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“Guru.”—A Hindu spiritual director or guide. It is a Sanscrit word and was originally applied to a saint or holy man. The disciples of a “Guru” are termed “Chelah,” also a Sanscrit word, and meaning pupil, servant, slave.

Amongst the Mahomedans a “Guru” would be termed a “Pir,” a Persian word, and in some parts “Murshud,” from the Arabic, and their disciples “Mureed,” also from the Arabic.

All communities, either Hindu or Mahomedan, have their “Gurus” or “Pirs.” The disciples usually attend their “Gurus” to the Shrines in the case of Hindus, and to the Mosques and Shrines in the case of Moslems.

“Clump of Trees.”—It is usual round good sized towns to build walls, and outside the walls to plant groups of trees, and to cultivate gardens, and to provide wells for general use.

“Kotwal.”—An important Officer, holding in native towns authority under the Rajah; and the idea conveyed by the name is that of an official appointed to look after others and to see that they obey the laws. It is a Persian word, and the office is of ancient date, but owing to British intercourse is now almost superseded by the term Chief of Police.

“Police.”—In days long gone by it was customary for native kings and princes to attend executions, and the word translated Police here was in the original “Burkundaz,” literally, a match-lock man, because these men had charge of prisoners in native States.

“Kuttan.”—This is a Sanskrit word, and literally means a dagger with a protected handle. Another name, from the Persian, is “Peshkubz,” but the handle is different.

The sacrifice of human life to the gods prevailed amongst the early Aryans of India, and there is evidence of expiatory sacrifices to “Chandika” to save the life of a king. In this Folk Tale it is the King who gives his life, in hope of reward from the gods.

—Temple, Frere, Crooke.

“The number Five.”—Amongst the Ghazi folk there is no actual popular superstition as to this number being lucky or unlucky; but they glory in the fact that they were born in the country of the Five Rivers, or Punjab, these rivers descending from the Himalayas and on into their parent river, the Indus. Some Mahomedans set rather a special value on the number Seven, possibly from the number of points that the body touches the ground in prostration in prayer, viz., the forehead, the elbows, the knees, and the feet.

In China both the figures Five and Seven are in everything felicitous. They say that all the forces and phenomena of Nature are based upon the number Five (their primitive idea).

Hence, Five active organs of the body: the stomach, the lungs, the liver, the heart, and the kidneys. Five primary colours: red, yellow, green, black, and white. Five varieties of taste: sweet, acrid, sour, bitter, salt. Five elements: earth, metal, wood, fire, and water. Five primary planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Five regions of the heavens: Centre, North, South, East, and West.

Similarly, as sounds belong to the phenomena of Nature, they must invariably resolve themselves into Five.

“Dennys’ Folk-Lore.”

Note.—In the sacred poetical writings in the Sanskrit tongue (“Purana,” literally old) “Siva” as the third person in the Hindu Triad is the “Destroyer,” as “Brahma” was the “Creator,” and “Vishnu” the “Preserver.” Siva is always represented with a third Eye, and the number “Five” is a mystical and powerful number with him.

Note.—Again, all initiated Sikhs who have taken the oath, or pahal, have Five Kukkahs, or conventional marks of distinction, viz.—

Kukkah Kase	The long hair.
Kukkah Kurd	The small iron knife kept in the hair.
Kukkah Kurrah	The iron bangle.
Kukkah Kunghah	The comb kept in the hair.
Kukkah Kachah	The loose drawers to the knee.

Note.—Also the native jury of Hindu communities is confined to Five, and is called a “Punchayet.” Indeed, the number is very generally met with in India as of special significance, both with Mahomedans and Hindus.

Note.—In dealing with these numbers our thoughts will naturally recur to the well-known sayings in the Scriptures:

“Five of them were wise, and Five of them were foolish.” And again, in the religion of the Jews, how the number Seven is used as a number of perfection; and again, the number Five in the appeal of Abraham, “Wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five?”

Note.—Sectarian marks are usual amongst Hindus: It indicates difference of religious sects, not of castes. These are daily renewed on the forehead after the bath. The worshippers of Siva are known by the horizontal position of the mark, the worshippers of Vishnu by the vertical. The customary substances used are earths or white ashes from a sacred fire, saffron, sandal-wood, and white clay. Circlets are also used to distinguish sects as alluded to in Ezekiel ix. 4. Rosaries are universally used in India and elsewhere among Hindus and Moslems, and are composed of various kinds of wild seeds as “rudrakhs,” or of glass and amber, and with the Hindus pictures of Vishnu and Siva are often held in the hand with the beads to be counted.