The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-06-07
MarveIs of
Necromancy by Bhagats
of India.

Having thus given some account of the
deona, we now come to the bhagat, called
by the Hindus sokha and sivnath This
is the highest grade of all, and, as | ought
to have mentioned before, the lin
(knowledge) of both the deona and bhagat
grades is only to be learned by becoming
regular chela of a practitioner; but am
given to understand that the final initia-
ton is much FASTENED by a seasonabie
iberality on the part of the chela. During
the initiation of the sokha certain cere-
monies are performed at night by aid of a
human corpse. This is one of the things
which has led me to think that this part at
least of these practices is connected with
lantric black magic says writer in a
London magazine.
The bhagat performs two distinct func-
tons (frst) kind of divination called
bhao (the same in Hindi), and (second)
kind of Shamanism called darasta IN
Hindu and bharotsn in Horokaji, which,
however, is resorted to only on very grave
occas1ons-as, for instance, when several
families think they are bewitched at one
time and by the same naio.
The bhao is performed as follows: The
person having some query to PROFOUND
makes small dish out of sal leaf and
puts in it little uncooked rice and a few
pice; he then proceeds to the bhagat and
lays before MIN the leaf and its contents,
propounding at the same time his query.
The bhagat then directs him to 60 out and
gather two golaichi varieties of Posinia)
flowers (such practitioners usually having
a golaichi tree close to their abode); after
the flowers are brought the bhagat seats
himself with the rice close to the inquirer,
and after some consideration selects one
of the flowers and, holding it by the stalk
at almost foot from his eyes in his left
hand, twirls it between his thumb and
fingers, occasionally with his right hand
dropping on it grain or two of rice. In
few minutes his eyes close and he begins
talk-usually about things having moth
ing to do with the question in hand, but
after few minutes of this he suddenly
throws out an answer to the question. and
without another word retires. The in-
quirer takes his meaning as he can from
the answer, which, 1 believe, is always
ambiguous.
The bharotan. as / have above remarked,
is only resorted to when matter of grave
import has to be inquired into. The
bhagat makes high charge for a seance
of this description. We will fancy that
three or four families in a village con-
slider themselves bewitched by najo, and
they resolve to have recourse 20 bhagat
to find out who the witch is. With this
view a day is fixed on. and two delegates
are procured from each of five neighbor-
ing villages, who accompany the afflicted
people to the house of the bhagat, taking
with them a dali. or offering. consisting
of-vegetaDles, which. on arrival, is formally
presented to him. The delegates are
posted at each of the four points of the
| compass and the other two seat them
selves with the two afflicted parties to the
! right of the bhagat, who occupies the
center of the apartment with four or five
chelas, clear space being reserved on the
! left. One chela then brings a small earth
enware pot full of lighted charcoal, which
| is set before the bhagas with a pile OF
mango wood chips and ball composed
of dhunia, CUR (treacle), and ghee (clari-
fed hutter), and possibly other ingredients.
| The bhagat's sole attire consists of a
scanty lenguti (waistcloth), a necklace OF
the large wooden beads such as are usu-
| ally worn by fakirs, and several garands OF
| golaichi flowers round his neck, his hair
| being unusually long and m atted. Beside
him, stuck in the ground, is his staff.
One chela stands over the frepot with a
bamboo-mat fan in his nand, another takes
charge of the pile of chips and a third
of the ball of composition and one or two
others seat themselves behind the bhagat,
with drums and other musical instru-
ments in their hands. All beins in readi-
ness the afflicted ones are requested to
state their grievance. This they do and
pray the bhagat to call before him the
nsio who has stirred up the spirits to
! afflct them, in order that he may be pun
ished. The bhagat then gives a sign to
! his chelas, those behind bim raise a
furious din with their instruments, the
| fire is fed with chips and bit OF the COM
position is put on it from time to time,
producing volume of thick, grayish-bl
smoke. This is carefully famed over and
toward the bhagat, who, when we'll
wrapped in smoke, closes his eyes and
quietly swaying his body begins a low
chant.
The chant gradually becomes louder, the