148 THE LATE REV. P. DEHON ON 



and sometimes five hours in learning the mantras and the names of the deotas and the 

 binds. The guru is generally a renowned ojha — a man with a strong imagination and the 

 gift of the gab, who gives fearful descriptions of the bhuts and their doings, until the 

 heads of his pupils are stuffed with all kinds of weird-looking imaginary beings. They 

 are taught how to work themselves into a trance, and some having more {gun) disposition 

 to hypnosis than others, can pass their examination after one year, whilst others have to 

 learn for two or three years. Of course they do not know the mysteries of hypnotism and 

 attribute everything to deotas and bhuts. When a pupil is ready to pass his examination 

 he has to recite all the mantras and incantations, give the names of all the deotas and 

 bhuts and gurus, and perform all the duties of the ojha. When the candidate has done 

 well he brings a fowl to sacrifice to the deota whom he has chosen for his special patron. 

 Everyone is at liberty to choose the deota he likes the best. From that time he has to 

 propitiate him by frequent sacrifices. The fowl that the successful candidate has brought 

 is then sacrificed in honour of his patron, and the guru, dipping his finger in the blood of 

 the offering, marks with it a big line on the forehead of the future ojha. From that time 

 he can begin to practice. When a man gets ill an ojha is called in to ascertain which 

 bhut is the cause of illness^. He comes in the evening with his winnowing fan and a 

 handful of rice. He first examines the patient, feels his pulse, and gives him some medi- 

 cine. Then he squats cross-legged on the ground. On his lap he has the winnowing fan 

 with some rice in it, and close at hand an unlit lamp. His left hand holds the end of the 

 winnowing fan and with his right hand he stirs the rice, turning it round and round as if 

 to mix it up well ; he shuts his eyes, throws back his head, and, in a low nasal voice, 

 invokes all the deotas of the world, beginning with the deota of the district in which he 

 lives; then the deotas presiding over the destinies of the south, north-east and west ; then 

 those of all the surrounding districts and of all the chief towns of India. He invokes 

 even the deotas of Europe, and it is rather interesting to learn from these people that we 

 are under the protection of a goddess named Baghwa — Belait ka Baghwa. In all 35 

 deotas are invoked ; that they may watch the bhuts, bring them bound and secured like 

 thieves to the ojha ; that he may make them shake and tremble like the billows of an 

 angry sea. After this comes an invocation to all the renowned gurus of India with their 

 patron deotas, more than 50 in number. Then follow mantras and incantations without 

 end. A man must have a marvellous memory to learn all this by heart. All this time 

 there is profound silence in the house, and everyone watches and listens. There is dark- 

 ness, only the burning embers of the hearth throw a dim light over the scene. Sud- 

 denly the ojha gets excited and bursts into lively incantations, turning his head right and 

 left, and stirring the rice with frenzy until he falls into a trance, in which it seems to him 

 that he is wandering about the fields, rocks and ravines of the village in search of the 

 bhuts. He sees them all, some seated at the entrance of a cave, some perched on trees, 

 some digging, some ploughing, some washing their clothes. As he sees them he calls 

 each by name. Those first named pay no attention to him, but suddenly he remarks 

 that one of them becomes shy when his name is pronounced. He sticks to that name, 

 repeating it continually until the bhut cannot stand it any more, and out of shame comes 

 into the winnowing fan and shakes it with rage till the ojha gets frightened, throws it on 



