Ward says: "The Hindus believe the repetition of the name of God is an act
of adoration.... _Japa_ (as this act is called) makes an essential part of
the daily worship.... The worshipper, taking a string of beads, repeats
the name of his guardian deity, or that of any other god, counting by his
beads 10, 28, 108, 208, adding to every 108 not less than 100 more."
(Madras ed. 1863, pp. 217-218.)

No doubt the number in the text should have been 108, which is apparently
a mystic number among both Brahmans and Buddhists. Thus at Gautama's birth
108 Brahmans were summoned to foretell his destiny; round the great White
Pagoda at Peking are 108 pillars for illumination; 108 is the number of
volumes constituting the Tibetan scripture called _Kahgyur_; the merit of
copying this work is enhanced by the quality of the ink used, thus a copy
in red is 108 times more meritorious than one in black, one in silver
108^2 times, one in gold, 108^3 times; according to the Malabar Chronicle
Parasurama established in that country 108 Iswars, 108 places of worship,
and 108 Durga images; there are said to be 108 shrines of especial
sanctity in India; there are 108 _Upanishads_ (a certain class of mystical
Brahmanical sacred literature); 108 rupees is frequently a sum devoted to
alms; the rules of the Chinese Triad Society assign 108 blows as the
punishment for certain offences;--108, according to Athenaeus, were the
suitors of Penelope! I find a Tibetan tract quoted (by _Koeppen_, II. 284)
as entitled, "The Entire Victor over all the 104 Devils," and this is the
only example I have met with of 104 as a mystic number.

NOTE 4.--The _Saggio_, here as elsewhere, probably stands for the
_Miskal_.

NOTE 5.--This is stated also by Abu Zaid, in the beginning of the 10th
century. And Reinaud in his note refers to Mas'udi, who has a like passage
in which he gives a name to these companions exactly corresponding to
Polo's _Feoilz_ or Trusty Lieges: "When a King in India dies, many persons
voluntarily burn themselves with him. These are called _Balanjariyah_
(sing. _Balanjar_), as if you should say 'Faithful Friends' of the
deceased, whose life was life to them, and whose death was death to them."
(_Anc. Rel._ I. 121 and note; _Mas._ II. 85.)

On the murder of Ajit Singh of Marwar, by two of his sons, there were 84
_satis_, and "so much was he beloved," says Tod, "that even men devoted
themselves on his pyre" (I. 744). The same thing occurred at the de