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caused by bathing in the hot weather; but when it is given, Bráhmans refuse to receive it, on the ground that the custom is a disgusting one. This cake was presented by my sister-in-law to my husband, together with a sacrificial fee; he received it, and brought it home with him, and got a severe scolding from me; then he began to be inwardly consumed with grief at his own stupidity, and went to worship the sole of the foot of the god Kartikeya: the god, pleased with his austerities, bestowed on him the knowledge of all the sciences; and gave him this order—" When thou findest a Bráhman who can recollect what he has heard only once, then thou mayest reveal these"—thereupon my husband returned home delighted, and when he had reached home, told the whole story to me. From that time forth, he has remained continually muttering prayers and meditating: so find you some one who can remember anything after hearing it once, and bring him here: if you do that, you will both of you undoubtedly obtain all that you desire.
Having heard this from the wife of Varsha, and having immediately given her a hundred gold pieces to relieve her poverty, we went out of that city; then we wandered through the earth, and could not find anywhere a person who could remember what he had only heard once: at last we arrived tired out at your house to-day, and have found here this boy, your son, who can recollect anything after once hearing it: therefore give him us and let us go forth to acquire the commodity knowledge.
Having heard this speech of Vyádi, my mother said with respect, "All this tallies completely, I repose confidence in your tale: for long ago at the birth of this my only son, a distinct spiritual[1] voice was heard from
- ↑ Literally bodiless—she heard the voice, but saw no man.
yoskitá for yoshitah. Dr. Rost would take evamkrite as the dative of evamkrit. If táh be retained it may be taken as a repetition " having thus prepared it, I say, the women give it." Professor Cowell would translate (if táh be retained) " the women then do not need to receive anything to relieve their fatigue during the cold and hot weather." Professor E. B. Cowell has referred me to an article by Dr. Liebrecht in the Zeitschrift der Morgenländischen Gesellschaft. He connects the custom with that of the Jewish women mentioned in Jeremiah VII. 18, " The women knead their dough to make cakes to the queen of heaven," and he quotes a curious custom practised on Palm Sunday in the town of Saintes. Dulaure slates that in his time the festival was called there La féte des pinnes; the women and children carrie in the procession a phallus made of bread , which they called a pinne, at the end of their palm branches;these pinnes were subsequently blessed by the priest, and carefully preserved by the women during the year. This article has been republished by the learned author in his " Zur Volkskunde" (Heilbronn, 1879) p. 436 and ff. under the title of " der aufgegessene Gott." It contains many interesting parallels to the custom described in the text.
