MANTRA GAJAH. 9 



common, and which is used by Malay pawangs to denote a 

 charm which extinquishes an enemy's power of inflicting an 

 injury, U the Siamese word ra-ngab, an antidote. 



Chang is the Siamese for an elephant and the meaning of 

 the frequent expression 0m rengab maha rengab chang rengab 

 is therefore obvious. 



Chengrai which also appears both in the text and in the 

 mantras is used in Malay to mean any mishap or mischance, 

 (with a curious special application to the rite of circumcision) 

 is the Siamese word chang-rai, ill fortune or ill omen. (Both 

 rengab and chengrai will be found in Wilkinson's Malay dic- 

 tionary as Malay words. ) 



Chemahang is described in section 83 of the mantras as 

 being in a language that is not Malay, and it is translated 

 for the benefit of the reader. (Chemahang arli-nia bhasa 

 malayu kena pilak gaja.h atau kena pilak kayu atau kena 

 chengrai atau kena bahdi yang besar). I cannot find the 

 word in my Siamese dictionary, but suggest that the Malay 

 word jembalang, an evil influence, is a corruption of it or 

 connected with it. 



The first thing that is desired is a translation of tha 

 non-Malay mantras. It is not within my power to attempt 

 such a translation. All that I have been able to do is to provide 

 a literal translation of the Malay text and Malay mantras. 

 Apart from the translation of the non-Malay mantras, we are 

 confronted by many questions which demand answers. 



Are similar mantras in use among the Siamese ? 



Do these mantras contain any element that is not 

 Siamese ? 



If so, what is it, and is it possible that the Siamese lore 

 is superimposed upon an older system ? 



Apart from the mantras, an examination and comparison 

 of the Malay and Siamese systems of elephant catching and 

 training may assist us in our enquiry, and for this purpose I 

 have given in an appendix a brief account of the Malay system 

 with a list of some of the technical terms used in connexion with 

 the training-stocks and a list of the words of command. The 

 first list was compiled by me in Perak and the second is copied 



B, A. Soc, No. 45, 1905. 



