OF THE HINDUS. 119 



however, other duties, or SddhanaSi are enjoined, to the number of sixty-four, 

 including many absurd, many harmless, and many moral observances ; as fasting 

 every eleventh day, singing and dancing in honour of Krishna, and suppressing 

 anger, avarice, and lust. Of all obligations, however, the Guru Pdddsrai/a, or ser- 

 vile veneration of the spiritual teacher, is the most important and compulsory : 

 the members of this sect not only are required to deliver up themselves and 

 every thing valuable to the disposal of the Guru, they are not only to entertain 

 full belief of the usual Vaishnava tenet, which identifies the votary, the teach- 

 er, and the god, but they are to look upon the Guru as one and the present 

 deity, as possessed of more authority even than the deity, and as one whose 

 favour is more to be courted, and whose anger is more to be deprecated, than 

 even that of Krishna himself.* We have already had occasion to observe 

 that this veneration is hereditary, and is paid to the successor of a deceased 

 Gosain, although, in the estimation perhaps of his own worshippers, he is in his 

 individual capacity more deserving of reprobation than of reverence. This blind 

 and extravagant adoration of the Guru is, perhaps, the most irrational of all 

 Hindu irrationalities, and it is but justice to the founders of the system to acquit 

 them of being immediately the authors of this folly. The earliest works incul- 

 cate, no doubt, extreme reverence for the teacher, but not divine worship j they 

 direct the disciple to look upon his Guru as his second father, not as his God: 

 there is great reason to suppose, that the prevailing practice is not of very 



* On this subject, the following text occurs in the Upasana Chandrdmrita, ^TT^'WI ^^T^J 

 "BTWfl ^ T^*. ^ "^IT^^ II The Mantxa is manifest in the Guru, and the Guru is Hari 

 himself. W^'^ ^ ^"^t '7^'^fT'^^ ^TJT'^'f I " First, the Guru is to be worshipped, then 

 I am to be worshipped." 'aT^TW ^^rTT'*??: ^tl^^TTH^eft ^^T ^t "WfT"^!". 

 IT-^^T ^^%Tfef^'. 1 " The Guru is always to be worshipped : he is most excellent from 

 being one with the Mantra. Hari is pleased when the Guru is pleased ; millions of acts of homage 

 else will fail of being accepted." Again. ^TT ^% ^^^TWT ^f T ^t" ^^"^f '♦ I " When 

 Hari is in anger, the Guru is our protector, when the Guru is in anger, we have none." These 

 are from the Bhajandmrita, 



