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brothers, the legitimate sons of his father, to be murdered. After 

 this paroxysm of revengeful rage was over, Chanacya was exceed- 

 ingly troubled in his mind, and so much stung with remorse for 

 his crime, and the effusion of human blood which took place in 

 consequence of it, that he withdrew to Sucla-Tertha, a famous 

 place of worship on the bank of the Nerbudda, to get himself 

 purified. There, having gone through a most severe course of 

 religious austerities, and expiatory sacrifices, he was directed to 

 sail upon the river in a boat with white sails; which, if they 

 turned black, would be to him a sure sign of the remission of his 

 sins, the blackness of which would attach itself to the sails: thus 

 it happened, and he joyfully sent the boat adrift, with his sins, 

 into the sea. This ceremony, or another very similar to it (for the 

 expense of a boat would be too great) is performed to this day at 

 Sucla-Tirtha ; but instead of a boat, they use a common earthen 

 pot, in which they light a lamp, and send it adrift with the accu- 

 mulated load of their sins." 



In the Agni-purana this expiation is mentioned differently by 

 the Carshagni: it there consists in covering the whole body with 

 a thick coat of cow-dung; which, when dry, is set on fire. This 

 mode of expiation, in desperate cases, was unknown before; but 

 occasionally performed afterwards. Chandra-gupta, when firmly 

 established on the imperial throne, accompanied Chanacya to 

 Sucla-Tirtha, in order to get himself purified also. Chanacya's 

 crimes, repentance, and atonement, are the subject of many legen- 

 dary tales in verse current in Guzerat. 



I have mentioned the Hindoo jattaras, and some of their prin- 

 cipal festivals, in another place; they are solemnized with great 



