ON THE CREED, CUSTOMS, AND LITERATURE OF THE

JANGAMS.

BY C. P. BROWN, ESQ.

[Concluded from p. 93.]

On their Belief regarding the Deity.

In all the various creeds that exist among the Hindus, they profess to adore one only god, and represent him as appearing under various names. Thus, in the Vira Saiva creed, they profess a belief in SadaSiva alone, as the supreme being, who is invisible, but pervades all nature. They frequently speak of him as Daxina Murti, or the express form of goodness, who descended on earth under the name Basava, and likewise as Allama. The following Sanscrit hymn or prayer to Daxina Murti was written by the celebrated divine Agastya; it forms part of the Agastya-ashtacam, and is prefixed as a motto to the Prabhu Linga Lila:

1.

Bramh ānandam, parama sukhadam kēvala jnāna mūrtim,
Dwandw atitam, gugana sadrisam TATWAM Ası yādi laxyam !
Ecam, nityam, vimalam, achalam, sarvatas sāxi bhūtam,
Bhāv ātītam, triguná rahitam, sad GURUм tam namami !

2.

Vata vitapi samīpē, bhūmi bhāgē nishan'n am

Sacala muni janānām, jnāņa dātaram ārāt,

Tribhuvana Gurum, l's'am, DAXINAMURTI Dēvam,

Janana maran'a duhkha rēda daxam namāmi.

1. "I salute the great teacher, the bestower of divine happiness and supreme bliss; the image of perfect wisdom; who is removed from all griefs; who is represented by the sky; who is denoted by the 'TRUTH,' and other names. The one, eternal, stainless, stable, and omniscient; the incomprehensible: who knoweth neither passion, partiality, nor folly.

2. "He who sits on earth at the foot of the fig-tree;* who bestows wisdom on all the devout hermits who surround him: lord and teacher of the universe, the god who is embodied goodness; him do I salute as the releaser from the bonds of life and death."

When the deity is spoken of as invisible, he is named Siva, Sadā Siva, Paramesa, or the Supreme Being. When described in a visible form, the name is Daxina Murti, or the image of Grace. When described as on earth, Allama is the usual name; though this is declared to be only another name for Basava.

The vatd vrisam, the banyan, or fig-tree, is the Hindu emblem of immortality: they believe that in the end of time all nature will perish except one mystic fig-tree, at the foot of which the deity will be enthroned.

Asiat.Journ.N.S. VOL.IV.No.20.

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Thus we see that they look upon their leader as a divinity: imitating the Bramins, who have exalted their heroes, Krishna, Rama, and Hanuman, into gods on earth.

The vague manner in which these names are used produces some inconsistency. Thus Basava is actually Siva; vastly superior to the mere Siva or Jupiter, who is the spouse of Parvati, and yet is sent on earth by him. He is born as Basava, then appears as Allama, is adored as Daxina Murti; and then we have interviews between these personages, whereat Basava offers adoration to Allama. It is observable that Basava's wife, Gangamba, is never supposed to be a goddess, nor does she receive any homage.

Sancar Achari, the great theologian of the Smartas, having declared that oneness with the Deity is the great object, the Jangam replies that this union is attainable in this life, and that every true Jangam has attained it. Moreover, he asserts that his mortal body is a mere member of the image he wears. "For," says he, "what am I in the hands of the God who dwells in my breast? I am earth, he is spirit! I am but a part of him." We find similar language among some philosophers of Greece and Rome. Thus Livy (lib. xxi. 5) says: "Vidit enim quod videndum fuit appendicem animi esse corpus, nihilque esse in eo magnum." In fact, the Bramin looks upon the body as all in all; the Jangam does not. Yet the regard in which they hold the yoga sastram, which wholly depends upon the bodily frame, and pretends to spiritualize it, is a manifest inconsistency, and forms an additional proof that all the Hindu systems of devotion, in their highest flights, betray the weakness and the blindness of unassisted human nature.

Though this creed utterly condemns all worship paid to Siva and his spouse Parvati (Jupiter and Juno), still these personages and their attendants (Nandi, Bhringi, and others) are familiarly introduced in the Jangam poems. This odd inconsistency is analogous to that we meet with in Addison, Prior, and the French school of English poets, who introduce Jupiter, Venus, Cupid, and Mars, as if they really believed the existence of those demi-gods. When questioned on such a halfbelief in the Hindu theogony, the reply made by a Jangam is not satisfactory. He does not look upon such poetical machinery as inconsistent with his creed. "For," says he, "all of these are very possibly gods or powers of various degrees of might, and we are not bound to believe a word of the stories regarding them. We adore Sadā Siva (the ever-blessed) alone, who is known under the name Basava Esa (the lord Basava), or Allama Prabhu (Lord Allama), who came on earth to found the Vira Saiva faith, or rather to restore it to primitive purity."

Considering that this creed arose in the west of India, in a country bordering on that inhabited by the Syrian Christians, it has sometimes occurred to me that very possibly some of the tales regarding Basava may have been borrowed from legends current among the Syrian churches. Both chronology and geography seem to strengthen this

suspicion; and it is worthy of notice that the name Allama, which resembles the Syriac and Arabic name of God, is attributed by them to their deity. The word Allama seems to be foreign, and in their eagerness to account for it, the various poets, whether Sanscrit, Telugu, or Canarese, have adduced roots which will not bear inquiry. Indeed, the learned men who assisted me in the present investigation have acknowledged that the etymologies adduced are strained and improbable. They, however, would by no means admit my suggestion that this name originated in Allah: and particularly observed that no Jangam had ever been known to embrace Christianity, or the Mahomedan faith. Yet when we consider how determinately Basava did every thing in his power to oppose the braminical opinions, I confess that his followers thus borrowing a well-known name of the deity from a neighbouring country seems not improbable. He ordered all children to be introduced into the religion when young. He abolished burning the dead, and substituted burial; he set aside the priestly descent; he permitted widows to marry again. In these and many other points equally opposed both to Bramins and to Jainas, it appears to me that he attempted to follow the customs of Christians. In particular, it is observable that the Jangams reject the observance of new moons and full moons, but consider every Tuesday a sacred or blessed day.

If it prove true, as just now mentioned, that there have been no converts from this creed to Christianity, we may fairly attribute it to the neglected state in which the English have left the Jangams. That neglect seems to be the result of the disgusting slanders with which the Jangam character has been blackened by Bramins, who usually are an Englishman's informants on all subjects concerning Hinduism.* If the Jangams really were the depraved and vile race the Bramins describe them to be, it surely might be expected that they would have become notorious in our courts of justice. But there we do not hear of them; and surely it is much to their honour that their conduct is not known to be such as makes it a subject for police investigations. Another reason for their never appearing in our courts, even as complainants or witnesses, is, that we have forced them (until the present day, this necessity being now done away by law) to take the common Hindu oath, which they look upon as a crime. Among themselves, the oath commonly used is, to make the requisite assertion while holding the image in the hand; or else to lay the hands on the feet of any Jangam. "For," say they, "every Jangam is a living image of the god we adore."

The Vira Saivas illustrate their creed by a comparison quite in the Hindu style. They say, the guru is the cow, whose mouth is the

1

As one proof that the Jangams are not more unwilling than other Hindus to listen to Christian doctrines, I may mention a poem written in the Telugu dwipada metre, intended to convey a version of the Gospels. This is the composition of a learned Jangam poet, and having seen but a small part of the work, I can only state that it seems to be well executed, in a plain unpretending style. The title is Krista Charitra, and in writing it the author appears to have been guided in his phrases by the Tamil version of the Gospels written by Fabricius.

Jangam, or brother in the faith; and the lingam or image is the udder. The cow benefits its owner by means of the udder; but what fills the udder? The mouth. And what connects the mouth and the udder? The body. Accordingly, if a Vīra Saiva wishes the image to benefit him (that is, if he desires to obtain the favour of the deity), he must "feed the mouth"-that is, sustain and comfort his brethren; and then the blessing will be conveyed to him by means of the teacher. Accordingly, the Jangams blame the Aradhyas for neglecting this command, and ask how they can expect the image to nourish them if they neglect to sustain brethren and fellows in the faith. For the Aradhya refuses to look upon any but Aradhyas as brethren.

The strangest part of their legends regarding Siva is that wherein he is represented in the most contemptible light, as completely the servant of various (bhact) worthies or saints. Such stories abound in the Basava Puran, but are excluded from the Lila. In these we are reminded of the Romish legends wherein the Virgin Mary and some other personages are represented under most degrading circumstances, as obeying or waiting upon the saint whom the legend extols. Thus, in the fourth book of the Basava Puran is a story of a certain "worthy" (bhacta), named Nambi, who, by force of faith, got Siva so completely into his hands, that he employed the god as a mere slave. In another story, one of the "worthies" scolded Siva, who " was so much alarmed, that he slunk round the other side of the image, and ran away into the jungle." Other stories represent this paltry demi-god acting either as a thief or as a receiver of stolen goods, to protect his adorers; and they frequently represent him as acting the part of a pander, at the bidding of one of the worthies.

The Vira Saivas evidently look upon such stories as excellent jokes, and certainly many of the tales are incomparably more amusing as well as more moral than the dulness of braminical Purānās. But when they are asked how they venture to represent their god in this ludicrous manner, they reply at once that this is not their god; their god is Allama Basava, the one Sada-Siva (ever blest); whereas the hero of these stories is merely the braminical Siva, whom they think as fair a subject for merriment as Jupiter is in the French theatre.

In apology for these stories, Jangams allege that they all establish the necessity of faith (bhacti) as the great means of attaining happiness and miraculous power. "As the Bramins," say they, "call themselves (bhusura) gods upon earth, we will shew that our worthies (bhact) are quite a match for them." Accordingly, there are many legends to prove that (Janga-prasadam) food, or the leavings of food, blessed by a worthy, can perform all sorts of miracles. For instance; a Bramin, who by a curse had become a swine, ate what a Jangam had spit out, and hereby resumed the human form. Elsewhere, a Jangam's shoe works miracles.

In all hagiology we find that the fables invented in successive centuries become gradually more marvellous. Accordingly, though the legends of the Basava Puran are wild enough, they are out-heroded by those

of later date for instance, the Chenna Basava Puran, from which (book 2, verse 86) I cite the anecdotes now mentioned.

It must, however, be acknowledged that, in a redundancy of nonsense as well as in dirt, the Bharata beats all the Saivite stories. There we find the very sublime of puerility: braminical legends compared to which Jack and the Bean-Stalk are nothing at all. And all this is enshrined in a flow of beautiful Sanscrit verse, which for richness of expression and harmony rivals Homer himself. The Bramins have had possession of the most perfect and beautiful of languages, and have often perverted its melody and vigour to the vilest of purposes. Objectionable as many of the Saivite* legends are, they are purity itself when compared to the braminical writings. The great prophet of the Bramins is Vyasa, and this venerated saint's description of his own miraculous birth is a master-piece both of filth and folly.

The Jangams are, indeed, set free from believing such legends; but their own hagiography, though not dirty like that of the Bramins, is full of absurdities: in apology for which they acknowledge that many of these tales bear marks of fiction. Further, they allege that in all these legends the adorers are not Vira Saivas. They are Jainas, or else ignorant followers of the braminical follies; but that by the force of (bhacti) faith and charity they ultimately were "admitted into heaven" (literally, "borne to Cailasa "), which, as they assert, denotes admission to the true creed.

In many of the legends we may trace a similarity between the character of Basava and that of Mohamed, as described in the various legends current among Musulmans; shewing much simplicity on the part of Basava the master, and a voracious credulity on the part of the disciples. Those Mahomedan stories, however, contain many incidents of the most disgusting kind, from which the Jangam books are entirely free.

There is so remarkable an analogy between the Pythagorean Monad and the deity of the Jangams, that I cannot well avoid adducing the following brief deduction from the philosopher's statements, as represented in Cudworth's Intellectual System, 2d ed., 4to. chap. iv. pp. 370, 376.

Pythagoras calls the four principles by numerical names; the Monad, Duad, Triad, and Tetrad. The Vira Saiva calls them by specific names, viz.—the Lingam, Bhacta, Guru, and Sivam, i.e. the deity, the disciple, the teacher, and supreme spirit: which pervades and unites all three. The subordinate beings (gods, heroes, and demons) of Pythagoras answer to the Vira Saiva saints, all of whom are supposed to be embodied forms of the prime existence, or Lingam; which answers to the Monad, who is also Zeus. The Duad is the passive principle, or disciple; he whose mind is the field for impressions. The link between

⚫ I ought to have already mentioned the Siva Puran, of which the reader may find an abstract under that title, in Rees's Cyclopædia (furnished by Sir Charles Wilkins), and he will perceive that this book has nothing to do with the Vira Saiva creed. This puran is entirely forgotten. I possess one copy in Sanscrit, and never could discover another.