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for support of student in Harpoot Theol. Seminary,

ALABAMA.Andersonville," Willing hearts," for Madura,

OHIO. Mansfield, Cong. 8. s., 60; Springfield, Cong. s. 8., 26: ILLINOIS.Chicago, Park Cong. s. s., for pupils in Mr. De Riemer's care, Ceylon, 80; Granville, Cong. s. s. 4.50; Jacksonville, Cong. s. s, for pupils in Mrs. E. M. Smith's school, Ceylon, 40; Oak Park, Cong. s. 8. 23.65; Princeton Cong. s. 8. 5; IOWA. Grandview and Harrison, Ger. Cong. s. s., 13.90; Maquokota, Cong. s. s. 7; MICHIGAN.Watervliet, Freddy Parsons, for Harpoot, $1.00, silver;

COLORADO.- - Denver, H. George Ford, for support of a boy at Seroor,

10 00

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85.00

153 15

20. 90

1 12

KANSAS.

30 00

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MISSION SCHOOL ENTERPRISE MAINE. Bucksport, Elm St. s. s., to support a scholar in Mr. Blodget's school, China, 35; Harrison, Cong. s. s., 1.50; Lyman Cong. 8. 8., 5.25; North Edgecomb, Cong. 8.8.5;

NEW HAMPSHIRE.- Campton, Cong. s. s.,50;
Chichester, Cong. 8. 8., 225; Warner, Juv.
Miss. so., 26.50; Mrs. J. H. Stewart, for
school in India, 25;
VERMONT. Baruet, Cong. s. s., for school in
India, 40; Brownington, Cong. s. s., 12;
Gaysville, Mission Circle, 1; Charlie Tag-
gart, deceased, pocket-money, 1; Johnson,
1st Cong. s. s., for school at Marash, 9.77;
Thetford, Cong. s. s., 3);
MASSACHUSETTS.-East Leverett, Mission s. s.,
3; Williamstown, Infant Class, 1st Cong. s.
8., 2.80; Woburn, 1st Cong. s. s., bal. for
pupils at Amanzimtote and Harpoot, 25;
Worcester, Union 8. s., 60;
CONNECTICUT.— Berlin Cong. s. 8., 6.24; Co-
lumbia, Cong. s. 8., 22.63; Stonington, 2d
Cong. s. 8., 64.47;

South Windsor, 1st. Cong. ch. and so. 18 00--150 90

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DONATIONS FOR THE NEW MIS

$4,743 29

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THE NEW YORK FUBLIC HORARY.

ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONS.

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THE

MISSIONARY HERALD.

VOL. LXIX.-MARCH, 1873.- No. III.

PILLAIAR, OR GANESHA.

BY REV. WILLIAM B. Capron.

THE engraving opposite is from a photograph of a scene in Southern India, and is an excellent illustration of one of the most common scenes in that country - a stone idol of this deity, of the size of life (?), set up by the roadside upon a platform of stone or brick, and unsheltered except by the shade of an adjacent tree. The name Pil-lai ar is here given, rather than Ga-ne sha, because that is the name invariably used by the Tamil people, and of course in our Madura and Ceylon missions. Pillai, child, ar, honorific; i. e., the wonderful child.

This deity, the god of wisdom and policy, is represented as a short, fat man, with a large belly and the head of an elephant. He has four arms, in one of which he holds the hook for guiding the elephant, in another a conch or shell, in the third a conical ball, and in the fourth a cup of small cakes, with which he is supposed to feed himself. Each of the principal deities having his favorite conveyance some animal or bird - Pillaiar is described as riding on a rat, the emblem of prudence and foresight.

Though various stories are told of the origin of Pillaiar, he is generally reputed to be the son of Siva and Parvathi. It is stated that Parvathi, believing that her son was an extraordinary prodigy, requested Sani (the Hindoo Saturn) to look at him. The god, considerately recollecting that his gaze was as baneful as the Gorgon's head, attempted to decline the compliment, but the partial and importunate mother would not be denied, and upon the first look of Sani the head of Pillaiar was instantly consumed to ashes. To remedy this misfortune and to pacify Parvathi, Brahma, her father, directed that the first head met with, which proved to be that of an elephant, should be placed on the headless trunk; and he promised that her son should be the first worshipped among the gods. By other legends it would appear that when Parvathi had placed her infant son on guard at her door, Siva approached and wished to enter, which the child would not permit, and the god in consequence became angry and cut off his head. But on learning that it was the son of Parvathi whom he had thus treated, and seeing the goddess overwhelmed with sorrow for the loss of her child, he took 2 Pronounced Ga-nay-sha.

1 Pronounced Pull-lay-ar, nearly.

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the first head that could be found, the other having disappeared, and placed it upon his shoulders.

This god is invoked by the Hindoos on all matters of business, and especially in all new undertakings. He is particularly honored by merchants making ventures and doing business in distant places. If a person undertake a journey, or build a house, prayers are addressed to Pillaiar. When the workmen have finished their day's work upon the mud-wall of a house, or garden, they hastily press handfuls of mud into shape, and place them here and there upon the top of the wall, as images of Pillaiar on guard. His image is frequently seen placed over the doors of houses and shops, to insure success to the business of the owners. His sign, a sort of hastily scribbled figure 2, is placed at the head of every letter, or other written document. A short prayer to him heads the first leaf of every school-book. As the god of wisdom, his image is placed in a niche in the wall in village schools, whether held within a building or upon the narrow verandah of a native house. Sometimes the Pillaiar of the village is honored by the shelter of a temple, a clumsy structure of stone or brick (in the latter case plastered within and without). In front of this may often be found a thatched shed, covering a raised platform of earth, the favorite resort of the people for any conference with their neighbors, and frequently the place for holding the village school. The temple may be very contracted, too small for the god to enter, except in a stooping posture, or to stretch himself in, or it may be spacious enough for a lockup for an average criminal, with a ponderous door and a strong lock. Very often, also, this god has a place in the large temples of other gods, and sometimes, though rarely, is honored by large temples of its own

The devout Hindoo, as he passes the idol, brings his hands together in the attitude of worship. If he would do more, he turns once round, with his hands in the same position, and passes on. On other occasions he may prostrate himself at full length in front of the idol, or bring a cocoa-nut to break to it, or bring his family and prepare a feast to the god, cooking and eating in his presence, and giving the god a portion; or he may fulfill a vow made in sickness by sacrificing a ram in the presence of the idol. The writer once found a Brahmin lad crying a pupil in his day-school — and ascertained the reason to be that another lad had threatened to break a cocoa-nut to Pillaiar to make him fail in his recitations, and fall below the other lad in his class.

It illustrates the conflicting character of the sacred books of the Hindoos, and the perplexity to which any intelligent and devout spirit among the Hindoos must be doomed, that in one of the Puranas it is intimated that this deity was cunningly introduced to the worship of men in order to turn them away from the blessedness of heaven and leave them to perish in their ignorance and folly. It is said that in former times Siva made the rash promise to Soma, that whoever visited the temple of Somanath should thereby obtain entrance into heaven. The result was that "sacrifices, ascetic practices, charitable gifts, and all the other prescribed ordinances ceased, and men thronged only to the temple. Hence old and young, the skilled in the Vedas, and those ignorant of them, and even women and Sudras ascended to heaven, until at length it became crowded to excess." Then Indra and the other gods sought the protection of Siva, who would gladly have favored them by relieving them of the unwelcome presence

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