358 ON THE RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES 



noon is likewife enjoined as requifite to cleanlinefs, 

 conducive to health and efficacious in removing spi- 

 ritual as well as corporeal defilements : it muft never- 

 tbelefs be omitted by one who is afflicted with dif- 

 eafe ; and a healthy perlon is forbidden to bathe im- 

 mediately after a meal, and without laying afide his 

 jewels and other ornaments. If there be no impedi- 

 ment, inch a? thofe now mentioned or formerly 

 noticed, in fpeaking of early ablutions he may bathe 

 with water drawn from a well, from a fountain, or 

 from a bafon of a cataract ; but he mould prefer wa- 

 ter which lays above ground, choofing a ftream rather 

 than ftagnant water, a river in preference to a fmall 

 bi ' . a holy dream before a vulgar river, and, above 

 water of the Ganges. In treating of the 

 bat! ithcrs diftinguiih various ablutions, properly 

 nproperly fo called, fuch as rubbing the body 

 with aihcs, which is named a bath facred to fire, 

 plunging into water, a bath facred to the regent of 

 this element : ablutions accompanied by the prayers, 

 " O waters ! fince ye afford delight, &c." which 

 conftitute the holy bath : ftanding in duil raifed by 

 the treading of cows, a bath denominated from wind 

 or air ; ftanding in the rain during daylight, a 

 bath named from the Iky or atmofphere. The ablu- 

 tion or bath properly lb called are per^prrned with 

 the following ceremonies. 



After bathing and cleaning his perfon and pro- 

 nouncing as a vow, " I will now perform ablutions," 

 he who bathes fliould invoke the holy river ; " O 

 Ganga, Yamuna, Sara/lvali, Saiadru, Marudvia'hv, 

 and Jiyiciya ! hear my prayers ; for my fake be in- 

 cluded in this fmall quantity of water with the holy 

 ft reams of Parujhti utjkni, and Vitqfia" He inould 

 alio utter the ; f frUyer confifiing of the words 



u Salutation to Narayana" Upon this occaiion a 

 brayer extracted from the Padma fiurana is often u(cd- 

 with this falutation called the radical text ; and thc 

 ccr is at once Concluded by taking up the earth 



and 





