more than is neceffary. He who willingly offers the blood of his body and his own flesh, the fize of a grain of linfeed, masha, tila, or mudya, with zeal and fervency, obtains what he defires in the course of fix months.

Now attend to the fruits obtained by offering the burning wick of a lamp placed upon the arms, ears, or breaft, even for a fingle moment. He who applies the fame obtains happiness and great poffeffions; and for three Calpăs is even as the body of Dévi herfelf; after which he becomes a ruler of the universe.

He who, for a whole night, ftands before the Goddefs Sivă, holding the head of a facrificed buffalo in his hands, with a burning lamp placed between the horns, obtains long life and fupreme felicity in this world, and in the other refides in my manfion, holding the rank of a ruler in the Ganadevatas.

He who, for a fingle cfhana, (a fhort space of time,) holds the blood which proceeds from a victim's head in his hands, ftanding before the Goddess in meditation, obtains all that he defires in this world, and supremacy in the Dévi Loe.

Let the learned, when he prefents his own blood, ufe the following text followed by the Mula Măntră, or principal text ufed in the worship of the Goddess Dévi, under the form which he is at that time addreffed:

"Hail! fupreme delufion! hail! Goddefs of the "universe ! Hail! thou who fulfilleft the defires ❝ of all. May I prefume to offer thee, the "blood

"blood of my body; and wilt thou deign to accept "it, and be propitious towards me."

Let the following text be used, when a perfon prefents his own flesh :

"Grant me, O Goddefs! blifs, in proportion to "the fervency with which I present thee with my own "flesh, invoking thee to be propitious to me. Salu"tation to thee again and again, under the mysterious "fyllables hoong hoong."

When the wick of a lamp is applied burning to the body, the following text is to be used:

"Hail! Goddess! Salutation to thee, under the "fyllables, hōng hōng. To thee I prefent this aufpicious luminary, fed with the flesh of my body, enlightening all around, and expofing to light alfo, "the inward receffes of my foul."

On the autumnal Meha Navami, or when the moon is in the lunar manfion Scanda or Bifhácá, let a figure be made, either of barley meal or earth, reprefenting the person with whom the facrificer is at variance, and the head of the figure be ftruck off; after the ufual texts have been used, the following text is to be ufed in invoking an ax on the occafion:

"Effufe, effufe blood; be terrifick, be terrifick; "feize, destroy, for the love of Ambicá, the head of "this enemy.

Having ftruck off the head, let him present it, ufing the texts laid down hereafter for the occafion,

Wa

occafion, concluding with the word phat. ter must be fprinkled upon the meal, or earthen victim, which reprefents the facrificer's enemy, ufing the text commencing with racta drăbaih, (i. e. by ftreams of blood,) and marks must be made on the forehead with red fanders; garlands of red flowers must be put round the neck of the image, and it must be dreffed in red garments, and tied with red cords, and girt with a red girdle. Then placing the head towards the north, let it be ftruck off with an ax, and prefented, ufing the Scănda text. This is to be ufed at prefenting the head, if the facrifice is performed on the night of the Scanda Năcfhătra, or lunar manfion Scanda. The Vifachă Măntră, is to be used on the night the Vifac'ha manfion. Let the facrificer contemplate two attendants on the Goddess, as having fiery eyes, with yellow bodies, red faces, long ears, armed with tridents and axes in their two right hands, and holding human fculls and vafes in their two left. Let them be confidered as having three eyes and ftrings of human fculls, fufpended round their necks, with long ftraggling frightful teeth.

In the month of Chaitra, on the day of the full moon, facrifices of buffalos and goats give unto me of horrid form much pleafure; as do alfo honey and fish, "O my fons !"

Where a facrifice is made to Chándică; the victim's head having been cut off, must be fprinkled with water, and afterwards prefented with the texts laid down.

The facrificer may draw an augury from the motions of the flain victim when near expiring, and for fo doing he must first addrefs the Goddefs, confidering the foul of the victim as taking its departure in a car, and his body as a holy fpot, "O Goddefs! make "known unto me, whether the omens are favourable

or not."

If the head of the flain victim, does not move fometime after this, the facrificer may look upon the circumftance as a good omen, and if the reverfe, as a bad one.

He who performs facrifices according to thefe rules, obtains his wifhes to the utmost extent.

Thus are the rules and forms of facrifice, laid down and communicated by me to you. I will now inform you what other oblations may be made.

Thus ends the Rudhirádhyayă.

XXIII.

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