280 



The Origin of Brahmanism, 



[No. 12, NEW SERIES. 



raim and Osiris are the same. The memory of Osiris as Bacchus 

 has been preserved by the people of India as Brahma. Bromius 

 was one of the names of Bacchus in Rome, whence the Brumalia 

 or festival in honor of Bacchus held there in the month of Decem- 

 ber. His memory however, owing to his return to Egypt, has not 

 been so dearly cherished by the Hindoos as that of Apollo or Rama 

 who accompanied him to India, hence we find that although con- 

 sidered the first person of the Hindoo Triad, he is not so much re- 

 garded in it as Vishnu or Apollo. For the above reason the wan- 

 derings of Osiris and Isis have been transferred by the Hindoos to 

 Vishnu, or Rama, and Sita his wife ; while the deprivation of the 

 virility of Osiris, has been transferred to Siva who suffered, in the 

 same manner, by the curse of the holy sages in the Daravanam 

 forest. After the member of Osiris was lost it was -worshipped as 

 the lingam in Egypt by order of Isis ; Osiris was carried about as 

 a moveable phallus by the Egyptian women, and his statues had 

 an enormous phallus or lingam ; a triple phallus was also carried 

 about in processions. The custom of reverencing the same object 

 is still preserved among the boatmen on the Nile. 



It is an indisputable fact, that the worship of Osiris distinguish- 

 ed by the same attributes and emblems, has continued in India 

 from the earliest ages to this day, under the appellation of Ishwara 

 a name of Bramah.* This may be completely proved by a compa- 

 rative survey of both. As patron of the vine Osiris was adored in 

 Egypt, and as Bacchus in Greece under the same emblem of the 

 phallus. It is under this emblem that he is still venerated in Hin- 

 dustan ; and Phalla is one of the names of Ishwara. The bull 

 was sacred to him in Egypt as it is in India. Plutarch informs us, 

 that the Nile flows through the country of Egypt, and is said to 

 have its source in the tresses of Osiris. The Ganges in like man- 

 ner is fabled by the Hindus to flow from the locks of Ishwara ; 

 hence another of his names Gangadhara the supporter of the 

 Ganges. The attendants of Ishwara resemble, in their frantic de- 

 meanour, the furious Bacchantes of the God of Naxos. It is re- 



* " When the Hindoos consider the Divine power exerted in creating 

 they call that power Bramah; when a changer of forms he is called 

 Iswara." Sir W. Jones. Iswara is also a name of Siva, 



