Religion and Deities of the Indians.

THE almighty, infinite, eternal, incomprehensible, and self-existent Being is called in the Samscred language Parabrahma, Tatva Paramèshvara, Svayambhu Paràbara. Parabrahma signifies the highest wisdom, the most wise Being; Tatva, the Being who exists by himself; Paramèshvara, the Almighty; from Parama the highest, and Ishvara lord; both which words are joined together by an elision, and formed into one: Svayambhu, a Being who exists for and by himself; as Svaya signifies, in the Samscred, by himself; and bhu, existing: Paràbara, the most excellent of all exalted beings. All these expressions, which are taken partly from the Brahmanic grammar, and partly from the Indian dictionaries, clearly shew that the Indians believe in one only true God, who has the principle of existence within himself, and who lives from eternity to eternity. In the Indian book Mahabhàrada he is distinguished by the following appellations:

Canmasza vináshana, he who cannot possibly lose his purity; the pure Being who never sins.

Karmasákshi, the observer of all the actions of men.

Genmanáshádihina, he who loses neither his being nor existence.

Nirmala, the unspotted.

Nirmádiguelkoru dharmanáyaga, the beneficent lord, or the fundamental principle of every thing that is pure.

Father Joseph de Carignan, who was settled as missionary at Bettia, says, therefore, in a book which he dedicated to the king there: “Your Pagan authors write in your Puràna (a history of ancient times), and a part of your philosophers teach that there exists one God, who is an almighty, incorporeal, and pure spirit.” Could he have written thus with impunity in the presence of the Brahmans, and particularly to a king, had he not been certain of what he advanced? Niebuhr, Pallot de St. Lubin, and others have sufficiently proved, that many Indians entertain the purest notions of the Divinity. One day having asked an ignorant Malabar Pagan how extensive the love of God was, according to his idea, he replied: Saptasagaram eluranda lògavum onnu ciuttia vàsughi sarpamàya avene pidicia caratina ábharatinál ettarudáde oru mey. That is: “God is so great, that the serpent Vásughi, which surrounds the seven seas and the fourteen worlds, would be too small should he wish to employ it on his finger instead of a ring.” It is here seen, that this heathen formed a very exalted conception of God, though he expressed himself in a figurative manner. It must, however, be confessed, that there are men also in India so stupid and blind as to believe the Deity to be a being that consists of several parts; and who consequently worship, as their god, the sun, the atmosphere, water, and even the rice which serves them as nourishment. But where is the country in the world in which there are not fools?

Respecting the manner in which God produced the world, and still conducts himself in the government of it, the Indians are divided in their opinions.

1. Some believe that God first produced the goddess Bhavàni, that is, all-creating nature. The latter, having brought forth three gods, called Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, converted herself into three females, and these married their own sons. The office assigned to the first was to produce every thing useful in the world; the second was to preserve them; and the third was commissioned to destroy them, when they should be no longer necessary. Life, increase, and death—or creation, preservation, and destruction—are every where observed in the kingdoms of nature. The above-mentioned goddess Bhavani, who represents all-creative nature, according to the doctrine of the Brahmans, is the deity who, next to the Supreme Being, is entitled to the greatest veneration.

2. Others assert that Vishnu, the spirit of God, (for this is shewn by the appellation Pranen, which in the book Mahabhàrada is expressly added,) created in the beginning every thing from water; and from his navel proceeded Brahma, Shiva, and the whole multitude of the other gods.

3. Others are of opinion that the god Parabrahma first created the elements: these were enclosed in a motta, that is, an egg; the egg burst in such a manner that the upper fragments formed seven equal parts, and the lower fragments the same number; and from these arose the seven superior and the seven inferior worlds, so that they reckon fourteen of them. When the Supreme God, Parabrahma, had created the elements, and all these worlds, his appeared on the gold mountain Meru; called the other gods thither, and assigned to Brahma the office of continuing the creation; to Vishnu, that of preserving it; and to Shiva, that of again annihilating every thing in the world.

The whole theology of the Brahmans is founded on these three different systems. They are contained in the Mahabharada, Bhavagavada, Aadiparva, and other Indian manuscripts. A more particular account of them may be found in my Systema Brahmanicum, and in the explanations of the Indian manuscripts preserved in the Borgian Museum at Velitri. From all these systems it incontrovertibly follows:

1. That the Indians believe that God created the world, though they do not agree in their ideas respecting the manner in which it was produced.

2. That they are neither Atheists nor Materialists, because they believe in an exalted self-existent being, who produced every thing, and who is the creator of the world.

3. That they are also not Manichæans, as they acknowledge that the only true God is exalted over and independent of every other being. According to their opinion he is eternal, the only one of his kind, and the sole creator of the universe.

According to the first system, God, before the origin of all creatures, created a female. But who is this female supposed to be? From the name given to her by the Brahmans, it appears that they understand by it Nature, which they have personified under the figure of a woman. In the Samscred she is called Paramèshavari, the supreme woman; Ishi or Ishani, the woman; Bhavani, the creatoress, who gives existence to all things; Aadicumari, the first maid, the first virgin; Manassa, the will of the lord; Shakti, the strength, the power, &c. Father Joseph de Carignan and Father Marcus à Tumba assert, that the Indians under these appellations understand the will of God, which emanated from him in a female form, in order to begin the creation of the world. According to the doctrine of the Brahmans, this goddess Bhavani changes and transforms herself into a thousand shapes, and appears sometimes as a man, and sometimes as a woman. In Thibet she is called Lhamaciupral; in Nepal, Mayadevi; in Bengal, Ishani; and, as Sir William Jones has very properly remarked, she is every where worshipped as the goddess of Nature. Some ignorant Indians believe that she is the wife of the Supreme God; and others consider her as the spouse of Sura or Suraya, that is, the Sun.

On some Indian monuments, and in some paintings, this divinity is represented with a band round her neck, from which are suspended a great many skulls, as a sign that she has power over life and death; and that she produces, and again destroys, all things. From her menstrua, which she let fall on the earth, the flowers and all other created things arose. The rest of the Indian deities are indebted to her for their existence; and for this reason the heathens paint on her forehead, as well as on their own, the Yoni or Medhra (female organs of generation), which are represented by two side strokes and a red one in the middle.

The fables which the Indians, Thibetians and Chinese relate of this deity, are so numerous that it would be impossible to mention them. A nocturnal solemnity has been instituted in honour of her; but it is so scandalous that decency forbids me to describe it. All that can be said of it is, that a female perfectly naked appears on this occasion, and that the parts of sex are not only bestrewed with flowers, but even worshipped. This festival of offering is called in the Samscred, Malabar, and Tamulic languages, Shaktipùgia; that is, the festival of the goddess Shakti, or Nature, who is the mother of all things; who produced every thing that exists.

This female deity bore three sons, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, the latter of whom is also called Mahadèva. The first creates, the second preserves, and the third destroys. These three different effects are called in the Samscred Srshti, Stidi, and Samhàra; that is, creation, preservation, and annihilation. The above three gods are the symbols of the three elements, earth, water, and fire. The earth produces all earthly things; the water promotes their growth, and preserves them; and by fire they are again destroyed. For this reason the Tamulians and people of Malabar say, that Brahma is of the nature of the Bhu or Bhumi (the earth); Vishnu, of that of the Apu or Gelam (the water), and Shiva, of that of the Aghni, or fire. All the three bear on their foreheads the sign of the Yoni, to shew that they were born by Bhagavani; and that they are consequently created beings, who represent elements, and create, preserve, and again destroy every thing for which the menstrua of their mother supplied the original matter.

Brahma is represented as a man with four visages, because the world consists of four parts; and he rides on a swan, because the earth floats on water. Vishnu reclines on a leaf of the water-lily, nymphæa, which is the symbol of water. Shiva holds in his hand a ray of lightning, in order to shew that he represents fire. One needs only to cast a look at the figures of these deities to be immediately able to discover the meaning of the allegory concealed under them. They assume sometimes a male and sometimes a female appearance; and act their part sometimes as the husbands, sometimes as the children, and sometimes as the brothers of the goddess Bhagavani; in the same manner as the Juno of the Romans was represented to be the wife, mother, and sister of Jupiter. They are, however, different from each other; but together form the monstrous trinity, the Trimurti of the Indians, which is shut up in the trunk of a tree, and cannot be separated. In this manner they are represented in the ancient temple in the island of Elephanta, an engraving of which has been given by Niebuhr in the second part of his Travels. Tri signifies three, and Murti a body; Punya Murti, a sacred body; Vishnu Murti, the body or image of Vishnu. The word Trimurti signifies, therefore, not three gods, or three distinct powers, but three visible bodies, which were produced by the goddess Bhavani, and united together in one trunk. In this sense the word occurs both in the Mahabhàrada and Sambhava, and in the dictionaries of Fathers Hanxleden and Pimentel. These three gods were in the egg created by Paramèshvara; and, according to the book Ciandròdeya, will perish by death at the end of the world[186].

The word Brahma signifies, in the Samscred, both the science of law, and, as Father Hanxleden says in his dictionary, the god Brahma, the creator, who, according to the doctrine of the Vishnuvites, arose from the nymphæa which sprang from the navel of Vishnu. As creator he is with propriety styled the science of law, because he arranged the whole creation according to the laws of nature. The Veda, which he holds in his hand, is nothing else than the book of nature, where he found instructions how to order every thing, according to the laws of necessity, by weight and by measure. Sometimes he is represented as a man sitting on an egg, from which he created all other things.

The wife of Brahma is Sarasvadi, the goddess of grammar, poetry and music. In the book Amarasinha she is called Brahmi, the goddess of the sciences; Bhàradì, the goddess of history; for the old Indian history is called Bhàrada, or Mahabhàrada, after the name of king Bharaden, or Bharada, from whom the Indians deduce a genealogical catalogue of their oldest kings, which is, however, fabulous. This goddess, who is distinguished by a great many other names, signifies, without doubt, the earth, as Vishnu is the symbol of water. She presides over gold and silver, trees, fruit, rice-fields, plants, cattle, and particularly fire, which she restrains both in habitations and in the fields. She is represented, in general, as sitting on a leaf of the nymphæa; suckling a child at her breast, or pouring from a bag the productions of the earth. Her symbol is the cow.

The wife of Mahadèva, Shiva, or Rudra, is the goddess Parvadi, that is, the ruler of the mountains. She is called also Ishàni, the woman; Gaurì, the yellow, shining; Gauri, the white; Haimavadì, the ruler of every thing that is moist and cold; Rudràni, the goddess who is the cause that women in labour cry, and that men are afflicted with fevers, the small pox, the plague, and other diseases; Sarmangala, the goddess of pleasure, of joy, who promotes the growth and increase of all earthly things. She was destined to be the wife of Shiva, that is, the sun, because the moon receives her light from the latter, and in conjunction with him, at least according to the physical principles of the Indians, has an influence on all earthly things, and contributes to their creation as well as destruction. Her husband Shiva has also several other names by which his properties and effects are distinguished. Thus, for example, he is called Mahadèvi, the great god; Rudra, the god who visits mankind with sickness, and by these means compels them to shed tears; Isha, the lord; Shuli, he who bears the trident, the symbol of the three worlds, viz. the heavens, the earth, and the infernal regions, which are all under his inspection; Shrikanda, the lord of light; Andagaribu, the enemy of darkness; Vyomaghesha, the lord of the firmament, &c. All these appellations sufficiently prove that this deity represents the sun.

According to the Indian mythology, these two deities, Shiva and Parvadi, produced the following children:

1. Gannèsha, of whom some account has been already given.

2. Kartiguna, or Scanda, the leader of the celestial armies.

3. Hanumán, the symbol of the air and the wind.

4. Bhagavàdi, of whom an account has also been given.

The next in order among the celestial gods is Budha, that is, the intelligent, the vigilant, the crafty, the acute. He is supposed to be a bosom friend of Shiva, and supplies the place of his private secretary. This office has been conferred on him by the Indian mythologists; because, according to their ideas, each planet is governed by a particular genius; and because Budha represents Mercury, which is nearest the sun. This god is said to have been the author of a great many books, and to have invented arithmetic, the art of writing, geometry, astronomy, and, in short, all those sciences which have been cultivated and improved by the industry of man. The opinion or those who consider him as having been really a writer, a king, and a legislator, is ridiculous.

The other deities of the Indians are:

1. Indra, or Devendra, the genius who presides over rain and the atmosphere.

2. Yama, the genius under whose inspection the dead are placed; the angel of death who dispenses rewards and punishment.

3. Aghni, fire, as a personified deity.

4. Kamadèva, or Manmatha, the god of pleasure, who blinds the eye of reason, and inspires men with wicked desires.

5. Varuna, the genius who presides over the sea, and also over ponds, lakes and rivers.

6. Vaishrava, who presides over buried treasures, and over all pits and caverns in which riches lie concealed.

7. Vishvacarma, the inspector of all manual labour and mechanical arts.

8. Yaksha, certain genii who are in the service of the above-mentioned Vaishrava.

9. Gandarva, the genii who make music in the heavens.

10. Kinnara, the musician of the female deities.

11. Rakshasa, the nocturnal apparition; a malignant genius, delighting in mischief; produced by the goddess Adidi, and detested by the other gods. This appellation is applied, in ridicule, by the Brahmans to the Europeans. It is remarkable that the Assyrians and Medes are in various ancient books called also Rakshasa. The Indians describe them as a wild, cruel, hostile people, who reside on the other side of the mountain Imau or Himala.

12. Bhùda, with the long ù, are also spectres in the service of Mahadèva.

13. Pishasha, wicked dæmons, the damned devils.

14. Apsarastri, nymphs who reside partly in heaven, and partly on earth.

The Indians believe that good and bad genii of this kind wander always about, and sometimes suffer themselves to be seen. For this reason they are accustomed to invite them to eat in their houses; and, on such occasions, they clean their habitations that they may be ready to receive them.

Of the above kind are the apparitions of Vishnu, who, as the preserver of the world, shewed himself to mankind under nine different forms. In these apparitions the whole history of the Vishnuvites, both sacred and profane, is contained. As they are highly interesting, I shall here insert them, together with the Malabar text, as it is written in the Indian book Mahabhàrada. The description of them is as follows:

“Thine is the victory, O Vishnu! thou who didst assume the form of a boar, and in that form didst destroy the Hirannya, who through malice threw the world from its equilibrium, and hurled it to destruction; but which thou didst save by thy wisdom, and hast again fixed on its centre[187].”

4. Hiranyà Kaschipu vamá Asurendrene Kolluvan Narasinba-Karamay ciamagna nalhá geá.

“Thine is the victory, O Vishnu! thou who didst assume the mixed form of a lion and a man, in order to destroy the Hirannya, the leader of the wicked dæmons, who wished to force mankind to worship him.”

5. Didigia-adhibenaya Bálie ciadipadina Didinnadidi Sudanaya Vàmana murte geá.

“Thine is the victory, O Vishnu! thou who didst assume the form of a dwarf, and didst give thyself out as a son of the goddess Didi, to deceive king Bali, the prince among the sons of the goddess Didi, and to punish him[188].”

6. Dharanni Suragena dvèshiguel áyundáya dharanni Pàlemnáre giama daghni genáya irivattoru tude vadhiciu tábam tirkum Parashuràma murte parápalaya geá.

“Thine is the victory, O Vishnu! thou who didst assume the form of a hero, who called himself Parashuràma; thine is the victory, thou preserver of the world, thou who didst destroy twenty-one of those kings who rebelled against the celestial gods, and who didst free the earth from their oppressive burthen.”

7. Pankti kanane connu munnam àbatu tìrpàn Panktisyandana sudenàya Rágghava geá.

“Thine is the victory, O Vishnu! thou who wast born as man, of the race of king Ragghu, under the name of Rágghava; who didst destroy the Panktikana (the giant Ràvana), and didst free the world from that pest.”

8. Annanni vanna mundàya .... Madhura puri tannil Vàsudèva-àtmagenày Dèvaguì taneyanay vannu Ngiàn genicìdum bhumiyil pirrakennam Dèvaguelòda-aruli ceidu satya lògavum pukidinàr .... Krshnenày pirranidu ingane gegan-nàlhen Vishnu bhaktenmaroke sèviciar-anandiciàr.

“These apparitions of Vishnu were over .... He now appeared in the form of a child produced by Vasudèva (the name of the father), and Devaguì (the name of his mother), and thereby fulfilled the desire of the gods, who, as soon as they were informed of it, raised themselves together to heaven —— He was born in the form of Krishna, and so Vishnu became lord of the world, honoured and worshipped by all the upright to the present day.”

9. The ninth apparition of Vishnu was made in the person of Budha, the attentive, cunning, and vigilant god, who observes the good and bad actions of men, in order to punish or reward them, when the tenth apparition of Vishnu shall take place. Dusdhere shikshikeyum shistere rekshikeyum, says the Mahabhàrada; that is, he will punish the wicked, and reward the good.

These were the nine apparitions of Vishnu, as I find them described in two Malabar manuscripts of the Mahabharada. One of them is written on palm-leaves, but the other on paper; and both perfectly agree in regard to the words, and even the accents. I, however, know that in this respect there are many variations, which may be seen in the second volume of the Asiatic Researches; but, in my opinion, it is always better to adhere to the Indian originals, than to depend on the ornamented relations of inconsiderate travellers.

The doctrine of the immortality of the soul is an article of belief generally acknowledged as true by the philosophers, as well as by the common people in India. Dhermaragia Guru, the Peguan philosopher, explains himself on this subject as follows, in his short account of the Barman laws[189]: “Those who honour the Deity, his laws and his priests will one day share the fate of all good men. For, in regard to the good and bad actions of every living being, the case is the same as with the shadow of our body, which never quits it, but follows it wherever it goes. Among all living creatures there are good and bad. Man becomes either a Nat (dæmon), or an animal. The soul of the animal transmigrates either into a man or a Nat. The Nat becomes either animal or man. In a word, all those who have not rendered themselves worthy of being admitted into the Niban (the habitations of the blessed), go alternately upwards and downwards.” This transmigration of the soul from one body into another is called Punar-genana. The body in which the soul is purified and cleansed is Yadana Dèba, the body of affliction or torment. A person who is perfectly purified, glorified, and blessed, is called Punnyadeha. Virtues and meritorious actions are either Ulkrsha, great deserts; Madhyama, moderate; or Samánya, altogether trifling and common. Sins are divided in the like manner; and according to this gradation the soul has to endure a greater or less degree of torment. The gods, that is the dæmons, are subject to this metempsychosis also; and hence it happened that Budha was obliged to wander from one body into another 999 times, Vishnu ten times, and Shiva and Bhavani an infinite number of times.

It is evident, that such transmigrations of the soul, or apparitions, can be considered properly as nothing else than repeated incarnation; and therefore the Greeks never said, “the Soul of Zoroaster, of Semiramis, or Pythagoras, has again become man, but that it has entered into another body.” When the soul has attained its full purity, it is then, according to the doctrine of the Indians, susceptible of five degrees of eternal joy and happiness:

1. Sànitya, the presence of God.

2. Sàmipya, approximation to God.

3. Sàyugia, union with God.

4. Sàlocya, holy contemplation of God.

5. Sàrubhya, participation in the divine essence.

The damned, on the other hand, are exposed in Naraga (hell) to the most dreadful torments. The Preda or Naragagendu, that is, the souls of the damned, have to expect there:

1. Tabana, pain.

2. Avici, internal anguish.

3. Samhàra, sufferings and punishment for their sins.

4. Kàlasùtra, an extraordinary length of time, which does not end till full atonement has been made for their sins.

5. Tipravèdana, torments effected by fire.

6. Pìdha, a dreadful malignity and exasperation of their minds.

The inspection of the damned belongs to Yàma, that is, the god who is always vigilant; or Shràdhadèva, the god of tears and lamentations. The five principal places where good works are rewarded are:

1. Nìba, or Mòksha, the true abode of the blessed in the highest heaven, where Parabrahma the God of gods has his residence.

2. Brahmalòga, the heaven of the god Brahma, to which those ascend who have particularly devoted themselves to the service of this god.

3. Caylàsa, the heaven of Shiva or Mahadèva, to which their adherents attain.

4. Vaicunda, the heaven of Vishnu, which is peculiarly destined for the worshippers of that deity.

5. Indraloga, or Suargga, the heaven of Dèvendra. This is situated in the air. It is consequently the lowest of all, and is appointed for the reception of those who on earth devoted themselves to the service of any deity.

The Mòksha, or Niba, is the only one of these heavens from which souls have no need of again descending to the earth; for in it they are already cleansed, and have attained to the highest degree of perfection. From all the rest they are now and then sent down; but they again ascend to them, according as their past conduct in life has been meritorious or deserving of punishment. Souls transmigrate also sometimes into animal bodies, and hence the prohibition to kill animals.