te, only nominally Vedantic. Thus what philosophy the Jangamas
professedly have is Vedantic, but in fact they are deistic (not
pantheistic) disciples of Civa's priest, Basava (Sanskrit Vrishabha),
who taught Civa-worship in its grossest form, the adoration of the
Linga (phallus); while his adherents, who are spread over all India
under the name of Jangamas, 'vagrants,' or Ling[=a]yits,
'phallus-wearers,' are idolatrous deists with but a tinge of Vedantic
mysticism. So in the case of the Tridandins, the Dacan[=a]mis, and
other sects attributed to Civaism, as well as the Sm[=a]rtas (orthodox
Brahmans) who professed Civaism. According to Wilson the Tridandins
(whose triple, _tri_, staff, _da[n.][d.]i_, indicates control of word,
thought, and deed) are Southern Vishnuites of the R[=a]m[=a]nuja sect,
though some of them claim to be Vedantic Civaites. Nominally Civaite
are also the Southern 'Saints,' Sittars (Sanskrit Siddhas), but these
are a modern sect whose religion has been taught them by Islam, or
possibly by Christianity.[36] The extreme North and South are the
districts where Civaism as a popular religion has, or had, its firmest
hold, and it is for this reason that the higher religions which obtain
in these districts are given to Civa. But in reality they simply take
Civa, the great god of the neighborhood, in order to have a name for
their monotheistic god, exactly as missionaries among the American
Indians pray to the Great Spirit, to adapt themselves to their
audience's comprehension. In India, as in this country, they that
proselyte would prefer to use their own terminology, but they wisely
use that of their hearers.

We find no evidence to prove that there were ever really sectarian
Civaites who did not from the beginning practice brutal rites, or else
soon become ascetics of the lowest and most despicable sort. For
philosophical Civaites were never sectaries. They cared little whether
the All-god or One they argued about was called Vishnu or Civa. But
whenever one finds a true Civaite devotee, that is, a man that will
not worship Vishnu but holds fast to Civa as the only manifestation of
the supreme divinity, he will notice that such an one quickly becomes
obscene, brutal, prone to bloodshed, apt for any disgusting practice,
intellectually void, and morally beneath contempt. If the Civaite be
an ascetic his asceticism will be the result either of his lack of
intelligence (as in the case of the sects to be descr