Compiled by london swaminathan
Date: 15 March 2016
Post No. 2634
Time uploaded in London :– 17-17
(Thanks for the Pictures; they are taken from various sources)
DON’T REBLOG IT AT LEAST FOR A WEEK! DON’T USE THE PICTURES; THEY ARE COPYRIGHTED BY SOMEONE.
(for old articles go to tamilandvedas.com OR swamiindology.blogspot.com)
Following is the extract from the book “India Revisited” by Edwin Arnold published in 1886.
“It is a mistake to think that the snakes are always harmless which are brought round to house doors and hotels in India by jugglers and samp-walahs. An almost universal opinion exists that these men extract the poison –fangs (teeth) from the serpents kept in their baskets and that anybody, therefore, may approach and play with them as freely as their exhibitors. This is by no means the case. Many of the reptiles which hiss and coil about in the Indian verandahs are as deadly as any to be found in the jungle.
The conjuring people tame and familiarise their snakes, especially the cobras, which are then disinclined to strike and become quite friendly and playful; so that unless suddenly frightened or irritated, they dart at the hand of the snake charmer without erecting the poison fangs or even opening their mouths.
Hindu Tricks by Palace jugglers!
The Maharajah of Benares was kind enough to send the entire company of his jugglers for our entertainment. They performed with much adroitness the usual series of Hindu tricks. They made the mango tree grow and bear ripe fruit from a deed; swallowed fire and swords; disentangled inextricable knots; and, having mixed together in water and drunk up three powders, red, green and yellow, one of them brought what seemed the same powders from his mouth in a dry state again. Then they produced a large selection of snakes, of which three are cobras, and one of these was made to dance to the gourd and bansula, striking again and again meanwhile at the hand of the performer.
Poisonous Snake!
A doubt being expressed by somebody as to the lethal power of this creature, the chief juggler declared that it was truly a dant-wallah, and had his poison teeth. “If the sahib-lok would supply a sheep or goat, they might quickly see whether I spoke a true word.” Eventually a white chicken was produced and seizing his cobra by the neck, the juggler pinched its tail and made it bite the poor fowl, which uttered a little cry when the sharp tooth punctured its thigh. The chicken was dead in another ten minutes.
At Pahalpur, a snake charmer for whom we sent to catch a serpent, said to be infesting the compound, had just died by a bite from one of his own captive snakes. The fact is snakes are not understood, and especially cobras. They are extremely intelligent, slow to anger, conscious of their terrible venom and loath to employ it. They are easily tamed, are anxious to escape notice, but extraordinarily sensible to kindness, and when not frightened are among the most gentle and attached of creatures. I shall print in this place an unpublished poem written by me some time ago, which illustrates the topic: THE SNAKE AND THE BABY.”
(Here he had given his long poem which ran to three pages)
–subham-
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