MANTRA GAJAH. 3 



" The Samil of the first mantra is probably Samhail, of 

 " whom D' Herbelot has the following account : 



" Samhail, nom d'un Ange qui gouverne le sixieme ciel, 

 " selon les reveries des Musulmans. 



The last mantra calls on Betara Guru and Betara Kala 

 who are identified with Vishnu and Shiva respectively * (The 

 derivation of Betara being the Sanskrit avatara " descent," 

 according to Crawfurd, or according to Favre the Sanskrit 

 battara, "respectable" §) 



In so short a space it would be difficult to find more 

 variety and c nfusion. 



All the elephant owners and elephant drivers to whom 

 I have spoken in Perak on the subject of the non-Malay 

 mantras were more or less — as they knew more or less of the 

 elmu gajah — "the science of elephants" — familiar with the 

 words of the mantras and with the medicines prescribed in the 

 book, and one of them who was extremely interested in my 

 enquiries into the asal elmu — " the source of the science, " — has 

 recently presented me with another manuscript containing 

 similar mantras. 



All my informants admitted their entire ignorance of the 

 meaning of the non-Malay words, and not one of them made 

 the slightest attempt to suggest any interpretation — They all 

 agreed however in ascribing a Siamese origin to the mantras, 



" before the Lord to make atonement with him, and to let Mm go to 

 " Azazel in the wilderness " 



D'Herbelot gives a different account of Azazel in his Bibliotheque 

 Orientale. He writes as follows : 



"Azazil, anges qui sent les plus proches du trone de Dieu. 

 "On les joint or din aire m en t avee les Afrasils qui sont les Seraphins, 

 " et avee les Kerubiin ou Cherubins. Saadi fait mention des Azazil 

 "dans la preface de son Bostan : cependant il les comprend tous 

 " collectivement sons un nom singulier ; car il dit que lorsque Dieu 

 " distribue ses graces, Azazil dit, avee une profonde humilite : e'est 

 " de vous seul, Seigneur, que tout notre bonheur depend." 



* Crawfurd Malay Grammar p. exeviii, and Skeat Malay Magic 

 p. 85. 



§ Favre Dictionary IT p. 255. 



R. A, Soc, No. 45, 1905. 



