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OF THE HINDUS.
and offerings or arghyas presented. The introduction of Vishnu is a modern interpolation'. The same work prescribes daily bathing before sunrise. The Bhavishyottara also directs daily bathing in Mágha, with mantras or prayers by the three first classes, silently by Súdras and women, and affirms that the practice is enjoined by the Vedas, a rather questionable assertion. The same may be said of the Vaishnava formulae, given by Raghunandana; according to whom the person performing his ablutions is to invoke various personifications of Vishnu. Thus the Sankalpa, or previous prayer, is, "By this bathing, when the sun is in Makara, be thou, oh Mágha, oh Govinda, oh Achyuta, oh Mádhava, oh God, the giver of the promised reward to me **." He is then to bathe, calling to mind Vasudeva, Hari, Krishna, Śridhara, and to say, "Salutation be to thee, oh Sun, lord of the world, giver of light, do thou make perfect this great worship, this bathing in Mágha'
Whatever may be the date of this mixture of tenets, the ablution is no doubt an ancient portion of the rite.
163
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***
The ablution is to be preceded by a fast and followed by a feast and gifts to Brahmans. पूर्वे व्रतादिकं कुर्यात्परेद्युः स्नानदानयोः Tithi T.
*
[c. 107.]
[मकरस्थे रवी माघे गोविन्दाच्युतमाधव । स्नानेनानेन मे देव यथोक्तफलदो भव ॥] [ओं दिवाकर जगन्नाथ प्रभाकर नमो ऽस्तु ते । परिपूर्ण कुरुष्वेदं माघस्नानं महाव्रतम् ॥ Sabdakalpadruma S. v. magha, p. 3394. The Nirnayasindhu (71, b, s, Benares edition) reads उपपते instead of महाव्रतम् ]
11*
