirs (Lit. and Phil. Soc.), vol. 60, pt. u., 1916. 
°? One of the names of Krishna. 
94 Hornell, ‘* The Sacred Chank of India,” 1914. 
