1840.] 



Account of the Basava Puran. 



287 



vindicate themselves when misfortunes befal them ? Neither Jainas nor 

 Bauddhas worship the true god. Siva alone is supreme. 



This book closes with a violent attack (in 400 lines of verse) on the 

 adorers of Krishna (Vishnu) who is declared to be by their own confes- 

 sion not only a dinner but. subject to degradation and death : " Vishnu was 

 finally exjielled from earth for his crimes and took refuge in the ocean." 

 Siva is declared to be the supreme being, " one of whose servants would 

 suffice to destroy Vishnu with ail his adorers.". At the close of tin's dis- 

 course, the prince (Bizzala) renounces the new braminical god (Gopala, 

 or, Krishna) whom he had lately set up. 



The seventh and last book (containingmore than 2000 lines), describes 

 the lioniage paid by Basava, as king's minister, to various parlar* 

 saints who adore Siva. The Bramins complain to the baron (Bizzala) of 

 this conduct : and being summoned, Basava brings the pariar (sitting 

 with him in his palankeen), to the palace. Being therefore excluded, 

 Basava spreads his shawl at the gate and with his pariar friend seats 

 himself on it. The king reproaches him for behaving in this manner, 

 setting at defiance all the rules of caste: and expresses his apprehension 

 that this may bring a curse on the land and heaven may withhold its 

 rain. 



Basava replies by telling some stories to prove that pariars are quite 

 as good as Bramins, and that caste itself is a mere braminical device. 

 He states that " the Vedas define but two castes, namely {pi-avartica 

 and nivorHca) the active and the conteriiplatioe. V»^hat av dl castes re- 

 cently, instituted? Surely faith (bhacti) i> the only point in which one 

 man is superior to another. The Bramins here present are totally in- 

 ferior to this pariar. 



Then follow other extravagant stories wherein " the dog of a worship- 

 per of Siva is declared as good as any worshipper of Vishnu" — Of a 

 snake that dies as a punishment for biting a Jangam — Of a Jnngam girl 

 who considered herself defiled because touched by a Brarain woman : 

 " because touching a Bramin would be a defilement even to the dogs of 

 a Saivite's house. The Bramins are annoyed at being set below dogs, 



* The vfovd Pariar is originally Tamil, parey, ^\nr&\ par eyer ; and signifies a drummer 

 (from joorm, a drum whence parrayau). For the pariahs bold the hereditary village 

 employment of Toty, or Fettiyaun: answering to the Saxon villein, or serf and one of 

 their stated duties is to beat the drum on puhlic occasions. Thf> Spaniards have used this 

 Hindu phrase in South America : where they apply it to labourers and Indians; from 

 Brazil too, they brought the word peon which there sigaifies eithtr a foot soldier, 

 household servant, or a labourer ia general. 



