In the Name of Kali, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

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In the Name of Kali, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

by Samata Ullah

Last updated on 25th July 2002

 

 

Kali is a Hindu Goddess of destruction, her followers in the West tend to be New

Ager's and sub-sects of Hinduism, such as Tantriks. Many things are not known

about this Goddess, such as the fact that even today many people perform human

sacrifice to please her, even less known is the fact that this human sacrifice

is commanded in a Tantrik book dedicated to Kali worship called the "Kali

Purana". This article centers on this gruesome practice of human sacrifice to

appease Kali which was the inspiration for the Thugees of British India who

killed and then sacrificed people for Kali. The Kali Purana is included in the

orthodox canon of "divinely revealed" Hindu scriptural books called the

Puranas. As a result any Hindu regardless if he is Tantrik or a normal Hindu

can follow this book.

Hindu fatalism plays an important role in the mentality behind human sacrifice

since these people think they will see the sacrificed person again, i.e. the

reincarnation cycle:

....death is certain for the one who is born, and birth is certain for the one

who dies. Therefore, you should not lament over the inevitable. All beings are

unmanifest, or invisible to our physical eyes before birth and after death.

They manifest between the birth and the death only. What is there to grieve

about? (Bhagavad Gita 2:26-28)

This article will begin by citing some modern-day examples of humans sacrifice

to Kali and then will show how it was commanded in the Hindu Kali Purana (which

is not followed by all Hindus, only by choice by people who want to worship

Devi, Durga better known as Kali) but first an explanation of why human

sacrifice is performed in various societies:

 

"The killing of a human being, or the substitution of an animal for a person,

has often been part of an attempt to effect communion with a god and

participation in his divine life. The offering of human life, as the most

valuable material for sacrifice, in an attempt at expiation, has also occurred.

Human sacrifices have been offered in return for victory in war. The killing of

prisoners of war was once a common custom."

 

"Human sacrifice, practiced in Vedic India, was continued later by the followers

of the goddess Kali, to whom a male child was sacrificed every Friday evening."

[1]

 

 

Here is a particular gruesome example of human sacrifice being practised in the

guise of Kali Dharma (law and religion):

“Two horrifying incidents of human sacrifice, involving a 55-year-old trader and

an eight-year-old boy, has come to light recently.

The first one, that of a Calcutta-based trader, occurred in Uttar Pradesh's

Varanasi: Ram Sevak Chowhan's family beheaded him, ate his flesh and danced

around with his blood smeared on their body. They also chopped off the tongues

of his two daughters-in-law.

Varanasi Deputy Inspector General of Police Shailaja Kumar Mishra said the

incident occurred on the night of April 2. Chowhan, who lived in Garkhada

village with his second wife, two sons, their wives and granddaughter, decided

to conduct a special puja for Goddess Durga.

Accordingly, Chowhan and his family went to a nearby pond, stripped and began

the puja. Suddenly Meena, Chowhan's daughter-in-law, said she was possessed by

the spirit of his first wife. She claimed that the spirit demanded a human

sacrifice.

With nary any hesitation, the group choose Chowhan's granddaughter as the

sacrificial lamb. The trader objected, offering himself in her stead. The

family -- by now in a frenzy -- did not mind. They dragged him to the altar and

beheaded him.

The police said the family then ate his flesh, smeared themselves with his

blood, chopped off the daughters-in-law's tongues and went on dancing through

the night.

The crime came to light when the village chowkidar spotted them washing off blood in the pond.

The police have taken into custody the six surviving members of the family.

Villagers and neighbours said they had not noticed anything abnormal in the

family's behaviour before.

The second incident was reported in West Bengal where an eight-year-old boy was

beheaded and his blood offered in prayer by two tantriks.

Mithun Naskar of Barpunnua village in 24 Parganas (south) district went missing

on March 26. His mutilated body was recovered from a nearby jungle.

Allegations of human sacrifice have been raised many times against the villagers.

State Director General of Police Dipak Sanyal said Mithun was lured to the

jungle by Sudarshan Sardar and his disciple Kartik Bairagi.

Bairagi beheaded him after keeping him captive for a day. His blood was

collected in a vessel and offered to the Goddess Kali (another name for Durga).

The police have arrested the two tantriks.” [2] (More links on occurrences of

humans sacrifice in India can be found at the bottom of the page)

 

 

Scriptural justification in the Kali Purana

 

This text is cited from a book entitled "Riddles in Hinduism" written by one of

the founders of modern India's constitution, B.R Ambedkar. Speaking of the

Rudhir Adhyaya (chapter of blood) in his book he quotes from the Kali Purana

where human sacrifice is preached:

 

Having started drinking and flesh eating the Brahmins did not hesitate to write

puranas advocating animal sacrifices. One such Purana requires a special

mention. It is called the Kali Purana. This Purana is written with the express

purpose of propagating the worship of the goddess Kali. In this Purana there is

an adhhyaya called Rudhir Adhhyaya which means the bloody chapter.

I give below a summary of the Rudhir Adhhyaya. In this chapter the God Shiva

addresses his three sons Betal, Bhairawar, and Bhairava in the following terms:

 

"I will relate you, my sons, the ceremonies and rules to be observed in

sacrifices which being duly attended to are productive of the divine favour.

"The forms laid down in the Vaishnaivi Tantra, are to be followed on all

occasions and may be observed by sacrifices to all Deities."

"Birds, tortoise, allegators, fish, nine species of wild animals, buffaloes,

bulls, he-goats, inchneumons, wild boars, rhinoceroses, antelopes, guanas,

reindeer, lions, tigers, men and blood drawn from the offerer's own body, are

looked upon as proper oblations to the Goddess Chandica, the Bhairavas &c."

"It is through sacrifices that princes obtain bliss, heaven, and victory over their enemies."

"The blood of the wild bull and Guana give pleasure for one year, and that of

the antelope and wild boar for twelve years. The Sarabhas blood satisfies the

Goddess for twenty-five years, and buffalo's and rhinoceros's blood for a

hundred, and that of the tiger an equal number. That of the lion, reindeer, and

the human species produces pleasure, which lasts a thousand years. The flesh of

these, severally, gives the pleasure for the same duration of time as their

blood. Now attend to the different fruits attending an offering of the flesh of

a rhinoceros or antelope, as also of the fish called Rohita."

"The flesh of the antelope and rhinoceros pleases the Goddess five hundred years

and the Rohita fish and Bardhrinasa give my beloved (i.e. the Goddess Cali)

delight for three hundred years."

"A spotless goat, who drinks only twice in twenty-four hours, whose limbs are

slender, and who is the prime among a herd, is called Bardhrinasa, and is

reckoned as the best of Havyas (i.e. offerings to the Deities) and Cavyas,

(i.e. offerings to the deceased progenitors)."

"The bird whose throat is blue and head red and legs black with white feathers,

is called also Barshrinasa, and is king of the birds, and the favourite of me

and Vishnu."

"By a human sacrifice attended by the forms laid down, Devi is pleased one

thousand years and by sacrifice of three men, one hundred thousand years. By

human flesh, Camachya, Chandica, and Bhairava who assumes my shape, are pleased

one thousand years. An oblation of blood which has been rendered pure by holy

texts, is equal to ambrosia; the head also afford much delight to the Goddess

Chandica. Let therefore the learned when paying adoration to the Goddess, offer

blood and the head, and when performing the sacrifices to fire, make oblations

of flesh.

"Let the performer of the sacrifice be cautious never to offer bad flesh, as the

head and blood are looked upon by themselves equal to ambrosia."

"The gourd, sugar cane, spirituous liquors, and fermented liquors are looked

upon as equivalent to other offerings, and please the Goddess for the same

duration of time as the sacrifice of a goat.The performance of the

sacrifice, with a Chandrahasa, or Gatri, (two weapons of the king) is reckoned

the best mode, and with a hetcher or knife, or a sangeul, the second best, and

the beheadings with a hoe a Bhallac (an instrument of the spade kind) the

inferior mode."

"Exclusive of these weapons no others of the spear of arrow kind ought ever to

be used in performing a sacrifice, as the offering is not accepted by the

Goddess, and the giver of it dies. He who, with his hands, tears off the head

of the consecrated animal, or bird, shall be considered equally guilty with him

who has slain a Brahman, and shall undergo great sufferings.”

"Let not the learned use the axe, before they have invoked it by holy texts,

which have been mentioned heretofore, and framed by the learned for the

occasion; let those I now tell you, be joined to them and the axe invoked, and

particuarly so, where the sacrifice is to be made to the Goddesses Durga and

Camachya."

"Let the sacrificer repeat the word Kali twice, then the words ' Devi

Bajreswari, the Lawha Dandayai, Namah ! " which words may be rendered ' Hail!

Cali, Cali! Hail! Devi! goddess of thunder, Hail Iron sceptered Goddess !' Let

him then take the axe in his hand, and again invoke the flame by the Calratriya

text as follows:

"Let the sacrificer say: ' Hrang Hring. Cali, Cali. ' 0 horrid toothed Goddess:

eat, cut, destroy all the malignant, cut with this axe, bind; seize, seize:

drink blood; spheng secure, secure. Salutations to Cali." Thus ends the

Calratriya Mantra."

"The Charge (the axe) being invoked by this text called the Calratriya Mantra,

Calratri (the Goddess of darkness) herself presides over the axe uplifted for

the destruction of the sacrificer's enemies."

"The sacrificers must make use of all the texts directed previous to the

sacrifice, and also of the following, addressing himself to the victim."

"Beasts were created by the self existing, himself to be immolated at

sacrifices. I therefore immolate thee, without incurring any sin in depriving

thee of life."

"Let the sacrificer then name the Deity to whom the sacrifice is made, and the

purpose for which it is performed; and by the above text immolate the victim,

whose face is to be towards the north, or else let the sacrificer turn his own

face to the north, and the victim's to the east: Having immolated the victim,

let him without fail mix salt &c., as before mentioned with the blood."

"The vessel in which the blood is to be presented, is to be according to the

circumstances of the offerer, of gold, silver, copper, brass, or leaves sewed

together, or of earth, or of tutenague, or of any of the species of wood used

in sacrifices."

"Let it not be presented in an iron vessel, nor in one made of the hide of an

animal, or the bark of tree; nor in a pewter, tin, or leaden vessel. Let not

the blood be represented in the holy vessel named Srub and Sruch, nor on the

ground. Let it not be presented in the Ghata (i.e. an earthern-jar always used

in other religious ceremonies). Let it not be presented by pouring it on the

ground, or into any of the vessels used at other times for offering food to the

Deity, Let not the good man who wishes for prosperity, offer the blood in any of

these vessels. Human blood must always be presented in a metalic or earthern

vessel; and never on any account in a vessel made of leaves, or similar

substance."

"The offering of a horse, except at the Aswamedha sacrifice, is wrong, as also

offering an elephant, except at the Gaja Medha; Let therefore the ruler of men

observe never to offer them except on those occasions. And on no account

whatsoever let him offer them to the Goddess Devi, using the wild bull called

Chanrara as a substitute for the horse, when the occasion required one."

"Let not the Brahman ever offer a lion or a tiger, or his own blood, or

spirituous liquors to the Goddess Devi. If a Brahmen sacrifices either a lion,

a tiger, or a man, he goes to hell, and passes but a short time in this world

attended with misery and misfortune."

"If a Brahman offers his own blood, his guilt is equal to that of the slayers of

a Brahman; and if he offers spirituous liquors he is no longer a Brahman."

"Let not a Cshectree offer an antelope; if he does, he incurs the guilt of a

Brahmin slayer where the sacrifice of lions, or tigers, or of the human species

is required, let the three first classes act thus; having formed the image of

the lion, tiger, or human shape with butter, paste, or barley meal, let them

sacrifice the same as if a living victim, the axe being first invoked by the

text Nomo, &c.

"Where the sacrifice of a number of animals is to take place it is sufficient to

bring and present two or three to the Deity, which serves as a consecration of

the whole. I have now related to you, 0 Bhairava, in general terms, the

ceremonies and forms of sacrifices attend now to the different texts to be used

on the several different occasions."

"When a buffalo is presented to Devi, Bhairavee, or Bhairava let the sacrificer

use the following Mantra in invoking the victim. In the manner that thou

destroyest. Horses, in the manner that thou carriest Chandica, destroy my

enemies, and bear prosperity to me, O Buffalo!"

"0 steed of death, of exquisite and imperishable form, produce me long life and

fame. Salutation to thee, o buffalo! "

"Now attend to the particulars relative to the offering of human blood."

"Let a human victim be sacrificed at a place of holy worship, or at a cemetery

where dead bodies are burried. Let the oblation be performed in the part of the

cemetery called Heruca, which has been already described, or at a temple of

Camachya, or on a mountain. Now attend to the mode."

"The cemetery represents me, and is called Bhairava, it has also a part called

Tantarange; the cemetery must be divided into these two division, and a third

called Heruca."

"The human victim is to be immolated in the east division which is sacred to

Bhairava, the head is to be presented in the south division, which is looked

upon as the place sculls sacred to Bhairavi, and the blood is to be presented

in the west division, which is denominated Heruca."

"Having immolated a human victim, with all the requisite ceremonies at a

cemetery or holy place, let the sacrificer be cautious not to cast eyes upon

the victim."

"On other occasion also, let not the sacrificer, cast eyes upon the victim

immolated, but present the head with eyes averted."

"The victim must be a person of good appearance, and be prepared by ablutions,

and requisite ceremonies, such as eating consecrated food the day before, and

by abstinance from flesh and venery: and must be adorned with chaplets of

flowers and besmeared with sandal wood. "

"Then causing the victim to face the north, let the sacrificer worship the

several deities presiding over the different parts of the victims body: let the

worship be then paid to the victim himself by his name."

"Thus let the sacrificer worship the victim, adding whatever other texts are

applicable to the occasion, and have been before mentioned.”

"Let not the female, whether quadruped or bird, or a woman be ever sacrificed;

the sacrificer of either will indubitably fall into hell, where the victim of

either the beasts or birds creation, are very numerous, the immolation of a

female is excusable; but this rule does not hold good, as to the human

species."

"Let not a Brahman or a Chandala be sacrificed; nor a prince; nor that which has

already been presented to a Brahmen, or a deity; nor the offspring of a prince,

nor who has conquered in battle; nor the offspring of a Brahman, or of a

Cshettree; nor a childless brother, nor a father, nor a learned person, nor one

who is unwilling, nor the maternal uncle of the sacrificer. Those not here

named, and animals, and birds of unknown species are unfit. If these named are

not forth coming, let their place be supplied by a male ass or camel. If other

animals are forth coming, the sacrifice of a tiger, camel, or ass must be

avoided."

"Having first worshipped the victim, whether human, beast, or bird, as directed,

let the sacrificer, immolate him uttering the Mantra directed for the occasion,

and address the deity with the text laid down before."

"Let the head and blood of a human victim be presented on the right side of

Devi, and the sacrificer address her standing in front. Let the head and blood

of birds be presented on the left and the blood of a person's own body in

front. Let the ambrosia proceeding from the heads of carnivorous animals and

birds be presented on the left hand. as also the blood of all aquatic animals."

 

"Let the antelope's head and blood, and that of the tortoise, rhinoceros and

hare and crocodile, and fish be presented in front."

"Let a lion's head and blood, be presented on the right hand, and the

rhinoceros's also: let not, on any account, the head or blood of a victim ever

be presented behind the Deity, but on the right, left and in front."

"Let the consecrated lamp, be placed either on the right hand, or in front but

on no account, on the left. Let incense be burnt on the left, and in front, but

not on the right hand. Let perfumes, flowers and ornaments, be presented in

front; with respect to the different parts of the circle, where to present the

offerings, the mode already laid down may be observed. Let Madira (spirituous

liquor) be presented behind other liquids on the left."

"Where it is absolutely necessary to offer spirits, let the three first classes

of men supply their place, by coconut juice in a brass vessel, or honey in a

copper one. Even in a time of calamity, let not a man of the three first

classes, offer spirituous liquor, except that made from flowers, or stewed

dishes. Let princes, ministers of state, counsellors, and vendors of spirituous

liquors, make human sacrifices, for the purpose of attaining prosperity and

wealth."

"If a human sacrifice is performed, without the consent of the prince, the

performer incurs sin. In cases of imminent danger or war, sacrifices may be

performed at pleasure, by princes themselves and their ministers, but by none

else."

"The day previous to a human sacrifice, let the victim be prepared by the text

Manastac, and three Devi Gandha Sucthas, and the texts Wadrang; and by touching

his head with the axe, and besmearing the axe with sandal &c., perfumes, and

then taking some of the sandal, &c., from off the axe, and besmearing the

victim's neck therewith."

"Then let the text Ambe Ambica, &c., and the Towdra and Bhairava texts be used,

and Devi herself will guard the victim who, when thus purified, malady does not

approach him, nor does his mind suffer any derangement from grief and similar

causes, nor does the death or birth of a kinsman render him impure."

"Having secured the victim with cords, and also with (Mantras) let him strike

off the head, and present it to Devi, with due care. Let him make these

sacrifices in proportion to the increase or decrease of his enemies, chopping

off the heads of victims for the purpose of bringing destruction on his foes,

infusing, by holy texts, the soul of the enemy into the body of the victim,

which will when immolated, deprive the foe of life also."

"The blood must be drawn for the express purpose of an oblation, and from a man

pure in body and mind, and free from fear; it must be caught in the petal of

lotus and presented. It may be presented in a gold, silver, brass or iron

vessle, with the due from, the texts recited."

"The blood, if drawn by incision made with a knife, axe or sangeul, gives

pleasure, in proportion to the size of the weapon."

"The sacrificer may present one fourth of the quantity which a lotus petal will

contain, but he must not give more on any account; nor cut his body more than

is necessary. He who willingly offers the blood of his body and his own flesh,

the size of a grain of linseed, Masha, tila, or mudya, with zeal and fervency,

obtains what he desires in the course of six months."

"He who performs sacrifices according to these rules, obtains, his wishes to the utmost extent."

This is the Dharma which the Kali Purana preaches. After centuries of Ahimsa

ordained by Manu here is Himsa in full blast sanctioned by the Tantras in its

worst and all inclusive form— animal and human Himsa. These Himsa practices

preached in the sanguinary chapter of Kali Purana had become quite widespread.

As to the revival of animal sacrifice what happens at the Kali Temple in

Calcutta furnishes unmistakable proof. That this temple should have become a

perfect slaughter house where daily hundreds of goats are sacrificed to appease

the Goddess Kali can only be explained by the teachings of the Kali Purana.

Today human beings are not sacrificed to the Goddess Kali. But it does not mean

that it never happened. On the contrary there is abundant evidence to show that

human sacrifice like animal sacrifice was practiced as taught by the Kali

Purana. Dr. Rajendralal Mitra says:

 

"The fact is well known that for a long time the rite (of Human Sacrifice) was

common all over Hindustan; and persons are not wanting who suspect that there

are still nooks and corners in India, where human victims are occasionally

slaughtered for the gratification of the Devi. In old families which belong to

the sect of the Vamacharis, and whose ancestors formerly offered human victims

at the Durga and the Kali Pujas, a practice still obtains of sacrificing an

effigy, in lieu of a living man. The effigy, a foot long, is made of dried milk

(khira), and sacrified according to the formula laid down in the Kalika Purana

the only addition being a few mantras designed typically to vivify the image. A

friend of mine, Babu Hemachandra Ker, Deputy Magistrate of twenty four

Pergunnahs and author of an excellent work on the culture of Jute in Bengal

informs me that in the eastern districts of Bengal this sacrifice is frequently

performed; but the image instead of being slaughtered by a single individual, is

cut up simultaneously by all the grown up members of the family, either with

separate knives, or with a single knife held jointly by all. This is known by

the name of Satruball or "sacrifice of any enemy ". The sacrifice, both in the

case of Nara Bali and the Satru Bali is performed secretly, generally at

midnight. The Satrubali, however, is a distinct rite, apart from the Narabali

of the Kalika Purana, and authority for it occurs in the Vrihannila Tantra, in

which it is said, after performing certain other rites therein described, "a

king should sacrifice his enemy (in an effigy) made with dried milk (khira). He

should slaughter it himself, looking at it with a fiery glance, striking deep,

and dividing it into two with a single stroke. This should be done after

infusing life into it by the rite of Prana Pratishtha, and repeating the name

of the person to be destroyed. O consort of Mahesa, he doubtless destroys

thereby his enemies." [3]

 

Question(s) to Hindus arising out of this revelation

I am not trying to imply that all or most Hindus do this, far from it. Most

Hindus are tolerant, respectable people. I am onlysaying that since there is no

such thing as one religious tenet of Hinduism, Hinduism in other forms allow

it.Hinduism can be defined by stating all the religions which stem from,

directly and indirectly from the Vedas and all the religions which stem from,

directly and indirectly from the earlier pre-Aryan/pre-Rig Vedic Shaivite

period and it's religion which is now the religion of the Dravidians who reside

in the South (the people of Mohenjo Daro worshipped Shiva on himself, but not in

the currect Hindu view of him in the Trinity with Brahma and Vishnu, rather this

trinity was a result of the fusion of the Aryan beliefs and Shaivite beliefs

after the Aryan emigration).So, as such, when I criticise this human sacrifice

portion of Hinduism, I am only criticising certain people who follow certain

books or traditions which allow human sacrifice.A question, Krishna says in the

Bhagavad Gita that all paths (religions) lead to God, now, Hindus also believe

that adharma (roughly; sin) does not get you to the Lord (in heaven), instead

you get punished by getting reborn.This is the question, what explanation do

you give for this paradox (I cannot find it anywhere in Hindu scriptures),

certain religions in Hinduism allow things which are considered adharma in

other religions of Hinduism, e.g. Tantriks are allowed Himsa ("injury" it is

part of their rituals to sacrifice animals) while other Hindus follow Ahimsa

(non-injury), which one is right? Since all have explicit basis for their

beliefs in Hindu scriptures, which one is correct? If one then believes that

Himsa is bad and gets you bad karma leading you to reincarnation, what about

the other group which believes Himsa is alright? Would they also get bad Karma

which is capable of getting them punished by making them reborn even though

their path of Hinduism allows violence (animal sacrifice)? So is it that

whatever path one chooses he also accepts the restraints of that path (so he

can "sin" but only in that path but he will not "sin" if he chose the other

path which does not recognise this certain act as sinful)? So if this is true,

can a person who no longer desires non-violence (Ahimsa) and wants to sacrifice

humans do it by changing to Tantrik Hinduism whose book the Kali Purana allows

and gives incentives for human sacrifice and not get any sin since it is the

Dharma (rules/religion) of his particular Hindu path? This then is a major

confusion in Hindu theology, if one path of Hinduism says that you will be

punished for doing a certain thing, and another says that it is actually part

of worship to do that same thing which is a sin in the other part of Hinduism,

which is correct? These are both supported in Hindu scriptures. One would

expect at least a certain amount of homogeneity in Hindu beliefs, very crucial

elements of theology concerning the afterlife and what happens have to be the

same, this is then a full-on contradiction. Even though Hindus claim that

contradictions are no problem with them and their religion, certainly the

common factor between them of what happens after death should be the same,

otherwise they will then be completely different religions in the full sense of

the word.

 

Kalighat Temple

The Kalighat Temple in Calcutta is the centre of Kali worship in Bengal it is to

Kali worshippers what Mecca is to Muslims, on the age of the temple, which used

to occupy this place, I quote Indiantemples.com:

The Temple: The Kalighat temple in its present form is only about 200 years old,

although it has been referred to in Mansar Bhasan composed in the 15th century,

and in Kavi Kankan Chandi of the 17th century. [4]

On animal sacrifice in this temple a traveller by the name of Kenneth Wilson writes:

The King assigned a boy to go with us, to prevent us takingphotographs of

forbidden objects, and by a single word tokeep the beggars away. Pressing

through the dense crowd,less accommodating of foreigners than most Indian

crowds, weturned suddenly into the temple compound itself, and intochaos.

Mother Kali's shrine was in the centre, raised aboveits surroundings. Within

the compound, close to one wall ofthe shrine, stood the boli enclosure, place

of goatsacrifice. It was marked out only by a low wall, surroundingtwo blocks

of stone and an iron ring for putting an animal'shead in to decapitate it. The

whole was covered in oldblood, and swarmed with a million flies. One stroke

takesoff a goat's head. Its eyes, with no further power to blink,look back in

surprise at its own unaccountably flailinglegs.

He further states on human sacrifice:

Human sacrifices were regularly made here, saidMr. Shanti, until the British

stopped the practice in 1821.Was that really the last one, we wondered? Even

today, it issaid, in the wildest parts of Bengal Kali will receiveannually a

human life or two. [5]

 

It should thus be known that human sacrifice does not actually get condemned in

Hinduism theologically because of the many paths within Hinduism that allow

various things. While it is true that the majority of Hindus revile this

practise, and that the Indian government has made this illegal under the

punishment of death if carried out, human sacrifice still remains theologically

compatible with certain paths of Hinduism and in fact there is a very big

incentive for it given in the Kali Purana. Hence the repeated accounts of human

sacrifice in India which go reported (no doubt many go unreported).

Ultimately, this stems from the Vedas which have accounts of human sacrifice

called Purushamedha,. The Rig Veda is an account of the Aryans who emigrated

into India about 3500 years ago and brought into India with them primitive

practices (vis a vis the earlier Harappans) such as human sacrifice. It's

origins possibly go all the way back to Central Asia and the Russian steppes.

Human sacrifice was abandoned as a popular practise in India combined after the

teachings of Ahimsa (non-violence) spread throughout India after the appearance

of Mahavira and Buddha and the subsequent Jain and Buddhist influence of Ahimsa

on Hindu thought. Human sacrifice survived as a social and religious practice

in Bengal and the areas adjacent to it such as Assam and in isolated areas in

India where Kali worship was popular. Ultimately it was successfully prohibited

after the British occupation of India, the Muslims, especially the Mughals found

it exceptionally hard to stamp out this practice as they relied on local Hindu

and their leaders to hold onto areas of India by acceding to their wants and

therefore preventing strife. Many Muslim and Hindu Nawab's found it hard to

stomp out the practice by the orders of the Mughal Emperors because the people

themselves, especially in Bengal did not treat this as an evil act, the same

was true with casteism.

As we have seen from the above, human sacrifice does remain a leech-like

irritant on Indian society, and as the reports shown below will tell you, it is

not rare.

 

TIME Asia Magazine: Killing for 'Mother' Kali (newly added)

Sorcerer sacrifices boy for occult powers (newly added)

Parents held for AP girl's 'sacrifice'

'Priestess' arrested for 'child sacrifice'

Child sacrifice accused confesses

Girl killed to propitiate goddess

Four-year-old sacrificed in UP

2 arrested in Tripura for sacrificing a woman to get at hidden treasure

Rediff On The NeT: 40 months from the 21st century, human beings are still being sacrificed

Father beheads son in Chenai

Woman, parents arrested for child sacrifice

Child sacrifice in Sambalpur

Mother sacrifices young son to find treasure trove

Police arrest priest for "sacrificing young boy"

Woman suspected of beheading 7-year old in "Hindu ritual"

8 year old sacrificed by temple priest

Village tense over "child sacrifice", probe on

7-yr-old ‘sacrificed’ by village tantrik - [1/12/2001] - Hindustantimes.com

 

 

 

 

References:

[1] Encyclopedia Britannica Standard Edition CD

[2] Rediff.com

[3] Riddles in Hinduism

[4] Indiantemples.com

[5] Soul of India

 

 

 

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