Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies - DUBOIS, Abbé Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies, Dubois | Page 426

386
But
INCANTATIONS AND ENCHANTMENTS
if
magic teaches the means of doing
affords the
no
evil, it also
of counteracting its pernicious effects.
magician so skilful but that others can be found
There is
more skilful
means
than he, to destroy the evil effects of his
enchantments, and cause them to recoil with all their
force upon himself or upon his clients.
Apart from the
direct influence exercised by themselves, the magicians
also possess an ample collection of amulets and talismans,
which are looked upon as efficacious against all sorcery
and spells, and which are largely distributed, not without
payment of course, amongst those who consult them.
For instance, there are certain glass beads made magical
by mantrams, different kinds of roots, and thin plates of
copper engraved with unknown characters, strange words
and uncouth figures. These amulets are always worn by
Hindus, who, when protected by such talismans, believe
themselves quite safe from all kinds of evil.
Secret remedies for inspiring illicit passion, for rekindling
the flame of extinct love, and for reviving impaired virility,
also fall within the province of these professors of magic,
and form by no means the least lucrative part of their
trade.
It is to such men that a wife always applies when
she wishes to reclaim her faithless husband or to prevent
him from becoming so. Debauched gallants and lewd
women also seek the help