148 
H I N D O 
utility, under the name of pious aufterity; and of hypo- 
crify and vanity under the facred name of religion ; no 
clafs, no horde,- upon the furface of the habitable globe, 
can hold the palm with the devotees of India. Appearing 
often in their exterior highly offenfive, to common de¬ 
cency and modefty; and afting, for the greater part, in 
open dereliction of the wife intentions of their Creator; it 
is to be lamented that their tribes are extremely numerous. 
The molt ancient, and probably the original of thele 
wandering tribes, is that called Saniaffy ; i. e. one who 
has rejected all temporal affairs, and devoted himfelf to 
the fervice of God. In the Bhagavat Geeta it is written, 
“ That a Sanialfy, or he who fhall devote himfelf to a fo- 
litary religious life, fhall have no other clothing but what 
may be necellary to cover his nakednefs; nor any other 
worldly goods but a ftaff in his hand, and a pitcher to 
drink out of. That he fhall always meditate on the truths 
contained in the facred writings, but never argue on 
them. That his food fhall be confined to rice, and other 
vegetables ; and that he fhall eat but once a-day, and then 
fparii\gly. That he fhall look forward with defire to the 
feparation of the foul from the body; be indifferent 
about heat, or cold, or hunger, or prail'e, or reproach, or 
any thing contenting this life ; and that unlefs he (briefly 
follow thefe rules, and fubdue his paflions, he will only 
be more criminal, by embracing a ftate, the duties of 
.which he could not perform, fiegleCting thofe he was born 
to obferve.” It is faid, in the dialogues between Crifhna 
and Arjoon : 
“ Learn, fon of Pandoo, that what they call Santas, ora 
forfaking of the world, is the praCtice of devotion. The 
man who is happy in his heart, at reft in his mind, and 
enlightened within, is one devoted to God, of a godly 
fpirit, and obtaineth the immaterial nature of Brahme, 
the Supreme. 
“ The man who keepetli the outward accidents from 
entering the niind, and his eyes fixed -in contemplation 
•between his brows ; who maketh the breath pafs equally 
through his noffrils, who hath let his heart upon lidva- 
rion, and who is free from luff, fear, or anger; is for ever 
blelfed in this life.” 
“ The Saniafly conftantly exercifeth the fpirit in pri¬ 
vate. He is of a fubdued mind, free from hope. He 
planteth his feat firmly on a fpot that is neither too high 
nor too low, and fitteth on the facred grafs that is called 
ctifa, covered with a fkin, or cloth. There he, whole bu- 
finefs is the reftraining of his paflions, fhould fit, in the 
■exercife of devotion, for the purification of his foul, keep¬ 
ing his head, his neck, and his body fteady, without motion, 
his eyes fixed on the point of his nofe, looking at nothing 
elfe around. The Saniaffy of a fubdued mind, thus em¬ 
ployed, in the exercife of devotion, is as a lamp ftanding 
■ in a place without wind, which waveth not. 
“ Supreme happinefs attendeth him whole mind is thus 
at peace, who'fe carnal affections and paffions are fubdued, 
and who is in God, and free from fin. The man whole 
mind is endued with devotion, beholdeth the fupreme 
foul in all things, and all things in the fupreme foul. 
“ This divine difcipline is hard to be attained by him 
who hath not his foul in lubjection; but it may be ac¬ 
quired by him who taketh pains. Works are the means 
by which a man may acquire devotion ; fo reft is the 
means for him who hath attained devotion. 
“ When the nil-contemplative Saniaffy is not engaged 
with objedls of the fenfes, nor in works, then he is called 
one who hath attained devotion. The loul of the con¬ 
quered placid fpirit, is the fame in heat and in cold, in 
pain and in plealure, in honour and difgrace. The man 
whole mind is replete with divine wifdom and learning, 
who ftandeth on the pinnacle, and hath fubdued his paf¬ 
fions, is faid to be devout ” ■» 
It is obvious that moft of the paliages in the Bhagavat 
-Geeta, which were enigmatical, being underffood literally 
■ by the ignorant, have given rife to thofe extravagant pe¬ 
nances, with which fome of the devotees now torture 
.themfelves. Many of the Saniaflies, who had made avow 
OS TA N. 
to keep their arms conftantly extended over their head, 
with their hands clafped together, or held up in a per¬ 
pendicular direction, are frequently feen withered and 
immoveable. Not long ago, one of this auffere clafs 
undertook to meafure the dirtance between Benares and 
Jagan-Nath, or Jagarnaut, with his body, by alternately 
ffretching himfelf upon the ground, and riling j which, 
if he performed as faithfully as is reprefented, he mult 
have taken years to accomplilh it. Some make vows 
to keep their arms for ever croffed ; others to keep their 
hands for ever (hut; and their nails are fometimes feen 
growing like the talons of a wild beaft ; Lome, by then- 
own delire, are chained to a particular lpot; and others 
never lie down, but lleep leaning againlt a tree. 
The different orders of Saniaflies affume different titles, 
according to the kind of penance they enjoin themfelves 
to perform. A Furrum hungfe punilhes himfelf by fitting 
conftantly in the water. A Nannuck punthy ientences 
himfelf to wear but one (hoe, and one whilker. An Oordh- 
bahu devotes himfelf to fit conftantly with his arms and 
.hands in a fixed polition, and joined over his head ; or 
perpetually to remain railed perpendicularly over his 
(boulders ; or for ever to hold one arm and hand erefted, 
grafping a weight, while the other hangs down grafp- 
ing a weight. A Ser-Jeja fubjedts himlelf to the cruel 
torture of lying conftantly upon a bed of pebbles, or of 
lharp thorns, or iron (pikes. A Jd-Jeja condemns liim- 
felf to fit day and night upon a feat of (harp iron (pikes, 
while a jet d’eau, or fall of water, delcends upon his head. 
Many other fuch unaccountable practices are rel’orted to; 
and held in the higlieft veneration by the ignorant and 
deluded people: 
The term pandaram, is the fame with pilgrim. The 
pandarams on the coaft of Coromandel are followers of 
Siva ; they rub their faces and bodies with the allies of 
burnt cow-dung, and go about the towms and villages 
hinging the praifes of their god. 
The Cary-patry-pandarams, are a fet of religious perfons, 
who make a vow never to fpeak; they go to the doors of 
houfes, and demand charity, by (hiking their hands vio¬ 
lently together, and looking up towards heaven with a 
countenance full of woe. They take nothing but rice, 
which is given them ready prepared for eating ; and, if it 
be fufficient to latisfy their hunger, they pals the reft of 
the day fitting in the (hade, and (carcely looking at any 
object that may come before them. 
The Tadinums go about begging, and (inging the his¬ 
tory of the different incarnations of Vifluiu. They beat a 
kind of drum, and have (mall brafs bells tied round their 
ankles, which make a confiderable noil'e as they walk 
along. 
The Fogeys, commonly called gymnofophifts, ovjlarh- 
naked philofophers, conftitute the lowed order of the devo¬ 
tees. They are the moft numerous and moft offenfive of 
all thefe wretched claffes of mankind. Thoulhnds of them, 
together are often met in a company, marching from one 
great temple or pagoda to another, where they'know that 
food is always in plenty; and where they have the chance 
of affociating with wives devoted to the Lingham, and with 
worihippers from all quarters, whofe bounty is then ge¬ 
nerally open, and from whom they often collect conli- 
derable riches. Mr. Pennant fays of them, “ Thefe va¬ 
gabonds, or wandering fakeers, under pretence of pil¬ 
grimages, fometimes alienable in armies of ten or twelve 
thouland, lay whole countries under contribution, rob 
people of their wives, and are guilty of every enormity. 
They are generally quite naked, except the concealment 
of certain parts in a-purfe, tied by a (mall firing which 
goes round the waift. They go armed with a kind of 
prong, or long ltaff' headed with the (harp horns of the 
antelope, which they fometimes point with iron; and from 
their rude and fqualid afpedt, they make a moft dreadful 
appearance; yet, (bowing a difpofition for finery, they ge¬ 
nerally ornament themfelves with two rows of beads,.hung 
carelelsly round the neck.. It is remarkable, that they 
admit any perfon of abilities among them, and inftruct 
thtir 
