2. On Some Indian Ceremonies for Disease-Transference 



By Sarat Chandra Mitra, M.A., B.L. 



People, in a primitive plane of culture, labour under the 

 delusion that evil, in every shape and form, whether physical 

 or spiritual, is an entity — a spirit or shadowy being— which 

 can be transferred. This mode of thought was characteristic 

 of almost all the nations of antiquity who, as a result thereof, 

 had recourse to what was known among them as " ceremonies 

 of riddance," that is to say, ceremonies or rites by the per- 

 formance whereof they believed they could rid themselves of 

 all impending evils — all diseases and all misfortunes — and pass 

 the same on to others. Take, for instance, the case of the 

 ancient Greeks among whom this belief was so largely prevalent 

 that the performance of this ritual of riddance was even one 

 of the regular functions of the State itself. This is evidenced 

 by the testimony of Plutarch himself who has recorded that, 

 when he was archon of Chaeronea, it was one of his official duties 

 to superintend the performance of the following curious ceremony 

 in which a large number of people participated. A household 



was 



was struck with rods made of the stalks of the Agnus casius 

 (Vitex agnus castus), a plant whicli was supposed to possess 

 purifying properties as also the virtue of preserving chastity. 

 Then he was expelled out of doors to the accompaniment of the 

 words: M Out with hunger; in with wealth and health." This 



ceremony was called the M Driving out of Hunger." It was 

 utterly unconnected with the regular worship of the deities of 

 the ancient Greek Pantheon or even with the cult of the vaguest 

 theoi which was a survival of the primitive Pelasgian ritual. 1 

 It was clearly based on that phase of primitive belief which is 

 known to cultural anthropologists as " Sympathetic Magic." 

 In the same way, the ancient Israelites had their peculiar 

 ceremony of riddance wherein the place of the slave was taken 

 by a live goat which was known to them as the scape-goat 

 (Lev. xvi. 8-10). It was performed as follows: Two goats 

 were brought and offered to the Lord. Then lots were cast for 

 ascertaining which of the goats should be sacrificed and which 

 hould be the scape-goat. The one which was elected for sacri- 

 fice as a sin-offering was slain. Thereafter the high-priest 

 came forth from his sanctum sanctorum, placed his hands on 



J The Religion of Ancient Greece. — By J. E. Harrison. London Archi- 

 bald Constable & Co., Ld., 1905. pp. 44-45. 



