894 
The Idolatry of 
Part II 
rsj^^ fed of by dipping the Head under Water, 
Baldaus. whereas to purify thcmfelvcs of the o- 
^-'-''^'^^ thers (viz,, fuch as include the Lofs of 
Life or Family, and fall under the Cog- 
nizance of the Civil Magiftrates) they 
dive the whole Body under Water: 
Their Conftitutions (being to them the 
fame as our ten Commandments) are : 
1. That thofe of an inferiour Rank 
muft not touch thofe of a fuperiour Qua- 
lity, and the greater the Difference the 
more is the Diftance ^ whence the inferi- 
our People cry out in the Streets Tintdas, 
i. e. don't make your felf unclean,, and thofe 
of fuperiour Rank Popo, Give way:, for 
if any of the common fort happen to 
touch a Perfon of a high Rank, he be- 
comes unclean, and mufl: wafli himfelf 
with Water. 
2. Thofe that touch a dead Carcafe, 
nayevsen any of the deceafed Kindred, 
within fifteen days after, become un- 
clean. 
3. Thofe that touch a Woman in 
Childbed, or the Child i 
4. Or a Woman that has her Monthly 
•Times, till the fourth day. 
5. All fuch as are become unclean, if 
they touch another he becomes fo like- 
wife. 
6. If one that is unclean eats Rice be- 
fore he has cleanfed himfelf, he lofes the 
Advantage of his Family, and commits a 
mortal Sin. 
7. Perfons of Quality commit a mor- 
tal Sin, if they eat Rice boil'd by one of 
an inferiour Rank. 
8. The fame it is, if he lies with a 
Woman of alow extraftion. 
9. The Brahmans,, tho all of the fame 
Tribe, yet are not permitted to eat with 
one another ^ thus if any one touches 
with his Right Hand (wherewith he eats) 
his Neighbour, it is a venial Sin, becaiife 
that Hand is unclean by touching the 
Rice ^ the fame it is, if the Figleaf 
(which they ufe inftead of a Twine thred) 
touches his that fits next to him : but if 
but one fingle Grain of Rice fliould hap- 
pen to fall upon the Figleaf of the others, 
he muft not eat it, without committing 
a mortal Sin. 
10. Immediately after Dinner or Sup. 
per, they take away the Figleaves, and 
the leafl: Grain of Rice that perhaps 
may befallen upon the Ground, which is 
laid up together in a certain place, be- 
t^cwiimf caufe all the Remnants are unclean. The 
ufedfjpu- Pliice where they have eaten, they purify 
rifiir,£..' with Cows Dung :i and if the leaft Grain 
of Rice ftiould be left behind, he that 
touches if, becomes unclean immediate- 
ly on that part of his Body which 
touch'd it, which muft be purify'd by 
Water. Thus if any body puts his Fin- 
ger into the Mouth, nay if two Perfons 
of a different Rank meet at a Ciftern, 
if but one Drop of Water that has 
touch'd the Body of him that is of an 
inferiour Degree, happens to fall upon 
him of a fuperiour Rank, he becomes 
unclean, and is guilty of a venial Sin. 
Their Ceremonies obfervM in waiiung^^^^"'(^"'f- 
are : Firft of all they fancy, that the ^'f' 
Stone on the edg of the Ciltern is Bram- 
ma^ the Place where they walh is rtjlnum,, 
and the Ciftern it felf Ixora. They 
enter the Ciftern quite naked (their Pri- 
vities being cover'd only with a Leaf) and 
write with their Fingers the Syllable om 
in the Water, and then with three Fin- 
gers caft up a little Water into the Air, 
intimating, that Ixora^ Ftflmyn and 
Bramma have bathed themfelves there; 
at the fame time pronouncing thefe 
Words, Tottum qutnca bitten pava, i. e. 
By the touching of this Water I have caft a- 
rvay my Sin. Then parting the Water 
with both their Hands, they dip their 
Hands in it, and thereby believe them- 
felves cleanfed from all their Sins com- 
mitted by touching. Afterwards the^ 
caft: fome Water with both Hands to- 
wards the 8 parts of the World, as a 
Sacrifice to the eight Guardians thereof^ 
fay the Siri Pagode^ wafii their Faces 
three times fuccelFively, faying, Purih 
me ; this done, they throw likewife fbmc 
Water towards Heaven, as a Sacrifice to 
the Sun i and having wafii'd their Hands 
and F^eet, take afmall Quantity of the 
Allies of Cowdung in the left Hand, whicli 
being mix'd with a little Water, thef 
fay Sudamaga^ i. e. be clean. Further- 
more, as they fuppofe the Left Hand t» 
be the Earth, and the Right the Hea- 
vens, and the iniide of the Hand the 
Place of Propagation ^ they lay the 
Right Hand clofe upon the Left, faying. 
Let this be the end of the World ^ and as 
they believe that at the end of the World, 
Ixoretta is to be transformed into an I;gg, 
they imagine that the Concavity betwixc 
their two Hands reprefents the faid Egg, 
whence (after having paufed a while) 
they takeaway the Right Hand, faying. 
Heaven and Earth are ftparated\ and then 
write with the Forefinger of the Right 
Hand in the Alhes contain'd in the Left, 
the two Syllables ]a ra^ intimating the 
Contefl: betwixt the Fire and Air in the 
Egg, in carrying the Heavens to the 
top, and the Earth underneath. This 
done, they lay their Hands below the 
* Navel, 
