Storia do Mogor 62: ABOUT THE BANIYAS
Storia do Mogor (Irvine) 62
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ABOUT THE BANIYAS
62.1
Events give rise to the writing by historians of many things they would not otherwise record. Although I meant to write elsewhere about these baniyas, of whom there are many in the Mogul kingdom, I apprehend it to be appropriate to write about them here, seizing the occasion of what happened to Akbar. The baniyas are a certain class of Hindus who eat neither flesh nor fish, and only consume grain, vegetables, milk, and a great deal of butter. They are very desirous of owning a cow, from the worship that they pay to this animal. They are so devoted to the cow, in whom rests their entire hope of salvation, that in the agony of death they take hold of a cow's tail and die with it in their hand. By this act they imagine they are absolved from all their sins; they think that the cow carries them aloft into the sky without their touching those flames of fire that they have merited for their sinful deeds. It is amazing to see the foolishness of this ill-placed devotion paid by them to cows, for when perchance the animal urinates on the dying man while holding its tail in his hand, far from trying to keep him out of the way, they say that he has been made holy, and perform great rejoicings at great expense in gratitude for such a favour.
62.2
The reader must understand that it is not only the baniyas who thus reverence the cow, but also the whole of the Hindus, of whatever station in life. But the baniyas are the most superstitious on this subject. So much is this the case that when anyone commits a great sin — that is to say, either against the idols, or by forsaking his religion — if he consents to cleanse himself of such sin, he goes to the Brahmans, who are their priests. They give him cow-dung dissolved in its urine, adding a little butter, some sweet and some sour milk. On drinking this he is absolved, and some penance is added. I have seen one of these men with a padlock hanging from his lips, and he went about with it for some days as a penance.
62.3
By nature these baniyas are very timid, and object to carry arms. This is why they do not keep any weapons in their houses, neither a knife nor other implement by which injury can be inflicted. They are very careful about the answers they give to questions, as can be seen from the affair which I recounted a little time ago (I., 92), and, according to popular sayings, it is their habit to dissemble even when someone asks them what day it is (they are, however, much more ready to answer if you talk about business). They give a useless answer ; but if the questioner insists on a reply, they say first of all that they do not know. After that, if he still demands a direct answer, they say (for example) : ' Do you not know that yesterday it was Thursday?' If the other returns to the charge, they say : ' Do you not know that to-morrow is Saturday ?' And if the inquirer persists, they answer with hesitation : ' Everybody says that to-day is Friday.'
62.4
On the contrary, if the talk is of business, they give a ready answer, and are such strong arithmeticians that in the shortest time they can make any sort of calculation, never making a mistake of a single figure. They hold it as a great sin to kill any animal. Therefore, if they find on their bodies any louse, bug, flea, ant, or other kind of vermin, they lay hold of it gently with the tips of their fingers, and carry it away to a distance into a place of security. In their houses they have different receptacles full of these animals, whose sustenance is provided in the following manner: They search for some necessitous wretch, and paying him money, leave him for the whole night bound upon the receptacle or the bed, and in this way the animals referred to are fed ; for these baniyas are of a character more full of charity for animals than for men. Thus they make for animals niches in the walls of their houses, where all sorts of birds assemble to build their nests. To these they give food, and never do them any harm. In the kingdom of Guzurate (Gujarat) there is a town near the sea called Cambaya (Khambayat, Cambay) ; there these baniyas have a hospital for sick birds, and reward a surgeon for treating them. Once they got an injured falcon, and it was put among the other birds, whereupon it began to kill and devour its fellows. Upon seeing this, they turned it out, saying that it must be of FarangI race.
62.5
These baniyas have great veneration for the river Ganges. They say that by bathing your body in it you attain redemption and become delivered from your sins. The same end is gained for those whose ashes are thrown into that river. For this reason, after burning the dead man's body, as is the custom, the ashes of great nobles are carried from great distances followed by a great concourse, with much ceremonial and expenditure, to be thrown into the said river. The baniyas carry this Ganges water in brass vessels through the kingdom far and near for delivery to their devotees, from whom they receive their reward. Many Hindu princes hold it a religious duty to drink such water. To this intent they send camels, who daily go and come, even if it be a two or three months' journey. There is another piece of foolishness they have — that is to say, when a man is near death they carry him to the bank of the said river, and finish off by killing him by dint of its waters. It happens often that out of devotion men die on the banks of this river, as I have seen, and the Hindus who pass by throw the body into it. This will suffice for an account of a people who do not deserve the name of man, who are to be found in great numbers in the Mogul kingdom.