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(c) Beliefs and Practices
The AVP reveal certain beliefs and practices which
were current in those days. People believed in supernatural
beings like demons, goblins, as well as gandharvas 17 and in
the occult sciences like magic and astrology. Amulets
(pratisara i.e. back-repeller) were supposed to have magic
significance and they were tied on persons to remove the fear
of the non-human and malevolent beings. 18 People believed in
the sanctity of certain places (tirthas). It is stated (41.4.
7) that, if a Brahmana does not perform the twilight-worship
(samdhya), he will not be born as a Brahmana for a number of
lives, unless he dies at a holy place. Rivers were highly
honoured. The water of a hundred rivers was necessary for
the abhiseka of a king. The water from the four oceans also
was braught for the same purpose (5.1.3). For sprinkling the
cows which were to be given away, the water of five rivers
was essential (16.1.5). The rivers Ganga and Sarasvati were
considered to be especially sacred and so too Gaya and the
Naimisa forest (42.2.4). The confluence of the rivers Ganga
and Yamuna was considered to be very holy (40.4.4 Cf.68.3.1)
The Vedas commanded great sanctity and authority, and
the recitation of the Vedic mantras was believed to destroy sin
(2.6.4) and to avert the evil effects of dreams (68.3.2) and
17. AVP 4.1.21; 14.1.10; 20.7.3,8; 22.5.1; 23.13.1; 33.7.5;
41.4.3; 51.5.1; 64.9.7; 70掳.15.3,4; 71.17.9, 18.2; 72.2.2.
18. AVP 4.4.9; 6.1.11; 17.2.16; 20.6.8, 7.2; 33.6.12.