313 



History of the Ramoossies. 



[Oct. 



lier head ; however, as they have seldom such a thinj^ as any arrows 

 bv them, they substitute pieces of jowary straw about a cubit in 

 length, with a large cockspur thorn stuck into the end of each. On 

 tiie fikh day, when tlie mother and infant bathe, certain ceremonies 

 iire performed to propitiate the goddess Sutwaie(a derivative of Devy)* 

 and who presides over obstetric duties. On this occasion the ar- 

 row deposited at the head of the bed, is transferred to the bath for 

 the time. The arrov/s are removed on the twelfth day, when the 

 mother in general returns to discharge her household duties. 



In the course of a day or two, or at all events, within a fortnight 

 from the birth of the child, the father waits on the Jossy or village 

 astrologer, to ascertain v;hat name he is to give to his child. The 

 Jossy having learnt whether the child is a male or female — if a boy, 

 after a little time, he says that he is to be called Ramjee, and if a 

 girl, her name is to be Bheemy. Should the father be a person in 

 very poor circumstances, he will give a f)yset or two to the Jossy, 

 and probably a seer of grain. Befoie the Jossy determines the name, 

 it is necessary that he should not only know the day, but the parti- 

 cular watch during the day or night in which the infant was born, 

 to enable him to establish in what churun or quarter of the Nukshut- 

 tur it happened. This having been accomplished, he refers to the 

 Aukkur Chukkur, which all the Astrologers can repeat by rote, and 

 finding that the boy was born during the third churun or division of 

 the Nukshuttur cheetra, he is to be named Ramjee, and if a girl her 

 name is to he Bheemy, as she was born during the fourth churun of 

 the Nukshuttur moell. The 28 Nukshutturs, — each of them preced- 

 ed by four monosyllables, constitute the Aukkur Chukkur. In this 

 manner, Choo, Che, Cho, Laa, Asswiny, as each Nukshuttur occu- 

 pies about six ghutkasj of time, each churun or quarter has about 

 fifteen ghutkciS, (nearly six hours) one of these monosyllables is al- 

 lotted to each churun, so that if the child was born during the fourth 

 churun and was a boy, he would be called Laaroo. The particular 

 monosyllable becomes the first syllable of the name to be fixed on. 

 However in the Dekhan this name is scarcely ever used except du- 



* The Juno Pronnbo of the Romans. 



t When it is wished to have a record of the horoscope and name ;— also 

 the future fortune of the child told, it is necessary to reward the Brahmun 

 for his trouble., and a rupee or two is presented to him, sometimes five and 

 ten rupees ; wealthy persons bestow lar«Ter sums. The astrologer that calcu- 

 lated the horoscope of the Peshwah Mhadeo Row, who was born on the Pu- 

 rundur hill, received thirty begahs of land in enara. 



♦ The period of each Nukshuttur varies from 54 to 65 ghutkas. 



