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THE FOLKLORE OF GUJARAT
It is also believed that the spirit jakhara protects crops and cattle,1
Mamo and Dadamo are also believed by some to be the guardian spirits of crops and cattle.2
A belief runs that if a cousin (father's brother's son) becomes a spirit after death, he proves beneficial to the cattle of his rela
tives.3
There are various ways of frightening crying children to silence, one of which is to invoke evil spirits.
When a child continues to cry for a long time, the mother says, "keep quiet, Baghada has come." "Oh Bàu, come and take away
1 The School Master of Jetpur.
The School Master of Zinzuwàda. The Schoo! Master of Dhànk.
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this child." "Bbàara, come here. Don't carry you away." These exclamations are come, my child is now silent," "May Bàghada uttered in such a tone and with such gestures, into silence. that generally the child is at once frightened
In addition to the spirits mentioned above Babaro, Chudda, Dàkana, Satarsingo and other spirits are also invoked to frighten a weeping child to silence."
A Bàva or Bairagi, a Fakir, a tiger, a dog, a cat or a rat are all presented to the child as objects of terror, and are called one after another to silence it.
2 The School Master of Ràjpàra.
4 Mr. K. D. Desài.
Mr. K. D. Desài.
