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These mysterious rites at first were imparted only to few, but
afterwards
communicated to a great number of both men and women. To
the religious ceremonies of these were added the pleasures of wine and
feasting in order to allure a greater number of proselytes. Livy goes
on to declare that horrible scenes of debauchery were witnessed, as
well as secret murders. There was loud shouting, and the noise of
drums and cymbals so that none of the cries of persons suffering
violation or murder could be heard abroad. One, Rutilus, had a
step-son named Aebutius whom he wanted to get rid of. He persuaded the
young man's mother to get him initiated into the mysteries of Bacchus.
Aebutius had a female friend named Hispalia. He told her of his
resolve.
"May the gods forbid, "she cried. "Better for both
of us to die." Asked for the meaning of these words she confessed
that she had accompanied her mistress once to Bacchanalian
celebrations, and that the orgies she witnessed there were too awful
for words. To think nothing unlawful was the grand maxim of this
religion, and that all who showed any disinclination in submitting to
dishonour, or the commission of vice, were sacrificed at once as
sacred victims.
It is to be observed that the food offered to the gods was
considered the food, of the gods, and as such immortal food. What
wonder that in the Greek rites of Bacchus folk battled for the wine
and the warm blood.
But in dealing with ancient mysteries if we treat the question from
the point of view of naturalism, we are liable to go wrong. The
excitement produced by the new intoxicants was viewed at first like
the frenzy of the prophet, an influence beyond the earth, and
supremely holy. This mistake could by-and-bye give birth to many
excesses, but there is no doubt that an intoxicant soon became the
chief ingredient in all temple worship. Even in our own days the
"Cup" is forbidden to the laity in the Roman Church because
originally the laity represented the non-initiates.
Turning to Eleusis, a suburb of Athens, we find a Cave temple, and
similar ceremonies. All the city in solemn procession marches to the
"Holy Fig Tree" along the "Sacred Way," the Mustai
proud of their garlands, the Epoptai or complete initiates in their
white garments bear proud myrtle on their brows. A monotonous low
chant such as we hear at Indian festivals goes up into the balmy air,
recounting the woes of the mighty mother, the wife of Kronos.
That lady, who gave Agriculture to Greece, comes flaunting along in
her car drawn by dragons.
The procession now reaches the great Temple, and all who are not
initiates are warned away, for the penalty is death to all who reveal
the mysteries and all who discover them. There are seven dark caverns
and seven light ones. Ceres, and Bacchus, with his torch, are supposed
to be seeking Proserpine in hell. Earth abandoned by the goddess no
longer bears fruits, like the Indian soil deprived of S’iva's
creative force. Hence the wailings and lamentations that occur. The
initiate goes through the dark caverns, and the light ones. Thrice
blessed is the postulant who is able at last to repeat the culminating
formula:—
"I have fasted. I have drunk the Cyceon. I have taken out of
the Cista and placed that which I took into the Kalatheon. I have
taken out of the Kalatheon and placed that which I took into the Cista." *
Lucian gives an account of the Tree festival at Hieropolis which
reads very like the Durgâ-Pûjah in India. The sacrifices and
processions are described as being of the splendid and extravagant
description. Multitudes flocked there from all countries, including
Brahmins from India. And it is said that the visitors brought their
gods with them, a detail that throws light on the similarities that we
find everywhere. The two mighty Mahâdeo Columns in front had an
inscription that unblushingly stated what these columns symbolised.
Maurice draws a parallel between the Kusbis of the Indian temples and
the Syrian matrons, who as Bunsen puts it "could only escape
being sacrificed to the gods by prostitution." The main thesis of
Lucian is that the Dea Syria was taken from the Greek Rhea, the wife
of Kronos; and that the noise of the drums and the clashing of cymbals
denoted the warring winds and boiling waters, and the roar and crackle
of the subterranean fires, to show the grief of earth that her womb
was still uncultivated. Especially noisy were the rattling sistra and
the clashing of the various implements of husbandry, which in the
first instance were of brass. The priests were said to be eunuchs, and
many young men dismembered themselves during the frenzies of the
rites.
Of the actual tree worship, Lucian gives an interesting picture.
"They cut down," he says, "a number of large trees and
set them upright in the fore court of the temple. Then bringing
together goats, sheep, and other victims proper for their purpose,
they hang them up alive on these trees. To these are added birds,
articles of apparel, and various sorts of furniture, jewels, in short,
whatever the devout in their benevolence pleased to contribute to so
solemn a sacrifice." Then the trees are set on fire, and the poor
animals burnt alive.
But Mylitta had rites more sinister still. Near the temple was a
mighty chasm made by the gods in order to drain off the water of
Deucalion's Deluge, so ran the legends. Into this chasm animals are
flung, and babies in sacks. The tree goddess, Mylitta, was fond of
babies. Had this rift and its sinister rites any connection with
S’iva and his subterranean home? The two great columns were said to
be very much older than the rest of the temple, and to represent some
earlier worship. The place was then called "Mahog," which
name Colonel Wilford connects with the Mahâbhâga of the Purânas?
Love, lust, wine, gluttony, cruelty, mixed with religious fervour,
have they not had their orgies in all lands? The carnival was always
the carnival, and the Feast of Fools in the Middle Ages with its
"Boy Bishop," and his rollicking companions burlesquing for
three days all the holy rites in the cathedral,—that, with much
else, was Bacchantic enough.
Mr. Mackenzie, a Freemason, in the passage he cites from Lassen,
says that the initiation of the Freemasons is very like the initiation
in the Indian temple. One or two of these details can easily be
learned by a non-initiate, from Masonic tractates. Over the
"Grand-master's" head is a canopy marked with the
equilateral triangle which is the special emblem of S’iva. It
symbolises also the God worshipped by the Masons, and is called
"Le Delta sacré," in France. The triangle is somewhat
lamely repeated in the Masonic trowel. Then when the frightened
postulant with a "cable tow" (Durgâ's pasha) round his neck
is introduced to the conclave, he finds each initiate clutching his
neck in a throttling manner to emphasise the absolute necessity of
secrecy. The crowning ceremony of all the circling round the
"Copestone" need not be dwelt on in these pages. Plainly the
"Copestone" is the Mahâdeo. One thing is certain. The
terrible secret society of the Thugs or Bhurtotes in India is very
ancient. Colonel Meadows Taylor found evidence of these stranglers in
the bas reliefs of Elora. They most probably date from a day when the
religion of S’iva was furiously persecuted by the Brahmans, and
terrorism had to oppose terrorism.
An article in the Asiatic Researches, Vol. VIII., seems to furnish
the backbone of the Mystery of S’iva. It gives from the Mahâkâla
Sanhita, the death of the Year-god. S’iva dies at Easter and rises
up almost immediately as Bâlishwara the Baby-S’iva, the New year.
This death in all the old religions took place March 24th, and the
resurrection on March 25th. A human victim personified the god.
The "abominations" that shocked Cicero have been going on
in India from the earliest days. The Bacchantic festivals seem, even
in name, to have been derived from India, for the word Bacchus with
some Orientalists is a form of the Sanscrit word Bhâga, the special
emblem of maternity. S’iva as Somnâth, is Lord of the Soma, the
earliest intoxicant; and he figures as in Greece as a drunken Silenus
at the festivals. *
Intoxicating liquors, blood (sometimes human), flesh, and fish, are
ingredients of the banquet. A woman, stark naked, personifies the
Goddess. "These votaries of Sakti assemble at midnight in retired
places," says the Reverend W. Simpson, the editor of "Moor's
Pantheon," every stage of the proceedings is invested with a
mystical meaning, and the whole terminates in licentious sensual
indulgence." This author declares that he had good authority for
the statement that they still existed in Madras in his day. †
It must, however, be mentioned that the rites of the followers of
S’iva are divided into two sections, the Right-handed Tantrik rites,
the Dakshinas, and the Left-handed Tantrik rites, the Vâmâcharîs.
This means practically Black and White magic. The early gods were
ranged at different sides of the Zodiac, and the Tantrikas were the
worship of the wicked gods, the worship of S’iva as Bhairava and
Durgâ as Kâlî. At the beginning, all were no doubt wicked, and much
like the gods of Dahomey. And perhaps the rudest excesses of the
festivals were deemed logical in some rude days of polyandry. The
Sakti sect represents only a small portion of S’iva's followers.
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