768 The Remarks, &c. of John Albert de Mandelfloe Book I. 
laft Journey, as thofe of the Sedt of Samar ath ; for as they 
are perfuaded, that fuch as die with their Hujfbands fhall 
live with them in the other World feven times as long, and 
enjoy with him feven times more Pleafure there, they are 
fo fond of fo plentiful a Bleffing, of which they have fo 
flender a Share in this World, that they are ready to 
facrifice their Lives in order to attain it. 
The Sedt of Bifnow agrees with the two preceding in 
this Point, that they do not feed upon any thing that hath 
life. They are alfo much addicted to Abftinency, and 
keep their general Ahemblies in their Temples in Auguft , 
where they fing and dance to a Confort of Mufick, con- 
fifting of Drums, Pipes, and Copper Bafons, before their 
Pagod called Ramram , fmging Hymns in his Praife. 
They reprefent him with his Wife in Statues, adorned on 
their Feftivals with Gold Chains, and Collars of Pearl and 
precious Stones, with many Lamps, and lighted Wax Can- 
dles before them. This God ads without any Deputies ; 
they feed upon nothing but Herbs, Pulfe, Frelh-Butter, 
Milk and Curds, and are great Admirers of a Pickle made 
of Ginger, Mangoes, Citrons, Garlick, and Muftard-feed ; 
and their Drink is Water. None but Women or Priefts 
drefs their Meats, and ufe Horfe-dung mixed with Straw, 
and made up into a kind of Turf inftead of Wood, for fear 
fome fmall Worms, or other Infedts, fhould be burnt with 
it. Mod of this Sed are Merchants, Fadors, or Brokers. 
They have this Cuftom peculiar to themfelves, that they 
will not permit their Widows to burn themfelves with their 
deceafed Hufbands, but oblige them to continue Widows. 
Not many Years ago the younger Brothers among them were 
obliged to marry their elder Brothers Widows, to raife up 
Seed to him ; but this is now abolifhed. 
They commonly wafh themfelves every Morning in fome 
Ciftern, or a River, if any be near them, where they wallow 
and fwim in it, whilft the Braman, who Lands hard by, 
mutters out certain Words, and imparts to them his Bene- 
didion, and at their coming out gives them the Mark in 
their Foreheads, or in fome other Place ; for which he is 
paid with Wheat, Rice, or Pulfe. Thofe belonging to 
the Sed of Gorephy are a kind of Hermits, negleding all 
publick or private Affairs, and dwelling in folitary Places, 
and ruined Houfes, or Woods, fliun the Converfation of 
others *, they worfhip a God whom they call Bruin , and his 
Servant Mecis ; but have no particular Temples, or any 
other publick Affemblies, to perform their Devotions in. 
As they are forbidden to have any PoffefTions of their own, 
fo they have nothing but a Piece of Calicoe to cover their 
Privities ; they never fpeak to any body, or will give an 
Anfwer to any, or afk for any thing, though they were in 
the utmoft Extremity, but will take what is given them ; 
they rub their Bodies all over with Afhes, and efpecially 
their Hair, which makes them look very ftrangely. They 
are in great Veneration among all the other Banjans , except 
the Sed of Courawath , who abhor them: 
They believe that their God is the Creator of all things, 
which he preferves by his own infinite Power, by which he 
is able to reduce all to nothing ; that he is not to be de- 
fcribed under any Shape, being a Light, which, as it is the 
Caufe of the Sun, his Brightnefs is not to be feen by our 
Eyes. They differ from all the other Banjans in this ; that 
they don’t believe the Tranfmigration of Souls ; but that 
they are immediately, after they have left their Bodies, 
transferred to God, and united to that infinite Light. They 
are fo ftridt Adherers to their Rules, that they admit no 
Mohammedans into their Sed, or re-admit fuch of their own 
as have been Prifoners among the Mohammedans and Chri- 
fiians , and have eaten Meat without a moft fevere Pennance, 
which is, to eat for fix Months together Cow-dung mixed 
amongft their Viduals. Nothing can be conceived more 
fuperftitious than the Banjans in general ; they never ftir 
out before they have paid their Devotions, and if in going 
out of their Houfes they meet with any thing which they 
look upon as ominous, they return, and undertake nothing 
further that Day. 
The Rajhpoots are by fome reckoned among the Num- 
ber of Banjans , who allow them a Place with thofe of the 
Sed of Samar ath , as believing the Tranfmigration of the 
Souls ; befides feveral other things affirmed and maintained 
by that Sed, they are further of opinion, that the Souls of 
Men tranfmigrate particularly into Birds. Their Widows are 
obliged to burn themfelves, unlefs the contrary be provided 
for in the Marriage Contrad •, for the reft, they are not of 
that refereed Temper as moft of the Banjans are, who ab- 
hor the Effufion of Blood, even of that of irrational Crea- 
tures ; whereas thefe live upon Rapine, eat Fleffi, and 
addid themfelves altogether to warlike Exercifes ; and as 
they are a daiing Generation, fo they are employed by the 
Mogul in his Armies. Some Companion they have for 
Birds, which they will feed and cherifh. They, like other 
Banjans , marry their Children very young, which, as I 
have mentioned before, proceeds from hence; that the 
Indians of both Sexes come fooner to Perfedion in this re- 
fped than any other Nation in the World. There is be- 
fides thefe another fort of Pagans in Guzurat called Parfis^ 
defcended from the Perfians of Pars and Chorafan , who 
left their native Countries in the feventh Century, to avoid 
the Perfecution of the Mohammedans . They dwell for the 
moft part along the Sea Coaft, and live upon planting of 
Tobacco, and makingof Arrackor Aquavitae out of Ted^y | 
though many of them addid themfelves alfo to Trade! 
They believe one God, the Creator and Preferver of the 
Univerfe, who ads by his own Power, but has committed 
the Adminiftration thereof to his feven Servants, whom 
they reprefent thus: The firft named Hamafda, has the 
Government of Men •, the focond called Bahman , the So- 
vereignty over all Beafts and living Creatures ; the third 
Ardabafh , takes care of the Fire ; the fourth named Sary- 
war, has the Charge of Metals ; the fifth, whofe Name is 
Ifphander , takes care of the Earth, as Auwaerdatb the 
fixth, doth of theWater ; and the feventh called Ammadath , 
hath the Precedency over Fruit-trees, Herbs, and Pulfe, 
yet under God’s Diredion, unto whom they are accountable 
for their Tranfadions. 
Befides thefe feven Head Servants, God, fay they, makes 
ufe of twenty-fix others, each of which has his peculiar 
Fundion aifigned him. The Bufinefs of the firft is, to 
take Poflefiion of the Soul immediately after its Departure 
out of the Body, which he carries before two Judges called 
Meer Refus and Saros, who taking care to have the o-ood 
and evil Works put into two Scales, pronounce Sentence 
according to their Weight, and deliver the Soul up either 
to the good Angels to be carried into Paradife, or to the 
evil Spirits to drag them to Hell, where they are to be tor- 
mented to the End of the World, which, according to their 
Opinion, will be renewed in one thoufand Years. The 
fourth, called Beram , has the Adminiftration of all military 
Affairs. The fifth, Carrafada , is the Sun. The fixth, 
Auva, the Water. The feventh, Ader, manages the Fire! 
The eighth, Mobo, is the Moon. The ninth, Tiera, or 
Rain. The tenth, named Gas , has the Management of 
Cattle. The eleventh, Farwardy , the Cuftody of the Souls 
in Paradife. The twelth, Aram y importsjfoy or Sadnefs to 
Mankind. The thirteenth, Goada , is the head Manager of 
the Winds. Dien, the fourteenth, is he who is to inftrudh 
and to infufe into Mankind the Law of God. The 
fifteenth, Apirfanich , is the Giver of Riches, as Afiadf^ 
the fixteenth, has the Difpofal of Underftanding and Me- 
mory. The feventeenth, called AJfamant , is chief Prefi- 
dent of Commerce; and Gamigat , the eighteenth, has 
the Government of the Earth. The nineteenth, called 
Marrifpan, is Goodnefs itfelf. And the twentieth, named 
Ami era, the Manager of ready Money. The twenty- firft, 
called Ilcem , has the Management of Generation of Men, 
Cattle and Fruits. The twenty-fecond and twenty-third, 
called Dima and Borfe , are looked upon as two Genii ap- 
pointed to watch all Men ; and the three remaining, viz. 
Dephader , Dephemer , and Dephaden , are God’s conftant 
Attendants, who employs them in what Affairs he pleafes, 
without Diftindbion. As the Parfts are of opinion, that 
God has left* the Adminiftration of the refpedbive Affairs in 
relation to their Station to their Difpofals, they adore them 
in cafe of Neceffity. Their Teachers are in much Vene- 
ration among them, fome of whom engage themfelves in 
Traffick and other Employments. 
They have no publick Places of Devotibn, but perform 
the fame in their Houfes, fitting without any Motion of 
their Bodies. They have no peculiar Days fet afide for 
their religious Worfhip, except that they obferve particu- 
larly 
4 
