break him like paste of grain: in the fury of thy rage, with red eyes glare upon him! with thy red eyes destroy him utterly[1]! make him burst at the sight of thine eyeballs! Bhagavatí! mighty Mother! Kártta-vírya-jayí[2]!"
Let the above spell be reiterated a thousand times. The mode of using it will now be shewn.
Select a cemetery on the east of the village, and on a Sunday at night go and view it : walk seven times round the cemetery and stand at the north east of the ground walk thence into the middle of the cemetery, turn to the west; walk seven steps backwards and then strip naked: take sacred white earth (vibhúti) in your left hand, bind it in a knot in a yellow cloth, with frankincense; which must be in the same cloth: conceal it in cotton: do not put it in their houses but hide it in any temple erected to the evil goddesses (Çakti). When the due occasion comes, draw the (Çakti-circle) magic figure of the goddess: and put a gold coin in her mouth with a slip of the tuḷasí plant[3]. Recite the prayer twenty-seven times pouring water over it.
[The next word anturiyam has no meaning and seems to be an error for avasaram "at the proper time."]
At the proper time bring water from the well and mingle the sacred ashes therein and recite the spell 27 times[4]. Then drink that water. If you drink it all he will die instantly.
- ↑ Literally, 'do his business.'
- ↑ All these are epithets of Káli or her fellow demons. I here omit some words as they are unintelligible. Karaka vati leka ori orivi, Rudra, bhau, e, orili orili, tarila tarila, harili barili, je je je &c. po po &c. &c. yum yum &c. hrím hrím &c. These words are well-known syllables used in magic.
- ↑ "The Ocymum sanctum, or sacred basil, venerated by the Hindús as a type of Vishṇu……………it was used in the administration of oaths to Hindús, a few leaves with some holy water [tírtham] being held in the hollow of the hand of the deponent while the oath was repeated, and afterwards swallowed by him"—Wilson. The (
Indic characters) tuḷasí leaf is now always used in Madras in swearing both Vaishnavite and Çaivite wit- nesses.—Ed.
- ↑ This alludes to the number of constellations.