Forlong - Rivers of Life

Fire Worship.
to their Adām, or representative man, and here they stand on the same firm ground as
the Hindoo. The foot-print, says Col. Forbes Leslie, is 5½ ft. long, being only a slightly
hollow part of the natural rock, and requires the keen eyes of faith to see in it any resemblence
whatever to a foot-print. The rock itself is 7420 ft. above the sea, commanding
one of the grandest views in the world, and exciting the emotions of all who visit it,
especially after having had their feelings wrought up to the highest pitch by long
previous toil and travel. It is visited by the votaries of all faiths, who prepare themselves
beforehand by sacrifice and ablutions for this, the great event of their lives. They
are in no state fot criticism or doubt, and though the faint rude outline of the rock
gives but little authority for the innumerable pictures they have everywhere seen of it,
yet they no more think of questioning all that is told them, than does
the pious Christian at the foot of cross or altar.
“Feet” very usually take the place given to the Lingam, in the
middle of the Argha, as well in Hindoo as Boodhist countries. I give
a small sketch taken from a very large stone stone in the British Museum
361
Fig. 159.—SACRED
FEET IN AN ARGHA.
where this Linga-in-Argha idea is clearly depicted; although the Argha is square,
the Os-yoni is of the usual form, and it is impossible not to see that “feet” are here
used as a mere euphemism for the Phallus. Herodotus 1 tells us of a sacred foot-print
two cubits long, on a sacred rock, far away on the banks of the Skythian’s holy stream
—Tyras, ascribing it to Herakles, which would be the Phallic or Solar God; if the
latter, it would by others be called Boodha’s foot-print; but long before any of these
laid claim it possibly belonged to a god of the ancient Skyths.
All the early dwellers on the shores of the Mediterranean knew of many sacred
footprints, and I cannot help thinking from the shape and history of the Roman Ancilia,
that these are referable to the same idea, being both in plan and section precisely the
same as the Christian shoe of Mary, figure 158, and that of the Argo or hojy boat,
ever the vessel of love and love-errands; the Argha-Nāt or “God of the Argha”—
Siva, is the mast, and the whole reminds us irresistibly of this Christian hymn, which
people, ignorant of their faith, thus cast abroad. amongt us.
“ There comes a galley sailing, “ That galley calmly floating—
With sacred cargo stored, Bears freight of precious cost;
It bears God’s son, most loving, Love is the breeze that wafts it,
The Lord’s eternal Word. Its mast the Holy Ghost.”
A friend who sends me this precious extract says that it is from the St. Alban’s
Psalter and People’s Hymnal, and is a “palpable reproduction of the ancient faiths.”
It is what we would expect Solar priests to issue in Benares, but not in High
Holborn.
Christianity has adopted many old foot-prints, just as she did “Pagan Saints and
Wells” and is still not ashamed of them, or rather all Christians are still not ashamed to
1 [IV. 82]