BETWEEN INDIAN AND JEWISH IDEAS AND CUSTOMS. 87 
place in the last few clays of his life in 1873. Amongst them 
was that of Vrishotsaroa. 
O 
A young bull-calf was brought into his bed-room and was 
waved over the dying chief with certain rites, and was 
then removed, to be allowed to wander about unmolested 
and unappropriated, to become what Englishmen call a 
“ Brahmani bull.” The Maharaja, thinking I was surprised, 
said, “ I am afraid it will not do much good. It was 
different some years ago when I was very ill. At that 
time a strange Sunyasi or devotee appeared on the stairs, 
and' demanded to be waved over my head because he was 
prepared to take my disease upon himself. It was done, and 
he disappeared, and I recovered. He was never seen again.” 
“ Who was it ? ” said I. “ Men said it was the god Siva,” he 
replied. These animals often become dangerous. They help 
themselves to corn and vegetables at the shops, fight together' 
in the streets and sometimes gore and even kill people. So 
troublesome had they become on one occasion in Jeypore, that 
the chief caused them to be confined in an enclosure where they 
were well fed. Unfortunately, little rain fell that year, and 
the people murmured that it was due to the impious act of 
their Maharaja, who had to yield to the popular clamour and 
set free the beasts. According to the original idea the animal 
was set free in the jctngal or wilderness. 
The second idea is, that if garlands are placed for a time 
round the neck of a sick person, and are then removed, and are 
thrown into a public place, preferably at cross ways, passers-by 
may pick them up or tread upon them, and in that way the 
disease may be transferred. As this is done in small-pox cases, 
for example, even if the disease is not passed on, the intention 
of the persons who are interested is most abominable. 
It will be seen that there is a difference between the Jewish 
and the Hindu scape-goat. In the former case it was an 
atonement for the whole people, but the goat was unclean, and 
the person who led him away required purification. The 
Hindu ceremony is for the benefit of a single individual. In 
numerous places in the Bible reference is made to disease 
being sent by God as punishment, as for example in certain of 
the Egyptian plagues, which He promised “ should not afflict 
the Israelites if they did that which was right and hearkened 
to his voice.” Miriam, Gehazi, and Uzziah were struck with 
leprosy as a punishment for sin. Jehoram was smitten with an 
incurable disease on account of his wickedness. Job, the 
righteous, was, however, afflicted in order to test his upright- 
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