2S8 



Account of the Basava Purart. 



[Oct. 



and affirm that at least a dog cannot read the vedas : a Jangam, however, 

 desu'es his dog to try, and it succeeds very well. 



Besides, Basava assures the baron that in many houses the dogs read 

 the vedas quite as well as their masters, 'i'his is not impossible. 



A zealot hears a man reading the legends in honour of Vishnu: but 

 avoiding those which speak of Siva. Unable by argument to persuade 

 the reader to do justice to his patron god, he killed him. 



A woman who is a leper is driven out of the town by the Bramins : 

 she attempts to visit a Siva temple : the god meets and heals her, and 

 inflicts the leprosy on the Bramins. There follow many more miracles. 



Basava's zealous exertions had now encouraged the Saivites to treat 

 the Bramins and their temples with great neglect : and the king receives 

 many complaints that the Jangams were gradually infringing on the 

 rights of all other creeds. Some complaints are made by (boyas) herds- 

 m^'n : who now lost the dinners (prasadam) which they (as cowherds) 

 had hitherto been used to receive from those who formerly worshipped 

 at the temple of Siva, 



On being questioned regarding this by the prince, Basava declares that 

 these men had a claim to the (prasad) blessed food bestowed at the Siva 

 temples, but bad no right to enter the houses of Jangams nor even to 

 see their food. The claimants replied that at Casi, Gaya, and Prayaga 

 (the sacred citie?), they enjoyed this privilege : and therefore claimed it. 

 He answered that they could claim nothing that is not offered at a Siva 

 temple. " We of the Vira Saiva sect, he added, will not even tolerate 

 the sight of a Saivite. But, said he, if you choose, you may dine with 

 me to-day on poison ; I shall be happy to see you."— The story ends in 

 Basava eating the poison with impunity, through the power of (prasadam) 

 the benediction which he utters over the food. 



Eizzala then looks upon Basava as more mighty than Siva himself, 

 as having swallowed the poison : whereas Siva does not venture to 

 swallow the venom, and merely holds it in his throat. This alludes to a 

 well known story regarding Siva. 



On another occasion Basava is invited to dine in company with some 

 Brainins and declines it : because he will not eat with those who neglect 

 to bless the food in the name of Siva. 



The next is a story about some cows which are faithful to Siva, and 

 refuse food offered to them by any but Jangams : indeed, they will not 

 eat until they behold the image and make an obeisance to it. " Thus 

 a cow in the house of a devotee has more religion than a Saivite ; then 

 how can you be so brutish as to wash the feet of Bramins ?" 



