750 Translation of the Chapter on Meditation [Sept. 



not. In the latter case, he may starve, unless his comrades shoot the 

 Gauri. In the former case, he may work his will on it ; for living, it will 

 not stir from the spot without vengeance ; and though a gun be pointed 

 in its very face, and repeatedly discharged, it will continue goring the 

 tree and threatening the assailant, till dead. In cases in which the 

 luckless climber has dropt his weapon, and his companions have feared 

 to come presently to the rescue, the Gauri has been known to keep its 

 station at the bottom of the tree for 24 hours, and, it is believed, 

 would never have stirred from the spot, so long as the man was above 

 if the animal had not been eventually destroyed. The Tharus, a tribe 

 of native foresters, assert that the Gauri s period of gestation is longer 

 than that of the cow ; and, from the appearance of the foetus in utero> 

 there can be little doubt that the season of love is February, March. 

 One calf only is produced at a time. 



The raw-foetal young is white-skinned ; its hoofs are golden yellow ; 

 and its head perfectly rounded, in all the cerebral portion. 



The voice of the Gauri is very peculiar, and quite unlike that of the 

 ox, buffalo or bison, but, as I am not skilled in bestial tongues, I 

 shall not attempt to syllable this utterance. 



IV. — Extracts translated from the Grant has or sacred books of the 

 Dadupanthi Sect. By Lieutenant G. R. Siddons, 1st Light Cavalry J 

 Second in command, 3rd Local Horse, Neemuch. 



As I find from the perusal of the May number of the Asiatic Journal 

 that you consider my translation of a chapter from the Dadupanthi 

 Granthas interesting, I do myself the pleasure to forward you ano- 

 ther * On meditation.' I may as well observe, that they are not from 

 the commencement of the Grantha, but selected by me as being in my 

 opinion best qualified to shew the moral and religious ideas of the sect. 



When not interested in the subject, I chanced to visit one of 

 the Dadupanthi institutions at a village near Sambhur and was par- 

 ticularly struck by the coniented and severe countenances of the 

 sectaries. There were a Principal and several Professors, which 

 gave the place the appearance of a college. The former occupied a 

 room at the top of the building, and seemed quite absorbed in me- 

 ditation ; the professors however were communicative enough, though 

 I did not make any inquiries concerning the founder of their sect, for 

 which I am now sorry, because it does not seem accurately known who 

 Dadu was*, and I have been assured, perhaps not from the best autho- 



* See page 480 which had not reached the author when this was penned. — Ed. 



