THE HINDU AT HOME BEING SKETCHES OF HINDU DAILY LIFE. BY THE REV. J. E. PADFIELD, B. D., Missionary, C. M. S., Masulipatam. Ancestor-worship, in some form or other, is the (Professor Bhattacharja, in Tagore Law Lecture.) CONTENTS. The Hindu's life regulated by rules prescribed by his religion-Absence of comfort in Hindu Homes --The Vastu Shastram or science of domestic archi- tecture-The Vastu Shastri-Instances of his skill-The site for a dwelling-A deserted village- The position of the house as regards neighbouring dwellings-What timber should be used-The time of year to begin building-The aspect-Foundation laying ceremony-The Purōhita-Ceremonies ob- The architectural plan of a Hindu house-The warming ceremonies-A declaration and a prayer- Ceremonial defilement of houses-Particularly by ... The motive for religious observances-Contrasted -- - hold images-Their worship-Nivedanam-Lingaits-Taking meals-Precautions against interruptions-Order of sitting Grace before meatDrinking water must be ceremonially pureEvening Sandyāvandanam-Prayer to Varuna-If on a journey-If too ill to bathe-Prayer on retiring for the night-Women have no share in ceremonies-Each house has its private chapelNo public religious teaching-Hopefulness produced by the Hindus intensely religious nature CHAPTER IV. THE HINDU WOMAN'S RELIGION. ... or Woman's low position in Hinduism-Quotations from Manu on this subject-Definition of a wife in Mahabharata-Sita and Rāma in RamayanaDifficulty of arriving at a clear idea of woman's religious position-Woman has no religious status apart from her husband-Illustrated by quotations from Hindu writings-Woman's ordinary daily round-Rise before day break-Melukolupu morning song-Gopika Gita-The tilakamCooking-Woman's worship before the midday meal-The woman's images not consecrated— Lingam Worship-Lamp Worship-Mother instructing her children-Woman can only worship with the consent of her husband-Good deeds of a wife may benefit her husband, but his good deeds confer no spiritual benefit upon her-This illustrated from the code of Parasara-Hindu woman as a widow-Sati-A widow's duties as laid down by Manu-The religion of low caste women-Little more than demonolatry or fetichism-At epidemics -At festivals-Women go pilgrimages Move ment towards bettering the status of women-The Bible view of woman's status ... ... Pages. 34-52 53-70 CHAPTER V. THE HINDU SACRED THREAD. The Yajnopavitam a mark of being a dvijaQuotation from Manu as to who may wear the thread-Others besides the three higher castes wear it-The goldsmith caste and its privilegesLow caste men are not free to dress, or travel about as they may choose--An Orissa Rajah assumed authority to invest with the thread-The Bengal Vaidyas wear the thread-The material of which the thread should be made-The Kshatriyas an extinct caste-The number of threads and skeins in the Yajnopavitam-The Brahman's knot-The investiture, when it should be-Ceremonies connected with the Upanayanam-Sacredness of deer skin-The father teaches the novice the GāyatriWhen a new thread must be put on-Defilement necessitating a new thread-Ceremonies connected with replacing a defiled thread-Disposal of discarded thread-Various ways of wearing the thread -Importance of the thread CHAPTER VI. THE HINDU SACRED MARKS. Anglo-Indian lack of information on Hindu customs-The Pundrams not mentioned in the VedasSacred marks not now distinctive of caste-Hindus divided into worshippers of Vishnu or SivaBrahma not worshipped-The three schools of philosophy-Urdva Pundrams and Tiryak pundrams On what parts of the body daubedVaishnava marks The materials with which made-Their colour and shape-RamanujacharyaHostility of Ramanujās to Saivas-Vadagalais and Tengalais-Distinguished by shape of forehead mark-Mode of putting on pundrams and the mantrams which should be repeated-Madhvācharya and the Madhvas-Their peculiar marks-The Siva marks, how put on and with what materials -Smarthas and Lingatháris-Jangams-The dressing case-Absolute necessity of putting on marks-Coloured marks changed to white as a sign of mourning-Women's marks-The seal in the forehead mentioned in the Revelation Pages. 71-81 82-93 ... CHAPTER VII. THE HINDU TONSURE. Peculiar modes of wearing the hair-Hindus themselves often unable to give a reason for their customs-Cutting off hair symbolical of casting off sin-The Sikha, Cudimi, Zuttu-The Roman Catholic tonsure-A Brahmin not a Brahmin with |