In Hindu Philosophy, the name given to the third and lowest of the inherent natural qualities of man,— is Tamas— Gloom or Darkness.
The most profound salutation that a Hindu can make, and one that denotes absolute devotion of a man’s whole body to the service of another, is one “with the eight members”: the members on which Hindus make religious marks,— the two hands, the chest, the forehead, the two eyes, the throat, and the middle of the back.
Women keep their money tied up in a corner of their saris: the expression here means literally “the riches of your skirt”; men keep their money in a small bag stitched into their waist cloths.
No orthodox Hindu will commence any undertaking of importance, and some will not undertake even a short journey, without having first ascertained whether the day will be an auspicious one or not. The family Guru will be consulted; and even when an auspicious day has been fixed, the ladies of the zenana will always insist upon the observance of certain ceremonies. A gentleman of position, when inviting a guest to visit him, will often send him by special messenger a slip of paper with the auspicious days for his journey written down by his Guru either in Sanskrit, or in the current language of the district.
Shuka was the author of the Commentary on the Vedas, and has sometimes been identified as Vishnu himself: he is said to have been the only one amongst many hundred millions of Hindoos who ever obtained perfect Nirvana: that is complete absorption into the Deity: the full expression is “Nirvana Mukti,” that is, Redemption, a salvation which consists in perfect absorption into the Deity.