Sexual Life in Ancient India: A Study in the Comparative History of Indian Culture v2.c14.5

v2.c14.5

It can be understood that the woman dead in child-bed seeks above all to harm those of her own sex, or her husband, or young men: her envious revenge is directed against those who in things of sex are so much happier than she has been. Therefore they also annoy women in child-bed. R. Schmidt, *Liebe u. Ehe in Indien*, p. 520. In India such a ghost, as a handsome woman, also draws on young men by night into destruction. Crooke, *Pop. Rel.*, i, 253, 270 ff. Cp. e.g. R. Andree, *Ethnogr. Parallelen*, i, 92 f. In the same way in India the tiger that has eaten a man is always accompanied by the ghost of its victim, and led by him to other human beings that it may also slay them. Sleeman, *Rambles and Recollections*, i, 154; Crooke, *Pop. Rel.*, i, 267; ii, 210 ff.; *Anthropos*, vii, 651, 660; and the thrilling tale of “The Various means, ceremonies, and magics for driving off these evil influences are, of course, of great antiquity, and make their appearance already in Vedic literature. Then the Gṛihyasūtras also deal with this subject, although not at great length; further there are the medical works, etc. A fairly clear description of the lying-in room of an upper-class woman of Old India is given in xiv, 68. It is hung with white, luck-bringing wreaths; vessels filled with water stand everywhere towards the different quarters of the heavens, and melted butter, brands of tinduka-wood, and mustard-seeds; round about are set naked missiles and lighted fires. Old women run around on all kinds of services, and equally skilled physicians. Everywhere the eye meets the magical things which have been set out about the place by experienced persons according to the prescript, and which rob the spirits of their evil.—So soon as Sītā has brought forth her twins, the holy Vālmīki is called in to see to the spirit-banning, protective measures. And he also drives away the rakshas and bhūtas. As being especially powerful, the holy kuça-grass is, of course, used here also (Rām., vii, 66).