Mythology - Myths and Superstitions in Punjab
FOLK BELIEFS OF PUNJAB
LOCAL DEITIES
The prosperity of a Punjabi's life depends by and large upon his agricultural output. That is why most of the local deities that are propitiated in villages are humanized forms of those natural phenomena which prove beneficial or harmful in agriculture. The people's maximum interest is in the soil, because it gives them their livelihood. That is why everywhere in the villages of the Punjab, earth is worshipped as Mother Earth. She is the bearer of all animate and vegetable life which rests on her surface. But no shrine or image is erected to Mother Earth, because she is believed to be present everywhere in the form of ground. Here and there in the villages one can see a heap of stones, pottery and pebbles collected under a sacred tree. This is a place where Mother Earth is believed to dwell. People go there and place before it offerings-milk, fruits and grains.
When a cow or buffalo is milted, the first five or seven streams of her milk are offered to Earth. Similarly at harvest time some plants are left in the field as an offering to Mother Earth, and a prayer is made to her to send plenty of rain the following year, so that there is a bumper crop. At the construction of a new house when the first stone is laid after the digging of the foundation, a coconut, a few silver coins, a coral and a pearl are tied in mauli (a multi-coloured thread), and offered to Mother Earth.
The Punjabis believe that every month Mother Earth sleeps for seven days. During these days no activity such as digging, ploughing or sowing, is ever performed, and the earth is left in quiet repose. There is a belief that a person who dies on the lap of Mother Earth attains peace. That is why when a person is about to die, he or she is removed from the cot and laid on the earth. All mourners who come to condole with a bereaved relative, sleep on the ground for eleven days after the death.
Villages which exist in the vicinity of rivers and streams stand in danger of floods. Their inhabitants worship and give offerings to the Darya Pir (river god) or Khizar Pir (water god). Khwaja Khizar is the commonly accepted river god and both Hindus and Muslims propitiate him. They collect some stones and bricks near a river and raise a small shrine to him. In the months of Sawan and Bhadon when there is fear of inundation to cattle and crops, incantations are sent up to the river god. Before launching a boat, sailors invoke Khwaja Pir to grant it a safe journey.
Sometimes when a flood is feared, offerings in the form of an animal sacrifice are made to the river god. When a river is in flood, a coconut, some dried grass and a golden ring are tied together and offered to it, along with a buffalo which is pushed into the flood. If the buffalo is drowned it means that the god has accepted the offering and there is no fear of the flood. If it swims across to the other bank, even that is an auspicious sign, but if it turns and comes back to -the side from where it was pushed in, a flood is supposed to be imminent. Whenever in the rainy season there was a flood in the Ghaggar stream, the Maharaja of Patiala used to perform the customary ceremony of offering a golden ring, a coconut and grass to the river deity, and it is claimed that the flood water always receded.
In the Punjab when a new well is dug up a clod of earth is kept aside undug to propitiate Khwaja Kbizar. When water level is reached this left over clod is also dug up. This particular piece of earth is treated as Khwaja Khizar's shrine for the time that the digging goes on.
Before laying the foundation of a well, a coconut smeared in sandhur (vermilion) and tied in mauli (multi coloured thread) is offered to the water god.
In summer when there are cyclonic whirlwinds, Bhai Pheru is propitiated. Bhai Pheru, according to legend, was a Brahmin, a disciple of Sakhi Sarwar. His main shrine is in Miyanki, in Lahore district.
A, popular deity of the Punjab is Khetarpal, the field spirit and the guardian of farms. His image can be seen in many villages in the Punjab. Farmers fix a cross bamboo in the middle of the field and put an inverted earthen pot over it, marked with white and black stripes and propitiate it with the offering of the first ears of corn, so that it may protect the crop from ants, rats and evil spirits.
Another godling closely allied to Khetarpal is Bboomia.He protects the land over which the village is located. Whenever a new village is raised, a shrine is made for Bhoomia. According to a belief among the Jats, when the first man of the newly set up village dies, and is cremated or buried, he is deified. A shrine for Bhoomia is erected at that place and propitiations for the protection of the village are sent up to him. If a son is born in a family, or if there is a wedding, Bhoomia is the deity to be invoked with offerings and in his name. Brahmins of the village are fed. At harvest time again, Bhoomia is propitiated in the first milk of a cow or buffalo is offered to him.
Every Sunday women pay obeisance to him. The fourth day of the lunar fortnight is considered a special day for his invocation. By nature this godling is benefic, but reacts violently if offended or dishonoured. It is said that if someone brushes his teeth near his shrine, he is gripped by illness; if he happens to sleep near his shrine he feels a heavy weight on his chest.
Another deity similar to Bhoomia is Jathera (the elder). Whenever a founder of a village dies, a monument resembling a shrine is raised to him on the outskirts of the village and a Jandi tree is planted there. There may be many such shrines in a village. On a certain day all the descendants of the 'elder' go to a pond and dig earth and put it on the mound of their Jathera and offer ghee and flowers to him. The village-folk generally believe that illness, epidemic, and other calamities are actually punishment which a malignant spirit inflicts, if and when it is offended.
It is consequently felt that an illness or a disease can be cured only by propitiating such spirits. That is why there are some deities connected with diseases. The most dreaded among these is Masan who is the personification of the cremation-ground. Villagers are scared of him because he causes wasting diseases and makes his victim die a slow and painful death. Women who perform witchcraft propitiate and invoke him for fulfillment of their desires.
Seetla Mata is believed to be the goddess of smallpox. She is also known as Mata and Jagrani. Whenever anyone in the village suffers from smallpox, his family members propitiate Seetla Mata. During an attack of smallpox it is believed that the patient is possessed by the Mata and no such activity is allowed in the house as might offend her. The use of soap, oil and toothbrush is given up. Consumption of garlic, onions, eggs and meat is also forbidden. The Mata is supposed to reside on a keekar tree, so the members of the infected person's family water this tree. Propitiatory offerings dedicated to the Mata are given to the ***, especially the guigula.
OMENS
Omens are generally understood to mean the phenomena and objects which forecast coming events. A large number of Punjabis even today have a staunch belief in omens. For them the success or failure of a journey or enterprise depends upon the very first object that one encounters while setting out.
If one comes across a woman carrying a pitcher of water, a child, a gardener's wife carrying a bunch of flowers, or a Sweeper, it is supposed to be a good omen.
If a man riding a horse, or a young man playing on a flute comes across, even then the success of the venture is supposed to be guaranteed. Out of birds and animals a partridge, chirping and flying on the right, and a donkey braying on the left are supposed to bring good luck.
On the other hand, a woman carrying an empty pitcher, a gardener's wife with an empty basket, a Brahmin, a Maulavi, or a bald man bring bad luck. A lame, a one-eyed man, or an otherwise disabled person is not good. To see a smouldering object is supposed to be a very bad omen.
If a cat cuts across the path., there is absolutely no possibility of success in the undertaking. Meeting a snake is also bad, but if the snake is killed then the bad effect is warded off. If someone sneezes at the start of a venture, it is inauspicious, but two consecutive sneezes are good.
If a dog whines at night it portends death because a dog is supposed to be the attendant of Yama, and the moment it sees Yama it starts whining. If a dog lies on its back with its legs upwards, it portends a calamity. A {censored} crowing during the day is bad. Similarly, seeing an owl during daytime is unlucky. Bats are supposed to bring bad luck.
Some omens are associated with days and heavenly bodies. If the festivals of Holi, Lobri and Baisakhi fall on a Tuesday, it is feared that a serious catastrophe will befall the world.
MYTH AND MYTHOLOGY
Each community has its own body of myths, which are the products of its primitive beliefs and culture. Myths being an inseparable part of the religious tradition are closely related to rituals. Myths prevalent in the Punjab are akin to those prevailing in other parts of northern India. The Puranas are, of course, the primary source, but there are many, which have a distinct Punjabi flavor, and were presumably invented by the village-folk.
THE UNIVERSE
The popular myth about the origin of the universe is a very simple but also interesting one. This universe, it says, was originally egg-shaped, and then it broke into two; one half became the sky and the other the earth. The thread veins in the egg became streams and rivers; the fluid took the shape of the sea, the yolk became the core of the earth, and thus came into existence the universe.
According to another myth, the earth is balanced on one horn of a bull. Whenever the bull gets tired, it changes over the weight to the tip of the other horn. This changing- over creates tremors and earthquakes. Even today, whenever there is an earthquake, the Punjabis say that the white bull has changed over to the other horn. This myth too has its root in the Puranas.
BIRTH AND DEATH
The myth about birth and death is very simple but interesting. It has its origin in the popular imagination. Once when God was in a pleasant mood, He created an image in clay. This was the image of man. Then, curious to see the effects, he called one soul to him and asked it to enter that image. The soul was not quite sure of the consequences, so it hesitated. But it could not disobey God. So it pleaded with Him and said, "I'll enter this image only if you assure me that I shall not be tied down to it for ever, and that you will draw me out of it." God agreed to do so.
As soon as the soul entered, life flowed through the body and man started moving about. The soul began to enjoy the thrill of life. After some years when God felt it was time to release the soul from the body, it was unwilling to do so. But God had to fulfil his word. So, in spite of the soul's unwillingness, God pulled it out. Thus life and death came into being.
According to yet another myth, in earlier times children used to grow on coconut trees. Whosoever needed a baby plucked a coconut off the tree, broke it into two and took out the baby. Consequently, people were not very much attached to their children, and whenever a child fell ill, they would throw him away and pluck another coconut for a flesh baby. All sorts of ailing children crying the whole day were found heaped under the Coconut trees. Once there was an epidemic. People dumped all the sick children under the coconut trees and took away new ones from the treetops. Sick children continued to be piled up under the trees, and the earth and the sky rocked with their cries of pain. An old man happened to pass that way. He was so deeply moved by the cries of the ailing children that he prayed to God thus: "Oh God, let the children in this world grow in the wombs of women rather than on trees, so that if something happens to them, the mother's heart will feel the pain." And God granted the prayer.
THE SUN AND THE MOON
In some myths, the sun and the moon are brothers and sisters, while in others they are two real brothers. According to one myth, the sun is doing penance by burning in eternal heat because its mother has cursed it, whereas the moon enjoys its mother's blessings in permanent coolness.
According to the myth in which the Sun and the Moon are brothers, their mother was once going to take her bath. She said, "My sons, I am going to bathe you two, turn your backs or stand behind the tree." Both of them, in obedience to their mother, stood behind a tree, but whereas Moon kept his head low and eyes averted. Sun kept peeping at his mother through the corner of his eyes. When the mother noticed this she was furious and she cursed him saying, "May you always have only one eye." Ever since then the sun has had only one eye. Even in trying to look at it we have to close one eye and see it only with the other.
According to the other myth in which they are brother and sister, the two were once invited to a marriage. When they were about to leave, their mother told them to save some sweets and bring them home for her. Sun was greedy, so he ate up everything, but Moon saved a lot for her mother. She was bringing it all home when sun quietly ate that too. When the mother came to know of it, she was so angry that she cursed the son saying, "As I am now burning with rage may you always burn in agony." Then she turned to the daughter Moon, and spoke lovingly thus: "My darling daughter, you have soothed my heart with your love. May you always prosper in the same soothing calmness, and radiate joy to the world."
There is yet another myth in which again the sun and the moon are brother and sister. Once their mother fell ill and she put her children to work. She asked Moon to knead the dough and Sun to light the fire. Sun was rather unwilling to perform the work assigned to him but, being afraid of his mother's anger, he slowly began to light it. When the fire was lit he picked up a couple of live coals and flung them at his mother, saying, "Here Ma, the fire is done." The burning coals fell on the mother's stringed cot, and it caught fire. Moon ran with a bucket of water and extinguished the fire. The angry mother cursed her son to eternal burning, and blessed the daughter with peace.
LUNAR ECLIPSE
The phenomenon of lunar eclipse, once inexplicable to the common folk, had many myths prevalent about it. Here are two of them.
According to one, Moon, once in great need, borrowed some money on interest from a 'Dum' (a low-caste menial). Somehow he could not repay this amount. Interest went on multiplying and piling up, so much so that it became impossible for Moon to pay up. Moon is still a debtor. Whenever the moneylender goes to him to ask for the money, he hides his face and does not show it so long as men and women on earth do not give plenty in charity to the 'Dum', thus lightening his financial burden.
The other myth originates from the Puranas. The gods and the demons once jointly churned the sea in order to obtain nectar. When nectar was obtained, the demons swiped it off. The Gods took panic, thinking that if the demons drank up the nectar and became immortal they would kill them all. They ran to Vishnu-who soon transformed himself into a pretty girl, Mohini, went to the place where the demons had assembled to drink nectar, and began to dance before them. Utterly bewitched they left the cup of nectar unattended and surrounded Mohini, who, very cleverly pretending to wish to distribute the nectar among those present, took up the cup. She called the gods also and made them sit in a separate group, There she started distributing nectar, first on the gods side. Nectar was finishing fast.
Rahu the demon saw through the game, he also recognized Vishnu disguised as Mohini. He quickly took the guise of a god and slipped into the rows of gods. The "young damsel" serving nectar unsuspectingly gave it to Rahu who quickly gulped it down. Sun and Moon sitting close by became suspicious because they saw that Rahu had a shadow, whereas gods did not have any shadow. Quickly they gestured to Mohini, who, understanding the situation, took again the form of Vishnu, "whisked out his wheel and chopped off Rahu's head from his body. But even though the head had been cut off from the body, Rahu could not be killed because he had taken of nectar, the drink of immortality. Consequently, both the head and the body remained alive. The head came to be known as Rahu and the rest of the body is Ketu. Both Rahu and Ketu have ever since been pursuing Sun and Moon with vengeance because they want to take revenge. Whenever they catch up with Sun or Moon. They gulp him up, and there is an eclipse. People on earth give alms
liberally in order to get their Gods liberated from the diabolical grip.
BLACK SPOTS ON MOON
There is an old woman sitting in the moon, plying her spinning wheel. When she finishes one skien she flings it on the earth, thus causing daybreak.
The Puranic myth is different and more interesting. Lord Indra was enamoured of Ahilya, the wife of Rishi Gautam. He wanted to seduce her. To be able to do so, he entered into a conspiracy with Moon. Moon, transforming himself into a {censored}, uttered the crow of dawn in the middle of the night. Gautam Rishi thinking that the day had dawned quickly got up and went to the river to have his daily bath. Indra, quickly impersonating Gautam, succeeded in his evil intention towards Ahilya. The friendly river-deity apprised Gautam of the truth. Gautam rushed back and accosted Moon who, in the guise of a {censored}, was standing watch at the door. In anger he flung his wet towel at him and cursed him. That left a permanent black mark, which we see on the face of Moon.
There is also a myth about the waxing and waning of the moon. This also takes its origin from the Puranas. Moon had twenty- seven wives who were all real sisters and daughters of a Rishi. Moon was very fond of Rajni (night) and paid scant attention to the others who were, therefore, very jealous. They complained to their father. The Rishi got vexed, and he cursed Moon saying, "He who has so tortured my daughters may himself suffer from a wasting disease." Immediately Moon started decaying. Fourteen days thus went by and Rajni got worried. She realized that at that rate Moon could not last for more than a day. She wept before her sisters and brought them to see the end of their husband. When they all saw him wasting away like that, they too began to weep. At once all sisters rushed to their father and begged him to withdraw his curse. "But," said the Rishi, "words once uttered by a Rishi cannot be withdrawn. I can't revoke the curse, I can only mitigate it.
This wasting disease will affect Moon for the first fifteen days of a month but will end on the fifteenth day. Thereafter he will start improving and go on getting bigger and bigger every day, till on becoming full- bodied he would wane again, This cycle would go on forever,"
In the Puranic myth the name of the Rishi is Daksha,. and the favorite queen of Moon is Rohini, not Rajni.
THE STARS
The Punjabi's have their own interesting myths to tell about the stars. The general belief has been that all great men become stars after death and occupy a high place in the sky.
There are special myths about the Pole Star and the Great Bear. The constellation of the Great Bear is called Sapt Rishi, that is, Seven Rishi's. These seven stars are supposed to be the seven Rishi's who lived in the time of Raja Dashrath and were very close to Shri Ramchandra. All the seven were saints of a very high order who had controlled their emotions after great penance. When the great saints passed out of this world they were given an honorable station in the sky and placed next to one another.
There is a popular myth about the Pole Star. Raja Uttampada had two wives Suniti and Suruchi. Dhruv (after whom the star is named Dhruv) was the son of Suniti. Suruchi won the King over to her side and turned him against Suniti. At her instigation, the King banished both Suniti and her son. When Dhruv grew up he became curious about his father and expressed a great desire to see him. Suniti agreed to let him go and Dhruv went to the court of his father. King Uttampada was very happy to see his son, took him on his lap, and loved and caressed him. Suruchi was absolutely furious when she saw this. She quarreled with the King and dragged Dhruv away from there and threw him out of the palace. Dhruv came home weeping and narrated the entire episode to his mother and asked her how he could overcome such an insult. The mother advised him to worship Narayan, the master of the Universe.
Dhruv went into the jungles and, despite innumerable obstructions, performed severe penance. At last Lord Vishnu appeared to him and said, "Just as you have remained firm and steadfast in your path of devotion, so will you remain in the sky-lofty, steadfast and shining like a constant star." After death, Dhruv rose to the sky and became a star.
The Milky Way, or the galaxy, has many names in Punjabi, among them Akash Ganga (Ganga of the sky), and Gati-Dhuli (dust of the cow's hooves). According to a very popular myth, the Milky Way is a counterpart of the Ganga we know on earth.
According to another myth, when Lord Krishna takes his cows out to graze and brings them back, the dust blown with their hooves shines in the sky. It is also believed that after death people go to heaven along this path.
RAIN AND LIGHTNING
In the Punjab there is a very interesting myth about the origin of clouds. Once upon a time, a Rishi was doing penance in a forest. He had only one quilt, which had multi-colored patches on it. In severe cold he covered himself with it, and in summer he put it aside. Once the summer was extremely hot but he kept sitting in the sun in contemplation. His whole body was scorched. His quilt, which was his co-sharer in all his states of happiness and sorrow, could not bear to see him suffer so. It flew up to the sun in the shape of a cloud and obstructed its heat. It has since roamed about the sky in the shape of clouds.
Lightning is supposed to be the manifestation of Devaki's daughter. Kansa killed her by hitting her on a stone as soon as he came to know about her birth. Little did he know that Devaki's real child, Krishna was being safely nursed by Yasodha in Gokul. The moment the little innocent girl hit the stone, she disappeared in the sky and manifested herself in the form of lightning announcing her uncle's doom. Ever since then she has been there flashing amidst the clouds. As her maternal uncle killed the child, it is believed that lightning is hostile to maternal uncles and nephews being together. When lightning flashes in the sky, it is not considered good for the maternal uncles and nephews to be sitting together under one roof. If they are, it is feared that lightning would strike them.
SUPERSTITIONS
In the Punjab it is believed that the control of natural powers is one of the possessions of the saints, and, therefore, many such powers have been associated with almost every saint. Stories of miraculous exhibition are associated with every pir, jogi, and saint of repute, including Sikh Gurus, though they condemned these powers and said, "To work miracles is a vain and an empty show."'
Beliefs and superstitions are deep rooted habits and fancies. The majority of the population of the Punjab being rural, for centuries these people of the villages, bereft of education and contact with awakened communities, were under the spell of superstition and witchcraft. It is only recently that because of the opening of schools in villages and increase of literacy that the people have become somewhat rational.
Most of the Punjabi superstitions are based upon the movements of the heavenly bodies, because it is widely believed that what happens to man and his world is determined by the movement of the celestial bodies. This belief is based upon imitative magic. Mangal (Mars) and Shani (Saturn) are supposed to be malefic. A Person born under the influence of these two planets, according to this belief, suffers heavily in life. A person born under the influence of these two neither leads a happy life, nor does he enjoy good health. A child born under the influence of Mangal is called Mangleek. He or she must marry a Mangleek and no one else. If this dictate is violated the anger of Mangal is aroused and the couple thus united remains ill and unhappy. Those who are born under the influence of Saturn must on Saturdays, give away in charity copper coins to Bhatras (worshippers of Saturn), who carry an iron-image o f Saturn in a vessel with mustard oil in it and go calling from door to door every Saturday morning.
If a person sees his own reflection in some mustard oil, then pours a copper coin into it and gives it to the Bhatra, he is believed to be relieved of all trouble, illness, and misfortune. Since all suffering is caused by the anger of Saturn, a little charity in his name makes all the difference.
Som (Moon), Budh (Mercury), Brihaspati (Jupiter), and Shukra (Venus) are considered beneficial, 'Shukra' being the best. A child born under this star lives a successful and prosperous life, attains high status in life, and keeps good health.
Some asterisms are not considered good. Of these Mool is supposed to be the worst. A child born under this group bodes evil to his parents, and so long as he does not attain youth, parents should not come face to face with him. If sometimes a meeting becomes unavoidable, the parent should not see the child's face directly. They put some oil in a vessel and first see in it the reflection of the child's face. The Punjab's famous legendary hero Puran was born under the Mool Dasha and had to be kept away from his parents for twelve years. It was only after that that his father saw his face for the first time.
There are many superstitions connected with the moon. If a newly-married woman sees the new moon regularly, she will deliver a male child as handsome as the moon. It is, however, considered inauspicious to see the new moon on the fourth lunar day. Doing so is supposed to bring a bad name.
During a solar or lunar eclipse, a pregnant woman is not supposed to move. Eating, drinking and even changing clothes must wait till the eclipse is over. Her every movement is believed adversely to affect the child in her womb. If during the eclipse she draws a line, its mark will appear on the body of her baby. All cooked food that stayed unused during the eclipse is given away in charity, because it is supposed to have become impure during the eclipse. Charity given at this time is considered to have great spiritual significance.
If a person sees a shooting star and quickly makes a wish and ties a knot, the wish is generally believed to be fulfilled.
Earth is given the status of mother, and it is believed that if a chaste and devoted woman falls into trouble and her honour is at stake, the mother earth opens out its bosom and absorbs that woman in itself, thus saving her from trouble. In the famous legend Sassi Punnu, when Sassi was wandering in the desert in search of Punnu, one shepherd tried to seduce her. She prayed to Mother Earth to save her honour, at which the ground under her feet opened and received her in. Blowing off a light is not considered good. The wick of the lamp should be turned down and then extinguished with a wave of the hand. Removing the light is not considered a good omen.
Fire in the oven is never put out with impure water, because that rouses the anger of the god of fire.
Many superstitions exist regarding the direction of the journey which one has to take. In olden times, travelling was hazardous and one had to be very careful. On particular days it was not considered proper to travel in certain directions. It was bad, for instance, to travel towards the north on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and good to travel in this direction on Mondays and Fridays. Thursday was regarded as bad for travelling southwards, and Wednesday good. Tuesdays and Wednesdays were not considered good for journey towards the hills. Work started on a Wednesday can be easily and successfully concluded.
It is believed that if a new dress is worn on a Saturday, it lasts longer. Wearing a new piece of jewellery on a Sunday is good, because then it does not get lost. Even at harvest-lime and at the time of sowing seeds, the auspicious and inauspicious days are taken into account. Tuesdays are regarded good for reaping and Wednesdays for sowing.
For the purchase of cattle due consideration is given to the influence of the day. Wednesdays are good for the purchase of a cow, Fridays for a mare, and Saturdays for a buffalo. Certain beliefs and superstitions are associated with animals, birds 'and insects.
An owl symbolises desolation, a vulture settling on a house-top brings bad luck. If one sees a snake, one should not utter the word 'snake' but euphemistically call it a kira (insect). If that is done, according to belief, the snake goes blind and cannot move. When a snake is killed it is not advisable to throw it out through the door. It is thrown either out through the window or a few bricks are removed from the wall and it is pushed out through the hole thus improvised. If that is not done its spirits get into the house and gives a lot of trouble. When a cobra completes its hundred years of life, it develops a metamorphic power. It is then called an Ichhadhari (capable of assuming any form) or a Chhaleda (phantom). The gem in the head of a snake is considered a very precious thing. It is supposed to bring riches and prosperity to the family that possesses it.
When a new utensil is bought, a horse is first made to smell it. Eating pork or wearing the teeth of a pig round the neck protects a person from the evil eye and witchcraft. Augury of ants carrying grain of food into a house is a promise of prosperity; but if the ants are seen going out they are a symptom of a heavy loss in the near future. Whooping cough is said to be cured by riding a bear. The hair of a bear round the necks can keep evil eyes off a child.
Particular months of the year are considered inauspicious for particular animals to litter. Chet is not good for a {censored}, Vaisakh for a she-camel, Jeth for a cat, Sawan for a mare or a she-***, Bhadon for a cow, Maghar for a buffalo, and Poh for a goat. If they litter in the months considered inauspicious for them they, according to belief, bring calamities upon the family that keeps them. Such animals are quickly sold off.
A human baby born in Kartik is considered inauspicious, but a baby born early in the morning is always lucky. A child of the other sex born after three consecutive children of one sex is considered unlucky. Thus a boy born after three girls or a girl after three boys is unlucky. The girl is unlucky for the father and the boy for the mother. Such a child is called Trikhal. There are certain rituals which ward off the evils associated with the birth of this type of baby. As soon as such child is born, it is made to pass through a hole in a sieve which is specially torn for this purpose. Alternatively, earth is dug up from under the threshold and the baby is made to pass under it.It the evil is thus removed, such a child proves immensely lucky.
If the shadow of a pregnant woman falls on a snake, it is said that its pace is slowed. At the time of childbirth thorny bushes are placed on the roof of the room of the mother so that a dog or a cat which augurs ill may not cross over the roof. Care is taken to see that no broom remains lying anywhere in that room because it will sweep off all the luck of the newborn baby. To make childbirth easy the knots of the jute cot are loosened. Some people go to the extent of removing all locks in the house because that way, it is said, all obstructions are removed. This superstition is also based on imitative magic. An iron knife is kept in the room in order to protect the mother and her newborn baby from evil spirits. To protect a child from the evil eye, a black mark is invariably put on its forehead, a piece of coal put in its milk, or a black thread is tied to the golden bangles worn on the arm.
A black object is hung on the terrace of a newly constructed house. Some people paint a gargoyle on a black pot, break it from underneath, and hang a red strip below it in order to make it look like a demon. All this is done to protect a house against the evil eye. Some women make their children wear round their neck nazarbattus (protectors from the evil eye), for this purpose, or sometimes for the same purpose hang pig's teeth round their neck.
There is a treatment for a child affected by the evil eye. A couple of dried red chillies are first waved over the head of the child and then thrown into the fire. If the smoke does not hurt the eyes, it is a sure sign that the evil look had affected the child.
MAGIC AND MEDICINE
In the Punjab, one still comes across Ojhas, Chellas, or Sianas who treat all kinds of illnesses with spells, etc. There are different rites to be gone through for different diseases.
If a person has a crook in the back, he should sit near the threshold of one who was born feet first. That person is to be asked to give a kick to the sufferer. If he agrees to do and actually does what is requested the trouble will go. The person who kicks has to stand at the inner side of the threshold. If there is pain in one side of the head, the patient should look at the rays of the setting sun and rub the affected portion with a few blades of grass, at the same time, muttering some incantation. Repeat it thrice and the pain will go.
A sty or inflammation of the eye is cured if the sufferer knocks at night at a neighbouring house where there are two adults and a child.When someone from inside asks about the caller's identity, these words have to be uttered in reply
"I am a sty
I come to you, from him I fly"
In the process the sty is transferred from the caller to the person called. The best way to cure a prolonged attack of hiccups is to put some blame on the person concerned, though no indication of the motive behind the false blame may be given out. The psychology behind this belief is that the person's attention is diverted and because of the shock of the allegation his hiccups suddenly stop.
If anyone suffers from intermittent fever, he should take a thread and go round a peepal tree seven times reciting an incantation. That way the fever will be passed on to the tree. There is another treatment for this fever. The patient is required to hear from the priest of a Gurudwara the story of how Guru Amar Das once entrapped this fever in the form of a child and released it only on the promise that wherever this Sakhi (legend) was told in future, it would run away from there.
For treating piles the patient ties around his toe a thread of five colours, white, red, green, yellow and black, keeps it on for fifteen days so as to open it on a Tuesday, and carries offerings thereafter to the temple of Hanuman. Sometimes a conjured ring is also given to the patient. It is claimed that if the patient wears this ring for a certain period, the malady goes.
A fit of epilepsy can be cured by making the patient smell an old shoe.
SORCERY
This is a form of magic in which spells and incantations are used to invoke a Pir or saint to get the desired effect. According to popular belief, incantation is a powerful instrument even for fighting pain and diseases of many forms. There is a separate spell for every ailment. The wise person first mutters the particular spell, then blows thrice at the affected part of the body, and the pain goes. This is called the Jhara- conjuration.
Snakebites and scorpion bites are also treated by spells. The men who do this are called mandaris (conjurors). It is claimed that many snakebites have been cured by spells and incantations. An able conjuror can, by means of incantation, call up the snake who bit the patient, and make it suck back its own poison from the patient. Similarly a scorpion bite is cured by spells. Guga Pir is invoked for the treatment of poisonous insect bites. Some yogis utter a spell on a pinch of ash which is then either swallowed or smeared over the affected part. This way even incurable diseases are believed to be cured.
WlTCHCRAFT
Of the many types of magic there is one which is performed for the general welfare of the community. It is harmless and benevolent. It helps in curing diseases, raising crops and warding off evil spirits. It is known as sympathetic magic. But there is the other type of magic-black magic-which is employed for anti- social purposes. It is performed with the evil intention of taking revenge, causing harm to someone, promoting a split in the victim's house, or ruining someone completely. In the Punjab, a woman expert in witchcraft is called a dain. The witch develops certain occult faculties through incantation and possesses power over an evil spirit which obeys her commands. It is believed that her evil look is very effective and can doimmense harm to its victims. That is why mothers hide their children from the gaze of such women.
In the Punjab there are people who still believe in the cure of a person supposed to be possessed by an evil spirit, by exorcism or conjuration. Among the erstwhile low castes of the Punjab, if anyone has a disease which cannot be diagnosed or cured in spite of treatment, or if he is a mental case, the villagers straightaway begin to believe that he has been to some haunted place and has been possessed by some evil spirit. The Chellas (disciples) remove the spirit from the patient's body by exorcism. Sometimes they even threaten the evil spirit by torturing the patient. They beat him or apply red hot iron bars to his body. The belief is that the victim is only a medium and no harm comes to him; it is the evil spirit who sulters. The spirit gets frightened in this way and deserts the body. When the evil spirit escapes, it either knocks at the door or breaks some object in the house.
Women who have no children adopt many magical remedies to cure themselves of barrenness. One of the methods is that a barren woman beats water at might over the burning pyre or a young bachelor, washes her hair with it, then cooks rice on that fire and cats it. All this time she keeps reciting a charm. It is believed that in this way the soul of the dead man enters the womb of that woman. This spell can be made ineffective, if the burning body is moved with a stick and some part of the body is broken. If some ashes from the pyre are given to someone to cat after uttering a charm, it is believed that he would become an invalid and die of a wasting disease. These ashes are known as kacha masan. Those women, who cannot perform the above spell, wait for some auspicious day, go to a road crossing, bathe there at midnight under the light of the stars, sacrifice a goat and recite some charm.
Those who happen to be at road crossings in villages in the morning can even today see sometimes multi-coloured threads, earthen lamps, mutton, etc., lying all over. If a person steps over these things, he exposes himself to much harm. Charms performed on road crossings are supposed to be very efficacious. Sometimes the witches collect foodgrains from seven houses or water from seven wells to cast a spell. Spells are also easily effective on locks of hair, nail pairings, castaway clothes, or the dust of feet. That is why villagers do not throw these things out in the streets, but they bury them in ditches. When a child's tonsure ceremony is performed, the hair is wrapped in dung and buried deep in a ditch until it can be disposed of in sacred waters.
Some witches in the Punjab are said to possess power to extract the liver of a person by just one glance. Such a witch is known as kaleje khani (liver-eater).
In the folk-tales of the Punjab there is frequent mention of witches who pull out a man's or animal's liver and eat it. They are ultimately caught and punished for their acts. They are also supposed to possess power to open or patch up the sky, turn stones into wax, set fire to water, and turn human beings into any shape they choose.
FORECAST AND DIVINATIONS
In spite of man's acknowledged inability to read his future, there are people who claim to have the skill and the perception to forecast the future on the basis of events and signs of the present. This art has been prevalent in the Punjab from the earliest times. The lives of the ignorant village-folk are greatly influenced by them. Some of these predictions are based upon the involuntary movements of the body- twitching of an eye or any other part of body, itching on the palm, etc. If a man's right eye twitches, some advantage is anticipated but the twitching of the left eye indicates harm. For a woman it is just the reverse- twitching of the right eye forebodes harm and of the left one good.
Similarly if there is itching on a man's right palm, he can hope for some monetary gain, and a loss or an unforeseen expenditure, if it is on the left palm. Once again it is just the opposite in the case of a woman. If there is itching under the feet, a journey is expected. If someone sneezes at the start of a work, it is doomed to failure.
Like other communities the Punjabis have great faith in dreams. They believe that dreams if correctly interpreted are indications of events to come. An early morning dream is generally considered to come true. A marriage seen in a dream is supposed to bring some calamity, but a death is an indication of longevity. It is not good to dream of fire, but to see water in a dream is auspicious.
If a deceased relative gives something in a dream, the dreamer may expect a windfall or good luck in some other form, but if the deceased person takes away something it forebodes death. If one dreams of taking coins from some person, it is interpreted to mean illness in the family.
People do a number of things to get an insight into the future. The village-folk generally draw lines at random on a piece of paper, or draw them on the earth with a finger, and then they bracket them in pairs. If the lines turn out to be even in number, it means fulfillment of a wish; otherwise it means disappointment. This is called Aunsi.
While kneading dough, if a part of the flour falls out of the plate, it means guests are coming. Cawing of a crow on the wall of the house also means the same.
The happiness and prosperity of the Punjabis depend upon the abundance of rain. That is why great significance is attached to the skill of forecasting weather. If the cloud in the sky has the shape of a partridge's feather, it is a sure promise of rain.
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