Witchcraft

The existence of witchcraft is generally
accepted in many segments of contemporary Hindu culture, even by many
“modern” urban Hindus. The root forces
behind witchcraft are malevolence,
envy, and greed, through which some
people try to harm others or to ruin
what they have gained. Witches may
work through spells, through the evil eye
(nazar), or through pronouncing curses
on others. Pregnant women and young
children are thought to be particularly
susceptible to their powers, and these
parties are also deemed particularly
likely to be cursed, because the envy
over their good fortune is said to excite
a witch’s passion. The appropriate
counteraction is to perform various
rites of protection, which will safeguard
the person from being affected. Those
afflicted by witchcraft may exhibit this
as an unusually persistent illness or as
strange behavior; for these people,
stronger remedies are needed. As Sudhir
Kakar masterfully shows, the language
of possession and exorcism can be
interpreted as an “idiom” (using traditional Indian cultural categories) for
what modern psychiatrists might call
the diagnosis and treatment of mental
illness. For further information see
Sudhir Kakar, Shamans, Mystics, and
Doctors, 1991; and David F. Pocock, “The
Evil Eye,” in T. N. Madan (ed.), Religion
in India, 1991.