 |
A person
is said to possess the evil eye if whatever he or she looks upon is harmed. A person with
an evil eye need not necessarily be wicked; usually the effect of the evil eye is
unintentional. Such people do not have any distinguishing physical feature to set them
apart from the rest. However, one or two 'incriminating' incidents from everyday life may
doom a person to the detested category of those with the 'eye'. All those believed to be
witches, wizards, and beggars are so castigated. If these people look upon any desirable
object, it is believed to get ruined.If a person falls under an evil spell, there are many ways through which it can be
broken. Waving a whole chilli over the person and throwing it in fire is another way. If
the smoke smells of the chilli, the illness is not attributed to the evil eye or nazar.
However, if the smoke does not smell of chillies, it is believed that the person was
afflicted by the evil eye, whose spell has now been broken. Nazar utarna of a more elaborate kind is performed by astrologers or professionals who
do it with the help of secret and mystic rites. At times, a lemon with four or five
chillies tied together, or a piece of stale unleavened bread (roti) are used for the
purpose. With the help of mantras, the effects of the evil eye are. They are then either
thrown away or left at a crossroad. Therefore, most people are very particular about
avoiding these objects when they spot them lying at a crossroad, for fear of catching the
eye if they step over them. At times these chillies are also hung on the front door to
shield the house from the evil eye.
Good-looking children, young boys and girls, brides and grooms, are
considered most susceptible to the eye. Small children are generally made to wear special,
protective charms and lockets. Eyeliner (see Kajal) is applied to their eyes and a small
black dot (kala tika) to their foreheads. This is believed to mar their beauty and make
them unappealing to the evil eye. Charms like bits of pottery from a burial ground, the
dried foot of a tortoise, the tooth of a crocodile, a bristle from the tail of an
elephant, a tiger's claw, or a talisman with magic mantras inscribed on it are all
popular. Some people even give ugly names Namakarana to
their childrenNazar Utarnaas a pre-emptive measure against nazar. When a north Indian bridegroom
leaves for his bride's house, his face is always covered with a screen of flowers, as a
camouflage against the evil eye. When he arrives at the bride's house, the mother of the
bride performs a ritual for the groom Arati to nullify the
effects of any nazar acquired on the way. So too, a bride's mother-in-law performs the
same ritual for her when she first enters her in-laws' house.
Nazar is also said to affect healthy domestic animals, trees in blossom, a good harvest or fine houses. Stone slabs inscribed and engraved with letters, characters and figures are often set up at the village boundary to safeguard the inhabitants and their cattle and crops against sickness, epidemic and disease caused by nazar. To protect their homes from the eye, women often draw mystical designs on the threshold. Black mud pots with fierce faces drawn on them are also hung on the door of It is believed that if the malefic effect of the first look is neutralized, subsequent glances will have no effect. All these devices are believed to catch the effect of the evil eye before it affects the crops, the building, or the beings they protect. It is believed that only the first look is deadly, and once its effect is neutralized, subsequent glances will have no effect. Dhrishtamani (eye beads) are used as an indicator of the evil eye. These beads are strung together and worn by children. It is believed that if the child falls under an evil spell, the necklace breaks or the beads change colour. Rudraksha beads are also used as charms, either strung into a necklace or tied on a thread and worn on the body.
