تحفة النظار في غرايب الامصار وعجايب الاسفار 17.2.3

17.2.3

for they say, that he who does this will be able to fly, never to be sick, to free himself from death, and never to be subject to either hunger, or thirst Those who have been thoroughly initiated, say, that when this work is perfectly performed, the fear of death is no more felt; and that as long as such an one is in the body, he will be able to put it off, and again to put it on, never to be sick, and to have power to do all things Among the Jogees, it is constant, that when disease runs high, they bury themselves alive. It is also one of their practices, to open the eyes, and fix them in a direction between the eyebrows, until they see a figure. If the image appear without a hand or foot, or any other member, for each one of these they lay it down, that he has now a sign how many years, months, or days, he shall live. But if it appear without a head, they have no doubt, that but little of life remains: and on the strength of this, they will bury themselves alive,” &c These Jogees will, according to some, commit themselves occasionally to the flames, for no other end, perhaps, than to gratify the strongest of all passions, vanity. The following statement is taken from the Heft Iklim, a very interesting collection of geographical and biographical notices in the Persic. This extract is taken from the notice of Hindustan, and is there given on the authority of one Mohammed Yusuf of Herat.