ON THE RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES 



extftent, who is the fublime caufe of light, from 

 whom worlds receive illumination, be favourable to 

 ib." V'ter presenting an oblation to the fun, in the 

 mode to be forthwith explained, the Gdyatti mull 

 be next invoked, in thefe words : " Thou art light ; 

 thou art feed; thou art immortal life ; thou art ef- 

 ' fulgent : beloved by the gods, defamed by none, thou 

 art the holieft facrifice.r And it ihonld be after- 

 wards recited meafure by meafure ; tlien the two 

 firit meaiures as one hemiftich, and the third meafure 

 as the other ; and, laftly, the three meafures without 

 interruption. The fame text, is then invoked in 

 thefe words : <s Divine text, who dolt grant our belt 

 wifhes, whofe name is trifyllable, whofe import is 

 the power of the Supreme lieing ; come thou mo- 

 ther' of the vedas, who didit fpring fromBitA r HME, be 

 conftant here/' The Gdyatri is then pronounced in- 

 audibly with the triliteral tiipnqfyllable, and the names 

 of the three lower worlds, a hundred or a rhou- 

 fand times, or as often as may be practicable, count- 

 ing the repetitions on a rofary of gems let in gold, 

 or of wild grains. For this purpofe, the feeds of 

 the \piirajiva y vulgarly named piionh'ia, are declared 

 preferable. The following prayers from the Vijhnu 

 purdna, conclude thefe repetitions * : " Salutation to 



* " I omit the very tedious detail refpe&ing fins expiated bv a 



let number of repetitions ; but in one inftance, as an atonement 



for unwarily eating or drinking what is forbidden, it is directed, 



that eight hundred repetitions of the Gayatri ihould be preceded by 



three fuppreflions of breath, touching water during the recital 



of the following text : ' The bull roars ; he has four horns ; 



three feet, two heads, feven hands, and is bound by a threefold 



i the n reiplen dent being, and pervades mortal 



.. n.' The bull is juitice perfonified. His tour horns are the 



. ma or fuperintending prieft, the Udgairi or chanter of the 



■.', the Hotii or reader of the Rigveda, who performs the 



r>art of a religious i .v. and Adbwdrin, who tits in 



•ed clofe and chants the, Yajurveda. His three feet are the 



three Oblations and lacriiice are his two heads, roaring 



itupendoufly. His feven hands are the Hoiri, Mactravaruma^ 



'aft, Gmvaftata, Ad c, Nijbirl, and Petri, 



n • hich officiating priefts are deiigned at certain folemn 



1 li jature bj which he is bound, is worshipped 



in the niorniijg, at noon, and in the evening/' 



" the 



