ftances, in the Ayeen Akbery, and in the following terms, which too-forcibly demonstrate how abject a flave to fuperftition is the brahmin devotee.

Since the Hindoos admit, observes the minister of Akber, that the Almighty occafionally affumes an elementary form, without defiling his holiness, they make various idols, in gold and other metals, which serve to affift their imaginations while they offer up their prayers to the invifible Deity: this they call Pooja, and divide it into fixteen ceremonies. After the devotee has performed his usual and indispensable ablutions with the Sindehya and Howm, he fits down, looking towards the east or the north, with his legs drawn up in front. Then, taking in his hand a little water and rice, he sprinkles the idol, and conceives this act to be a proper preface to the commencement of his adoration. Next follows the Kulsh Pooja, in which he worships the idol's flaggon. Then fucceeds the Chankh Pooja, or the worship of the conch-fhell. Laft in order is performed the Ghunta Pooja, which confists in plastering the bell with ashes of fandal-wood. When he has finished these Poojas, he throws down a little rice, and wishes that his God may be manifefted. Thefe various duties are

all

all comprized in the first of the fixteen ceremonies. In the fecond he prepares and places a table of metal, either gold, filver, or copper, as a feat or throne for the Deity. In the third he throws water into a veffel to wash his foot-steps; for, in Hindoftan it is the custom, that, when a fuperior enters the house of an inferior, he washes his feet. In the fourth, he sprinkles water thrice, to represent the idol rincing his mouth, fince it is also the custom for an inferior to bring to a fuperior water to rince his mouth with before meals. In the fifth, fandal, flowers, beetel, and rice, are offered to the idol. In the fixth, the idol and his throne are carried to another spot: then the worshipper takes in his right hand a white conch-fhell full of water, which he throws over the idol, and with his left hand rings the bell. In the feventh, he wipes the idol dry with a cloth, replaces it upon its throne, and adorns it with vestments of filk or gold ftuff. In the eighth, he puts the zennar upon the idol. In the ninth, he makes the tiluk upon the idol in twelve places. In the tenth, he throws over the idol flowers or green leaves. In the eleventh, he fumigates it with perfumes. In the twelfth, he lights a lamp with ghee. In the thirteenth,

he

he places before the idol trays of food, accor'ding to his ability, which are diftributed amongst the by-ftanders, as the holy relics of the idol's banquet. In the fourteenth, he stretches himself at full length with his face towards the ground, and difpofes his body in fuch a manner, as that his eight members touch the ground, namely, the two knees, two hands, forehead, nofe, and cheeks, and this they call shashtang. These kinds of proftration are also preformed to great men in Hindoftan. In the fifteenth, he makes a circuit around the idol feveral times. In the fixteenth, he ftands in the posture of a slave, with his hands uplifted, and asks permiffion to depart. -There are particular prayers and many different ways ufed in performing these fixteen ceremonies. Some believe, that only from the ninth to the thirteenth are indispenfable duties. Except a Saniaffi and a Sooder all other Hindoos are bound to perform this tedious Pooja thrice every day.

Befides thefe daily offerings of rice, fruits, and ghee, the Hindoos have their grand national facrifices, not very diffimilar from that of the fcape-goat among the Hebrews. The reader will find an account of one of thefe facrifices extracted from a Sanfcreet book, and inferted

inferted in the Preface to Mr. Halhed's Code. It is called performing the JUGG, literally the facrifice, and though that of the living horse and bull, as well as the more impious oblation of human beings, so extensively detailed towards the commencement of this theological differtation, are no longer fuffered in Hindoftan; yet have the brahmins instituted an ingenious substitute, which, without staining the altar with blood, once fwelled with exhaustless treafures the coffers of the pagoda. If the expiatory facrifice of a man for fome atrocious crime be no longer demanded by the gods, the weight of a man in gold and jewels is the only compenfation that can be admitted in lieu of the ori

ginal. If the milk-white steed no longer pours his noble blood on the altar of the fun, the radiant deity may yet be fatiated with a golden horfe. If the immolated bull no longer fmoak upon the facred coals of that altar, and feed at once the ravenous idol and his glutton priests, a thoufand cows, with the points of their horns plated with gold and their hoofs fhod with filver, will fuffice to avert the dreaded calamity which the living facrifice was intended to deprecate. This kind of jugg is called DAN, or the giving away of alms to the needy, and of this dan, or pious

pious donation, there are fixteen kinds enumerated in a section of the Ayeen Akbery, a fection which cannot be omitted because it is one of the most curious in the whole book. The immenfe value of thefe oblations, which history informs us were in ancient times actually and frequently bestowed on the brahmins, demonftrates, as I before had occafion to remark, that Hindoftan must, before the invafion of the Mahommedan plunderers, have been far more abundant in bullion and jewels, than it has been at any period fince that invasion.

THE POOJA CALLED DAN, OR PIOUS PROPITIATORY DONATIONS.

There are various methods of performing DAN, or pacificatory oblations of bullion and jewels. 1. The devotee weighs himself against gold, filver, and other valuables, and prefents the amount to the brahmins as an oblation to the gods. 2. An image of Brahma is made with four faces, in each of which are two eyes, two ears, two nofes, and two mouths ; it has four hands, and the parts of the body like an ordinary man. It is of gold and ought to weigh not less than thirty-three to

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