many of them diving into the mysteries of their theology, except a Vedantist occasionally make a remark to the women of his household as to the inutility of worshipping their ordinary images, the Hindu wife has little or no instruction in religion, and takes no part in all that array of ceremonial which occupies so much of the daily time of a !limit', particularly if religions. The Hindu prays morning, noon, and night a somewhat long prayer. The wife's prayer, if she pray at all, is very short, i.`rtiva woman merely mentioning the name of her deity in the three words—`O'ml nama Saiva I' I tail ! name of Siva I' Amongst the Smart'ha Brahmans and Mad'hava sect of Vaishnavas, each household keeps a tulsi plant in the middle of its little parterre or courtyard. A small pedestal is erected, in the hollowed centre of which the plant is placed. Daily the women of the house resort to it, circle, prfulatchanam,' and prostrate themselves six times before it, pour water over, and then, stand ing before it, pray to Lakshmi. A similar worship to the pipal tree, with a sculptured cobra at its foot, is offered both by men and women to whom offspring have not been given. This pipal tree is always on the bank of a tank, in which the devotees bathe, dressed in a silk garment used only when performing sacred rites. Places where cobra snakes have formed colonies are largely resorted to by women longing for children, and they make to the cobras offerings of sugar and milk, for the cobra is deemed an a yak; AE,C40Y, guarding the symbol of the reproductive organ. The prayer of the Brahman of every caste and sect includes the Gaitri invocation to the sun.
Legal Rights of Husband and Wife.—A girl is accounted by law marriageable at the age of eight. Girls are, however, given in marriage at the age of two and upwards, till they attain their maturity. A Brahman girl attaining maturity without having contracted marriage, forfeits her caste. The girl, when married, remains with her own family until she reach maturity, when her husband can claim her and remove her to his house. The right of choosing a husband for the girl rests first with her father. Should he.have demised, it devolves in succession upon her paternal grandfather, brother, paternal uncle, male paternal cousins, and lastly upon her mother. If these relatives should have neglected the duty of choosing a husband for the girl up to three years after she may have attained the age of eight, she is at liberty to choose for herself. The lads of the three superior classes, mmely, the Brahman or the sacerdotal order, the Kshatriya or the military tribe, and the Vaisya or the mercantile body, may not contract marriage until they have completed the stage of studentship (Menu, iii. 4), the open ing of which period is marked by performance of the Upianayanam, or investiture with the sacred thread, and the close by a ceremony termed Sama vasthana. For the Sudras or the servile class, who have no stage of studentship, there is no limitation as to the time for marriage. There are eight recognised kinds of marriage, viz. Brahma,
Daiva, Arsha, and Prajapatya, which are appro priate for Brahmans, and are based upon dis interested motives ; the Gandharva and Rakshasa, which are appropriate for Kshatriyas, and are founded, the former on reciprocal desire, and the latter on conquest ; the Asura, which is practised by Vaisya and Sudras, wherein the consent of the party giving away the girl is obtained by a pecuniary consideration ; and the Paishacha, where the marriage may have been effected through fraud or force practised upon the girl, and which is reprobated for all classes. Though each class has its characteristic description of marriage, there is nothing to bind them to the rites appro priate to them. A Brahman, for example, may contract an Asura marriage, and a Sudra a Brahma one. The Brahma and Asura are the most usual forms of marriage. The former is an approved one, and the latter, as a sordid pro ceeding, is discouraged (i. 42, 43 ; Macnaughten junr. i. 60). The binding circumstances essential to the completion of a marriage are gift and acceptance of the girl, and the ceremony termed Saptapathi, or the seven steps. This is performed by the bridegroom placing the bride's foot suc cessively on seven lines drawn on rice in a platter. From this observance has followed the practice of any two persons pledging mutual friendship by taking seven steps together, so that the term Saptapathinam has come to be synonymous with friendship. The ceremonial in question accom plishes the marriage. The other ceremonies observed, including sacrifice by fire (homam), are of minor significance. The tying the tali or nuptial token by the bridegroom round the neck of the bride, is a practice sanctioned by usage, but not prescribed in the Shastras. The above matri monial contract in itself fixes the condition of the parties as married, irrespective of the con summation of the marriage, when the girl, on reaching maturity, is taken home by the husband. It brings the girl, should her husband die, to the state of widowhood, with its attendant conse quence, and gives her right of inheritance in her husband's family. When either party incurs for feiture of caste, intercourse between them ceases ; and should the loss of caste be on the side of the woman, and she be sonless, she is accounted as dead, and funeral rites are performed for her (Smruti chandrika, on text of Vasista and Yajna vulkia). If she have a son, he is bound to main tain her ; and in this way, under such circum stances, her existence is recognised notwithstand ing her loss of caste. Infidelity in the female, save in certain of the lowest classes, occasions forfeiture of caste, and puts an end to the marriage (Smruti chandrika). The husband, however, is not entitled to damages from the adulterer,—the Hindu law not providing for discretionary damages upon any account. Impotence in the man, and confirmed barrenness in the woman, as also loath some or incurable disease in either, justify separa tion (i. 47), but will not sever the marriage.