Witchcraft Amon(j the Hindus. 15 



For a woman the spell was somewhat longer, aud a second 

 brief one is added: 'For her not a lunar-day, not a lunar- 

 mansion, not the kindling of a holy fire is decreed.' 



Next in order comes a nydsa ceremonj^, which is a sort of 

 consecration service, giving obeisance to each pair of thumbs, 

 fore-fingers, etc., and to the two palms and backs of the hands- 

 It seems to be intended in this case as a propitiation of 

 Eiudra. * Durgfi is then invoked, and mention is made of 



Jcsaum rrini hrim kUm oin, katupattre sttbJiaga asuri raktavasase 

 'thartanasya duhite 'yJiore 'ghore svaJia, om kliin hrim, etc., as at the 

 beginning. The Durga Puja by Pratapachandra Ghosha, contains 

 a long list of these particles used in pouring water into a conch-shell as 

 an act of worship. Keeping his system of transliteration, it is as fol- 

 lows:— Ksham, Lara, Ham, Sam, Sham, Sam, Vara, Lam, Ram, Yam, 

 Mam, Bham, Bam, Pham, Pam, Nam, Dham, Dam, Tham, Tarn, IS^am, 

 Dham, Dam, Thani, Tam, Nam, Jham, Jam, Cliham, Cham, Nam, Gham, 

 Gam, Kham, Kam, Ah, Am, Aum, Om, Aim, Em, Lm, Lm, Rm, Rm, Um, 

 Um, Ini, lm, Am, Am, Mam. 



* The Durga Puja, which is a book giving an account of the 

 religious worship of Durga, contains such a ceremony, called the 

 External M fi t r i k a N y u s a. Using the method of transliteration, 

 etc., which is employed, it reads as follows:— The rshi of this Matrika 

 mantra is Brahma, its metre is Gayatri, the deity Matrika sarasvati 

 [Indus River], the consonants are the roots, the vowels are the Saktis 

 [powers], these are used in the Matrika Nyasa. With a flower Om 

 obeisance to Brahma Rshi in the head, Om obeisance to Gayatri 

 Metre in the mouth, Om to Matrika Sarasvati Devi in the heart, Om 

 to the consonant roots in the muladhara [root-holder], Om to the 

 vowel Saktis in the feet. Then meditate on Matrika: Help me, O ! 

 goddess of speech, whose lips are parted by fifty characters [the letters 

 of the Sanskrit alphabet], whose arms extend to the knees, whose bosom 

 is well formed, whose forehead is emblazoned by the moon with all the 

 phases, whose breasts are as compact as they are lofty, and whose hands 

 hold the mudra [seal], the beadstring, a nectar-pot, and gift of knowl- 

 edge, and who is white in appearance, and three-eyed. 



Am to the forehead. Am to the mouth, lm to the right eye, lm to the 

 left eye, Um to the right ear, Um to the left ear, Rm to the right nose 

 [nostrils], Rm to the left nose, lm to the right cheek, lm to the left 



