ST. JOHN'S IN HARVEST, 24th JUNE, 1890. ; HE Lodge met at Freemasons' Hall, London, at 5 p.m., to celebrate the Masonic One Dist. G. Lodge, seven Lodges, and 40 Brethren were admitted to the membership of the Correspondence Circle, raising the roll of intrants to 956. The question of Life-membership was referred back to the Committee for further consideration. The Secretary read a letter from Bro. Simpson explaining his unavoidable absence in Berlin, although the paper of the evening stood in his name. The Secretary therefore read the following paper : BRAHMINICAL INITIATION. BY BRO. WILLIAM SIMPSON, I.P.M. H AVING had lately to look up some information for a couple of papers I have been writing for the Quatuor Coronati, I chanced, in some of the volumes of that valuable series, "The Sacred Books of the East," to meet with a number of passages bearing on Brahminical initiation; and from the light which these throw on that particular rite, as well as upon initiatory rites in general, it seemed to me that the passages should be collected and put into form for the benefit of Masonic students. As many of the passages have been already incorporated into the two other papers, this will explain why some of them appear again. As the ceremony of initiating a Brahmin may not be familiar to many, it will be as well to give the details of it as it is practised in modern times. I shall quote from the description given by Sir Monier Williams1, who stands high as an authority on such subjects. He defines the ceremony as "the induction into the order of a twice-born man by investiture with the sacred cord," p. 60. "This rite is enjoined for a Brahman in his eighth year, for a Kshatriya in his eleventh, and for a Vaisya in his twelfth," (ibid). These are the three castes or classes mentioned in my paper on the "Three-fold Division of Temples." The Brahman is the priestly class: the Kshatriya the warrior; and the Vaisya the agriculturist. These are those who "constitute the three twice-born classes [as receiving a second spiritual birth through investiture with the sacred thread"], ibid, p. 57. The term applied to them was "Dvi-ja, twice-born,'" ibid, p. 58. It need scarcely be pointed out that it is the symbolism of the second birth in the ceremony, which is suggestive, and gives a special interest to it. I still quote from the same authority; he says, "The sacred cord, which is generally a thin coil of three threads, commonly called Yajnopavita, is worn over the left shoulder, and allowed to hang down diagonally across the body to the right hip. The wearing of it by the three twice-born classes is the mark of their second spiritual birth. There was some difference in the kind of thread worn, according to the class of the wearer, thus :--The sacred cord of a Brahman must be of cotton, so as to be put on over his head in a coil of three threads; that of a Kshatriya of hemp; that of a Vaisya, of wool. 1 The work here quoted from is called Hinduism; one of the very handy Non-Christian series, published by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. 2 The first part of this word, Yajna, means "Sacrifice,"-The ordinary name used in India for the cord is Juneoo, a word expressive of "birth" or "life." "The ceremony of induction begins by the youth's standing opposite the sun, and walking thrice round the fire. The Guru1 then consecrates the Yajnopavita by repeating the Gayatri ten times. Then, girt with the thread, the youth asks alms from the assembled company, to indicate that he undertakes to provide himself and his preceptor with food. The Guru then initiates him into the daily use of the sacred Savitri prayer [called Gayatri because it is in the three-measured Gayatri metre2] preceded by three suppressions of breath, the triliteral syllable Om and the three Vyahritis, or mystical words, Bhur, Bhuvah, Svar,3 and admits him to the privilege of repeating the three Vedas, and of performing other religious rites, none of which are allowed before investiture.” Ibid, pp. 60, 61. My impression is that this ceremony takes place in an ordinary house. I do not speak with certainty on this point, but I know of no temples in the north-west of India where it could be performed. Under such circumstances it is a very simple performance; there is nothing which we would consider religious or solemn about the act. It is not even elaborate in its details, and yet it is not possible, I should suppose, for any Mason to read the description without having his curiosity excited. By this rite the young Brahmin becomes born again. The asking for alms under a figurative pretence is certainly curious, but it can be perfectly accounted for by local customs. Almost all ascetics and holy persons in India who renounce the world live upon charity. The Buddhist monks all live by begging; Buddha himself did so, and his alms-dish became a very celebrated and sacred relic. The first teaching which the young noviciate receives is peculiarly Masonic; it is the Gayatri, two translations of which I have appended in a note; there it will be seen that he invokes the sun, and desires Light-the light of the understanding. He receives a number of sacred and mystical words, but they are not pass-words. "Om" has often been compared to Jehovah ; it is a very sacred word, but it is generally pronounced. Some sects "whisper" it, while others will not even do that-they only meditate upon the word. The other words mentioned may be classed as Mantras, of which there are a great many. They are used by the Hindus in their ceremonies. Williams adds that the rite is completed by binding on a girdle made of Munja grass. I never saw this ceremony in India-so far as I am aware it is not done in secret— and accounts of it in books are scarce; so have often wondered as to whether the ceremony, if carefully scrutinised in all its details, had not some reference to death, from which condition the new birth takes place. Williams's description gives no hint. Another matter that naturally calls for attention is the Brahminical thread. What is it-what does it symbolize ? It symbolises the New-Birth-but how? Symbols are generally something tangible, and this skein of thread-for the Brahminical cord is described by these words-no doubt represents some existing object, of which it expresses the symbolical sense. At last I have found in the Satapatha Brahmana, which has lately been translated by Professor Eggeling, an important reference to this subject. This ancient work is a book of ritualism, and gives an elaborate account of the details connected with sacrifice; and it will be necessary to give just a faint notion of some of the ideas of sacrifice, so that what follows may be understood. The place of worship has to be carefully prepared, and after it is ready comes the statement that "It is, however, the officiating priests that constitute the place [or medium] of worship."6 The transmutation indicated in this sentence pervades everything connected with the ritual, and unless it is understood the references to follow would be meaningless. The same transmutation, or transubstantiation it might be called, takes place with the Brahman. He is the Priest, and he is a man. He is the Sacrifice, "The Sacrifice is a man," and on this account it is made "as large as a man.' 18 It is the priest who is the sacrifice as well as the sacrificer, 4 1 That is his "teacher," for the young Brahman begins the study of the Vedas under a Guru on being initiated. 2 The Savitri prayer, or Gayatri, is,-"Let us meditate [or, we meditate] on that excellent glory of the divine Vivifier. May he enlighten [or stimulate] our understandings." This invocation is addressed to Savitri as the Sun, and its “Light." Professor Wilson has a slightly different version of it which he translates from the Vishnu Purana,-" We meditate on that excellent light of the divine sun: may he illuminate our minds." 3 These three words were produced by Prajapati from the Vedas.-"He uttered the word bhur, which became this earth; bhuvah, which became this firmanent; and swar, which became that sky," Dowson's Class. Hindu Dict. art. Vyahritis. This passage illustrates creating by means of a word, and the threefold division of the universe. 4 Sacred Books of the East, vols. xii. and xxvi. 5 It is supposed to date about four or five centuries B.C. 6 Sat. Brahm. iii., 1, 1, 5. 7 Ibid iii., 5, 3, 1, 1, 3, 2, 1. 8 "The sacrifice is a man; it is a man for the reason that a man spreads [prepares] it. In being spread it is made just as large as a man; this is why the sacrifice is a man."-Ibid iii., 5, 3, I. In one part of the book it is told that the Asuras were dividing the earth, and the gods went to them to demand a share, Vishnu being a dwarf, he being "this very sacrifice," the altar was to be his exact size, so the Asuras promised them that space as their share, Vishnu lay down, and the altar was made to his size, but it was found that it required the entire earth to hold him "For this reason they say, 'as great as the altar is, so great is the earth; for by it [the altar] they obtained this entire [earth].'" 1, 2, 5, 7. "so does he who is consecrated now become the sacrifice," but the sacrifice is God, and so is the priest and so is the man. 'Now, he who is consecrated draws nigh to the gods and becomes one of the deities."2 "When he is consecrated he is Vishnu, and when he sacrifices "For Vishnu is the sacrifice."4 Finally, it is the sacrifice to God, of he is the sacrificer."3 a God, by a God. So This sacrifice, as given in the Satapatha Brahmana, is one of the most confusing puzzles I have ever tried to unravel. There are two volumes already published, and that does not give the end. Some things are given in minute detail, while important parts are left quite unexplained, and in many cases from the peculiar interchangeable character pervading everything in the ritual, it seems to me almost impossible to work out the exact sense. I speak with some uncertainty, but as far as I can guess, I should say that the Brahminical re-birth must have been originally connected with the death at the sacrifice. Although there is a great amount of detail about killing, blood, and cutting up the victim, it is, I understand, all done in the children's "make-believe" style. Cakes of rice and barley with Ghee or butter are the articles used. Professor Eggling in a note" explains,-"That is to say, the sacrificial cake is a substitute or symbol [pratima] for the animal sacrifice [as this it would seem was originally a substitute for the human sacrifice] by which the sacrificer redeems himself from the Gods. . . . It would seem that the man originally sacrificed his equal, as the best substitute for his own self; and that as advancing civilization rendered human sacrifices distasteful, the human victim was supplied by domestic animals, ennobled by constant contact with man; and finally by various materials of human diet." Although there is no reference to death that can be traced in the rite of Brahminical initiation now, from the above I presume that there had been so at first in connection with the sacrifice. A distinct reference is given to this in the following text:-"Now, he who is consecrated becomes an embryo, and enters into the Metres: hence he has his hands closed, since embryos have their hands closed. And when he says I touch you,' he means to say 'I enter into you.' 'Do you guard me up to the goal of this sacrifice!' whereby he says, 'Do you protect me until the completion of this sacrifice!"7 The word sacrifice is here used in connection with becoming an embryo, and there follows close upon it the relation of the Brahminical thread to this stage of the re-birth. With regard to this part of the subject, I am glad to say that the Brahmana is sufficiently distinct. The sacrificer, or it might be the sacrifice, for they are both the same, has to be consecrated, and here is a part of the description of it, which refers to the Brahminical thread, in this case called "the Zone." "He then girds himself with the Zone. For once upon a time when the Angiras were consecrated, they were seized with weakness, for they had prepared no other food but fast-milk. They then perceived this [source of] strength [viz., the Zone], and this [source of] strength they put in [or round] the middle of their body as a [means of attaining] completion and thereby they attained completion. And so does he now put that [source of] strength in the middle of his body, and thereby attain completion. It is made of hemp. Hempen it is in order to be soft. Now when Pragapati, having become an embryo, sprung forth from that sacrifice, that which was nearest to him, the Amnion,10 became hempen threads; hence they smell putrid. And that which was the outer membrane [and placenta] became the garment of the consecrated. Now the Amnion lies under the outer membrane, and hence that [Zone] is worn under the garment. And in like manner as Pragapati, having become an embryo, sprung forth from that sacrifice, so does he become an embryo and spring forth from that sacrifice."11 9 There are other passages referring to the same, but the above is quite sufficient to indicate the symbolism of the Brahminical thread, or girdle. It is identical with the Yoni; and a Brahmin of the present day would describe it as representing "the Female Power of the Universe." 3 Ibid iii., 2, 1, 17. Another passage puts it that he is Prajapati; it should also be remembered that the Hindu gods are also interchangeable with one another, so that if he was one god he might be almost any god. 1 Ibid 1, 7, 4, 20. See also, iii., 2, 4, 6; iii., 6, 3, 3. "Pragapati [Lord of Creation] is the sacrifice." i., 2, 5, 12. 5 Ibid, vol. xii, p. 49. [The number of the vol. here is its number as one of The Sacred Books of the East, the two volumes which contain the Satapatha-Brahmana, are vols. xii. and xxvi.] 6" Soma is the Lord of herbs; Vishnu is the chief among the strong; Tvashtri is the prince of the Rudras; and Siva is the ruler of [all] creatures; likewise sacrifice of [all] initiatory ceremonies." Anugita Sacred Books of the East, vol. viii., p. 346-7. 7 Satapatha-Brahmana, iii., 2, 1, 6-7. 8 Pragapati, or Prajapati, "Lord of Creatures," a term applied to Indra, Savitri, Soma, Brahma, &c. 9 Here "Sacrifice" is again connected with the birth. 10 Amnion, The innermost membrane, surrounding the fetus in the womb."-Webster. 11 Satapatha Brahmana, iii., 2, 1, 10-11. In When a Brahmin loses caste, which is from supposed defilement of some kind or another, according as they believe; he has to be born again. We have instances on record; the Rajah of Sattara sent two ambassadors to England when he was in difficulties with our government; they were Brahmins, and on their return to India, it was believed that they had lost caste; this is a very serious matter for their relatives can have nothing to do with them. They become outcasts. In this case the Rajah was anxious to help them, and here is what has to be done in such a case. "For the purpose of regeneration it is directed to make an image in pure gold of the female power of nature, in the shape either of a woman or a cow. this statue the person to be regenerated is enclosed and dragged through the usual channel. As a statue of pure gold and of proper dimensions would be too expensive, it is sufficient to make an image of the Sacred Yoni, through which the person to be regenerated has to pass. Ragho Nath Rajah bad one made of pure gold, and of proper dimensions, his ambassadors passed through, and by adding immense presents to Brahmins they became regenerated, and were admitted again into the communion of the faithful."1 In 1876 the Maharajah of Travancore had to perform this ceremony. It was in the papers at the time that he had "been born again, after due form, as a Brahman of the Brahmans, through the womb of a cow of gold of exactly his own weight."2 According to Sir Monier Williams the cord of a Brahmin should be of cotton, and that of Kshatriya of hemp; according to the Satapatha Brahmana, the Brahman's should be hemp. "It is interwined with a shoot of reed [munga] grass."3 In this we see that slight changes took place even among the rigid and sacerdotal Brahmins. Another of the old authorities says, "The girdle of a Brahmin shall be made of Munga grass.' "14 "A Kshatriya of a bow-string, a Vaisya of hempen threads." The Kshatriya is the warrior caste, and hence the bow-string. Another authority expresses,- "The sacrificial thread shall be made of Kusa grass, or cotton, and consist of thrice three strings. [It shall hang down] to the navel."6 At present the cord is of three threads, of unbleached cotton, and is worn over the left shoulder, hanging down to the right side to about the top of the pelvis. 66 Some of these sacred books give a different aspect of the re-birth, but looking at it from a Brahminical point of view there is nothing antagonistic to the one already given. Indeed there are allusions in the Satapatha Brahmana which indicate the other. One of the quotations already given from it contains the idea, it is the following: Now, he who is consecrated becomes an embryo, and enters into the Metres." The "Metres" in this case are the verses of the Vedas. The Vedas are the sources of knowledge, which supply the light of the understanding, which is invoked by the Gayatri. Vasishtha says, "No religious rite can be performed by a [child] before he has been girt with the sacred girdle, since he is on a level with a Sudra before his [new] birth from the Veda."7 In Apastamba, the name under which another of the old sacred books goes by, it is said, "For he causes him [the pupil] to be born [a second time] by [imparting to him] sacred learning." It may be explained that the Vedas are represented as feminine. In the accounts of Krishna he is described as sporting with Gopis or milkmaids; the Prem Saugor gives many details of Krishna's dealings with the young women, which at first seem anything but moral, but when it is explained that the Gopis are the verses of the Vedas, it is evident that a literal interpretation is not likely to be the right one. BRAHMIN WITH SACRED CORD. As these extracts are rather fragmentary it may be as well to give a sketch of this initiatory rite in a more connected form. It was called the Dikshaniya sacrifice, because the sacrificial 6 Baudhayana, 1, 5, 8. 711, 6. Daily News, 5th Oct., 1876. 8 Ibid, vol. ii., p. 3. According to Monier Williams (see Supra), it is the Guru who is to begin teaching the young Brahmin the Vedas, who initiates him with the sacred cord. idea was associated with the ceremony. The individual went through a number of purifying rites, such as bathing, shaving, cutting the nails, and anointing with butter. A linen garment is put on, this represents the outer membrane enclosing the foetus, and is called "the covering of consecration and penance," and "the garment of the consecrated." He then sits down on two black antelope skins, which are "an image of these two worlds [heaven and earth], and thus he consecrates him on these two worlds."l The zone or sacred thread, representing the inner membrane, is placed on his body, and he becomes an embryo. The details relating to these actions as given in the Brahmana are innumerable, but the result is that the individual is born again. "This [second] birth is the best," so it is declared. From his father and mother he received his first birth, that was his body; but the second birth is a spiritual one-the soul is supposed to be born into light and knowledge, that is, into the light and knowledge of the Vedas; for the initiation is the beginning of the study of these books by the young Brahmin. The Apastamba says, "The initiation is the consecration, in accordance with the texts of the Veda, of a male who is desirous of [and can make use of] sacred knowledge." The Vasistha, one of the Sutras, states :-" Their first birth is from their mother; the second from the investiture with the sacred girdle. In that [second birth] Savitri is the mother; but the teacher is said to be the father. They call the teacher father, because he gives instruction in the Veda." These extracts give the meaning that was attached to this ceremony; they show that the seeking for light and knowledge, combined with a rite symbolical of regeneration, is no new idea, but can be traced back to the most ancient times. The initiation as described in the Brahmana may be roughly guessed as being the form practised about 2000 years ago; but that is a long way from its first beginning. Having now furnished what I hope will be sufficient to give an idea of the Brahminical cord and its symbolism with the Hindus, I turn to the Parsees, who also wear a cord or sacred girdle. I shall first give some account of the ideas connected with it from the old Zend Books, a number of which have now been published in the Sacred Books of the East. The girdle in this case is called the "Kusti." It passes three times round the body, which means that it is triple; it is composed of seventy-two threads, is tubular in form, and is made of wool. The Parsee who showed me his Kusti explained that the first circle of the sacred cord expresses a belief in One God; the second a belief in One Prophet, Zoroaster; and the third that the world is round. Darmsteter, who translates the Venidad, in a note7 to that book gives quite another explanation. He says, "Each of the three circumventions of the loins is equal in value to Humat, Good Thought, Hukhat, Good Speech, Huaresta, Good Work." According to the same authority there are divisions of the thread into 6, 12, 24, and 72. The six expresses the six Gahanbars or season-festivals; the twelve are the twelve months of the year; the twenty-four are the twenty-four Kardaks or sections of the Visparad-one of the sacred books; the seventy-two are the seventy-two chapters of the Yasna, another of the sacred books.8 The Brahmin never undoes the coil of his thread, but the Parsee has to undo it every time he bathes or even washes his hands; he has each time to replace the Kusti, and the tying of the knots is a religious rite. There is a symbolic meaning given to every turn and twist of the cord when it is being tied. If I understand right it is tied round the waist, and does not pass over the shoulder as with the Brahmin. The Parsees of the present day begin to wear the girdle when they are seven years old but the Shayast-La-Shayast, gives fifteen years as the age-a difference implying a considerable change. The Parsee also wears a "sacred shirt," made of cotton, and called a "shoodrah;"10 this word was explained to me by my Parsee friend as being formed of Shood="good," and rah=“way.” In front of the neck there is a very small pocket, about an inch square, with an opening next the skin; this pocket is called "Gurrian." This shirt has to be worn with the sacred girdle, and under it. The Shayast-La-Shayast, chap. iv.ll, gives very minute details, not only of the girdle, but also of the shirt, and from the explanations it may be assumed that they were symbols of puberty, and the shirt was the necessary covering which modesty required. There is an interesting resemblance in this with the traditional origin of the Masonic clothing as given in the Old Lectures, where it is derived from the 1 Sat. Brahm., iii., 2, 1, 1. 2 Apastamba, I, ii., 13. 3 1, i., 8. 4 Savitri is only another word for the Veda, or a personification of the Gayatri, the sacred verse 5 Vasishta, I., ii., 3-4. already given. 6 God in this case means Hormuzd, or Ahura Mazda, as it is given in the Zend writings. 7 Sacred Books of the East, vol. iv., p. 191. 8 Ibid, vol. xviii., p. 122. 9 4, 9. 10 The old name in the Zend books is Sadarah. Venidad, Far. xviii., 9, note. It is also called the "garment of Vohuman." The archangel Vohuman was the first creation of God. Dadistan-i-Dinik, 39, 19, 40, 2, note. 11 Sacred Books of the East, vol. v., p. 285, etc. N |