1*0 H I N D O 
altar ; his hair is the fkcred grafs; his heart, the houfehold 
fire ; his mind, the confecrated flame ; and his mouth, the 
oblation. 
“ The food, which firft reaches him, ftiould be folemnly 
offered : and the firft oblation, which he makes, he fhould 
prefent with thefe words: ‘ Be this oblation to breath ef¬ 
ficacious.’ Thus breath is fatisfied ; and, in that the eye 
is fatiate ; and, in the eye, the fun is content; and, in 
the lun, the fky is gratified ; and, in the fky, heaven and 
the fun, and whatever is dependant, become replete : and 
after that, he himlelf [who eats] is fully gratified with 
offspring and cattle; with vigour proceeding from food, 
and fplendour ariling from holy obfervanoes. 
“ But whoever makes an oblation to fire, being unac¬ 
quainted with the univerfal foul, afts in the fame man¬ 
ner, as one who throws live coals into aflies: while he, 
who prefents an oblation, poflefling that knowledge, has 
made an offering in all worlds, in all beings, in all fouls. 
As the tip of dry grafs, which is call into the fire, readily 
kindles; fo are all the faults of that man confumed. He, 
W'ho knows this, has only prefented an oblation to the 
univerfal foul, even though he knowingly give the refi- 
due to a Chandala. For, on this point, a text is [pre- 
ferved: ] ‘ As, in this world, hungry infants prefs round 
their mother; fo do all beings await the holy oblation : 
they await the holy oblation .” 
From the preceding extracts, we conceive it will un- 
queftionably appear, that the real doftrine of the whole 
Hindoo fcripture is the unity of the Deity, in whom the 
univerfe is comprehended : and the feeming polytheifm, 
which it exhibits, offers the elements, and the liars and 
planets, as gods. The three principal manifeflations of 
the divinity, with other perfonified attributes and ener¬ 
gies, and moft of the other gods of the Hindoo mytho¬ 
logy, are indeed mentioned in the Vedas ; but not as ob¬ 
jects of worfhip. That lhameful practice, fo degrading 
to man, and offenfive to God, feerns indeed to have been 
introduced by the Vaiflinavas, Saivas, and Sadias. The 
inflitutions of the Vedas are anterior to the time of 
Budd’ha, whofe theology feerns to have been borrowed 
from the fyftem of Capila, or frequent regeneration of the 
earth. The overthrow of this feft did not reftore the 
religious fyftem inculcated in the Vedas. Moft of what 
is there taught is now obfolete ; and, in its Head, new 
orders of religious devotees have been inftituted, and 
new forms of religious ceremonies have been eftabliflied. 
Rituals founded on the Puranas, and oblervances bor¬ 
rowed from the Tantras, have, in a great meal'ure, anti¬ 
quated the inflitutions of the Vedas ; and little prevails 
now but the facrificing of animals before the idols of 
Cali; and the adoration of Rama, and Criftina, and Jagan- 
Nath, as related above. 
RITES, CEREMONIES, and SACRIFICES, of the 
HINDOOS. 
In proportion as the fefts and claffes of religious have 
been multiplied in Hindooftan, fo have their fuperftitious 
rites and ceremonies been augmented and increafed; info- 
much that the prieft who attends to all the prefcribed 
duties of his calling, in ablutions, oblatiqns, and facri- 
fices, has fearcely time for repofe from the labours of the 
facerdotal office. The narrow limits prefcribed to us for 
the compilation of this article, admits not of our entering 
Into half the myftical abfurdities with which thefe rites 
abound. Suffice it that we mention a few of thole winch 
appear to have the moft influence in falhioning the cha¬ 
racter of this people, and in Ihowing the wretched Hate 
of idolatry into which they are fallen. 
A Brahmin, rifing from llecp, is enjoined to rub his 
teeth with a withe or twig of tire fig-tree, pronouncing 
thefe words : “ Attend, lord of the forelt! Soma, king of 
herbs and plants,- has approached thee t mayeft thou and 
he cleanle my mouth with glory and good aufpices, that 
J may eat abundant food.” The following formula is 
alfo ufed upon this occafion ; “ Lord of the foreft! grant 
O S T A N. 
me life, ftrength, glory, fplendour, offspring, cattle, abun¬ 
dant wealth, virtue, knowledge, and intelligence.” If a 
proper withe cannot be found,- or on certain days, when 
the ufe of it is forbidden, he mult rinle his mouth twelve 
times with water. 
The duty of bathing in the morning, and at noon if 
he be a houfeholder, and in the evening alfo, if he belong 
to an order of devotion, is inculcated by pronouncing 
the ftrift obfervance of it as no lefs efficacious than a 
rigid penance in expiating fins; and, the bath being par¬ 
ticularly enjoined as a falutary ablution, he is permitted 
to bathe in his own houfe, but without prayers, if the 
weather, or his own infirmities, prevent his going forth : 
or lie may abridge the ceremonies, and ufe fewer prayers, 
if a religious duty, or urgent bufinefs, require his early 
attendance. 
Firft lipping water, and fprinkling fome before him, the 
prieft recites the three fubjoined fentences, while he per¬ 
forms an ablution, by throwing water eight times on his 
head, or towards the Iky; and concludes it by calling 
water on the ground, to deftroy the demons who wage 
war with the gods. O waters! fince ye afford delight, 
grant us prefent happinel's, and the rapturous fight of the 
Supreme God. Like tender mothers, make us here par¬ 
takers of your moft aufpicious eflence. We became con¬ 
tented with your eflence, with which ye fatisfy the uni¬ 
verfe. Waters! grant it unto us. Having thus completed 
his ablution, the Brahmin puts on his mantle after walhing 
it, and proceeds to worfhip the rifing fun. 
This ceremony is begun by tying his lock of hair on 
the crown of his head, while he recites the Gayatri, hold¬ 
ing a bunch of cufa grafs (Poa cynofuroides) in his left, 
and three blades of the fame grafs in his right, hand ; or 
wearing a ring of that grafs on the third finger of the 
fame hand. Thrice fipping water, and touching with his 
wet hand, his feet, head, breaft, eyes, ears, nofe, and na¬ 
vel ; or his breaft, navel, and both Ihoulders, only, (ac¬ 
cording to another rule;) he again lips water three times, 
pronouncing to himfelf the expiatory text which recites 
the creation. If he happen to fheeze, or fpit, he mult not 
immediately lip water, but firft touch his right ear, in 
compliance with the maxim, “ After fneezing, fpitting, 
blowing his nofe, fleeping, putting on apparel, or drop¬ 
ping tears, a man Ihould not immediately ftp water, but 
firft touch his right ear.”—“ Fire,” fays Parafara, “ water,” 
the Vedas, “ the fun, moon, and air, all refide in the right 
ears of Brahmanas. Ganga is in their right ears, facrifi- 
cial fire in their noftrils; at the moment when both are 
touched, impurity vaniflb.es.”—The fipping of water is a 
requifite introduction to all rites; without it, fays the 
Samba Pufana, all afts of religion are vain. 
After thefe ablutions, he proceeds to worfhip the fun.; 
Handing on one foot, and relling the other againft his 
ankle-bone or heel, looking towards the eaft, with up¬ 
lifted hands, open before him, he pronounces the follow¬ 
ing fentences :—“ The rays of light announce the fplendid 
fiery fun, beautifully rifing .to illumine the univerfe.”— 
“ He rifes, wonderful, the eye of the fun, of water, and 
of fire, collective power of gods; he fills heaven, earth, 
and fky, with his luminous net; he is the foul of all 
which is fixed or locomotive.”—“ That eye, fupremely 
beneficial, rifes pure from the eaft; may we fee him a 
hundred years; may we live a hundred years; may we 
hear a hundred years.”—“ May we, preferved by the di¬ 
vine power, contemplating heaven above the region of 
darknefs, approach the deity, moft fplendid of luminaries.” 
Preparatory to any aft of religion, ablutions mull be 
again performed in the form above prefcribed for the mid¬ 
day bath; the praftice of bathing at noon is likewife en¬ 
joined as requifite to cleanlinefs, conducive to health, 
and efficacious in removing fpiritual as well as corporeal 
defilements : it muft, neverthelefs, be omitted by one who 
is aiflifted with difeafe; and a healthy perfon is forbidden 
to bathe immediately after a meal, and without laying 
afide Ids jewels, and other ornaments. If -there be no 
fuch 
