They found Dudeej alive and in excellent health; but they thought it
their duty to explain to him their orders. He told them, that he
should be very proud indeed to have his bones used as arms in so holy
a cause; but he had unfortunately vowed to bathe at all the sacred
shrines in India before he died, and must perform his vow. Grievously
perplexed, the Deotas all went and submitted their case to their
leader, the god Indur. Indur consulted his chaplain, Brisput, who
told him, that there was really no difficulty whatever in the case--
that the angels of all the holy shrines in India had been established
at and around Neemsar by Brimha himself; and the Deotas had only to
take water from all the sacred places over which they presided, and
pour it over the old sage, to get both him and themselves out of the
dilemma. They did so, and the old sage, expressing himself satisfied,
gave up his life. In what mode it was taken no one can tell me. The
Deotas armed themselves with his bones, attacked the Giants
forthwith, and gained an easy and complete victory. The wisdom of the
orders of drowsy old Brimha, in this case, is as little questioned by
the Hindoos of the present day as that of the orders of drunken old
Jupiter was in the case of Troy, by the ancient Greeks and Romans.
Millions, "wise in their generation," have spent their lives in the
reverence of both.
There is hardly any sin that the waters of these dirty little ponds
are not supposed to be capable of washing away; and, over and above
this, they are supposed to improve all the good, and reduce to order
all the bad passions and emotions of those who bathe in them, by
propitiating the aid of the deity, and those who have influence over
him.
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