THE USE OF AMULETS IN THE PREVENTION OF DISEASE. 231 



do, to his parents. The latter regarded it as a remedy sent by the gods, put it in a case, 

 and hung it round his neck, with the result that he was cured. 



A woman, suffering from hysteria, dreamed of a remedy and directed her husband to 

 bring a plant from a certain place at some distance, to which she could not go herself, as 

 she was by custom forbidden to appear in public. The root was encased and attached 

 to her left arm and tiie disease left her. 



A Calcutta student was sent home by medical advice, as he had contracted a bad 

 form of hernia. Shortly afterwards he told his parents that their tutelary goddess Kali had 

 appeared to him in a dream and indicated the cure. He accordingly uprooted a certain 

 plant, which was growing near the temple of Kali, and was completely cured by hanging 

 it round his neck. Other cures were effected by pieces of the same plant, but he forgot 

 what plant he had used, and no further supply could be obtained. 



The substances placed in the cases are of a most miscellaneous description and may 

 be animal, vegetable, or mineral in origin. To give a complete list is out of the question. 

 Roots of various plants are probably the most common, but flowers and leaves are also 

 used. Iron is a sovereign protection against evil spirits 1 and is frequently used, either 

 as a case, or in specially auspicious forms, such as a piece of the edge of a ploughshare, 

 the first nail driven into a boat, or jalkamthl (an iron weight fastened to a fishing 

 net). Things offered to gods, such as maha-prasad (cooked rice offered to Jagannath), 

 bel and falsi leaves and flowers, 2 and the ashes of incense burned in temples are 

 supplied by the priests of the various shrines. Sannyasis and Yogis provide ashes of 

 the wood and incense burned before them, pieces of their hair, nails and rags, or even 

 the dirt scraped from their bodies. Dust from certain celebrated shrines, which is regarded 

 as having been trodden by 100,000 Brahmans, is put in a gold case. The water 

 in which such an amulet has been washed, if drunk, is believed to give long life. Among 

 the more fantastic substances to be found in amulets may be mentioned earth from a 

 grave-yard, snakes' heads, lizards, worms, boars' tusks, tigers' claws, tails, teeth or 

 whiskers (worn by children round the waist as a protection against the evil eye), bears' 

 fur, bats' bones, crocodiles' teeth, jackals' ears, peacocks' tail-feathers, owls' tongues 

 cut on a Tuesday or Saturday, nests and eggs of kites (S'ahkar-cil), the dead body of a 

 sparrow buried for a week at cross roads near which a light has been burned each even- 

 ing, shells and pearls. The greatest mystery is observed as to the manner in which the 

 various substances are collected, and the contents of the cases are kept a profound 

 secret. 3 The efficacy of the amulet depends to a great extent upon the power of the 

 giver to influence evil spirits. The wearer must not know the contents, unless of course 

 they have been specially revealed to him in a dream, and it is believed that if he should 

 become aware of them the virtue of the amulet will be at once destroyed. 



1 Thus an iron nail or a knife is placed under the sick bed ; an iron key is tied to the corner of the cloth of the man who 

 performs the Agnikriya ; and an iron nail is driven into the ground at the exact spot on which a person has died to prevent his 

 spirit returning to haunt the house. 



2 Such amulets are sometimes called Puspa (flowers). 



3 The Baigas, Dewans, Sapurias and Sokhas of Chota Nagpur do not appear to observe the same secrecy as their more en- 

 lightened brethren, but collect their drugs openly, and in the day-time. This is possibly because their power is more absolute, or, 

 perhaps, because the jungles are not free from danger at night. 



