2 4 4
among the Tartars.” After remarking that Zavolha is the rnost
considerable of the Tartar hordes, he proceeds:—“ In that province
they sow a seed not unlike the seed of a Melon, except that it is not
so long. There comes from it a plant which they call Borametz,
that is to say, a lamb ; and, indeed, the fruit of that plant has
exadlly the shape of a lamb. We see distindtly all the exterior
parts—the body, the feet, the hoofs, the head, and the e a r s ; there
wants, indeed, nothing but the horns, instead of which it has a sort
of wool that imitates them not amiss. The Tartars fleece it, and
make themselves caps of the skin. The pulp that is within the
fruit is very much like the flesh of crabs. Cut it, and the blood
gushes out, as from a wounded animal. This lamb feeds itself upon
all the grass that grows around it, and when it has eaten it all up,
it dries and dies away. But what perfedls the similitude between
the Borametz and a lamb is that the wolves are very greedy of this
fruit, which no other animals ever care for.” The elder Darwin,
in his poem on ‘ The Loves of the Plants,’ makes the following
allusion to the Barometz :—
“ Cradled in snow and fanned by Arctic air.
Shines, gentle Barometz ! thy golden hair ;
Rooted in earth, each cloven hoof descends,
And round and round her flexile neck she bends j
Crops the gray coral Moss and hoary Thyme,
Or laps with rosy tongue the melting rime.
Eyes with mute tenderness her distant dam,
Or seems to bleat, a vegetable Lamb."
B A S I L .—The English name of the Ocymum basilicum is derived
from the Greek basilikon, royal, probably from its having been used
in some royal unguent, bath, or medicine. Holy Basil, or Tulasi
{Ocymum sanctum), is by the Hindus regarded as a most sacred herb,
and they have given one of its names to a sacred grove of their
Parnassus, on the banks of the Yamuna. This holy herb is grown
in pots near every temple and dwelling of devout Hindus. It is
sacred 'to Vishnu, Kushna, and Lakshmi, but all the gods are
interested in it. Narada, the celestial sage, has sung the praises
of the immortal plant, which is perfection itself, and which, whilst
protecting from every misfortune those who cultivate it, sanctifies
and guides them to heaven. For this double sandtity it is reared
in every Hindu house, where it is daily watered and worshipped
by all the members of the household. Perhaps, also, it was on
account of its virtues in disinfecting and vivifying malarious air
that it first became inseparable from Hindu houses in India as the
protecting spirit or L a r of the family. The pious Hindus invoke
the divine herb for the protedlion of every part of the body, for
life and for death, and in every action of life ; but above all in its
capacity of ensuring children to those who desire to have them.
Among the appellations given to the Tulasi are—“ propitious,”
“ perfumed,” “ multi-leaved,” “ devil-destroying,” &c. The root is
made into beads, which are worn round the neck and arms of the
pfant Tsot*©, l9©g©Qt)/, ansL T^qric/, 24 5
votaries of Vishnu, who carry also a rosary made of the seeds of
the Holy Basil or the Sacred Lotus. De Gubernatis has given
some interesting details of the Tulasi cultus:—“ Under the mystery
of this herb,” he says, “ created with ambrosia, is shrouded without
doubt the god-creator himself. The worship of the herb Tulasi is
strongly recommended in the last part of the Padmapurâna, consecrated
to Vishnu ; but it is, perhaps, no less adored by the
votaries of Siva ; Krishna, the popular incarnation of the god
Vishnu, has also adopted this herb for his worship ; from thence
its names of Krishna and Krishnatulasi. Sîtâ, the epic personification
of the goddess Lakshmi, was transformed, according to the
Râmâyana, into the Tulasi, from whence the name of Sitâhvayà
given to the herb.” Because of the belief that the Tulasi opens
the gates of heaven to the pious worshipper, Prof. De Gubernatis
tells us that “ when an Indian dies, they place on his breast a leaf
of Tulasi; when he is dead, they wash the head of the corpse with
water, in which have been dropped, during the prayer of the priest,
some F la x seeds and Tulasi leaves. According to the Kriyâyogasâras
(xxiii.), in religiously planting and cultivating the Tulasi, the Hindu
obtains the privilege of ascending to the Palace, of Vishnu, surrounded
by ten millions of parents. It is a good omen for a house
if it has been built on a spot where the Tulasi grows well, Vishnu
renders unhappy for life and for eternity infidels who wilfully, or
the imprudent who inadvertently, uproot the herb Tulasi: no
happiness, no health, no children for such ! This sacred plant
cannot be gathered excepting with a good and pious intention, and
above all, for the worship of Vishnu or of Krishna, at the same
time offering up this prayer:—‘ Mother Tulasi, be thou propitious.,
I f I gather you with care, be merciful unto me, O Tulasi, mother
of the world, I beseech you.’ ” Like the Lotus, the Basil is not
only venerated as a plant sacred to the gods, but it is also worshipped
as a deity itself. Hence we find the herb specially
invoked, as the goddess Tulasi, for the protecilion of every part of
the human frame, from the head to the feet. It is also supposed
that the heart of Vishnu, the husband of the Tulasi, is profoundly
agitated and tormented whenever the least sprig is broken of a
plant of Tulasi, his wife.—-—In Malabar, sweet Basil is cultivated
as a sacred plant, under the name of Collo, and kept in a little,
shrine placed before the house.—^—-In the Deccan villages, the fair
Brahminee mother may be seen early every morning, after having
first ground the corn for the day’s bread and performed her simple
toilet, walking with glad steps and waving hands round and round
the pot of Holy Basil, planted on the four-horned altar built up
Defore each house, invoking the blessings of heaven on her husband,
and his children. The herb is planted largely on the river banks,
where the natives bathe, as well as at the entrance to their temples..
They believe that the deities love this herb, and that the god
Ganavedi abide-s in it continually. When travelling, i f they can>
:
•il#
bv