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THE ANAL-EROTIC FACTOR IN HINDU RELIGION 319
poses to wash himself, he will first choose a suitable spot, and will then provide himself with some earth to be used along with the water in cleansing himself.
XV. He must be careful to provide himselt with the proper kind of earth, and must remember that there are several kinds which cannot be used without committing an offence under these circumstances. Such are the earth of white-ants' nests; salt-earth' potters' earth; road-dust; bleaching earth; earth taken from under trees, from temple enclosures, from cemeteries, from cattle pastures; earth that is almost white like ashes; earth thrown up from rat holes and such like.
XVI. Provided with the proper kind of earth, he will approach the water but will not go into it. He will take some in his chembu. ^ He will then go a little distance away and wash his feet and hands again. If he has not a brass vessel he will dig a little hole in the ground with his hands near the river-side and will fill it with water which he will use in the same way, taking great care that this water shall not leak back into the river.
XVII. Taking a handful of earth in his left 'hand' ^ he will pour water in it and rub jt well on tlie dirty part of his body. He will, repeat the operation, using only half the amount of earth, and so on three times more, the amount of earth being lessened each time.
XVIII. After cleansing himself thus he will wash each of his hands ^ five times with earth and water, beginning with the left hand. 11 1
- He must not use that portion of the hand sacred to the Pitris or spirits
of his departed ancestors, namely the part between the thumb and the fore- finger which is called 'pitrya'.
» It is only the left hand that may be used on these occasions. It would be thought unpardonably filthy to use the right hand. It is always the left hand that is used when anything dirty has to be done, such as blowing the 5 nose, cleaning the ears, the eyes, etc. The right hand is generally used when
any part of the body above the navel is touched, and the left hand below that. All Hindus are so habituated to this that one rarely sees them using the wrong hand. The custom of carefully washing the dirty part after ans- wering a call of nature is strictly observed in every caste. The European habit of using paper is looked upon by all Hindus, without exception, as an
utter abomination, and they never speak of it except with horror. There are |
some who even refuse to believe such a habit exists, and think it must be a libel invented out of hatred for Europeans. I am quite sure that when Hindus talk amongst themselves of what they call our dirty, beastly habits, they
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