RIDDLE NO. 15
HOW DID THE BRAHMINS WED AN AHIMSAK GOD TO A BLOODTHIRSTY GODDESS ?
Having started drinking and flesh eating the Brahmins did not hesitate to write puranas advocating animal sacrifices. One such Purana requires a special mention. It is called the Kali Purana. This Purana is written with the express purpose of propagating the worship of the goddess Kali. In this Purana there is an adhhyaya called Rudhir Adhhyaya which means the bloody chapter.
I give below a summary of the Rudhir Adhhyaya. In this chapter [1 ] the God Shiva addresses his three sons Betal, Bhairawar, and Bhairava in the following terms:
“I will relate you, my sons, the ceremonies and rules to be observed in sacrifices which being duly attended to are productive of the divine favour.
“The forms laid down in the Vaishnaivi Tantra, are to be followed on all occasions and may be observed by sacrifices to all Deities.”
“Birds, tortoise, allegators, fish, nine species of wild animals, buffaloes, bulls, he-goats, inchneumons, wild boars, rhinoceroses, antelopes, guanas, reindeer, lions, tigers, men and blood drawn from the offerer’s own body, are looked upon as proper oblations to the Goddess Chandica, the Bhairavas &c.”
“It is through sacrifices that princes obtain bliss, heaven, and victory over their enemies.”
“The pleasure which the Goddess receives from an oblation of the fish and tortoises is of one month’s duration, and three from that of a crocodile. By the blood of the nine specifies of wild animals the Goddess is satisfied nine months, and for that space of time
1 The chapter is translated in English by Mr. W. C. Blaquiere and will be found in the Asiatic Researches vol. pp.
This is a 16-page typed MS having modifications by the author himself. All the pages are numbered serially and the treatment of the subject seems complete.—Ed.