The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1862-01-16
RnLIGI0us mArTERs.
,lhe Messlan OF the slahrattas.
A IirNDoo SrrEnsTIuoE, EXTRACTED FROM THE
puBusngD ACCOUNTS or NARAYUE BAwA, OF
pinphNure

AbCut the cul of the year lNED, tEpre appeared
III the Dcckdn an extraordinary clild, who gave
rsa 70 ono cf The strangosl, and during the period
OF ts COZ tinuance, one of the mos. powerful move
mtuts Of religious einaiicsm ever witnessed in
this world. Thoso who were IN Bombay, The Deck
an. or the southern part Of Conkan In the early
part Of the year 1880, will remember The wonderful
cxeitcmcnt which prevailed on the subject Of this
child through all tlic territories subject to Bombay
A brief record of his career as it presents phase
Of llindo) supcrhaturulism, and bodies forth in
living example their theory Of divine Appearances
I on c0rth sud perhaps explains the process by
l which their bcrocs and remarkable men have been
elevated into incrrnations Of the Deity may not
/ BE- Uni tcrcsting.
| The real name Of tiis child was Narayun Powar;
hut he soon became distinguished by the title of
Bawa- holy --anl was ultimately known rs Nara
yum Dec, or the God Narayun, lie was the son of
a peasant nsmcd Powar, and was born in Pimpoor-
doc, village belonging to the Raah of Sattora and
lying cas-: of WAGE. OF his early infancy, nothing
is. certainly known but at eight years Of age be
had become famous for tho extraordinary faculty
I he possessed Of catching and controlling venomous
scrpcnts.
! H. went about the fields and rocks, the ditches
ana loose sone walls, cncing forcing these rep
tiles from their holes and lurking places, and han
died tliem with the greatest impuniy and fearless
ncs5. H. sc'med to be vested with prediction
! COR, and command over these creatures, equally
singular anil uniccountablc lie had them contn-
ually twincd about his arms and neck and played
with them as other children would have played
with kiHms. They came at his summons and de-
parted at his bidding several Of them were con
stantly around him, and he appeared to live among
: thtm and control them at his will. How he had
I become inycs'c1 with so remarkable faculty, his
par3ns could not or would not tell and it is proba
bly, impossible now to determine. 1t the assumption of
! bis disciples that he was endowed with prctornutu
raj pow n on The one hand, be inadnissible on the
other it Is difficult to imagine how an art, confess
edly 20 difficult and dangerous could have been
tiuEht to 40 young child.
| II has been imagined that the whole secret lay in
/ hls having about his person, or being rubbed with
/ the juice Of some particular herb, the smell OF
! winch had the power of attracting the snakes, and
| at the same time overpowering their noxious quail
ties, by inducing voluptuous ntoxicaton There
are octduy reports of the existence Of such plant
and its alleged effect upon snakes would not be
greater or more wonderful than those of certain
herbs upon other animals and at all events il is n
mora rational way of escaping a difficulty to give
! nature credit for powers not generally known than
to resort to the supernatural without any ADEQUATE
/ necessity.
But whatever the nature of this power, or the
source of il, he undoubtedly possessed it, The cir
cnmstHnco of his control of scrpents began soon to
! be brmted abroad, with great additions and cxag-
gerations and his own family, in conjunction with
some OF the Brahmans, began to turn it to account
They gave out that Narayun, whom they now be-
gan for the first time to dignity by the title of Ba
/ wa, or " The Holy" was not an ordinary mortal,
! but an incarnation of some divine being born into
/ the world for the deverance of the Hndoo race,
for ii does not appear that their expectations went
! beyond their own nation. Strange mysterious
/ words were said to have fallen from his ps at
times, which were declared to be revelations of his
real nature, and the purpose for which he came into
the world.
! In Europe or America his general character wo'd
] have been fatal to any pretcnsons to holiness or
Messiahshp. Aside from his handling the serpents
he was distinguished by nothing hut his cxtraordi-
nary sportivencss, his love of mc1imcnt, and sad
habit Of gambling. He never would wear clothes,
which indeed children in India at his age seldom do,
but ran about naked and when not engaged with
| his snakes, would be found seated with a crowd of
| liindoo children, playing with tlcm at cowres n
kind of Indian dice. According to the divine phi
losophy of the lindoo sporveness is characteristic
of the Deity, when emerging from eternity, unity,
and quiesclnoc, into time, variety and action All
the phenomena of nature are but the sporting of
divmity-the maya, or illusion by which he de-
! a., "A =, A.
battles Of Rama, the wanton amours Of Krishna
were alike only " krda" and "maya "-spoit and
! illusion. The universe is an unsubstantia cleud-
built fitting pageanta shifting panorama or phan-
tasmagora slcght of hand, a game, by which
the divinity, like skillful uggler cheats our per-
ccptions and battles our inquiry.
Contormable to these views, Narayun's marcurial
character and fondncss for gaming were set down
| and reverenccd as krida and maya divine sport
an illusion and tho opinion which his friends
wished to spread respecting him, was rather aided
than mpeded by them The little boy throwing up
cowries, or pelting his ployfelows with mud beheld
through The medium Of the maya doctrine, and by
the eye of lIndoo faith, was no longer the urchin
Naroyun Powor, hut the God Narayun sporting with
worlds. The false ever Stimulates the true, the de-
hl"nlacll apes Tue ulNme, IN the career OF TINS
child there is evidence that the Tindoo mind had
been penetrated with the chief facts in The history
of the lnrd Jesus, The imagined Messiah of the
Mahratta nation, did not lack Baptist to 90 before
his face and prepare his way-to announce his mis-
son--to bear testimony to his divinity. Balkrshna
the lrahmin kulkurnee, village registrar of PIN
poordec, undertook this office. Selecting small
rvulet in the neighborhood, he established teerth
or place of sacred bathing there, in the name OF
Narayun Dec, or the living God Narayn. Pilgrims
from all quarters were invited to come thither and
purify themselves in the sacred waters thither the
sinner was summoned TO be washed-the faithful tc
offer up their sacred vows-thc weary and distress
ed to obtain rest, and dcliverance from world,
cares, and the sick to be healed, in the name Of
Narayun, The diseased Of all denominations aock
ed to the spot from every quarter, bathed in tht
stream, and sat down ON the banks awaiting thC
destined hour Of their deliverancc. The blind, IN,
lame, the leprous were there in great numbers, anC
in great hope; forrumor had spread abroad through
out the country that many lepers had been healed
aud many blind had received their sight. On tn,
spot, no cure was publicly witnessed indeed non,
appears to have been formally attempted Eacl
was told to bathe-to lay his offering at the feet
Narayun-to worship, to offer up his prayer, or hi.
vow, and then rctirc, and in silent resignation ant
hope, await the hour when it might please the Iii
rinity to fulfill his promise, Evangelists were no
wanting rapord Nara v,inss ,,,prls ,,.