Abraham Kovoor’s Case Diary: Science of Charms!

Abraham Kovoor

(Selections from the Writings of Abraham Kovoor)

"What really are manthras? They are a certain co-ordination of words, sounds and phrases which, when chanted a required number of times, harmonize to produce an ethereal vibration. This vibration causes ripples in the Pancha Maha Bhutha (five elements). As all living beings are composed of the jive elements, these vibrations have an effect on living matter.

"In certain charms the forces, which are the Devathas, come under three cat­egories. These are brought into force by the constant and rhythmical repetition of their names and powers. In other charms, only the cosmic forces and their vibrations are brought in to play. In the third forms of manthra, devils' names and evil forces are brought into play.

"Charms could either bring evil spirits (devils) into service or repel them. A charmer could be bound by a devil, or he could drive it out of a possessed person".

 (Gaston de Rosayro, The Ceylon Observer, 8-5-67.)

This great vibration theory of charms as expounded by Mr. Rosayro should find a place along with subjects like heat, light, electricity, magnetism etc., in text-book~ on Physics, and should be included in the G.C.E. Syllabus for our students, especially because - unlike other countries - charms, manthras and devil dances are special features of our culture. Is it not necessary that we should have a faculty in the Univer­sity of Ceylon for this specialized branch of science? It may be that we may not be able to get suitable persons from abroad with university degrees or doctorate in occultism or demonology to chair this faculty. In that case the university authorities should not overlook the claims of local Kattadiyas. At least there is one among them with specialized training in demonology in America.

Abraham Kovoor

As a result of three challenges issued by the writer on three occasions to all occultists in this country to kill him, during specified time limits, by their charms, vas kavis, necromancy, curse etc.; he received 48 charms by post from various parts of the island. Of these, 33 were on copper and silver foils, and the rest on paper. In spite of all these so-called powerful charms and their 'vibrations' he is still hail and hearty.

Of course, like all living organisms, when he finally dies the demonologists and charmists in this country might claim that his death was due to the delayed action of their charms.

One Mr. Nandiris de Silva, a kattadiya from Panadura, claimed through the columns of the Sinhalese newspaper 'Silumina' that he could, by his charms and medical powers perform various miracles such as putting a ghost in my palm, show a demon in a mirror, get me stucked to the chair I was seated on, and smash up the pieces of furniture at my home with the help of demons under his control. Though several dates were fixed both by the editor of the 'Silumina' and myself for Mr. de Silva to demonstrate his tall claims, he never turned up.

The following letters which passed between us will expose the bluff of this typical charlatan:

                                                                              

26th July, 1967

Dear Mr. de Silva 

Although you published through the columns of the 'Silumina' that you were prepared to take up my challenge, so far you have evaded to demonstrate your so­called mysterious ability on the dates fixed earlier. Since the readers of Silumina are liable to lose faith in you, the Ceylon Rationalist Association whose main aim is to eradicate superstitious beliefs from the minds of people, and the newspaper Silumina, a final date to demonstrate your so-called power to smash up the furniture in my home by the help of demons or ghosts you claim to have under your magical control, has now to be fixed.

"The time fixed for the demonstration is 30th July, 1967, between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. You are therefore requested to be present at my bungalow at this time to carry out the demonstration in the presence of Mr. Subasinghe, Deputy Editor of Silumina, Mr. Kapila Somaratna and Mr. Garnini Cabraal.

"Though the original challenge of mine was with a bet, tins test will be con­ducted absolutely free. Your failure to be present on this occasion on some lame ex­cuse will make me come to the logical conclusion that you, like all kattadiyas, are out to cheat the gullible public by your bluff, and that conclusion will be given due public­ity. Please remember that this is the last and final date, and no postponement will be made as the readers have waited too long already.

Yours faithfully,

Abraham Kovoor

On 3^rd August, 1967, I got the following reply from Mr. de Silva:

Dear Sir,

I am in receipt of your letter dated 26th July, 1967. I have already mentioned in my stories in Silumina that I wanted enough time to produce a ghost before you.

"Herewith I certify that I would produce a spirit of ghost before you. Please fix the date in September, because at present I am undergoing medical treatment from Dr. Ratnavale for an ailment in my body.

"Please let me know the date enabling me to prepare for it in time.

Thanking You

Yours faithfully,

S. Nandiris de Silva

   

On 3rd August, 1967, I followed it up by the following 1etter:­

Dear Mr. de Silva,

Thanks for your letter of 1-8-1967. Though I said in my previous letter of 26th July, that no postponement would be made, in view of your illness I am prepared to accede to your request.

"The new and final date now fixed to conduct, the test is 4th September from 10 am to 11 am Please note that this is the 4th postponement, and no further change will be made.

"Though I am sorry to hear that you are not well, I am glad that you are doing the correct thing by taking treatment from a medical doctor instead of depending on the magical powers you claim to possess. While ignorant persons seek the help of Kattadiyas, the Kattadiyas themselves seek the help of doctors. It is to expose this type of fraud that I have been all along challenging Kattadiyas.

Hoping to meet you on 4th September.

I am,

Yours faithfully

Abraham T. Kovoor

Following is an English translation of a letter from Mr. Nandiris de Silva written in Sinhala.

28-8-1967, Panadura 

Respected Sir,                                                                               , 

Thank you very much for the two letters. I am not in a position to show you the powers of ghosts on the 8th of next month owing to the following reasons:

I have been suffering from a brain trouble for the last three months and now I am feeling better. I am medically advised to rest for another month more: Before the 15th of October I will show you what the ghosts can do. This I will do at the Panadura Town Hall in the presence of you and a limited number of persons. This is because the police will object to public demonstrations.

I wish you long life and happiness.

N. de Silva

On 31st August I sent the following letter to Mr. N. de Silva.

Dear Mr. de Silva,

I am in receipt of your letter dated 28-8-1967. Although several dates were fixed in the past for you to demonstrate your claim, you have cleverly evaded facing the test each time giving some sort of excuse. The final date in September was fixed at your own request, but now you want it to be postponed again.

"I have now learned by experience that you are not in any way different from other Kattadiyas who claim that they could take up my various challenges, but in the end slowly back out by keeping silent. Hence, I am not prepared to waste any more of my time with an unreliable person like you. Right from the very beginning of the controversy you have shown your unreliability by changing your claims and condi­tions from time to time.

"First you said that you could put a ghost on my palm. Two weeks later you said that you could produce a ghost to be photographed. When this was accepted you changed your ground again and said that you could show a ghost through a mirror. Later you said that you could get me glued to the chair I was seated on. When asked to do it, you cleverly evaded that also and said that you could smash up the furniture in my house with the help of demons or ghosts.

"It was to demonstrate your claim to smash up the furniture that the last few days were fixed. Now you are trying to back out on the plea that you are having some brain trouble.

"Your last letter of 28-8-67 does not say a word about the smashing up of the furniture. On the other hand you vaguely say about 'what ghost can do' at the Panadura Town Hall, on the plea that the police will object if it is done in public. What was wanted of you was to break up my own furniture in my own house, and not in any public place. There is no question of the police interfering in it as you are doing it at my own request, in my own house.

"All you claim is mere bluff - an excuse to back out. Or, could it be that you find it difficult to introduce your accomplices to help you by some tricks if it is done in my house?

"Though I am not going to fix any more dates, you are at full liberty to fix a date most convenient to you to smash up the furniture. You can do this even without inform­ing me. If at any time you succeed, that news will be given publicity in newspapers.

"In the meanwhile I am releasing to the press the contents of the letters which have passed between us so that the readers may know the actual state of affairs.

"Though I am sorry to hear about your mental trouble, I am glad that you are taking treatment from a neurologist, instead of trying to cure it by your so-called manthras, thovil, bali and other fraudulent practices.

Yours faithfully

Abraham T. Kovoor

(It is a pity that the newspaper Silumina, which sponsored this controversy for many months, failed to give its readers the opportunity to know the final outcome of it by publishing these letters in spite of repeated requests. After all, who is the editor who will knowingly kill the goose which lays for him golden eggs regularly by way of lengthy advertisements?)

Courtesy: Abraham Kovoor: Exposing Paranormal Claims; Published by B Premanand, Indian CSICOP, Podannur-641023; Date of Publication: 15-3-2000

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Abraham Kovoor’s Case Diary: The Curative Power of the Water of the River Ganges

Abraham Kovoor

Kerala, the land of my birth, is very similar to Lanka in its topography, climate, fauna flora and even the cultural and ethnic qualities of its peoples. The phonetics of the Malayalam language is more similar to the spoken Tamil of Jaffna than that of South India; yet, the morphology of the Malayalam alphabets is more similar to those of the Sinhala language than the Tamil. The industrious and adventurous nature with their thirst for education make Keralians more similar to the people of the North than those of the South in this country. But, in their social and domestic habits Keralians are more similar to the Sinhalese than the Tamils.

Like Ceylon, the chief products of Kerala are tea, rubber, coconut, paddy and spices. Kerala, like Ceylon, has a coconut-growing wet zone where the Malayalees live, and a palmyra-growing dry zone where the Tamils live. After India attained independence the palmyra country was merged with the Tamil Nadu. The present Kerala is the Malayalam-speaking coconut country formed by the merger of Malabar, Travancore and Cochin. The meaning of the word Kerala itself is the 'land of coconut’.

Devprayag: beginning of the Ganges proper
Courtesy: Wikipedia

The three main religious communities of Kerala arc the Hindus, the Syrian Christians, and the Moplah Muslims. They live happily as good neighbours, sharing many social customs in common.

As in Ceylon, witchcraft and devil dances thrive even to this day among the villagers in Kerala. More than half a century ago, when I was a young boy, it was a common practice to resort to witchcraft whenever anything untoward happened in the family. Most householders, as a result of superstitious beliefs, treasured some sort of' sacred' medicine or talisman which, they imagined, could affect magical cures for all their ailments. For the Nairs it was the 'sacred' water - theertham - from the holy river Ganges, brought by pilgrims who returned from the' sacred' city of Ben ares. For the Syrian Christians it was often the sanctified oil from Antioch or tile 'sacred' water from Lourdes. For the Moplahs it was the water sanctified by the container made to touch the 'sacred' Kaaba stone at Mecca brought yearly by the Haji pilgrims.

From 1921 to 24 my younger brother the late Dr. Behanan T. Kovoor of the Yale University, U. S., and I were students at the University of Calcutta. The city of Calcutta is about 1500 miles from my native town Tiruvalla. It took about five days for us to reach Calcutta by train.

A trip from Tiruvalla to the distant city on the banks of the river Ganges, by two young boys in search of higher education was an unusual event those days along the people of our neighbourhood. Because of the long distance and the heavy expense involved, we used to come home only once a year during the long mid-summer vacation.

Ceremonial Send-Off

Our departure to Calcutta after the holidays was a ceremonial affair. Days be­fore our departure, both my brother and I were feted by our neighbours. During the last few days of our holidays we had practically all our meals in the neighbouring houses irrespective of caste, creed or class. Almost all the Nair families wanted us to bring for them, when we returned at least a few drops of' theertham' (Ganges water). For them, we were extremely fortunate because even in our boyhood we would be getting a chance of bathing in the 'sacred' waters of the 'holy' Ganges, and thus attain 'moksha' without much effort.

A girl selling plastic containers
for carrying Ganges water, Haridwar.
Courtesy: Wikipedia

On the day of departure, our house and courtyard used to get crowded with men, women and children from the neighbouring houses. The men folks in our neighbourhood, who were mostly farmers and petty land-owners, kept away from their normal work that day for the sake of bidding us farewell.

After prayers and blessings by our family priest the Rev. K.P. Thomas, a beloved cousin of mine, our mother insisted that we went round to all the elderly men and women in the group to receive their blessings, which they did by placing their hands on our foreheads, with tears rolling down their cheeks. Many women used to burst out into loud weeping. The sympathetic effect of their weeping on our tender minds made us also shed tears. It was really a touching separation, the effect of which used to linger in our minds throughout the whole journey. Fortunately, on reaching Calcutta, the multifarious attractions of the big city, and the boisterous life in our hostel made us forget fast all about the home and our good neighbours. Such thoughts came back to our minds only when the time for our return trip approached during the next summer.

The Ganges

The river Ganges which has its source in the 'sacred' Kailas (Himalayas) flows down the Gangetic plain for about 1500 miles and falls into the Bay of Bengal. Calcutta is at the mouth of this river. It is in flood throughout the summer months when the snow on the Himalayas melts. Since it is a fast-flowing river, its water is always muddy.

During my long stay in Bengal I bathed in this river only once. It became my first and last bathe in that river because of a shocking experience I had on that occa­sion. As I lifted my head out of the water after a long immersion my head came in contact with a white and slimy object. It turned out to be a highly decomposed dis­membered human hand, partially eaten away by fish. It made me sick, and I had to go without food for a couple of days.

Though prohibited by law at present, during the days of my youth it was the usual practice among the Hindus of North India to ceremoniously deposit the dead bodies of their dear ones into the 'sacred' waters of this holy river. By this they insured 'moksha' for their departed souls. Those who lived far away from this river had to be satisfied by throwing the ashes into it after cremation. More than half a century ago one could see at any time numerous floating carcasses flowing down this river in various stages of decomposition. Thousands of dead bodies were dumped into this so-called sacred river every day at hundreds of cities, towns and villages along the banks of this long river. Yet, millions of pilgrims from allover India 'purify' themselves by not only bathing in it, but also by drinking the polluted water. I have seen devotees pushing away carcasses which come their way, and continue their ablu­tions. They were brainwashed from childhood into the belief that in spite of the pres­ence of decomposing carcasses in it, the water of the Ganges is pure and 'sacred'.

People wash laundry in the Ganges River
Courtesy: Science Daily

As a result of the abhorrence after my first nauseous experience in this 'holy' river, I decided not to take even a drop of water from it to my good neighbours. Since Behanan and I were reluctant to disappoint them, we decided to substitute some good well water for the Ganges water.

The nearest Railway Station to Tiruvalla those days was Kottarakkara. When we got down from the train at Kottarakkara we used to fill two bottles with drinking water from the filter in the waiting room, cork them properly and keep them along with our luggage. From that time onwards the water in the two bottles was called 'theertham' .

To reach Tiruvalla we had to travel about 56 miles by transport bus. There were many buses running on this route, all belonging to different operators. There was much rivalry and competition among those bus operators. This competition was a boon for the passengers as they received very polite and liberal treatments from them. As there was no governmental control over bus transport those days, buses came and went at unscheduled times, took whichever routes the driver liked, stopped whenever the passengers wanted, and cancelled trips according to the whims and fancies of the operators.

To make sure of their fare the conductors and cleaners of the few buses at the Kottarakkara Railway Station used to struggle among themselves to put the luggage of the waiting passengers on the hood of their own buses. Once the luggage was on the top of their bus, they were sure that the owner of the luggage would get into their bus.

When the conductors and cleaners handle our luggage roughly in their struggle to secure their fare, we used to 'beg them to be extra careful about the handling of the two bottles of 'theertham'. The word 'theertham' had an electrifying effect on them as well as the other fellow passengers. They handled the two bottles with due respect, and saw that both of us were given specially reserved seats by the side of the driver. Finally, on reaching Tiruvalla, the bus is diverted from the normal route with the sardine-packed passengers in it, and driven to an extra distance of about two miles to drop us at Kovoor house. After dropping our luggage and us at home the conductor produced a small phial with the humble request for a small quantity of the theertham to be shared among the driver, the cleaner, and himself.

Miracle Cures

We used to entrust the two bottles of theertham to our devoted Christian mother. With pride and pleasure she used to distribute the theertham to our Nair neighbours according to their needs. Till the death of our beloved mother in 1942 she was not told the real truth about the theertham. During the first two days of our arrival home, our neighbours used to flow in to greet us and to get their share of the sacred water.

Next mid-summer too the same fraud was repeated with all solemnity. Thus, for four consecutive years we continued to cheat our Christian mother and the Hindu neighbours with the Kottarakkara Railway Station water, and every holiday we had to give patient hearing to the numerous accounts of miraculous cures affected by the previous year's supply.

Puthur Raman Nair had this to say: "During the last two years we had no need to seek medical help. My mother had a severe attack of diarrhea last April. I just gave her a spoonful of honey with two drops of the theertham in it. That was all. Within three hours she was perfectly cured".

Kilannaparampil Lakshmi Amma said, "Every time my daughte,r got cold ot fever, a single drop of the theertham gave her perfect relief. I was wbject to severe migraine since I had a miscarriage three years ago. Now when I get any symptom of the head-ache coming on, I simply apply a drop of the theertham on my forehead and it stops with that. Even if it comes, the pain is only very slight."

Vettuvelil Parukutty who had two difficult and complicated childbirths when she gave birth to her first two children, had a very easy one at home when her third child was born. All what she did at the third time was to take two drops of the theertham immediately when the labour pain started.

Oliprakkatu Narayana Kuruppu proved the miraculous power of the theertham by an experimental research. He had two grafted mango trees in his garden. Both were of the same stock and of the same age. During the dry season he watered the two trees. Once he added a few drops of the theertham to the water he poured for one of the trees. When the flowering season arrived the tree which got a dose of the theertham flowered, while the other tree produced only a crop of tender leaves.

Chankroth Patchu Pillai immunised all the members of his family by pouring a spoonful of the theertham into the family well. Since taking this precaution not a single member of the Chankroth family fell ill.

There were numerous similar stories of miracles narrated by our neighbours who came to repeat their request for a further supply.

Explanation

The belief in miraculous powers of holy water is very ancient. Men in every walk and clime have maintained superstitious beliefs in the miraculous powers of sacred and holy objects, persons, places and times. Apart from the psychological effects of suggestion on their minds, there is absolutely no evidence to show that there are objective merits in such beliefs. Just as beneficial effects can be had by hypnotic suggestions, it is possible to have harmful effects, also by such suggestions or beliefs. Many of the neurotic subjects at mental hospitals are the final results of diverse types of superstitious beliefs. He who believes in sacredness is sure to get mentally tor­mented by acts of desecration too. Psychology tells us that such mental traumas are the causes of neurotic afflictions, mostly among the credulous and mentally feeble types. Among the numerous neurotics brought to me, I have found by statistics that the prevalence of neurosis among communities is directly proportional to the extent of superstitious beliefs held by them. Even in such communities, there are more women neurotics than men for the same reason. Better education for girls, and relaxation of the strict observance of the purdah, can help to a great extent to reduce neurosis among women.

A present Deputy Director of Education was some years ago teaching at Jaffna Central College, where I too was a teacher. One day he drank some water from a 'kooja' kept in the staff room. A few hours later another teacher drained the last quantity of water from that kooja into a glass tumbler. Out came a small dead snake along with the water. The Director who heard about it became violently sick. The nausea was continuous, and we got alarmed. Finally, it stopped abruptly when he was convinced that the water he drank was from another kooja which was on the same table. Though the water he drank was from the same kooja. His nausea stopped when he was made to believe blindly that he drank from another. This shows how one can get sick and get cured psychologically. But to argue that sickness which is not psycho­somatic in origin can be cured by faith is absurd.

The Kottarakkara Railway station water did not do any miracle in our neighbourhood. Our neighbours' anecdotes simply showed the credulous nature of those simple folks woo were brainwashed from childhood about the miraculous prop­erties of the theertham. Discarding logic and reason, their conditioned minds only attempted to give interpretations and explanations to suit their blind beliefs.

The so-called beneficial effects of sacrifices, pilgrimages, offerings, prayers, bless­ings, worships, vows, consecrations, dedications, ordinations, Lourdes water, theerthams, prasadhams, sacraments, baptism, anointing, holy ash, yagna, pooja etc., are of superstitious beliefs. He who believes in sacredness is sure to get mentally tor­mented by acts of desecration too. Psychology tells us that such mental traumas are the causes of neurotic afflictions, mostly among the credulous and mentally feeble types. Among the numerous neurotics brought to me, I have found by statistics that the prevalence of neurosis among communities is directly proportional to the extent of superstitious beliefs held by them. Even in such communities, there are more women neurotics than men for the same reason. Better education for girls, and relaxation of the strict observance of the purdah, can help to a great extent to reduce neurosis among women.

Academic education and intelligence need not be considered as marks of non-­gullibility. In fact, some of the highly educated persons in exalted positions are ex­tremely gullible, even resorting to witchcraft. It is only persons capable of rational thinking who can free themselves from credulity. Blind believers are mentally blind in spite of their intelligence and education.

Recently much newspaper publicity was given to the alleged healing power of one D.C. Wijemanne, who calls himself 'Uthama Sadhu'. Numerous persons, includ­ing an ex-cabinet minister, are reported to have gone to this man to get their diseases cured by being blessed by this man.

Like the Railway Station water, it was not the non-existing power of Wijemanne which affected the alleged cures, but the credulity of the minister and the others who went to him to get blessed made them imagine that they were cured.

If the Minister was really convinced about the healing power of Wijemanne, as one who was responsible for the welfare of this country, it was his duty to have per­suaded his colleague the then Minister of Health to appoint 'Uthama Sadhu' to the General Hospital, so that the country as a whole could benefit.

If 'Uthama Sadhu's claims are true, we can expect hundreds and thousands of incurable cases being brought to Ceylon from allover the world for miraculous cures. Indirectly this might even solve our problem of foreign assets!

Courtesy: Abraham Kovoor, Exposing Paranormal Claims, Published by B Pemanand, Indian CSICOP, Podannur- 641023, Date of Publication: 15-03-2000

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Abraham Kovoor’s Case Diary: Deceptive Perceptions

Abraham Kovoor

Recently we happened to read in an Indian journal an article by Sri K.P. Kesava Menon written on his 83rd birthday. Sri Menon was a former High Commissioner of India in Ceylon, a writer, a patriot and one of India’s foremost journalists. Even in his old age, whatever he writes is read avidly and taken as words of wisdom .by millions in India. We quote below the translation of a small passage from that article:-

''A person s faith takes its shape from his own experience. Is it right to deny the experience of another person simply because you have failed to get the same experi­ence? When I look at the sky at night, I am not able to see even a single star there, because I am now blind. If a person seated next to me revels at the splendour of the millions of stars he sees in the same sky, shall I be right in accusing him that he is telling a lie? If another person who is looking through a telescope, describes about still more stars he is able to see, will it be right on my part to say that they are purely the result of his imagination? Ordinary men do not have the physical strength of a Sandow or a Joe Louis. These strong men do not have the intelligence of a Ramanujan or Einstein. If it is so, is it not possible for some persons to have more spiritual powers and more spiritual experiences than others. It is my faith which gives me peace and happiness. Similarly if others also may derive peace and happiness through other types of faiths, why should I try to shake their beliefs?" (Mathrubhoomi Weekly)

What Sri Menon says, though very misleading, may appear to be sound argu­ments even to many intelligent thinkers.

Let us have a psychological evaluation, and analysis of mental experiences and beliefs of man.

KP Kesava Menon

Experiences or perceptions are of two types - subjective and objective. Objective perceptions, like that of the person seeing the stars in the sky, either by the naked-eye observation, or through a telescope, are true and factual, because they can be verified by others also. Subjective experiences, on the other hand, may be true, but need not necessarily be factual, and are not always amenable to reason and verification.

A young boy may be suffering from enuresis - that is the habit of urinating on the bed in sleep. He may be getting severe scolding every morning from his ignorant parents. What really happens in this boy's case is, drop by drop urine is filtered out of the kidneys and gets collected in his urinary bladder. When the bladder is full, this information is taken to the brain through the sensory nerves as electrical impulses. These impulses conjure up a dream in the mind of the child. In his dream he gets up from his bed, goes to the urinal and urinates there. The whole thing is only a dream. The fact is that the boy has urinated on the bed itself.

If one early morning, before the child is awake, some one in the house lifts him up and removes the wet bed sheet or mat, and spreads a dry one, and the child is laid back still asleep, on awakening, as usual he will look with anxiety on the bed. On seeing that everything is perfectly dry, he will jump up out of the bed with joy, and run up to the mother and say, "Mammy" last night I did not urinate on the bed. I went out and did it in the urinal."

The child is speaking the absolute truth, but it is not factual. It is absolutely true because it is a subjective experience of the child. But it is not factual, because on verification, the facts will show that the child did urinate on the bed. It is a deceptive experience, and it must not be given any credence.

Deceptive experiences or perceptions can be of three types: illusion, hallucina­tion, and delusion.

Of these three deceptive perceptions, illusions are false sensory experiences.  Hallucinations, on the other hand, are false mental experiences caused by physical, chemical, biological and psychological stimuli. Delusions, the third type, are false notions implanted in the mind by indoctrination and brainwashing.

Let us take the illusions first. They can be of five types, depending on the five senses - optical or visual illusions, auditory illusions, tactile illusions, olfactory illu­sions and oral or lingual illusions.

Appearance of watery patches at a distance on a tarred road on a hot bright day is an optical illusion known as mirage. It may appear to be real from a distance. Only on verification by going near it we will know the illusory nature of a mirage.

The sweet taste of water when drunk just after eating the Indian Gooseberry, known locally as Nelli, is an oral illusion. The reality that this water is not sweet, but only an illusory experience, can be verified by making others who have not eaten Nelli, to drink it.

Many persons whose minds are deluded with the belief in non-existing ghosts, demons, Satan, angels, gods, fairies, goblins etc., may see them at night or in dark places as a result of optical illusions. Due to the fear artificially created by brainwash­ing from childhood, most persons will not have the courage to go near and verify the truth about these apparitions. All those who have conducted investigations coura­geously and scientifically have come to know that such apparitions are either due to optical illusions, or mental hallucinations:

The juggling feats of magicians, and the so-called miracles of imposters in the garb of holy men, are all optical illusions. Neither the magicians, nor the miracle performing so-called holy men will allow anyone to examine their bodies and dresses for fear of their conjuring tricks, or frauds being exposed.

Now let us turn our attention to hallucinations. As mentioned earlier, hallucina­tions are abnormal or deceptive mental experiences resulting from physical, chemi­cal, biological and psychological causes.

Physical Stimuli: Doctors Walter Hess of Switzerland, J. Delgado of Yale Uni­versity, and James Olds of Michigan University have succeeded in creating artificially emotions such as rage, fear, hunger, sorrow, sleep, melancholia, jubilation, love, eroti­cism, anxiety, aggression, extroversion, introversion, friendliness, hatred, pain, plea­sure etc., by stimulating the various control of the brain by electrical impulses, exactly like what happens in normal life.

Rhythmical sensory stimulations like drumming, clapping of hands in unison, chanting of refrains, singing, poetry recitation, slogan-shouting during mass demon­strations, dancing, physical jerks, alternate flashing of light and darkness into the eye, looking intensely on psychedelic patterns, bright flames, crystals and black spots on white back-ground - the usual practices adopted by light readers, crystal gazers and anjanakkarayas - can cause hallucinatory experiences in the subject.

The bizarre behaviour of persons during devil dances, voodoo dances, Rock'n Roll, Baila, Twist, Kavadi dance, Kolam dance, temple poojas, revival meetings and Pentecostal sessions, cricket matches, fire-walking, pop music etc., are all due to the rhythmical stimulations of the nervous system.

Then come the chemical stimulations. Even from primitive times our forefa­thers knew the technique of producing hallucinations by consuming toddy, arrack, opium, ganja and Datura, which, in Sinhalese is known as Aththana and in Tamil as Poomathai.

The Balaji Temple in Muthumudali Street in Madras is famous among the Hin­dus in Tamil Nadu, because of the unusual religious ecstasy experienced by devotees who take part in the pooja and the prasadam there.

Dr Albert Hoffman

Prasadam is a sacred ambrosia distributed by the priests among the devotees in return for their offerings. On 7th May, 1963, the chief priest of this temple was ar­rested for possessing 3960 grains of Ganja. During the trial it transpired that this priest was in the habit of adding Ganja to the prasadam. This priest, of course, knew· the technique of producing, religious experience with the help of Ganja.

In recent times, numerous hallucinatory drugs like Lysergic acid diethylamide or L.S.D. to be short, Marijuana, Heroine, Mescaline etc., are used as mental boost­ers, and lagerctil, Librium, valium, Miltown, Amital Sodium etc., as mental sedatives or hypnogens. Dr. Albert Hoffman describes his own experience after taking a small dose of L.S.D. thus: - "I saw my own spirit getting out of my body. It remained sus­pended in space, and I was looking on my own dead body and crying".

One-millionth grain of L.S.D. can induce in a person transient hallucinations causing ecstasy and schizophrenia, which often gives rise to religious experiences. The discovery of chemical substances of the L.S.D. group in the blood stream of schizophrenics and persons suffering from religio-mania made Doctor Quastel and Doctor Wheatly to conclude that the hallucinatory experiences of visionaries ascetics, mystics, Sadhus and the devotees who enter into trance at religious ceremonies and devil dances are all due to the derangement of their body chemistry.

Now, we will consider the third stimuli - the biological causes: Professors Orlando Miller and Allen Fisher, both of Canada, have discovered that certain abnor­mal behaviour patterns in men are associated with their chromosomal abnormalities. Men with predominating sadistic tendencies have 22 pairs of XX chromosomes, and one of XYY chromosome, instead of the normal 22 pairs of XX and one of XY chromosomes.

Mental disturbances can also be caused by acute shortage of certain vitamins and enzymes in the body. The disease known as Beri Beri is caused by an acute shortage of Vitamin B 1. Insane behaviour is an important symptom of this disease. Mental derangement is also associated with another vitamin-deficiency disease known as pellagra. Such persons can be brought back to sanity by the administration of the vitamin - Nicotinic acid.

Like vitamins and enzymes, imbalance of certain hormones - the secretions of endocrinal glands - also can produce mental abnormalities. Persons who suffer from an insufficient supply of parathyroxine - the hormone secreted by the-parathyroid gland - are subject to severe hallucinations.

A niece of mine, who used to see my dead mother's spirit whenever she looked towards the sky, was brought by me to Ceylon from my ancestral home in Kerala. After a thorough medical check-up, it was discovered that she had a defective parathy­roid To rectify this deficiency she was given an extra dose of calcium. With the rectifica­tion of her body-chemistry ended the appearance of my mother's spirit before her.

Now let us consider the psychological causes. It is a well-known fact in psychol­ogy that human mind is susceptible to suggestions. These suggestions can be by auto­hypnosis, otherwise known as auto-suggestion, or by hetero-hypnosis. Just as many mental disorders can be cured by hypnotism, it is possible to induce psychic and psycho-somatic ailments by hypnotic suggestions.

Religious indoctrination and brainwashing are slow and continuous process of hypnosis. Talking like a possessed person, often in a changed voice and fabricated language - this in psychology is known as Glossolalia -, ecstatic trance during temple poojas and devil dances, healing by faith, prayer, poojas, pilgrimages, blessing, anoint­ing, sacrifice, charm, offerings, drinking or bathing in so-called holy waters etc., are nothing but the effects of auto - or hetero hypnosis on the subject's suggestible mind.

The late Dr. Behanan Kovoor of the United Nations - a younger brother of mine - and myself had our university education in Calcutta, about thousand five hundred miles away from our home in Kerala. Almost all the Hindu families in our neighbourhood requested us to bring for them at least a small quantity of the sacred water from the river Ganges. Though prohibited by law now, more than half a century ago, it was a usual practice for the Hindus living in the Gangetic plane, to ceremoni­ously deposit the dead bodies of their kith and kin, into the sacred river Ganges, so that they may attain moksha or salvation. Numerous corpses in varying stages of decomposition could be seen floating in this so-called holy river at any time. Instead of taking this highly polluted water to our good neighbours, we used to fill two bottles with tap water from the nearest Railway Station to our home town, and distribute it to our neighbours as sacred water from the Ganges. We perpetrated this fraud for four consecutive years, and every time we returned from Calcutta we had to give patient hearing to the marvellous cures affected by the previous year's supply!

The tap water from Kottarakkara Railway Station became a curative medicine for those credulous folks purely as the result of suggestion on the minds of our gullible neighbors.

Deep mediation and chanting of refrains have self-hypnotizing effects. Utter­ances of persons in deep meditation or trance, are nothing but the hallucinations of deranged mm~, and should not be regarded as divine revelations or occult messages. L.S.D. and Ganja also can produce the same effect. Neurotics and psychotics in meditation, who claim to have received divine revelations, who claim to have achieved enlightenment, who claim to possess paranormal miraculous powers, and those who profess to possess the power to know all the secrets of the unknown and the unknow­able, are all fit subjects for the psychiatrist's couch, and not saints and sages to be adored, worshipped or counseled. Diversity in religions is due to the diversity of hallucinations of their respective founders.

Lastly let us consider the third type of deception perceptions: the delusions.

Delusions are accumulated false beliefs resulting from indoctrination and brainwashing from impressionable ages.  Beliefs n ghosts, demons, satan, angels, gods, astrology, palmistry, numerology, necromancy, charms, curse, blessings, seth kavi, vas kavi, omens, sacrifices, pirith nool, pilgrimages, anjana eliya, light reading, card reading, tumbler talk, clairvoyance, clairaudience, telepathy, precognition, telekinesis, holy persons, holy places, holy objects, holy times, hell, heaven, rebirth, purgatory, materialization, levitation, transmigration, etc are some of our delusions.

As Sri Menon says, it may be that some persons may derive mental peace and happiness by his or her blind beliefs.  Similar results, no doubt, can be obtained by consuming L.S.D, Ganja, opium toddy, or kasippu also!  But it is not a question whether any type of  experience induces peace or happiness, but whether it is true.

(Exposing Paranormal Claims - Abrahama Kovoor, Published by B. Premanand, Indian CSICOP, 15-3-2000)

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