Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies - DUBOIS, Abbé Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies, Dubois | Page 193

PURIFICATION OF PLACES
153
'
god pancha-gavia, vouchsafe to pardon the
vessels
sins of all the creatures in the world who offer sacrifice to
:
you and drink you, pancha-gavia. You have come pro-
therefore I offer you
ceeding from the body of the cow
my prayers and sacrifices, in order that I may obtain the
remission of my sins and the purification of my body,
which are accorded to those who drink you. Vouchsafe
also to absolve us, who have offered you puja, from all the
sins that we have committed either inadvertently or
Forgive us and save us
deliberately.
;
'
!
After this prayer they
make another profound
obeisance
Then
of the five vessels into one.
taking this vessel into his hands, the purohita performs the
hari-smarana \ drinks a little of this precious liquid, pours
and put the contents
into the hollow of the hands of all persons present,
also drink it, and keeps the rest for use during the
ceremony. Betel is then presented to the Brahmins who
are present, after which they disperse.
Nothing can equal the supposed purifying virtues of
a
little
who
Brahmins and other Hindus frequently
this mixture.
drink it to remove both external and internal defile-
ments.
There is also another lustral preparation called pancha-
amrita, which
is
composed
of milk, curds, liquefied butter,
honey, and sugar mixed together. This is not filthy and
disgusting like the one previously mentioned, but then it is
much less efficacious. It however possesses a certain
degree of merit under some circumstances.
The Purification of Places.
Before the performance of any ceremony the place where
This is
it is to take place must be previously purified.
usually the duty of the women, and the principal ingredients
required are cow-dung and darbha grass.
They dilute the
cow-dung with water and make a sort of plaster with it,
which they spread over the floor with their hands, making
zigzags and other patterns with lime or chalk as they go
on.
They then draw wide lines of alternate red and white
over this and sprinkle the whole with darbha grass, after
which the place is perfectly pure. This is the way in which
1
Hari-smarana means meditating on Hari, or Vishnu.
Ed.