1893.] S. C. Dfis— Marriage Customs of Tibet. 13 



"O the four great sages of China, the four saints of Tihet, and the 

 Pandits and Lochavas of India and Tibet! — Help me in this test of 

 Truth. 



" ye five kinds of Brahma- Kayika Devas, who rule over the 

 fire in the South, over the wood in the East, over the adamantine moun- 

 tains in the West, over the Ocean in the North, and over the ethereal 

 space in the middle region ! — Bear me out. 



" The eight great planets, the sun and moon, the Pleiades and the 

 78 constellations ! — Do you all test the truth of my science. 



" The great gods including Brahma, the eight ndga demons 

 headed by Nanda, the four Maharaja Kayikas, the guardian kings of 

 the world, and the seventy Palgon (the noble spirits who defend Bud- 

 dhism) ! — Help me in drawing true conclusions from astrology and the 

 science of divination. 



" The four celestial nymphs called Man-tsun Chen-mo, (Maha, 

 Mati'ika) who preside over medicine, the twelve sylvan goddesses called 

 the Ten- ma Chuni, who under a solemn compact have become protectors 

 of Buddhism in Tibet, the local gods and demigods, together with your 

 attendants, the kings and ministers ! — Bear ye all witness to my work. 



" The nine mystic figures called the Me-va git and the eight gno- 

 mons on the chart of divination called the Parha and the cycle of sixty 

 years ! — Receive homage from me. 



" The grey tiger that keeps the farthest end of the Eastern Quarter, 

 the blue dragon of the South, the red huge bird of the West, and the 

 golden tortoise of the North ! — Receive your share of respect from me. 



" I make this religious service which is threefold, being exoteric, 

 esoteric and mystic, to honour you, and I make offerings to you for grant- 

 ing me power to arrive at accurate results in calculating astrological 

 events and to divine correctly. Will you, therefore, explain to me the 

 science of divination, and demonstrate every fact and figure connected 

 with it as clearly as reflections fall on a mirror of polished silver? 



" To-day we are to ascertain whether the youth and the maiden to 

 be united are possessed of the ten virtues of matrimonial concord (?nthun- 

 sbyor); the twenty characteristics of demeanour ( ftgro-lani ) ; If they 

 will deserve the ten kinds of dowry, and also the services of five men 

 necessary for conducting wedding ceremonies. O Venerable Lamas 

 and learned elders ! Shew unto me all that is essential for astrology, 

 and correct me when I err." 



Then taking the names of the years of the birth of the males and 

 females of both sides, the astrologer ascertains the chances of life, i. e. 

 (longevity), accidents to the body, power (ivang-thang), and prosperity 

 (by observing the Rluii rta wind-horse or fortune), and by setting these 



