Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies - DUBOIS, Abbé Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies, Dubois | Page 174

134
CHAPTER XI
Purohitas, or Priests
who
officiate at
The Hindu Almanac
To
Public and Private Ceremonies.
by the Purohitas.
as published
which are lucky or unlucky days on which to
to avert,
off an undertaking or expedition
by mantrams and suitable prayers, the curses, spells, or
settle
begin or put
;
to purify
other evil influences of the planets and elements
to give names to
persons who have become unclean
newly-born children and draw their horoscopes to bless
new houses, wells, and tanks to purify dwellings and
temples which have become polluted, and also to con-
to animate idols and install in them
secrate the latter
their particular deities by the power of their mantrams
these are but a few of the duties which come within the
province of the Brahmin purohitas, whose services are in-
dispensable on such occasions. The most important of
their duties, however, is the celebration of weddings and
The ceremonies on these occasions are so num-
funerals.
erous and complicated that an ordinary Brahmin would
never be able to get through them all they can only be
learned by special study. Besides, there are mantrams
and formulas connected with them which are known only
to the purohitas, and which are described in books of ritual
which they take great care to hide from the eyes of all
persons outside their own sect. The father makes his son
learn these formulas by heart, and thus they descend from
generation to generation in the same family. The puro-
hitas are not actuated by any pious motives in taking this
jealous care of their knowledge and surrounding all their
their fear is that rivals may
doings with so much mystery
step in who would share the profits which these religious
;
;
;
;
;
:
;
;
exercises yield.
The consequence is that there are very few Brahmin
and sometimes they have to be fetched from
purohitas,
a great distance
1
live.
when
their ministrations are
needed \
A purohita is now to be found in almost every village where Brahmins
He
In course of time the
enjoys a maniam or free grant of land.
is divided into many families of cousins, who hold office
original family