the golden bough-第41章

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contrary；　and　this　disappointment；　combined　with　his　love　of　power　and　his　impatience　under　the　restraints　of　an　ascetic　life；　quickly　disabused　him　of　his　imaginary　godhead；　and　drove　him　back　to　his　palace　and　his　harem。　The　king　of　Siam　is　venerated　equally　with　a　divinity。　His　subjects　ought　not　to　look　him　in　the　face；　they　prostrate　themselves　before　him　when　he　passes；　and　appear　before　him　on　their　knees；　their　elbows　resting　on　the　ground。　There　is　a　special　language　devoted　to　his　sacred　person　and　attributes；　and　it　must　be　used　by　all　who　speak　to　or　of　him。　Even　the　natives　have　difficulty　in　mastering　this　peculiar　vocabulary。　The　hairs　of　the　monarch's　head；　the　soles　of　his　feet；　the　breath　of　his　body；　indeed　every　single　detail　of　his　person；　both　outward　and　inward；　have　particular　names。　When　he　eats　or　drinks；　sleeps　or　walks；　a　special　word　indicates　that　these　acts　are　being　performed　by　the　sovereign；　and　such　words　cannot　possibly　be　applied　to　the　acts　of　any　other　person　whatever。　There　is　no　word　in　the　Siamese　language　by　which　any　creature　of　higher　rank　or　greater　dignity　than　a　monarch　can　be　described；　and　the　missionaries；　when　they　speak　of　God；　are　forced　to　use　the　native　word　for　king。

But　perhaps　no　country　in　the　world　has　been　so　prolific　of　human　gods　as　India；　nowhere　has　the　divine　grace　been　poured　out　in　a　more　liberal　measure　on　all　classes　of　society　from　kings　down　to　milkmen。　Thus　amongst　the　Todas；　a　pastoral　people　of　the　Neilgherry　Hills　of　Southern　India；　the　dairy　is　a　sanctuary；　and　the　milkman　who　attends　to　it　has　been　described　as　a　god。　On　being　asked　whether　the　Todas　salute　the　sun；　one　of　these　divine　milkmen　replied；　Those　poor　fellows　do　so；　but　I；　tapping　his　chest；　I；　a　god！　why　should　I　salute　the　sun？　Every　one；　even　his　own　father；　prostrates　himself　before　the　milkman；　and　no　one　would　dare　to　refuse　him　anything。　No　human　being；　except　another　milkman；　may　touch　him；　and　he　gives　oracles　to　all　who　consult　him；　speaking　with　the　voice　of　a　god。

Further；　in　India　every　king　is　regarded　as　little　short　of　a　present　god。　The　Hindoo　law…book　of　Manu　goes　farther　and　says　that　even　an　infant　king　must　not　be　despised　from　an　idea　that　he　is　a　mere　mortal；　for　he　is　a　great　deity　in　human　form。　There　is　said　to　have　been　a　sect　in　Orissa　some　years　ago　who　worshipped　the　late　Queen　Victoria　in　her　lifetime　as　their　chief　divinity。　And　to　this　day　in　India　all　living　persons　remarkable　for　great　strength　or　valour　or　for　supposed　miraculous　powers　run　the　risk　of　being　worshipped　as　gods。　Thus；　a　sect　in　the　Punjaub　worshipped　a　deity　whom　they　called　Nikkal　Sen。　This　Nikkal　Sen　was　no　other　than　the　redoubted　General　Nicholson；　and　nothing　that　the　general　could　do　or　say　damped　the　ardour　of　his　adorers。　The　more　he　punished　them；　the　greater　grew　the　religious　awe　with　which　they　worshipped　him。　At　Benares　not　many　years　ago　a　celebrated　deity　was　incarnate　in　the　person　of　a　Hindoo　gentleman　who　rejoiced　in　the　euphonious　name　of　Swami　Bhaskaranandaji　Saraswati；　and　looked　uncommonly　like　the　late　Cardinal　Manning；　only　more　ingenuous。　His　eyes　beamed　with　kindly　human　interest；　and　he　took　what　is　described　as　an　innocent　pleasure　in　the　divine　honours　paid　him　by　his　confiding　worshippers。

At　Chinchvad；　a　small　town　about　ten　miles　from　Poona　in　Western　India；　there　lives　a　family　of　whom　one　in　each　generation　is　believed　by　a　large　proportion　of　the　Mahrattas　to　be　an　incarnation　of　the　elephant…headed　god　Gunputty。　That　celebrated　deity　was　first　made　flesh　about　the　year　1640　in　the　person　of　a　Brahman　of　Poona；　by　name　Mooraba　Gosseyn；　who　sought　to　work　out　his　salvation　by　abstinence；　mortification；　and　prayer。　His　piety　had　its　reward。　The　god　himself　appeared　to　him　in　a　vision　of　the　night　and　promised　that　a　portion　of　his；　that　is；　of　Gunputty's　holy　spirit　should　abide　with　him　and　with　his　seed　after　him　even　to　the　seventh　generation。　The　divine　promise　was　fulfilled。　Seven　successive　incarnations；　transmitted　from　father　to　son；　manifested　the　light　of　Gunputty　to　a　dark　world。　The　last　of　the　direct　line；　a　heavy…looking　god　with　very　weak　eyes；　died　in　the　year　1810。　But　the　cause　of　truth　was　too　sacred；　and　the　value　of　the　church　property　too　considerable；　to　allow　the　Brahmans　to　contemplate　with　equanimity　the　unspeakable　loss　that　would　be　sustained　by　a　world　which　knew　not　Gunputty。　Accordingly　they　sought　and　found　a　holy　vessel　in　whom　the　divine　spirit　of　the　master　had　revealed　itself　anew；　and　the　revelation　has　been　happily　continued　in　an　unbroken　succession　of　vessels　from　that　time　to　this。　But　a　mysterious　law　of　spiritual　economy；　whose　operation　in　the　history　of　religion　we　may　deplore　though　we　cannot　alter；　has　decreed　that　the　miracles　wrought　by　the　god…man　in　these　degenerate　days　cannot　compare　with　those　which　were　wrought　by　his　predecessors　in　days　gone　by；　and　it　is　even　reported　that　the　only　sign　vouchsafed　by　him　to　the　present　generation　of　vipers　is　the　miracle　of　feeding　the　multitude　whom　he　annually　entertains　to　dinner　at　Chinchvad。

A　Hindoo　sect；　which　has　many　representatives　in　Bombay　and　Central　India；　holds　that　its　spiritual　chiefs　or　Maharajas；　as　they　are　called；　are　representatives　or　even　actual　incarnations　on　earth　of　the　god　Krishna。　And　as　Krishna　looks　down　from　heaven　with　most　favour　on　such　as　minister　to　the　wants　of　his　successors　and　vicars　on　earth；　a　peculiar　rite　called　Self…devotion　has　been　instituted；　whereby　his　faithful　worshippers　make　over　their　bodies；　their　souls；　and；　what　is　perhaps　still　more　important；　their　worldly　substance　to　his　adorable　incarnations；　and　women　are　taught　to　believe　that　the　highest　bliss　for　themselves　and　their　families　is　to　be　attained　by　yielding　themselves　to　the　embraces　of　those　beings　in　whom　the　divine　nature　mysteriously　coexists　with　the　form　and　even　the　appetites　of　true　humanity。

Christianity　itself　has　not　uniformly　escaped　the　taint　of　these　unhappy　delusions；　indeed　it　has　often　been　sullied　by　the　extravagances　of　vain　pretenders　to　a　divinity　equal　to　or　even　surpassing　that　of　its　great　Founder。　In　the　second　century　Montanus　the　Phrygian　claimed　to　be　the　incarnate　Trinity；　uniting　in　his　single　person　God　the　Father；　God　the　Son；　and　God　the　Holy　Ghost。　Nor　is　this　an　isolated　case；　the　exorbitant　pretension　of　a　single　ill…balanced　mind。　From　the　earliest　times　down　to　the　present　day　many　sects　have　believed　that　Christ；　nay　God　himself；　is　incarnate　in　every　fully　initiated　Christian；　and　they　have　carried　this　belief　to　its　logical　conclusion　by　adoring　each　other。　Tertullian　records　that　this　was　done　by　his　fellow…Christians　at　Carthage　in　the　second　century；　the　disciples　of　St。　Columba　worshipped　him　as　an　embodiment　of　Christ；　and　in　the　eighth　century　Elipandus　of　Toledo　spoke　of　Christ　as　a　god　among　gods；　meaning　that　all　believers　were　gods　just　as　truly　as　Jesus　himself。　The　adoration　of　each　other　was　customary　among　the　Albigenses；　and　is　noticed　hundreds　of　times　in　the　records　of　the　Inquisition　at　Toulouse　in　the　early　part　of　the　fourteenth　century。

In　the　thirteenth　century　there　arose　a　sect　called　the　Brethren　and　Sisters　of　the　Free　Spirit；　who　held　that　by　long　and　assiduous　contemplation　any　man　might　be　united　to　the　deity　in　an　ineffable　manner　and　become　one　with　the　source　and　parent　of　all　things；　and　that　he　who　had　thus　ascended　to　God　and　been　absorbed　in　his　beatific　essence；　actually　formed　part　of　the　Godhead；　was　the　Son　of　God　in　the　same　sense　and　manner　with　Christ　himself；　and　enjoyed　thereby　a　glorious　immunity　from　the　trammels　of　all　laws　human　and　divine。　Inwardly　transported　by　this　blissful　persuasion；　though　outwardly　presenting　in　their　aspect　and　manners　a　shocking　air　of　lunacy　and　distraction；　the　sectaries　roamed　from　place　to　place；　attired　in　the　most　fantastic　apparel　and　begging　their　bread　with　wild　shouts　and　clamour；　spurning　indignantly　every　kind　of　honest　labour　and　industry　as　an　obstacle　to　divine　contemplation　and　to　the　ascent　of　the　soul　towards　the　Father　of　spirits。　In　all　their　excursions　they　were　followed　by　women　with　whom　they　lived　on