6G 
E. T. Atkinson —Notes on the history 
[No. I, 
tlie words :—‘ Om, to the Yajnr-veda, hailand a third with the words : 
—‘ 0?p, to the Sama-veda, hail.’ A fourth is then taken whilst repeating 
the formula ;—‘ 0//?, to the Atharva-veda, hail,’ and is rejected immediate¬ 
ly on completing the invocation. The choti or tuft of hair left on the 
top of the head is then laid hold of whilst the following mantra is men¬ 
tally repeated :—‘ Invoking the thousand names of Brahma, the hundred 
names of the top-knot, the thousand names of Yishnu I tie my top-knot.' 
The mouth is then cleansed by passing the thumb of the right hand over 
the moustache to each side from the parting. 
Sparsa. —-Then follows the sprinkling (inclriya sparsa) of the mouth, 
nostrils, eyes, ears, navel, breast, throat, head, arnis and palms and back 
of the hands with water and the salutation ‘ Om ’ perfixed to the name 
of each member^ and mental prayer for its health and strength. 
Abhisheka. —The worshipper then touches the ground with the third 
finger of his right-hand whilst repeating the mantra :—“ 0 thou, who 
hast made this earth and all it contains and protectest all by thy power, 
make me pure.” Water is next taken in the hand whilst he mentally 
recites the mantra “ May any evil or trouble which is due to me this 
day be by thy power prevented.” This is followed by the first abhisheka 
or aspersion in which water is taken in the left hand and sprinkled with 
the right hand over each member as before with the purificatory mantra : 
—“ 0 w 2 bhu, protect my head ; otn bJiuvah, protect my eyes ; o?n svahf 
protect my throat; ojn mahah, protect my breast; om janah, protect my 
navel; oin tapah, protect my feet; otn satyam, protect my head; om 
kliam, Brahma protect me everywhere.” This is known as the purvaka- 
mdrjjana-mantra. Most of us have seen the natives of India at their 
devotions and have doubtless wondered what their meditations were and 
what the curious movements of the hands and muttered words intended. 
I am not aware that these have ever been the subject of inquiry, or that 
they have ever been recorded and explained in any European language, 
and now give the 'prdndydnia and its prefaces after a lengthened practice 
of them by myself. 
Prdndydma. —The prdndydma occurs both in the daily prayers and in 
the short private devotions performed in temples and is always prefaced 
by the anga-nydsa and kara-nydsa. These consist of separate sets of saluta¬ 
tions to the seven members of the body (anga) and to the seven members 
of the hand (/cara), each of which is accompanied by a mystical mantra in 
which the deities of one of the seven worlds is saluted in order that they 
may come and take up their abode for the time in the member of the 
* Om vale, vdli ; Om prdnah, prdnah ; Om chakslm, chakshu; Om srotram, sro- 
tram ; Om ndhhih ; Om hridayam ; Om hantham ; Om sirah ; Om hdhuhltydin yasohalam ; 
Om Icaratala-haraprishthe. 
