Narrative of the Life and Travels of Serjeant B——

by Robert Butler

The horrid practice of widows burning themselves along with the corpse of their deceased husbands is losing ground very fast in India; and there is scarcely ever an instance of it now known in our settlements; and, as far as I could learn, when performed at all, it is chiefly confined to the Brahmin cast.

Religion, &c.—The religion of the Hindoos is all contained in the sacred books called Vedas. These books are supposed to have been the work, not of the supreme God himself, but of an inferior deity called Brimha. They inform us that Brahma, the supreme god, having created the world by the word of his mouth, formed a female deity, named Bawaney, who brought forth three male deities, named Brimha, Vishnu, and Seeva. They say that Brimha was endowed with the power of creating all things, Vishnu with that of cherishing them, and Seeva the power of restraining them. They say also, that Brahma himself endowed mankind with passions and understanding to regulate them; while Brimha created the inferior beings, and afterwards employed himself in writing the Vedas, and gave these to the Brahmins to be explained. These Brahmins are allowed to be the most honourable tribe amongst the Hindoos, and are alone appointed to officiate in the priesthood, like the Levites among the Jews. They alone are allowed to read the Vedas or sacred books; and to them are committed the instruction of the people. There are several orders of these Brahmins: those who mix in society are not unfrequently of depraved morals; and we need not wonder that it should be the case, when they are taught by their religion that the water of the Ganges will effectually wash away all their sins. Those Brahmins who live secluded from society, are men of very weak minds, or enthusiasts, who give themselves up to indolence and superstition. The Chehteree, or second caste, is next in rank to the Brahmins; and from this caste their Nabobs, or Princes, are always chosen.

The Bice, or Banians, who compose the third class, are those people whose profession is trade and merchandise. They have no particular religion, unless it be adherence to truth in their words and dealings. They are the great factors by whom the trade of India is carried on; and, as they believe in the transmigration of souls, they eat no living creature, nor kill even noxious animals, but endeavour to release them from the hands of others who may be intending to destroy them. I have seen them feeding the mice and bandicauts with grain or rice in the bazaar.

The Soodera, or fourth class, is the most numerous, and comprehends all labourers and artists. These are divided into as many orders as there are followers of different arts; all the children being invariably brought up to the profession of their forefathers.

The temples of the Hindoos (called by them pagodas) are large, but disgusting stone buildings, erected in every capital, and are under the direction of the Brahmins. The pagoda of Seringham, near the place where we crossed the Cavery, and which we passed on our way to Trichinopoly, is allowed to be the most stupendous, and is held the most sacred of any building of the kind in India, that of Chillambraum excepted. This pagoda is situated about a mile from the western extremity of the island of Seringham, formed by the division of the great river Cavery into two channels. It is composed of seven square inclosures, one within the other, the walls of which are twenty-five feet high, and four thick. These inclosures have each four large gates: the outer wall which surrounds this pagoda is between three and four miles in circumference, and its gateway to the south is ornamented with pillars, several of which are single stones, thirty-three feet long, and about four in diameter. The walls of this building is covered outside with the most hideous figures, likenesses of which are to be found neither "in heaven above, nor on the earth beneath, nor in the waters under the earth;" so that persons would not literally be guilty of a breach of the second command if they were to fall down and worship them,—such as men with elephants' heads, serpents with men's heads, bullocks with women's head and breasts, &c. and monsters which I have never before nor since seen or heard of, and these painted in the most glaring colours. Here also, as in the other great pagodas of India, the Brahmins live without subordination, and slumber in a voluptuousness which knows no wants. This pagoda is about four miles from Trichinopoly.

There are several sects among the Hindoos, but their differences consist rather in external forms than religious opinions. They all believe in the immortality of the soul; a state of future rewards and punishments; and transmigration of souls. The virtues of charity and hospitality exist amongst them, both in theory and practice, towards those of their own caste. They say that hospitality is commanded to be exercised even towards an enemy; and they use this simile, "the tree doth not withdraw its shade from the wood-cutter, or water-drawer, nor doth the moon withhold her light from the chandalah." These pure doctrines, however, are intermixed with many vile superstitions. The Hindoos pray thrice in the day, at morning, noon, and evening, turning their faces towards the east. Fruits, flowers, incense, and money, are the usual offerings to their idols; but, for the dead, they offer a particular sort of cake called punda. They all seem to pay an extraordinary veneration to fire, and always wash before meals.

There is a religious order among the Hindoos, called Fakirs: these are a kind of begging friars, who make vows of poverty, and seem insensible both to pleasure and pain. They generally live upon the bounty of the smaller kind of merchants; and I have seen them often carrying a small copper jimbo, (vessel,) in the form of a water-melon, when they were begging through the bazaars. These Fakirs, to obtain the favour of Brahma as they suppose, suffer the most dreadful tortures; and the austerities which some of them undergo are incredible to those who have not been eye-witnesses of them: some of them stand for months upon one foot, with their arms tied to the beam of a house, by which means their arms settle in that posture, and ever after become useless; some sit in the sun, with their faces looking upwards, until they are incapable of altering the position of their heads; and I even saw one in Bangalore, who had a large sort of iron grating fixed upon his neck, that had not stretched himself upon a bed, or even upon the ground, for two years. But the people, in all these cases, deem it an act of piety to encourage and support them.

The ordeal trials of melted lead, or boiling oil, as practised in India, are considered by the Hindoos as a standing miracle. The ceremony, which is in the following manner, is performed with great solemnity: The party who has appealed to this form of trial for his innocence, whether on suspicion of murder, theft, or unfaithfulness to the marriage bed on the part of women, is publicly brought to the side of a fire, on which is placed a vessel of boiling water or oil, but most commonly melted lead; the magistrates of the country or city being present, his hand is washed clean, and the leaf of a particular tree, with his accusation written upon it, is tied about his waist; and then, on a solemn invocation of the deity by the Brahmin, the person plunges in his hand and scoops up the boiling fluid! and if he draws it out unhurt, he is absolved; but if otherwise, be receives the punishment due to the crime charged against him.

The ceremonies of the Hindoos are dictated by the Brahmins and the sacred books; but to give you a detail of their number and absurdity, is a task to which I am altogether unequal, and which could neither instruct nor entertain the reader. I will, therefore, close this sketch with giving you a few translations from their Vedas or sacred books, which will give the reader some idea both of the doctrines and style of the Hindoos, as translated by a very able pen.

"1. By one Supreme Ruler is this universe pervaded, even every world in the whole circle of nature; enjoy pure delights, O man! by abandoning all thoughts of this perishable world; and covet not the wealth of any creature existing.